Masquerade

"Hello Lilly," Trixie smiled, "If it hadn't been for that charactor I would have figured out where the Midnight Theif was tonight. But I lost em when I ran into him."

"I'm sorry," LIlly grinned,

"It ain't your fault. I'll get em sooner or later, its not like I plan on hurtin em, I just want to see who it is." Trixie grinned, "Now I'm hungry."

I stood on my balcony and looked up at the moonless sky. I had no plan to sneak out tonight. Especially, not after the dinner party. I was wiped. I'd have to go after the Staff of Marianna tomorrow night...

"Stolen?!" I exclaimed when I read the morning paper. My mother looked at me with a mixed look of surprise and scolding.

"Is it that big of a surprise that the Midnight Man stole the Staff of Marianna?" My father asked.

"I...I just still can't believe how many things he's stolen already," I lied, "and still hasn't been captured."

I folded the paper and excused myself from the table.

That night, I left the house wearing a pair of brown breeches, a dirty, white, long-sleeve shirt, and a black vest. I looked like a commoner. I pulled my long hair up into a brown cap and headed towards the lower part of town.

I walked aimlessly as I thought of how I could find the Midnight Man. I wanted to know how he managed such dangerous and skillful thefts.

I followed a canal and found a young boy sitting with his feet in the water.

"You're out late." I said as I neared him.

At the sound of the voice, Hunter jumped out of hte water and ran, not even daring to look back.

Can someone please bring my character in? I have no idea what to put...*blushes*

Hunter slipped a little on the pavement, his wet feet making loud noises against the paths. He couldn't tell if he was being followed, but it didn't matter to him.

he spun around a corner, into an alley--

--and ran head-on into someone there.

Hunter was thrown to the ground, and a frightened noised escaped him.

the man he had run into didn't seem to be affected by the collision at all. "What the--?"

Hunter didnt' move, too scared to even try, his frightened dark eyes trained on the stranger.

*Does that work, DM?*

Sure does! Thanks Jackie!
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Aramber looked down at the youth on the ground in front of him. The boy's dark green, frightened eyes stared up at him in fear. Aramber felt a small amount of pity for him.

"Who are you?" Aramber asked, pulling his black hat lower over his face.

"H-hunter" the boy said shakily.

"And what are you doing outside this time of night?"

"N-nothing!" the boy stammered. He looked around frantically.

Aramber chuckled to himself. "Don't worry, i don't bite."

*Can't think of much else...*

"So, you are awake."Lyaro said to the boy still lying on the blankets blinking. "Now would you care to explain to me exactly what you were doing following me up to the room?"

"You're a, a girl?"

Lyaro rolled her eyes and pulled off her mask. "Yes I am a girl, big deal. It easn't me who called myself the Midnight Man."

"Oh." The boy was still looking around at all of the jewels and trinkets. "So where the hell are we?"

"Under the Grand Canal."

"Under the what?!" he shouted, wide-eyed.

~SishBee~
x

I followed the boy, until I saw him lying on the street in front of a tall dark stranger.

"Are you alright?" I asked kneeling down to check on the kid.

"I-I'm fine." The boy stammered.

"Who are you?" I asked the stranger, whose hat was tilted low over his face.

"It is of no importance until I know yours, young lady." The stranger said calmly. So he had seen through my disguise, but I hadn't hid my gender too well since it was the middle of the night.

I had to come up with a false name, my parents were well known around the city, and so was I. "Kary." I said in a natural tone.

I could tell the stranger was giving me a skeptical look even though it was dark and his hat was pulled down.

Hunter stared towards the direction of his uncle's, shoulder's tense, as he calculated his chances of making a run for it. He didn't want to stay until his uncle came looking for him, especially when he was with other people. For some reason his uncle didn't want him around other people. He'd lock him away whenever company came over.

Tensing his arms and legs, Hunter jumped to his feet and started to run.

"Hey!" I shouted as the boy sped away. I was tempted to follow, but I had business to attend to. "What a strange boy." I said, mostly to myself. The stranger merely nodded. "It was a pleasure to meet you Mr. ..."

"Aramber." He said. "And a pleasure to meet you Miss Kary." He said my false name a little skeptically. Worried, I nodded once and quickly walked away.

There are some strange people around here. I thought as I entered the alley that led to the finer part of town.

((I'll post a little more later...))

Lily laughed. It was such a Trixie-like thing to say.

"I'll help you find him," Lily offered. "You can finally satisfy that curiousity of yours and then we can turn the man in. We might even get a reward!"

Lily started jumping excitedly at the thought as she grasped Trixie's hands and made her jump with her.

"I bet we'd even get money!"

Trixie didn't seem to care about a reward, but Lily could already see the wheels turning in her head. She knew she wouldn't pass up the chance.

"So, we'll come up with a plan tonight?" Trixie asked, and Lily nodded.

"Your place? That's where I was headed anyway."

"Of course," Trixie said, and with that, they took off toward her house, both girls grinning mischeiviously.

Trixie unlocked the door to her small apartment. SHe barely ever got enough money to pay for it. But it was paid for. She grabbed food from the fridge then sat on the couch.

"So," She yawned. "we'll have to be able to see who this guy it."

*srry, got nothin*

"You're right," Lily said, then smiled. "I have an idea. I'm not sure if it'll work, but we can try."

"What is it?" Trixie asked.

Lily plopped down on the couch next to her friend, stealing a bit of food from her plate before continuing.

"Okay, we're still going to be using your method. We're going to wait for him in the alleyway until he arrives, if he even does. You're going to have to stop him."

Trixie raised an eyebrow. "How am I going to stop him? I'm like 120 pounds compared to his 160 pounds or whatever. He's a pretty tall guy."

"Maybe you could seduce him or something. He'll stop for that."

Trixie glared at her.

"Or we could use this as a diversion," Lily said, and pulled off a gold chain from around her neck. "It's not worth too much, but we could try and dress it up, make it look worth something. What do you think?"

"I don't know," Trixie poundered.

"COme on, we got to think of something."

"I know, I know, lets see here." Trixie racked her brain for something. "How bout we just jump the dude."

"TRIXIE!!! He uses majic." Lily replied,

"Good point, uh, maybe just follow him to his hide out and walk in. Act like it was an accedent, and yea."

Sharra

I turned the corner and kept to the shadows. This was always the best part. Tonight, my eyes were set on the Amulet of the Baron Druheim. I'd have to be careful more than ever. The Baron had more security since the Midnight Man threw in his hand at thievery.

I passed the Canal (the finer part of it) and followed it a short way. That's when I passed the crime scene.

Yellow tape hung over the window and blocked the path. The window stood open and their was a tingling in the air. I had never felt such a feeling. The tingling was there on the spot above my heart, my forehead, and my palms. I could see a faint glittering, but merely shook my head, the tingling and glitter disappearing. I stared at the scene before, slowly, heading down the street perpendicular to the Canal.