Miles drew his bow, aiming carefully at the training dummy 1000 yards away. Lately, he'd been training hard with his other weapons and wanted to be sure he still at his steady-hand and accuracy, keeping them unaffected by the brute strength required to wield larger and heavier tools of war. Quickly taking into account the slight wind and the distance, Miles took a deep breath and released along with the string of his bow. The arrow zoomed away with a whoosh, barely taking the blink of an eye before it plunked into the eye of the dummy. Not giving himself any time to celebrate, he began to rapidly fire off a few more arrows, mindlessly yanking them from the quiver at his back. By the time he was done, he had an arrow in the other eye, the heart, the center of the forehead, the throat, and the foot of his imaginary enemy. only then did he allow himself to smile with satisfaction, casually walking to retrieve them. The first five arrows obviously hit the vital points of the enemy, ensuring a quick death, but he believed the last one to be key as well, practice for when he needs a target alive but hindered from escape. All those years ago, when he'd been eating rats raw, he never would have guessed that, eventually, he would be in a position to shoot precisely enough to achieve whatever end he desired. With such deadly abilities, he should soon find himself ranked as an orange rose. Miles fingered the mint green rose tattoo imprinted on the shallow between his thumb and index finger of his right hand. Hopefully, if he continued to push himself, he would be able to reach the rank of red rose before he hit 35. Only then would he allow himself to relax and enjoy his life, knowing it would be secured no matter what happened or who died. he would rely on his own strength alone.

Kurone stepped into his room, and threw off his armor and boots lazily at the edge of the bed, making a scrambled pile. He layed across the floor in front of a small fire. He sighed heavily and happily. "Another fruitfull day of helping others!" He said aloud, joyfully. Kurone had let five theives go, except without the things they stole, and smiled in the entire process. He was very happy that he could help others, and he felt lucky he wasn't killed yet. He hummed a little while dozing. A little song was going through his head. He stopped and suddenly jumped up. His door was still unlocked. "Crap.. I need to remember that." He said to himself. He locked the door and sat in a small chair and sighed again. He had given the street people all of his food today. No worry, that was a usual. He reclined and began humming again, and exmained his double sycthe. He thought of something and a smile drew across his face.

He could imagine it, carving the name of the person he himself loved, right into the the other blade. He knew what words were there in his mind, but he knew it wasn't likely. He practically jumped onto his bed, it's legs snapping and falling to the floor. Kurone stared at the wooden mess he made, then burst into laughing. "That was fun!" He shouted through his giggles.

Miles wasn't in uniform. He probably should keep his uniform on at all times, but when he visited his old home, a habit of late, he liked to keep a low profile. It was hard to reenact the life he had before in order to more appreciate what he had now when people didn't avoid him. He wondered what the other Roses would think if they knew he was 'mucking' about his old hunting grounds. He smiled to himself at that, glancing around the street full of drunken losers and desperate women, hoping to earn a penny with whatever they could offer. As he scanned the familiar area, a figure caught his eye. It's not that she stood out. In fact, she seemed very at ease in the rotten place, but she definitely wasn't a prostitute or a rich lady looking for a good time. In fact, deep in his bones, he knew exactly what she was, seeing that determined, oh so familiar look in her eyes. He'd once had that look in his own, determination.

He watched her carefully from across the crowd, his eyes carefully following her until she found her prey, and he was headed in her direction before she even had the purse. The moment the idiot, drunken man realized what had happened and began bellowing, Miles had already reached his side. He murmured a quick word about being right on it and not to make a scene before he was after her, his eyes never leaving her fleeing form. He didn't really care for the dogs who came to this place, but it was his duty to protect them. He wouldn't hurt the girl, but he would stop her, at least this time.

Miles picked up his pace, weaving through the alleyways as naturally as she. It may have been 20 years since he'd navigated the streets, but he would never forget. He tread as silently as he could at such a fast pace, but he wasn't too worried. He trained every day for 20 years, and his physique was unmatched. He wasn't even winded when he reached the girl and snatched her wrist, the momentum of their running causing him to yank her backward to face him. He winced, hoping his grip hadn't hurt her too badly, but he didn't hesitate to tighten his hand around her slim and delicate arm, not hard enough to bruise but hard enough to ensure she wouldn't escape.

"Hand over the purse, milady," he said with a politeness that didn't hide his steely tone. He pitied people reduced to this, but he couldn't afford to indulge that pity. He knew his place, and he would stay worthy of it.

Will was walking down a long hallway. There were no doors or windows, just an ever expanding corridor. His footsteps echoed endlessly in the dark expanse, being the only sound until- thud. He had run into a large set of oak doors. Why didn't I see those there before? William grasped the bronze handles and pulled. Bright light emanated from behind the entrance. When his eyes adjusted, Will saw what was within the room. "Princess Eve?" he cried, surprised by his current circumstances. "What are you doing here?"

The princess didn't respond. Will took a step towards her, but he didn't get any closer. He began walking, then running. No matter how much he ran, he didn't get any closer. "Eve!" he called, but to no avail, as Eve never got any closer. Will collapsed on the ground, exhausted. Suddenly, a soft voice called out, "Will!" Will looked up. It was the Princess who had spoken! "Will," she called again. "William!" She began to walk towards him, arm extended. Just as she was about to reach him...

BAM!!!!!

Will screamed as he fell of the chair he was sitting on. A large welt formed on his head as he looked around for what had hit him. On the floor next to him was a rather thick volume of the Encyclopedia Arcana. "You all right?" his father, Xavier asked.

"You think?" Will replied, slightly irked, but laughing. "Did it have to be that volume? You know it's the heaviest! Besides, it's like, nine o'clock. What do you need me for this late at night?"

"The King believes it necessary for the archives to have more documents on elemental magic," Mr. Mason said. "Don't ask me why. Since I have a lot of work for you to do, I need you to run by the public Arcane Library and pick up some things. Here's a list." Xavier handed his son a piece of parchment. "Don't worry, it's open 24-7. Now, hop on it!"

---

Will pulled his coat around him and shivered slightly as he walked. The crisp air enveloped him, chilling his skin with its breath. He was going at a fast walk; it was a pretty long distance from the palace to the library. After about twenty minutes of walking, Will finally came in sight of the library. He increased his speed to a slow jog and made it to the opened double doors in about a minute. He was about to step inside when there was a loud crash in the square behind him. Will whipped around, searching for the source of the noise. A water mage of some sort had blasted his way out of the square! He seemed pretty angry, and wasn't slowing down as he sped towards the library.

Water! Will thought frantically. The books in there will be ruined!

Will sprinted inside and grabbed one of the heavy wooden doors, struggling to get it closed.

Eve sat looking around her giant room in the royal palace, filled with gold, silver and jewels. Everything had to be the biggest and the very best. Eve hated it. She had everything, the poor had nothing. They irony was horrid. All Eve did was try to help as best she could, study and be forced to learn to be proper. These starving people broke their backs to serve her, yet they starve. “Where is the justice!?” She would think to herself. If she because ruler one day… Things would be different. If she had to give up every precious jewel she coveted and the things she loved, she would for the people. She loved her life style, she hated that its cost is starving children.

Eve looked out her window, her body guard was in the bath room. She would finally escape tonight. Eve lifted herself half out the window and remembered that she forgot to grab food for the people.



Iris ran wildly through the woods, she was on the hunt. It was for an assassin against the king. Iris, the deadly and young black rose was born in a vicious life style, raised by the barbarians who killed her village. Then, she killed the village of barbarians, single handed. She had infinite skill in the areas of fighting. Working to be better than those far older than herself. Iris was deadly and threatening. She stopped and crouched like a black panther, shooting her bow. It went directly through the heart, an easy and quick kill. Iris bagged the man and threw him over her shoulder, so he would have a proper burial.

She didn’t have to carry him far, because you can’t get far from a black rose. She headed to the grave yard where she buried the man. Most roses didn’t burry their dead. They left them for the animals. However, Iris wasn’t like other roses, she was broken and wanted to be free of it. However the king would never allow a loss of such skill. Iris sighed as she ran to Osvar’s position to give him a repot. When Iris got there, he wasn’t there…

Cheyenne's breath releases in one swift woosh when her wrist is snatched suddenly. This was something she had definitely not expected. She had never been caught before; no one ever seemed capable of following her through the alleys as well as this man had. A grimace flashes across her face as her wirst pops, not in a painful way, just an odd one. Too bad it was gonna bruise anyway. Stupid fair skin.

Chey's eyebrows raise up when the man moves from her wrist to her forearm, gripping it lightly, but securely. His politeness only adds to the surprise factor. Her eyes narrow slightly at his underlying steeliness. "That pig doesn't need this. And despite what you may think, it's not for me either. So if you don't mind-" she pauses and twists her arm in his grip pushing it up, stepping up closer to him, their arms bent above their heads "- I must be on my way. I cannot be late for my meeting later. Perhaps I'll see you around sometime. We can chat more then." Cheyenne kisses the guy's cheek, fluidly hooking her leg around his own and pulling at the knee, causing it to buckle underneath him.

Quickly stepping away from the falling guard, Chey twists again in the man's grip, sliding out of it easily. She takes a a hand full of coins and drops the bag with the rest of the coins on the ground. "There. You've partially succeeded," Chey says as she slips away into the shadows of the alley, entering the aqueducts through a small, mostly unknown entrance.

Twisting the final strands of hair around in a bun, she secured it tightly so that there was no chance of it coming down. Her hands fell to her sides, as Erin Heynee watched the pale faced girl with bright eyes watching her. This girl had rosy cheeks and full red lips and was somewhat pretty, though she would never admit it, not to anyone. Tucking a stray tendril of hair behind her ear, she gave her reflection one last look. She turned away from the mirror, slipping her uniform over her head. It was blue, to match her rank of blue Rose, something that she was fairly proud of, considering the fact that she was only twenty seven years of age. Her leggings were next, also blue in colour. Smoothing it down with careful fingers, she took a deep breath, slipping her sword on her belt. She sat down to pull on her knee length boots, tucking her two daggers out of sight. It wasn't the most comfortable thing, but it gave her reassurance. She was finally ready to set off and turned for the door. When she opened the door, she was surprised to find Kiane waiting for her. After jumping slightly, she smiled brightly at her brother. She waved her hand once to signal "hello" to him, for there was no way that he could hear her. He copied her motion, before rapidly signalling to her with various hand movements and the mouthing of words. Erin sometimes found it difficult to keep up with his constant babbling via signals, but she tried her best and responded appropriately. The language of signs had been created by Erin after her brother had been turned deaf by an unknown infection. He could still speak, but often didn't know what volume his voice was at and so he shouted. And so that's how the signals were formed.

Raising a hand, she signalled that she must go, for she had to get to work. He nodded once in response, turning to leave her be. She caught his hand and kissed his cheek lightly. She'd be home soon and they'd be able to talk some more. Kiane grinned at her, before heading off down the long, wide corridor. It couldn't be said that Erin's family were poor, for it was the complete opposite. They lived in a grand house that exceeded most, with more rooms than they needed. It was surely a place of beauty with arches and columns and statues. They even had a huge fountain in their courtyard, which Erin loved the most. As she headed for the door, she glanced into her father's study. He was asleep in the chair, no doubt he had been up all night. She pulled the door to, so he could be allowed to rest and informed their housekeeper where he was, so that she might check in on him. Grabbing an apple from the pantry, she left the house with a spring in her step.

Walking down the street, she was careful to watch for anything that might be trouble. She passed a few Red Roses on patrol, nodding to each one in turn. Though she was not big-headed in any way, she had always loved the look of awe on their faces when they came across her. She was after all a private bodyguard to one of the princesses and that was something to be proud of. Princess Eve was her charge and as of late Erin had been having some difficulties with her disappearing and then reappearing at odd times. Her first thought was a forbidden boy that the girl had fallen for. She hoped that in her absence the princess had run off again. Although she was supposed to report anything that seemed odd, she would never think of getting Eve into trouble, for she had grown an attachment to the girl and felt it was her own responsibility to marshal her. Entering the castle, she looked for any signs of the girl, but she could almost guarantee that she would be up in her chamber. So heading through the gloomy corridors, she aimed for the chambers of Princess Eve. Her step was light and she was barely noticed in the shadows, just the way she liked it. Once she reached the door, she knocked twice before entering, just as she would normally. She was no serving girl. It caught her as a surprise to see the Princess halfway out of the window. So much so that she stopped mid-track and simply stared for a few seconds before her brain kicked in.

"Miss Eve, what are you doing?" She asked her voice sharp and worried, her face reflecting that feeling as well. "You'd better get down from there! You could get yourself killed!" Erin hurried to the window, in order to help her charge down from the window. The truth was that Erin suspected something more than a forbidden courting lad. There was something more going on there. But she could not ask outright that was going on in the girl's mind. She would have to be much more subtle about the whole thing. But could she discover what the princess was hiding? Was there really more going on beneath the surface? Erin just didn't know anymore, but she knew that whatever it was it was putting her charge in danger and she would never allow that to happen.

Eve exhaled in failure and defeat when Erin walked through the door and stopped her. She loved her body guard Erin. She was strong and protective of her. It seemed more than just her job but out of true friendship and love. Eve sighed and plopped on her bed. One of many reasons why her father had employed Erin as her personal body guard was that she was able to stop Eve easily. For some reason Eve felt inclined to listen to Erin, though she still tried to do what she wanted when she wanted, unlike any other body guard. Had this been anyone else, Eve would have pitched a fit or tried to leap out the window anyway.

Eve sat up from her hugely cushy bed and looked at her friend. “Oh Erin.. I just need to get out…” Eve lied. She knew that no matter how good of friend Erin was, she could not ignore the king’s order to train Eve to be more lady-like. This meant absolutely no contact with poor people. If Eve would have told Erin the truth, she might get her windows bared or even more surveillance time.

Miles was shocked to suddenly hit the ground, his knee painfully slamming onto the concrete. The girl was gone before he could react. Miles cursed himself as he collected the coins and stood. His first mistake had been to underestimate her. He couldn't assume that every thief was street riffraff looking for a coin to pay for their next meal. It's just that the setting and her determination hit so close to home that he couldn't imagine any alternative. His second mistake was to be caught off guard by her kiss. No matter what tactic, he couldn't let his defense down before anyone. Still, the girl had spiked his curiosity. He wondered what, if she wasn't stealing for herself, she was stealing for.

Miles headed back to the busy street, quickly finding the man the girl had stolen from. Despite Miles assurances, the man was kicking up a fuss, yelling this way and that. Miles suddenly felt very tired. He may have moved up in life, and he may have a duty towards these people, but Miles had never really gotten over his dislike for the scum aristocracy, the very same dirt-bags who had thrown him out of his own home when he was merely a child to steal from him all that was rightfully his. Miles pushed through the crowd and approached the man.

"I've recovered your money, sir," he said without emotion, handing the now lighter coin purse back to its owner. The man drunkenly snatched it away and poked through its contents only to look up at Miles with a glare.

"There is some missing," he accused with a scowl. Miles felt cold anger take over, but he only allowed a whisper of danger to creep into his voice. It was all this cur needed to be put in his place.

"I assure you that it is the same amount you had when you lost it. You are clearly very drunk. You must have spent more than you intended to," Miles explained. He didn't know why he was covering up for the girl. The only explanation he had was that he knew she was probably worth more as a person than this man ever would. The man, properly humbled, shrank back and miserably tucked the purse back into his clothing. It was out of curiosity that he dared to look at Miles again.

"What did you do with the girl?" he asked. Miles allowed a sneer to slide into his features. He was sneering because of his disgust with the man, but he very well knew what the man's, and everyone watching's, impression would be.

"Why?" he asked shortly, "What do you think I did with her?" Without waiting for any response, Miles stalked away, pounding his anger at the man and Miles' own action onto the ground as he walked. He hadn't felt this angry in a while, and when he realized this, he stopped, his anger evaporating. Why was he angry? Because he'd been defeated? Or because of the scumbag? No, he realized, a blush of surprise coming to his cheeks. He was angry, because the girl had gotten away before he could have a chance to speak with her. Damn! Miles thought to himself. He needed to be more careful. If he wasn't he could end up falling for a thief. With the determination to lock away what had made him so angry, Miles calmed in demeanor and made his way back to the Roses. He wouldn't lose all he worked for.

The man was nearly at the doors of the library when William was finally able to close them. I've gotta find something to fight him with, he thought frantically, looking around the well-lit library. There were several suits of armor laying around the antechamber, but when Will attempted to pry the weapons from their cold, hard fingers, he soon saw that they had been fixed in place. "Think, think!" Will murmured to himself as he paced around the room. "I need to do something!"

Will stopped in his tracks and face palmed himself. This is an arcane library, for crying out loud, he reasoned as he rushed into the main library. There must be some sort of beginners guide! The apprentice rushed up and down the isles, glancing at the labels engraved on the bookshelves. It wasn't long before he found the 'novice' section. Will grabbed the first volume he saw off the shelf. It read "An Introduction to Fire Magic". This'll have to do, he thought, wrenching open the book. He skimmed through the introduction until he got to the basics of spellcasting. He barely got through the first few steps before a powerful gust of wind blew out nearly all of the lights in the library.

Why the hell didn't I lock the door? Will asked himself as he crept over to the entry area of the library. The mage was standing there with a black kite of some sort. Fearing he'd be seen, Will dropped to the ground and hid under a table. He saw the man send a black owl out to scout the library's shelves. An owl? Will thought, bewildered. I've never seen one of those in real life before. Shaking his head in an attempt to clear his mind, Will looked for a way out. He scanned the walls until- HA! he thought, nearly shouting with joy. Over in the corner of the building was the entrance to the local signal tower. Will had learned that a few decades ago, the king had signal towers placed at strategic points around the city, to help the Roses keep track of what's happening. If a major crime was being committed, someone would just have to climb up the tower and turn on the signal.

Without any warning, Will burst forward towards the tower, but soon ran into another person. "Don't move" [the man] said as sternly as he could muster, but his voice was rather hoarse as he was nervous at the way the situation was spinning out of control. Will looked up to see that it was the man that tried to break into the library, the air wizard! Will took his advice and remained silent, but his mind was whirring.

The secret to fire manipulation is willpower, Will recited in his mind. He closed his eyes and concentrated. Slowly but surely, Will could feel a subtle warmth building inside him. Will slowly stood up to a standing position, as not to startle his captor, and straightened his robe. "Whatever you're trying to steal, I won't let you!" he yelled forcefully, extending his arms towards the man. A pitiful shower of sparks shot from them, but disappeared well before they hit the mage. Great, Will chastised himself. Now I've been promoted to Swedish fire steel. Without a second thought, he made a break for the signal tower stairs.

At first, the only sounds she could hear was her own breathing and the sound of her footsteps as she ran. Slowly, she realized that there was a second set of feet after her. Throwing a quick glance over her shoulder, she saw the younger Rose chasing after her. Damn! I didn't know they had Roses this quick! she raged. Seizing on an opportunity, Mamimi jumped around a corner to her left and tried to run along the surface of the wall to a window ledge. Unfortunately, she was on the wrong side of the alley and when she tried to turn to grab it with her left hand, she lost momentum and tumbled to the ground.

"Ohh...How embarrassing. I haven't taken a spill in years. If the den catches wind of this...Who am I kidding. Of course they're going to catch wind of this. They catch wind of everything."

And of course when one is monologueing after a spill, one tends to get caught. No surprises this time. Just as she was struggling to her feet, Mamimi heard the footsteps clatter to a halt. Absolute in the knowledge that she was going to be caught, she started to run again anyways. Too bad that she sprained her ankle in the fall and she went headfirst into a clumsy roll.

"Fine! Just beat me and get it done. I don't have time for the petty mind games you Roses love so much!" she shouted into the air. If she had time to cool off, she wouldn't have said anything like that, but anger gets the best of everyone. Deep in the dark corners of her heart, she hoped that this mystery Rose had seen something in her, some potential, that would make him want her on their side. This thought was so deep inside her, though, it was like a delicate flower growing among choking weeds. No one had ever heard of a slummer joining the Roses and living amongst the high-born. Especially one that looked such as she. The man approached her and looked down at her, his expression hard for her to see, what with her vision being cloudy from the hot tears in her eyes. It was good that her cloak hid her face from him, as tears were treated as the ultimate humiliation amongst her and her kin.

Egan kept the bulk of his focus on what Onyx's eyes saw, he could still however hear the boy stirring, he decided to give him some freedom of movement so long as he did not move from the stop. Should the boy have a dagger with him, he was confident he would hear the sound of it being unsheeved with his keen ears. The boy stood to his full height, Onyx had passed the necromancy section he never knew and was surprised that those darkest of arts was actually legal in Lithe, but then again all sorts of savageries were. "What ever you're trying to steal I won't let you!" The boy yelled. Egan tensed up and focused on the spot, this was a battle cry, he knew the boy was about to attack. His ears searched for the sounds of a weapon being retrieved instead, he heard the subtle sizzle of basic level fire magic. He held the kite string tightly ready to deflect any spells, he hadn't any idea the boy was a mage, and Egan wasn't the sort to ever underestimate an opponent. A sort of barely noticeable warmth caressed his face.

"Th-that's it?" Egan said more to himself then the stranger who's footsteps he now heard moving away from him. He was in disbelief that such a novice showed that sort of valor, noble leeches were usually only bold, when they were hiding behind the weeds. If anything he could have sworn that this was the kid's first attempt ever at magic, how he longed to find an apprentice or five similar in talent and demeanor to this little leech, amongst the people of the aqueducts. His footsteps were growing fainter, but Onyx kept her sites on him. He sped towards the signal tower as fast as he could. Egan wasn't remotely worried, he almost felt like a bully in fact when he opened his bag just a smidge and a small whirlwind went after the boy. With his masterful control he made sure it was fierce enough to carry a light weight like this kid, but not injure him. Onyx hooted almost mockingly at the boy as the cyclone swept him off his feet! He spun within it as it moved backwards towards Egan. The wind began to slow steadily until the boy fell with a soft thud, a gentle but potentiality threatening breeze en circulating him. "First of all, I'm not stealing anything I'm taking back! Knowledge should be available to everyone, yet you'll note that not everyone is aloud into a so called public library!," Egan yelled angrily, and then he lowered his voice, but gave it a more menacing tone. "And second of all...I had told you not to move." He sighed despite himself, he didn't want to appear weak of heart. "If you're going to be such a pest then you're going to make this a lot quicker and painless for the both of us. You're a royal archivist right?" Egan said the word royal with such disgust you would have thought he were talking about maggoty meat. "Then I'm sure you know your way around every library in Lithe including this one, I'm going to call out titles and you're going to lead me to them. Don't try to pull any shinanagins, that wind can turn violent at an instant."

Erin sighed, following the girl to the bed and sitting on the edge. She knew, from experience, that if it had been anyone else in her position, the princess would have screamed and thrown a tantrum. Fortunately Erin had her under control and Eve listened to what she had to say. They had developed a friendship, one that she valued greatly. This girl and her brother were the only two people she would give her life for and her father of course. They had a special place in her heart and she no intention of letting the princess get hurt. The poor were dangerous and it was her duty to protect them. But she could see why the princess tried to escape to help them. Against her better judgement, she decided something quickly. "I have things to do today Eve. I understand you want to get out, but I can't allow that. They are dangerous Miss Eve. Therefore I shall post a guard outside your door." She got up, brushing herself off and looking seriously at the girl. "I want you to be here when I get back Eve. I mean that. I'm not your babysitter and you're free to do as you wish, within reason." She headed for the door, reaching for the handle, before she turned back. "And upon my return we will practise your manners for the Big Feast." She smiled brightly at the girl. "I'm sure you have been going over them when I haven't been here." Bowing to her charge, she left the room, calling a Red Rose to the door and instructing him not to go in, but to make sure that if she left then he was to follow her. He nodded and she left, walking down the darkened corridor, chewing her bottom lip. Eve had been sneaking off for weeks and she didn't doubt that she would now. As her Protector she should have followed her, but she hoped that Eve would listen to her words and stay in the room.

She had every intention of heading towards the library, in an attempt to research something. Her mind was elsewhere as she wandered the streets, heading in the general direction of the library. Would Eve obey her? Or would she do as she wished? Erin hoped that the girl would be alright, or she would feel so guilty. Pursing her lips, she turned as corner, walking straight into someone else, knocking her backwards so much that she had to balance herself. Instantly she flipped to defensive, straightening herself, expecting one of the poor to be leering at her. "Watch it..." She started, then caught sight of the mint green uniform. She was never rude to another Rose, no matter what. Frowning, she smoothed her own blue uniform, before crossing her arms. She studied the Rose, looking at his face for a few seconds. She recognised him. "I know that face." She muttered, studying him closely. It was part of her duty to have a brilliant memory and something clicked into place. "Miles right?" She asked, an eyebrow rose, hoping that she had the right name. No, he was definitely Miles. He looked troubled and Erin's natural curiosity kicked in. "What's up with you? You look like one of the poor just stabbed you in the back." Little did she realise that she was pretty close to the truth.

Kenneth began to pant as he chased the woman. He had seen some of the theives in this area, and knew that often it was a true exercise in futility. He was fast, but she was faster (especially while he was in armor) and she likely knew the area better. It was a foregone loss, especially after she made a sharp turn around a corner, usually a sign that someone was gone for good.

At least it was until he rounded the corner and found the woman sprawled on the ground."Fine! Just beat me and get it done. I don't have time for the petty mind games you Roses love so much!" The woman cried, her eyes now filled with tears

Kenneth grabbed the woman and pushed her against the wall, patting her down to check her possessions. You never could tell where a hidden blade could be stored, and with one pulled on him from a range such as this there was a chance she could go for his unarmored throat. His hands moved up her legs, and along her thighs, perhaps closer than necessary but not quite indecent. The real shock was when he got to her torso, feeling a large gap where an arm should me.

That explained quite a lot, like the look of fear. All Roses used violence differently, and considering her reaction she had been on the wrong end of one of the bad ones. This presented him with a dilemma: he could be completely justified in taking her in after that display, but capturing and subduing an disarmed (maybe not the best choice of words) woman was not going to do much for him, and would likely anger many of the passerbys. Or, perhaps there was another option.

"There. I've caught you. My search has revealed no stolen or illegal items and while I could have you taken in for resisting a Rose, that would be such a waste of time and paperwork." He gave the woman a gentle smile. "Now, we can play this two ways: I either take you to jail, which will be a headache for me and worse for you, or I can take you back to the man who's cart you broke and you promise to pay him and keep your nose clean. Either way, it keeps me from having to chase after you again."

Kenneth gave the woman a low chuckle. "And believe me when I say that I don't want to chase you again. You're fast woman. That was an impressive display. Except for the falling of course."

Mamimi bit her lip while the man searched her. She fiddled with her bracer, wondering if she could get him, but she knew she couldn't resist, what with her ankle being in such a state. When he touched where her arm used to be, she noticed he hesitated a bit. While she didn't want to take advantage of a Rose, she also didn't want to go back to that man. She couldn't pay him because she left all her money in her safehouse.

"Please...I can't go back to that man." she whimpered. "I don't have any money. Why do you think I ran? For my health? I have no way to repay him."

With a sigh, she tried to shift her weight a bit, but cried out in surprise when her right ankle gave way and she fell. Or she would have if she hadn't lashed out with her arm and grabbed hold of the Rose. At just that time, the buckles of her cloak decided to snap and it fell away, revealing her to the world. Mamimi gasped and made a desperate dive for the cloak, but the damage was done. While most of the poor in the alley knew her, some didn't. The Rose certainly didn't.

Hardned criminals often had full body tattoo's, and reputations to match. While she was a criminal, she wasn't mean or cruel and she hated when people judged her that way. Not only that, but her collection of scars was vast and unsightly. Mamimi tried to hide her face under the cloak and not show the Rose her facial tattoos. Blood trenches were only earned by some of the lowest scum in society. Hers were branded on her falsely, of course, but no one else would know or believe that.

Damning the futility of it all, Mamimi struggled to her feet and left the cloak on the ground. If he was going to kill her, he was and she couldn't do a thing about it. Better to face it head on then on her back like an animal.

"Now you see...Now you see my pain and my fears. This," she gestured at herself, "Is why I wear the cloak. Because no one outside of my family will accept me with the way I look. So now it's up to you. My only request is if you kill me, please do it quickly. I have a low tolerance for pain."

Kenneth gave a look of surprise when the woman let the cloak drop away from her face. Without the tattoos he would have said the woman was classically beautiful, but the harsh marks make her striking instead, almost exotic. He hadn't seen anyone marked up quite like this. Typically the only people marked up to such an extent were criminals.

But this didn't change the fact that as far as he could tell she had done nothing wrong. Well, other than destroying the wagon.

"My only request is if you kill me, please do it quickly. I have a low tolerance for pain."

Kenneth raised an eyebrow. "When did I say anything about killing you? You broke something, that's all. Hardly worth a capital punishment." The Rose grabbed onto his prisoner's arm, pulling it over his shoulder.

"I'm sure you can find something to promise him. The matter will between the two of you then, or perhaps you can find someone who will vouch for you with him." Kenneth turned his head to look into the ice blue eyes of the woman. "If you want me to treat you like an ordinary citizen, you need to take the responsibilities of them. Don't worry, we'll make sure that he doesn't rip you off. Hell, maybe he'll just ignore it for the pretty lady." Kenneth smirked, hitting on the complete stranger almost out of habit.

"Pretty lady..." Mamimi would have laughed if she wasn't so stunned. As far as she could tell, the man wasn't lying. He actually thought her pretty. Her cheeks turned deep crimson and she looked away from the man shyly. She was glad of his help, as her ankle was really starting to hurt now, but not looking forward to confronting the wagon man.

She leaned heavily on the Rose and bit her lip as she stepped wrong. "I've gotta practice that one more often," Mamimi muttered under her breath. She had managed to clip the cloak to her harness, but it was far from concealing. The stares she picked up made her angry, and she glared at people. Her icy blue gaze quickly withered them and they scampered away in different directions. She didn't realize how far they had run, as they had been walking for a steady five minutes without her catching sight of either Kurone or the cart man.

She was honestly surprised that no one else had joined in the chase. Usually the Roses ran in packs, or at least the lower ranked ones did. Also surprising was the fact that this man was letting her off so easy. She had seen members of her clan come back with a foot cut off for running from a Rose before. Almost involuntarily, she glanced down at her feet, wincing at the swelling already happening in her right ankle.

"So, uh, what's your name? I didn't quite catch it with all the "Stop you!" and things going on." She looked at the Rose with some curiosity. He was certainly more striking than most Roses she had met, if she was interested in that sort of thing. Her main focus was his armaments. Dual swords weren't unheard of, but they certainly weren't common. Even when she had both arms, Mamimi prefered either one sword or two handed blunt weapons like a mace or maul. She was glad that she wasn't carrying her Morning Star when she fell, otherwise she would have had more than just a sprained ankle.

Kenneth smiled when he saw the woman blush, even through the ink on her face. Her reaction wasn't entirely unexpected. More than one woman had responded the same way when he said things like that, and she was pretty, even if she wasn't someone you would run into at a ball. It was harmless flirting, so what would the trouble be?

People were scattering in the streets and there was no sign of Kurone, or even the wagon man as of yet. Perhaps Kurone had chosen to help the man, helping him get his wagon fixed rather than wait for Kenneth to catch the perpetrator. While it was bothersome that none of the other Roses were here, it did make dealing with this particular case easier. He would have little or no oversight in how he handled the matter, and no one who would have a chance to complain.

"My name is Kenneth Martin de la Dushone, Orange Rose of Linthe. But I do think that it's time for some questions of my own." He had noticed the woman glancing down at his weapons briefly, though he couldn't say for sure why. A two bladed fighting style was somewhat uncommon, which was compounded by the unique shape of his weapons. While Roses used a variety of weapons, he had never seen anyone else who relied on using two blades at once like he did. Was it simple curiosity? Or something more?

"What exactly were you doing on top of that roof anyway? Usually someone who does that is up to no good. Combined with the way that you move, one would have guessed that you were a thief or something like that." Kenneth paused, checking to see the woman's reaction. "Of course, that's silly. If you were running after stealing something you would have had something on you. And you're quite distinctive, I'm sure someone would have noticed you." I was a bit of a nudge and a wink. Likely the woman had a history of some sort, but he was going to judge on what happened today and what evidence he had. "Ah, but I've been so rude to the lady. What is your name?"

This time, Mamimi laughed. She hadn't meant to, but he caught her off guard. Generally she tried not to laugh, as her laugh was considered by most to be very...disturbing. It reminded one of the harpy's insane cackle in the tales of fantasy some people spin.

"Such manners! I never expected courtesy from one such as you to one such as me. Very well then. My name is Mamimi sa Tengaki, but you can call me whatever you please." She chuckled to herself again, and then wrinkled her brow. "Did you say de la Dushone? THE de la Dushone? Hrmm.." Mamimi had no idea who he was, but she wanted to get of the topic of what she was. Even though she had a perfectly legal side to her, her prices on the herbs she sold were a tad high and that was generally looked down upon.

They finally reached the spot where she fell, only the cart and man were gone. Kurone was still standing there, but she had expected that. Hay and tiles littered the side of the street in abundance, evidence to her guilt. However, it appeared that the man had fixed his cart and left without complaint. Mamimi shrugged and let go of Kenneth so she could sit on the hay. Out of habit, she brushed her hair forward over her face, as it was long enough to obscure some detail. She scratched at her most recent tattoo, which was the band around her neck in the shape of a dragon eating its own tail. That was as high up as she allowed a needle to touch her. The blood trenches on her face hurt so much that she forbid any tattoo artist from putting anything else on her face.

If one looked at her tattoo's closely they could see that they spelled words. She had the entire works of her favorite author tattooed onto her body. The first chapter started around her collarbone and shoulders and continued all the way to her ankles. Of course a large section was missing due to the loss of her right arm, but it was a rather calm part of the story anyways. She adjusted one of the straps on her harness, making sure it was still covering her and fiddled with one of the good luck charms she had strung into the leather. It was a small talisman depicting the likeness of the goddess of good fortune that the heathens of the countryside worshipped. She didn't believe in the gods and goddesses of the heathens, but the face was a calming influence on her so she kept it.

Acting disinterested in the two Roses, she tried not to eavesdrop as they discussed whatever it was they were talking about. She assumed that it was her or her punishment, but she couldn't and didn't want to be sure.

"I'm reminded that politeness does a lot of good when it suits me." Kenneth didn't smile back this time. The woman managed to dodge his question completely.

"Just be careful the next time you decide to take a run. I believe in second chances, but many of us do not. And only the biggest bleeding hearts believe in third chances. And you never know what important thing you're carrying might break." Kenneth gave a meaningful look at Kurone. He hoped that his subtle unsaid message of "Don't let me catch you with anything, or there's going to be trouble." was managing to come through.

"But it seems that the cart man as wandered off without recompense. I suppose that you're free to go when you are ready Miss...You know, I still didn't get your name."

Mamimi looked blankly at the man for a second before she realized she must have been muttering earlier. "Mamimi," she said simply. She did owe Kenneth for not beating or arresting her, but that didn't mean she trusted him completely yet. For all she knew, he was just as cunning a deceiver as she was.

"Heya, Kurone. How's it hangin'?" Mamimi said weakly. All of the sudden she was exhausted, as if the relief that she wasn't going into the slam liquefied her muscles. Her vision went in and out of focus, before failing completely as she fell asleep. Mamimi almost prided herself on the ability to sleep anywhere, on anything, during any situation. If she had the opportunity, she took a cat nap. With an almost inaudible sigh of relief, she curled up inside her cloak on the hay pile and let nature take its course.

Eve pouted as Erin left, and nodded. Eve listen to her when she was there but when she wasn’t… Eve did what she wanted to. Or at least she tried. Eve walked over to the golden framed window and stuck her leg out of it. One the then the other. She sat there a moment looking out upon the city. It was so beautiful. She could see it all from her window. Every tree top and roof, each young maiden sneaking out late at night and each boy throwing rocks at their window. Her room was the tallest point in the whole city. It was even higher than the rose towers.

Eve stuffed money in her pockets and then threw a make shift rope, made out of sheets, out the window. She tied it to her bed and began climbing slowly down the treacherous height. When she got to the bottom she ran as fast as she could. She knew if she wasn’t quick some one would see her. She darted behind trees and rocks, ducking and diving and rose tower’s glare until she was finally out of royal grounds. Once Eve was out of there and in the upper middle class section of the city, she quickly put on a veil like eastern Indian women do, to disguise her identity. All one could see was Eve’s blue eye, and her gold one.

Eve wondered down to the poorest district and gave what she had to young children. She was satisfied with herself, she felt invigorated to be out and most of all to be breaking the rules. Danger like this got Eve in her element. She wasn’t made to be so prime and proper like her royal parents forced her to be.



Eventually Iris gave up on a rose check in today and set out to patrol the city since she wasn’t given a mission today. That was unusual for a black rose as highly rated as she. Iris walked down the street in the upper class region of the city. She could have sworn she saw a girl in a veil with a blue eye and a gold one, just like princess Eve! But it couldn’t be.. Erin was her body guard and seemed capable enough to Iris. Iris heard a commotion from near the library and ran down the street toward it. She saw a orange rose as she ran. She believed his name was Kennith. But she didn’t really keep track of low ranked roses. She motioned for him to follow her as she took his eye contact. Her black rose pin gleamed on her chest. He would have to see it, and obey the authority it came with.

Will ran as fast as he could to the signal tower door. If he could get there, he might be able to call for help. Almost there, he thought, panting from near-exhaustion. Just a few more steps! Will extended his handout to grab the gilded doorknob, but something caught him halfway. Before he could even yell for help, a powerful whirlwind whisked him up and back over to the blind mage. Will could have sworn that the man's pet owl was laughing at his failure as it followed him back. He stood still in front of his captor. The wind had died down, but there was a breeze flowing around him that wasn't anywhere else in the room.

"First of all, I'm not stealing anything I'm taking back! Knowledge should be available to everyone, yet you'll note that not everyone is aloud into a so called public library!," Egan yelled angrily, and then he lowered his voice, but gave it a more menacing tone. "And second of all...I had told you not to move." He sighed despite himself, he didn't want to appear weak of heart. "If you're going to be such a pest then you're going to make this a lot quicker and painless for the both of us. You're a royal archivist right?" Egan said the word royal with such disgust you would have thought he were talking about maggoty meat. "Then I'm sure you know your way around every library in Lithe including this one, I'm going to call out titles and you're going to lead me to them. Don't try to pull any shinanagins, that wind can turn violent at an instant."

"A civilian wouldn't have blasted a hole in the square," he mumbled as he led the man over to the first row of bookshelves. "If you don't mind me asking," he continued, not even bothering to turn around, "Why do you hate me? Don't deny it, I can hear the loathing in your voice."

Miriel quickly jogged towards the library, a civilian had reported a mage of some sort blasting a hole in the middle of the road before entering the library. Needless to say that was something that needed to be stopped, and she had not had anything to do for a few days due to all the planning going on to get that airship.
As she arrived she saw the door was indeed wide open and all the torches inside were out.

Walking in she found the mysterious mage and a boy, wait wasnt that the archivists apprentice? Will, bill something like that, that he seemed to have coerced into leading him around the room. "Stop right there." She said firmly, clearly not going to take no for an answer. This mage had destroyed public property and threatened this boy, unless he could teleport she would catch him. *He better not be able to teleport* Miriel thought wearily, teleportation was a really annoying spell, she wished that there was a way for her to stop it. Sadly there was not and people got away using it. Her swords were still in their sheathes but she would draw them if she needed to.