The Chase...

Sie is the assin walking the old streets hir long black coat flowing around hir, it's matched in it's sway by hir long waist length hair, mostly black but with streaks of purple down one side. Hir coat hides the tools of hir trade, hir wide brimmed hat keeps the light out of hir face and the rain off hir head. Hir soft shoes make no noise as sie walks, hir purple velvet shirt helps to keep out the chills. Few here know what sie is, but just looking at they can probabally guess.

Sie strides the streets safe in the knowledge that here people don't know hir, here sie is safe because of hir anonymity. But as sie turns a corner all that changes, a person looks at hir for a second, looks away and then back. Most never look back and sie notices the look, it is a look of recognision, someone knows who sie is. Sie does not know who or way, and sie does not care, here is supposed to be safe. Here sie is supposed to be unknown. As sie walks away sie is followed, so sie runs and the chase is on.

Hir feet clatter on the well worn stone stairs, they're not alone, the footsteps of hir pursuer are not far behind, almost without thinking sie puts a foot on the top railing and jumps off the stairs. Sie lands badly stumbling as hir feet hit the wet tiles of the roof, as sie regains hir balance sie hears the shot and instinctively ducks and spins as the shot misses hir. Quick as a flash sie pulls a throwing spike from either sleeve and throws them towards the figure still standing on the stairs, trying to reload, he ducks but he needn't bother, they're not aimed at him but the wall behind him. Sie doesn't aim to kill, or even to hurt people if sie can possibly avoid it, sie's seen a life time of that, and doesn't want to be part of it. The spikes impact the cliff wall and explode, casing hir pursuer to wince, that's all sie needs, cat quick sie's gone, running over the roof.

The chase is almost a sport for both hir and them, but there are more of them, that's good and bad for hir, but sie's fast and knows the town. Thankfully they aren't local, and if sie escapes tonight sie'll probably never see them again. Sie does not really know why they chase, only that it's something to do with what sie's looking for, part of hir never ending search. Sie doesn't know what sie's searching for, but if they're chasing hir sie must have got close this time. Maybe one day sie'll find what sie's looking for but that day will not be today.

Sie leans back against a chimney pot to take a short break, the run and the adrenaline have taken their toll on hir. There are more pursuers on the streets below, but up here sie is safe, this isn't their place and they dare not risk coming here. Or so is thinks, a shot rings out and the chimney pot next to hir shatters, sie spins to see the young man who kept up with hir. They both draw their swords and dance a dnace of death over the roof top for several minutes. Sie is light and built for speed, he is heavy and brutish, but somehow they're evenly balanced. Suddenly he stumbles and falls, his sword falls from his hand, clattering across the tiles untill it drops into an allway below. Sie stands over him holding hir blade, he winces expecting a final blow that never comes, so he pulls his weapon again, but it's been used.

Sie smiles briefly and then flees, he has to reload so sie has the time to get away. As sie runs he manages to keep within sight, enough so sie can't get away, suddenly sie stops. In hir haste sie's run hirself into a dead end, from here the only way out is the way sie came. The shambles are too far away to jump, the street is not an option until they've given up. A look back tells hir the man is still on hir tail, he's further away than sie though he was, it's left hir an option it's the market hall, a long jump from this side, but just possible if sie can get there before he gets too close to cut off the route. Sie runs, as sie does so hir left hand goes for hir belt, and unclips hir whip, sie'll need all the help sie can get. As sie jumps sie lashes out, catching a gargoyle with the whip, sie drops but holds herself, pulling up on the leather and hoping it holds for a few seconds more. Just as sie rights hirself a third shot rings out, but he's unwilling to try the jump, it's a long way to the cobbles below.

Sie turns to look at him looking almost insulated, as they look at each other across the gap, a gust of wind catches hir coat and it billows in the wind as sie turns away. Sie easily makes the jump to the next building, from here it's a clear run across the roofs untill sie can see the bridge. Sie doesn't need to cross the bridge, but sie needs to call hir boat. A few seconds later sie's stood looking out at the harbour, hir boat resonds to hir call. It sliently moves away from the bridge, making it's way out into the stream, sie watches as it passes under the bridge, and then swings back in towards the docks near the shambles.

Once sie is sure the boat is safe sie tuns and heads back the way sie came, from to look of the streets below the search is dieing down, it never last long, they cannot afford to be spotted here. But sie's not going back into the town today, it's not worth the risk, finally sie see the stone owl, it marks the stairs to a dock. Hir boat waiting for hir, sie steps aboard and it starts back out into the harbour. Not one notices the little boat with it's sole occupant as it makes it's way out of the harbour and round the coast to home.


Now sie sits at the keyboards, hir long black opera coat draped around the chiar, hir face is partialy obscred by a ghostly white mask.
The pump slowly grones to life, rising and falling in it tube, the purple light giving the coolant it's pumping an eerie glow. Around the tube that houses the pump is built the main console, the pump tube arising from it's centre, but sie is not working at the main console today. Once sie is satsified that the organ is working sie moves to the wall. Sie needs to know who they where today, they walked into hir place of power undected and there where looking for hir. Sie is supposed to be safe there, sie hopes sie still is, sie likes it here.

Sie doesn't want to burn everything sie's built, but sie will if that what it'll take to keep hir safe. Being safe comes first, sie'll worry about everything else once sie is safe.