Feathers and False Promises - Alethin

[darksouls]

It was strange, really... The usual alleyway where the mysterious, snake-accompanied man set up and sold his... questionably obtained, but still desirable wares... It was empty, deserted, devoid of any activity. He wasn't expecting much, but he was still disappointed to see that there was nothing.

He shook his head, he should have known better than to trust such a strange, secretive person. You never knew what a merchant could be selling in this mystical, vastly unpredictable land. Thankfully, nobody had seen him even enter the narrow space between two taverns.

It was dark, thankfully, and he was wearing a black cloak. The lack of a lantern or even a candle made it hard to see, but the last thing he needed was someone finding him.

Perhaps it was the Satura feather he was carrying under his glove. After all, they silenced a holder's footsteps, rendering them unheard and almost impossible to track. He knew students at the Keep sometimes used them to steal sweets and cookies from the kitchens. The feather here, taken from one of his loyal companions, was serving a much more dubious purpose.

A flash of light caught his attention, his blood ran cold. Had he been caught? Had he been found out?

As quickly as it came, it vanished. There was nothing left but a small piece of paper, nailed to a brick wall. He quietly squinted at the page, and as soon as he was finished, it burst into flames, startling him. There was nothing left but a charred mark of a serpent.

Typical Alethin.

The words rang clear in his head. Someone had set Alethin up, someone had captured him... Apparently, they didn't do a very good job if the merchant was still running around, nailing paper to walls.

He was torn. Did he help the man, selling the likely-illegal wares? Did he turn him into the authorities, like any model citizen would do? What would happen, if they were both caught?

With a dark chuckle and a shrug, he turned away. Alethin had always been a faithful, crafty salesman, and the man oh so adored his rarer creatures. Gold was his motivator, after all...

He would help, and he would definitely look forward to a handsome reward after the fact.