1st Orb - 4th of Rebirth's Decline

[shadedsunlight]

[A: Action – early to mid-afternoon around Schwanheim]

[Hiding in plain sight takes on a literal meaning when you’re a rogue. Ginia had read books seen movies, and played games with rogues and thieves in them. She knew the archetype and figured if this was a world of fantasy and fairy tales, it was worth a shot. It was also a good distraction for herself. After a night of dreams too dangerously real and tempting, Ginia needs something to focus all her attention on as a distraction. She spends all morning trying to pick up the finer points of stealthy arts and after a few hours, has managed a more sneaky and translucent state. She’s still tangible, still capable of making noise if she doesn’t watch where her feet step or if her clothes rustle too much, but translucent and almost invisible in the shadows. In the afternoon, she decides to test her newfound ability out against other people and heads into the village proper.

The test is easy enough; pick a target, tail them for as long as possible and as closely as possible, apologize or run when discovered. Restealth somewhere safe, find a new target, repeat until tired. Be a target, catch her as she’s following someone else, watch her as she’s watching other people, anything goes.]

[B: Orb – late afternoon]

[Later in the day, Ginia ventures forward with her first message on the orb. Unable to speak, and with the hunch most people wouldn’t know American Sign Language, Ginia improvises by writing out a message in her journal and slowly panning it over the words she's written.]

Can anyone tell me about the different areas in this region? I’m particularly interested in the thorns and the Two Faced Forest, but any information will be of great use. I want to explore some of the areas, but hardly want to go in unprepared.

Thank you in advance.

Please feel free to speak your response. I’m unable to talk so I have to write. I apologize for the inconvenience.

Comments

Action~

[wheresmycoffee]

[[There's a grumpy looking blacksmith watching one of her times resting.]]

... What are you doing.

[shadedsunlight]

[Ginia has having a good time tailing a city guard for a few minutes before he grew suspicious. She quickly scampered away before he could catch her, finding shelter against a building. It's exhilarating being able to turn quasi-invisible and move around mostly unseen. It still needs lots of refining and practice, but things are coming along quite nicely.

When someone speaks to her, she looks up and smiles, playing innocent.]

[wheresmycoffee]

[[He raises an eyebrow at the smile, frown deepening.]]

...don't think I'll be as forgiving as those idiots if I catch you snooping around my forge like that.

[shadedsunlight]

["My forge." A blacksmith then, good to know. She looks over him, making note of his thick forearms and built body. Definitely someone used to lifting heavy objects with ease. Ginia's smile lingers as she holds up a single hand and nods solemnly. His wares are safe.]

[wheresmycoffee]

[[Heavy objects, small children, not so small children and a drunken mother sometimes on the same day in rapid succession.

The silences is starting to annoy him a little, however]]

Who are you anyway?

[somewhatpointy]

[Ryo's been out on a long walk this morning in an attempt both to get a sense of the layout of this place and to try to shake the funk he'd found himself in after the whole dream event thing.

...but he is starting to get the sense that he's being followed. It tkes guts to follow around a leather armor wearing guy with an axe strapped to his back. He doesn't actually see any pursuit yet, but he'll quicken his pace slightly.]

[shadedsunlight]

[Ginia falls back on all the training she's had as she follows people through the village. Maintain a safe distance, know when to fall back, keep all movements natural. It's easier when you're partially invisible, but Ginia still treads with caution.

When her latest mark increases his pace, Ginia lets him. She can't move very fast herself, but she can still keep an eye on him.]

[somewhatpointy]

[Did he lose his pursuit? It's not like he really saw anyone watching him in the first place...maybe it was just a figment of his imagination. He had a rough night last night, after all. Could be making him paranoid...

...but just in case, he's going to turn around and actively look for his pursuit.]

[shadedsunlight]

[Paranoia is the armor of the cautious. Even if she means no harm, he's good to be cautious. When he turns around, Ginia falls back and moves against a building, crouching out of the way by some barrels. She keeps in the shadows and keeps herself small as possible, still keeping an eye on him.]

[somewhatpointy]

[Ryo frowns. He can't shake the feeling he's being watched, so he's going to quicken his pace even more and try making a few random twists and turns in his route. Maybe he can shake this feeling...]

Action

[shiromadoushi]

[[And now for the easiest time shadowing ever, it's Mr. Oblivious! Who's doing his best to avoid thinking at all today, after the previous night's dreams, so is paying even less attention to his soundings than usual. There's no indication that he's at all aware that he has a new shadow.]]

Action

[shadedsunlight]

[Ginia recognizes Bakura as she's out in the village and falls into quiet step behind him. Having met and talked to him, she follows him out of more playful curiosity. She doesn't mean any of her targets any harm, it's all for the sake of a training exercise, though she realizes it's also a little creepy.

As he seems more distracted than her other targets, she tests the limits on how close she can get, moving up until she's walking only a few feet behind him.]

Action

[shiromadoushi]

[[Even with her that close, it's a bit of time before he pauses, looking behind him. Was there something...?]]

Action

[shadedsunlight]

[Ginia falls back slightly and takes shelter against a wall when he turns back. She keeps stock still as she waits for him to turn back around.]

Action

[shiromadoushi]

Aaaa, now I'm seeing things! [[a small laugh as he shakes his head, starting to walk again.]]

Action for all the creeper times

[folklorist]

[ After what can be summed up as a very tumultuous night of dreaming Helios is just...going to be wandering. Lots of mindless wandering today. He's not sure if what happened during the night was simply just a dream or something else. If anyone saw his dreams Ginia especially...gods he would mortified on so many levels. So many personal issues being brought to light, he shakes his head in a dismissive gesture. Best to not think about it, it was all just a dream anyway. Probably nothing to be concerned about, or so he'd love to think right now. He's so wrapped up in his own thoughts that Ginia will have a very easy time practicing her skills on this absentminded headmaster. He certainly isn't paying much attention to anything, as the angry grumbling and shouts from fellow townspeople as he accidentally bumps into them will identify. ]

CREEPER!

[shadedsunlight]

[After waking up from her own dream, Ginia fled the inn in the early morning, hoping the cold morning air would keep her going. She was relieved when she managed a small nap without remembering her dreams, but the feelings were still there. Hence the need for focusing on her newfound ability.

She spots Helios as she's looking for a new mark and hesitates. She remembers the things she saw in his dream, still feels horribly guilty over ruining his happiness. Hurting him was the last thing she ever wanted to do. They'll have to talk in time as she owes him an apology. Until she can figure out what to say to him, she falls into silent step, keeping a few feet behind him and dodging people. She's not like Giles; she's quite tangible and bumping into anyone will make her visible again.]

kekeke

[folklorist]

[ Talking about it will be the hardest part admittedly. He didn't want it to just be a dream he wishes it wasn't just that. But he has no one to blame but himself for it. He sighs as he pauses feeling one of those odd sensations one gets when they think they're being followed or stared at. He turns to look over his shoulder before finding no one there. He'll head off towards the marketplace then. Looking for some bread, fresh fruit, and perhaps some sweets too.

He doesn't notice Ginia obviously and should she continue to follow him she'll have an easy enough time of it. ]

[shadedsunlight]

[Of course she'll follow. It's practical training but she also wants to watch over him. But for Helios, she won't keep it up for too long, not wanting to scare him. She follows him to a fruit stand and only after making sure there aren't too many other people watching, she carefully picks up an apple, as much to get his attention as to test something.

Ask yourself this, Helios; when was the last time you saw an apple floating in front of you and it wasn't your doing?]

[folklorist]

[ Helios isn't normally taken by surprise by oddities like floating apples. It's the world they're in that makes such happenings not as odd as one would normally think, but today? Today he may just jump to the side, almost bumping into another grumbling person, and gasp. ] O-Oh!

[ He lets out a rather deep sigh before laughing. That's a funny trick. He wasn't taken by surprise, nope, not at all. You almost gave him a heart attack Ginia. Ginia. Oh, oh gods. His laughing stops short when he realizes that it's her. ] G-Ginia?!

Action~

[consultmybooks]

[Dreams were strange things. Dreams were strange and dangerous and often unpleasant things for Rupert Giles, especially when he had the misfortune to remember them. So, really, he was in the mood for a distraction almost as much as Ginia was.

Let's test her situational awareness.

So Giles is going to be following Ginia as she follows someone else. He'll make it fair, of course...he'll be visible while she's not looking at him, and blink out of sight whenever he actually notices her trying to look back at him. But if she's quick, if she's subtle about it, she might just catch sight of her boyfriend tailing her through the crowds of people.]

Action~

[shadedsunlight]

[It's only fair for the stalker to be stalked and be watched by a former watcher. Within five minutes, Ginia picks up on the feeling of being followed herself. She doesn't look behind her or change her patterns as she continues to tail her current target, though when her own mark looks back, Ginia uses the moment to hide and look at her own surroundings. Nothing unusual or suspicious, though she also expected as much. A working hunch about her follower begins to form in her mind. If it were a city guard, they would have said something already. A fellow rogue, either a champion brought in to the world or some local talent, could be giving her some friendly competition and making themselves known. Or could be her boyfriend testing her out because she knows him well enough to know he'd do that. Either way, she doesn't mind too much as she begins following her present mark again.

As she stalks her mark through the marketplace, she keeps an eye out for windows or any other reflective surfaces that could give her a glimpse of her follower. Reflective windows, shiny copperware, mirrors, Ginia keeps an eye on the area behind her as she passes by.

Though as she passes by a merchant selling jewelry,the urge to test something else out is too great to resist. Letting her carrent mark slip away, she hunches down at the edge of the stand and waits until the merchant is properly distracted with a customer. With slow caution, she reaches up and swipes the ring off the table waiting to see if anyone noticed. ...Nope. Success!

...A few seconds later, she returns the ring because stealing from people is not nice. :|]

Re: Action~

[consultmybooks]

Do you count as Robin Hood if you steal from the rich but give it all back?

[Giles' voice is light and mildly amused as he appears just behind her. One hunch, at least, is proven to be correct, but it probably wasn't even much of a question after the third shop window.

So if she actually shows any visible signs of surprise at his sudden appearance, well...then she knows she has more work to do, doesn't she?]

Action~

[shadedsunlight]

[Ginia was expecting him to show up at some point, but she still tenses up out of protective instinct, her hand dropping to her knife. She calms herself and moves her hand away, slowly skulking off to an alley before she reveals herself.]

/No, not really, though I think it's also a little too soon for any sort of crime spree. Don't want to rock the boat./

[She smiles lightly at him, though her expression is largely tired. Trying to keep it all together and focus on other things, but she's tired, physically and mentally. Looking at him now, she remembers the blissful dream where they were married and had a child and living happily in Helios' world. A dream that was proven fake and broken, just as she had done to Helios.]

Re: Action~

[consultmybooks]

[And Giles keeps quiet until he joins her in the alleyway. He'd spoken quietly enough that no one had batted an eye, and people were used to him appearing and disappearing at will, now.

But one look at her face, one proper look, not from a distance but from leaning against the same wall, brings everything back of last night that he'd tried to push aside. All the things he saw, and doesn't want to talk about, can't talk about, because it was Alice, in the end, and Alice always seemed to be the worst one at leaving notes.]

...for, um, for what it's worth, I...I, um, I think you'd make a fine Robin Hood.