The scene is a large courtyard just inside the landward gates of Elamoore's market quarter. The Courtyard is lined with artisan shops and inns, several side streets leading into the wealthy quarter perpendicular to a large causeway that crosses a bridge over the grand canal and runs on either side of the dock-marked waterway. The area bustles with activity, the noise of criers and barkers for the stores, and the bustle of a multitude of shoppers, messengers and caravan masters mixed with the crusty workers of the dock.

The grand canal is the most magnificent sight in the city. River barges and galleys tied up to the various docks unload their wares, under rows of air ships, tied to a row of airdocks that run just outside the watercourse.

Just off the docks, nestled in plaza after plaza, are the market Bazaars, where anything and everything found going into or out of Himar can be found if one has the time to look. From a small inn nestled in between the great market places, a lone vulpine figure emerges from dinner to get his bearings in the new city into which he just arrived…

Darius, a robed healer, is standing amongst the crowd in the courtyard. He's a tall vulpae, or fox. His headfur is tied back and a dark brown with light highlights in it. His eyes, a gentle amber, scan the surroundings. There's a gentleness to this fox… and a great sadness. As if he bears some horrible weight on his shoulders.

Darius looks about the street. o O {Okay Jari… Darius. Time to locate Achimed.}

The air smells heavy and foul, rich with the smell of the river, the multitude of close packed bodies and the open sewer ditch running down the center of the causway to empty into the canal. "DULCE MAE!" Comes a yell from above and the Vulpine is narrowly missed by a bucket of washwater from a window 3 floors above. Furries scatter to avoid it, the less slow shaking fists and heaving obscenities to the unseen maid above.

Darius's nose winkles slightly, "Gah. Why would anyone choose to live here." He looks at where the water landed and is glad he wasn't under it, phew.

Urchins with several guards in pursuit scamper into the crowd from the nearby city gate.

Darius checks his chitin sword, insuring it's buried within the folds of his robe. o O {Alright, where to start… ? Hm, the merchants' quarter would be good. Achimed may try to sell it there.}

The crown bustles and moves about Darius as it ebbs and flows to its various locations within the market quarter, bumping into him when he isn't quick enough to get out of the way.

Darius smiles and mutters apologies every time he's bumped into, his fault or not…

Darius thinks. o O {Also, I need to get some clothing tailored. Hmm. First things first, I must recover the crydonian sword.}

A barker approaches Darius from the store he is passing in front of. "Good evening, Sir! Would you like to come and see a sample of the finest textile dyes in all of Himar?"

Darius smiles to the barker, "Actually, sir, I'm looking for shops that deal in the buying and selling of metals, scrap or fine."

The Barker shakes his head. "Afraid I do not know of any of those. Thanks for your time! Excuse me miss, would you be interested… "

Darius chuckles and continues through the market… His eyes scan the crowd and shops, looking for anything that may point him in the right direction…

Various shops pass by: textiles, hemp, jewelry, spices, glassware, hair dyes… The list is endless as the crowd bumps and jostles the fox as he walks ar- Wait… That sword looked familiar…

Darius stops…

Darius returns to where he just saw a sword…

Across the crowd is a poodle in rich fineries, talking animatedly to his bodyguards as he shows off his sword… "Darius'" sword? Could it be?

Darius tries to make his way through the crowd to the poodle…

The poodle waves his sword with a flourish. Several of the guards duck.

Darius shouts at the poodle, "Sir!!!! May I speak with you?"

The poodle waves at his guards and leads them energetically forward, down the street, away from Darius. He doesn't seem to have heard. As he strolls, he rewraps the sword in a length of fine silk.

Darius continues after the poodle, "Sir! What a minute!!! Please!"

Darius pushes his way through the crowd, manners forgotten for the moment…

Though the poodle doesn't seem to be aware of Darius, the ears of one of the wolves guarding him flicks backwards. Perhaps someone is noticing. One head turns and a yellow eye fixes on the target, Darius, that's making all that noise. Doesn't look like a friend of the lord's. One hand slips toward the dagger and sword and loosens them.

Darius waves at the guard, "Could you stop him, please?!? I need to speak with him!"

The poodle rounds the corner and a large golden-eyed wolf steps in Darius' way. "What's your business with Lord Zefram?"

A crate of goods crashes down on the dock as some workers lose their footing. Furious shouting over the noise of the crowd shows the merchant was in the vicinity…

Darius pants, "I saw that sword… *pant* I'm a servant of Sir Jarik Fireclaw… We've journeyed far to recover a sword of metal that was stolen from him… *pant* I wanted to see if that was the one… *pant*"

Darius wheezes, "It was taken to this city by a… 'fence'? I think they're called. We've persued him for many weeks… "

"Have your lord call on my lord at his house or his club," the wolf says loftily. He spins on his heel, muttering about manners. Ahead of him, the poodle swats at a bystander with the cloth-wrapped sword.

Darius sighs and continues after the poodle, "Sir! Please stop! I must talk with you!"

Several rag-clad Kavi kits scamper through the crowd, throwing sticky burrs.

Darius thinks. o O {I'm this close now… I can't give up, I MUST recover it.}

The wolf wheels and grabs Darius, "Are you DEAF?" he snarls. The poodle turns, as do the rest of his bodyguard. The cloth-wrapped sword swats against another passerby and there's a shriek of pain and a yelp of "HELP! MURDER!!! HE'S TRYING TO MURDER ME!!!"

Darius keeps trying to get the poodle's attention… He waves at him! "Sir! Please, may I speak to you?"

Darius looks at the guard, trying to look helpless, "I'm but a simple healer, sir. I'm no threat to your lord… "

The crowd backs away from the yelling passerby… then soon reforms as the curious replace the wary…

One of the guards turns on the yelping passerby – a cur of no particular breed or breeding. "'Ere!!!" the mongrel yowls, "Y'saw 'im yerself!!! High an mighty lordling he is, 'e wants tuh murder th' lot of us!! It isn't enough that he makes us work his bloody shops for pennies… now e wants to murder us!"

Darius hangs limply in the wolf's grasp.

Darius looks at the poodle, "Please, sir. I beg you. May I speak with you?"

Lord Zefrin is apparently not popular with the crowd. "BACK!" he says, and brandishes the sword. "BACK!" The guards duck the wild swipe and the mongrel backs and howls "MURDER!"

Darius tries to see the sword…

Darius thinks. o O {Please, let it be mine… }

Murmers of merth rise and fall amongst the watching crowd, mostly drinkers from an adjacent bar. The majority of the crowd is keeping a wide berth of the noise, content with their own business, and wary of the waving blade.

The cur punches a guard and the guard punches back. Another rushes in. The poodle unwraps his sword and waves it like a flag or an umbrella. "CHARGE!" he orders his guard… unwisely. They lunge toward the cur, who slips loose and begins running toward Darius.

Darius moves toward the cur and the poodle-lord…

Darius waves his arms, "Please! Stop! There need be no bloodshed! Please! I am a fox of peace!"

The curr backs off and yells obscenities at the bodyguard, his fellows giving him loud vocal support but keeping their distance.

The guards make a lunge for the cur and the poodle, the sword now uncovered and being waved in the air like a silvery flag, storms along after them shouting 'GET HIM!" The mongrel starts to make an escape on very quick feet, running right past Darius and nearly knocking him over.

Darius moves aside… He does not want to become part of a brawl…

The bar crowd hoots and jeers at the scuffling and boos the fox as the urchins reappear and throw burrs at Darius!

Darius tries to move close to the poodle. His ears droop at the jeers but he has no choice. That weapon must be reclaimed…

The poodle runs past Darius, waving the sword, a metal two hander with a heavy point and thin Forte. "Leave him be, lads. We must get home"

Darius tries to grab the poodle's shoulder, "Sir… *gasp* May I speak with you?"

The bodyguards return, muscling Darius aside, "Hands off, or loose thempermanently."

Darius drops to a knee in front of the guards and the poodle, "Sir, please. May I speak with you?"

Darius thinks. o O {*sigh* So close.}

The idlers watch from the comfort of the tavern. Darius can hear side bets being made on whether he'll survive the guards.

An urchin leaps in between Darius and the poodle before the guards can react. He throws a pawful of cockleburrs into Darius' fur and hollers at the noble. The poodle who steps back in surprise right into the urchin's friend who is on all fours behind him. He trips and goes down heavily, dropping the sword.

Darius pants, his head lowered, "I am Darius T'anar, serve… " He blinks as the sword is dropped! Using his other leg he SPRINGS forward toward the sword!

Darius's right hand is extended, prepared to grasp the hilt. o O {Please… please… }

The urchin leaps up from under the noble and darts through a bodyguard's legs… right into the path of Darius, who plows headlong into him, toppling both into a heap.

Darius scrabbles over the urchin, trying to push him away… He drags himself along the ground with his claws and toward the sword! His hand extends and his fingers touch the hilt. Just for a moment, he can feel his link to the blade activate… The sword begins to charge… a tendril of blue begins to crawl up the blade…

"STOP THIEVES!" screams the Nobleman as the guards scramble to tackle Darius and the urchin tangled up with him.

THUMP! A heavy boot stomps onto Darius's paw, an angry bodyguard attached.

Darius snarls and BITES into the leg that's tromped onto his paw!

The guard yowls, and pummels Darius, while his fellow struggles the contain the squirming urchin. The other urchin appears from nowhere and scoops up the sword, the noble poodle in close noisy pursuit as the bar crowd cheers the day's entertainment, betting!

The second bodyguard drops the urchin, and bee-lines after his charge who is rapidly disappearing into the crowd waving his fist!

Darius howls as his link with the weapon is shattered! The blue fades from the blade as it's carried off… Every blow seeks to enrage the fox further… He strikes out with a left fist, straight up…

The guard curls up, planting a heavy kick in Darius' eye, before doubling over and stumbling to the wall as he gasps for air.

Darius grabs at his face and curls up, "Gah!" The bone aches around his eye, but it's intact, as is his eye, thankfully.

Darius pushes himself to his knees… His eye has swollen almost shut… The good eye searches the crowd for the urchin…

The second bodyguard runs in a painful crouch after his fellows as the bar crowd hoots in high voices after him!

Darius gets back to his feet, one hand over his eye. He snarls and charges after the bodyguards and urchins… The one that's walking in a crouch he uses as a springboard… pushing the guard into the ground and him further ahead…

The bodyguard goes down, a handful of Darius' tailfur in his paw from his almost catching him. The crowd parts to get out of his way, but some aren't fast enough and he runs headlong into a lady otter dressed in a fine gown and fashionable hat.

Darius falls with an undignified *fwump!* onto the ground, right along with the lady otter. He tries to smile at her, one side of his face swollen, it looks more like a grimace, "I'm sorry, M'lady… " He tries to detangle himself again and help her up…

The Lady shrieks and squirms from Darius as she looks for her hat in the sea of moving feet and hooves. "My mother's hat!" She finally finds it, atop a rather masterful pile of ofal in the street's sewer ditch, crying as she picks it up and makes a horrified face.

Darius gets up again, thankful that the lady seems to be okay. He looks through the crowd, hoping the urchin and guards are still in view…

Darius aaghs and grabs his eye again!

SMACK! The distracted fox doesnt see the white gloved paw coming until it impacts right over his swollen eye. The next thing he sees once the stars clear is the otter disappearing into the crowd with a dignified, yet stiffly angry, gait.

Darius aaghs and grabs his eye again!

Darius holds the side of his head, making a mental note to bandage his eye tonight…

As the fox stands and looks about, there is no sign of the urchin or guards, although a large procession of halberds bobbing in the crowd indicate the watch's arrival to see what all the noise is about!

Darius ducks into the crowd and tries to disappear…

Darius sneaks his way through the crowd back to the inn he's been staying at…

Darius tries, rather…

The innkeeper looks strangely at Darius as he enters the hotel. He continues to stare as the fox looks out the window to check for pursuit.

The old tabby cat looks at the fox. "Ken I hep ya there, young Mister?"

Darius holds the side of his face, "I'd like my room again for the night, please. Oh… " Darius adds, "I don't wish to be disturbed… I have to attend to some injuries… How much do I owe?"

The tabby looks over his books, "Ten shekels for room and meal, up front same as before… " He thinks, "Add one more and I'll get you a block of ice for that eye."

Darius nods to the tabby, "Please do." He rummages around inside his robes until he locates his beltpouch. Nimbly, his fingers count out 11 shekels. He extends his hand to the tabby and gives him the money, "Thank you, sir."

The tabby nods and looks at Darius warily one more time. "No noise!" he says as he looks again at the swollen eye. "The maid will be up with your ice in a moment."

Darius nods to the tabby and goes upstairs to his room… The fox enters the small but comfortable room, it's nothing fancy, just a bed and a table. He takes a seat on the bed, and sets his beltpouch on the table. Darius empties the contents, a coinpurse, several vials, some bandages, a little packet of hooked and bent needles for suturing, a set of tweezers, and a small, chitin blade that serves as a scalpel. As he's done many times before, he takes a bandage and applies some salve to it. It'll keep it from infection and help the swelling. He places this over his eye and wraps another bandage around it and his head, creating a makeshift eyepatch… Darius then goes to putting his belongings back into the beltpouch when there's a knock on the door… "You ordered some ice, sir?" A voice calls out…

Darius smiles, "Yes, I did M'lady, please bring it in… "

The maid enters and hands the bandaged fox the ice, she's probably not even 13 years old.

"Ooo! You look just like a pirate!" she exclaims and giggles!

Darius chuckles with her and takes the ice…

As she leaves she calls out, "Arrrr!" and runs down the stairs giggling.

Darius sighs to himself. o O {Jarik, old boy, you have the worst luck… you where SO close, SO close. Well, next time, I will have my sword again. Yes, the legacy of Crydon will once again be in my posession… } Darius collapses onto the bed, holding the ice on his eye and bandage, planning just what to do next…