RP:Caught in the Act

Passing through the gnarled path of the foreboding Eternal Forest you are greeted with the expansive sight of a field of misery. It is a fitting setting for such a morbid scene. An intricately welded iron archway marks the entrance to the final resting place for some of Larket’s bravest citizens and beloved family members. Rich iron letters spelling out Larket Cemetery are stretched out along the archway and the bird of the city, a Lark, flanks the title prominently. Moving through the gates a smooth stone path stretches out over the grounds for the benefit of visiting mourners. The walkway forks to the left where a larger office building sits. Its red oak doors are open wide to let in the sweet scent and smell of fresh, dewy air. Straight ahead rests the gravesites. Markers carved of stone and marble stand in silent reverence for what lies beneath their eternal watch. Closer inspection reveals sentimental words carved into each face along with dates or birth and death. Mothers, fathers, children, and relatives are grouped in small clusters as well. Some sites are littered with poems and flowers from loved ones left behind. Saplings are planted in various spots over the field and adult oaks hang their lazy arms over stretches of stone as if to comfort the patrons of this sorrowful place. Benches have also taken up residence in certain spots so that the weary may take rest beneath the shade of a tree. Another smaller shed on the right bank holds the materials needed by the graveyard staff. At the north end of the cemetery a grey marble path leads to a small clearing set apart from all the rest. Perhaps it is a place reserved for the sturdier figures of Larket.

Sebias ::The cemetery seemed a bit more lively than usual today. One who passed too closely might detect faint sounds of movement and rustles coming from the normally silent space of sacred ground. Coming a bit closer, crows could be seen ominously perched upon the iron archway that marked the entrance to the grave yard. On closer inspection something could be noticed off about these crows. Some of them were missing patches of feather and skin and looked a bit more grizzled than your average black feathered bird. Off in the distance, a large black shrouded figure could be seen toiling away at a patch of dirt with a shovel next to a large wooden cart.

Sabrina wouldn’t have noticed if the cemetery was or was not in proper order as she did not make it a habit of surrounding herself with death and endings. The crows, on the other hand, had been catching her eye the entire time she had been here and she decided it best to make it a quick venture considering this place gave her an uncomfortable feeling- of course she would never admit it. She passes through the gate and four rows in she selects an old headstone, one made of limestone and not granite or the moss would not have the right properties. There is a fleeting over-shoulder check before she drops to her knees and begins cutting away the dewy-grey fluff growing on the north face. She made no worry about the figure working the grave in the distance, with all the deaths lately it was a wonder the figure had no assistance from volunteers in town.

Sebias is quickly alerted to Sabrina's presence thanks to the cawing of the crows guarding the archway as she passes beneath it. He quickly raises his head from his work and hops out of the shallow hole he had been digging. Quickly, he tosses a thick sheet attached to his cart over the top of it, concealing its contents and then stares in the direction of the elf who had apparently come to collect reagents of some sort. He appraises her for a short time before beginning to cross the rows of graves in her direction with heavy foot falls crunching the grass beneath his feet. He looms about three or so markers away from her before clearing his throat and speaking in a deep baritone voice. "I recognize you. The one from the square a couple days ago..." He looks side to side as if searching for something. "No beastie today?"

Sabrina stood abruptly when she heard the footfalls, turning only when he spoke, stone faced and clutching a small dagger tightly in small gloved hand. Even through her elven grace she could not conceal every level of discomfort but in his vocals she concluded that she had at least seen him before and her grip loosened. She clears her throat before nodding in agreement to both his comments, an explanation to the later “He has other matters to attend to.” She leans against the headstone she was previously defiling with no care to who rested inside… unless he knew this person in which she would reason her purpose for doing so. She gestures by tip of blade the path he strolled to greet her “someone you know?”

Sebias stands there watching her movements and mannerisms closely with out so much as a flinch or twitch, it was impossible to tell where exactly he was looking with those eyes that seemed only to swirl with colors of ash. With the way he stood he could have easily been mistaken for a marble statue placed among the tombs. Only when she points the knife and makes her inquiry does he move, turning with a lumbering motion to look over his shoulder back at the cart with no concern that he was turning his back on a knife. "I eh..." His voice suddenly takes on a smooth and confident quality, spoken with a definite serpent's tongue. "A few exhumations... For research into the deaths that have been occurring." Slowly he turns his head back around. "And you?" He asks curiously, inclining his chin towards the marker that she was leaning against.

Sabrina pushes off the marker and looks down at it. “I” a pause “um.” I-um? That couldn’t have been all she had, but it was. She returns the point of topic back to him, after all he couldn’t have been too different than any other male and surely he didn’t mind talking about himself. “Why wouldn’t you examine the bodies before they are put into the ground?” Her uncertainty made her accent a little thicker than it was meant to but she steps away from the marker as if she was done here for the day. The dagger is belted on her left side and its definition if lost as if there were nothing there. She clears a row or two between them to assess him beyond sight and sound. A minty gaze takes in his form thoroughly but not in a way to make him feel distressed- if he was even capable. His eyes had odd familiarity, it showed he wasn’t human as he appeared but he didn’t smell like one either so that conclusion was no surprise. There was a faint trace of stagnant water- like the kind that sits in a cave for eons before its discovered. Her face makes a sour twist but at this point she decided he was either a Black, or a very experienced Naga illusionist.

Sebias grins a wide and wicked looking grin. "You... Um...?" He repeats her initial statement in an inquisitive tone while pointedly ignoring her her question for the moment. Most of his physique is obscured by the layers of black flowing robes and shrouds. What is obvious was that he was big, his arms and torso are thick and broad. Height wise he towered over her by at least two feet, the kind of height that belonged usually only to Avians and Half Giants. Sebias was not trying to hide what he truly was though, his was a proud race, and he only took the guise of a humanoid out of necessity to interact easily with the lesser races, not to mention fit inside of buildings. As she takes a close look it would become obvious that folded neatly against his back are a pair of onyx scaled wings that blended in well with the robes, and down near his feet she may occasionally catch the spade headed tip of a tail swish out from under his robes. Sebias was not fully in human form... you NEVER go full human. Eventually after letting her sweat it out for a few moments he bellows a deep chuckle and waves a dismissive hand. He could see the shavings of the moss she had been scrapping at and could deduce what she was doing. "You should make sure you are protected from curses before taking from the dead... Even if it's just their marker." He taps an index finger against his temple. "Anyone who collects reagents from a cemetary ought to know that..." He winks slyly, still not answering the question she had used to poke a hole in his fabricated excuse as to why he was there.

Sabrina rolls her eyes. He was an idiot. “Curses… right.” With a tight and polished smile she dips her head in his direction in the manner one would dismiss a crazy and clutches the small amount of winnings she did happen to break free from the limestone. “Happy collecting then, I’ll see my way out.” Pointing toward the gate with a fist full of not-yet weeping moss she turns on her heel to head just that direction. She generally had more respect for his kind but clearly this one took too long of a nap. The caw from his animated crows did give her some unease, and she prayed those things did not still possess the ability to complete a digestive cycle as she aimed to walk right beneath them. She was mumbling something about superstition and idiocies in some very flavorful elvish while asking herself why she was so worried in the first place., and why she insisted on communicating with these irritations of creation.

Sebias lofts a brow as she quickly excuses herself, his eyes narrow and his expression grows grim. From the way she was acting, he figured she had a more adverse reaction to the fact he was grave robbing for reagents than he had anticipated. Typical, he had been far too revealing with his last statement. He stands like a statue once again, watching her leave as if he were just going to let her go to spread word of his deeds or alert the authorities of what he was doing. Just as she crosses under the crows a veritable army of rats surrounds the exit of the cemetery from wall to wall. These rats looked bad... like diseased little vermin with yellow gnashing teeth ready to sink into flesh and spread infection and plague. Many of them even look like they may have been sewn together from pieces of other rats. They hiss in unison as she comes near and Sebias' voice booms after her. "I trust you will stay quiet about your visit here.... No need to go spreading tales of your adventure in the graveyard...." With that said he turns back towards his cart and begins walking and the rats part like a sea of matted fur and make a path for her to exit through.

Sabrina didn’t give a damn at what he was or was not doing there, more so her ability to tolerate insanity was limited at best. There was a remarkable absence of fear hen rats appear out of nowhere and the woman still seemed more concerned with the doom above that sat perched to leave treasures in her hair. The rats hiss in unison, that was off putting but she inches her way through the vermin spread regardless. Even if one happened to bite Sabrina was convinced there were few if any diseases or infections that could harbor any ill will on her form and she was accustomed to it for it had been that way for some time. She would not respond to him, he made his point clear- that he thought he mattered and since it was of no consequence to her she simply let it go. It would take more than a herd of filthy pests to get a rise out of her.