Attempted Assassination - RPLOG
Participants
Date
22/4/478
Log
It is a beautiful day in Firmament. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and a Zebra in a shabby looking coat is hanging about a side alley of the palace district with his hands jammed deep in his pockets. She was supposed to be here by now.
Serana flicks her tail, munching on something she grabbed from the inn on her way by. Didn't have lunch yet. She could see the zebra not that far down the road, and picked up the pace a bit humming softly. "Hey." she offers, the lad smiling a bit past the little treat in his hands. "Sorry I'm a bit late. woke up off-time and needed some food.
Stripes nods and jerks his head, indicating that the Shark should follow him. He walks further down the alley, to where the pair can see into the next plaza. Across from the alley is a fine, two level home surrounded by a beautiful garden and low wall. Several beings are at work around the grounds, which are small enough to be humble, but large enough to be expensive here in the city, this is obviously the home of someone who is more than moderately wealthy. The Zebra turns to look Serana in the eye, his own eyes a startling shade of icy blue. [Wreck it.] Comes a harsh, mental voice using shadow speak.
Serana chuckles softly. Humming with a gentle purr [Any particular method? Ice, water, air...?] she asks, stepping forward and giving a glance back [Or just general destruction?]
The Zebra shrugs and waggles a hand in the air to indicate it does not matter. [No one gets out.] is the only other instruction he gives before turning and walking back the way they came. It looks like Serana has simply been turned loose on this idyllic home to do as she will. Wonder what they did to earn the wrath of the Sanguine Hand?
Serana chuckles, rubbing her hands together as she wanders up... Giving a quick glance about before wandering in. She would look around to get a quick overview of the place, refraining from drawing her cutlasses just yet. She did however, have a hand close to a dagger strapped to her thigh and covered by her coat. It'll be a quick thing, should one of the tenders come up to her.
The garden is quiet and lovely. This particular part of the palace district is far enough away from the castle itself that no courtiers hang about and there don't seem to be any people around except for the three gardners visible from the street. A pair of women, a goose and a rabbit are chatting amiably as they pull weeds from a flowerbed, their backs to the street. On the other side of the grounds is a large, shaggy bear, trimming the branches of a tree up on a ladder. The gate is closed, but the fence is not even high enough to conceal anyone on the grounds.
Serana flicks her tail softly, hopping her way over the fence and indeed drawing her cutlass. Her first targets would be the wo women. She didn't want to use her pistols just yet, so she approached from behind and would lop the head off the goose, before quickly turning to the next target and running her through with the sword, hand about the rabbit's mouth. From there she would make her way to the bear pushing the top-heavy ladder over and quickly running in to finish the downed being with a knife to the throat.
The two women go down without a fight or any sound more than a frightened gasp from the rabbit woman as she finds her friend's head suddenly in the flowerbeds before she follows quickly after. The shark is not fast enough, however, to reach the bear before he sees her and her bloody sword. "Help!" he shouts, leaping down from the ladder and running toward the house!
Serana curses, quickly catching the bear and downing him in much the same way as the rabbit. Suspicious would probably be raised at this point, so she was quick to make it to the door, checking it over quickly before trying it.
"To Arms! To A-" Is all the bear is able to get out before Serana cuts his throat and he falls, gurgling, to the ground. The door is locked, but seems to have been chosen for its pleasing aesthetics rather than for defense, as it has a large, glass window in it and a frame more ornate than sturdy. This was not a house expecting to be attacked.
From within, there is a sound of scrabbling and scrambling as the beings within hurry to prepare themselves or flee.
Serana curses some more smashing at the door with her weapon, though the blade didn't do anything. The cutlass is put away, and the shark draws one of her six pistols, firing at the glass in order to reach her hand in and open it.
There is a woman's scream from inside as Serana's pistol detonates with a loud BANG and the glass shatters, allowing the shark to feel around for the locking mechanism. She can see skirts fluttering around a corner toward another part of the house, even as a burly mole steps around the corner with a musket raised!
Serana manages to get out of the path before the bullet was fired, putting away her first pistol and removing a second, before bursting through the door, dumping a shot into the bear with a growl before closing the distance glancing about to see if there were any corridors that female ran down.
The mole falls with a cry as he takes Serana's ball. The shark is in a small entryway, decorated simply with fresh flowers and a pair of simple watercolor paintings. Off to the right is a parlor for accepting guests, containing several couches and a small harpsichord as well as a pair of bookshelves, while up ahead the sound of feet pounding up stairs can be heard.
Serana removes her cutlas again, putting the used pistol away and replacing it for another from her belt. Four more shots left before she had to reload them. Using the bloodied blade to jab the male in the throat just to be sure, she checked inside the parlor for anything that could set something alight. Best place to start burning things would be in a place where most things could be burned.
The mole expires with a wet grugle on the end of the Shark's cutlass. The bookcases look promising, and a cursory search reveals a pair of kerosene lanterns in a cupboard in the entry hall. No doubt some real damage could be done here, and fast.
Serana hums softly, grabbing one of the lanturns and lighting it, before tossing it into the room, towards the bookcases. Once she was sufficiently sure a fire was starting she would move on, heading upstairs to deal with the noise she heard fro there.
With the help of all that kerosene, all it takes is a little spark to set the front room of the house ablaze! It won't take long for the rest of the building to follow suit. Around the corner, there is a large sitting room and a door that one would have to imagine leads to a kitchen and a dining room. The stairs are steep and narrow, befitting of a real-estate saving measure necessary in a town house like this. At the top of the stairs is a small landing and three doors leading off.
Serana chuckles. With the house starting to burn the beings upstairs would need to make their way down, By the time they would notice the smoke, most of the house might be ablaze as well. Heading into the dining room for a quick check to ensure no-one was there, she would look for other exits to ensure no-one would be able to escape, less they play right into her hands. With a soft smirk, the shark would head outside into the back to check back there for anyone or anything that might be used to leave the home.
The way through the kitchen is clear and empty and the back door hangs open. Stepping outside, Serana is greeted by more beautiful garden. Most of it was actually visible from the front. There are two large windows here to the upper floors, but both of them seem to be closed and secure and there is no sign of any beings here, if ever there were any.
Serana frowns softly, the door wouldn't be open if no-one had used it. She attempts to find some sort of trail that a fleeing being might have made giving a quick look back to the home to see how the fire was coming along.
Looking back through the open door, the flickering of flames and the smell of burning hair and flesh indicate that the fire is progressing rapidly. If the shark plans to get up the stairs, she will have to do it soon, but there does not seem to be any sign of anyone coming down. From somewhere beyond the short walls of the enclosed garden, a shout rings out. "Fire! Fire!"
Serana hums softly, darting back inside she would get upstairs to do a quick check of the upstairs rooms. She didn't want to spend too much time there... Not with the fire spreading as fast as it was. Cleaning as much of the blood off the blade as she could manage she got a better bearing as to what she was looking at.
The climb up the stairs is uncomfortably warm as the fire rages in the front hall and parlor. At the top of the stairs, two rooms, the ones that open on the back of the house, are silent. Though there is a quiet scuffling coming from the third room.
Serana moves to the third door trying the handle before attempting to kick it in, prepared to get out of the way should someone be waiting in ambush for her. This had to be the last person left in the home. everywhere else was quiet.
The door is not locked and opens easily, revealing a small bedroom. At the window, a bovine woman in a wide skirted dress suddenly turns at bay. "Get away!" she cries out, "Get away!"
Serana chuckles softly "Get away?" he asks, Well, I guess the choice would have to be made then. As it is, I can leave, and wait at the only exit for you while I watch you burn to death. Or, I could provide a quick way out, your choice." he gives. He was honestly expecting her to charge, so she had her grip on her cutlass tightened to bring it up and angle it towards to bovine should she attempt it. However the pistol was also a present threat. And waiting for too long wouldn't be beneficial to the shark either "Make your choice." he growls stepping just a little bit closer, though, the window. he needed to be set to run in case she would attempt to flee by jumping out of the home.
The bovine woman's eyes flick between Serana and the window. Though she shudders as the smell of smoke and the burning home, she makes no move, standing, staring at her assailant. "Please!" she says, "Let me go! What do you want?"
Serana sighs "Unfortunatly, there are people you've annoyed, and now they want to be sure you don't annoy them again. Perhaps as a message to others. So, what I want from you, milady, is death." she levels the pistol, walking forward for a clear shot aiming for the bovine's center of mass so as to ensure the hit from this distance.
"No!" the woman cries out, running forward, trying to stop the pistol somehow, but only succeeding in making the shot easier. She slumps to the floor at Serana's feet, a pool of blood forming around her fallen form. Smoke is starting to fill the air as the sound of the crackling fire below grows in intensity. The stairs may no longer be an option. From the front come sounds of shouting. Seems that someone has started to form a bucket chain out there.
Serana hums softly. It would seem it was time to make her escape.shattering the window (because an opened window would draw more suspicion then a shattered one She cleared any excess glass before slipping herself out of the window, hanging deadarm for a moment before releasing her grip, lessening the distance she would have fallen and making her way over the fence and away.
Serana hums softly. It would seem it was time to make her escape. Heading to one of the back rooms she shattered the window (because an opened window would draw more suspicion then a shattered one). Clearing any excess glass before slipping herself out of the window, she hung deadarm for a moment before releasing her grip, lessening the distance she would have fallen before making her way over the fence and away.
The cries of alarm and organization from the front of the house grow distant as Serana hops the fence and hurries away. If Stripes holds true to form, he should be back where the shark first met him.
Serana hums softly, flicking her tail as she wandered her way to the meeting point, she wouldn't be late this time, and from what she knew the task has been accomplished. The house burning against the sky. The smoke could probably be seen from there
Stripes is indeed waiting, watching the pillar of smoke with his hands deep in his shabby coat. But instead of the carefully neutral look he usually wears, he is scowling at Serana when she wanders up. He tosses a small bag of coin at her feet and snorts, a disgusted sound. [Half the pay for Half the job.] his words arrive in her mind.
Serana frowns softly [I imagine someone got away?] she asks, flicking her tail [or was the manner not to your liking?] either way, she picks up the bag. Just a bit curious.
The zebra waves away the question. [Doesn't matter HOW,] his shadow voice comes, [You lost THREE Goods! THREE! Someone else will have to run cleanup.] He hunches his shoulders and starts to walk away.
Serana winces softly [Next time then.] she offers flicking her tail [It'll be harder, I'm sure, but I'll be better next time.] she nods wandering off.
[You had better be.] is the only answer. Then both are gone, lost in the crowds of Firmament.
