Lysanne Natisha Xanith, also known as Lynx, stood in the middle of a street at night. Her cat ears twitched this way and that, looking out for other people along the way. Her cat-like appearance would have been obvious if it were not for the cloak that had been pulled tight around her body, hiding her tail and clawed hands. Her cat-eyes were covered with a cloth, they were sensitive to the light and so she had taken to wearing a cloth all the time. They were useless eyes anyway, Lynx had been blind from birth. They also had a habit of bleeding and so the cloth soaked up the blood at any time. She had found it to be very useful in her time.

Lynx surveyed the street a way a blind person would. Her head stayed in the same position but her senses were working overtime to sense anyone along the way. She had been told the tavern was in this direction and so she made her way here. She didn’t fear missing it since it was already late at night and the noise from the place could be heard easily enough. She was right upon the place now, and her ears pick up the door as it opened and closed, squeaking on its un-oiled hinges. She followed the sound, using her feet to serve as a guide, when her toe hit wood she reached out and pulled open the door.

Now came the tricky part. Finding a seat had always been difficult but if Lynx stood for a few moments in the open doorway she could sense the layout of the place just by where the voices came from. She sensed an open table in the middle and manoeuvred her way there, avoiding people with expert skill. She used the foot trick again to find a chair and pulled herself into it.

Mikael was here for a change. He and Anaya had separated temporarily, and he was in the midst of his blade juggling when the door opened and the cloaked figure walked in.

He almost faltered, and moved his hand to the side just in time to catch the blade as it nearly hit the table beside him, and kept the motion going. He smiled as the people continued to applaud, and he bowed slightly, tossing each one up and allowing it to thud into the table, as he smiled at the crowd. "Thank you, thank you. I'll be here all night, and probably most of the week!"

He walked up to the bar and ordered a light wine, accepting money from the patrons as he made his way over to the table. "Well met," he said. "Tain't often ah see a stranger in here with a hood."

Lysanne knew that someone was performing by the applause and cheers, however it seemed to be all around her and so she didn’t even pretend to watch. Instead she faced down where the table would be and only ordered a drink when the barmaid came up and asked if she wanted anything. Lynx orderedan ale, unsure if she would even finish it all.

The clapping reached a peak and then died down, Lynx assumed the show was over, and in a way was thankful since now she could listen. She was just about to start eavesdropping on a conversation about an adulterer when a man came up and sat with her.

“I suppose,” Lynx wanted to fiddle with her drink but instead took a swig. “But I also have good reason for wearing a hood.”

He shrugged. "Tain't my place tae ask questions, but ye need tae bear in min', some folk roun' here do." He smiled, and sipped at his wine. "Though tae each dere own. Me, ah'm fer a good comfy bed an' a good meal at de end o' de day."

He raised his glass silently to a toast made, and then took another sip. "An' a 'preciative aud'ence." He smiled, and shook his head. His hair swished slightly, and his eyes narrowed, his mind catching on something as he lowered his chin, his eyes probing the shadows under the hood.

Lynx felt his eyes on her and tugged her cloak down a little farther. She talked as though nothing had gone on though as if she hadn’t pulled down her hood a little farther. She wasn’t exactly embarrassed by her blindness but at the same time she didn’t want anyone to see it either. She was odd that way. Lynx preferred to stay in the shadows than out in the light. She preferred solitude to company.

“Yes a meal and a bed sound wonderful right about now.” Lynx pretended to look around the tavern. “Yes by the applause I can tell you’re quite the performer... what do you do?”

He smiled. "Ah, naught more den what ah've been taught as a lad. Sword dancin', knife jugglin', a bit o' harpin'. A li'l bit o' everyt'in'." He shrugged. "Ah'm alsae gifted in knowin' when a person's no tellin' de truth. Ah t'ink dere's more beneath dat pretty hood o' your'n den jes a head o' hair," he said, his eyebrows lifting slightly as he did.

Of course, it wouldn't bother him if she was hiding something else, after all, he was a Gypsy. That meant secrets stayed kept, stayed hidden. He shrugged slightly. "Not tha' it matters a whit one way or t'other tae me. Just don' seem nat'ral for someone tae go hidin' beneath a hood."

Lynx smiled at him she didn’t do much performing for some obvious reasons. She was also a skilled assassin and couldn’t be seen flipping about, and her blindness kept her from juggling anything. “I can’t do much in the way of performing, I have skills... elsewhere.”

When the man mentioned her hood again she sighed and let out a small laugh. “Oh I think you care otherwise you wouldn’t bring it up a second time,” She relented though and pulled off her hood. A mop of purple hair cascaded out from the material and cat ears twitched on top of her head. They were much like a Lynx ears which also had to do with her namesake. Her eyes were covered with a cloth, and she wasn’t even sure what color they actually were. “Now that you’ve seen me, who are you?”

He smiled. "Well, since ye trusted me wit' yer secret, ah s'pose ah should give ye mah real name. Ah'm Mikael. Mikael Romani," he said almost as an afterthought. "Wandering entertainer, poet, and musician," he said, switching back to his actor's accent. "Yer lucky, ah norm'lly go by one o' mah aliases," he said. "Normal one bein' Rin," he said. "So if someone tells ye to look fer Rin, you know who to find," he said.

He blinked a few times, realizing that he was staring at her. She had a kind of subtle beauty, with the hint of something lurking just beneath that beauty that wasn't quite so beautiful. She almost seemed like she was a gypsy herself.

Lynx smiled at the man. “Rin I think I can remember that as well as Mikeal. Mikeal Romani,” She smiled at her own little mockery, just having fun with it instead of literally mocking him. Lynx took another long sip from her ale before she spoke again.

“My name is Lysanne.” Since she had such a job she couldn’t reveal all of her name. “I usually go by Lynx.” She pointed up to her ears. “Because of these.” She lowered her hand and smiled again. “Now do you know anything good to eat here?”

He leaned back in his chair, taking in the fact that, although he had given first and last, all he got was first and a nickname. He shrugged. "Here? Pretty much everything's good," he said. "It's all homestyle cooking. But then," here he paused, brushing his dark hair back, revealing the pointed ears of an elf. "I'm not exactly human, now am I?" he said with a smile.

"But yes, I actually do have something in mind. The venison here is very good, especially when you get it fresh. Which right now, it would be fresh." He flagged down the tavern keeper. "Two venison dinners," he said, pulling out enough coin to pay for both. "On me."

Lynx frowned at his remark on not being human. “I really couldn’t tell if you were human or not. Despite different appearances all races seem to talk alike and so I can’t really distinguish between them unless they have wings of some sort, then I can usually hear the difference.”

She wanted to pull her hood back up but didn’t. Instead she sat and thought about the dinner and if she should get the venison, instead it seemed to be ordered for her. She pursed her lips and was about to say something when he offered to pay for the meal. She let the words slip away and instead regarded the man. “Why pay for a meal for someone you hardly know?”

He smiled. "You're a wanderer, that much I can tell. You don't stay in one place too long. That may not make us two of a kind, but it makes you kin. And the least one wanderer can do for another," he said, one ear twitching, "is buy them a meal if they should run across each other," he said quietly.

He smiled, and leaned back slightly in his chair. "So tell me, Lynx. What brings you to the Green Gryphon Tavern?" he asked, waiting on the venison to arive. "You've as much as told me that you're a wanderer by nature, but you haven't told me why."

”Yes, I suppose that’s a fair enough assumption, and I am thankful for the meal.” Lynx smiled at Mikael and took another sip of her drink, thinking on the strange man. She clasped her hands around the glass and faced Mikael, as though she was looking directly at him. Had it not been for the cloth it would have been an eerie experience.

”I am here for a meal and a place to sleep. As is almost anyone in this place. The food smells good, the beds are comfortable, and it’s warm and dry.” Lynx shrugged and thought a moment before she spoke again.”My job keeps me moving.”

He nodded. "Yes, the food is usually good, and you can usually get a room fairly cheap here. And even if you can't afford it, you can usually find wanderers like me that aren't above paying for someone else's room and board." He shrugged, and then looked up as the keeper walked over.

He sniffed, and sighed in contentment. "Mmm. This is definitely going to go down easy," he said, and then gestured to the bar. "Set Ms. Lynx up with a room, and bring her key to the table," he said, his voice a whisper as he leaned over slightly. "And uh.... don't mention I paid for it. Kapeesh?" he said softly, and then nodded when the barkeeps eyes widened. "Thanks." He then looked across the table at her. "Well, eat up," he said, and began to do so himself.

Lynx smirked as she heard Mikael whisper to the bartender. He clearly had never met a deaf person before. She ran her finger along the rim of her glass and let out a small breathless laugh. “You’re sweet but you’ve clearly never met a blind person before. Thank you for the room.”

Lynx wrapped her hands around the glass and took a drink letting the moment stretch before she spoke again. “I have exceptional hearing and also more acute senses. It just means you can’t hide anything from me.” Lynx let out another small laugh and tapped her nose.

He raised an eyebrow. "Well, now I know you're blind. I didn't before now," he said. "I apologize if I insulted you," he said quietly. He shrugged. "I didn't know you were blind, so I couldn't have known that you would have been able to hear me."

He shook his head. "I must admit, you've caught my attention, and it's not many people that can do that. So my compliments. I'd like to talk with you in private if you don't object," he said, and then took another bite of the venison. "You might want to eat that before it gets cold. It gets stringy when it's cold."

Lynx shook her head, indicated that he had caused her no offense. She did heed his advice and dug into her venison, it had been awhile since she’d had a cook meal. She saw cat-like fangs tore at the meat as she ate. She had heard people mention she was most like a cat when she ate, but at the same time she didn’t care. She had no need for other people opinions and let them say what they wanted. Most of the time they turned around and talked about the person they were just conversing with. It was an odd world.

Once Lynx had finished her food she licked the tips of her fingers happily and finished off her ale. “Alright Mikael where would you like to do? I’m not above talking with you in private.”

He ate quickly as well, but out of HABIT rather than instinct. Of course, also by instinct, he kept an eye on Lynx, and the way she ate caught his attention. He raised an eyebrow, and an amused smile showed on his face.

"A bit feline, there, in your eating habits, aren't you?" he said with a chuckle. He shook his head, and sighed. "Hmm. There's a room with your name on it upstairs, and the same for me. Take your pick. And before you get all paranoid, I may be a Gypsy and a thief, but I'm an HONORABLE one."

”Yes people have said that in the past.” Lynx shrugged to show that she didn’t care what people thought of how she ate. ”And I wasn’t worried. If you had tried anything I would have killed you.” She said it as though she were having a conversation over the weather that day.

”Why don’t you lead the way.” Lynx stood and waited for Mikael to lead the way up to the room he wished to speak in. Once he did start moving she would follow the sound of his footsteps to the room.

He nodded, pushing his chair back as he stood slowly. He downed the last of his wine, and then gave the keeper a nod, and then started working his way through the crowd, heading for the stairs up to the upper floor, taking slow, measured steps, making SURE she'd hear them over the rest, not sure if she'd be able to pick out his footsteps over everyone else's this soon.

He led the way up the stairs, and then down the hallway, pulling his own key out, and unlocking his door. He walked in, and immediately crossed to the window, opening it. The wind fluttered a few cloth hangings on the walls, but other than that, the room was bare of decorations. He gestured toward a pair of chairs at the foot of the bed. "Have a seat," he said, settling himself into one of them slowly.

Lynx followed his footsteps up the stairs and into the room. When he asked her to have a seat she moved forward and used her foot to find the chair before she took a seat. The wind blew around the chamber. Lynx had never wished to see since she had never known what it was like. People tried to describe things to her sometimes, but she didn’t even know what colors were. All she knew was black because it was the only color she ever saw.

“What did you want to talk about Mr.Romani?” Lynx shifted in her seat and became more comfortable for the talk they were about to have. She had already memorized the way out of the room and she knew there was an open window. She was comfortable with her options.

He shook his head with a laugh. "Mikael or Rin, please. I'm not QUITE so formal as all that," he said with a chuckle. "Now. On to business, as I like to say." He shook his head, and leaned back in the chair, his fingers steepled against each other.

"I've been noticing more than a few wanderers in my travels. And as I see it, all those who wander are kin, simply in spirit, the fact that they don't know what it is to stay in one place for more than a few days."

He leaned his head back, feeling the breeze from outside. It swirled in his hair, catching slightly on his ears, making them twitch slightly.

"So I'm debating setting up a... a roving home for our kind, if you will. A bit of a caravan, one that moves from place to place, but where all wanderers will be welcome. And of course, they will have to earn their way. But that can be with the simplest of talents, such as telling a story," he said. His head came back forward, and he turned to look at her. "If you'd like, you're welcome to join up once I get it started. Think of it as a home on the road," he said with a wry grin.

Lynx twitched her nose and thought for a moment. She didn’t want to offend the man and he thought she was a wanderer. It could easily have been true with the amount she moved from place to place. Her ears flicked from side to side listening to the wind move the decorations in the room. It took a moment before she replied.

“Mikael you put me in an awkward place. You see I can’t. It is very nice of you to offer me a place where I might belong, but as it is I already belong to something. It is my life and I would die for it. You see... I may be a wanderer but I have a home as well. It doesn’t move but I can return there when I like.” Lynx thought for a moment trying to find a way to explain it to him without giving anything away.

“I belong to what I know is right. I have a job there and my work requires me to travel. I’m also a very solitary person when it comes down to it. I wish I could say that I will join, but my place is elsewhere. I’m sorry.”

But the elven perceptiveness and common sense worked against her. He smiled softly. "If your fellow assassins ever turn against you," he said in a whisper, "you'll always be welcome amongst the gypsies.

"Now before you panic, allow me to elaborate how I know what you are. You say you are solitary. Which tells me that you use those higher senses of yours for a purpose. Add that to your job, and the fact that you seem hesitant to talk about it. I can only surmise that a blind woman would only be accepted among the ODDEST of the odd.

"That being the assassins," he said to sum it up. "I may be wrong. But I don't think I am. There's too many coincidences. I'm right, aren't I?" he said, turning to look directly at her.

Lynx let out a little laugh, light-hearted. ”You do know how to put things together sir. But no. How would a blind woman kill someone with stealth? It doesn’t seem to work. My specialty is in a different area. If you would really like to know then I will tell you.”

She leaned back in her chair and let out a tiny yawn. “I’m a thief. No. No don’t say anything. I don’t actually do the stealing part. I am the gatherer. Because of these.” She pointed to her ears and wiggled them around. “I scope a place out and find any information I can. It’s also the reason I wear the hood. I can’t be recognized with it on, but if asked I would have to remove it otherwise it’s suspicious.”

Lynx leaned forward in her chair and smiled at Mikael. “But since you’re a wanderer then I suppose you won’t tell anyone.”

He shrugged. "Won't tell anyone what?" he said innocently, giving her a look. "Gypsy's honor. You have my word. I won't reveal your secret to anyone."

He smiled, and leaned back in his chair once more. He pulled a pipe from his pouch, and checked to see if he needed to refill it. He didn't. Pulling out a matchbox, he pulled one out, and flicked the head. It flared into life, and he lit the pipe. Immediately, a sweet smell filled the room, as the smoke drifted lazily out the window.

"So what parts of this wonderful world have you 'seen', then?" he said, the emphasis showing he didn't mean necessarily by sight.

Lynx crinkled her nose at the smell of the pipe but said nothing about the scent. Instead she distracted herself with the sounds outside the window. Her senses amplified the scent to much stronger than normal, and her cat nose didn’t help much. Lynx sighed and focused on the sounds that flitted around outside.

”What have I seen? Usual human behaviour. Lies, deceit, indecency. Everything one might expect of people. Adultery, murder, you’d be surprised what people talk about when they don’t think they can be heard. Even in public places. What have you seen?”

He shrugged. "Fat purses that need lightening, egos that need deflating, power that needs downsizing." He shrugged. "Typical mortal behavior," he said with a grin.

He shook his head. "Of course you're right. It is a bit surprising sometimes. But I don't usually bother people about what they've done. I'm just on this plane to give them something to distract them from what's coming." He sighed, and shook his head.

"Whatever that may be. It's odd. My partner's sight is blocked, and she can't see ANYTHING regarding what's coming. That's never happened. And that's what makes me a little nervous."

Lynx shrugged. “I’ve been blind all my life and even I can see what’s coming.” She swivelled her ears about, the equivalent of a person who could see looking about the room. She was distracting herself just staying aware of her surroundings. “Your partner is a seer then? Interesting...” Lynx’s voice trailed off as she thought about something.

“Whatever is going to happen is going to happen. Weather you know it or not. People make the mistake of thinking they can change things and go ahead and try, yet usually what they did ends up leading to the very thing they were trying to avoid. Life is Ironic isn’t it? Because if they hadn’t seen their future they would never have tried to change it and perhaps it would be different.”

He laughed. "No, no, we don't see like that. We do it so we can be PREPARED. Gypsies have a saying. 'Observe the future, but change it not.' We're not allowed to change anything that we see."

He shrugged. "We're only allowed to see it. And yes, she's a seer. All female gypsies are, to some extent." He sighed. "But the fact that she, as well as the others I've spoken to, are seeing NOTHING bothers me. Somebody doesn't want ANYONE knowing what they're about to do. And I'd say that's a bad sign," he said, setting the pipe aside, and laughing lightly.

"Not like there's anything I can do about it right now."

“Well for one Someone must be pretty powerful if they can block the sight of every seer. And two even if you knew what Someone was planning it wouldn’t make a difference because you couldn’t change it.”

Lynx regarded him and shook her head slowly. “It is better to not know the future and live for today than to know the future and worry about tomorrow. Ah you’re going to say you don’t worry but I know that’s a lie. If you didn’t worry you needn’t prepare yourself for what will happen.”

Lynx moved her head so that she stared out the window, looking at blackness. Some might have thought it frustrating, but she had never found it so. It was like living as a different race, and everyone adapts to what they need to.

He stood, and walked over in front of the window, feeling the breeze course over every inch of his face. "But that's the thing. The gypsies are dying out. We HAVE to make preparations to ensure that we survive anything that comes up." He shook his head.

"You're right, I do worry about the future. But that's BECAUSE my kind are so few in number." He shook his head. "I suppose I worry TOO much, if I had to be honest. But it's a fault that was ingrained into me by my parents."

He sighed. "I need to work on that though. I don't think they meant for me to worry this much."

Lynx followed him with invisible eyes as he rose and moved to where the window would be. She stayed in her seat and looked at him. She heard footsteps move past the door with the breathless laughter of a woman. Lynx’s tail flicked back and forth as she sat regarding Mikael.

“I thought gypsies didn’t worry about anything.”

Lynx sat silently letting Mikael gather his thoughts. “If there are no gypsies just breed.” Lynx wasn’t sure if she could give any advice on the matter.

He sighed. "Ah, but you have no knowledge of our laws. Can't fault you against what you don't know. By our laws, we're not allowed to breed with anyone other than our kind: gypsies, elves, and the forest beings: nymphs, dryads, things of that nature."

He shook his head. "And for me, there's another reason..." His face fell, and his shoulders slumped somewhat. "I'd rather not go into it." He shook his head, and took a deep, slightly shaky, breath. "No, we worry. We just don't show it to gaios. Outsiders, sorry," he said apologetically.

Lynx shook her head.

“I didn’t say who to breed with. Besides your partner is a seer, and a woman and a gypsy so she would work just fine if you didn’t have... problems.”

She wasn’t sure what to say to much of it since she didn’t have any idea what to do about the problem of the gypsy. She wasn’t one and so couldn’t find herself caring too much about it. “What time is it?”

He glanced out the window, shaking his head. "Well... that's..." He sighed. "That's my problem. She sees me as a big brother. However ambiguous you might feel about those sorts of relationships, there's no such thing with gypsies." He shook his head. "And of course, like my father, I'm INEPT when it comes to wooing a woman."

He shook his head. "So that's MY dilemma. Don't know why I'm telling you that, because technically it's none of your business. But I guess.... I guess I can trust you."

He glanced out the window again, looking out at the streetlamps. "About an hour and a half past sunset," he said quietly.

“Well isn’t life funny. If she thinks of you as brother then get her another guy. It’s really not that hard. And I mean no offense by this but there are other male gypsies so it’s not as though it’s all up to you.”

Lynx shrugged again and let out a feline stretch. She had many odd tendencies that made her obviously half-cat, such as how she slept curled up in a ball. Or the way she would sometimes lick herself clean. She had a cat-tongue as well and many didn’t like the look of it. She crinkled her nose and watched Mikael.

“A woman’s heart will go where it goes. Woo or not.”

She wasn’t interested in talking love. She had no real experience with it and didn’t ever plan on it either.

He laughed cynically. "Yeah, right. Trust the one woman I care most about to someone I barely know. NOT GONNA HAPPEN," he said harshly.

"Sometimes," he said, and then shook his head. "No, never mind. I shouldn't be dumping these things on you. You've probably got enough to worry about," he said.

He turned. "Thank you for your time, and remember, if you ever need a place to go, the Caravan will be there."

Lynx matched his laughter, hers was lighter but held the same cynically tone. She smiled at her, the points of her sharp teeth sticking out over her lips. “What’s more important Mikael... Your pride or the gypsies? What will last more than a lifetime?”

Lynx rose from her chair and bobbed her head. ”Yes the Caravan.” She looked thoughtful for a moment but then the look faded and she turned to leave.

”Good bye Mikael.”