The end of the show

A sigh was the only response to the stupid question one of his accomplices had asked him. He’d gone over the plan six times now and the man still seemed too thick to pick it up. Sawyer had taken the liberty of conniving a plan to rob a renowned vintner in Brightwater Keep. The target was said to keep their assets in an underground safe that was unguarded for a couple of minutes at dusk and dawn. He’d tried to gather Brightwater Keep’s finest lockpickers and burglars, but apparently, they weren’t available. Since he was going to set sail for Isla de Juegas soon, he needed to get the job done quickly, which had led him to the sorry bunch of idiots he was currently working with. Usually, he was strongly opposed to working with people below his standards, but right now, it had to make do. So, he went over the plan again and again, until they could perfectly recall every little detail. It wasn’t until then that he was satisfied and left the tavern they had met in.

He made his way through the narrow streets of Brightwater Keep, strutting through the crowds of people that accumulated anywhere for whatever reason. Most of the time, he couldn’t be bothered by whatever it was they seemed to be interested in. If anything, it was a decent opportunity to pick a pocket or two. He picked up the sound of people yelling and screaming, which wasn’t all that unusual in this city. The people here were aggressive, drunk and loud. They started fights over nothing, right in the middle of the street. Crime wasn’t too unusual, either. Sawyer didn’t start to worry until the sound of screaming was paired up with the unmistakable scent of smoke. There was fire nearby. A shiver ran down his spine as he was immediately brought back home, to that faithful day when his parents were consumed by the fires of the Great Burning. He could even pick up the same smell of burning flesh. As if steered by an invisible hand, Sawyer walked towards the fire, as if he could do anything to save them now. People were fleeing, panicking. Some of them were actively trying to put the fire out, to no avail. One man in particular caught his eye: A blond-haired man calmly watching the scene unfold from a distance. "That's arson and murder," he started, casually. "The Duke would probably put you to death for that." Sawyer wasn't all that unfamiliar with the justice system here in Brightwater Keep. Rhoynish people weren't all that forgiving, he'd come to learn.

Chaos wasn’t exactly something he was fond of, which is why he noticed the change in the masses immediately. Sawyer was orderly above everything. He liked to keep things neat, to have everything well-organized. The mess of screaming, running people was anything but enjoyable for him. He still emerged himself in the chaos, trying to find out what was actually going on.

For anyone who wasn’t entirely distracted by the raging fire, it wasn’t all that difficult to see who’d been the one to light it. Sawyer’s suspect was eyeing the scene unfold from a distance and seemed to be rather pleased at himself. Casually, he walked up to the other man and addressed him. The man in question took a second to take him in before turning back to the mess he’d made. The culprit didn’t seem too concerned with being found out. On the contrary, a triumphant grin appeared on his face as Sawyer accused him. His mention of the Duke didn’t seem to impress the other all that much. If anything, it seemed like he wanted the man’s attention. The stranger noted that Sawyer didn’t look like the type that would report him. A sly grin appeared on his face. “There’s no money in reporting people,” he noted, shrugging. He wasn’t going to rat out anyone if there wasn’t anything in it for him. “Maybe once there’s a bounty on your head, I’ll be interested.” Ever since his banishment, money had been an issue. It was harder to come by now that he’d lost his property in Navarre and being a mercenary wasn’t all that lucrative in times of peace. He had to resort to things like theft and burgling to make a living. In the meantime, he couldn’t help but notice the hint of red that was on the other man’s lips, before he’d licked it off. It didn’t take much to put one and one together. The man was either a vampire, or just extremely disturbed. Sawyer stared at the remains of the stages for a few seconds. “The play couldn’t possibly have been so bad you felt the need to burn it down,” he remarked with a small grin on his face. He wondered why the man had picked this as the target of his crime. Maybe it was personal, or maybe the man simply had no love for the theatre at all.

Sawyer took a second to observe the various details of the mayhem. The remains of the play and one of its actors were barely visible anymore. However, anyone who’d been in Navarre during the Great Burning would be able to identify the unmistakable scent of burning human flesh. It was something you just couldn’t shake, no matter how much you wanted to. In the meantime, some people had managed to get a hold of the fire, managing to put it on the brink of extinction. The panic started to recede and it would be safe to assume that someone would go looking for a perpetrator anytime now. The man next to Sawyer didn’t seem all that worried. The stranger grinned as he spoke. Asked him if Sawyer was involved in robbery every now and then. “If you’re good at something, never do it for free,” was all he said. He wasn’t going to straight up admit to a crime and incriminate himself. Not even to someone who had just committed one himself. That was simply asking for trouble.

But yes, Sawyer was involved in robberies at times. The shortage of money ever since his banishment had caused him to fall back on a life of crime. Although he didn’t condemn himself for things like murder and theft, he longed for his old life. It didn’t weigh on his conscience nearly as much. The culprit chuckled when Sawyer made his remarked. Apparently, the play was actually that bad. The man told him he’d been an actor in the play himself and that he’d grown tired of it. “Seems like an appropriate reaction,” he replied, sarcastically. It was rather unusual to meet someone who solved their problems by setting things on fire. The blond man then asked his name and Sawyer was happy to give it to him. It was not a bad thing to have his name going around in the Rhoynish underworld. No publicity was bad publicity and God knew Sawyer was in need of some more job opportunities. Besides, it wouldn’t even hurt his reputation all that much, since it wasn’t even his real name. “Not at all. It's Sawyer,” he answered. “How about you?” The man didn't exactly seem to have the intention of withholding personal information, so Sawyer was pretty sure he'd give him his name as well. Surprisingly, the man gestured for Sawyer to follow him, which he strangely ended up doing. He wasn't exactly planning on walking himself right into an ambush, so he stayed alert. “Where are we going?” he then asked, slightly curious where the man would be taking him.