Fantasy To Catch a Thief ((DreamerxRelic))

[RelicFire]

(( IdyllicDreamer ))

Drake was dressed in a dark tan, buckskin, coat over an off-white shirt. His black slacks and boots made half of him almost completely invisible in the darkness of the night. He was leaned against the wall of a tavern watching the crowds file in and out of the buildings. The noises and sounds of people enjoying their evening was almost deafening. Drake simply reached out and took things out of people's pockets as they passed, he took a silver match box and matching cigarette case off of one passerby. He got a pocket watch from another and a few gold coins from even another. It wasn't a challenge with the state most of them were in after they left the taverns.

He opened the case and placed a cigarette in between his lips and then lit it with a single flick of his wrist. He took a slow drag and looked around again. It'd been over a year since he was last in the capital and the noise of the whole city was a little overwhelming. He flexed his fingers slowly then pushed off the wall and started deeper into the capital slowly making his way closer to the castle... It'd been his mother's favorite place to hideout. Right under the King's nose. She'd used to dress as a servant and pour the King's wine at dinners. Drake had grown up inside the castle walls for most his childhood, hiding from the guards who were hunting for his mother and himself, and the King never knew.

He flicked the cigarette away when he was done with it and pulled the hood up on his coat as the crowds thinned and the presence of the King's guards seemed to double. It seemed that the King's paranoia had grown in the last year... Drake stayed close to the walls and shadows as he weaved and ducked his way deeper and deeper into the capital, silent and almost invisible.

Drake purposely bumped into a Guard acting the drunken fool, he slipped the broach from the Guard's cloak and laughed off his bumping into the other man. "My deepest apologizes dear sir..." He slurred his words and made a move to try and brush the Guard off.
The Guard shoved Drake back against a wall. "Watch yourself." He barked before he landed a solid blow to Drake's stomach. "Street trash..." The Guard muttered as he moved away from Drake who dropped to his knees trying to pull the air back into lungs.

This was new behavior for the Capital Guards. They'd gotten more violent than before... Drake finally started to ease the fire in his lungs from the blow he'd taken but he still did not stand, if he was still being watched by the guard he feared moving to quickly would show he wasn't drunk. He wrapped his arm around his stomach and placed one hand on the paved road trying to slowly push himself back to his feet, he made sounds like he might retch. The true art of his craft was in the acting.

 

[IdyllicDreamer]

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It was quiet again, as it usually ended up being this time of night. The late hours settling over the city, lulling much of it to sleep. Those who still crept around in the dark, she couldn't hear a one of them. Instead of it peaceful, serene... The same as it had always been, and the same as it likely always would be. Kept within the same walls, the same room, as she was. Her thoughts far more forlorn than she had previously lead on to, while her father was performing his usual visit before bed. She always saw him in the evening hours before it was time to sleep.

Truly, she loved her father, the 'Heartless King', wasn't exactly so with her. The young princess had never seen the true force of his malice against those who won his ire, instead she saw glimpses of the overprotective father. The man who kept her inside of the castle, the man who had anyone who came into contact with her checked over thrice. The reason why her only friend was was a pair of parakeets that he had bought for her. Birds in a cage, something she could sympathize with.

Sometimes she wished he would worry less, wishing that she could see more than just glimpses beyond the wall. She wished to see things that were found in her books, to meet interesting new people. Vesper wanted to learn. Instead, she was kept in her room with her books. Even though her father supplied her with as many as she could possibly read... it wasn't always enough, though she never told him as much. The very idea was terrifying.

With a soft sigh she would close the book, blowing out her candle as she made her way to the bed. Extravagant, lavish, as everything else within her chambers were. The cage as gilded as it could possibly be. Yet still she settled in for another night, already thinking about the day ahead, another day like the one before.
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[RelicFire]

Drake slowly got himself back on his feet, he staggered until his hand touched a wall and he leaned on it lightly. He slowly peeked around his hood to see if anyone was watching him, once he saw that the cost was clear he slipped the guard's cloak broach into his pocket and started down the road again. He stepped so carefully and lightly that it was almost silent as he made his way even closer to the castle.

This was the first time since his mother had died that he returned to the capital as a free man and he was looking to enjoy himself while he hid for awhile. He wasn't a legally free man, but he wasn't under anyone's watchful eye or harsh whip anymore so he didn't much care how that happened. He'd decided to take a page from his mother's book and hide out in the castle, the last place anyone would think to look for him. It was also a guaranteed three square meals a day, shelter from the weather and if he could manage to convince the head of staff he was supposed to be there, it was a way to make a little money.

He walked around toward the back side of the castle, barely raising his head to look up at the walls. Something must have happened recently, the guards had doubled and it looked like they were all armed with crossbows. Drake let out sigh as he found that he'd have to take the tunnels to get inside tonight. He didn't like the tunnels, he'd much rather climb the wall but beggars couldn't be choosers. He turned from walking alongside the castle's walls and started towards some of the farm houses. In the dark of night he looked like he could be a farmer's son heading home after spending the night out on the town so he made sure to trip and stumble while he knew the men on the walls could see him but once he was out of sight he shoved his hood back and hurried off toward the treeline.

He followed the trees until he came to a small creek and then he pulled off his buckskin coat and turned it inside out, the lining was a woven black fabric. He pulled the jacket on again and buttoned it all the way up to his chin. He pulled a small box from his inside jacket pocket and opened it, it held ashes. He rubbed some of the ashes on his face to darken his skin so he wouldn't be too noticeable in the moonlight, but it wasn't so dark that he looked like he was trying to hide in case he ran into someone. He just looked like he'd finished working and hadn't had a chance to clean up. He shut the box with a faint little snap and started up steam toward the tunnel entrance into the castle.

 

[IdyllicDreamer]

[class=BBBox]width:75%;height:auto;min-height:250px;border: 5px solid #ffffff;margin:auto;margin-top:50px;position:relative;padding:5px;[/class] [class=BBBall]width:180px;height:270px;padding:5px;float:right;border-radius:10%;margin-top:-60px;margin-right:-75px;margin-left:10px;[/class] [class=BBAvie]width:100%;height:100%;border-radius:10%;overflow:hidden;[/class] [class=BBName]height:40px;padding-top:5px;margin-top:20px;margin-left:-5px;text-align:center;[/class] [class=BBBar]width:98%;height:3px;margin:auto;[/class] [class=DreamerCredit]font-size:8px;position:absolute;bottom:0;right:1px;[/class] [class name=BBBox]background:#333333;border-color:#D19719;color:#ffffff;font-size:12px;line-height:18px;[/class] [class name=BBBall]background:#D19719;[/class] [class name=BBAvie]background:url('https://i.postimg.cc/TYvjNBRp/Vesper-Elixandrite-Anime.png');background-size:cover;background-position:-0px 0px;filter:contrast(120%) brightness(90%);[/class] [class name=BBName]background:#D19719;color:#1E58D4;font-size:35px;line-height:28px;text-shadow: 2px 2px 1px rgba(0,0,0,0.2), 5px 4px 1px rgba(0,0,0,0.1);[/class] [div class=BBBox][div class=BBBall][div class=BBAvie][/div][/div][div class=BBName]Vesper Elixandrite[/div][div class=DreamerCredit]Created by IdyllicDreamer [/div]
Much as she loved her time spent asleep, time in which she could find herself in new places all over the world... Tonight was restless, the young woman finding herself tossing and turning every so often. Sleep was impossible, let alone finding a comfortable position to rest in. The princess would inevitable end up rising in her bed, a huff of frustration over the failure this night was turning into. Peace falling to ruin, it didn't take her long to simply climb out of it. Sliding into her slippers before she rose entirely.

Perhaps a combination of white-jasmine tea, with some Valerian root mixed in, would be just what she needed for the night. It would have been simple enough to call for one of the serving girls, one of her ladies in waiting, one of the guards... Any number of people could have quickly been at her beck and call, hastily too as none wished to feel the wrath of her father. Yet it felt silly to involve any of them in a simple tea run, something she could easily do herself with just some hot water and a little satchel of what she wanted.

It would be with those thoughts that she carefully crept out of her room, barely managing to avoid the guards who typically were right outside of her room. Vesper was always watched, observed, guarded. Aside from time in her room there was nowhere private for her, father's precious princess. She was always kept as safe as could be. Those guards likely would have been executed for allowing her to escape, fortunately she had no intention of telling her father about this little outing.

Into the kitchen she stole away, heart pounding from nerves over what she was doing. She would be in a great deal of trouble were she caught out of her room, unaccompanied, at night. What would her father think? What would he do? She honestly tried not to think too hard on it, as she went about preparing the tea.
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[RelicFire]

Drake didn't much care for taking the tunnels, they were dark, damp and tight. If the King and decided to put a guard on the water way that flowed from the castle there was no way to hide or escape. It was however one of the fastest ways right into the heart of the castle. If you knew your way around, like Drake did, you'd know that there is a secret panel that put you right in the store room of the kitchen. Well it wasn't really secret, the kitchen staff used it as a dark storage closet space for things like wine and truffles. Drake walked into the stone arch and came upon the steel grate that blocked the path, unable to see in the darkness, he slid his hand up the stone wall until he felt the maintenance workers handle. He pulled it and the grate swung loose, a single bar through the grate kept it intact to the walls on either side and it laid flat in the air, almost floating there. He ducked down and walked under the grate, through the water, then with one hand he pushed it back into place, a soft click sound told him it was secured once again.

Now that he was in the tunnel he reached into the water and wet his hands and face washing some of the ash off, he also unbuttoned the first two buttons on his jacket relaxing a little in the darkness of the stone tunnels. This was something that hadn't changed at all. Even though it'd been many years since the last time he and his mother had been in these tunnels nothing seemed to have changed. Drake even remembered where all the loose stones were and could carefully step over them.

Once he reached the little nook that led to the kitchen's dark store room he couldn't help but smile. Even with the increase of the guards outside he'd still managed to simple walk right in. He felt in the darkness until he found the door leading into the store room, and then the door to the kitchen it's self. As he opened the second door he was only a little surprised to see a small light and a shadowed figure in the kitchen. He could feel the warm of the stove from across the room and he realized he'd gotten more water on himself then he had thought. The person was a young blond woman in a night gown, they seemed to be making tea he realized as he watched them pick the herbs and grind them and could see a kettle on the stove. He cleared his throat softly, to let the young woman know he was there, but also trying not to alarm her.

 

[IdyllicDreamer]

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That plan of his, the one to avoid alarming her, was an absolute failure. Vesper was nervous, paranoid down in here, alone, as she was. Breaking far too many rules, putting people in danger, it all boiled into that same feeling, wanting it all to be done already so she could be back in her room with the tea. Which was why even that slight noise, him clearing his throat, was enough to cause her to jump. A faint rattle from the teacup she had been adjusting on its saucer. Trying to keep her hands occupied.

She spun quickly, eyes wide and nervous as she looked towards the new figure, where had he even come from? That was the store room, she was sure of it. Granted Vesper spent little time actually in the kitchen, but she was sure that wasn't a door to another of the rooms. A place someone could have simply traveled through to get to the kitchen easily. How long had he been there...?

"Please, please do not tell my father that you found me here. I do not wish to see anyone harmed..." Her words came out quickly, rushed, a little frightened. Likely making it more than obvious who she was right now. After all no one else would potentially result in someone being harmed just by being down in the kitchen, as she was.

"I fear for your sake, he may even shoot the messenger." Particularly if that messenger happened to have been with his daughter, without having been pre-approved to be within the same room as her.
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[RelicFire]

Drake snorted lightly and tried to cover his smirk by clearing his throat again a little louder this time. The way she'd jumped was adorable. With her being back lit he couldn't really see who she was but once she spoke he realized who she was instantly. He moved quickly and gracefully into a bow, his left arm went across his chest and he looked down at the floor bent slightly at the waist. He took in a shaky deep breath, this wasn't in the plan...

Her words didn't unnerve him, he knew how insane the King was about people being near his daughter, but if any of the guards had seen his wanted poster death would be the best case end to this. "Trust me, my lady, I have no plans on speaking of this moment. To anyone," he said to the floor taking another shaky breath. Slowly he straightened and offered a small smile. "Please forgive me, for startling you. I had thought you were someone else and it was not my intention to frighten you." He now slowly reached up to push his messy hair out of his face. "Is there anything I help you with, my lady?"