Training Montage, Rogue Edition

Ezra stepped back from the many-eyed, thin man; the fright she showed on her face wasn't wholly feigned, and she reached out a hand to grasp Adra's wrist. The rain continued, pooling and running down Ezra's back, reawakening her to the situation at hand. He'd disappeared, as surely as one of her summonings -- there and gone, as if they had never been. Shaking herself mentally and slightly physically, she glanced at the woman standing near her and attempted a smile.

"Close call, huh?" She released the other woman from her potentially too-cold grasp, from a touch that likely felt of death. Water fell from her eyes and her lashes, dotting her pale skin like translucent pearls, slipping away as soon as they formed. Tugging at her jacket, as though that would loose it of the chill that had soaked into it, she took a few steps from side to side. Either an attempt at warming herself, or an attempt to feel the physical form about herself, the shell, once more -- it was hard to tell.

"Did we get it? Where are --" Ezra glanced around, looking for the others as the crowd continued to scatter. The Ko was off to the side, neatly hidden away and safe. She glanced about for Alemi, and spied him near the edge of the crowd, and caught his gesture. Her attention turned back to Adra, to whom she nodded smartly, shaking off all evidence of her former terror. As if it had never been. Her smile didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Let's go."

Adra's wrist probably felt limp in Ezra's cold grasp, but her focus was still on the sickening gaze of the many-eyed man. She could feel the force of his attention receding like the falling tide, but she couldn't quite shake the unsettled feeling it left behind.

"Too close," Adra heard herself reply. She looked up at Ezra as if for the first time, watching her friend try to settle herself as well. It made her feel better somehow, realizing she wasn't the only one so rattled by the encounter.

Adra returned Ezra's nod, grateful that they all seem to have escaped unscathed. Physically at least. Maybe they would all process the rest of it later, maybe not, but for now, they still had a job to finish.

The Ko made a note that he should arrange for meeting places before taking an action. He largely stood there, contemplating where the rest would likely settle on. Zero's seemed a likely spot if they could locate it again in time, but it was far from reliable. He never studied the noosphere, so he wasn't sure about the ins and outs of security, there. Always too many things to learn about.

Elsewhere in Fartown, Breme waited at Cafe/Bar, oblivious to the challenges his "students" had faced. One hour remained before darkness fell and the narrow building altered for its evening clientele. Breme nursed a coffee with far too much caffeine for someone of his age and stature. His hands were still steady, though his pupils were wide, and his hands busier, flitting and darting, than they should have been. The barista kept a watchful eye on him, but for years they had had something of a truce, and today would not be the day it was broken.

The sun continued its slow crawl across the sky, filtering through the hazy grey remnants of clouds, but soon it would begin its descent toward the horizon, their silent timer ticking down. With his pace quickened, Alemi reached the structure he'd indicated only moments before and then moved just passed it, tucking into the more sheltered corridor between the stretch of brick walls. The shop itself would not lend itself to a good meeting place, too small for the four of them to gather without the shopkeeper looking onto them with interest. This would have to suffice.

Alemi pressed against the firmness of the building, the straight of his back and the angle of shoulder blades flat too the surface. Through the dark slashes of wet hair, he glanced in either direction to check no strangers were nearby before he turned his hand upward and uncurled his fingers. The sharp pain at the side of one palm throbbed anew, subsiding only to leave behind a seeping numbness, but he could make out no mark from the strange thread that had stung him. At least, there in the center of his grasp were five keys, one simple square-headed and gold, one elaborate and blackened with filigreed top, two plain steel, and the final equally well-decorated as the second with leaf and floral accents though more silver grey in color. The last was most likely to fit the description of their targeted prize, though the second could not be entirely ruled out. If luck had been truly unkind, neither might be the sought for wicked key. Alemi hoped one of his companions might have a better idea of how to be sure before they returned to Breme as victors or not.

Ezra had to work at keeping her steps casual – they were close to the end now, but that didn’t mean their task was finished. As she and Adra moved in tandem toward Alemi’s chosen hiding spot, Ezra glanced up and found the Ko’s presence lingering where he’d stay most dry. His erstwhile grigg companion was gone – she wondered if he’d returned to Breme. If it had, hopefully not with tales of their lopsided efforts.

Trying to catch his gaze with her own, she nodded in the same direction, toward the building where they would (with any luck) converge to finish this task. Since most passersby and latterday watchers had already dispersed, it wasn’t difficult to follow suit. Only once they were closer to the buildings, out of the center of attention and near the alley their friend had ducked into did she allow her speed to increase.

As Ezra approached Alemi, she saw he had something laid out in his palm – keys. "So? Any winners?" They were still in a public space, somewhat. Anyone coming down here would do so with a purpose, rather than just wandering, so at least that was in their favor.

"Here, I think I’ve got something that might help." Tucked into her waistband in a carefully sewn inner pocket, Ezra withdrew a wicked key of her own. A copper key with a green patina covering its whorls and edges hovered between her fingers – it had a distinct feeling, like if one were to hold an electric eel or broken Christmas lights, sending a brief buzz up and down the arm.

Passing her key over Alemi’s gaggle of misbegotten goods, Ezra carefully scrutinized their response. "Let’s see if any of them react."

Adra couldn't remember seeing a wicked key before, but she knew she had. She remembered the feeling in her bones like the dull ache in her shoulders before a storm. As Ezra held out her own wicked key over the collection in Alemi's hand, Adra felt the air go thick around them, a full blanket of humidity and soundlessness. The atmosphere around them felt heavier. Her thoughts slowed, and her ears filled with the sound of her own breath. But one key in the handful Alemi held now looked more vibrant than the others, as if it had drawn all the color from them into itself. Adra's eyes widened. He'd done it. He had the key.

As the crowd dispersed to go on with their day, The Ko wandered off into an alley to weave another spell. Speech from Wind, and Mystery from The Woods to keep it secret. He hoped the absence of Clarity wouldn't stop the spell hard, since he wasn't going to send a precise message to his co-conspirators. "So, where do we meet back up?"

Now he just needed to wait for someone to send a reply through their own means.

The message filtered down to the group standing around the keys; Ezra kept her gaze fixated on her work, but mentally tapped back into the Noosphere to send a response.

We're a few blocks away, she replied, following those words up with a description of their path, plus where they were currently standing. Come meet up with us! I think we've got what Breme is looking for.

When the motley crew walked through the doors at Cafe/Bar -- and holding in their hands a collection of keys, no less -- none were more surprised than Breme himself. He did not rise from his seat in the distant booth, but he did raise a thick-walled mug to them, its steaming contents smelling of more than just coffee. Once they had drawn near enough, he gestured for them to sit. No longer could he hold back his laugh.

"Look what the grigs dragged in! You really did it. Lemme see."

It had taken them a moment to regroup, first reuniting with Ko and then locating the Cafe/Bar, but they were here now, gathered there as instructed before their impish teacher. Alemi stepped forth with only a brief pause as he turned his head to look back to the others. He had never particularly liked Breme, between his brash and goading demeanor, and the circumstances that had framed their introduction. Their lesson had not changed that first impression. Perhaps it should have. His uncle had a similar approach of plunging students straight into the deep end without much guidance. Sink or swim. The best way to learn was from the consequences of your actions. Never make the same mistake twice. Although Alemi would be loathe to admit it, he preferred the more regimented style often found in the Vanguard classrooms. Clear step-by-step guides that could each be studied and practiced until perfected before moving forward. His uncle would say that was learning by rote, and therefore not learning at all.

Whatever method was best, one thing could be said for certain of Breme's first lesson. It had shown Alemi they all worked well together. There was a fluidity, an unspoken coordination that had worked between them all with few words, which was important in a job like this one. Ko, serving as a flashy diversion and using his magics in the background to encourage certain turns and twists, Ezra's perceptiveness and good-sense evident throughout as she had guided the onset of their search and then offered a distraction when Alemi had needed it most, and Adra, who was ever-aware of the needs of others, looking to offer her support where she best could, whether as a means to offer Alemi a quick exit in the back of the crowd or at Ezra's side to add embellishment for her cover story.

"Good work out there. Whatever Breme thinks, you all did well." A fleeting smile of encouragement crossed his lips, but vanished as he turned back to Breme. He stepped up, fully to the table where the boy had settled himself with steaming drink in hand, and with a quick, sharp motion dropped the wrought iron key onto the flat surface of the table.

It didn't exactly surprise Ezra that Breme had had little faith in the outcome of their test. Still, she couldn't help but feel a sense of pride at the sound of the key hitting the table -- proof positive that they'd accomplished what they'd set out to do. Raking a hand back through her disheveled, dripping curls, she was certain all of them looked a sight -- from the weather and their encounter with the strange many-eyed man.

But together they'd pulled through. That, combined with the other recent adventures they'd conquered, made her feel glad to be numbered among the group. The thrill of fear she'd experienced made her feel electrified, giving reason for her good mood beyond their successful result.

She nudged Adra with her elbow, her own grin wide and extremely visible compared to Alemi's. Without hesitation (perhaps a poor decision on her part), Ezra met Breme's gaze fully.

"You said there was a prize involved?"

The Ko nodded to Alemi, smiling as well. The whole thing was a team effort, so he didn't mind sharing the promised reward. He had hoped the training was a bit different, but he did put his existing skills to good use as the team's diversion. Assuming Breme approved, this would hopefully extend into lessons on stealth, lockpicking, along with the less obvious skills involved in navigating the underworld. He also figured he'd need connections, and this was one in the making.

He looked back to Breme as Ezra asked the question on his and probably everyone's mind.

"Nuh-uh," Breme said, too cheerful by half. "I said maybe. But since I'm feelin' so magnanimous..." He pushed the Wicked Key back across the table. He directed it toward no-one in particular; fitting and expected, perhaps, that he should want to watch them fight over it. Before the moment could draw out overlong, though, he tossed a black velvet bag atop the booth table as well. "A magecoin for each of you," he added, his gaze drawn to The Ko. "Artie says you're in want of a few. And if you'd like more work, and a chance to earn more of these, I guess I could take you along for a job or two. It only gets tougher from here, though. Think of it less like lessons. More like a work study." He raised his mug to hide another grin. "I never did like school."

The Ko smirked, taking his mage coin from the bag and passing it to the group, "I guess I'll be doing some self-assigned homework to keep up, then. Let me know when you've got a job ready for me." He took the Wicked Key in his other hand, holding it toward the group, "So, which one of us gets the key?"

He made a note to practice some sneaking. He could probably make a weave from Mystery in The Woods and Grace from The Wind to give him some magical enhancement. From there it'd probably be a matter of paying attention to how the weave guided his movements.

Adra slipped a coin from Breme's bag into her own and passed the prize along. She held her hands up at the Wicked Key, though. She was less interested in anything that had once been closer to the unsettling man than she had. No sense tempting his gaze back to her. "Not really sure if I should say 'thanks,'" she said to Breme. "But I may see you around." She stuffed her hands in her pockets and took a small step backward toward the door, hoping to let her friends know she was ready to go, but still willing to wait for them.

Alemi also declined the proffered key with a shake of his head, causing the slight annoyance of hair still weighted and heavy from the wet of rain to fall into one eye before he pushed it back again. Some part of him wanting to distance himself from this whole unexpected affair and its unfurling threads that soon revealed themselves to be full of tangles and snares. His uncle never would have hesitated to take such a valuable item for himself, feeling any trouble caused only gave more reason to have it. Yet, Alemi still couldn't convince himself to accept the item for himself. The key wasn't a prize he'd earned through any admirable means or cleverness of his own.

"One of you take it," he said, motioning to Ko or Ezra as Adra had already indicated her disinterest.

An itch felt its way through her fingers; Ezra had never been a kleptomaniac, but there might be residue on the key from the many-eyed man that tempted the goetic side of her. She eyed the Ko's extended offer for the brief time it took her to remove her own mage coin from the bag, tossing it back onto Breme's table.

"You keep it," she finally said, waving a hand in the Ko's direction. "Probably come in handy for future missions, hmm?" Ezra grinned, slipping her hands into her pockets to guard against the desire to take what wasn't hers.

"Depends on the sort of jobs," Ezra returned to Breme's comment before he started passing 'round the mage coin. "But I think I could be found curious." She felt the mage coin weighing down her pocket, as well as her own wicked key tucked safely into her belt-sewn pouch for its own protection. That weight was seductive in and of itself, though she couldn't stop her gaze from wandering to the wicked key in the Ko's hands -- not for the key itself, but the metaphorical and potentially literal information it might hold about the strange being they'd come into contact with.

Ko nodded, slipping the key onto a ring, next to a copper one he acquired elsewhere, "Thank you. Sure it'll come in handy sooner or later." He tucked the key ring back into his pocket, making a note to use the iron key first when he comes across a worthy obstacle. No point hanging onto an incriminating item longer than necessary.

His thoughts wandered to the many-eyed man, slightly annoyed that his own vislae quirk would probably be more troublesome if he had more eyes. There was, however, a strange sense of pride in having "invisible" as his eye color. He still needed to mull over some of the advanced changes he wanted, but this would help him get started on some of the simpler ones. For now, he probably had enough to be his two favorite colors: vantablack and refulgin.

He looked back to Breme, emerging from his brief reverie, expecting a bit of disappointment from Breme, "Looks like we sorted this out amicably. As for payments for jobs, I'm also open to orbs so I can spread the wealth with some other friends of mine."

Breme nodded, but his focus was already returned to the contents of his mug. He downed it quickly; soon the Cafe would become Bar, and his childlike presence was wanted elsewhere.

---

Later, when each returned to their home, they found they were not the first to arrive. An envelope awaited each vislae, neatly propped in front of the entryway to their home. A folded letter inscribed on black vellum and bound with black spidersilk, each on its exterior bore the name of its new owner in cramped and broken handwriting.

Unfolded, the interior bore a warning:
we have seen you. we know your sanctuary. there is nowhere the truespider cannot reach. offend once more, and your web will fall to ruin.