Running her fingers through her hair, a young woman leant back against the stern of a ship. The sea breeze tugged at her cloak, causing it to part to reveal the leather breeches and white tunic she was wearing. If one looked closely, they might see the tip of the sword scabbard she kept strapped to her back. They would certainly notice the bump under the cloak at her right shoulder, caused by the hilt of her longsword. When the sword wasn't hidden by a cloak, it could be seen to be rather a plain weapon, without adornment on the hilt or polem ornament. The scabbard was also rather plain, except for the design of an eagle stamped in silver near the top. The eagle design was repeated on the sword's blade, near the leather-bound hilt.
Seeing that the ship was about to dock, Shelendri shrugged her right shoulder to reposition the sword's cross-piece so it would prod her in the back of the head, and straightened. Though it didn't look it, her sword was rather old. It had belonged to her father, and his before that. For all it's plainness, it had been forged by the dwarves and had never once failed its owner. After her father's death, it had come to her as eldest child. Now she would see how it would serve her in this new land.
Keeping her balance as the ship bumped up against the dock, she waited for the plank to the extended, and then left the ship without a backward glance. Pushing her way through the crowds, she paused and looked around. She supposed the first thing for her to do was to find an inn to stay in, and then go in search of a stable. A Stable Master wasn't much good without a stable.

Vernis crossed his arms over his chest as he watched men and women alike pass by some seeming lost, others teasing pockets for the hidden treasures inside. An old game Vernis knew. A lost foreigner would be to distracted by the sites and sounds of the city to notice until it was to late.
He leaned on a wall as he waiting for someone to pass by, "hey! you sir! you seem to-" the man kept walking Vernis shook his head. He turn his head and a thin line of spit escaped through his teeth.
His dagger was hidden under his vest, he learned long ago that he did not need to show it for people to know he had it on him. But he also knew that the foreigners did not know, nor did they need to know.
He sighed almost giving up when he saw a woman step off the ship. He stroked his thin beard and he smiled, that one will do. Slightly older than him by a few years if he guessed, she had a cloak over her shoulders he considered that she might be armed, a weapon hidden under it?
"Young lady," he called out with a hint of faked accent. "Young lady please, a moment of your time." he pushed his way though the crowd. "You seem lost, no offince... But I like to think of myself somewhat of a friend to all those who come here, do you by chance need some help? That is if you have a small amount of gold for it."

Shelendri had wittled her choices of which way to go down to two of the nearby streets. All she had to do was choose between them, and she could get on her way. Whenever she was lost or in a place she knew nothing about, she tended to trust her instincts. They usually led her true, though she was forever finding herself in a place she hadn't expected to be. That usually turned out all right as well. Considering the street before her, she frowned slightly and then shook her head. No, that wasn't the way she wanted to go.
She was just about to turn to the other street, when a faintly accented voice sounded off to her side. She would have ignored it, there were many people talking, and yelling, all around the docks, but this voice was close and sounded like it had been directed at her.
Turning, she found a man, younger and somewhat shorter than herself, looking at her. So, he had been talking to her. She frowned slightly. "I'm exactly lost. You're only really ever lost if you don't know where you're going. I'm going down this street." She indicated to it, then considered him. "But perhaps you can help me. I'm looking to find an inn to stay in for a few days, and a stable in need of a Stable Master. If you can give me information, I'll pay you some gold. But you better not swindle me."

Vernis gave a bark of laughter when she spoke, "well said." He stroked the thin beard on his chin, as she explained her situation to him. He hid his disappointment well enough when she told him that she was only a stable master, not much coin to be made there, for him at least.
He nodded and gave her a friendly smile when she was done. "I would never dream of swindling you," he lied. "An inn you say? Well if you have the coin for it Wilwarin is a great place, good food and bed, and its safe. If not and you feel like taking a risk the Drital Qu'ellar pub is well... exciting and on the city watch's blind spot if you catch my saying, I wouldn't go unarmed though." He tilted his head slightly sliding a finger across his chin pretending to think. "I am afraid I don't know to much about horses and stables, but I would check the city out skirts for stables. That would be my best guess." "Varsus Salar" he gave her a fake name as he extended his hand to shake figuring she would trust someone if they gave them their name.

Shelendri shook the pro-offered hand. This certainly seemed an interesting character. "Shelendri Finlay." She gazed around. Her instincts were tapping her on the shoulder, though she wasn't sure the reason. It was usually more than an indistinct tap. She turned her gaze back to Varsus. "Perhaps that Wilwarin you spoke of. I've got some coin on me, and I don't think the excitement of that other place would be the best on my first day here. And the out skirts, you say? I'll definately check it out." Her shoulder twitched slightly, and a responce to the itch she felt between her shoulder blades. It was more definate than a tap, but still didn't do her much good. And it could just be that someone was watching her. That was almost always bound to cause an itch.
Her hand bumped against her sword's hilt as she scratched her shoulder. "If you could direct me to this inn, I'll give you your money and be on my way."

It was all he could do to not grind his teeth, she does not quite trust me yet..., he considered a plan to get her out side of the city, knowing any anywhere near Wilwarin was to closely watched, but that would prove tricky, maybe the alleys would do. She was bigger than him but if she gave him trouble he always had his knife, 'if you cant hit them hard hit them with something sharp' as his father always said. "Fallow me than," he said lightly as he turned and headed down the road, talking along the way, "Wilwarin means Butterfly in the elf tongue," he explained regardless if she knew it or not. "it brings on all sorts of singers and story teller folks."
He took a few odd turns noting it as the path she would likely use if she tried to run. Leading her to the mouth of an alley "Ah! Here's good short cut." He walked in waving her to fallow him through the twists and turns of the alleys.

(OOC: if she does fallow(if not than just disreguard this): )
"And we take a right," he pivited on his right foot his dagger in his hand, "and you give me all your gold." He said losing his accent, his smile became a grin.
He never liked doing business this way, to easy and some times dangerous but he needed the coin, more coin that is than leading someone to some filthy stables would earn.

OOC: She'll follow. This is starting to get interesting.

BIC: There was still that ich between her shoulder blades, but she followed him regardless. It wasn't as if she was defenceless. She had her sword, and even if she didn't, she was well protected.
Varsus spoke a bit about the inn, and he seemed to be taking a lot of turns. Shelendri began to wonder if she should have just got directions from him, rather than follow him. Things were starting to smell off. And that was confirmed when he turned on her with a knife. She considered him silently for a few moments, her eyes showing a slightly bored expression. She could handle him a few ways, though two were the simplest. She could either draw her sword and explain his mistake to him with that, though as always she'd have to be careful not to touch the metal of the blade. Or she could pull out some tricks. She doubted he would find being faced with an annoyed panther or wolf much fun, either. But that way tended to make noice. Things would probably be better if she just used her sword.
She shifted her shoulders to put the hilt in a better position. "You should have just shown me the way to that inn, friend." Pushing her cloak aside, she drew her longsword, but kept the tip pointed to the ground. No need for her to be flashy. "Now, we can do this two ways. You can either run away, and I'll find someone else to give me directions the this Wilwarin. Or we can both put our weapons away and you can show me where it is. I'm still willing to pay you. So what do you say." Then she motioned at her sword with her free hand. "Oh, and this isn't my only weapon. So don't even think about pulling a fast one."

He watched Shelendri draw her sword. might have been smarter to have opened her instead.... Knife fighting was something that saved him before, though this one did seem to know what she was doing with a sword. He weighed it for a moment.
"No, I think Ill just take take your coin, now we can do this one of two ways, give me everything or we can swing steel at each other until you die. Either way I get your money." He knelled down and took a handful of loose dirt and alley grime off the ground. "I have my own weapons as well."
"Might not seem fair but I guess thats just part of the life of a lowly stable hand." He said making his voice sound foolishly arrogant. might be best if i can get her to swing first "I tell you something, the Inn is further down the alley way behind me at the first left turn you should be facing it."

(OCC: you wanna win this one?)

OOC: That'd be fun, and I can do it without either of them bleeding.

BIC: Shelendri considered him for a moment, her grip firm but easy on the swords hilt. She hadn't expected him to be so persistant. Looked like she was going to do this the other way. Lifting her sword, she sheathed it with a sigh. "I was hoping it wouldn't have to come to this. Things are always so much easier if it's just with normal weapons." She crouched down so that her finger tips were touching the ground, and then her eyes took on an intense, but slightly distant look. Her shoulders hunched slightly, then her outline blurred and a quiver seemed to run down her body. Then her blurred outline lengthened. When her outline became fixed again, it was a lynx that stood in the alleyway, not the young woman.
The lynx's eyes showed annoyance. Her tail twitched with it and her ears were layed back somewhat. Gathering herself, Shelendri bounded around Varsus and set off down the alleyway. If he was smart, he wouldn't follow.
She took the first left and then shape shifted back. She doubted she'd have anymore trouble with Varsus. She rarely did, after she used her power.

Vernis let out a small gasp when he saw Shelendri transform. a magic user... he swore under his breath. Aiming a kick at her ribs as she passed by he narrowly missed his foot finding only wall. He swore again sheathing his dagger. I am going to have to make a note of that one he thought knowing that he could not scare her into keeping her mouth shut, going to have to silence her if I ever the chance. he knew there wont be any way to find her now and he knew well enough it would have been a bad idea to try and attack her in the packed streets of the city even if he had found her.
"Shelendri Finlay..." he thought, adding her to his list of enemies, witch to his dismay had grown fairly big.
He spit on the ground as he considered his next move.