A T O N E M E N T

[Nil]

Shenzi simply had nothing to say. She did desperately wish some of the other assassins had innate hunting instincts like she did. It would cut down on the chatter and thus their chances of being caught. They did not move as a unit like her clan did on the hunt. Not yet. But she was more open by then to at least be intrigued by the possibility that maybe one day they would. Shenzi could be talkative during idle times, but during a hunt, she felt no words were necessary. And this was just as Shenzi saw it; a hunt.

As she hadn’t yet been given a concrete order, she remained stoic, prepared for the moment they’d strike. The matriarch kept her neck low but outstretched. Round ears stood motionless, perked forward. Her keen eyes found a target and she was still as stone.

~*~

Nil and her mate, Kattz, had been spending most of the daytime on patrols. Since their shift was up, that allowed them the night for leisure. For the two of them, this was much preferred. City strolls at night were a favorite bonding activity of the odd pair. Nil especially seemed to enjoy the quiet subtlety of nighttime.

“The moon is lovely tonight,” Nil commented, cyan eyes pointed upward.

Her and Kattz arrived from somewhere up the street. Kattz’s massive hand was comically huge in comparison to Nil’s lean talon, which he clasped gently. They seemed more amiable toward company than usual. Kattz moreso, given he had been drinking a little. But only a little.

“Evening,” Kattz greeted, before lifting his brows somewhat, “Oh my, we aren’t interrupting anything, are we?”

Kattz was aware of the tension within the army, given how disastrously the recent naval venture went. He seemed to be genuinely worried he might have come off as inappropriate by being so casual.

Nil, on the other hand, while also aware of the situation, remained completely poised. A sly gaze briefly lingered upon the glass Nasira held, regarding it with just a tiny, well-meaning smirk.

[Amber]

Only the lightest of sounds gave way to Amber’s position as he joined with the group as they gathered themselves against a hidden part of the courtyard. Dark ears flickered to and fro as he listened to the sounds of the group of Blackbloods that were gathering just ahead of them. For a long moment, Amber simply stared after them before his attention was turned once more to his own group.

Single, bright golden eye turned to Shere Khan as he spoke, and the fox gave a slow nod of agreement. While a few dead guards weren’t likely to be a big problem, it was better safe than sorry when going about such a high stakes mission as this one. Better they get in and get out with as few bodies left behind as possible.

Mismatched gaze then flickered up to Shanty as she spoke up and Amber couldn't help the smirk that crossed his muzzle at the sight of the slightly battered but still functional little machine. “Good work, Stripes.” Amber praised, nudging Khan lightly with his elbow. Turning back toward Clopin then, Amber glanced back at the guards before turning his gaze solely on their leader.

“So, Boss. What’s next?”

[Clopin]

Corson turned to address Nasira and Mortaray as they joined them in the hallway. He knew he’d heard footsteps coming closer. The shapeshifter was right though; they needed to be on high alert, especially now. Sol stood up at full attention, ears perked and ready to heed Nasira’s orders. Alastor merely shrugged, as he sidled up next to his demonic friend.

“They’re correct. Come on you two.” Alastor said, as he began to lead the way to the Southern post. Sol and Corson followed behind him, nodding to their master as they walked past.

As soon as the three rounded the corner, Sol paused for a moment, looking out towards the courtyard with narrowed eyes. She could’ve sworn she’d heard a small metallic sound, but after seeing nothing move, she figured she’d just been hearing things, and moved along. As they walked, the man she knew as Facilier was coming up in their direction.

“I’m guessing’ y’all are going to the Southern post?” Facilier inquired. Alastor nodded, bowing his head to his “master”.

“Mortaray asked us to.”

The witch doctor’s eyes seemed to brighten when the shapeshifter’s name was mentioned. His shadow crawled along the floor, attempting to nudge Corson and Sol’s shadows just a little bit.

“And where is my dear friend? Is he up ahead?” Facilier asked, with a strangely nervous look to his face. The three of them had never seen the normally calm witch doctor act like this.

“Yes, he’s with Nasira. Is something wrong?” Sol asked, raising a brow. Facilier took a deep breath, and recomposed himself.

“No. Just on high alert.” Facilier said, as he strolled past the three. Before he turned the corner, he looked back, and pointed a finger at the three of them.

“Y’all best watch your backs tonight. That’s an order.”

The witch doctor refused to let them know that while he had been talking to his friends that night, they had let him know that something was going to happen tonight. They didn’t tell him what exactly, but had only shown him a vision of his childhood friend.

And he knew had to get to Mortaray before anything could conspire.

————

As the gypsy king watched the small bird flit off into the black skies above, he heard voices coming closer. The hedges kept them well hidden, but if they made one wrong move, they would be spotted immediately.

Clopin rose up just enough to peer through a small gap in the hedges. He spotted the necromancer, the one that had nearly killed Jenn, with a glass of wine in her hand. His eyes narrowed, as he took notice of the other three. There was a strange bespectacled…cat-man, with a comically smaller creature standing next to him, and a taller man standing aside the necromancer, which he recognized as Mortaray, based on the information the late Sir Brighton had for them.

“Clopin? You look like you’re gonna choke someone out.” Taylor whispered. The king turned his attention to her, and motioned for her to look towards the palace.

“Do you all see that woman with the wine-colored robes, holding a glass in her hand? She is the one who nearly killed Jenn.” Clopin whispered, with a slight growl to his voice.

“But that man standing there next to her…that is our target. He is right where we need him to be.” Clopin said, with a devilish grin. He then held up his hand, pointing his index finger up.

“However, we need to distract the rest of them. Amber and Taylor, I need you two to cause a distraction, enough for the necromancer to notice. Shenzi, Shanty, and Khan, you two are in charge of distracting the cat man and his friend. Take them in a different direction. Aurelio, you will join me to attack Mortaray while his comrades are distracted.” Clopin said.

“Stay in the shadows, mes amies. Hit them quickly and get out of there fast.”

[Esmeralda]

Aurelio had remained mostly quiet while following the others. He tended to be chatty like his social brother, but he felt strangely somber. Even in serious events he tended towards gallows humor and light-hearted banter. It seems that he too had been affected by the importance of tonight's mission.

Carefully Aurelio slipped a bundle free that he had tied to his side. He loosened it so that it could fly apart when thrown. Inside were a dozen small metal caltrops. He had a second bundle, but he wanted to keep a hand on his bow staff. They certainly wouldn't be enough to stop Mortaray should he try to flee or retreat. But they would slow him and anyone who tried to assist him, down. In battle a few seconds could be the difference between life and death.

"After you guys get the others to scatter, I'm going to toss these behind our target. They're sharp bits of metal. They'll stab into and cut your feet," Aurelio nodded towards his animal comrades in particular, "So be careful if you find yourselves coming back our way."

With the explanation give, he turned to his bother and grinned, "Ready whenever you are."

[Shanty]

After a breath of a moment, Shanty shifts gently, opening her hand and holding it out, palm up, “The upper balconies are clear,” she breathes, allowing the little bird to land in her palm, “Our progress won’t be hindered by eyes from above.”

As she slips the bird into her pocket, her eyes flicker on again. Her gaze shifts ever so slightly, illuminating the local tiger in a dim, blue light.

“Mister Khan, why don’t you show an old sky dog how to hunt proper? I could use a lesson or two.”

Despite their situation, her tone is playful where it isn’t almost silent.

[Mortaray]

"I would not put it past them. Go now."

Her voice caused the overseer to quickly look over. Heterochromic hues stole a worried glance toward her before he turned his immediate attention back to the trio as they departed. While he had been hit hard by Perthmail's untimely death there was no idea what Nasira was going through. He didn't want to proclaim that they were a couple but Perthmail seemed rather close with the necromancer. At that was what he thought from the tales that Perthmail had often jabbered on about with him when they had time to talk.

He gave a small incline of his thanks towards his fellow overseer before the appearance of Kattz and Nil warranted his mind for a moment. He offered a small smile towards the couple, at least they seemed to be enjoying the night. "No, you're fine Kattz. It's good to see you two, I suggest you may want to stick a bit closer to the palace the next few days, sources tell us that trouble might be stirring up soon." He then moved to head past Nasira back into the building. "If anyone needs me just give a call, I'll be checking on the rest of the guard posts for the remainder of the night."

He didn't steal a glance back towards the company of his companions more focused on getting to his next point of interest.

----

A soft batted paw came Amber's way as he was nudged along with a quick pointed look. It wasn't one of annoyance more of something along the lines of 'stop that'. He shook his head ever so lightly, his silent attempt to keep as quiet as physically possible before his gaze locked onto his target as Clopin listed off his orders. His rigid form shifted slightly and one black ear curled towards Shanty as she spoke. While he made no vocal attempt to reply, there was the softest glimmer of a smirk on his face. Obviously amused by her.

It was then he heard that their target was moving out and his smirk dissipated just as quickly as it had shown. He cursed lowly before he was quick to move. "If you plan to get him now is the time!" He hissed sharply before he moved around Shanty to the place nearest to Kattz and Nil.

[Nasira]

Nasira's mahogany eyes met Mortaray's heterochromic ones. Her chin rose a fraction, and a ghost of a frown tugged at her face as she recognized that look. The overseer huffed and took up her glass again. She did not want her friends' pity. She wanted to lop off that monster's head and put it on a pike. Right next to Aladdin's. And Jasmine's. And Clopin's. And -

"If anyone needs me just give a call. I'll be checking on the rest of the guard posts for the remainder of the night."

"Okay," the necromancer said perfunctorily, not looking up.

As soon as Mortaray had gone, Nasira gave a brief, polite nod to Kattz and Nil before turning to take her leave. 

[Clopin]

Taylor nodded firmly as she motioned for Amber to follow her.
"Come on fox guy, let's go ruffle her feathers a bit...or scales, I guess." Taylor whispered, as she darted away from the group, keeping herself hidden as she followed Nasira's path. Her hand curled tightly around the hilt of the dagger at her side, and she drew in a deep breath.

She couldn't make any mistakes. If she made one misstep, Nasira would surely kill her, and there would be nothing either Sophia or Bob could do.

The one thing Taylor had going for her was her speed. She darted behind Nasira, a quick blur of blue, and she hid behind one of the massive columns, watching the necromancer's every move. Luckily for her, the drapery was enough to provide nearly seamless cover. She paused to catch her breath in a bad attempt to calm her racing heart, then without waiting for Amber, Taylor swiftly leapt out of her hiding space, dagger poised to stab into Nasira’s shoulder.

_________________

"Let's go."
Clopin then took off in Mortaray's direction, using the shadows of the shrubbery and massive pots to keep himself out of Mortaray's sight. He could see someone else coming towards the shapeshifter, and he took refuge behind a marble pot, signalling for Aurelio to follow along, but to stay put once he reached him.

Clopin then turned his attention to what was happening beyond the marble pot in front of them, only to see a strangely dressed man with a tall hat approach Mortaray, worry evident on his face.

_________________

"Morty!"
Facilier nearly stumbled over his own two feet, his lanky legs bowing out before running directly towards the other overseer. His shoes made a loud tapping noise before coming to a stop in front of his friend.

"I was hopin' I'd catch you." Facilier heaved, before taking a deep breath to recompose himself. Violet eyes looked directly into Mortaray's own, as he clasped the other's shoulder with a tight squeeze.

"I was having a little...chat with my friends, and they told me somethin' mighty concernin', to you and I. They said that they could feel that there would be quite a number of souls to reap tonight, one of them bein' someone I know, but I didn't want to take any chances of it bein' you." Facilier said.

"The point is, the other armies are up to somethin', and I think we'd better---"

The shadow man was cut off as he caught the slightest hint of movement behind Mortaray. But it was so sudden that he blinked a few times, wondering if his worry was clouding his vision as well.

"Just...be careful." Facilier said, as he lifted his hand off of Mortaray's shoulder.

Before the shapeshifter could even answer, the gypsy king of the Rogues came barreling down on Mortaray from mid-air, leaving no space for Facilier to shoot any sort of magic to protect his friend. Clopin’s scythe tore deeply into something, and he prayed to the gods that Aurelio would be right behind him.
Faciler’s brows furrowed with a special kind of fury, as he aimed his staff towards Clopin.

[Nil]

It wasn’t much longer after Nasira had gone that the small ice fairy snapped into stillness. Her husband took a few more steps before noticing her change in demeanor. He rounded to look at her, seeing her head slowly turning, nearly farther than what would be natural, in the direction of a street shaded by the dark blue reflections the moon cast upon the buildings.

“What is it?” Kattz asked.

He knew she didn’t earn a reputation of being a fiercely territorial cryptid for her lack of perceptiveness. Kattz loved and trusted her enough to know when she stared, something was there. And something told him she wasn’t just screwing with him this time around.

Nil’s cyan gaze was sub zero -- so cold it bounced back and started to burn. Lips began to peel away, revealing an entirely different mouth within; black frostbitten flesh and blindingly white jagged teeth. Then came a sound; some sort of unholy hybrid between snake’s hiss, pig’s squeal and blizzard’s gale. And it was getting louder and louder.

~*~

Shenzi had padded off once her orders were given. She took the spot farthest away from the others, with Khan between her and Shanty. Hyenas were apex predators it was true, but Shenzi had suffered the atrocities of the lions enough to know how to be cautious. She didn’t overestimate her limits.

Amber eyes looked toward the direction of the other assassins, wordlessly giving them the “we’ve been spotted” stare. Shenzi bobbed her head toward the blue humanoids, indicating she thought they’d better strike now before that fairy alerted everyone in the city. A black paw stepped out in the direction of the large werecat, opting to try and take him instead, considering he wasn’t… completely freaky at the moment.

[Aurelia]

“Oop. No time, Dear. Maybe at a later date.” Shanty breathes, optic narrowing to a wild pinpoint. Cannon arm comes up, and there’s a soft, short whine before an arc of blue leaves the barrel, heading straight for the screeching fairy. There would be no alarms. Not this time.

————

Aurelia had been on edge since sundown. Something felt... odd. Everyone was on edge, there was a charge in the air. There would be no rest this evening...

A small gasp slips from her lips as there was... some horrid noise outside. Fingers feel carefully along the wall of her quarters, seeking out the window that always lay open. There was... a hesitation here. Oh, if something went wrong, Nasira would have her head....

Gently, ever so slightly, Aurelia pushes her blindfold up.

Just as quick as she’d peeked, Aurelia slammed her back against the wall, tail coiling in anxiety. There were people in the courtyard. Multiple. A tiger, a hyena, some furry creature, and one person stood out to her among the rest: A man in a cloak, in deep purples.

That’s no Blackblood.

A hand snatches up her dagger while free fingers shove her blindfold into position. She had to tell someone— anyone. But... where were they? She hadn’t seen anyone she knew, or knew where they might be at this hour. ... Except one. He’d be in his office.

“... I-I need to find Mister Crow.”