Recudor: Southern District

A good twenty minutes pass since the group leaves the house, just enough time for them to get to the militia tent with time to spare. Or so the group thought at first.



The sun is looming on the horizon and the street lamps begin to buzz and come to life, illuminating the streets as they approach the tent. In front of the tent is one of the regulars. The selfish obnoxious swordsman who seems to cause trouble every time he visits the bounty board.
As usual he has a very disgruntled look on his face, naturally this is not the first time he is visibly annoyed, and the group gets the feeling that it won't be his last. He is hastily flipping through a notepad, mostly minding his own business.

RD decides to take a quick peak inside, and somehow he is not surprised to see the target in question at the desk, picking up another bounty. It's a bit strange that she would be picking up a bounty so late, considering her schedule, but RD recalls Sharpe mentioning that she missed out on the wolves den bounty and seemed to be in a bad mood over it. Which in turn reminds him of the amulet. He searches his pockets to make sure he really does have it on him, and in fact he does. So he is ready to hand in the bounty once their situation is cleared.

"There's the target." Richard remarks after feeling out the amulet within his pocket. He pauses for a moment and turns his head slightly towards Jericho "A few questions, and it kinda pains me to ask them now that I've already decided to go through with this plan, but firstly, how much time does she have left?" He refers to Clarent, she seemed to be doing relatively well, but it wouldn't hurt to be sure. "... And second... " he trails off, "Nevermind." He doesn't finish asking, seeing as the second question would only cause doubt and dissonance within the group, two things he didn't need them to be going through at the moment. He had decided to go through with this plan, the only thing left was to execute.

"Is everyone ready? Last chance to ask questions, suggestions, or clarify. Our target will be moving out of the zone soon." He gives the men a moment to clear up any confusion before the op begins.

Jack felt curious about this mysterious question doomed never to be asked, but brushed it aside to focus at the task at hand. He focused his attention to the first question. How much time did they have. The answer wasn't important, Jack thought. It was better to assume they have less time than more time and get this over with as soon as possible.

"Before we begin, let me make sure I understand everything. Person A will cast a light spell to blind the target. Then, person B grabs the necklace while person C restrains her to avoid her from shooting B at point blank range. Then we make our escape. Unless you have acquired any arcane abilities since last we've met, Richard, I'm assuming Jericho is A. So that just leaves you and me. Should I be C or B."

Jericho thinks about RD's question.

"I would figure she will be still be healthy for a few more hours. That is to say she stays in bed and keeps resting. If she gets up and starts being active, then I would say she would have just a little over an hour. So we need to get going."

He hears Jack and shakes his head.

"So you didn't listen to what the plan was while we in the room? The plan is that you two start arguing about some random topic and drag the girl into it. While she is distracted, it will give me the time to properly cast the spell and aim it at her face. While she and the rest of the people are blinded, I will try my best to get the Soultrap. As I have said I am not the best at stealing. Speaking of which."

Jericho then looks at RD.

"Your friend Sharpe is rather disappointed that you made a plan that involves stealing. If I had the time, I would of told him that if you want to help, you have to hang up ones morals and honor for the greater good. You may want to talk to him when we get back. Now, lets get this going."

Richard nods solemnly in response to the amount of time left, it went right along with what he assumed but he found himself somewhat frustrated all the same. "Damn no where near as much as i had hoped. This has to happen now or there's no chance for her..." he grimaces a bit as he bids a final farewell to any plans he may have had to conclude this peacefully, but is broken from the moment of brooding by Jack's question. He stares at Jack for a few moments, a bit dumbfounded seeing as the man seemed to have only caught the smallest sliver of what was said back the house less than an hour ago. "... Kinda... The plan was a bit more intricate than tha-" Jericho then interrupts with the details RD had gone over with the group earlier to which Richard confirms.

As Jericho shares Sharpe's thoughts on the plan, Richard winches visibly in response to 'Greater Good.' "Dammit... If i had more time... If i had more people... If we had a chance to just talk things out..."  Its what he always hated about 'Greater Good' scenarios, they always overlook the 'goods that could have been' and leave a sour spot within one's conscience. The energy from Jericho and RD's earlier argument had left Richard excited, so when he drafted up this plan he did it with gusto, but as usual Sharpe's words cut deep and brought him back down to earth, never-mind his own gut feeling that what he was about to do was morally wrong being viciously brought back up to the surface.

He quickly recomposes himself with a heavy sigh and a deep breath, the disapproval from a longtime comrade weighing heavily on him, but the necessity of the situation forcing him to continue as he ignores it for the moment to focus on the planning. "Still this brings up a solid point; who's gonna get the necklace off the girl. Most likely you or I, Jack, preferably without her knowledge, in other words, quickly and gently. As soon as that's done we then toss it to Jericho while he's disguised." It was the most iffy part of the plan, where everything could go south quickly and the reason why the plan was so loose. "I'm going to leave that to you Jack, that way i can adjust if something goes wrong... And as for what Sharpe said..." His face hardens somewhat as his tone becomes much more serious, "...If I could think of a better way to handle this in the short time available, I would handle it that way, unfortunately i'm not yet wise enough, and if you all feel there is a better way, than feel free to suggest it now and i'll do what i can to accommodate. Otherwise, i assume you both agree that this is the best way to handle things and i ask you to steel yourselves and do the best you can."

Jack could not comprehend what the other two were saying about him forgetting the plan. It was most likely his ego that made him ignored whatever he was missing but his ego refused to let him admit something like that. Jack looked at Richards hands for almost a fraction of a nanosecond. Rough and permanently stained with the dirt of countless battlefields.

"Well I guess I fit the profile of the one out of all of us with the most gentle touch. Richard, you should still hold back while I grab the necklace."

"Both of them would slit my throat if I said the reason I have the most gentle touch was because I have more class...then again, boasting in the first place wouldn't be chivalrous."

"Still, I would like it if you could restrain her, Richard. I know she'll be blinded, but considering her line of work, I highly doubt this is the first time she's been ambushed. Furthermore, I doubt her assailents left without bullet wounds."

*sigh*

"Unless anyone has any objections or comments, I suggest we get this over with as soon as possible considering time is not a commodity we can waste."

Jericho again frowns at Jack.

"Well, you have just proven you did not listen to a word we had said while at the house..." He then sighs and shakes his head. "RD made it clear that we don't want to do any damage to her or raise any suspension. We want to take the Soultrap and leave before she even knows. If we retain her, she is going to know something is happening."

Jericho then turns to RD.

"You two have to go and get it started. I will cast the spell and toss it in when you two have gotten things escalated to the point where the guards get involved to I can blind them as well."

He then gestures at the door for the two to go in.

With that RD and Jack make their way into the tent. RD immediately spots the girl in question, facing away from the counter and staring at one of the bigger merc's as he talks at her. She holds a sheet of paper in her hand and has her other hand on a satchel on her hip- Likely where the trap is held. Other than her and the 2 burly mercenaries infront of her there is a militia attendant updating the board while the other attentively waits behind the counter, giving RD and Jack a welcoming nod before turning his attention elsewhere. Contrary to what Jericho suggested there aren't exactly any guards around. Just the two militia attendant. There is rarely any trouble here so everyone's guard is very low making for an easy ambush scenario.

RD casually walks into the branch with a yawn as he glances around, giving the area the once over before he initiates the plan. He notices 'Ms. Badass' right away  but allows his gaze to pass her and instead returns the nod to the attendant behind the counter as he starts to walk towards him. "Hm. Two guys, two attendants and the target. No Guards or officers of any sort..." The last part of that thought struck him as odd, but for the moment it was in his favor. He shook off his concern and turned his attention back to the young miss... or in this instance the weapon wrapped up behind her.

"Whoa." Richard gasps as he is behind her in almost two strides, gawking at the massive rifle the girl possesses. Its rifle peeking out slightly beneath its cloth. "Lookit that thing! Its absurd! Wow i bet you could cause some serious damage with this! He starts to grab at it but stops short, seeing the girl get a bit on edge and begin to reach for the knives on her sides. "Oh! My bad, i've never seen a weapon quite like this one before... Oh wait a tic, you're that girl I saw last time i was here!" He continues, completely ignoring the other mercs in front of her, "I wanted to ask a few questions about that weapon of yours! What IS that thing? Its far to large to be standard issue, is it some kinda Rifle? Maybe something used for longer distances? A... Sniper Rifle... right?" Feeling he had hit the mark, he continues to pelt her with questions,  "What calibur? Max Distance?" He plays his ignorance of the weapon well, sure he knew a bit about it before even asking, but for the sake of his ploy, he wanted not only her attention but everyone in the room.

Jack stood in place, making eye contact with no one, refusing to pay attention to anyone other than Richard, Jericho, and lil miss Badass. He was trembling on the outside and screaming on the inside.

"What's does Richard think he's doing. H-he's gonna get caught in the blast of Jericho's spell like this. Worse, he's drawing too much attention."

Jack closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The wheels were in motion and there is no second chances, so panicking is unproductive at best and counterproductive at worst. There was nothing to do except be prepared for when Jericho unleashes the flash bang spell. Jack gave Jericho a silent blank stare of anticipation as he waited for Jericho to make a move.

The girl turns to face RD, her attention focused solely on him instead of the tough guy behind her who, judging by the expression on his face, has been gawking about the exact same thing. Surprisingly, the man doesn't seem bothered by Richards sudden intrusion, simply showing some good manners and waiting for him to finish. The girl however is very clearly annoyed but seems to be falling for RD's distraction. "It is... and the ammunition is custom. It's a bit too heavy for me to keep steady, so I had it redesigned in Soiyam." her tone is informative, but has that distinct hint of annoyance to it. Like as if any other day she would talk about it with passion, but today was just one of those days. In fact, RD is surprised that her tone and voice reflect her appearance. To most people she would appear like just a young girl, though her professionality is undeniable. She noticeably relaxes, let's out a sigh, obviously trying not to start trouble here, and asks RD: "Are you done gawking?" By this point everyone in the room is paying attention to the conversation, with RD having drawn so much notice to the rifle it's almost awkward. But then, that was the plan.

Outside the tent, Doc finishes up his spell, making sure it will last just long enough to the unsuspecting to steal whatever was needed. His plan hinges on Jack to cover his eyes before the flash goes off, so he can easily pickpocket the target in question.

Jericho smiles when he sees RD hamming it up in the tent and getting everyone to look at him....everyone except Jack...who is just standing there staring at him. He can't help but let out a long sigh and shake his head. If Jack continues to stare at him while he is charging the spell, then people are going to see his starring at something and look to see what it is. Jericho frowns, he rushes the spell. When it is ready, he holds his hand to his mouth and makes the sound of a bird. this of course is a signal for RD to get down. He has to keep making the bird chirp for a little bit but soon he sees RD turn and cover his eyes. Jericho then smiles and he throws the spell and turns, waiting for the flash to go off.

As the girl responds Richard slips one of his hands into his pocket, grasping the edge of the bounty slip within to prep the next part of his plan. He can't help but focus a bit on her tone and mannerisms, she sounded experienced and her tone more than reflected many a trial. This was clearly someone who could handle herself spectacularly in most combat scenarios. "Hm, sounds about right, no offense, but it does seem a bit bulky. It honestly had me a bit curious in terms of your maneuverability. The weapon seems powerful enough, but it'd be essentially worthless if you hadn't done anything to make it a bit more manageable..." Richard trailed off a bit, his mind wondering if Jack was going to step in sometime soon and help with this distraction specifically planned to draw everyone's attention, but relents in the fact that if he hadn't chimed in at this point he probably wasn't going to at all. His attention fully turns back to the girl before him who sighs a bit in return and voices the waning of her remaining patience. At this time, he hears a familiar bird call, one he had heard before... a long time ago... when he and the Good Doctor used to... his eyes perk slightly in attention.

"Oh! My apologies, i didn't mean to hold you up too much, i was merely curious, not just about the weapon tho... I also wanted to know a bit about you..." RD says as he whips his hand out of this pocket, for a handshake, along with the slip which falls to the ground before him. "Dammit, i'm all off my game today." He says as he reaches down to grab it with one arm and casually covers his eyes with the other as if he was scratching his head.

Jack's mind dozed off ever so slightly as he thought on whether to wear a mask or find some other way to conceal his face in case a witness sees him fleeing the scene of the crime, but it was far too late for something like that as Jack catches a glance of Richard's signal and Jericho casting the spell. With a single move, Jack shields his eyes. A small amount of light pierces the cracks of his fingers, striking his eyes. It wasn't enough to blind him like everyone else, but it still stung terribly. Recovering as best he could in the few milliseconds he had, he dashed forward, circumventing Richard and towards lil miss badass. Despite all his bragging of his gentle touch, the stress of the situation pulsated through entire arm as he grabbed the necklace in a brute like manner, snapping the leather lace off her neck with a powerful tug, jerking the girl's neck forward. With the objective in his hand, Jack bolted in the general direction of the house, planning to take detours to throw off anyone who would try to follow him.

"I'M SORRY!!! I'M SORRY!!! I'M SORRY!!! I'M SORRY!!! I'M SORRY!!! I'M SORRY!!!"

Jack wish he could've said something more thoughtful that would explain the dire nature of the situation to lil miss badass, but those were the only words capable of leaving his mouth as he ran off.

The heist continues, with Jack frantically escaping the tent and running about the southern district. Outside the tent, the swordsman stares in the direction Jack ran off to and then over to Jericho. After a brief moment he shrugs, putting his book away. "What's up with that guy?" he asks and snickers before walking off in the opposite direction, clearly having missed anything that was going on.

What little pain had befallen RD's eyes subsides fairly quickly, but that isn't to mention anything of the ringing in his ears from the spell. The flash was great enough to nearly deafen a man, too.
The first thing he notices is the harsh cold texture of the stone right in-front of his face as he apparently was pulled down to the ground, alongside the girl who with some troubles gets up and dusts her clothing off with a few quick swipes. Her expression is more confused than frustrated at this point and she looks about the room where the attendants and other mercenaries are still recovering.

She turns her attention back to RD, bending over and extending a hand. "Are you alright?"

Jericho, being able to see what is going on through the flash, can only stare in awe at what he just saw. The moment everyone was blinded, he runs to the lady and viciously rips the Soultrap from her neck then runs off while screaming 'I am sorry' as loud as he can...Jericho is left rather shocked and rather angry about what just happened. Not only could ANYONE of them just do what he did, but everyone else would of at the very lest tried to of been stealthy about it. And then there is the fact the the idiot ran off into the night still screaming that he is sorry for everyone to hear and fallow if they get curious. Jericho puts a hand to his head and lets out a very deep sigh. He then looks up and runs into the tent, putting a face that shows that he is concerned about what has happened.

"Is everyone alright in here? I was just passing by when I saw a bright flash and some nut job tackled me while he was fleeing this place. Is anyone hurt? I am a traveling healer."

Jericho then, sees RD and the target getting up from the ground so he walks over to them.

"Sir and madam, are you both alright?"

He watches RD take the girl's hand as he gets up.

"Are the two of you ok? I can see that you both look rather dazed. You aren't hurt are you?"

Jericho asks without there being a recognition. He stands there now waiting for their reply.

Richard kept his eyes closed for most of the fiasco and was momentarily deafened by the blast, all he knew for sure was that someone had moved past him quickly and he had been forcibly pushed closer to the floor by something. The pressure soon eases off of him and he takes a quick look around while staying low, using the opportunity to get a grasp on the overall situation. Lil' miss badass seems no worse for wear, her clothes a bit dirty from the floor but otherwise unharmed, she dusts herself off; the rest of the room rubbing ears and eyes in an attempt to pull themselves together.

'A-- --u Al---ht?' He stares at the miss presenting her hand for a moment before gratefully taking it, despite her claims of modding her weapon for easier handling she still possessed quite a bit of strength herself. "Sorry, you'll havetah gimme a sec," he says in what he hopes is a normal tone of voice as he turns away and attempts to make his ears pop, adding in some rubbing and shaking for good measure. He turns back towards her and notices Jericho, still disguised and now conversing with both lil' mis badass and himself. He can't tell too well at the moment, but he's pretty sure he could sense a bit of an edge in his voice... irritation maybe? He wasn't sure but it did unnerve RD a bit, what exactly went down in the few seconds he couldn't see or hear? He'd have to ask the man later, but for now....

"Hearing is a bit off but i should be alright, don't think its anything serious. Was that a flash-bang? Hows everybody else?" He asks no one in particular, hoping he could inconspicuously ease the details out of the people there within the spur of the moment and jumble things up a bit more if necessary... It then strikes him like a lightning-bolt and it takes everything he has not to straighten into immediate attention, "Wait... if Jericho is here... then... who..." within the next second another factoid of info worms its way into his senses "Jack... Did he....?" As he turns his head towards the incognito Jericho his gaze narrows a bit, irritation of his own beginning to crawl across his features, before he sighs heavily and allows his own tenseness to flow out. He had a solid guess what just happened, he'd ask later... "Things are getting a bit outta hand in this city..." He says as he turns back to lil' miss bad ass, "Just the other day i went out to handle a few wolves nearby... Craziest things i've ever fought, two of em were much larger than normal- and get this- they were attacking while wrapped in flames! Ever ran into anything like that, miss...?" He attempts to shift topics a bit, not only to ease his own seething irritation, but to lessen the tension around the room by altering their current thought processes.

The people in the tent are steadily recovering, with no one the wiser as to what happened, aside Jericho and RD of course. The Militia Attendants move from behind the counter, checking in with each person to make sure they are alright, with one of them stepping out of the tent to meet a few approaching guards on patrol who had been drawn to the tent by the loud noise from the flash of energy.

The girl doesn't answer him at first, thinking about the wolves RD described and completely ignoring Jericho. "There are plenty of strange magicked creatures roaming the forests lately. But probably one of the more subtle things to encounter compared to the recent... events." she pronounces the final word with emphasis, making it clear that even among the mercenaries who have seen some strange things in their life, the past events have been a little on the crazy side. She finally decides to answer RDs question. "You can address me by 'Feli' if you want." Her demeanor and tone suggest that the name she gave is a nickname or alias of some sorts, something not terribly uncommon with some types of mercenaries who are in it more for the money than the glory.

Shortly after the attendant and two guards enter the tent to announce that they will be closing early due to the incident. One of the guards pushes past him and steps further into the room, pulling off his glove and rubbing his fingers against each other in the air. A strange gesture, but likely the man is a mage who is feeling out the area for the source of the magic.

Jericho, ignored by the girl, feels the power of his disguise weakening. Between keeping up the illusion and creating the flash he drained a lot of his energy and is in need of recharging, but not before dropping his disguise in a safe place.

Jericho frowns when he realizes that he is being ignored. He turns to ask if anyone else needs healing when he feels the illusion around himself start to weaken. He then notices that a mage is trying to find the source of the flash spell. He needs to leave now! If the man is a master at finding source of magic, then he only has a minute or two before the very thin trail will lead the mage to him. He quickly turns back to the two.

"I can see that I am in no need here. If you will excuse me, I will be on my way."

Jericho bows to them both before he turns and walks out. He makes sure not rush out, he just walks out like any other person would. It isn't even a half a block before the illusion around him brakes and he is himself again. He can't help but feel the drain of having used most of his energy. Jericho then stares up at the full moon in the sky. He knows he could keep using spells if he pulled from the light of the moon, but that only works if he is in direct moon light. He sighs and starts walking back to the house. He takes a lot of unnecessary wrong turns, just in case the mage is indeed fallowing him.

"Feli, eh?" Richard says before a short pause, taking note of not only Jericho's departure, but the guard tracking his trail as well. Something about Jericho's look, even behind his cover, bothered RD. The man of course hid it well, but Richard could feel a bit of bloodlust behind his charade. "Hm... i may need to cut this a bit short... then again I still want to know more, both about this city and 'Feli' herself..."

"Well then; you can call me Rock, Rock Durahan." He continues, using the name he gave Tosh earlier not only to be consistent but also to back the info he gave the man in case he hears of this encounter, about looking for work primarily as a bounty hunter. He glances quickly around the area to see if any of the other 'mercs' there send off any reaction to the name, but continues regardless since that wasn't his original reason for speaking to her.

The emphasis of her words seem to instantly pique RD, "Actually i'd like to hear a bit more about the... 'irregularities' you've seen around the city so far. I'm starting to have a bit of a bad feeling about them, as if they're all connected and leading up to somethin' big... See I have a bit of what you may call... 'close' associates here, and i'd rather they'd not get caught up in all this, but they don't seem too convinced that somethin's not on the up-and-up around here, so it seems that i'm just gonna havetah handle it myself, or come up with some solid evidence. So please if ya dun mind, can we maybe have a chat somewhere a bit less hectic? Maybe over a bite to eat or some drinks? My treat of course." He asks with genuine sincerity his voice, taking a mild bow, and using the slight show to draw more attention to himself, (hopefully that of a certain magic-tracking  guard). By voicing his suspicions and making known his personal interest in the odd happenings about town, he works his interest in two ways, not only is he really interested in what Feli has heard (and the girl herself) he also attracts the attentions of anyone with ill will towards those seeking the truth.

For the sake of more relevant info he places the 'bad vibe' he feels from Jericho aside for the moment, hoping the group back at home can handle it, or better yet, he himself is able to get back before anything comes of it.

The girl frowns at him at first, not an annoyed frown, more of a confused expression. "I don't think-" she begins to speak, fully ready to immediately deny RD his request, though she seems to be thinking to herself, coming around to the idea if only for the sake of sharing information. The skepticism is written all across her face but her eyes convey the notion of an idea. she instinctively reaches for her bag and stops dead in her track. Her expression becomes incredibly annoyed once more, slashing a big gash into RD's hopes of getting any further info out of her.

"Well..." she says, with a sarcastic scoff and turns around, walking up to one of the Attendants. "I seem to have misplaced my bag, would you be able to write me a slip for 194?". The Attendant gives her a strange look. "I mean, I can but are you sure?" he asks, seeming a little shocked at the request. The girl nods back at him, giving him a transparent fake smile. "Yes, 194, and 7712"

The attendant makes his way behind the desk and pulls out some papers, putting two stamps on each and handing them over to her. Feli thanks the man and turns towards RD, holding out the slips. "Here." She says and hands him both papers. Both slips have numbers written on them and two stamps each, one of approval and the other the militia's official seal, a generic shield and swords icon.

'I don't think-' Richard raises an eyebrow at the Feli's response, "Hmm?" He mutters as she pauses before reaching for her bag... Which isn't there... As her expression changes to nothing short of annoyed to the point of anger Richard already has a feeling what her response will be. "Something wrong Miss?" But instead of answering she quickly turns around and requests 2 slips from the attendants.

RD stares after her for her short trip there and back, his head cocked a bit to the side and his eyes narrowing a bit in confusion as she hands him the slips, a sense of familiarity and slight dread tingle in the back of his skull somewhere as he asks "And these are for....?"

Feli smirks at RD, a surprising gesture, and explains; "They're for some high level bounties I've been meaning to do. Sometimes working alone can limit your options, and this suits me much better than dinner."

It is then when the other militia attendant walks up to the two, having moved everyone else out of the tent by now. "Ma'am, Sir, we need to close down the tent for investigation. Are you two hurt, or is anything missing?" As he asks the mage turns a curious glance towards the two before focusing his attention back on the task at hand. Feli doesn't pay much mind to RD at this point, looking down at her waist where the bag was supposed to be. "No. Everything is fine..." she says with a hint of annoyance building in her voice once more, and the attendant escorts the two out of the tent. Before leaving, Feli gives RD a half-hearted wave for a parting gesture and makes her way towards the central district, seeing know way to go around the city with the re-opening of central.

"Oh?" Richard returns the smirk with one in kind, "Great, my favorite pastime!" One of the militia attendants inform them of their closing for the day to which he responds, "Ah right, lemme pass in this bounty i completed and i'll be on my way, sorry the recent events kinda threw off my focus here." He turns back to Feli to ask her where and when she wanted to meet up, but instead sees her waving good bye from some small distance, "Hey! Feli! Wait! Ya didn't tell me where we should-"

Seeing that she is already turning away towards central he cuts himself short "Shit..." He instead turns back to the attendant behind the desk and hands in his bounty obviously rushing somewhat hoping to catch 'Feli' before she disappears into the crowd.