Hide and Seek

[Talia Bracken]

A face. A name. A personality. On their own they weren't much. But together? They were enough. Not right away though. A few days had passed. Another job came up that kept her busy. Yet she had still made time. Dug through her underground contacts. Mainly the Guild. She had seemed like she would be a part of it. Call it a hunch. One that paid off, even if minorly. After that, Talia planned her next move.

She got information on a job. What was being stolen was unknown. And unimportant. What was important was that it was a challenge. In their brief time meeting, that seemed to be a catch. Something she would want. Not to mention the pay for this particular job was good. So Talia decided to stake the house out. See if she was lucky that night, and a certain thief made an appearance.

It was a gamble. Yet surprisingly one Talia was willing to make. Just to see what happened.

[Lucy Serrano]

Of all the places in Goldcrest, this was one of the easiest. Lucy frequented the estates a lot, though hardly for the reason most people assumed of a thief. Most nights involved taking as much as she could from as many places as she could and fencing what was available, but she still frequented the guild that provided excess work. There was safety in that connection.

So there was something specific in a house in the richer side of the city. Something that needed proclaiming and new possession, so the thief made herself available to that. Comfort of the familiar side of Goldcrest carried her to the home in question. Late enough that lights were out, but it was likely that the occupants were still home. That wasn't so far-fetched or out of the question.

For now, she could only be found seemingly wandering the dismal streets of such a well-locked location. Catching the path of potential guards for the wealthy was always crucial before she tried anything remotely similar to breaking and entering.

[Talia Bracken]

Time passed. Talia was starting to grow weary of waiting. Maybe she had been wrong. Or maybe she wasn't doing it that night. Whatever the case, it had been a while of waiting. The lights were out. From her own observations the people in the house would be asleep at this point. Perfect for Talia to strike. If it had been her target that is. But it wasn't. So after a little while longer, she came out from her hidden spot.

Only to finally spot her. Not going into the house. Instead she was wandering the streets. Watching. Scrutinizing. It was a smart strategy. One Talia herself would use. She grinned and made her way to approach the thief from behind her. She was curious as to how close she could get before being noticed. If she could she'd end up right behind her. "Up to no good?"

[Lucy Serrano]

Nearby steps didn't always give way to being followed. Had Lucy glanced back, she knew she would have been caught as the very thing she was trying not to look like; a suspect. It wasn't exactly a completely dead street. It was a normal enough place to potentially find other people walking with their own purpose. They might have closed in quickly, but they might have also been harbouring their own agenda. How was she to know that she herself was that agenda?

"Shit." She seethed, because it took her a moment to catch on. Probably not the best response for a thief, but there it was.

Because she spun around with the threat of a stumble. Composure might have been quick to find her too, but there were still seconds of a shaken thief in front of the nameless assassin. Of course it was her. If only she had the skill to hide how happy she looked to see her.

"Just out walking." Lucy then replied with a knowing grin, like it could erase the way she'd sworn in her own surprise, or how grateful she felt for the sudden company; "About as good as you're probably being."

[Talia Bracken]

She was surprised how close she managed to come. When she spoke up, the thief cursed and whirled around. Talia met her with a smile. She appeared happy to see her, despite the sudden meeting. Just out walking. The knowing grin didn't help prove her innocence, but that wasn't the point. Talia already knew. She was being about as good as Talia was being. A fair enough point.

"Awfully late for a walk." Came the response with a teasing smirk. "Although I guess I can't say much considering I'm up too." She shrugged. Glanced over at the targeted house. Then back to her companion. "But my intentions are likely not as 'mischievous' as your own tonight." She hadn't come to kill, and Talia rarely stole unless it was part of her job. No one was in any danger from her tonight. "Probably, anyways." It came with a grin of her own.

[Lucy Serrano]

Lucy had to wonder just what it was that had her caught out so easily. Her eyes narrowed just a hair the more she spoke. Perhaps it was simply that she was a known thief in this company. She had never been one to overly belief in coincidences, but then, that was exactly how they met in the first place. She couldn't shy away from the concept when she happened to stumble into an assassin's targets home on a complete whim.

"Maybe it's just easier to clear my head in the dead of night." She mused aloud. It was a poor excuse and she knew it, but at least it was passable for those who didn't know she had a penchant for belongings that weren't her own.

"So go on then; what're you up to?" She asked instead, and she made a point of stepping off. Given proximity to such a target, standing around wasn't going to do her any favours; "Can't imagine I'd be lucky enough to just run into you again."

[Talia Bracken]

Maybe it was just easier for her to clear her head in the dead of night. The excuse rang dull in Talia's ears. No doubt it did in hers too. But for the sake of possible extra company, it was passable. Then the question was turned on her. What was she up to then? They couldn't be this lucky just to bump into each other by coincidence again. The thief started walking again and Talia joined her. Staying in one place for too long would start to look suspicious.

"Out for a stroll, of a sort." Talia gave. It was true. In a roundabout sort of way. "I'll admit I was looking for something." She remained vague. Why not? Openly admitting she'd been tracking the thief was no fun. Too easy. Besides, she wasn't about to confess. "I wasn't really sure if I'd find it. I didn't have too much to go on."

[Lucy Serrano]

Lucy was grateful her silent request was one easily followed. Soon enough they were walking in tandem. Safe to say, her attention completely left the mark she has willingly undertaken.

And then it started; the sake style of gameplay they had gotten into last time. Lucy listened to talk of looking for something that has gone missing. She couldn't help the way she grinned at the thought, her hands linking together behind her back as she turned her eyes upwards instead of to the body walking beside her.

"A name and a job, maybe?" She asked then, shrugging her shoulders, "You look like you've come to collect a debt. Maybe I should be worried about what you're getting up to."

[Talia Bracken]

A name and a job? "Maybe. Maybe not.." Came her response with a smile. She was fine walking next to the thief. If anything it made them less suspicious. She looked like she'd come to collect a debt. Maybe she should be worried what Talia was up to. The remake widened the smile, but she shook her head. A debt was not something Talia would use lightly. Especially when it came to her.

"You'll know when I've come to collect." Talia wasn't sure when that would happen. But when it did, it would be for something useful. "No, I'm not here for the debt." So why was she? Because she could be. It was a test to see if she could find her. Which she had, so she passed. But now what was she there to do? "I might be here just to distract you from your work." She stated with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

[Lucy Serrano]

It was often irksome to owe a person anything. Lucy did her best never to land in a situation where she did; severing connections in general was just the way things worked when the intention was to barely exist. Not only did she land in an assassin's vicinity, but she chased her, followed her to her secondary life, and now was being chased in return. The last point of all - tonight - was especially odd for someone so used to having to do all the work to catch a person of interest.

Tonight wasn't the night for debts paid, and she didn't really seem to mind the fact. If it maintained that interest, then it could only be a good thing. Right?

"Oh," Lucy dragged, recognition in her eyes as she finally allowed herself another look at her present company; "It's the furthest thing from my mind right now. Can't you tell?"

[Talia Bracken]

Oh. Such a simple word yet it seemed to mean more as she dragged it out. Talia felt more than saw her eyes flick back over. The job was the furthest thing from her mind right now, couldn't she tell? Blue eyes glanced to the side and observed the thief briefly. Her ever present smirk grew. "So easily?" More teasing. "I can't imagine that's good for your line of work."

She'd earned her attention for the moment. A fact that made Talia amused, even more so that it was true both ways. That's why she was there after all. "But now that I've got you thoroughly distracted..." She appeared to ponder this idea. Look up to the sky in thought. "I have to wonder what I should do with you." She had a feeling this did not always happen. Yet somehow she'd grabbed her attention.

[Lucy Serrano]

Lucy could tell from just a sidelong glance that there was a sense of accomplishment to that expression this girl gave her. "Pretty girls never are." She replied knowingly. Such distractions had gotten in the way of her work before, but learning from that never seemed to suit Lucy in the slightest. Veering towards obvious difficulty sounded much more impressive.

As she seemed to ponder the lengths she was willing to go with the time she had, Lucy considered remaining silent. She lost the ability to catch her eyes to the sky, and so the thief shrugged her shoulders. A sense of nonchalance always made such encounters easier to manage; expectations then at least looked low.

"Can't imagine it'll take you too long to pick your favourite thought. Could walk the streets all night if you're really keen to." She mused aloud.

[Talia Bracken]

Pretty girls never are. It was said so knowingly. Talia had to glance her way again with a understanding look of her own. It would make sense that she might have experience in that. Still, the compliment, minor as it might be, stuck with Talia. Lengthened her smile somewhat. But then she had to think. What to do now? She couldn't imagine it would take too long to pick a favorite. Or else they could walk all night if she was keen too. "Don't tempt me." She warned playfully.

Her mind whirled. Ideas sprung up to be pushed away. What to do with a thief? One that could actually keep up with Talia through her twists and turns in the city. A fact that brought up one good idea she considered. Then she smiled and turned her head. "How about we play a little game?" She offered, clasping her hands in front of her. "I know you're good at keeping up, but I'm curious to see how well you can track. So how about we play a little game of hide and seek?"

[Lucy Serrano]

The second Lucy heard the word game, she wondered if her face would say it all. There wasn't surprise in her eyes or tension in her jaw; it was more like a sense of clarity. Like things started to make a little more sense.

Girls who played games like these always got the better of her. Was it so clear that she concept alone could easily grasp her attention? She slowed her steps to a halt, reaching out and curling her fingers around her wrist lightly. It quickly occurred to her what happened the last time she made a physical connection. She pressed her lips together momentarily.

"That's how you want to spend a night with me?" She asked, tilting her head to the side in idle curiosity.

And then she shrugged her shoulders, because there was still some level of interest; "Well, you're not without great mystery. Why do you want to know how well I can track you?"

[Talia Bracken]

She slowed her walk to a halt. Suddenly a hand was circling around Talia's wrist. Light. Harmless. Not something that would trigger Talia's instinctive response immediately. although it did surprise her. She halted and glanced back. That was how she wanted to spend the night with her? There was curiosity in those words. Something about it that made Talia smile a tad wickedly. It was easy to use the girl's hand on her wrist to pull her even closer until they barely weren't touching. "Why? Had something else in mind?"

Talia wasn't without great mystery. Why did she want to know if she could track her anyways? Talia pursed her lips together and hummed in thought. Clearly she could track her down. There was a faint amount of curiosity in whether she could do the same. But that wasn't the main reason. "Because so far you've managed to impress me." Even if it was slight, it was rare for Talia. "And I'm curious to see if you can manage to do it again." A smile came with the remark, playful in nature. "Not to mention it might be fun."