It was midmorning. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, the people were smiling....well, not really. The sun might have been shining, but it was half-obscured by thick grey clouds. There were no birds in Olencia, unless you counted the bedraggled ravens that swooped down upon you every time they spotted something shiny, no matter if it was a ring or a piece of tinfoil. And while one or two of the people in the crowds might be cracking some sort of grin, the vast majority of the crowd word frowns and scowls on their faces. They were not happy people, but then again, Olencia was not a happy city.

None of this bothered Thaniel, however, as he strolled through the streets. Olencia was his city, had been for 25 years, and he was honor-bound to do all he could to protect and defend it. Granted, it was a little shabby in some parts, and it wasn't exactly the safest place to be at night, but each city had their flaws, and those were hardly major. In any case, it was his and he loved it.

He was out of uniform, for once, and it bothered him just the slightest. The military was his life, his security blanket, and without it, he would be nothing more than a lost man, adrift at sea. Metaphorically speaking, of course. Originally, Thaniel had thought that changing out of his outfit would have been a nice change from things, a way for him to fit in with the common people and not stand out so much, but now he was starting to regret that decision. He just wasn't comfortable enough. It wasn't that he didn't feel safe enough - he had his sword and all the various bits of metal he usually carried - it was just that he felt, for lack of a better word, naked without his uniform. But it was too late now to do anything about it.

Rounding the corner, he nearly collided with a tall black shape and nearly knocked them both over.



((OOC: Ah, the classic colliding incident. Sorry, I was feeling uncreative. If you wanted something else, I can edit this.))

((*Is not complaining*))

What a day. Melancholy was the mood of the markets in Olencia. Gray skies easily fit the gray moods of the populace. Outwardly the vast majority of the city was a magnificent view, a collection of breathtaking buildings reared in the center of the city. But Valandil was not interested in the center of the city. “Scum” like Valandil never found work in the center of the city. Which amused the assassin greatly. In a city with so many politicians, the greatest rot in an outwardly honest population was supposedly not in the forums and senates. It was in the slums. Where the Nobles sent their servants to hire Valandil’s kind.

Life was complicated enough without some of these worthless pretenses. As if anyone did not know that High Lord Faran did not hire a death squad to slay his younger brother and adulterous wife! But Faran was a High Lord, and as such he was far above the law. Especially with the King’s continually worsening condition. Valandil was honestly surprised that no one had killed the doddering old fool yet. Faran might be a monster, but at least he was a strong ruler. Olencia would probably be less of a desired place to live under his rule, but at least it would prevent other nations from conquering the ancient city.

And there were plenty of foreign rulers who would love to do so. Valandil shook his head faintly. He came from a different era, a time before these puny nations even existed, and he cared not who rose and fell. He was far more interested in securing his health draught to keep him from dying. And he was even more interested in returning to the iced-over island and revenging himself upon the frozen beasts.

Lost in thought, Valandil bumped into a man as he turned a corner. He staggered a step back, and instinctively a hand dropped to his longkife of his hip as he looked up and down the man who had bumped into him. The man carried himself with a certain rigidness, a stiffness of form that spoke of extensive military training. A career soldier then.

Consciously, the assassin let go of his weapons hilt. “Your pardon.” He said shortly as he eyed the unarmored guard suspiciously. He looked a bit familiar.

Oh, he'd done it now. Judging from the looks of the man he'd run into, a whole bunch of black leather, not to mention the way the man's hand automatically went to the weapon at his waist, Thaniel could say that he hadn't really done himself a service by running into someone. At least the man wasn't brandishing his weapon and yelling for a duel so Thaniel could prove his honor, or something. Whatever they did in the olden days. Though, since it wasn't the olden days anymore, he supposed no one was really going to do that sort of thing anymore.

In any case, the point was all moot because the man hand returned to his side and he uttered a short pardon.

Which didn't make any sense because Thaniel had been the one doing the bumping and almost knocking people over. So he should haev been the one apologizing.

Giving a smile, because one was always supposed to do one's best to be polite, he said, "No, pardon me. I was the one who ran into you." And that was it.

Thaniel was slightly at a loss. He felt that he should say more, but in an occasion like this, there really wasn't much else he could say. The soldier supposed he could mention the weather, but the weather was just unpleasant, and the fellow didn't look like he would appreciate standing around making polite conversation. No one these days did, but him least of all.

Studying the man's face for some clue of what would be acceptable to say and what wouldn't, Thaniel realized that there was something vaguely familiar about this man, almost as if he should know him from somewhere, but he couldn't quite place his finger on it. It probably would have been a good idea just to let it go, but Thaniel, being neat and tidy, had to solve all his problems the minute they came up, otherwise they'd be nagging at him for the rest of the day.

"Do I know you, sir?"

*First off Im sorry I took so long. Secondly Why the hell was this topic closed? It wasn't even that old!*

The man showed some raising. Or at least some histroy of rubbing shoulders with the up-and-coming types. The type of people that Valandil rarely associated with directly. It was more like they subordinates paid hm lots of money to go somewhere else, or to acquire things for them. After so many years doing what he did, Valandil was no longer really that picky. If a job paid him well then he would do it. Morals really had so little bearing on a deed when to refuse was to loose his life. The potion he had to drink bi-annualy to prevent the disease from consuming him was costly. So costly that no one would ever even consider just giving hims some out of the kindness of their hearts. After all why waste the gold on a man's life when they could just buy a new servant?

No, Valandil had to foot tooth and nail for his life. That was ok. He had been doing that his whole life. He had survived the EverWinter that befell the elves, he had not died as the result of an Ice-Drake's poison. Yet. What did he truly have to fear for a little grueling work? He would die by the sword just as swiftly as he would if he did not drink that life-giving nectar. To risk his life was to die someday. To do nothing was to die much sooner. Valandil liked living, and so his choice was clear.

"No, pardon me. I was the one who ran into you." Valandil let a ghost of a smile cross his lips, matching the other man's expression. He warily, and surreptiously felt for his coin purse at his belt. It was still there, the man was not a pick-pocket then. Valandil nodded to him.

"No harm done I assure you my friend. I will survive." He nodded again and took a half-step away, turning as he did so. "Good day to you sir."

"Do I know you, sir?" The simple question stopped him mid-stride. He turned slowly to face the man again. The man's eyes seemed innocent, yet there was a flash of..there! Something inside the man's eyes said he knew.

"I don't think so." Valandil said after a long moment. "I don't think we would get [b]a;ong[/i] at all." Sloqly his hand dropped for his knife hilt. This could get messy, and in the middle of Olencia city too!

Great...just what I needed.

(Blah. Sorry about the wait. I would like to say I didn't completely forget, but that would be untrue.)

Thaniel wasn't stupid. He might look like he was a little dense sometimes, but underneath, he was actually quite bright. Anyone who lived in Olencia - and wanted to remain living - had to be bright, since Olencia was a disaster waiting to happen. And the Kingsguard were the ones who were going to have to deal with it when it happened. But they had the High Commander. So long as he was around, they were fine.

So, being the relatively smart person he was - not to mention the fact that he was an extremely observant person - Thaniel had a few hunches about where he might have known this man from. Actually, it was more like one hunch, but from the way that the man stiffened and his tone of voice when he finally spoke, he suspected his hunch was right.

"I don't think we would get along at all."

Oh, he had no clue how right he was about that. Especially if he had done what Thaniel thought he had done.

"You might be right about that, but I like to give a man a chance before I condemn him to my dislike. So before you go running off, pretending like nothing ever happened, perhaps you'd like to explain why a man of your exact dscription is being circulated throughout the Kingsguard for theft and attempted murder? Please do tell, I'm very curious to hear why."