Gatling Rain on a Steam Filled Morn

Night fished the remainder of the throwing knives she owned out of her pouch, counted them and set them back in place. Five left. Then she stopped walking. She gave the dark alley she were in a stern brow. Why in Equestria did she just let that pass her by? Not a word from him, not even a reason why he chose to save her....actually, it were to be a hero. Well, that could be reason enough. Fits the bill. Mysterious stranger, cloaked in old rags to hide what actually...looked like very good armor underneath. His skill in flying is...on point, and he faced off with one of Luna's Guard Captains in seconds, and won. That's virtual gold...working with someone like that...No no, he's being a hero, saving people. Hrumph.

Night sighed, rubbing her forehead for a moment. She checked behind her (no one there), and then took off at a run. Then she climbed the walls of the alley, parkouring her way to the top of the shortest building. She had places to be, places to explore. And an outfit to change into...Continuing to look like a thief prepared for a fight and nighttime stealth doesn't help your matters much. With a shrug, she simply pulled herself up onto a ledge, turned around, lept forward, grabbed the bar overhead, then swung herself over the edge onto the next level.

Night stood up, and turned around, running smack into...Waltz. Of all people. She looked up at him silently, and he stared down equally as silent.

"Uh. Fancy meeting you here."

He didn't budge. Night moved to the side, and he blocked her advance. Then shook his head.

"What do you mean no?! I'm not standing this close anymore, creep, and...", she paused, looking behind him. Waltz covered her view, she moved to the other side, he covered her view again, repeating until finally she socked him in the groin and whipped past him.

And into his home.

It were chucked full of trinkets. While not exactly of value, mostly, it was like browsing a shop to steal from in Night's eyes. About five seconds into her perusing, she reached for something, and subsequently had a claymore pit between her and the object, Waltz grabbed her, and yanked her to the ground. He put one foot on one hand, then grabbed the other. He picked her up, grabbed her second hand, and held them at length so she couldn't move or grab anything, lead her out of his home. He didn't push her off the ledge, but he put her to the entrance, and stood sentry in the doorway, full on preventing her from getting into his house a second time.

"Ok, first off, meeting like this is...is insane! Hard to explain, but anyway! Is this your home?", she asked with a smile.

He didn't budge.

"Alright, I'll cut you a deal, since if I really wanted to, I could just stab you and take whatever I want. I. Won't. Steal. Anything! Kay? Promise.", she held her hand out. Waltz spun around a full three hundred and sixty degrees, grabbed her hand by the wrist, then bound the two of them together. He nodded. "You gotta be kidding me..."

He pulled his book from it's pouch, then flipped to a specific page, holding it open to her. It were a set of rules.

My house, my rules.

No one enters my house.

Kill trespassers.

The last line were scratched out.

Night looked up at Waltz. He smiled.

"Look. I guess I could do my hero a favor.", she drew a knife from her belt, cut the bindings clean, then stowed the knife. "I won't steal anything, but I'm not going to be tied to you. Damn hermit."

He sloughed the binds off his wrist, then picked a sign up from atop a crate beside him. It read, "Not a Hermit."

"You have a sign for that?"

He pursed his lips, nodding his head.

"Hermit."

He shook his head, and entered his own home. With a huff, he motioned for her to enter. And she did. without hesitation. In fact, she practically hopped into the small room.

It were like a junk yard, only...organized. Wind chimes everywhere, some made of scrap metal (though very well made), engine parts everywhere, even a full engine sat in the corner on a table. Like, full on casing, complete engine, and a good ten blade turbine. Bout the size of a schooner engine. The room, as it were, was set into an old clock tower. Old was literally the most basic way to say it. New wood, younger than the stone it was set into, had replaced what had to have been decades old wood that was set before it. The windows, which could be opened, were refitted with new wood as well, and actually very well made. Smooth finish, nice texture.

The rest was the junk part of the home. While it wasn't exactly garbage, it was a lot of old trinkets, objects, baubles, random stuff just set on display, and on only one table sat what looked like a shrine. Or...trophies. As Night observed the table, she noticed quite a few hard-to-acquire objects. Like the core of a brass machino golem. You literally would have to pull this out of it's chest to stop it, and it is embedded beneath at least a quarter meter thick shell of machinery and armor. The golem does not stop working until the core is removed or the core dies, which happens thousands of years from the point the golem is activated. This object on this table is still humming with energy, literally. It's barely audible, but it's there. Night made to grab it, and Waltz pushed her away from the table. Rather gently, like moving a child away from something breakable.

"Excuse you! You could just say- Oh right...", she looked away. "You've...got quite an impressive collection here though. Hmm. Anyways, I need to get back to my own business. I've got other interests, things to steal, places to explore, yada yada. It was actually kinda cool to see you again. Maybe I can ask you this again. Why did you save me?"

He raised a brow, then pulled his book from his belt.

"I'm not accepting, 'Because I wanted to be a hero.' See, I'm a thief. It was obvious, plain as day that the city guards...actually, Luna's guards, were after me and in full uniform, and very pissed off. Enough to send three ships after me, send a captain to execute me in the street, and onwards. Hero or not, whyyyyy....Now that I think of it, saving a damsel in distress from such...you're hitting on me, aren't you?"

He stared at her. for a logn moment. then wrote in his book. Let's start back at square one. I don't know your name.

"Yeah you do. I told you my name, hero. Waltz was it?"

Waltz nodded, then traded his book for a stone slab and engraved silvery metal stylus. As he wrote on the slab, it engraved it in the stone. He gave an example, showed her a line, then wiped the line clean off with his bare hand.

"Whooooooaaa! Why the fuck don't you carry that damn thing when you wanna talk to someone?", she asked.

He held it to her, and she grabbed it, almost falling forward as he let go. "Gahfah!!! Heavy!!", she lifted the object with both hands. "Now I see why. Unnecessarily heavy.", she held it back to Waltz, whom took it and began writing.

I don't expect you to give me your real name. You're a thief. You had the royal guard after you.

"Wow, you're fast at writing."

He wiped it clean.

"My name really is Night. In full, my name is Nightmares and Sweet Dreams."

He looked down at her with an annoyed look, then scribbled on his slab. I find that hard to believe, but I'll still believe it anyway. When she waved off his slab, he rolled his eyes and wiped it clean. Then he wrote more on it. Why are you here?

"Oh. Yeah. I was literally just doin' some parkour. Needed to get somewhere in the rafters of an old, large building or something. I need to change, and I don't do it in public. I'm also wanted right now, people are hunting for me. Was cool bumping into you on a rooftop, though. Great to see great minds think alike.", she smiled.

He shook his head.

"Whatever, I know you're not a thief, and uh...you actually did do something very illegal."

He scribbled something quick. I don't care.

"Really? Uhhh, how about we showcase what our haul is. Adventurer, as it seems you are, versus a good thief. I have...", Night reached into the bag secured to her side. She pulled out a metal object. "Luna's tiara."

Waltz stared at the object in awe for a moment. Then spun around, grabbed something, then held that metal collar to Night. She looked at it with a smirk. "You can't compare something like that to this!"

He tapped the gem in it's center, which he popped out very easily. Then point to the tiara. Night inspected the object in her hands, and then noticed the gems faceted into it. "Ohhhhhhhh!"

He held his slab up. Trade?

She squinted her eyes at him. "For what?"

He looked at the table beside him, looked across the room, then sat down to stare ahead in thought.

Night simply observed the tiara a bit more, drew one of her knives, and then edged the tip into the facet, popping the gem out. "Here. Just take it.", she held the gem out to him. Whom snatched it from her hands greedily, fit it into the socket easily with a smile, then popped it back out, reaching into the crate beside the table to pull out a stone pillar. It had a similar facet. Slotting the gem into place made it shift and transform into a tool of sorts. Different tips for different uses, looked like it could be a hammer, screwdriver, cork screw, pliers, the list continued. He then used it to fiddle with the collar for a moment. Sparks began flying as he altered it.

"Wellllll...", Night sighed. "That's cool. And you don't actually have to trade me anything for it."

Waltz grabbed the old gem that fit into the collar, and held it to her. She took it, fit it into the facet on Luna's Tiara, then nodded her head.

"Thanks. No difference whatsoever."

"Because you are beautiful."

Night turned her gaze to him, but didn't budge a single muscle. The collar on Waltz's neck shifted for a good moment, collapsing itself, making itself smaller and more compact without actually losing it's worth and effectiveness.

"You ask why, that is reason number one. And those are the first words I have ever spoken.", he smiled.

Night blushed, thinking of the very way she looked, and it brought her to look away. "So, uh...I didn't really...think too highly of my looks, and...You got a mirror?"

"To your left."

Night turned to her side, and stared at her reflection. Just a small mirror hanging on a stacked crate. Her mane had seen better days, but otherwise, it's held together finely, her wavy locks aren't exactly perfect or the best they could be, but they framed her face nicely, and her face was rather cute, now that she actually paid attention.

"Well...thanks for the compliment, hero..."

"Anything for a damsel in distress."

"Wow.", she laughed breathily. "You're the full package, huh? Hero and a flatterer.", she swallowed, clearing her throat. "So...That's cool and all, but this might be where we part ways. I'm not staying here, hero. Especially after I stole Luna's Tiara. I'm going to find a hiding spot, change, and then walk onto a luxury transport ship to just get the hell out. I didn't intend to stay from the beginning, hero. Sorry to bust your bubble."

Waltz nodded. "It's fine. Was worth a shot. Don't exactly get to rescue a damsel, such as yourself, every day. Definitely worth the reward.", he held the knife she gave him up, then embedded the tip into the table beside him. Another trophy.

Silence passed between the two as Night looked away in thought. She rubbed her arm, then shrugged, "I guess it is a big city, could stay a while."

"Well that sounds like wonderful news to me. Maybe I'll get to actually, I dunno, buy you a drink some time. Or lunch. Or dinner."

"Heh. I think I'd like that. Not too many people ever really give me the time of day. Or...have a chance to. Plus, there is no way this could be some kind of ruse to trick me into turning me in! You live in a clock tower! which...", she looked the clockwork in the center of the room up and down. "Does it work? I'd figure you would fix it."

"Can't. Don't have the right parts. Unfortunately."

"I'll tell you what's up. I'm...kind of flattered, and I've not reallllly had the chance to get close to someone, outside of putting on a slutty ruse to steal from a rich stallions pocket. So, this may be genuine as it gets. And you apparently have interest in me, so...can we give it a shot?"

Waltz chuckled, "Never had a love interest before?"

"No. Not really."

"Well, then we're in the same boat. Pitch. I like the idea of a hero and a thief getting together for a little one on one. But we do this like a hero and a thief. You've got things to steal, I've got people to save."

"There isn't much to steal here. It's a very small sky island."

"There aren't much people to save here. It's a very small sky island."

"So what are you getting at, then, since we're both in agreement that this sky island is too small?"

Waltz look around his room of trophies, taking a deep breath and letting loose a sigh. "We both move. To somewhere else. How about the sky islands of the East? Their cities are beautiful, and there is plenty for both of us to do. But. Hear me out. We keep this charade going and see how far it takes us."

"You're planning for long term.", she chuckled once. "Expecting a lot, aren't you?"

"Well, I do know from my own sources that there are plenty of things to steal in Gaochang City. And plenty of people to save. And plenty of criminals to mingle with or fight."

"Sounds like a great place to go."

"I also know that there is a ship headed that way and I booked myself a room."

"Too fast, hero. I'm not even sharing a room with you until we've had our first date."

"You don't have to. The room right beside mine is staying empty. Of passengers. Rich folk are using it to store their belongings. I would say have a field day rummaging through their belongings, but there will be a bed. And air vents."

"Now you're talking. So. Hero. How did you come up with this idea?"

"Off the top of my head.", Waltz leaned back in his chair. He fiddled with his collar. "This thing is irritating. Now. We both have an opportunity to take a leap into something that could be perfect, the greatest thing to happen to the both of us. The only thing we have left to discuss in this conversation is whether or not you'll take the bait."

"Well, hook, line, and sinker. You really gonna stick around with me in this world, hero?"

"I won't help you. But I also won't stop you."

"Oh, I feel privileged. So we just take a ship to Gaochang city and play the roles of thief and hero and go from there?"

"Tis the plan."

"You do know how sappy this sounds, right?"

"I always wanted a storybook romance."

"Well, I'm definitely interested. But I'm headed to that ship now."

"South docks. The eastern ship. Can't miss it."

"Got it.", Night skipped to the doorway. Windowsill. "And before I go...", she held her hand up, holding a white metal knife. Waltz double checked his table where he had mounted the knife, finding it amiss. "Yup. I'm taking this back. You want it back, then steal it back.", she chuckled. "And...I've lived a life of running and thieving. This is as low as my guard is going to get, hero. Next time we meet, don't expect me to be so open. See ya round, hero.", she waved him off as she skipped through the window.

Quinn smiled. Then yanked off the collar, scratching his neck. He shook his head, tossed it onto the table, then overlooked his home, enjoying the sights of where he lived before he would finally leave to someplace new. Not the first time out, not the last time here, he hoped.

A leap to the wind...

Waltz grabbed only a single bag from beside the one table, fitted his irritating collar back on, and then grabbed the last item of his ensemble. His sword. Big and mighty in it's own right, the very claymore he has won countless battles with. From there, he simply gave his home a single lookover, then parted ways. Another adventure, one that he hopes brings another trophy home.