42nd of Ash, 120
It was with a distinct swagger to his stride that Arkash walked the cool streets of Outer Nivenhain. His claws trembled and rattled in his pocket while he kept to the sidelines. Venom flowed plentifully in his maw and forced the occasional hard slurp to sound beneath the veil of his oversized hood. He was afraid, it would be hard not to think so with his mannerisms and subtle shaking combined. he didn't like Outer Nivenhain, it was cleaner and the people that walked the streets were likely safer than those that crawled the slums, but Arkash hated it.
He didn't belong there. Arkash was a dirty, mangled lizard in a city of xenophobic humans. Not only was he out of bounds, in a place the nameless were not meant to be able to reach, but he was wanted for the crime of injuring a rien citizen; his penalty was death. Chevalier patrolled with their vile constructs in tow, and it took all of Arkash's will to stay a phobic panic. Their suspect was a lizard of dark scales, one who'd supposedly destroyed three hollows to evade execution. If they saw even an inch of him, he would be killed on the spot.
Thankfully, the argent had a lot more to worry about than punishing the city's scum for petty crimes. In a sense, Arkash was grateful for the whole kindred cannon fiasco that raged in some other part of the country. All eyes were there, and it left ample room for Arkash to crawl on the nails that held up the city. He was an insect; meaningless and inconsequential, not worth a second look or any consideration. That was how he'd always lived, and in the streets of Outer Nivenhain, he was glad for it.
It began snowing sometime in the early morning, and had been for the entire day since. The darkened sky was something he appreciated, but he could do without the colder air. It was still too warm for the snow to stick, but it left the streets damp.
When they had a moment where no Chevalier or hollows were in sight, Arkash turned his head to peer at the boy in his company; a human Koltoskan named Orion. "We's clos'," he warned through the fabric of his scarf, then turned back to the front. There was no mist of condensation when he spoke, as his body steadily bled warmth to become as cold as his environment.
Orion, a human Arkash found to be kinder than the far majority of the humans in the wretched city, was a godsend. If it weren't for the boy's help, he wouldn't have been able to get into the sewers; Arkash leaned on his raw strength and depended on it to make the trip home. He had to keep Orion close for that reason, so he made the boy an offer. If the Koltoskan helped him retrieve his lost goods, Arkash would teach him to pick locks and help his town retrieve the payload they sought. The deal weighed massively in Orion's favor, but what choice did he have? He couldn't leaver Outer Nivenhain without his help.
That was where they headed; to retrieve Arkash's goods. There were several factors he had to consider when they arrived at the venue. One of the most pressing matters was how many cooks were among the kitchen staff, as he'd likely need to sneak in through the back to gain access to the staff-only area. Of course, he didn't know where his goods were, either, but he could wager they were somewhere in the back. The rooms on the second floor were reserved for guests, it didn't make sense for the keeper to reserve one for himself. So, his personal things had to be somewhere in the back portion of the establishment.
Soon enough, Arkash turned into the dank alley of an unsuspecting building and proceeded deep into the darkness before he stopped and pivoted to get a look at his accomplice. "So 'eres th' plan. We need t' ge' inta the back through this 'ere door," he spoke with a motion of his claws. "I' leads t' th' kitchins, which is where I reckon 'e's keepin' me shit. Bu' I dunno the layout or th' staff 'e's got. One of uz 'as gotta get in some'ow, an' 'e kno's me, cause I 'assled 'im th' over deh." Arkash drew a deep breath that flared his nostrils, then exhaled.
"So!" He spoke with a snap of his claws, followed by a sudden twitch in his left shoulder that saw him wince. "I need 'ew to buy youerself a ho' drink, an' preten' t' burn youerself, maek a scene 'n all tha'. E'll taek 'ew t' th' kitchin to treat youer burn, which is where you'll check th' numba o' staff an all the detaels 'ew can rememba." With that, Arkash drew a handful of farthings from his pocket and offered Orion ten of them. "So, buy youerself a nice 'ot brew, jus' taek care not t' a'tually burn youerself."
With that, the lizard tucked his remaining change in his pocket, then looked to the door. In the meantime, he would be working out the lock on the back door, if there even was one. The building was to Arkash's left while he stared out of the alley, which was good. It meant he could keep the street on his sighted side while he messed with the door.
It was with a distinct swagger to his stride that Arkash walked the cool streets of Outer Nivenhain. His claws trembled and rattled in his pocket while he kept to the sidelines. Venom flowed plentifully in his maw and forced the occasional hard slurp to sound beneath the veil of his oversized hood. He was afraid, it would be hard not to think so with his mannerisms and subtle shaking combined. he didn't like Outer Nivenhain, it was cleaner and the people that walked the streets were likely safer than those that crawled the slums, but Arkash hated it.
He didn't belong there. Arkash was a dirty, mangled lizard in a city of xenophobic humans. Not only was he out of bounds, in a place the nameless were not meant to be able to reach, but he was wanted for the crime of injuring a rien citizen; his penalty was death. Chevalier patrolled with their vile constructs in tow, and it took all of Arkash's will to stay a phobic panic. Their suspect was a lizard of dark scales, one who'd supposedly destroyed three hollows to evade execution. If they saw even an inch of him, he would be killed on the spot.
Thankfully, the argent had a lot more to worry about than punishing the city's scum for petty crimes. In a sense, Arkash was grateful for the whole kindred cannon fiasco that raged in some other part of the country. All eyes were there, and it left ample room for Arkash to crawl on the nails that held up the city. He was an insect; meaningless and inconsequential, not worth a second look or any consideration. That was how he'd always lived, and in the streets of Outer Nivenhain, he was glad for it.
It began snowing sometime in the early morning, and had been for the entire day since. The darkened sky was something he appreciated, but he could do without the colder air. It was still too warm for the snow to stick, but it left the streets damp.
When they had a moment where no Chevalier or hollows were in sight, Arkash turned his head to peer at the boy in his company; a human Koltoskan named Orion. "We's clos'," he warned through the fabric of his scarf, then turned back to the front. There was no mist of condensation when he spoke, as his body steadily bled warmth to become as cold as his environment.
Orion, a human Arkash found to be kinder than the far majority of the humans in the wretched city, was a godsend. If it weren't for the boy's help, he wouldn't have been able to get into the sewers; Arkash leaned on his raw strength and depended on it to make the trip home. He had to keep Orion close for that reason, so he made the boy an offer. If the Koltoskan helped him retrieve his lost goods, Arkash would teach him to pick locks and help his town retrieve the payload they sought. The deal weighed massively in Orion's favor, but what choice did he have? He couldn't leaver Outer Nivenhain without his help.
That was where they headed; to retrieve Arkash's goods. There were several factors he had to consider when they arrived at the venue. One of the most pressing matters was how many cooks were among the kitchen staff, as he'd likely need to sneak in through the back to gain access to the staff-only area. Of course, he didn't know where his goods were, either, but he could wager they were somewhere in the back. The rooms on the second floor were reserved for guests, it didn't make sense for the keeper to reserve one for himself. So, his personal things had to be somewhere in the back portion of the establishment.
Soon enough, Arkash turned into the dank alley of an unsuspecting building and proceeded deep into the darkness before he stopped and pivoted to get a look at his accomplice. "So 'eres th' plan. We need t' ge' inta the back through this 'ere door," he spoke with a motion of his claws. "I' leads t' th' kitchins, which is where I reckon 'e's keepin' me shit. Bu' I dunno the layout or th' staff 'e's got. One of uz 'as gotta get in some'ow, an' 'e kno's me, cause I 'assled 'im th' over deh." Arkash drew a deep breath that flared his nostrils, then exhaled.
"So!" He spoke with a snap of his claws, followed by a sudden twitch in his left shoulder that saw him wince. "I need 'ew to buy youerself a ho' drink, an' preten' t' burn youerself, maek a scene 'n all tha'. E'll taek 'ew t' th' kitchin to treat youer burn, which is where you'll check th' numba o' staff an all the detaels 'ew can rememba." With that, Arkash drew a handful of farthings from his pocket and offered Orion ten of them. "So, buy youerself a nice 'ot brew, jus' taek care not t' a'tually burn youerself."
With that, the lizard tucked his remaining change in his pocket, then looked to the door. In the meantime, he would be working out the lock on the back door, if there even was one. The building was to Arkash's left while he stared out of the alley, which was good. It meant he could keep the street on his sighted side while he messed with the door.
