Gone Awry [Open]

[DerpRavener]

The moon was high up in the sky, bathing the Ponyville streets in a pale light. Most ordinary ponies had retired for the night.

Much to her frustration, Naj found herself neither ordinary nor properly a pony at the moment. The changeling drone was in her natural form at the moment, as she was being pursued by the guard and didn't want to risk her other identity. So for now, she ran down the nearly empty streets, startling the occasional passerby though fortunately running into only a few of them at this time of night.

Noting that she seemed to have outpaced her pursuers somewhat, she slowed her pace a little as she reviewed her situation.

It should have been a simple enough task. Travel between towns meant a potential scarcity of food for a changeling, and as Naj had just finished such a journey she was hungrier than usual. Fearing that her usual, passive feeding method wouldn't be enough, she had to turn to plan B: sneaking into somepony's house and feed off of some love directly, while they slept. She didn't particularly like the method, for a few different reasons, but she'd done it once or twice before. With a little restraint, the pony would have nothing worse than a little extra tiredness and a mild headache the next day.

That was of course, assuming things go according to plan. When one unknowingly picks a target whose spouse doesn't get home until very late in the evening well, the feeding gets interrupted, to say the least. Naj though herself fortunate to have gotten as much as she did before the whole thing went belly-up.

The changeling's train of thought was interrupted by reaching an area she recognized. She darted into an alleyway that she knew would be empty at this time of night, and after making absolutely sure she wasn't being watched, donned her usual disguise with a flash of green fire.

'Spring Breeze' forced herself to calm down as she slowly walked back to the entrance of the alleyway. She felt a sudden tiredness wash over her as the adrenaline faded, which the red coated pegasus planned to incorporate into her cover: she hoped that in trying to catch an actively fleeing changeling, her pursuers would pass by a tired, homeless pegasus without incident.

'Sping Breeze' lay down just beyond the entrance to the alley, keeping an eye and ear on the lane ahead to see, and awaiting the clatter of guard hooves.

[PyroBlaze]

Well, this job had been a bust. Not only had it been a trap set for somepony like him, he fell for it and lost a couple of knives trying to get out of it. The item hadn't even actually been there either, it had been replaced with a fake. Xan sighed, flying through the night to escape his pursuers. He glanced back and still saw the same pegusi guards flying after him. Why him? Why couldn't have been some other thief to spring the trap?

He increased his speed, racing over the roofs below him. Nopony down there would be able to see him, not while it was night time, and especially not at this speed, but those guards were still close enough to see him. He increased his speed further, trying to put enough distance between him and the guards to escape. He looked back again, and the guards were far enough away that they wouldn't be able to see him very easily. He dove down, losing a little speed in the turn. Aiming for an alley, he went straight down, picking up speed due to gravity.

Before he hit the ground, Xan opened his wings and slowed his fall. He still had to roll when he landed, to lessen the force of the landing. He looked up at the sky and saw the guards fly by overhead. He had been successful in losing them, but now what? He simply stood around in the dark alley, his cloak and his coat blending in with the shadows. Looking to the opening to the alley, he saw a red Pegasus laying around outside the entrance. He got closer to her, stopping at the edge of the shadows. She seemed tired, just like he was now, and she seemed to be awaiting something. He made a slight coughing noise, announcing his presence to the mare, but decided to say nothing.

[DerpRavener]

Having dismissed the whistling noise she'd heard as the wind, 'Spring Breeze' was startled by a sudden cough from behind her. She instinctively whipped around and assumed defensive stance, and for a terror-filled moment thought her current identity had been compromised.

However, as the interloper seemed to be neither charging at her nor running off to alert guardsponies of her location, she quickly guessed that that wasn't the case. 'Spring Breeze' breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed her stance, though she thought it better to remain a little on guard. “You startled me...” she half mumbled.

Seeing no immediate danger and calming down a second time, 'Spring Breeze' lay down again and got a better look at her new (and she was assuming temporary) companion, particularly noting the face-obscuring hood and the weapon on his back.

Though loathe to strike up a conversation while trying to lay low, both her caution and her natural curiosity demanded a question or two. She forced a small smile and quietly asked “So, what brings you to the alleys at this time of night?”

[PyroBlaze]

Xan gave a slight smirk when he saw the effect his cough had on the mare. She had reacted rather violently to his presence, but he didn't move a muscle. She seemed to relax, though not completely. That was smart. What she said made him snort. "Really? How would I have guessed that?" He said sarcastically, under his breath.

The mare seemed to calm herself even more, laying down and looking at him. She seemed to be examining him, but she didn't show any emotion about what she saw of him. Then she spoke, smiling slightly and asking him what he was doing in the alley.

"I just needed a place to... rest... after the flight I just finished. The alley seemed as good a place as any to rest, so here I am." Xan replied, talking quietly in case the guards circled back.

[DerpRavener]

'Spring Breeze' raised an eyebrow at the stallion's response. He had technically answered the question, yet had clearly avoided providing some pertinent information. Having never really been trained in actual lying, it was a technique the false pegasus was quite familiar with. She still didn't actually know anything about this pony, though. “That's, uh, quite the getup for a leisurely evening flight.”

Reflecting on it for a moment however, 'Spring Breeze' realized that the last thing she needed was to start a confrontation. She wanted to learn more about him, butl she couldn't afford to antagonize him pushing too hard. She dismissed her comment with a wave of her hoof as she said, “Ahh, but that's none of my business, is it.”

Turning her attention back to the street, 'Spring Breeze' watched as a pair of guardsponies ran past. They took a quick glance down the alleyway, but moved on without giving it so much as a second look. 'Spring Breeze' smiled inwardly, as her little ruse appeared to have worked. For now anyways. The guard was bound to be on alert still, so she still had plenty of time to ruin it if she did something stupid.

She waited a minute before asking any more questions, just to be safe. This didn't seem like the easiest stallion to get to know, but if she could keep him talking she might be able to get SOME information about him. And even if not, maybe she could at least scrape up some positive emotions. She doubted it would provide much nourishment, but 'Spring Breeze' would take whatever she could get at this point.

She turned back to the stallion and finally introduced herself. “So, eh, I'm Spring Breeze. What's your name?”

[PyroBlaze]

She seemed aware of his lie, but there was nothing he could do about that. He watched her, barely raising an eyebrow when she commented about what he was wearing. He had never said it was a leisurely flight. Oh well, that was better than her assuming it was the other way. Then she dismissed her own comment, waving a hoof in the air.

He heard the guards before he saw them. He backed up further into the shadows, and it worked. The guards went past the alley without a second glance. He wondered why the mare hadn't alerted the guard to his presence. This mare seemed to be trying to not draw attention to herself for some reason. After the sound of the guards had faded away, Xan moved back to his position on the edge of the shadows.

Then the mare introduced herself as Spring Breeze. Then she asked about his name. He quickly weighed his options, wondering how much he should tell Spring. He eventually decided he'd tell her the name he went by, leaving out the rest of his name.

"I'm Xan." He said simply. He didn't want to give out too much info, in case Spring decided to turn him in after all.

[DerpRavener]

'Spring Breeze' blinked at the name the stallion gave, and tilted her head to the side for a moment. She'd hardly call herself an expert on pony names, having had to just learn many herself, but that one struck her as odd. It almost sounded more changeling than pony...

Though she realized after a moment that it was most likely a nickname or an alias. The stallion had been restricting himself to half-truths before, and there was no reason to think he wouldn't continue to do so with his name as well.

Not that it mattered in the long run. A name was really just an identifier. She didn't need his full name to be friendly get relevant information, and besides 'Spring Breeze' didn't really expect she'd be seeing him again after this anyways. Though that did bring another question to mind.

She also noted that he'd concealed himself as the pair of guards passed, (in fact, if she hadn't known where he was already she suspected she wouldn't have noticed him either) which meant that the stallion wasn't an ally of the guard either. Not that it came as a surprise, his getup and his vague responses had her already thinking along those lines, but it was still a minor relief to see it confirmed.

'Spring Breeze' stood up and starting slowly walking away from alley's entrance as she asked, “So whereabouts do you live? Somewhere around here, or are you from out of town?”

[PyroBlaze]

Spring seemed confused by the name he gave. Understandable, his name wasn't exactly a typical pony name. Then again, he hadn't lived a typical pony life either. She'd seemed to accept his name, but she still remained silent. He may not look it, but he was on high alert, watching out for any signs of more guards and any signs of betrayal from Spring.

Spring stood up and started walking away from the entrance. Xan frowned at this, was she trying to draw him out of the shadows? He couldn't just stroll down the street, not with the guard looking for him. He peeked down the street, but it was too well lit to give him many places to hide. He decided he'd take to the air, fly in the shadows above the street lights. He flew slowly, keeping pace over Spring. He looked down at Spring as she asked where he lived.

"Nowhere in particular. I sleep wherever I can find. I'm from out of town everywhere I go." Xan said, carefully listening for any more wing sounds. He really didn't want to have to outfly those guards again.

[DerpRavener]

Xan continued to be enigmatic. 'Spring Breeze' couldn't tell if he just didn't want to answer, or if he really was so paranoid or restless that he actually didn't have anywhere he could call home. She at least had her 'safe house' of sorts, which even if it was just an abandoned shed was still a place she could feel safe resting in, and which she was now unintentionally leading him toward.

Either way it was a frustrating dead end, and though she tried to keep it from showing, a small frown made its way to her face.

She noticed as she walked that her companion was once again trying to keep out of sight, and generally speaking succeeding. Xan was evidently still worried about being found by the guard. She watched him for a moment while thinking of what to say next, looking without moving her head so as not to give him away too easily, and that to herself that the getup clearly wasn't helping matters. A disguise would clearly have served better, and she opened her mouth to suggest as much when she remembered he probably wouldn't be able to manage one quickly enough, and promptly shut her mouth again. Simply dropping his gear would hardly hide his colouration, and as he wasn't a unicorn he likely wouldn't have access to even some obscure, magical-disguise spell either. That mean he would have had to settle for one of those flimsy cloth and dye affairs she'd seen once or twice...

For maybe the first time since her exile, 'Spring Breeze' felt fortunate to be a changeling.

The thing that baffled her at the moment though, was what Xan was doing following her lead. Staying in the alley made sense: it was a matter of convenience. They both needed to evade the guards for a while, and that was the best location in reach. With that danger past though, she would have expected him to bolt off to...well anywhere but here, really. He seemed to be a pony very dedicated to his business, whatever that was. And that was an admirable trait to 'Spring Breeze', but given she already knew he wasn't with the guard she doubted it would have anything to do with her.

It seemed rude to ask, but she couldn't help herself, and besides: offence would be the most reaction she'd gotten out of him so far. A little part of her hated to risk a possible friendship (and thus source of food), but at this point she didn't think she had much to lose in that regard.

“So,” she began at last, “you seem like a pony who keeps to himself, and I assume you aren't headed in the same direction as I am, so why are you staying with me right now?”

[PyroBlaze]

Spring seemed to be watching him without giving him away. Why was this mare helping him like this? She seemed like she was trying to not draw too much attention to herself, but why was she doing so walking down the street, in clear view of anypony who decided to look? Did she have some kind of disguise on? He had never liked to disguise himself. He often didn't need to, since he usually wasn't spotted stealing anything. This had been the first time he was spotted in a long time.

Then Spring spoke up again, asking him why he was following her. Why was he following her? Was he hoping she would have a job for him? No, she didn't even know what he did, why would she have a job for him? Maybe he was staying nearby in case the guard spotted him again. He could take Spring hostage to help him get out of there. That could be a reason, but he suspected the main one was he was strangely intrigued by this mare. She had waited until the guard had passed before moving, like she was checking if her disguise had worked, she had yet to turn him in, actually trying to avoid revealing him. What was with this mare?

"I'm not quite sure. I suppose I just don't really have anywhere to be, so I might as well be here." Xan said eventually. He wondered if he should bring up his question, not wanting to give the mare any ideas. She was actively avoiding revealing his position though, which told him she didn't want to reveal him. "Why haven't you tried to turn me in? As you've probably guessed, my relationship with the guards is a little strained." Xan asked, glancing down at Spring, watching for any signs of betrayal.

[DerpRavener]

Xan's answer was ambiguous as usual, although that it took him as long as it did made her think it might be an honest answer as opposed to the half-truths he'd been telling her up until now. That, and it somewhat mirrored her own observations.

It was Xan asking a question of his own though, that made the false pegasus feel like she was making some actual progress.

In fact, his question shed some light on why he'd been so short with his conversation until now: if he was expecting 'Spring Breeze' to turn him over to the guard, of course he wouldn't give her complete answers. That would be feeding information to the enemy. She felt a bit more sympathetic toward the pegasus now, as 'Spring Breeze' expected she'd have done similar in his position, though she also noted that he hadn't managed the same logic she had followed.

This also meant that her disguise was so far working flawlessly, something she wasn't quite expecting, and she couldn't help a small smile and a little extra spring in her step as she kept walking.

She responded to the question itself fairly quickly. “Hah, you say that I'm on any better better terms with them.” She shook her head slightly as she continued. “Nah, the last thing I need right now is extra guard attention on me by trying to play hero. I took too many risks tonight already. Besides, as long as you aren't knocking down buildings or anything big like that, what you do is your business.” She paused for a moment. It seemed like a risky question to ask, but she had to try and she doubted there would be a better opportunity. “Though I'm very curious, just what is it you do for a living? In vague terms, if you like.”

[PyroBlaze]

Spring responded by saying she wasn't on good terms with the guard either. But if that was true, why was she walking down the road in plain view of any guards that may come passing by? It just reinforced his idea that she had a disguise on. Spring likely wasn't even her real name, probably an alias.

Then she questioned him about what he did for a living. She may not be in the guard's good graces, but he still didn't trust her. For all he knew, she was lying to get his guard down. He might as well play along though, he could escape if he needed to.

"I acquire items for my clients. The item itself varies more than the clients sometimes. What is it that you do?" Xan said. She seemed much more trusting. She could just be putting up an act, though. Only time would tell though.

[DerpRavener]

'Spring Breeze' nodded at Xan's answer. Between what he said and her previous observations, she felt she had a pretty good idea of what he did, even if it was only a general idea. While she was curious about what sorts of ponies his clients were, she'd answered the questions most relevant to the situation and satisfactory to her curiosity.

Which meant she felt she owed him an answer as well, even if she was little nervous about giving herself away. She'd have to tread carefully.

'Spring Breeze' thought for a moment. “...Technically, I guess I don't really do anything,” she began at last. “Even I wouldn't call it real work, though I wouldn't quite call it easy either, and certainly nopony pays me for it. I steal food. And then I eat it.” There was a pause before she added. “I try to take as little as I need. If I do it right nopony even knows it's missing, which means less unwanted attention in the area, but also...I guess I've never been comfortable with harming ponies the way you can if you aren't careful. Not unless I have to.”

'Spring Breeze' appeared lost in thought for a moment as she turned down a side street heading away from the urban centre, the conversation had gotten her to remembering some of her pre-exile days, before having a small realization. “Say, do you have any idea where you're going to stay tonight? I'd offer my, erm, home but I doubt you'd be so happy there.” A partial lie: she honestly thought Xan wouldn't want to sleep in an abandoned shed at the edge of the Everfree, but at the same time she wasn't willing to have him know where her 'safe house' of sorts was.

[PyroBlaze]

Xan raised an eyebrow as 'Spring' spoke, saying she stole food. She obviously wasn't a thief like him then. He had been contracted to steal food before. It had been one of his odder contracts, but bits were bits, he wasn't picky. Then she talked about stealing small amounts, to avoid attracting attention. That made sense, he did the same when he needed food, but what she said next didn't quite make sense. Stealing food didn't hurt others, besides making them go hungry, so why did she have to be careful not to hurt her victims? Unless, she wasn't stealing food in the sense that he had assumed.

His eyes widened slightly at this revelation. 'Spring' must be a changeling. They were the only race that could hurt others by feeding and make themselves look like normal ponies. He looked down at her, now more wary of her actions. Since she was a changeling, she would have some magic. She obviously knew the disguise spell, but he didn't know what other spells she had learned.

Then she asked if he had a place to sleep for the night, saying she thought he wouldn't want to go to her place. She had apparently not been listening to him earlier. He just sleeps wherever he can find a safe place. "No, I don't have a place planned out. Why do you think I wouldn't be fine at your place? I bet I've slept in worse." Xan said, watching 'Spring' closely. He didn't want to be taken by surprise by any kind of spell from the changeling.

[DerpRavener]

Something had almost imperceptibly changed about Xan's demeanor, around when 'Spring Breeze' explained what she did on a daily basis. He seemed ever so slightly on edge than before, though she wasn't entirely sure why. Maybe she'd asked too many, or too probing questions, and he'd just now become suspicious. She wasn't really sure, and though it was something to make note of there wasn't much she could do about it for now.

His answer though...she looked around, making sure no guards were looking (none even seemed to be around at the moment, it seemed like they'd given up the chase entirely) before shooting Xan a disapproving look. “Really? I mean okay, I get not settling down anywhere especially if you're moving around a lot, but doing what you do without some sort of bolt hole? One of the first things they taught-” 'Spring Breeze' almost gave away more than she'd like, “*cough* Even I know to have a retreat point planned ahead of time, and I'm as unprofessional as they come. What would you do if you got hurt?”

Looking toward the street again, she continued. “As for my place, well...most ponies aren't really comfortable in an abandoned shed near the Everfree. Personally, I like that it's more quiet and less bright than the town proper, a good place to get away if I need one. I've always been an odd one though.”

[PyroBlaze]

Xan looked down at 'Spring' as she responded to him. She seemed to know a lot about safe houses, which mad a certain amount of sense, her being a changeling. He shook his head. He hadn't needed one in a long time, and he could never really predict when he'd be back in a city, so maintaining a safe house seemed pointless, especially since he would've needed to set one up in every city. Maybe he should set up a base of operations, a central location for his clients to find him at. He dismissed the idea, realizing it would make it too easy for others to track him down, others he didn't want finding him.

He just tilted his head when she said her place was a shed on the edge of the Everfree forest. It couldn't be any worse than sleeping in the rafters of a building, which he actually did quite often. He enjoyed solitude too, it's part of the reason he never settled down. That, and it would make it easier for him to be found if he concentrated all his work in one city. He really didn't want to sleep with a changeling in the same building though, who knows what she'd do to him, assuming she managed not to wake him with her approach. He looked around, but there was still no trace of the guard, winged or otherwise. It hadn't been that long, had they already given up? That was somewhat pathetic, that they gave up so easily on the search.

[DerpRavener]

Xan had returned to being enigmatic again, not actually answering her directly. 'Spring Breeze' was starting to get used to that though. Still, she was a little disappointed to see him basically leave the conversation again, returning to his generally silent observation.

It mattered little in this case, as his expression said just enough. He seemed a little confused as to why he wouldn't be comfortable at her little hideaway, unsophisticated as it was, and he seemed to empathize with her enjoyment of solitude. She doubted he'd be too concerned about 'creature comforts', either.

Not to mention, when she thought about it she remembered that all the more temporary places she had in mind were homes for which she happened to know that the occupants were either out of town or woke up late. While she doubted Xan in particular would be so indiscreet as to take something, it still seemed like a bad idea to give a thief such an opening. Her own living space meanwhile, had absolutely nothing of value and could be replaced easily enough if it became a risk.

'Spring Breeze' continued from what she'd said moments ago. “...Then again, you're not exactly an average pony yourself. Maybe it wouldn't bother you. Either way, home is where I'm headed, so feel free to follow along, if you like.” Not that she expected him to take her up on it, he seemed a bit too paranoid for that, but offering felt like the right thing to do.

As they were approaching the edge of town, the houses thinning out as they went, 'Spring Breeze' turned off onto a thin, barely visible path in the direction of the woods. She paused for a moment as she did, waiting to see what Xan would ultimately decide.

[PyroBlaze]

Xan looked down again, wondering why she was offering up her place to him. She must be very trusting to let somepony like him into her hideout. Then again, it could simply be she was trying to keep him from stealing from wherever he found to sleep. He smiled at the novelty of that, a changeling protecting ponies. It's not like she was going to get more trust around here for something she wasn't likely to speak about.

Then she pealed off the path, turning down a barely visible one and pausing. She was probably waiting to see what he would do. He was still a little worried about the whole changeling thing, but she was offering him a place to sleep, and he doubted she would be able to get close to him without waking him up. His decision was made for him though, as the winged guards reappeared further down the street. They seemed to have given up on him, but he didn't want to chance them seeing him.

"Time to go." Xan said, flying down the path 'Spring' was on. He doubted they would be going to the Everfree forest, so her shed seemed like the best option right then.

[DerpRavener]

'Spring Breeze' was a little surprised to see Xan actually following her down the path. He didn't seem like the type to welcome the company. Then again, she made the offer for more than just his benefit, maybe he had some ulterior motives of his own. If he really didn't have an option planned, the possible risk her presence presented still seemed better than the guaranteed risk of sleeping somewhere completely unknown. Or maybe he saw something which she hadn't even thought of yet.

Not that she was worried. 'Spring Breeze' didn't think there was anything of much value in her little safe house, even while she was there. And though she certainly wasn't looking for a fight she could hold her own, at doing enough damage to make it not worth the effort. More than anything else, his choice just made her wonder at the possibilities.

With 'Spring Breeze' focused on the path, the pair traveled in silence. A couple minutes walk got them away from the town lights, which remained visible behind them, and after a few more minutes they arrived in front of the wreckage of an old house. At one time it might have been a sturdy wooden home, but now it was little more than a frame and debris, though a few walls and a bit of roof still stood at one corner of it. 'Spring Breeze' had never known what happened to it, or even whether if it's collapse was what made it abandoned or if it became abandoned then was destroyed later. She contemplated trying to find out sometimes, but she didn't even know where to begin with that sort of thing. Particularly in a way that wouldn't give her away.

'Spring Breeze' lead them around the house, and up to a small building a little ways behind it that for whatever reason was intact save for visible age and a broken board or two. Further back, the Everfree Forest loomed as a large, black blob with a moonlight at its edges.

“Here we are, 'home sweet home' as it were,” the false pegasus said as she pushed the door open and stepped through. “Just, uh, find yourself a spot that looks comfortable,” she muttered, never really having guests of any kind before, much less a pony like Xan. She dropped to the floor, leaned against a wall and lay her head near the door. Tired as she was she felt halfway asleep the moment she hit the floor, though she kept an eye cracked open as she observed Xan in the faint light filtering through a hole in the roof as she contemplated a decision.

[PyroBlaze]

Xan checked over his shoulder a couple of times, but the guards were not going this way. He sighed, still headed towards the abandoned shed. He flew on in silence, following 'Spring' down the path. Eventually, they came upon a ruined house that had definitely seen better days. He idly wondered what had destroyed it as he was led around the house, the shed eventually coming into view.

For some reason, the shed was largely intact. Whatever had destroyed the house must not have affected the shed, at least not as much. 'Spring' denoted it as her home and entered inside. He landed and followed her in as she told him to find a place that looked comfortable.

Looking around, he eventually decided on a spot. He walked over to the opposite wall, the one furthest from 'Spring', and laid down against it. He knew she was watching him, and now he was doing the same thing through almost closed eyes. They were open just far enough for him to see her.

[DerpRavener]

Xan parked himself at the opposite corner of old shed, and then began watching 'Spring Breeze' the same way she was. She looked away from him (she doubted he'd be doing anything at the moment anyhow) and sighed to herself. This whole time she'd been hoping to get a little extra food, to make of for what she'd failed to get during the evening's adventure, but the pony she ran into turned out to be one of the least viable sources.

She supposed she met somepony interesting in the process. It didn't do much for her at the moment, but it had to be worth something. Or at least, that's what she was going to say to herself.

She contemplated trying to feed off of him 'the old fashioned way' for a moment. She wouldn't even have to hurt him much in the process, assuming it worked as she hoped. She quickly dismissed it though, as she guessed that he was paranoid and watchful enough to catch her in the act. And she really didn't want to risk a fight at the moment.

With nothing else to say to him, and nothing else she could think to do at the moment, she simply closed her eyes and let herself fall asleep, mumbling “...more to do...in the morning...” to herself as she drifted off.

[so I'm kinda running out of ideas for this one (I'll admit I went into it without any real plan), and thus unless you've got a particular direction for this to go from here or someone else joins I'd suggest concluding it within another post or two.]

[PyroBlaze]

(Ah, okay then. I suppose that would be fine, I never really had a plan throughout this, I've mostly just been winging it. If you want to finish soon, that's fine with me.)

Xan continued watching the changeling as she looked away. His whole body was tense, ready to act at a moment's notice if need be. He sort of hoped it wouldn't come to that though. He could see benefits to having this changeling as an ally. He wondered how many safe houses she actually had, and in which cities. If they became allies, he could use her safehouses instead of random locations.

She seemed to drift off then, mumbling to herself. He sat there for quite a while, watching her to make sure she was actually sleeping. When he determined that she was, he relaxed and looked away from her. He contemplated searching her for valuables, but he had no idea how deeply she slept, or how she was feeling towards him at the moment. He didn't want to turn her against him, thereby loosing possible safehouses, so he dismissed the idea. He closed his eyes completely and let himself drift into sleep.

[DerpRavener]

The sun shone through cracks between the wood, coating parts of the shed with thin strips of light.

'Spring Breeze' woke up with a groan. She felt well rested, but sleep had done nothing to help her hunger. She supposed she'd have to take what she could get, it was still more than she had last night. She didn't really want to spend too much time around here then. There wasn't much in the shed, just the two blankets she'd procured a little while back and stashed under a floorboard. She doubted she'd even be able to store what would function as food to her here, even if she had the means or desire to attempt it. No, she needed to get into town, and the sooner the better.

'Spring Breeze' stood up slowly, and began plodding toward the door. She felt a bit odd leaving Xan in here alone. Not that there was a lot of risk to it: the shed itself was the only thing there she considered at all valuable, and Xan could clearly take care of himself. She glanced at him once as she left, muttering “You can stay here as long as you need,” in his general direction before stepping outside and squinting her eyes at the sunlight, idly thinking to herself that she didn't expect him to be there any more than a couple hours.

[it's less wanting to stop, and more not wanting to force it if the thread is no longer progressing organically. Though that could just be a matter of semantics. I'm happy to continue if it seems like it's moving forward, but it seemed like we were/are running out places to go with this thread in particular, and if it's going to end either way I'd rather see it resolve then collapse. We could always start up a new thread if we come up with other ideas after the fact.]

[PyroBlaze]

(Makes sense. I prefer resolution over the thread dying as well, I guess we'll see what happens.)

Xan awoke to sunlight streaming onto his face. 'Spring' hadn't even tried to approach him, and he watched her leave the building, saying he could stay as long as he needed to. He watched the door for a bit before getting up and pacing around the room. He needed to figure out what to do about his recent contract. Either the client had known it was a trap and had set him up, or the client had no idea. Either way, he had no idea where the actual item was. He needed to confront the client.

With his mind made up, he walked out of the shed. He would need to be careful getting to the client now, since it was too bright to easily hide in the shadows. He hid his sword beneath his cloak before walking towards the town. As soon as he entered into Ponyville, he went into high-alert, watching for any signs of guards. Luckily, there didn't seem to be any in his path.

He made it to the client's house without incident and let himself in. The client wasn't home, so he laid in wait for the client's return. He wasn't quite sure what he would do once the stallion got there, but he would figure it out. If he could escape the guard's trap, he could escape from one stallion, and maybe a few bodyguards.

[DerpRavener]

The morning was off to a good start. Thanks to a pleasant, if short conversation with a few local ponies 'Spring Breeze' was able to take the edge of her hunger and think a little more clearly. Since then, the false pegasus had been looking around for favours she could do. So far all she'd come up with was a lost pet. Which wasn't the ideal sort of thing to help out with: pets were something of a foreign concept to her, and then...sometimes animals could just tell that she wasn't 'normal'. So far it hadn't caused any major issues for her, but it made her nervous all the same. Still, beggars couldn't be choosers, and there was no harm in keeping an eye out for the animal as she searched for other food.

Walking down a particular street, she noticed a dark, cloaked figure moving down a parallel street out of the corner of her eye. It was gone a moment later, and if the previous night hadn't played out quite the way it had she would have written it off as paranoia. As things stood, now she did in fact know somepony who wore a cloak and had a disposition for sneaking around.

'Spring Breeze' didn't know exactly where he was headed, but if he was still it town (and she was honestly surprised to find that he hasn't flown off already), it would probably be best to keep an eye on him. He was her guest, so she'd be at least partially responsible for anything he did. And that was the ONLY reason she decided to loosely follow his path. Curiosity didn't enter into it at all, nope.

She didn't actually stop what she had been doing, feeding herself took priority over keeping an eye on Xan, but she didn't have have to be anywhere specific to accomplish that and she didn't see any harm in being in his general area should something 'interesting' happen.