The man pulled his cloak tighter about him as if to use it as protection from the prying eyes of the city. He shuddered inwardly and wondered what had possesed him to even bother coming into the city and then his stomach growled at him. Thats right he thought to himself I need a job so I can get things I need....like food. He began to look around hoping to see some sort of bullitin board where people hoping to hire others with a strong arm would post things. He saw nothing and began once again to trudge foreward into the city while being jostled by the hustle and bustle of those about him. One of his darker impulses flaired up and it was then he was reminded of why he hated cities. He fought it down and looked around again taking a mental stock of things.


The other reason he hated damn cities was because of things like this. His brain began to organize things and then assign them threat levels. The other part of his brain found the people most in need of help and began to organize them. He shook his head to clear it. He hated when that happened. He stopped to look around again all the while be jostled by people in the town center. He saw the merchants hawking their goods to anyone that would listen or even looked like they were remotly paying attention. People running here and there buying this or that. He wondered if they even knew how futile all this was anyway. What was the point of doing all this? Was it to try to stay normal? Bah....no reason for that. He thought once again of his heritage, snorted disgustedly, and began his search for the bullitin board once again. He needed money and badly as the small jingle in his purse told him.


The last reason he hated cities was because in order to opperate in them he had to hide what he was. The cloak helped and over the years he had gotten used to them being there but the wings would always be a nusance to him. He wished he could have had his fathers wings and his mothers looks instead of the other way around. Then at least he could fold them or something. He sighed inwardly and realized that if he wanted to repair his equipment or eat in the near future that he had better find that bullitin board or maybe a kind gaurd or citized to help him out. Truly he was out of his element here and he knew it. Battle was much easier to him. Mostly because he really didn't take sides. He had one side....his. Usually that was the side that wasn't actively trying to kill him or it was the side that was paying him. "Now where in the hells is that thing?" he muttured to himself.
...

Raewyn walked into Lomedor Square. People were bustling around and happy. She sighed it was just another city.. another place she had been. She looked around at all of the people of different races, speaking differnent lauguages. She started to walk again not paying any attention as she ran into a man.

"Oh! I am so sorry sir..." She said hurridely

The day was bright and sunny in Lomedor, children laughed and cheered as they played around the Square. Keeping quite the low profile a young woman walked through the city glad she had decided to not wear her uniform and took on a more common and less noticable outfit of a traveler. Instead of wearing her silver and slate blue uniform she opted for a pair of loose fitting khaki slacks that gave her freedom to walk and run without hindering her speed. Her shirt was a greyish-white color like the sand on the beach nearby and she topped the look off with her silver cloak. In fact the only thing that would even remotely say she was a member of the Special Force Guard was her cloaks symbol which told her rank and clan, but unless one was of her unit or one similar they would not be able to tell what the crescent and star shape on the clasp. Her hood was pulled up over her raven colored hair that was cropped just above her shoulders. Smiling she looked around the square, her grey eyes pointed out this and that about different people noticing things and taking in the different smells of the bakeries and such nearby.

The smells of the food was getting to her, although she had eaten not four hours ago her stomache yearned for the foods of the grand city. She smiled at herself and gave a mental laugh as she watched a baker put out pitas and pies on his stand to cool as people gathered to buy and sample his wares. Moving past the small set ups for shops here and there she continued to the center where she could have a seat. Maybe she could get something somewhere but not now, right now she was here to relax, it was not often she had a day off from the force and by golly she was going to make every second count. Of course that did not always happen fully. Plans never went all the way you wanted them to but it was just a little after noon so she could at least say she had half the day off without something major happening to set her back on the force for the rest of the day. I hate paperwork. she thought as she considered her last day "off." It had started off normal, a trip to the mountains, no biggie. Just a hike, she had even gone with her cousin and his wife who said that the mountian air would be good for her and help her unwind. Some hike, they ended up fighting a group of orcs who were on the wanted list and ended up doing paperwork for bringing them in.

She shook the thought out of her head. Stop thinking about it, just relax. she thought as she noticed someone. He seemed a little off by the way he was acting, always making sure his cloak hood was pulled up high above his head where no one could see his face. But one thing was for certian, he was pretty lost. She watched him for a moment and the 'I am lost as heck' alarm was definately blaring with this guy. But something caught her attention as she looked at him, she could smell two different scents mingled. One was the sweet smell even a baby demon could identify as an Angelic being but there was also another more darker scent. One that matched a demon. Both intertwined to create the strange new scent she was now experiencing. The young half demon walked over to him and smiled giving a slight bow, "Greetings friend. You looking for something? You seemed lost." she asked as she watched him look around.

The man took another few steps foreward and stumbled as somone bumped into him. "Oh! I am sorry sir...." said someone and then ran off. He turned around once or twice trying get his bearings and then just gave up now hopelessly lost. Cities! he thought to himself. Just give him a nice forest with some creatures in it any day. At least in a fight I know who the bad guys are. I hate cities. He turned this way and that again trying to figure out where he was. Then a small chill at the base of his neck told him something that he had hoped he was wrong about. There could be no denying the presence thought....he was being watched.

He glanced around still trying to appear totally lost while not tipping off the person that he had been seen. He was fairly sure that he was doing a crap job of it when he finally saw them. It was a female...rather pretty too. She also seemed to be walking towards him. He noticed that not only was her hair a complete raven black....very close in color and hue to his own but that her eyes were a piercing grey color. What startled him even more was the smell he could now catch over the food. It was the smell of demons below. It was lessened though and not nearly as strong as his father had smelled. He frowned for a minute as she approached him and gave a slight bow saying "Greetings friend. You looking for something? You seemed lost."

He was rather unsure of how to reply but he did have to admit that he was quite lost and so he looked at this woman and said "Yes actually I am quite lost. I don't often travel in cities but I find myself low on coin and quite hungry. I was wondering if there was a.....a notice or bullitin board of odd jobs that people want done. I need to earn some coin and be on my way. Cities make me edgy as you can well understand. I prefer the open road to the enclosement of a city. You wouldn't be able to direct me to such a..... job board would you?" He stopped for a moment and realized he was rambling. Idiot! he chastised himself. Like she has any interest in you. She may be a half demon like you but your celestial side must turn her stomach. He shook his head and awaited her reply to him expectantly.

There was definitely something strange about this man, something hidden deep within him. Umbra could tell that there was a secret hidden deep within his soul that no one knew but him. However that secret was not hers to know even though it intrigued her about it. He obviously knew she was there when she smelled fear on him for a moment and noticed he was looking around for someone to be following him as she approached. The man seemed unsure as to what her motives were for approaching him. He definitely was not very comfortable in the surroundings of the city. She cocked her head to the left side for a moment as she looked him over a few times trying to understand who this stranger was and what was really the matter.

He looked at her, not square in the eyes as most would but still up at her face. "Yes actually I am quite lost. I don't often travel in cities but I find myself low on coin and quite hungry. I was wondering if there was a.....a notice or bulletin board of odd jobs that people want done. I need to earn some coin and be on my way. Cities make me edgy as you can well understand. I prefer the open road to the enclosement of a city. You wouldn't be able to direct me to such a..... job board would you?" he replied suddenly stopping. There was some sort of conflict going through his mind, she was no psionic so she paid the thought no mind as he shook his head, most likely at himself.

He definitely is something. Not quite sure what he is yet, but definitely something. She thought as she nodded and pointed over at a path between a few buildings. "Well the bulletin is down in that direction, past the carpenters' shop and to the left. Its a big post where the citizens ask for help and travelers and merchants post for bodyguards and scouts and such. Can't really miss it. There will probably be a lot of jobs so I am sure you will find one easily." she smiled. "By the way, its a little after the fact but first meetings warrant some sort of introductions. I am Umbra Khontis, and you are?" she asked realizing that the two of them had yet to exchange names. Looking him over she noticed something about him, he had the scent of some sort of celestial but his features proved none. This was most odd indeed. Perhaps it was merely blood based like her demon was. Though she showed no true signs of demon on the outside she could definitely show up for it with her senses.

He looked at her for a moment after she asked his name, the suspicion could be plainly read on his face. He was deffinatly skeptical of anyone that wanted his name. He pulled back a little bit and surveyed the woman called Umbra for the first time. The first thought that would strike a man was plain, not homely for she was deffinatly pretty, but plain as in trying to be almost as inconspicious as he was. He noticed that she had a careless almost easy movement to her and that spelled trouble with a capital T to him. The only people that moved with such ease are practiced in a combat craft and move with ease only because they are confident in what they do. Then a strange clasp caught his eye. He stared at it trying to remember if he had seen it before and some part of him was sure he had. He tore his gaze away from it and stared into her grey eyes. There was soemthing familiar about here but he had yet to be able to put a finger on it. Finally he decided that there would be nothing wrong in telling her his...aha....name. "Alec.....Alec Darksfury."

Suddenly the muscles that attached to his wings spasmed and he gimaced in pain. His wings twitched slightly beneath his cloak and yearned to be free. It would have taken a trained observer to really notice this though and he was certain that Umbra was a trained observer. He stooped over slightly and rolled his shoulder trying to play off the injury. "Damn! Old battle wound acts up every now and again." He stood back up and hoped that his wings would remain calm for just a bit longer beacause the muscles were beginning to burn. He smiled slightly and looked at here again. He just couldn't shake this nagging feeling that he knew her from somewhere. He walked around her as much as she would let him and then looked at her again. "I'm sorry Umbra but I have to ask....do I know you from somewhere? Some distant battlefield perhaps? Someplace, somewhere? You seem awfully familiar to me?" Having said this he gazed expectantly at her and awaited her reply.

Umbra looked at the man as he looked her over, suspicion was evident on his face. She wondered exactly what was going through his mind at the time. She could see that he was considering something in the back of his mind. Something was bothering him about her. She shifted her weight almost involuntarily on her right foot and let her left hand hang down hidden by her cloak. She really never bothered with such trivial things as trying to figure out who was who in a crowd unless it was of some importance but the stranger sure seemed concerned about who she was and what she was doing asking him for a name. Of course she was only trying to be polite, but something she did or said must have struck something with him. He stared hard into her eyes then spoke up. "Alec.....Alec Darksfury."

She smiled and nodded, "Pleasure to meet you Alec she replied as suddenly her eye caught movement underneath his cloak. It was small, sudden and only lasted for a moment but she knew that it had happened. He quickly rolled his shoulder a second after the movement and grimaced in pain for a moment."Damn! Old battle wound acts up every now and again." He stood back up and smiled. She looked at him for a moment puzzled at what he just did. That was no wound. That was more like a muscle spasm but if he wants to play it off then I should at least give him the respect he wanted and go along with it. She smiled. "Sorry to hear. Must be the humidity from the recent storms we have had here in town. They tend to agitate some old wounds and such. She said hoping he would not try and pry into the fact she seen it. He gave her a slight smile and looked at her again then walked around her. A puzzling look crossed her face as he stood in front of her again. "I'm sorry Umbra but I have to ask....do I know you from somewhere? Some distant battlefield perhaps? Someplace, somewhere? You seem awfully familiar to me." She looked at him for a moment trying to remember if she had indeed seen this man before. Now that she thought about it she remembered his scent from somewhere. But that could also be coincidental as well. Maybe she had met this man somewhere else or they were in the same tavern at one point and she had registered his scent as unimportant at the moment and they had just glanced at each other sometime in their stay there or something. But she knew she had never really met this man before. She shook her head. "I do not quite remember seeing you before now. Perhaps we have just bumped into each other at some point in some inn or at the stadium or something like that and merely went our own ways without meeting. I do not think we have met previously." she answered.