Io-U~♥

[Io]

A large red monkey with a mischievous grin on its face bounced through the town square. The surrounding streets were packed with people doing all kinds of things. People traded and bought things, some just talked about their day or the juiciest of rumors. The monkey stopped at a crowd of people who were laughing and having a good time. He howled to get their attention, one he had it the red monkey tumbled around and did tricks. But instead of compensation they told the monkey to 'scram' and 'beat it'. This didn't settle well with the monkey. He showed his teeth and began to screech. He lept into the air and grabbed a hold of a woman's head. He pulled her hair and howled like mad.


The crowd of people was frantic and they tried to pull the enraged animal off. But he wouldn't budge. "Excuse me! Out of the way!", cried the voice of a young woman she pushed through the crowd knocking people over. Finally, out of annoyance The young woman leap frogged over the top of a man and ran for the rabid creature. "Pikea, come here Pikea...", the woman cued. The monkey calmed and hopped into the woman's arms. She apologized and quickly left.


After walking a ways Io, the young woman, stopped and let the monkey down. "C'mon Pikesy, show me whatcha got!", she ordered. The monkey grinned and opened his mouth, pulling out a gold necklace. Io grinned as well holding about 15 gold pieces in her hands. "Good Job Pika!", she congratulated.

Io had arrived only the night before last. She had checked in at the gate and already made friendly with some of the lower class guards. So, for now she was safe. Io tucked the gold away in a pouch that she kept by her knives. Io kept on until she found a load of crates that hadn't been taken care of. She examined and found nothing of value. So, she took at seat and Pikea jumped to her lap. There she looked over her shiny currency for flaws.

[Shadow]

Shadow, who had watched the whole thing, Stepped away from the wall he had been leaning against. Being cloaked in black, he was almost completely in-detectable. Walking up to where the girl was sitting, he clapped. "excellent preformance. But usually, it is not good to draw attention to ones self, espicially if you are a theif."

[Io]

She heard clapping come out of nowhere then a voice that seemed so familiar echoed in her mind. "Excellent performance. But usually, it is not good to draw attention to ones self, especially if you are a thief.", it said. Io didn't turn to look at the man. Even though her had surprised she didn't want it to seem that way. In every situation, the law of thieves states, be cool. More or less.

"Whaddo you know!? Bug off, eh?", Io said waving her arm in the air. It was a wave that said 'shoo shoo'. Then she took her hand down only to pick up another coin and examine it. Pikea turned around even though Io did not. He curled his upper lip and mocked the man. Io was being rude, only if she knew that he was behind her.

[Shadow]

Shadow threw back his hood and laughed. "How little you have changed my friend. i thought that archer got you." his orange eyes glinted in the low light as he walked up behind the young woman. "You obviously dont remember me, do you."

[Io]

Io heard the man laugh at her and she could feel her anger welling up like a very full water balloon. She hopped down from the crates and turned sharply on her heels. "Look here budd -- eee...", she trail off as she caught an eye full of the man. The water had drained from the anger water balloon. "Sha-Shadow?", Io said wide eyed and with a large grin on her face.


She ran up in front him and jumped up and down yelling, "SHADOW! SHADOW! YOU'RE ALIVE!". Then she stopped what she was doing and gave him a shocked look. "Shadow? ...you're alive..." Now that she had gone through almost every emotion one was left. "You jerk!", she shouted and kicked him hard in the shin. "How could you leave me behind to die like that!?", Io scolded. Pikea jumped around howling with excitement. What a commotion she made.

[Shadow]

he hopped on one foot, holding his shin. "owww... what was that for? I thought the arrow hit you in the chest! how did i know that you werent dead?" shadow put his leg down. "How has theivery been treating you?" He looked at the monkey. "what us that? ive never see the likes of it before." Looking back at Io, he smiled. "I learned a new trick, wanna see it?"

[Io]

"owww... what was that for?, he said. Io only gave him the 'you know what it's for you pompous bastard' glare. "You could have checked? The arrow shot through my shoulder not heart...", she waited a moment then sighed. That was over a decade ago, perhaps it was time to forgive and forget. "I guess I shouldn't be angry, if you were an 8-year-old girl with an arrow sticking out of your chest covered in a pool of blood I would assume you were dead too".

Shadow pointed out her monkey. He hopped up on her shoulders and grabbed around her head. "Pikea, he is a red monkey, I got him in the Eastlands a couple years ago," she chuckled, "he's my partner in crime and my best friend". Then Shadow went on. "Ooh a trick! Yes I wanna see it!".

[Shadow]

He looked quizicly at the monkey. looking back at Io, Shadow smiled. Closing his eyes, he began to change. "look what ive learned to do!" when he re-opened his eyes, they were glowing green instead of their normal orange, and he had the face of a dragon, tounge and fangs included. "Well? Howssss that for a trick? I almost am ready to get wingsss too." closing his eyes, he de-transformed. when he was finished, he looked back at her.

[Io]

"Eeehhh???", she said nervously at her half dragon friend. He was almost there but not quite. Pikea was even kinda freak he placed his monkey hands over his eyes. In Shadow's dragon form he spoke. She shivered.

Slowly he changed back. "Ummm....", she said looking him over, "show me again when you have mastered it....". On the other end of the square Io heard the sound of a woman's voice. "MY NECKLACE IS GONE! THIEF! SOMEONE HAS STOLEN MY NECKLACE! THIEF!", she cried. People around talked amongst themselves then split up. "Oh boy, time to make like a shadow!", Io said. She jumoed up over the boxes and dipped into a shady alley. There she waited for her friend.

[Shadow]

Shadow laughed. Standing there as the angry mob of people came into the alley. he put up his hood and turned around. "She isnt here, dont worry. I suggest getting out of here though, there are strange things in the air." as the crowd looked up at the dark clouds, shadow put a small package in his hand from his pouch. "i predict that lightning will strike here very soon..." He laughed, and grabbing another package from his cloak, threw the first on on the ground. the effect was instintaneous. There was a flash of light equivalent to a lightningbolt, immeadiately followed by a bang loud enough to make the walls of the buildings on either side of the alley tremble. as all the people panicked, shadow threw the other package, creating a dense cloud of smoke. moving almost to fast for the human eye to track, he went through the group, searching them for money. dashing to where Io as hiding, he nodded his head to the left, where there was a hole in the wall. "come on, go through the hole in the wall, or stay here and risk getting crushed in the stampede thats about to happen." he raised his hand and there was another package in it. "This one is fire, but it has a shot activation delay." he threw it into the crowd, and dashed through the hole in the wall.

[Io]

Io when safely concealed in the shadows kept all her focus. She could hear a couple explosions. Probably Shadow with his silly magic. She didn't understand mages. Why throw around bolts of lightening or freeze someone when you could just beat the hell out of them?

Suddenly, Shadow came into the alley and found a hole in the wall. All Io did was smirk at his comment and dove into the hole. Seconds later she could hear voices of a crowd then the burst of the fire spell. She sat in the hole with her shoulder pressed up against his. She grinned and whispered, "Just like old times Shady".

[Shadow]

He laughed. "that was not magic. It was a couple of theive's tricks. All harmless, except for the flashbang, which can make a person go deaf." he puled a pack out of one of his pouches. "here, Want one? Just dont set it off... we might be found or killed. or deafned."he handed her a package marked "FLShadow shrugged. "well, something healed me much faster than normal." FLASH" Looking around, he stood up. "eventually they will figure out that we are in here. we should move. But to where..."

[Io]

Not magic? Neat-o. Io took the pouch and tucked it away into her hair. The object was small and her hair was big. She didn't answer Shadow, she knew they had to move. Io waited until the sound of stomping feet passed and was a good distance away. She poked her head out of the hole then turned back to say, "Tavern.", and rolled out of the hole. She looked like a rolly polly.

"We should split. I'll take the back allys and meet you in twenty mitues.". She stood up and placed her fingers in her mouth and gave a sharp whistle. She waited a moment and Pikea came hopping down the alley. She took him by the hand and pulled him on to her shoukders. "See ya there," she said and dashed off.

[Shadow]

Shadow nodded silently. looking around, he realized that there was a group of people waking up behind him. "Uh-oh..." he turned around slowly. The first man to gain his senses took one look at shadow and nearly fainted. Smirking, shadow proceded to pick his way through the dazed crowd without trouble, just recieving some very confused and scared looks. when he got out of the alley, he put the hood of his cloak up and headed for the tavern.