29 Cylus 717
The pecking order for those in the Fence was obvious and F'mos was right at the bottom with no accomplishments brag about. He might have made an example of Flynn who could no longer be a thief in any capacity; but as the Aukari had done so under the orders of Raellen and because of her own reputation in the Fence, it was assumed the fixer was responsible for poor Flynn's fate. F'mos would have it no other way as being known for poisons would only reduce its effectiveness, but he hoped he would at least have earned some consideration among the criminals for his work.
As a former guard himself, it was obvious the Aukari was not excited as the other scum of the Curly Hare with the next job which came through. The only reason he continued to work was because the organisation had plenty of benefits, especially to a deserter with no resources and allies of his own. His first visit was for a lead which proved profitable if not relevant to his goals at the time and ever since, the Fence continued to provide him with information of the city he now called home.
With Cylus came a job of much urgency for the Fence. F'mos obviously did not need to be told of the party which commissioned the Fence and, could easily assume it was one of the many competing groups which made up the ruling body of Etzos. He could think of no other parties which would want a branch of the Special Services Committee raided otherwise. Perhaps there may others in Etzos which could use the documents the Committee held, but unless F'mos himself examined them he would be unable to make a proper guess.
Not that he would ever have a chance of examining the documents because as the lookout, he would not even need to enter the Committee's office.
Unfortunately, there was a problem which complicated things for the Fence which needed to meet a deadline in its job. While it was expected in Cylus that their targets would remain indoors for longer to avoid the cold, the flaying incidents had forced the Etzori indoors most of the time for their own safety. Not only that but in order to calm down its terrified citizens, the city also employed the Black Guard with added patrols until the monstrous mage responsible was caught and executed.
Even with their focus on the rogue mage, it was unlikely the Black Guard would distinguish a flayer from the mundane criminals, especially if they caught either in the act. They were after all, tasked to protect the citizens from all threats which included the Fence as well. The group of thieves could not take the chance they would be ignored for the bigger threat, which was the reason they needed to take some precautions although it would be troublesome and uncomfortable for the person chosen for the task...
F'mos, or as the Aukari had chosen to let the rest of Fence know him as, Vreth.
They were lucky to have chosen him as it was easier for the Aukari to tolerate the cold of Cylus. Whether it was a calculated move by the leader because his telltale red hair, or the callousness of a crook which did not care for someone beneath him, F'mos was forced to be the lookout outside the building of the local branch of the Special Services Committee. He suggested the group wait for night and use the lights in the building as an indication of when they could make their move, but the idea was shot down by the more experienced thieves who believed the delay would cost them their opportunity.
F'mos could not see the connection but he could not dispute it either and sat in a spot across the building to wait until it was vacant. Again, it was something he could not be sure of as he also had no idea how many people would be inside but thankfully Cylus was dark; everyone had to keep their lights even during the day otherwise they would be unable to see anything. If only those fool crooks saw it the same way then like them, F'mos could comfortably wait indoors instead of being exposed to the cold weather.
With only his own Aukari body's heat and some clothes to insulate himself from the weather, he definitely would not be able to make it through the breaks he was expected to wait for. It was an easy enough decision for him to make especially when none of the other thieves would put themselves in the same position. Even if his choice to wait in the gap between two buildings would mean he could miss something, he knew he would be better protected from the cold than if he stayed out in the open. If he was blamed for any failure as a result, F'mos knew he could point out the fact that none of the others chose to take up such a crucial job.
He would not even have to mention where they were, as it would be obvious there was nothing else for them to do until the point they entered the building.
However it seemed like Etzos itself conspired against him as eventually, some Black Guards were attracted to the fire he had made to heat himself up as he waited. It was accompanied with the usual hostility of the Etzori against any race not of their own, even if it was only a suspicion caused by his red hair. They spoke of the usual things which would cause them to be alert; the increased flayings, which was the reason they had to question suspicious individuals such as the Aukari who put himself out in the cold which no sane man would willingly do.
As he had been on the other side of it once upon a time, the Aukari knew some of the excuses which have been used on him before. They may not be effective excuses but at least they made sense and he knew in order to be let off without trouble, he only had to appeal to the senses of the guards. It would be something he would have done, as long as it was not a piss poor excuse and the person making it was not going to be any trouble, he would have let them off himself to avoid any trouble, even if his superiors in Sirothelle had a strong dislike for vagrants.
"The wife forced me out. Didn't even have a chance to grab anything cos she was bashing me head. Don't got a place to go until tomorrow..." he said, as the excuse he believed would work as none of the Black Guards seemed, feminine. One of the Guard's was sympathetic and spoke a little about the troubles he had at home. F'mos was glad as he thought he succeeded but unfortunately while the guard sympathised, he also could not allow the Aukari to remain out where he was. His reasons were good as they were rooted in the fact he did not want the Aukari to fall victim to the flayings or the cold, or whatever else dangers he might face if he spent the night out.
They would however, force F'mos away from his position before he could complete his job. He knew at the very least, he had to buy some time. If not enough for him to sit through the night, at least long enough for his fellows to believe he made the effort. The Aukari expressed his gratefulness to the guard, especially after he was offered some coins for a hired room which he declined, and instead suggested he would leave after he cleared out the mess he made in his temporary shelter.
None of the guards prohibited him from doing so, as long as he was gone before the next trial. The Aukari went through the motions of shuffling the items scattered around him to make room, until the guards left and it was not until nearly a break later when he saw the lights in the building he watched over dying one by one until finally, a few people left through the door and were on their way. It seemed his job was close to being complete and he would be able to leave it up to the rest of the crew.
'Finally!'
He quickly cleared out what remained around him to remove any evidence of him ever being there, before he did as he was instructed. He put out the fire which kept him warmer than his own body could have alone, and turned on the lantern he was given. The sign for the others participants of this job that they could get on with getting the items they were hired to obtain.
However as F'mos had finished his part, he was already gone before the rest of the crew arrived. Not even to make sure they were on to their part of the job so just in case they messed it up, he would not be caught up with the rest of them.
