Serita dropped her large bag with a sharp clunk before kneeling before the river and scooping up water in her palm, bringing
it to her mouth. Thirst had finally driven her to stop after she had found that morning that she had run out of water. Not
that she liked to stop so soon after a job, but she needed to rest her feet anyway, and change her dressing. Tearing more
pieces of cloth - cloth that she noted carried the emblem of the last Lord she had been in the district of - she cautiously
rolled up her sleeve and grimaced at the bloodsoaked dressing on her arm, just above her elbow. She shook her head and
gritted her teeth as she cautiously unwound the cloth, wincing slightly as the dried blood pried itself from out of the
wound. That last burglary had been a positive farce, what with the insane amount of men that had erupted from all of the
rooms. And all because of that damned little boy. "Children..." she cursed softly to herself as she dabbed water on the
wound with the old cloth before binding it again. When the boy had wandered into the room, rubbing his eyes and yawning
from sleep she had frozen, hoping to go unnoticed, behind the large casket as she was. But nevertheless he had seen her and
she had braced herself for the screams for aid. But nothing. He had merely stared at her with a wide-eyed, bizarre
curiosity. "Are you a thief?" he asked, inching forwards even as she remained death still, eyes burning into him. "You
could say that..." she had begun cautiously, sizing up the window. She paused now and frowned, silver blue eyes flashing.
What disturbed her most about the whole event was that only when she had refused to play did the boy begin to scream for
help. True she knew nothing of boys, nothing of much to do with people, but that could not be normal. She heard hoofbeats,
relatively far off still, but nevertheless she snatched her bag up and advanced to the nearest group of trees, climbing one
with great agility despite the heaviness of her bag. The sound of the hoofbeats increased and she prayed they would pass,
not interested in company, as she never had been. She only enjoyed company when she felt the need to enter a tavern and
drink herself into a stupour. Regrettably, the horse stopped, and she heard someone stepping down to the ground. She
remained perfectly still, balanced between the cradle of two branches, her breathing regulated, her ears pricked. She could
hear whoever it was moving around down there, looking slowly. She could tell there was only one simply by the sound of their
movement. Maybe it was a weary traveller come to fill their water skins, just as she had. Her eyes flickered to the left at
the shuffling of the horse and back again, breathing silently. She felt with an inner inkling that the tree she was in was
now being approached and tensed inperceptibly, her hand clenching the hilt of the knife in her boot.
"You might as well come out Serita. I can smell your blood in the river."
Serita stilled utterly, eyes widening slightly before she composed herself. First down went her bag, and then she herself,
dropping to the ground into a crouch before straightening, eyes locked on her companion. "Lavist. I trust you're prospering?"
she questioned impassively, keeping a wary eye on the enormous creature before her. Certainly not something that could be
called a man. He was from an outer domain known as Quartawn, at least that was where his kind came from. She had never been
comfortable with him, not merely due to his disturbing ability to smell an individual's blood and recognise them as clearly
as if he'd seen their face, but also due to her underlying suspicion that should she be forced to fight him she may not win.
Such a thought was unacceptable for her. He was approximately seven foot tall, his skin the colour of cracked coal and with
yellow eyes. Beneath the cracks of his skin a slight glistening could be seen. Serita had never been sure whether this was
their equivilent of blood or something all together different. She had personally seen him lift a normal sized man and
crush his head between his hands as though crushing a leaf. "I want for nothing. That is more than can be said for most in
such times." he said, shrugging and blinking his yellow eyes lazily. "Did you feel the need merely to prove you can always
find me or is there a purpose for this visit? Does Vience have something he wishes to be said?" Serita continued, her stance
controlled aggression to display to him her lack of trust. Vience was the leader of a gang of thieves that Serita had
joined for a short time when she was fifteen. Lavist was the only one that he would let out of his sight, knowing he was the
only one that would definitely come back due to his unswaying loyalty. "He wanted to apologise for what happened at your
last... project. He has been surveying the house for some time, attempting to procure the daughter, and therefore their
security was far stronger than it would normally have been." Lavist reported, his demeanour equally cool. Serita nodded,
eyes narrowed in annoyance. "I bled due to his discrepancies. Surely he has more to offer than an apology?" Lavist snorted
in derision before turning and walking back to his horse. Serita's anger flared up like a nightmare before she managed to
contain it. No more blood, at least for today. Despite this thought she found her fingers itching to reach for some kind of
weapon. "I wouldn't turn away from someone like me Lavist. You might come across a mishap of some kind on your way back
to your master." she continued, unable to stop a smirk spreading across her face as he stiffened before mounting his horse.
So he feared her then. Well that was good, and more than that, sensible. His yellow eyes flickered back to her for a second
as he soothed the horse. "Be cautious what you do with the favour I give you. I would not venture it alone. The Labyrinth
is the closest domain, within which is the Goblin King." he said. Her smile spread wider, a sly, happy smile. "Rich
pickings?" she questioned, her attitude towards Lavist visibly warming. He smiled slightly in return "Far greater than most,
if you can get to them." He then nodded in acknowledgement, turned the horse about, and returned up the way he had come.
Serita's smile visibly dropped before she turned to the river and swiftly washed her legs and arms and took up her bag once
more. "A new king within the Labyrinth..." she pondered aloud as she made her way along the road, staying close to the edge
should she be required to flee from soldiers or other thieves. "It's been a while since I've attempted to enter that castle."
The castle within the centre of the Labyrinth was one of the few that still managed to impress Serita, one of the reasons
being that it was constantly being improved and altered. New surprises were simply a treat to her. Of course there was the
issue of the Labyrinth itself, but it was not one that bothered Serita. Old Mother Rashinta had shown her a tunnel dug by
her great grandfather, that led to the very centre. "A new king though... Hmmmmm...." she stopped when she noted a puddle
of water in the middle of the road, stepping forward and dipping her fingers in to make it ripple. "A name and a face." she
commanded, using what fae powers she had to create an image. She blinked in mild surprise to see a truly beautiful man
captured within the water, his light hair falling to his shoulders, his strangely mis-matched eyes gleaming with what could
only be described as playful cruelty. His smile too, that mouth, suggested his coldness, his arrogance. His power. Her
face clouded "Jareth..." she murmured. A feeling stirred somewhere in the pit of her stomach that advised anything but going
where this man was. She hissed her hate at such a thought. "Fear a man I've never met? Ridiculous!"
it to her mouth. Thirst had finally driven her to stop after she had found that morning that she had run out of water. Not
that she liked to stop so soon after a job, but she needed to rest her feet anyway, and change her dressing. Tearing more
pieces of cloth - cloth that she noted carried the emblem of the last Lord she had been in the district of - she cautiously
rolled up her sleeve and grimaced at the bloodsoaked dressing on her arm, just above her elbow. She shook her head and
gritted her teeth as she cautiously unwound the cloth, wincing slightly as the dried blood pried itself from out of the
wound. That last burglary had been a positive farce, what with the insane amount of men that had erupted from all of the
rooms. And all because of that damned little boy. "Children..." she cursed softly to herself as she dabbed water on the
wound with the old cloth before binding it again. When the boy had wandered into the room, rubbing his eyes and yawning
from sleep she had frozen, hoping to go unnoticed, behind the large casket as she was. But nevertheless he had seen her and
she had braced herself for the screams for aid. But nothing. He had merely stared at her with a wide-eyed, bizarre
curiosity. "Are you a thief?" he asked, inching forwards even as she remained death still, eyes burning into him. "You
could say that..." she had begun cautiously, sizing up the window. She paused now and frowned, silver blue eyes flashing.
What disturbed her most about the whole event was that only when she had refused to play did the boy begin to scream for
help. True she knew nothing of boys, nothing of much to do with people, but that could not be normal. She heard hoofbeats,
relatively far off still, but nevertheless she snatched her bag up and advanced to the nearest group of trees, climbing one
with great agility despite the heaviness of her bag. The sound of the hoofbeats increased and she prayed they would pass,
not interested in company, as she never had been. She only enjoyed company when she felt the need to enter a tavern and
drink herself into a stupour. Regrettably, the horse stopped, and she heard someone stepping down to the ground. She
remained perfectly still, balanced between the cradle of two branches, her breathing regulated, her ears pricked. She could
hear whoever it was moving around down there, looking slowly. She could tell there was only one simply by the sound of their
movement. Maybe it was a weary traveller come to fill their water skins, just as she had. Her eyes flickered to the left at
the shuffling of the horse and back again, breathing silently. She felt with an inner inkling that the tree she was in was
now being approached and tensed inperceptibly, her hand clenching the hilt of the knife in her boot.
"You might as well come out Serita. I can smell your blood in the river."
Serita stilled utterly, eyes widening slightly before she composed herself. First down went her bag, and then she herself,
dropping to the ground into a crouch before straightening, eyes locked on her companion. "Lavist. I trust you're prospering?"
she questioned impassively, keeping a wary eye on the enormous creature before her. Certainly not something that could be
called a man. He was from an outer domain known as Quartawn, at least that was where his kind came from. She had never been
comfortable with him, not merely due to his disturbing ability to smell an individual's blood and recognise them as clearly
as if he'd seen their face, but also due to her underlying suspicion that should she be forced to fight him she may not win.
Such a thought was unacceptable for her. He was approximately seven foot tall, his skin the colour of cracked coal and with
yellow eyes. Beneath the cracks of his skin a slight glistening could be seen. Serita had never been sure whether this was
their equivilent of blood or something all together different. She had personally seen him lift a normal sized man and
crush his head between his hands as though crushing a leaf. "I want for nothing. That is more than can be said for most in
such times." he said, shrugging and blinking his yellow eyes lazily. "Did you feel the need merely to prove you can always
find me or is there a purpose for this visit? Does Vience have something he wishes to be said?" Serita continued, her stance
controlled aggression to display to him her lack of trust. Vience was the leader of a gang of thieves that Serita had
joined for a short time when she was fifteen. Lavist was the only one that he would let out of his sight, knowing he was the
only one that would definitely come back due to his unswaying loyalty. "He wanted to apologise for what happened at your
last... project. He has been surveying the house for some time, attempting to procure the daughter, and therefore their
security was far stronger than it would normally have been." Lavist reported, his demeanour equally cool. Serita nodded,
eyes narrowed in annoyance. "I bled due to his discrepancies. Surely he has more to offer than an apology?" Lavist snorted
in derision before turning and walking back to his horse. Serita's anger flared up like a nightmare before she managed to
contain it. No more blood, at least for today. Despite this thought she found her fingers itching to reach for some kind of
weapon. "I wouldn't turn away from someone like me Lavist. You might come across a mishap of some kind on your way back
to your master." she continued, unable to stop a smirk spreading across her face as he stiffened before mounting his horse.
So he feared her then. Well that was good, and more than that, sensible. His yellow eyes flickered back to her for a second
as he soothed the horse. "Be cautious what you do with the favour I give you. I would not venture it alone. The Labyrinth
is the closest domain, within which is the Goblin King." he said. Her smile spread wider, a sly, happy smile. "Rich
pickings?" she questioned, her attitude towards Lavist visibly warming. He smiled slightly in return "Far greater than most,
if you can get to them." He then nodded in acknowledgement, turned the horse about, and returned up the way he had come.
Serita's smile visibly dropped before she turned to the river and swiftly washed her legs and arms and took up her bag once
more. "A new king within the Labyrinth..." she pondered aloud as she made her way along the road, staying close to the edge
should she be required to flee from soldiers or other thieves. "It's been a while since I've attempted to enter that castle."
The castle within the centre of the Labyrinth was one of the few that still managed to impress Serita, one of the reasons
being that it was constantly being improved and altered. New surprises were simply a treat to her. Of course there was the
issue of the Labyrinth itself, but it was not one that bothered Serita. Old Mother Rashinta had shown her a tunnel dug by
her great grandfather, that led to the very centre. "A new king though... Hmmmmm...." she stopped when she noted a puddle
of water in the middle of the road, stepping forward and dipping her fingers in to make it ripple. "A name and a face." she
commanded, using what fae powers she had to create an image. She blinked in mild surprise to see a truly beautiful man
captured within the water, his light hair falling to his shoulders, his strangely mis-matched eyes gleaming with what could
only be described as playful cruelty. His smile too, that mouth, suggested his coldness, his arrogance. His power. Her
face clouded "Jareth..." she murmured. A feeling stirred somewhere in the pit of her stomach that advised anything but going
where this man was. She hissed her hate at such a thought. "Fear a man I've never met? Ridiculous!"