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((Had an idea for this story for a long while, and I had to write it down eventually. Comments are welcome. 
))
The sun had set and darkness descended over Waterdeep. Streetlamps and lanterns did their best to illuminate the vast city and its maze-like alleyways and avenues. A few Watch patrols roamed the North Ward, making sure that no trouble was afoot in the cover of night.
A cloaked figure made its way through one of the back streets in a hurried pace, footsteps resounding against the dark buildings and row houses. The figure moved briskly past two drunkards stumbling their way back home, the block aside from them devoid of life. The cloaked man stopped as he turned a corner, standing before the back entrance of the Silent Shield inn. He looked around to make sure that he was alone and approached the back door, raising his hand to knock on it. Before his hand could touch the rugged wooden door, it opened and spilled warm light across the cobblestone floor. A female silhouette peered out from inside the building.
"Garrett!" the woman exclaimed, opening the door wider and stepping outside. The young, attractive woman was dressed in a gown of luxurious silks, her fingers adorned with many glittering rings and golden bracelets on her wrists.
"Yes, it's me, Chynna," he rumbled in a whisper and took a nervous look around. "Just keep your voice down."
The noblewoman answered with a wry smile and casually leaned back against the frame of the doorway. She crossed her arms over her chest, the bracelets tinkling lightly, and cast a shrewd look at Garrett. "And where is my gift?"
He reached down into a pouch hanging on his belt and produced a silver necklace with a small ruby pendant that gleamed, reflecting the light from inside - yet it seemed to have a faint glow of its own. Garrett handed the trinket to her awaiting open hand, which she closed eagerly around it. She smiled brightly and her demeanor seemed to soften considerably. "It has the charm spell enchanted into it, just like you wanted," he explained. "Where's the carriage?"
Chynna nodded to the right of her. "It's in Thunderstaff Way, waiting for you opposite the park. Then it's only a short way to The High Road and-"
"I know. I have to go now," Garrett interrupted, pulling his hood further over his head and began to turn away. "Wait," Chynna asserted and grabbed his arm. "Why are you leaving in such a hurry? What happened?" Garrett turned back to face her, his amber eyes gleaming roguishly under the shadow of the hood. He gave her a slight smirk. "Well," he shook his head, "you'll hear about it soon enough, but I can't stay here."
Chynna studied his eyes with a piercing gaze, and they stood in silence for a moment. Then she broke into a soft chuckle and let go of his arm, smiling with a slight nod of her head. "Oh well, I am certain you have your reasons, Garrett. Will you-" A loud yell boomed suddenly from far down the alley. "There he is!"
Garrett turned in a flash to look from where the shout had come and saw three men in dark leathers, one of them pointing at him with a dagger. Shocked, he looked at Chynna who was as startled as he was. "Get inside and close the door," Garrett barked. "Get somewhere safe!" She did as she was instructed and took a last worried glance at Garrett before closing the door. Garrett turned to see the armed men running towards him and then sped off as fast as he could.
He burst out from the alley into a street and tore off his cloak, throwing it onto the ground at a run. He was wearing a blue sleeveless tunic over a plain white shirt, brown leather pants and elaborately buckled boots. He held onto a courier bag at his side, bulging with various items. Running as fast as the wind he rushed into an alley opposite the street, glancing at his pursuers. They were not quite as fast as Garrett was, but they stayed on his heels stubbornly. As he neared the end of the dead-end alley, Garrett leaped onto a set of stairs on the side of a building, leading to the rooftops. The two-story buildings above the stairs had flat roofs for the most part, to Garrett's fortune.
Hardly out of breath, he rushed over the row of buildings, eventually coming up to a steep, ridged roof. He pounced up the slope of the roof, but to his alarm, Garrett saw the gaping maw of the street below a bit too late. Coming to an abrupt halt, his foot slipped and the momentum threw him sliding down the roof on his back. Garrett yelled, his boots plowing through the slates of the roof and sending them flying over the brink. Just as Garrett was about to fly off, his boots stamped onto a beam at the end of the roof.
"Thank Mystra," he breathed hoarsely. He looked down and saw a flat roof opposite over the street. Thunderstaff Way went right beside the building. He was close. Garrett climbed back up the roof, stumbling over missing slates, and saw that the thugs were almost upon him. Turning to face the end of the roof, he muttered a prayer and a curse, then took careful running steps, leaping into the air. "Oh hells!" he screamed as he flew over the street. Time seemed to slow down, and Garrett's heart skipped more than a few beats. The opposite roof got closer. His feet landed right on the edge of it, and then he was already tumbling wildly. As he stopped, Garrett slowly rolled onto his back, his face contorted in a grimace and his cheek bruised from the nasty fall. Garrett sat up and looked to where he had jumped from and saw the three men staring at him with their mouths agape. "Try and follow me now, Husteem dogs!" Garrett yelled to them. They quickly disappeared behind the roof, obviously trying to find another way. Standing up unsteadily and with a long groan, Garrett headed to find a way down.
Garrett walked on Thunderstaff Way with as brisk a pace his limp would allow. He turned to an alley off the street and saw the carriage and two horses in front of it. The coachman was standing next to the carriage, and looked at Garrett expectantly. "I'm Garrett. We should be off," he explained as he approached the coachman.
Soon enough, they were riding on The High Road out of the city. Garrett gazed out of the back window of the closed carriage. His face was distorted in a pensive look as he stared at the walls and rooftops of Waterdeep growing more and more distant. "Farewell, City of Splendors," he mused and turned away.
))The sun had set and darkness descended over Waterdeep. Streetlamps and lanterns did their best to illuminate the vast city and its maze-like alleyways and avenues. A few Watch patrols roamed the North Ward, making sure that no trouble was afoot in the cover of night.
A cloaked figure made its way through one of the back streets in a hurried pace, footsteps resounding against the dark buildings and row houses. The figure moved briskly past two drunkards stumbling their way back home, the block aside from them devoid of life. The cloaked man stopped as he turned a corner, standing before the back entrance of the Silent Shield inn. He looked around to make sure that he was alone and approached the back door, raising his hand to knock on it. Before his hand could touch the rugged wooden door, it opened and spilled warm light across the cobblestone floor. A female silhouette peered out from inside the building.
"Garrett!" the woman exclaimed, opening the door wider and stepping outside. The young, attractive woman was dressed in a gown of luxurious silks, her fingers adorned with many glittering rings and golden bracelets on her wrists.
"Yes, it's me, Chynna," he rumbled in a whisper and took a nervous look around. "Just keep your voice down."
The noblewoman answered with a wry smile and casually leaned back against the frame of the doorway. She crossed her arms over her chest, the bracelets tinkling lightly, and cast a shrewd look at Garrett. "And where is my gift?"
He reached down into a pouch hanging on his belt and produced a silver necklace with a small ruby pendant that gleamed, reflecting the light from inside - yet it seemed to have a faint glow of its own. Garrett handed the trinket to her awaiting open hand, which she closed eagerly around it. She smiled brightly and her demeanor seemed to soften considerably. "It has the charm spell enchanted into it, just like you wanted," he explained. "Where's the carriage?"
Chynna nodded to the right of her. "It's in Thunderstaff Way, waiting for you opposite the park. Then it's only a short way to The High Road and-"
"I know. I have to go now," Garrett interrupted, pulling his hood further over his head and began to turn away. "Wait," Chynna asserted and grabbed his arm. "Why are you leaving in such a hurry? What happened?" Garrett turned back to face her, his amber eyes gleaming roguishly under the shadow of the hood. He gave her a slight smirk. "Well," he shook his head, "you'll hear about it soon enough, but I can't stay here."
Chynna studied his eyes with a piercing gaze, and they stood in silence for a moment. Then she broke into a soft chuckle and let go of his arm, smiling with a slight nod of her head. "Oh well, I am certain you have your reasons, Garrett. Will you-" A loud yell boomed suddenly from far down the alley. "There he is!"
Garrett turned in a flash to look from where the shout had come and saw three men in dark leathers, one of them pointing at him with a dagger. Shocked, he looked at Chynna who was as startled as he was. "Get inside and close the door," Garrett barked. "Get somewhere safe!" She did as she was instructed and took a last worried glance at Garrett before closing the door. Garrett turned to see the armed men running towards him and then sped off as fast as he could.
He burst out from the alley into a street and tore off his cloak, throwing it onto the ground at a run. He was wearing a blue sleeveless tunic over a plain white shirt, brown leather pants and elaborately buckled boots. He held onto a courier bag at his side, bulging with various items. Running as fast as the wind he rushed into an alley opposite the street, glancing at his pursuers. They were not quite as fast as Garrett was, but they stayed on his heels stubbornly. As he neared the end of the dead-end alley, Garrett leaped onto a set of stairs on the side of a building, leading to the rooftops. The two-story buildings above the stairs had flat roofs for the most part, to Garrett's fortune.
Hardly out of breath, he rushed over the row of buildings, eventually coming up to a steep, ridged roof. He pounced up the slope of the roof, but to his alarm, Garrett saw the gaping maw of the street below a bit too late. Coming to an abrupt halt, his foot slipped and the momentum threw him sliding down the roof on his back. Garrett yelled, his boots plowing through the slates of the roof and sending them flying over the brink. Just as Garrett was about to fly off, his boots stamped onto a beam at the end of the roof.
"Thank Mystra," he breathed hoarsely. He looked down and saw a flat roof opposite over the street. Thunderstaff Way went right beside the building. He was close. Garrett climbed back up the roof, stumbling over missing slates, and saw that the thugs were almost upon him. Turning to face the end of the roof, he muttered a prayer and a curse, then took careful running steps, leaping into the air. "Oh hells!" he screamed as he flew over the street. Time seemed to slow down, and Garrett's heart skipped more than a few beats. The opposite roof got closer. His feet landed right on the edge of it, and then he was already tumbling wildly. As he stopped, Garrett slowly rolled onto his back, his face contorted in a grimace and his cheek bruised from the nasty fall. Garrett sat up and looked to where he had jumped from and saw the three men staring at him with their mouths agape. "Try and follow me now, Husteem dogs!" Garrett yelled to them. They quickly disappeared behind the roof, obviously trying to find another way. Standing up unsteadily and with a long groan, Garrett headed to find a way down.
Garrett walked on Thunderstaff Way with as brisk a pace his limp would allow. He turned to an alley off the street and saw the carriage and two horses in front of it. The coachman was standing next to the carriage, and looked at Garrett expectantly. "I'm Garrett. We should be off," he explained as he approached the coachman.
Soon enough, they were riding on The High Road out of the city. Garrett gazed out of the back window of the closed carriage. His face was distorted in a pensive look as he stared at the walls and rooftops of Waterdeep growing more and more distant. "Farewell, City of Splendors," he mused and turned away.