16 - Moon

by SilkyNoire

Sariel rubbed the chalk on her hands, and looked up. The rope was suspended from a tall frame, about thirty feet up. The rope itself wasn't a normal rope - it was soft cotton, wider and flatter than normal. It was specifically designed for circus acrobatic acts, and it was a rope she was well accustomed to. She jumped, taking hold of the rope, and started pulling herself up.

Under most circumstances, she'd wear a special, lightweight, thin outfit for this kind of act. Unfortuantely, the only place she could assemble this frame was quite some distance from Waterdeep, out near Amphail. In the wilderness, monsters could appear at any time. The armour would make her act more difficult, but she could work with that. She put hand over hand, climbing without the use of her legs. It was a skill few people had, but she did.

She began her act, for her audience of one. Kate was on the ground, taking notes, but also keeping an eye out for anything that would interrupt them. For the normal person, these acts were incredible and death-defying. For Sariel, they had once been her job. Years ago, she had taken a position in the Baldur's Gate Circus Troupe as an acrobat. She'd later expanded into escape acts, but her performance as an acrobat is what got her noticed by The Guild. After all, the Troupe had been a cover for training many of The Guild's cat burglars. It was a diminished art, with The Guild mostly focusing on smuggling and extortion, but it was one Sariel was quite proficient in.

She tumbed down the ropes deliberately, then caught herself at the right time. From Kate's perspective, Sariel would be perfectly silhouetted against the full moon. Kate clapped, and Sariel concluded her initial demonstration.