Calypso - The Thief

Early Life
Calypso, or Caly for short was born somewhere outside the metropolitan city of Lunopolis. As a baby she was left abandoned on the step of the Luminant Temple. One of the Mothers inside overheard her cries for food and opened the temple gate just enough to grab Calypso and pull her inside. For the transgression of opening the gate the Mother was sentenced to have her tongue cut out, and was then tasked with raising the child who caused it all.

By the age of five, Calypso had grown to be an intrepid child who was very curious about the world outside of the temple walls. Just before her sixth birthday, she heard the voice of a boy singing on the other side of the wall. Finding a small crack to look through she broke the temple's most sacred code and spoke with the boy. Soon every day she would go to the crack in the wall and speak with her new friend. She began to learn about Lunopolis and the city that had grown outside the walls. Eventually curiousity got the better of her and she asked The Mother about why they did not go outside.

The Mother wrote quickly on a scroll that she kept near her that the outside world was a wicked place where evil lurked to steal little girls hearts away.

"But that's not what the boy said!" Caly argued. The Mother's face grew dark and cold.

"What boy?" She wrote on the scroll. Caly grew silent and said nothing else. The Mother dragged the little girl to the feet of the Elders. She wrote frantically, spelling out Calypso's doom letter for letter. The Elders pondered the girl's fate for several hours before declaring that she had committed the ultimate sin against her people. She was then cast out from the temple, and left to fend for herself outside its walls. Calypso waited outside the wall near the crack in hopes that her friend would appear. He did not.

Becoming A Thief
She then wandered the city for 2 days before finding the merchant district. The smells of food overwhelmed her and she grabbed a small loaf of butter bread from a stand. The man who owned the stand grabbed her and pulled a large knife screaming that the child would pay for the loaf in one form or another. Just as the blade was about to land its blow, a large hand grabbed the bakers arm and stopped him.

Above her, Marcus, the head of the Nocturne glared at the baker. He calmly dropped two quid onto the stand and pulled Calypso away loaf in hand.

"You look like you're from the temple." He said.

Caly did not respond.

"I used to be part of it too. Look, see? You can trust me." Marcus let out a laugh to himself, and showed Caly a small amulet with the temple symbol on it. "Come with me. You need money to buy things, do you know what money is?"

Caly shook her head. Marcus explained to her as she ate her butter loaf about money, and how it worked. After wolfing down her food, Caly asked what Marcus did to get money. Chuckling Marcus replied "From the suckers who are too blind to take care of it." Calypso smiled.

From that point on the two were inseperable. Calypso was inducted as an official member of the Nocturne by the age of ten, having proven herself to be incredibly skilled. When she was not working jobs she spent her time questioning Marcus about everything. Patiently he answered what he could and if he could not he pointed Caly to the groups archives that contained the answer to just about every question one could have. Bonded as they were, Caly became very unpopular among the other thieves youth, particularly with Scylla.

Scylla was what one would call a rival, if she could rival Calypso. She constantly picked at everything Caly did, or said. She was unabashedly in love with Marcus and would have done anything to please him.

So when Marcus announced to the group his intent to marry Calypso as soon as she was of age, Scylla was seething.

Calypso on the otherhand was incredibly uncomfortable with Marcus' offer.

When they had a chance alone she screamed at him.

"Why can't things remain as they were? Why couldn't you have told me before telling the whole bleeding guild?! You could have saved us both some face then!"

Marcus' eyes grew cold, and a look came over his face that Calypso had not seen before.

"What is that supposed to mean? Do you not love me?" He asked.

"Of course I love you. But not as a romantic! You raised me Marcus, I look at you as a father, a brother but I can't....I can't see you as a..."

Before Calypso could finish her sentence Scylla burst into the room, and slapped Calypso hard across the face. Tucked inbetween her fingers was a thin blade, and as her hand came across Calypso's cheek it was sliced open. She then dug a dagger squarely into Caly's chest.

The world exploded with pain. Calypso collapsed to the ground and just before losing conciousness she caught only a glimpse of Marcus backhanding Scylla hard enough to fling her across the room.

And the world went black.

The End and the Beginning
Calypso was unconcious for 3 days. She woke up in one of the Nocturne safehouses, and was being attended to by one of the guild's many physicians.

The dagger had missed her heart by centimeters, the doctor relayed to her. The cut on the cheek would scar terribly. He then handed her a very small envelope. The handwriting belonged to Marcus.

Groggily Calypso read that Marcus could not bear the weight of her remaining with the guild if she could not find it in her heart to stand by his side as his wife. She could remain in the doctors care until she was recovered fully and able to move. She also had permission from the guild to continue her activities in and around the city of Lunopolis but did not have protection from the guild in any capacity. She was now completely on her own.

After recovering from the incident Calypso left the safehouse and began searching for a place of her own. While running from the city guards one night she ducked into the opening of a large balcony only to find that it did not lead to an apartment or house.

Some brilliant Lunopolan architect had built the area but no doors leading into it. The only way to access it was to jump from the rooftop above into it. This area then became Calypso's home and hide out between jobs.

Rudiger
While visiting a popular tavern Calypso spotted an enormous man guarding what looked like to her a small drunken imp who was screeching loudly and entertaining some of Lunopolis' "finer" women. She asked her fence Alias about the odd pair only to be told that the larger oaf was rumored to have on him a key to chest containing all of the money that the imp made.

"He doesn't look like he makes much." Caly giggled.

"Oh but doesn't he. Them there ladies pay him hefty to keep 'em occupied" Alias whispered back.

Calypso sat back and waited until the imp went upstairs, and sent the big one out of the tavern. She followed him as he want outside of the city and made a small camp. After he fell asleep Caly crept quietly up to him, and slowly began to unclasp the necklace holding the key.

"There he is!!"

Rudiger's eyes popped open just in time to see Calypso pulling back with key in hand. Nearby two men where shouting and pointing toward the two of them. Rudiger roared, and raised his hands fit to kill Calypso. Caly winced and dropped to the ground in advance and held her hands up toward Rudiger.

"I'm sorry!" she shouted, and Rudiger stopped. Calypso opened her eyes to Rudiger putting his hand out for the key. After handing it to him she glanced over at the two men who were getting ever closer. One of the stopped, taking a shot at Rudiger.

"Oi there! IT'S THE THIEF, GRAB HER!"

From the other side, city guards came running. Rudiger's eyes narrowed staring Caly down.

"Are they looking for you?" She gestured to the two men coming towards them. Rudiger didn't answer. "You didn't kill me, I owe you that. I'll take care of them. But I need you to take care of the others over there, think you can run them off? I'll be in bloody big trouble if you don't. What do ya say? Is it a deal?"

Rudiger smiled as he wrapped a pair of chains around his hands.

"Alright then." Caly and then she began running towards the two men at full speed. As she passed them she snatched their wallets.

"Oh boys!" She cried out to them, holding the loot in full vew. Both men stopped and turned around. As soon as they saw their money in the hands of a thief they took off after her.

A few hours later after leading the men on a very long chase that ended with them being strung up to a tree Calypso returned, much to her surprise, to find Rudiger waiting for her at the gate. She noticed he was bleeding and had been shot by one of the men earlier.

"You're hurt. Come with me." She led Rudiger to the safehouse where she herself had been taken care of. The doctor wanted nothing to do with her at all. "It's fine if you want nothing to do with me, but he's hurt and needs the help so just help him and keep me out of it!" Calypso snapped and threw one of the wallets loaded with cash at him. The doctor took Rudiger in, pulled the bullet out, and stitched the wound shut. Afterwards he cautioned Caly that he'd better never see her again.

Together they returned to Rudiger's camp and packed it quickly. She then led him to her hideout where she made some food.

"Alright then, so what do I call you?"

"Rudiger."

"Rudi-what? Can I call you Rud is that okay?" Rudiger nodded. "Alright then, Rud. You did me a rather huge favor back there. Not just the not killing me bit, but if them guards would have gotten me it woulda been the end of my days. I'd like to return the favor as it were."

Rudiger chuckled very softly and gestured to the place they were hiding.

"It has a sense of humor! Alright Alright I know this place isn't any kind of palace but it's a place and it suits my needs fine. Anyway, I've been itching to get outta Lunopolis for a while, how's about we travel together. I make for good company."

Rudiger sat for a moment, deep in thought and stood up abruptly. Calypso jumped back and ducked just in case.

".....Alright." he said.

"Alright? Alright! Okay then let me grab a pack then." Caly frantically threw a small pack of supplies together and followed Rud to the outside of the city.

Opus
By the time they reached the outskirts of the city the sun was beginning to rise. Rud suddenly stopped walking and grabbed Caly to do the same.

"Are we stopping here, should we set up camp?" Rudiger gestured for Calypso to be silent and pointed to a nearby hill. Coming up over the top of the hill, drunkenly but successfully riding a mule was the imp that Caly had noticed with Rud earlier.

"RUD! You dog you! YOU GOT A GIRL! I knew you had it in you!.....That thing IS a girl isn't it?" He drunkenly slurred out.

"You've obviously never seen one." Calypso retorted.

"Oh gods RUD. NEVER, and I have told you TIME AND TIME AGAIN, NEVER get one that has a mouth on it. I thought I taught you better. Tsk. Come on now it's time to head to the next town!" The man got off the mule and handed the reins to Caly as he walked briskly past her. He reeked of wine and gods know what.

Calypso began to follow behind Rudiger, but the man stopped and turned around to face her.

"What are you doing?" He said began to shoo her away with his hands, "Now now, I'm sure Rug here is quite the charmer but there's no need for lovesick following here."

"I owe this man a debt and where he goes so do I. If you don't like it thats too fucking bad." Calypso threw the reins at the imp and stomped ahead.

"Look I am paying him, I am not paying you---" Calypso cut the man off midsentence "I don't want your money I can make well enough on my own. Let me make this clear so it can get through all the hair and perfume and whatever else you've got on: Where he goes, so do I."

The man glared at Caly then turned to Rudiger, ".....Rud what have you done?"

Rudiger smiled and patted the man hard on the back. and then continued walking. It took a second for the imp to recompose himself (each hit was harder than he expected) before he addressed Caly once more.

"My name is Astrafela Opulus. You may call me Opus."

"Alright then, Oppi."

"Opus"

"Right Oppi, I'm Calypso you can call me Caly for short."

"You're going to regret that."

"I'll be sure to let you know when I do."

Together the trio departed for Phobus.