Shade

image made with Portrait Workshop

STATS
Name: Shade
Age: 24
Gender: Female
Race: Bat-shifter
Class: Thief

Description: Shade has a dark skintone, that's nearly black. She has smoky grey eyes and bright white hair. She has two large ears that she can move separately. They're very sensitive so she usually keeps them covered or blocked. Shade has a body that's trained like a gymnast's. She can control just about any muscle in her body with precision. 
Personality: Shade is cunning and loves to play with people. She goes after the hardest targets, the most well-guarded pieces. She loves a challenge but will make certain that she can pull of a heist. Her special abilities give her an edge but she doesn't take it for granted. Outside of her night job, she works as an editor to a writer, often being able to travel like that. 
Skills: Echolocation, Heat-sight
Enjoys: Acquiring pretty things
Dislikes: Loud noises and Cabbages

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STORY
Shade slowed her breathing. She focused every fibre of her being on her ears and stilled. She heard absolutely nothing. The silence was deafening in it's completeness. But silence was what she wanted. Nobody was around which meant she could proceed to the next stage of her plan. 
She tiptoed closer, navigating by her echolocation in the complete darkness of the vault. She spied no lasers, which wasn't unusual given the security measures that had been outside. Nobody would expect anyone to ever get in here. She singled out the big chunk of crystal and felt her heart skip a beat. Careful now, she shouldn't lose her focus, even at such a beautiful prospect. The gem seemed to radiate and pulse. She would never be able to sell it, but that didn't matter, she just wanted to own it. 
Before she could start dismantling the remaining sensors and security on the crystal's case though, something strange happened. A bright light blinded her and left her momentarily disoriented. Alarm bells went off inside her head. Somebody had gotten inside and had switched on the lights! She'd missed some trap and the lights were a warning sign! Several other scenarios hastily ran through her mind, panic tugging at the edges. But panic never led to anything. Shade dismissed most of the theories. The security company wouldn't let her know they were on to her. She couldn't hear steps.... So what had happened?
"I didn't imagine I'd find a colleague." a voice whispered in her mind. 
Shade regained her composure and tried to find the source of the voice. And then she saw it, a tiny green flame. The creature grinned and grew several sizes, making himself as big as she was. An unworldly light radiated from his wings and body, bathing them in an eerie glow. 
"I didn't either." Shade remarked, "How did you get in?"
"A secret of the trade." the balespawn wyvern said, barring her from his thoughts.
But Shade had already seen plenty in his mind. 
"That's quite a handy trick." she noted. 
"I hadn't thought anyone could be as attuned to me. I imagine we have some things to talk about."
"Your place or mine?"
"I'd suggest yours. I doubt you'd like mine." Unrein retorted, "But first, the gem."
"Ah yes. Let's not forget about the prize."

"Remember! No corrupting until after the sale." Shade said.
"I am not a child, I know what to do."
"Yeah, like you've proven so many times before." 
The balespawn looked not an ounce guilty for at times being unable to contain his need to corrupt. So they had had a deal fall through every now and again, it had all been because necessary diversions. Shade knew that but she preferred to get away with the goods intact. Unrein had just countered that aside from leaving a hole the size of a crater in a planet, nothing would power him up just as gems and crystals could. If she wanted him to teleport them both, she would have to live with losing an item or live with destroying a couple hundred lives. Unrein didn't care either way, he was being considerate to her since she cared.
The buyer came closer. They would not notice Unrein, hidden as a tiny firefly close by. Shade had donned a disguise. This time the transaction went smoothly. They would return to their little treasure-trove momentarily. 
And then Unrein caught the scent. Someone was nearby. Someone very enticing. Someone he had to meet.
"Detour." he told Shade.   
She would figure out the rest herself.