The Guarded

Lirien blinked not once, but twice, and then he canted his head to the side slightly. Was it too dark? His fangs were out, his fangs were always out. Ridiculously, it was a blow to his ego just a little bit, preyed on that insecurity of being more human than vampire. At least he'd thought he was some sort of blighted creature. "Not really out for souls, though getting any closer to feed on you would certainly require some sort of mask." This guy was indeed going to try to punch him in the face, and probably attempt to snap his wrists, but Lirien thinks this is now a matter of pride. "You're less than a block from a tavern that caters to vampires." He points out instead of digging his heels in and continuing to further aggravate the man. "And you were expecting a blighted wolf."

Anwir wasn't really in his right mind to identify correctly what the other was, and honestly, vampire, vuldak, demon, what was the difference really in this situation? He could be a god for all he cared it didn't exactly make a difference. The other was still in his way. "You 'feed' on me and I'll find a way to remove those milk teeth of yours." even if it meant that they had to be buried in his body to do so. He had really got turned around if he was in this area of the city, but out was out. "And if there's a place to feed right over there for you, so off you fuck." maybe the other was poor and couldn't afford the cost and tried to look for a free meal instead.

Whatever distress this man was in wasn't really any of Lirien's business, he was in this purely out of curiosity and perhaps maybe a snack. That would be if he could get past the smell of just what had been described, a musty basement. What really had his brows raising was the way he fought off the shadows, some of them shrank away. Holding his hands up in surrender and taking a step back, the shadows dissipated to just clutching at the man's ankles. "I followed my nose, I'm not here to haul you back from whatever dungeon you crawled out of." There's a bit of bite to it, he's not completely absolving a pretty face of rudeness, but Lirien was maybe just big enough to admit that he kind of deserved it. "I'll let you go if you don't go for the face or the hands." There's still some mild sarcasm there, his fangs ever present in his mouth didn't help matters.

"You're so weird for that... wait, are you a bighted wolf? are you here to eat my soul? Well, I hope I taste foul and kill you!" they were called Vuldaks if he remembered correctly, and if this was how it was going to end, he was going to try and make sure he gave them the least satisfaction. "I'm definitely going to punch you in the face." Anwir wasn't going to be someone's lunch, if he was given the chance to defend himself, he wasn't going to play fair.

"Let's put it this way: if you never left your childhood home, how much of the world would you have missed out on? There was a risk in leaving your family, right? Like you didn't know what was going to happen to you. I believe that if you want a different result, something has to change." While Anwir was prattling, the red eyes didn't go unnoticed to him; it sent a shiver down his spine as he realised he could be sitting across from something extremely dangerous. Abruptly, he stood up from his seat "Would you look at the hour... it's time I leave." Anwir was in such a panic to leave he left behind his coin and personal belongings as he retreated to the exit.

"Don't you worry about that, worry about if you can make enough to avoid starving." Her tone is cold and she can't let on to the fact that she wants him to win some rounds, she does have trunks of treasure and he was a faiman, she never forget where she came from and who her people were. She felt the fingers brush her hand and she cocked an eyebrow. "Trying to hold my hand won't sway me to throw the game." She spun the coin and this time, it landed in her favor. "'Fess up."

One gold piece was going to last him a long time; he didn't need anything fancy, anything would be better than what they served in jail. "Don't flatter yourself, I'm after the gold." While it was the truth, it wasn't complete. "You think I'm going to tell you here? With all these ears around?" he was stalling so he could find a way out of this.

"Well, whatever depraved fetish you have for musty basements, I won't be part of it." Anwir struggled against the shadow bindings as the other apprised him. It made his blood boil that the other thought he had some kind of superiority over him. There was still some time when he could use the others' abilities. He ordered the shadows on him to release him; some of them obeyed, but not all. "I'm going to punch you in that smug ass face when i get the opportunity." If the other person really wanted to de-escalate the situation, he shouldn't have bound Anwir.

Normally he doesn't bother with other people's business, he had enough of his own to worry about. Lirien's social card was usually booked, he'd come from the Comedy Keep, he was on his way to the after function at Veil of Veins when he'd heard a particular kind of scurrying. The scent that hit his nose as he'd passed by one of the city's many alleyways was.....There wasn't a pleasant word to describe it, like dank basement, like musty stone, fresh earth and the metallic tang of metal. "Name calling? Really?" Lirien clicks his tongue as he rounds the corner and strides towards the figure. "And with nowhere to go? You're a bold one." His tone is amused, his hands still in the pockets of his coat as he cants his head, appraising the other curiously. "What hole did you crawl out of?"

Anwir was in a fair state of disrepair, his hair long and greasy, his beard untamed, wild. Grim stained his skin, with long fingernails that trapped the indecency of prison below them disguised a body that Anwir had trained for his escape years ago. While his cheeks weren't full, his muscles and bones would see him through his escape. "Says the one who followed me." The confidence the other had to follow down here must have meant he wasn't just a human. It was a confidence he was going to take from beneath his feet. Anwir would have preferred a sword, but his only defence was his own ability. Assertively, he closed the space looking like he was going to shove the other out of the way. There wasn't much force behind the elvhen, that was until he mimicked the others' strength out of seemingly nowhere. "One i'm not going back to so get out of my way."

Her expression was not pleased, and yet she was careful to not display too much wrath as the wound didn't need more salt in it. She hated losing, placing a gold coin on the table for his winnings and yet she wasn't satisfied in the notion of walking away, she wanted the secret as secrets for a nightingale could be more powerful than mere coin. "Play again?" she cocked an eyebrow, at least it was ensured that another Elvhen wouldn't starve tonight.

He had got the other hooked on this game now; who knew all he needed to do was bet some information to make it so she would ask to go another round. "How much gold are you prepared to lose?" He did have to keep his eyes peeled, as if she really wanted it; he wouldn't put it past her to cheat. As they exchanged the winning Anwir's fingers brushed hers, but not from any advance; he wanted to know what she was working with. And he now had a gold piece to find out what, while they talked.

"Oh, that's new! I did mean Lysara, but Eterna always comes out. Just about everyone wants to live there when they get to Lysara." Maybe this man was in a lot more trouble than she expected, or he just really didn't like the bustling urban life with its job market and schooling. "That's okay, I have tons of options outside the city too. The Queensland, Silverlands and here in the Wildlands are my specialties. But if you wanted any of the Reaches," Northreach, Westreach, Eastreach, Southreach, "I still have some connections there, so don't you worry."

"I don't like the big cities, i would prefer a small village than somewhere so... so busy." In a village, it would be easier to keep an eye on new faces, the comings and goings. "I think a reach will do me just fine." They should be in theory the furthest point from the city.

Zeliha eyed him perceptively, no hint yet of warmth or welcoming yet as she wondered at her situation. There was a mace for hitting and fast legs for running on her. But, when it was clearer that there was nothing to worry about (sheepish demeanor, worried eyes, soft countenance), the faiman smiled wide at this stranger. Right hand lifted to her heart, quelling its nervous pounding, and then she beckoned him eagerly with the left. "I think so... I hope so!" This was odd. Usually she'd at least have warning from another Nightingale before new a client or visitor, but it also wasn't a rare occurrence either. People were unpredictable, and that only brought some excitement into her life.

Maybe he shouldn't have snuck up on her for as long as he did, that mace by her side looked like it could do some damage, and currently he had no weapon to his name. His only form of self-defence was his ability to mimic someone else and on this occasion it would have been hers.

"Well, I guess if you don't take a risk, nothing will change right? I could lose or I could win, either way my fate won't change if I just stick to being safe." He could really take his own advice when it came to his power, which he had always played it safe with. Anwir decided the risk was worth it and, following the same format as last time he rolled the dice.

"Is it not?" Hakon looked down at his black armor, thinking about how plenty of people found it his color. Still, the legionnaire was made for the sun of the Shore, not the edges of the world as he was being pushed towards. Endless darkspawn, coordinated attacks – and now that they were all coming in smaller waves, the presence of the Legionnaire in the South was dwindling. "Anwir. Why are you here?" He skipped the question about why he was with the Legion, the obvious answer settling between them. He'd become Blighted by the Laurelin, one of the unlucky ones, and had joined the Legion to extend his life as he knew it.

"I always thought you looked more fetching in blue." The black seemed to absorb the joy he had once seen in his cousin's eyes years ago. But the armour was just a physical representation of the change in his cousin. "I don't think you would believe me even if I told you." it had been impossible to get anyone to listen before, but maybe now, now that it was on their doorstep, it was impossible to ignore. But he was sure that there would be some nobles in Eterna who refused to acknowledge the truth.

Pirates were like dragons in the way they hoarded gold and shiny trinkets, there was a pirate's cove where she buried some of her treasure but she did have gold in her pocket and could make the trade, although she hated to lose, it wouldn't devastate her. She was a nightingale and secrets were a powerful currency for her. Nodding, "You have a deal. Roll the dice."

For what like the eighth time, he followed his pattern; it didn't always work out for him, but the day he didn't blow on the dice, he was bound to lose. The dice flipped from side to side, seemingly trying to decide which side they would land on. Eventually, they stopped. Anwir couldn't have a more smug look on his face as they landed in his favour "Looks like my lips will remain shut."

Fighting so near Astoria is bothersome. Almost like an itch he can never properly scratch. He dislikes the country and it’s rulers, but he must admit that even with that all encompassing dislike, he does not wish darkspawns on anyone. His journey from Iskaldrik to Lysara had him witnessing horrors beyond his imagination, lacking as it is. Furthermore, the stories whispered about those who had survived… Yes, he does not wish darkspawns upon anyone, not even his worst enemies. Still, he can’t fight for too long without breaks, as the itch to insult the Astorian’s increases with every passing second. 

Anwir didn't have much to lose at this point; if anything, he would end up owing the other at this point. He wasn't keen on the idea of owing anyone, never mind a stranger. What trouble could he get himself into if this went wrong? Would there be a way he could weasel him self out of debt if it came to it? He supposed he'd have to work that out if he lost this roll. The main thing was that the other gave him a chance to win some back. Anwir went through his ritualistic blowing on the dice for luck before he unleashed them on the table before them. They tumbled for what felt like eternity till they revealed how unlucky Anwir was. "Fuck..." was all he could hiss out as he lost.

Her lips quirk in a small way, more flattered than not at his sentiments. She enjoyed the excitement of danger, it was why she became a pirate and she preferred when she was viewed as irrational and unhinged. "For someone who seems so desperate to roll the dice again and gamble, you sure are picky." She has offered two options now for stakes and he has turned down both, she won't try for a third strike and so the game has ended unless. "What would you like to gamble for?"

"I might be desperate, but I'm not dumb. I know other ways to get gold that don't get me mixed up in whatever you are plotting for that kind of magic." Anwir liked his freedom too much to risk it on a game. "Well I want gold if I win, and for you, how about a secret?" Information was valuable, and not everyone had fought a demon and lived.