☵ Hide & Seek ☵
5th of Searing, Year 120, A.o.S
"Common Speech"
"Synskrit Speech"
"Sojin Speech"
"Self-Thoughts"
☵ "Today we begin the first of many lessons in the art of espionage little viper." Sojin noted, his hands clasped behind his back as the two walked the streets of Alfsos. A gleam of excitement shined in the young lord's eyes as they came to an alleyway.
"Your task is simple, stalk me from afar, without tipping me off that I'm being followed." he added, looking to Koto with a smile and nod. It was a simple enough task, and Koto was certain he would pass it. "Now close your eyes and count to ten, when you open them you will have to locate and tail me." he instructed, folding his arms as Koto began to count aloud.
"One, two, three, four, five......." he started counting eager to get this lesson done and over with. Once he reached ten, he found himself alone in the alley, Sojin already was gone. Looking around he decided the best place to stalk from was on high ground, so he began to leap and climb his way onto the roof of a nearby building.
Ascending onto the rooftop, his brown eyes locked on to the bald head of Sojin's as he went about his way down the busy and crowded street, Koto slithering close behind his mentor from above.
"It doesn't seem as if he's noticed me just yet, but I should keep a safe distance just in case he does." He teased, using a hushed tone as to not draw attention to himself. He wanted to make sure he passed this test with flying colors, and wasnt going to leave anything to chance.
Realizing he was getting lost in his own thoughts and losing sight of his prey he smacked himself in order to get a grip and was able to catch up to Sojin as he entered one of the establishments along the city strip. Sojin was heading to a bar, and Koto decided to garner a closer look, climbing down from his advantageous height and stepping into the bar, finding a corner in which he could observe more closely.
Like any other tail, Kotoru's eyes never left his mark; watching every movement Sojin made, who he talked to, what he drank and how many he acted. All of this was important information to the viper, as it would help in keeping tabs on marks and knowing their general routine. For what seemed like an hour, Koto made sure to keep a watchful eye on Sojinn, trying to be as discreet as he could.
Good thing for him, the bar had some spots that were dimly lit, which gave him some well-needed cover in case he got careless in his observations. Finally, after Sojin had his drink, he left the establishment and was on the move again. Koton, not too far behind the man, was keeping a safe distance but made sure he was still able to see his mark while remaining out Sojin's line of sight.
Blending in the crowd of citizens was easy for Koto. Many were either too wrapped in their own conversations or too busy to even notice the young man as he casually walked between groups. Even in all the distractions that littered the town square, Koto did his best to remain on task, though out of the corner of his eye, he swore he saw her, that vile woman that attacked him a few seasons ago. For a brief moment, he froze in fear, not sure what to do, but when he reluctantly looked, no one was there.
Biting his lip he shook his head to get his thoughts in order and looked for his charge again. "Shit! Where did he get off to?" The viper hissed, his eyes frantically dancing around his surrounding in order to find his mark again. He couldnt believe he allowed his focus to break, that he allowed that woman to get inside his head again.
Looking for a good leverage point, the viper used his leaped and lunged and made his way back up onto the high ground. Scanning the crowd below him, he began to panic, moving along the rooftops, jumping from one to the next, desperately in search of his prey. He couldnt find Sojin though.
He couldnt truly believe that Sojin could have disappeared so effortlessly, but it was Sojin, so he wasn't surprised. As he looked over the ledge to people below he strained his eyes to pick Sojin's bald head out of the crowd. It was difficult, damn near frustrating to pick him out of the crowd. He almost wished he could yell the man's name, but for now, he needed to maintain his inconspicuousness, and focus his eyes on that bald head of his.
It was no easy take, one that was working his last nerve for sure. He inched closer, little by little, in order to be at a distance where he could still see but not be in the line of sight of anyone. Though what he wasn't expecting was for Sojin to come from behind him, yanking Koto up into his arms.
"Had this been a real mission, you would be a corpse now. You need to take this more seriously Kotoru. At some point, your life will depend on it." he scolded, patting the young viper on the head in a patronizing manner. The fact that Sojin could get the drop on him irritated the young noble a bit, he thought he had him, or at least was doing a good job of tailing him.
"Overall, however, you did good, you have the potential to be great. Sticking to the high ground was a good choice in my opinion, but next time stick a lower to avoid your shadow being cast. I could see your shadow ahead of me as you moved." he noted, pointing down below to how his own shadow cast as well.
Sucking his teeth Koto shook his head, realizing he had much more work to do. "Don't beat yourself up too much about it Koto, you have time to hone these skills, so you will be fine." he added both men looking out over the bustling streets.
Well, it wasnt all too much of a loss, he now knew where he stands in his skills in the art. Koto would turn that into a driving force. Making his way back onto the roofs, Koto sat there and watched the bodies move about whispering a poem he became found of growing up. "I'm nothing more than a snake. With cold skin and no emotions, as I slither around searching for prey with my tongue, swallowing down whoever & whatever looks tasty." he would whisper that poem in a somewhat melodic fashion, repeating it to himself over and over again.
Indeed, Koto was a snake, slithering along the surface, using his cunning to navigate this city. Who knew what awaited him in the coming days. Leaning over the ledge looking at the sun, Koto felt a bit better, more than he thought he would. It was a nice feeling, knowing that this was only the beginning for him. He was excited to see what lay ahead. ☵
"Your task is simple, stalk me from afar, without tipping me off that I'm being followed." he added, looking to Koto with a smile and nod. It was a simple enough task, and Koto was certain he would pass it. "Now close your eyes and count to ten, when you open them you will have to locate and tail me." he instructed, folding his arms as Koto began to count aloud.
"One, two, three, four, five......." he started counting eager to get this lesson done and over with. Once he reached ten, he found himself alone in the alley, Sojin already was gone. Looking around he decided the best place to stalk from was on high ground, so he began to leap and climb his way onto the roof of a nearby building.
Ascending onto the rooftop, his brown eyes locked on to the bald head of Sojin's as he went about his way down the busy and crowded street, Koto slithering close behind his mentor from above.
"It doesn't seem as if he's noticed me just yet, but I should keep a safe distance just in case he does." He teased, using a hushed tone as to not draw attention to himself. He wanted to make sure he passed this test with flying colors, and wasnt going to leave anything to chance.
Realizing he was getting lost in his own thoughts and losing sight of his prey he smacked himself in order to get a grip and was able to catch up to Sojin as he entered one of the establishments along the city strip. Sojin was heading to a bar, and Koto decided to garner a closer look, climbing down from his advantageous height and stepping into the bar, finding a corner in which he could observe more closely.
Like any other tail, Kotoru's eyes never left his mark; watching every movement Sojin made, who he talked to, what he drank and how many he acted. All of this was important information to the viper, as it would help in keeping tabs on marks and knowing their general routine. For what seemed like an hour, Koto made sure to keep a watchful eye on Sojinn, trying to be as discreet as he could.
Good thing for him, the bar had some spots that were dimly lit, which gave him some well-needed cover in case he got careless in his observations. Finally, after Sojin had his drink, he left the establishment and was on the move again. Koton, not too far behind the man, was keeping a safe distance but made sure he was still able to see his mark while remaining out Sojin's line of sight.
Blending in the crowd of citizens was easy for Koto. Many were either too wrapped in their own conversations or too busy to even notice the young man as he casually walked between groups. Even in all the distractions that littered the town square, Koto did his best to remain on task, though out of the corner of his eye, he swore he saw her, that vile woman that attacked him a few seasons ago. For a brief moment, he froze in fear, not sure what to do, but when he reluctantly looked, no one was there.
Biting his lip he shook his head to get his thoughts in order and looked for his charge again. "Shit! Where did he get off to?" The viper hissed, his eyes frantically dancing around his surrounding in order to find his mark again. He couldnt believe he allowed his focus to break, that he allowed that woman to get inside his head again.
Looking for a good leverage point, the viper used his leaped and lunged and made his way back up onto the high ground. Scanning the crowd below him, he began to panic, moving along the rooftops, jumping from one to the next, desperately in search of his prey. He couldnt find Sojin though.
He couldnt truly believe that Sojin could have disappeared so effortlessly, but it was Sojin, so he wasn't surprised. As he looked over the ledge to people below he strained his eyes to pick Sojin's bald head out of the crowd. It was difficult, damn near frustrating to pick him out of the crowd. He almost wished he could yell the man's name, but for now, he needed to maintain his inconspicuousness, and focus his eyes on that bald head of his.
It was no easy take, one that was working his last nerve for sure. He inched closer, little by little, in order to be at a distance where he could still see but not be in the line of sight of anyone. Though what he wasn't expecting was for Sojin to come from behind him, yanking Koto up into his arms.
"Had this been a real mission, you would be a corpse now. You need to take this more seriously Kotoru. At some point, your life will depend on it." he scolded, patting the young viper on the head in a patronizing manner. The fact that Sojin could get the drop on him irritated the young noble a bit, he thought he had him, or at least was doing a good job of tailing him.
"Overall, however, you did good, you have the potential to be great. Sticking to the high ground was a good choice in my opinion, but next time stick a lower to avoid your shadow being cast. I could see your shadow ahead of me as you moved." he noted, pointing down below to how his own shadow cast as well.
Sucking his teeth Koto shook his head, realizing he had much more work to do. "Don't beat yourself up too much about it Koto, you have time to hone these skills, so you will be fine." he added both men looking out over the bustling streets.
Well, it wasnt all too much of a loss, he now knew where he stands in his skills in the art. Koto would turn that into a driving force. Making his way back onto the roofs, Koto sat there and watched the bodies move about whispering a poem he became found of growing up. "I'm nothing more than a snake. With cold skin and no emotions, as I slither around searching for prey with my tongue, swallowing down whoever & whatever looks tasty." he would whisper that poem in a somewhat melodic fashion, repeating it to himself over and over again.
Indeed, Koto was a snake, slithering along the surface, using his cunning to navigate this city. Who knew what awaited him in the coming days. Leaning over the ledge looking at the sun, Koto felt a bit better, more than he thought he would. It was a nice feeling, knowing that this was only the beginning for him. He was excited to see what lay ahead. ☵
