Hunger In The Hive

[*Midnight]

Night had just fallen and Owain needed jink. No jink meant no food for him for another night and he had no intention of letting that happen. Unfortunately for Owain to obtain his jink he had to take it from someone else. He wasn't a bad person, he never hurt anyone or threatened them he was however an accomplished pick pocket and he had a good eye for a mark. Pick pocketing was in Owain's opinion mostly down to finding a good mark, someone wealthy enough to make the risk worth it and not vigilante enough to notice what had happened until he was well away. He always chose his targets carefully. Recently this had been difficult. The recent Mercykiller intrusion into the hive had put everyone on guard and now there was a number of mercenaries asking around after someone named Marcus. Owain knew well enough to stay away from those. As he made his way towards the bottle and jug hoping to find a drunk he could part from their change he saw her. A smile crossed his lips and he thanked every power that patron's thieves for this gift. She was around five foot tall dressed in a dark red dress that marked her as being more at home in the lady's ward than the hive. This and the slow cautious way she made her way along the narrow cobbled street made Owain almost certain she was loss. It was a matter of time until someone robbed her or worse, Owain thought it might as well be him, she looked nervous even if she did notice Owain doubted she'd say anything to him or try to stop him. He passed her quickly bumping into her and uttering an apology as he did so his hand creeped to her belt and lifted the small bag of coins that was there just waiting for him. It was a trick he'd practiced to perfection and he had the bag and was about to walk away. Except he couldn't he was caught on something. He looked down feeling a cold vice like grip on his wrist he tried to pull away but could not, how could she be so strong she was tiny. He was about to shout and try to scare her or reach for his belt for his dagger, he had no intent of using it but he thought drawing it would be enough to scare her off him. It was her who spoke first though her voice calm and quiet and oddly considering the circumstances quite friendly.

"Don't worry I'm not angry, you poor thing you must be starving."

Her eyes looked into his and there was something calming as she spoke her next words. It occurred to Owain how easy it would to be just to do as she said how easy it would be to let someone else make decisions for him. She put her arm around his shoulder in an almost maternal way and this close Owain could just about catch a hint of some expensive perfume.

"Come with me, I need someone to help me through the hive, its a dangerous place. I will make sure you are never hungry again"

Owain simply nodded and made his way with her slowly down the narrow street towards the low ward.

* * * * *

Emila smiled as she walked down the street her arm wrapped firmly around the young mans shoulder. His will subverted by a gaze he would cause her no trouble. Owain wasn't the only person walking the hive driven by their hunger.

[*Selebius]

Few people wondered what was happening there and few people bothered to watch. You don't get old in the Hive if you tend to watch to closely.

But yet that man in dark cloth and leather did. A longsword sits on his side and he moves like he knows well how to use it. Following Emila was not hard for him he came even close enough to be sure... sure about what she is.

With a smile- a smile somewhere between sneer and snarl- he fades into the shadows, whisps of mist rising, swallowing his form.

But he was not the only one. A hooded woman watched both of them. She is a Hiver knowing this place for 156 years now, collecting the dead for almost as long. Pulling her robes tighter around herself she waits, thinks. She will have to decide soon.