It was a rather fine night, and Vicious was taking a walk around Scribel city. Okay, to be honest it was around two in the morning according to her body clock and the city was mostly asleep save the night guards, but she'd decided to get some night air, and passed by the gates earlier to wave hello to the lookouts on duty. She even walked a couple of streets with two of the patrolling guards, engaging in superficial conversation, before splitting up at a junction.
She'd then visited the slums to check up on a few acquaintances, but there was one more objective; she'd checked with some of her homeless contacts regarding a boy with orange-coloured eyes, following what Felicia had told her in a tavern conversation a few days prior. They came up empty, but Vicious was not disappointed and bade farewell after dropping off some things for the kids. She then hummed quietly as she continued with her walk.
At some point, she turned into a sector of the city which she'd never been to before, and her ears picked up on a faint scratching sound. It didn't sound like a stray animal, so she followed the noise and came to a rather large house. Hanging onto one side like a koala bear was a man dressed all in black, a bandanna pulled over his head.
She watched, somewhat bemused, as the man tried to find purchase on the brickwork in order to climb up and reach the window. Which was closed. He was fiddling with it, not really paying attention to his surroundings, so the amused Liberi spoke in a low and even tone, as if she'd met someone taking their pet out for a walk.
"Forgot your keys?"
She didn't think she'd deliberately tried to scare him, but the man lost his grip on the brick instantly and fell onto the ground. He laid there for a few moments, blinking, before jumping back onto his feet. Idly, she noted the thin, bent piece of metal wire in his hand, the way the black-attired man was glaring at her, and Vicious nodded. It started to make sense now.
"Ah. Up to no good, are we? So who's the unfortunate victim being mugged tonight?"
The words seemed to have poked a sore spot for the man. He growled, but not so loudly as to wake the neighbourhood.
"Victim? I'm the victim here! If it were not for him, I would have been living the good life!"
Vicious raised an eyebrow. She'd noticed the man's bloodshot eyes under the faint moonlight.
"Ah, so it's a grudge. Well, have fun then. See you."
She'd turned to leave, taking three steps before ducking down. The bo passed over her head harmlessly. Sighing, she turned back to look at the man, who was now in a fighting stance.
"I can't let you leave, now that you've seen me."
"You should really think twice, you know. I won't bother you if you don't bother me."
Saying thus, she sidestepped another strike. The mysterious man growled as he leapt forward, still talking.
"You'll warn the guards! I know you will! That's all bitches like you know to do! Find the richer bastard, then hide behind them!"
"'Scuse me?"
Vicious frowned, but the man continued, giving a coarse laugh.
"I won't give you the chance, you filthy bitch! You'll come home with me today!"
He brought the striking end of the wooden staff down at Vicious with all the force he could muster---
"You should mind really your words. A loose mouth brings much disaster."
*
Crack*
The upper half of the bo fell onto the ground, rolling away slowly. What remained was in the hands of the man, trembling as he brought the broken bo closer to his face to examine it.
"What---"
Then she closed the distance in two steps and her knee found him right in the family jewels at the same time her palm caught him in the temple. The man dropped like a sack of bricks.
"Alright, now it's off to the guards with you...Hmm...?"
Whilst digging through the unconscious man's personal effects, she found some forms of identification on his person. The Liberi racked her brain, trying to remember the requests posted on the board, before going through all of them again just to double check.
"David Fralden...if memory serves, there was a request for this guy, wasn't there? Hmm. Well, I'll go and check. If there isn't, he's going to the guards. If there is...well, he's going to the guards anyway. Assault is a crime after all."
Saying thus she tied him up, left him there, and popped over to the guild.
*****
There would be a small commotion in the city's markets the next morning. Apparently, the first few stall owners to arrive had discovered---none too delightedly, one might add---that a man had been left tied securely to a tree's trunk wearing nothing but bound ropes and a loincloth. There was a piece of paper nailed into the wood next to him, along with his clothing fluttering in the early breeze.
He was still sneezing in the morning chill and shivering when the a few of the guards on the morning shift arrived to get him down, with a sizeable small crowd looking on, and even when he was finally freed the man stayed sitting on the floor which he'd immediately collapsed onto, rubbing his wrists and ankles which were still sore from being bound for so long. One of the guards was reading the piece of paper ripped off the tree trunk.
"Bring him back. We'll sort this out back in the barracks."
According to the paper, he had attempted to break into a house, which would later be identified as the house of a certain Julrik, and attacked a passer by who witnessed the act. The paper was signed with nothing except the initials V.
Far away, sitting on a rooftop and observing the event with a smile on her face was Vicious, flipping David Fralden's adventurer identification card in her hands. She'd need it to turn in her report, after all.
....and so the countdown for Reciful's Death
