Listening to the Shadows

[Wyndbain]

"You sure you didn't hear anything?" A light was aimed at one of the many stone walls outside the castle grounds, this one being a main gate which surrounded a quaint garden area. The man holding the torch frowned, squinting as firelight reflected off his comrade's armor.

"You saw nothing but a shadow in the flames. Now continue, for we should be patrolling against real threats that have yet to rear their ugly head."

Both men were soon out of sight, feeling that the area had been well patrolled and empty. Once out of sight, a shimmer in the shadows gave a mental sigh, for they would not give any outward sign of their presence. Nothing could be seen in the place where they stood, yet it was somehow still there, just not quite visable. A rope was produced out of thin air, the end being spun in a quick circular motion before it was let loose into the air, raising above the stone wall and giving a small 'plop' as it mysteriously attatched itself to the top of the stones. The rope became taunt as an invisible shape took hold and scaled the wall. They were up, on top, returned the rope to a pouch and over in less than a minute. There was a muffled thump where something hit the ground on the other side as it rolled to safety and ran for cover behind a garden bush. However, what ever had entered the grounds, could not be seen at all. Something parted the bushes and surveyed the area, taking note of two more guards standing in front of very important looking entrance doors. If they had been able to make any sound at that moment, a loud 'Aha' would have rung out. However, they were to be quiet, and unheard.

The two guards were suspicious of nothing, when suddenly they both felt a rushing of air gliding past the doors that continued on to their left. Both confused, one issued an order that sent the other scouting in the direction of the strange air, when the issuer felt a tap on his shoulder as which he suddenly spun around with his sword at the ready. Though he was surprised when no one was there. A sound in the bushes caught his attention and he went to investigate. A soft, almost inaudible chuckle could be heard as an invisible hand held up the prize that had been sought; a ring of keys that floated as if on their own in mid air. The key ring moved towards the lock of the door and made a quiet click as they turned in the lock, softly opening the door and closing it behind themselves. Hopefully it would be a while before the guard realised his own key ring was missing, so for safe measure, the door was quickly locked again.

Placing the keyring into a pouch where they could no longer be seen. The hall that was entered, was as many castles were...large and grand. Marble white tiles that appeared gray in the dim light, with stone walls that were smooth from polish; some portions had wooden panels to better decorate them. Soft footsteps were muffled by even softer sole padding, though the shoes themselves were tough to wear down over time.

Within the smaller space now, the spector that had been completely invisible outside suddenly became visible as the hood was pulled down from the woman's head. Soft, rusty orange hair was worn loosly around her head but restrained somewhat by the hood where the ends were placed. She looked around with golden pupils, listening intently for any signs of the approach of guards or other such lurkers of the castle. Though at the moment, she could see no one in the long stretch of hallway.

[Relairah]

Eyes of purple, with pupils and speckles of golden shown watched from the shadows of a corner of the castle. Dark brown bangs fell over this figure's brow and hung down just touching his broad, muscular shoulders. It was usually pulled back, but was now left down. Faint streaks of purple and blonde were in that dark brown hair, although not scene as he was hidden in the shadows. Form was leaning against the polished stone wall, arms folded across his chest idly. He wore a black cloak over his shoulders and a white poofy shirt, loosely placed over his torso. He wore loose black pants and black leather boots. He had been standing there for a while, especially with the fire outside and all the commotion... he'd been ordered to stay in the castle... but he never obeyed orders.

He heard the creaking of the door around the corner open then close shut almost instantly afterward. He frowned, listening as the faint sound of keys jingling could be heard. So... there was an unexpected visitor in the castle? He couldn't hear the footsteps... partially because the other was invisible, and partially because one can hardly ever hear footsteps in a castle unless wearing metal or boots... such as he was wearing. He waited a moment, turning his gaze toward the corner, anticipating to see a figure slip around it, yet none came. It was dark, the hall only lit by torches every few yards or so. But that didn't really stop his vision a whole lot. Yet he was to be surprised.

As he stared into the dark, suddenly the figure of a woman would be revealed to him, he watching as a cloak would be removed from her head... as she hadn't been there a moment before. An invisibility cloak? He mentally sighed to himself, contemplating how to make himself known... that is if she didn't notice him already. Should he continue to stand there and simply speak mysteriously, or should he move toward her? At long last, he turned his gaze downward toward the cold, stone floor and began to speak. His voice was deep yet young, echoing off the walls of the empty, quiet hallway. "Interesting cloak you've got there. So, are you the cause of all this commotion in the castle?" He paused, raising his gaze yet not looking at her. "And I suppose you'll have no explanation... at least not to tell me, right?"

[Wyndbain]

Curse it! She had her dagger in her hand and positioned in front of her before she even had her head turned to glare at the mysterious speaker. She was either slacking or he had been very lucky at hiding his presence. He had made not a sound for her to pick up, and being around the corner hidden in shadows didn't help with her vision. Now that she could see him, her eyes were studying him...calculating several plans and even back ups for those that failed. The best choice was one that involved loosing him and quickly finding what she sought, for the night was still young and she had other things to do.

Her foot made no sound as she took a single step back, a smirk lighting her lips as she attempted to look him in the eye, "Aye, nothing for you I'm afraid."

Her free hand reached up and grabbed the cloak's hood, her form quickly becoming transparent from her feet and up as the hood settled onto her head. "Perhaps we could chat another time though!" Her smile and a hand as it waved was the last visible thing before she was completely gone. "Farewell!"

Now she was in a hurry, since she had been most definitely spotted. So as she ran quickly down the hall, though her shoes were quiet, her footsteps were not so unheard in their rush.

[Aveilthé]

OOC: Saving spot for me! D:

[Aveilthé]

"Alas, my son, you are nineteen now. I have signed you up for this
year, and yet you constantly evade or ignore me when I speak to
you about the academy!"

Caecus rolled his eyes from his father, whom was standing tall
and impressively next to him. "Yes, but I keep telling you that I
am not interested," he replied with a small growl, but his father
drew himself up and bore sternly down upon his son with what was
obviously impatience.

"What, with this asinine wizardry hogwash? You will become a
knight, and keep on this marvelment for generations to come!"

"Father, will you stop badgering me about it? I don't care, I've
told you! My answer will never change, so leave me alone about it!"
With that, Caecus stormed off at a run angrily, not daring to look
back at the prominent fury etched across his father's face.

He turned a corner of the castle, breathing heavily due to running.
Tightening a dark blue cloak around his wide shoulders, he'
spoke aloud to himself. "He doesn't give a damn about what I think
or feel... all he cares about is our prodigy continuing knighthood."
As he finished speaking, he noticed a blur of a person running
straight at him, but Caecus was running to fast to slow down
immediately. If one of them didn't swerve or stop in time, perhaps
they'd both collide.

"AHHHHGH--!" screamed Caecus, subconsiously producing
a swirl of water from his hands as he tried skidding to a halt.
With a toss, he'd fire a stream of the element at the blur that he
had at first thought was attempting to attack him.

[Relairah]

He glanced in her direction without turning his head, then sighed. He caught site of the dagger, though really couldn't see much of her as she was covered by a cloak. However, he didn't feel he had much to fear from her. When her gaze caught his, he frowned faintly. "Ah, as I expected." His words were mostly to himself, but in this near silent, empty hallway it was louder than he had wanted. He continued to watch her movement, knowing what she was thinking, it was rather obvious. "Perhaps, indeed." He seemed as though he were about to say something else with the way he took in a breath, yet he closed his lips as she said her farewell, disappeared, and ran off, audibly this time. He sighed, "Ah, geez, nothing interesting ever comes around here. And when it does... it never stays too long." His words were spoken to himself, nearly under his breath, and he hesitated a moment, the question of whether he wanted to follow her or not lingering on his mind.

Well, she wasn't going to slow down, and he doubted anyone else was running through the halls right then. Most of everyone was either asleep or outside with the commotion. He moved easily along, and then suddenly heard a shout not too far ahead. "Hmm... wonder what that could be," he muttered, half sarcastically. However, as he entered the scene as well, he would jump back slightly in surprise, seeing only the burst of water that was coming his way. He seemed to have temporarily forgotten who he was following, though he hadn't gotten her name anyway, and he swiftly stepped to the side on instinct, hoping to avoid the water.

However, if it should hit the blur of movement that had so surprised Caecus, Jaedon would instantly take the moment to begin griping at Caecus. "Damnit, can't you do anything without blasting water through the air? Idiot. Magic isn't something that's light and used whenever and wherever!" Yet after such, he would turn his gaze toward the one, if she had been hit and stopped, and mutter, "And don't you know how to watch where you're running?" Of course his griping would be pointless, yet all only for taking out frustration from being surprised so at a blast of water coming toward him.

[Wyndbain]

She continued to race down the hallway, her cloak managing to keep her conceiled despite the lower portion billowing behind as she ran. With a free hand she was holding onto the hood to ensure that it would remain in it's current position, for if it fell, she would become visible to all.

In her flight from one person already, she hadn't expected to litterally run into another one so soon, so when this one had suddenly rounded the corner and thrown a water spell her way, she had to admit that she was a little shocked.

Of course she was surprised, maybe even slightly taken off guard...but she hadn't spent most of her life honing her skills with no results! So as the water was headed her way, she instinctively crouched and was able to merrily watch the cascade as it flowed uselessly past the spot she had earlier been standing. She spun a flip through the air and quickly pulled a rope out from one of her pouches, and thanks to the extending capabilities of her invisibility cloak, it too was, at the moment, invisible. The end shot out through the air and attatched itself to the ceiling without the aid of a hook or by any visible means. It was simply stuck onto the hallway like a strand of spider's web. The rope grew taunt while she hung there, looking down at the chaos below, disappointed only by the fact that, as she was invisible, no one could have seen her skills.

Her mood changed however, when she heard the first man speak, and couldn't help but let out a short laugh at the fact that he was talking in the wrong direction.

"Oh! People are gonna wonder if you start talking to yourself good sir!" Sheila taunted, giving a wave from her spot near the ceiling, however useless the action was as it could not be seen by anyone with her hood up at the moment.

The rope she hung from had slowly begun to appear, as the invisibility affects from the cloak would only last so long on items not actually wearing the cloak itself. "Oops..." She said softly, pulling the rope from the ceiling and dropping to the floor. The rope could now be fully seen as it was wound into several circles and disappeared as it was placed into a pouch, all the while getting farther away as it's owner made way to escape.

She rounded a corner and continued on down the hall, all the while concentrating on what she needed to do. She did not stop or slow down, becoming deadly serious now about her objective. A few hallways and passages later, she passed a plain looking wooden door and took a moment before she stopped, remaining quiet so as to stay hidden from those who were possibly chasing her. Any person who had managed to keep up with the invisible thief would see nothing more than the door open a small fraction before shutting again.

Inside the room, there were a few men in guard-like armor, some sitting at a table, the rest standing before and archway that was certainly interesting to a thief. All of them looked up with a glare as the door was shut, though confusion gained majority as they all saw no one there. Though it was only a few seconds later before the woman became visible before their eyes.
"Aha...it ran out again..." She stated nerviously, obviously speaking about her cloak. She made a quick attempt to escape back into the wide hallway, for this room was somewhat small and cramped for her to dodge and attack. She paused in her work however, when she felt a cold, steel tip press against the back of her neck.

"It would be best that you surrender miss." The man who held the weapon stated, keeping his sword up and steady as he glared at her.

She timidly turned her head only enough to look upon him with one eye before giving a defeated sigh, "Oh no, I've been caught."

[Aveilthé]

OOC: Pardon crap post. I'm a bit confused with your post, Wom lol, but I'll do the best I can XD

"Pardon me, sir--!" Caecus shouted, bowing quickly to the man
that scolded him, and didn't much pay any mind to what he said
about magic, for his thoughts were too busy upon the events
surrounding him. The blur disapeared! "Ahh geez, sir, did you see
someone runnig here just now?" But as he asked this, a person
either fell, or... well, Caecus wasn't so sure. He was so
overwhelmed with the happenings, that he didn't notice much of
anything. Then, someone spoke, a girl's voice. He wasn't quite
sure if she was speaking to him or the knight. Yet his eyes caught
the figure of someone running again.

"Oh, be back later," he said automatically, running after what he
thought was the girl he didn't know was invisible.

Then he saw her - a young girl, frozen by means of a spear
pointing at her, threatening to pierce her. Caecus ambled
up and slowed his pace, watching intently.

"Good fellow, why do you have this young lady by spear-point?"

[Relairah]

Jaedon scowled rather irritably, it had turned to such confusion! In only a matter of a couple minutes. He sighed, contemplating whether or not to follow the two or not. He hadn't even heard the questions asked... he didn't need to anyway, apparently. Even if he had noticed everything going on, he wouldn't have been so surprised being as he knew about the woman under the invisible cloak. He glanced around... well there wasn't anything better to do, and this could be interesting... at least more so than wandering around aimlessly. So he chased after them, not having much trouble with catching up, though the scene that would meet him would surprise him, whether he let it show or not.

He stopped, standing a bit behind Caecus and watching the scene unfold. So, someone wasn't going to be all friendly at first... oh well. He had nothing to really say at this point, nor a really good reason to get involved thus he moved into the shadows yet again and watched with interest, rather impatient to see how all of this would play itself out.

[Wyndbain]

"A girl appearing from thin air with such an assortment of tools at her belt?" The man took a hold of the neck fabric of Sheila's cloak and yanked it up roughly, getting a cry of surprise from the girl. He pulled her back so he could better view the pouches and other things that were latched to the belt around her waist.

"An obvious thief if I ever saw one. Besides, a woman roaming around at this hour with such dark attire, and one I've not seen around the castle before." Sheila had her hands wrapped around his wrist, pulling herself up slightly since the man had a good hold on her cloak and tunic and was slightly choking her with the grip.

"You've caught me then, at least loosen up. At this point, there's no way I could run-" Sheila's voice was cut off as she was shaken, some what violently in the man's grasp. Apparently he had no compassion or pity for thieves.

"I'll let you loose as soon as I can find a good cell to toss you in." He turned his head, talking to the other guards within the room.

Sheila lowered one of her hands, unnoticed by the man holding her captive as she waved it slightly. Though one of the other guards had caught sight of it, giving a sudden cry as Sheila's rope seemed to have a mind of its own and wrapped around the man's wrist and pulled, while the other end swung up and attached itself to the ceiling in a similar fashion as it had before. The guard was so surprised by this that he had released Sheila's cloak, unknowingly. Sheila wasted not a single second as she took the moment to make her escape and dash back into the hallway. She hesitated only for a second to take a moment to decide where the best means of escape were.