Sanguinem Symbolum (SS members only, ended)

[Ryuzaki]

"Wretches and kings can all speak in tongues of seductive silver. I care not for words, for they are empty, like the bottles on your floor. I care for bonds of trust, of sacrifices. I will give my strength to you three because I am willing to sacrifice my individual agenda for a much greater end gain.

Charlotte is right... I, too, will not take orders. But orders should not be issued between us. We are a guild of thieves, not a militia.

All of us have our faults and our strengths... Our greatest advantage will arise when we are able to use each other to eliminate the faults and accentuate the strengths. Then we will be a finely tuned and invincible entity. We will be unstoppable.

I would ask you all simply to evaluate whether or not you're willing to sacrifice a little for the return of a lot. If so, I'd be glad to work with you... All of you.'

[Charlotte]

The consultant listened, mind heavy with skepticism as Rogus began in defense of himself. In fact, Charlotte was glad he was doing so. While much of Charlotte’s job was finding peoples flaws and, in this case, bringing them to light, her only reason for bringing them to light now was for open conversation. Especially if he would be the head of their little group, she needed to know he could perform when it was important.

She was impressed when he did defend himself, though not in the way she expected. Charlotte had gathered very quickly that the thief had a high opinion of himself, so she presumed he would just build his own image up by calling out her faults and minimizing his. Instead, he admitted to them, asking if she could do the same of her own. Charlotte looked out over all three of them, her lips pursed as she wondered if she honestly could do the same. So much of her work was based around creating personas and hiding her flaws. But while she’d shared one with Rogus, could she really see herself sharing with the rest.

For now, she knew the answer was no. There was something about Rogus that made her feel like they might be able to understand one another on a different level, but she had no indication she would be able to do that with Ryu or Burgid. “Point taken,” she aptly replied, pulling up on one of the leather straps that tightly wrapped over her shoulder.

Before she could say anything else, Ryu decided to chime in again. For a man who didn’t value words, he had an awful lot to say. But there was some merit to what he said, and the message of working together rather than taking orders was one she wholeheartedly agreed with. So as he spoke, Charlotte nodded leaning forward on the table while laying her folded forearms on the table. “Working with... likeminded folks will be nice for a change.” She looked to Rogus, a small grin now replacing her cynical eyes. “And I did say you were the most qualified, didn’t I?” She paused, looking around one more time before giving a quick nod.

“Count me in.”

[Burgid]

Through out this entire ordeal that just unfolded its self in front of her Burgid had kept her mouth shut. Had she nothing to say, of course not. But to her she had no proper way of saying it. She was quite simply biding her time and waiting to see where this thing was headed. Already Rogus had made it a point that they were not going to be separate parts, but one unified group more or less under one person's leadership, namely his. One the subject of giving up a bit of freedom and depending on not one person, but three others she objected to on many levels but she knew that it was a hard price for greater prizes down the road. On the subject of who should be leading them, she was not sure. While Rogus had been taking a leadership role so far she would actually better see her fellow lady thief in charge. She had her skills and experience, and Rogus had many glaring issues that could be aptly named. Burgid was not going to push someone else in the spot light, so she just held her tongue.

Burgid was slightly disturbed by Ryuzaki's lovely threat to kill people but not surprised in the least. Nor did the blue thief's recommendation surprise her. But where Charlotte spoke up Burgid was paying attention. She agreed with most of what was said and was slightly impressed by the attack dealt by her words. It was clever and also a test in Burgid's eyes. Her mind had been mostly spoken by Charlotte and she again just waited for the next part. How Rogus would respond would be key.

How he did respond was quite impressive. He simply accepted it and acted like it did not bother him one bit. He addressed his flaws in public and still maintained his dignity. Something that was a bit of surprise to her about the high thinking red thief. That was what Burgid was looking for in a leader. When Rogus gazed upon her she returned a look of nothingness, not letting on anything. No he was not the best of leaders, but he was most likely the best they had at the moment.

When Ryuzaki spoke again he spoke of something and spoke a bit different than before. She respected what he said about them not taking orders, but instead they would be working closer together to achieve even greater heights. It was the real meaning of this, not some silly power struggle. As Charlotte leaned in with small grin and approved Rogus becoming their leader for now, Burgid's mind had made a choice. She spoke in a calm, simple voice. "Well then, It looks like our trust is in you hands for now Rogus." She was going to say it in a much more dramatic way but as she started to talk it became clear that this was not the time for it. Her face was still the same as the meeting began, blank and serious.

[Rogus]

Rogus took a bit of time to savor his small victory. He understood Charlotte's concerns, and though he was drunk he had managed to garner a grin out of her, even her eyes seemed to soften a tad. If that wasn't his first victory over his newly appointed rival mind he didn't know what would be. He returned the subtle gesture with a sly wink to indicate a friendly contest had been started. With Ryuzaki summing up what he had tried to say before in his analogy of the parts of a machine he felt like everything had been settled on the matter, and with the introverted Burgid bringing up the rear in terms of her own position in favor of Rogus he'd satisfied his first order of business. Now came the boring stuff, the rules, the terms of the contract; Logistical matters. But he figured the rest may be curious about the other roles within the guild and decided to bring that up first. (He truly dreaded the thought of making up rules for a group of thieves. They may follow some sort of honor code, but anything related to law and formality was against the nature of the thief.)

We don't just need a leader you know. And as we all agree the role of leadership won't act in a traditional sense, so to make up for it we'll need others to fufill more specific roles... Since there's three of us left who have none yet, there will need to be three roles to fufill... Muscle, Grease, and Guile. He was well aware Ryuzaki would understand the terminology; Muscle being the most obvious in a more combative role and if it came down to it, an enforcer. Grease being either an acrobat or simply a master of deception able to slip their way into areas without hugging the shadows too much, and Guile being a thief who specialized in more technical areas such as fencing hot items, keeping track of contacts, and other important affairs. The terminology may be loosely defined from thief to thief, but the general idea remained the same usually. His usage of the words was just as much a test of their knowledge as it was a display of his own.

You all know where you'd best fit. Near is our muscle of course, but I wonder what the two of you have a talent for. We just met after all, feel free to share what your... favored methods are. He grinned, he was eagerly anticipating of learning what exactly the two women utilized for success as individuals.

I'm best with locks and planning, Ryuzaki can tell you what he's best at himself, I'd rather not speak for him lest my words become cheap. He provided the example for what he meant, and allowed himself to add a bit of humor into the mix as well. It caused him to grin and hopefully dispelled any lingering tension from the last conversation. He waited for the others to speak up in their own interest. This was just as important as the actual signing of the contract in Rogus's mind. After all, how could they work together without some knowledge of each other's skill sets?

[Charlotte]

Muscle, Grease, and Guile, hmm? Charlotte liked the way the man had put the remaining “roles” that the three sitting around the table had yet to fill. Hands-down, Ryuzaki would end up as the Muscle, and Charlotte wouldn’t disagree with the decision. Granted, the blonde thought he could tone his whole “killing is power” spiel down a bit, but for now she didn’t have an issue. He was combat-ready, and certainly could look menacing when he tried. It was the most logical decision.

It was just as easy for Charlotte to pin her own role, though she liked to think it was because she, by and large, outclassed the rest in what she believed she did best. She wasted no time remaining silent. Maybe Ryuzaki believed words to be rubbish, but to Charlotte, they were her strongest asset. Well, besides her assets of course, but she would let those speak for themselves. No need to brag, after all.

“I’ll bite,” Charlotte said, resting her right arm on the back of her chair. “I’ve worked long enough as a ‘merchant’ to amass a respectable network, and I have a background in escorting, smuggling, thieving, and what I like to call consulting. I have a range of clients, from professional criminals to nobles and aristocrats, but all of them only care about two things: discretion and results, which I plan to continue to offer them. And that’s just a brief overview of what I do.”

Charlotte paused very briefly, her eyes working their way around the table before resting again on Rogus, a cheeky and arrogant grin curling her lips. “I think you have your Guile covered, love.”

[Ryuzaki]

"What a crass term. Muscle. It makes me sound like I'm a simple hit man. Tsk, Rogus. I'd have thought that by now you'd have a more...refined title. Say, "Silencer" or something a little more respectable. Any meathead has muscle. I have a little more talent than your average swordsman, wouldn't you say?

But regardless of the name of the role, I will fulfill its duties. You can count on that."

Leaning back in his chair, the thief gave a small chuckle and stroked the throwing knives on his chest, running his hand down the bandolier that carried them. It was true... He was the most deadly of the four, by far. He'd almost even classify himself as an assassin.

"So if you need anyone silenced, or anything enforced... I'm your man."

Looking at the others, Ryu nodded once, with an air of finality, and then fell silent again, brooding.

[Burgid]

Muscle, Grease, and Guile. These were loss terms that varied from person to person but she knew what they meant well enough. Out of all of the given choices by Rogus one was clearly her specialty; Grease. The "Grease" of an operation was a person with skills that could allow them to slide into almost any place without needing to avoid all people. A person that could be able to talk there way in as well as sneak there way in, by any means necessary. Something she prided herself in.

She was expecting Ryuzaki to take the role of being the muscle, and she knew he would do it quite well. As Charlotte gave a run down on what she did it became clear that the role of Guile was clearly going to be well placed with Charlotte. She had a bit more ready at her command than what Burgid was expecting, but in quite the good way. With muscle and guile taken it left one her one thing, Grease. Some things just worked out.

"Well then, i am a professional impersonator and i am quite good at acrobatics. I have formal training in both. I guess you could say that i could be anywhere, at anytime, as anyone. I have your grease covered."
She liked the slight dramatics in her last bit but she maintained a flat face. This was serious after all.

[Rogus]

We're all in agreement then? Excellent. Rogus was pleased with how well this was going, but it was time to get down to the hard-tacks. The rules that would govern the fours' contract were harsh, and likely would make at least one of the others question their desire to continue. He wasn't against anyone backing out now, it was their choice. But finding anyone else that was as promising would be challenging indeed. He didn't want any of the others to back out either, after all he was quite happy with the thieves before him.

Burgid was an introvert. Rogus respected her ability to sit and observe and noted that she was likely going to prove nigh on invaluable with her ability to transform into any character... granted that she had the right outfit. Gus could identify with Charlotte as well. She was notably intelligent, and seemed to share a few things in common with the red-cloaked thief; not to mention her knowledge of trading and skills as a thief. Ryuzaki was Rogus's friend, he didn't need to evaluate the blue garbed man; he already knew Ryuzaki's skill set and traits, he only wished Ryu was less bloodthirsty. All in all, they were a very well rounded team with specific abilities that complemented each other. Where Rogus fit in, though, was his only issue. Leading, planning, and picking? Was that really all the ex-noble was capable of putting on the proverbial table? Sure, his connections within the lycian league were something he knew none of the others had; but how else would he prove his worth?

He was not as good of a fighter as Ryu, nor half the economic mind that was Myscha. He was a versatile thief, but even he was lacking when compared to Burgid; she could blend in anywhere for elimine's sake! It could just be the alcohol streaming through his veins, but all he could give himself credit for was being a mix of the other threes' skill sets; even then they outclassed him in their respective categories. Rogus wasn't in the right state of mind to realize his all-around set of abilities, his eye for finding answers to even the most complex problem (additionally his ability to solve any kind of lock with enough time), and all the other skills he'd developed over the years made him just as capable as the others in his own right. Arguably, he was the most adept 'thief' sitting at the table. Myscha used her wiles, and her merchant proffession to make her gold; Ryuzaki used his sword-arm as his main tool for success, and Burgid was an actor using her skills at impersonation to get into hard to reach areas(as far as he could tell). Rogus however used only his nimble fingers to pluck purses from unlucky passer-bys, his light steps and cunning to infiltrate vaults and caravans, and finally his pick to open those pesky obstacles called locks. He was a true thief, he had nothing to enhance his ability besides good old fashion experience, and unlike the rest of them, he had only that.

Rogus did not realize this at the table, however. He didn't quite want to just sit their and ponder what it was that he added to their pool of skills. He had to wrap the meeting up so that they could get to work on building their future organization.

Now... We need to discuss the terms of our contract; as always, if you don't like what you hear no one is going to stop you from leaving.

We as thieves are expected to:... He stated each of the rules to them all, he left no loop-holes or room for questioning. If they wanted to protest one rule or the other, that was their business. Rogus knew that what he'd come up with was harsh, but it was fair considering the business they would get into later.

((OOC: I don't want to copy each of them down here, i will if you want me to, but everyone in the thread has them in their pm box.))

[Ryuzaki]

"Agreed. These terms are acceptable."

The thief chuckled wryly, looking around the table at the three other faces, all solemn. It had been quite long enough; now was the time to form the ties that would bind them. After all, there was so much that they could do. Bureaucratic nonsense was not his favorite area. He wanted to be out in the dark, like a shade in the night, a specter... That was where he longed to be, not listening to rules and procedures and commitments.

"I won't pretend to like this odious rule-saying and form-filling... But it is necessary. All I wish for now is the dotted line, the blood of fraternity, and... dare I say it? A task."

Smiling widely, the thief seemed to fade slightly and then reappear, almost as if he was a mirage. His weapons glinted, and his eyes bored dark tunnels into the others' eyes as he gazed at them.

"I want to work with you all. I want the thrill of a job... I want to do what thieves do."

[Charlotte]

Charlotte listened to Rogus as he laid out the terms, just as the rest of the group did. Some of their asks were usual of a partnership, while others were a bit more... committal than she would have liked. Charlotte always needed to have free range of motion when it came to her work, as it was how she worked best. She had already addressed this earlier, though, so she saw no reason to bring that grievance to light again.

The matter of the fact was, the four men and women sitting around this table now were thieves, criminals, scoundrels, and while a code of guild “ethics” would try to rope them it, it could not guarantee it. Sure, they would likely try their best, but everyone would still have their own best interests at heart. At least, that was what Charlotte believed.

Her doubts about the rules, for now, would be internalized. She nodded as Rogus finished, listened to Ryu have another “dramatic” moment – the man always seemed to speak like he was in some melodramatic book. Once his piece was done, Charlotte felt it appropriate to give her brief thought before they continued.

“Wonderful set of rules, really, but they’d mean more if they were down on paper... I assume there’s a contract we need to look over for all of this, yes?”

[Burgid]

Burgid listened to the rules, and most of them were completely fine with her. All of them were acceptable, except one. The only issue she had was that she would be unable to participate in plays anymore. Somehow, out of everything, that was the only thing she was hesitant to accept. Acting was her true love in life, and the most money she earned was gained that way, legal or not. It was he passion and what drove most of what she did in her life. Yet she always loved the crowed of fans that would never know her name, and she found it some what of a constant in her life.

She was greatly divided on what she should do in this situation. This was so promising yet, it did cut on one of her most enjoyable things. If someone else had just asked her to do this, then she would have been long gone. Just finding the fact that she was still sitting here helped make up her troubled mind, she would stay and make the sacrifice. At least for a while. She gave a bleak nod as she prepared her response. "Well, i find your conditions acceptable at least.I do find one thing a little... too much. But i find your conditions acceptable at least." It was not a full agreement, but it was enough in her eyes for now. Perhaps once they started to proved themselves to each other she would be more inclined to put up with it, but that was up to the test of time.

[Rogus]

That was that. Everything else could be worked out later. It was time to get some work done. Rogus stood up after they all agreed to the terms of the contract, and had the document handed to him. I'll write all the rules onto this contract after we sign. They are written down on a separate parchment already. Rogus pulled a quill from his nearby desk and returned to the table. Unlike Ryuzaki, Rogus wasn't keen on the idea of a blood contract. In fact, he wasn't keen on self-mutilation, but he had to make a point.

Initials only. The reason for that was obvious. If the contract was somehow taken from Ryuzaki's person, no one could pin-point exactly who signed it just from the names. He drew his dagger and pricked his palm, drawing just enough blood to write a his initials in the lower-center of the parchment, about mid way.

JRN

Sign away... He handed the piece of paper to Ryuzaki, who sat to his right. If you sign, you're agreeing to work with us until the bitter end. Rogus chuckled, Or until we're the kings and queens of thieves.

Finally, they had signed the contract. Ryuzaki was holding onto it for safe keeping until they had an appropriate vault for all their important artefacts and gold. Rogus was eager to get started, but he was even more eager to go back to sleep. The man was exhausted, and hurt too, he needed his rest for now.

Meet me here tomorrow at noon. I'll have our first heist planned and ready. With that, he saw the three others out. Satisfied with the meeting, Rogus stumbled over to his hammock and literally fell into it. He kicked his boots off, and fell into a deep coma-like sleep that he would wake from quite crankily.

[[Finally, this is over. Okay, on to the next three-month long thread! ]]