Black Market Dealings [OPEN]

[Yvon]

Nicolas so loved the back streets. The smell of sewer was strong here. Rotten food. Blood. Diseases.

He was extravagant in his out of style clothing. Nothing matched or fitted. Holes in all his clothes. Trinkets all around. From cheap plastic beads to golden necklaces, Nicolas just seemed to like shiny things. He kept a shiny silver knife in sight. It gave of a clear 'don't mess with me' message.

And then there was a smell about him. Rotten fruit and worse. Open sewer. The type that made you wrinkle your nose and walk the other way. Nicolas seemed not to notice. He had a smile from ear to ear, walking as if he owned the place.

He was a thief, and all knew it. Few considered him their friend. Not that it was wise to openly admit friendship with anyone in these back alleys. But most people knew him from around. He got things done. Had sharp eyes and was quick on his feet. If you needed a thief, spy or a snoop, he was your man.

The fact that Nicolas was a shapeshifter was not common knowledge, as none had witnessed it. But then again, those types of people usually didn't shout it off rooftops. Too dangerous. But the fact was, there was something odd about Nicolas. Something that made him so darned good at what he did.

[Rαyne]

Ah, the back streets and alleys.
Despite being rather lonesome at times, they always held the opportunities to meet strange, new people—even if they weren’t exactly the most pleasant bunch.

The dim, lithe figure of a feline lurked within the shadows of the street this night. There were always rodents around, with a cat or a dog every now and then. Perhaps this was the reason Nyx loved this area. Whether she visited them in human form or not was solely up to her random decision. However, everything seemed to be more fun when seen through her animal form’s eyes. Therefore, she braved the streets on this cold night in the clever disguise of an African Golden Cat. Quire frankly, she liked the cat species as well. It was like a smaller form of a lion—a comfortable mix of the strength of a big cat and the quickness and agility of a smaller one. In fact, when she wasn’t bartending at the club—she was usually in this form, laying around or hunting down anything that caught her eye—or, well, her nose’s attention.

Speaking of attention, something had definitely grasped her attention this time—causing her to shift her amber gaze a bit until she finally decided a direction.
The golden feline lunged forwards, perking her ears up attentively as she worked her way around the shadows. She jumped up, landing on the top of a thick fence that was about as tall as a human, and made of brick. She’d always had an attraction for heights, almost as if she liked to prowl several feet above her prey before taking the dive.
As she lurked forwards, the scent grew closer and closer, causing her to lower her shoulders.
A low hiss leaked out slowly, rolling out from the female’s throat as she locked eyes on her pre--human?
‘There goes dinner..’ she thought, flattening her ears against her head.

[Yvon]

Rats always swarmed these streets. Most people did not notice them because they did not look. The rodents were quick and sharp, always on the lookout for fallen food and predators to timely end their dinner.

Nicolas kept an eye on them. In this human form, his scent was restricted to that of a human, and he wasn't able to smell a predator out. If his rodent companions were to flee, he would too.

But Nicolas hadn't spotted the feline, and neither had the rats. Her scent was well hidden in the clutter of smells that hung around the back alley. This area was quieter, with barely anyone on the street. But the place was the more filthier for it. What Nicolas would want in a place like this, people could only guess. Perhaps he simply liked it here.

[Rαyne]

The feline stood still as ever, the slivers of her golden eyes locked on the outline of the human. Maybe it would be best to just run off, to just retreat to the shadows and leave him--and the rodents that swarmed around him--be. But alas, she couldn't find it in herself to just leave what could be a good dinner be.
Why was he standing there, amidst all the rodents? She didn't know, but whatever his reasons were, she didn't care. So her target may have shifted elsewhere, away from the human--but there was still a good meal to be had in the area around him. Not that she usually ate rodents--she usually ate much like a normal human. However, sooner or later while in the midst of her shifts, she grew an appetite for what she couldn't just walk into a restaurant an order.
On that thought, the feline leapt down from her pedestal; she landed lightly on the ground, her paws hardly making a sound. She stood perhaps a few feet from Nicholas now, but she wasn't going to make her presence known to anyone just yet--if she could help it. It wasn't too long before her eyes locked their gaze on one of the many creatures in the alley, and she set off for it. She would have caught it with ease, however it seemed to be tipped off by the sudden scattering of a few surrounding rodents; the incident that would have been quick and painless was suddenly prolonged as the feline took chase. A low hiss erupted from her throat soon after, almost as if to let it be known that she wasn't too happy to have to chase the rat down.