YungTweak

~Winds of Fate- A Thief's Adventure~

I like the idea but I can also very much see a group of thieves all knowing thieves' cant. I think I'm going to leave Bark as not knowing the language simply because he isn't much one for exerting unnecessary effort when he can already achieve his needs, though the hider isn't necessary for me if you'd prefer not to have it, as I can work around that myself.

~Winds of Fate- A Thief's Adventure~

The sorcerer across the room had responded to Bark's screams with mockery and this had only began to infuriate him and make the intense howls within his head so much louder. They continued to speak for him momentarily, Justin still shouting at the top of his lungs toward the spell caster. What suitable thought in the man's head could not determine why he was doing what he did, other than the fact that he was simultaneously frightened and pissed off. The schizophrenic convict started to calm as an adjacent voice beckoned to him and soothed the voices that yelled both at and for him. He turned to face the young girl, giving a long sigh. Soon enough, it was completely quiet again, and it seems that a solid distraction was enough to smooth things over. In this case, anyway.

"I'm crazy, don't mind me", Justin let out, seemingly exhausted by his own behavior, "...I think, I think he's practicing spellwork over there. He was making weird symbols, strange movements. I saw him direct the energy over here, y'know? I think he's trying to fuck with me, I don't know! I just don't like it, I don't like him", Justin paused momentarily and looked the girl over. He hoped that this was reasonable enough explanation as to not scare her, for both reasons of common decency and how she could be particularly useful. Justin would generally feel bad if he had frightened her.

"Tis' why they call me Bark, yeah?", He simply explained, "I'm like a dog, I got good ears and eyes. I hear and see things that most people don't."

With that, Justin turned and moved toward the center of his cell. He was tired and although the thoughts moving through his mind were at a slower pace, they were very sporadic. The man removed his cloak, setting it on the floor as a ground cover of sorts. He followed this action by removing the boots from his feet and setting them aside before bringing himself to a sitting position on top of the cloak. Justin figured that he might as well get comfortable if he wasn't going to pass out just yet. With hands folded in lap, he took deep and deliberate breaths to try and focus himself, closing his eyes.

"I'm sorry, miss... uhh...", Justin proclaimed to the girl in the cell beside him in an attempt to apologize, before trailing off as he realized that he had never learned her name.

»»—//★ . ¿Hᴇɴʀɪ's Sᴇᴀʀᴄʜ▼ [high-cas/advanced] ./

I'll send you a PM shortly! I'm very interested in doing 'The Traveler' RP.

~Winds of Fate- A Thief's Adventure~

I'll be making a post regarding Justin's response to Harmony and Lautrec shortly.

Probably should have done it sooner but I was expecting posts from others and didn't want to clog the page just yet lol.

~Winds of Fate- A Thief's Adventure~

@Peaceless Sorry about misunderstanding the shiv thing. In general I feel like my post was kind of unsequenced as well, but not terribly so or anything.

Predicting the interactions between characters, I foresee some hilarious tomfoolery.

~Winds of Fate- A Thief's Adventure~

Justin Bark

Royal Complex Dungeons

The dungeon was no strange sight for Justin. Although he had never been able to call this particular holding complex a home of his, the professional lawbreaker had come across a few in his time. There was a saying relating to overcoming seemingly impossible odds that flashed through the man's mind, though he didn't put much thought into it. In fact, he couldn't really think of much beyond the basic things that he felt at the present moment, considering how hard he was coming down from the Dust. It was as if he were going in slow motion and sobriety was bringing an intense tiredness. He couldn't even make himself eat the porridge that wait for him, despite the fact that he hadn't eaten all day. Besides, Justin knew that even career criminals wouldn't be locked up forever for what he had done. Depending on the guards, or perhaps the magistrate presiding over them, he could even get out on a promised bribe or something of the sort. However... this was the Royal Complex, which he wasn't quite sure what he was doing inside of in the first place. Maybe they had finally grown tired of Justin's activities in their city? The passing idea made Justin consider the possibility of resistance to be more plausible.

Although the guards had taken Justin's belongings, they left him with his clothes. Even his syringe was missing, which Justin was furious about, to say the least. Having become used to this route of administration, he would do anything to get another once he was free. It was no doubt in his mind that the guards would pawn the item off, along with his other valuables. The grieving addict tried not to worry about this too much, seeing as it was simply not the time. He let loose a deep sigh and gave a long look over his surroundings, deciding to scrutinize what detail of the surrounding he could before he got too tired and decided to get comfortable. Who knows, perhaps there was an obvious escape route just waiting. Opening the door was just the first step but a step in the right direction regardless.

Justin's attention was first drawn to the cell next to his, containing a girl who looked very young. This brought Justin to raise his brow and maintain a slightly confused look on his face, especially since he was watching her toy with some sort of mechanism, likely a lockpick of some sort. Even as a ruffian in his youth, he could not have imagined doing something so heinous as to end up here. So, this in-plain-sight escape route may have simply been delivered by the Maker. He huffed and sputtered out a small cough before summoning up the words to address this girl, who had began waving at folks who were settled across from them.

"Oi, kid. I don't know who ya' are but ya' look crafty and got something of definite use in 'yer possession", Justin plainly stated, referring to the metallic rod, "...give us some time to work up some details and we can think about getting these doors open, yeah? Maker's blessing if ya' get past the guards on 'yer own, after all". Justin's head was starting to pound and he felt as if he could just fall asleep on the spot, though he was focusing what energy he had left to think about his words and plan of action rather deliberately. Surely, the girl would be able to sense the aggravated tone to his voice, though if she were perceptive enough, be able to recognize that this was either not normal or it simply wasn't aggravation out of hostility. Justin considered this himself.

"Hells, where are my manners? Justin Bark at your service, young lady. General Serviceman for hire. Now, I ain't tryna' tell you what to do or anything like that, mind you. I just figured I'd let ya' know what's goin' on and well... I'll be here to talk it over if you need more convincing". Justin gave another slight cough before offering a curt nod to the young woman and turning his attention to those across from them whom she had waved at.

He looked over to the couple who shared a cell. He thought this to be peculiar, as any proper jailer would not make such a mistake in a high risk dungeon such as this. He looked them over curiously, attempting to discern whether they could be a help or a hinderance. Something about the woman called out to Justin, as she not only struck him a career criminal due to the appearance but she had a particularly interesting aura about her. Justin offered the two a nod and then paid particular attention to the woman as he gave out a high pitched whistle. The bird call... because what do birds do? They fly high.

Justin's attention darted to the cell next to them and he soon spotted the man making symbols on the floor and moving his body in erratic patterns, observing the ritual whilst keeping an ear out for a whistle back or any sort of response from those around him. Bark could not make much sense of the practice, though he did notice that the man made a particular focus on this direction. Justin didn't like it. Voices began calling in his mind, warning him of the dark magic that was unfolding. He could not discern whether the whispers warned him of a curse or another terrible spell.

Regardless, the voices in his head started getting loud. Louder than anything. They consumed his mind and started shouting for him.

"LISTEN HERE YOU FUCKIN' SPINELESS CUR, DON'T YOU DARE PUT YOUR DAMNED DARK MAGICS ON ME! WHAT ARE YA'!? A BLOOD WITCH!? A DEMON IN DISGUISE!? MAKER HELP YOU SHOULD I GET IN YOUR CELL, DEMON. EVEN A CURSE WON'T STOP ME!!"

Rats in the Mall

Stats updated in Clan Sheet

Rats in the Mall

I'll adjust my Clan stats here soon in preparation for the RP.

~Winds of Fate- A Thief's Adventure~

By the way, if anyone wishes to have their character recognize mine, in any connotation they wish, feel free. The high 'Street Credential' stat being the basis of this, of course.

~Winds of Fate- A Thief's Adventure~

Justin Bark

Slums

Although the single roomed shack was dark, bits of light peppered in from various holes and spaces in the walls. A single candle resting on the only wooden surface, the top of a simple drawer, illuminated what it could, remaining steady as it was untouched by the wind. Laying on this table of sorts was a letter detailing a job, a small glass jar containing a blue powdery substance, and a cup of water. Sitting on the edge of a bed next to the drawer, Justin Bark, old criminal and ex privateer, lunatic to others, had started preparing for the evening. He sat shirtless, holding a syringe in his hands. Looking over the blue powder, Dust, he had decided that what remained wasn't worth conserving. Shifting forward a bit, the man grabbed the cup of water and allowed a splash to pour into the jar of Dust. He then took the tip of the syringe in hand, mixing it together a bit before pulling back on the plunger and creating a vacuum for the blue tinted liquid to suck into.

Plugging the needle into a vein at the crease of his extended and tightened left arm, Justin drew just a bit of blood to see if he had his mark. The dark red pouring into the cylinder brought a curt grin to form on his lips. He pushed down on the plunger, a rush of euphoria and energy washed over him, and truly, the old sailor had awoken. Having been a Dust fiend for quite some time, Justin considered himself lucky to have stumbled upon the small niche of those who had taken it in this way. From his understanding, this was rare and unheard to even the most addicted of users and the idea was stolen from the most advanced medical practitioners in the Empire. Maker knows how much Justin had to invest in acquiring a syringe himself. Cleaning up after his mess, washing the syringe of blood and returning it to a leather container that he would slide into a hidden pocket on the inside of the back of his pants, he looked over the drawer top before him, glaring first at the empty jar and then to the letter next to it, Justin was simply glad that he had found work for the night.

Using his newfound energy to prepare, Justin got dressed, gathered his personal belongings, armed himself, and looked over the letter once more. He had received the letter from an unnamed messenger earlier in the day and it's contents were just as simple. The parchment plainly stated that the job was from Thomas Kelling, a former employer, and that a shop owner down the way was to be intimidated into paying his protection fees. The pay was to be in 15 coins, delivered the day following the job's completion. Justin crumpled up the piece of paper and tossed it to the floor of his shack before blowing out the single candle flame and taking his leave.

The sun had began to falter in the sky, leaving the cityscape horizon a soft hue of orange when it wasn't blocked by a complex of buildings. The hustle and bustle of the streets was now decaying as people went about concluding their business, shutting down their market stalls, cleaning up their messes, and so on. This was the perfect time to begin a night of work as it didn't require any stealth activity and it wasn't conspicuous to be roaming the street. Justin Bark, triggerman to those who needed a place held up or a man killed, robber and murderer to some, had yet again began his descent into the role that he was hired for. With the loose stone beneath him clicking beneath his boots, he made his way toward the shop at the end of the street.

The triggerman's mind ran all over the place, contemplating various realities which could follow every single action he took. Every single detail of the world around him was beyond interesting, his eyes darting to and fro in an attempt to observe the details of every stone, every piece of grain, every bug, and so on. The only thing that he tried to ignore were the whispers in the distance, seemingly emerging from every alley, muttering his name or speaking some other mockery. Although unfocused, he kept moving forward, coming to a stop just outside of the named shop and taking a deep breath. Looking around the street, he saw that most of the human activity was a far enough distance that he could make a disturbance and go unnoticed. Placing his hand on the grip of his flintlock pistol, Justin took another deep breath to focus and took a few steps back. He was supposed to intimidate this fellow and that's what he intended to do. He pushed the bandanna upon his head, with the cloth resting on his nose and hanging down to obscure his features, before proceeding.

Bits of wood sputtered into the shop as the door's hinges snapped and bent and the wooden frame flung inward. With pistol in hand, Justin immediately marched toward the man behind the counter of the shop. He aimed the barrel toward him, shouting in a fast paced manner as he did so.

"WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, EH!? GIVE ME ALL YOUR FUCKING COIN 'LESS YOU'RE TRYNA' GET A BULLET, MATE", the words were bland, the first that came to the old criminal's mind, but effective nonetheless. The owner of the shop trembled in Justin's wake, likely frightened by the sudden exchange and frightened by both the demeanor and stature of Justin. The shop owner immediately began doing as he was instructed, rummaging through a drawer of the shop counter, searching for where he kept his coin from the day's transactions. As this happened, Justin listened to the words of someone in the world behind him, outside of the shop. It was a mocking voice, though he couldn't hear the exact words spoken.

Spinning on his heel, Justin turned and fired out into the distance, toward where he heard the voice. Although no one was to be seen, Justin shouted out again, this time at those who would speak ill of him.

"COME AND FIGHT ME IF YOU WANT TO FUCK WITH ME THAT BAD, YA' FUCKIN' GIRL", he screamed. Justin heard the familiar whistle of the city guard. He hadn't planned on firing a single shot on this job but had let his anger get the better of him when it came to that sudden verbal attack. Now, he was about to be swarmed by the guard and had to get out of there. Turning around again, he ran up to the counter and swiped what coin the shop owner had procured before running off into the street. Justin hoped that the shop owner was scared enough to start paying for protection as of the morning and that the job was successful.

As soon as he stepped onto the stone pavement, Justin saw that guards were coming at him from either direction. Directly across from him was an alleyway, his only chance at escape. Darting forward, he made way for the alley with as much speed and intensity as he could. Rushing ahead, he made it maybe forty feet into the brick tunnel like escape route until he had found... that the darkness of the night had covered the fact that this was a dead end.

Behind Justin, a troop of the city's forces had come upon him. Justin sighed, knowing that he had no chance. Laying down his pistol and the bag of coins, the criminal got on his knees and put his hands behind his head. Although every ounce of the man wanted to fight as much as he could, Justin knew that it would only cause more trouble, if not his death. If he was lucky, he'd be out in a few months time.

Status = Caught