Preparations were easy enough.

My face isn't known by anyone here. While it's certainly best to avoid lingering too long in their gaze, in order to avoid being remembered clearly, that gives me further flexibility with how I would approach the infiltration.

Ragged clothing. Dirt on my face, on exposed skin. A hood, ostensibly simply to keep the sun out of my eyes but also to avoid any passing glances from someone who would be able to recognize my face---

No visible weapons, as well. That's important. Of course, I'm not unarmed. It'd be foolish to go without anything at all, and I need to keep some weaponry stashed nearby depending on how the situation progresses.

The illusion of a down-on-their luck street urchin who is trying to take shelter near a religious center that may offer them some charity is hardly a difficult one to create, nor is it an unfamiliar guise for me. As such, it felt as if it was the best option. I wouldn't have to pretend to know anyone. I wouldn't have to perform any rituals or demonstrate any specific knowledge. Certainly, it's not as if I'll be allowed to enter any restricted areas, but I have other methods of securing entry.

No, instead, the guise of a street urchin is to be used for gathering information.

Certainly, there appears to be a high percentage of guards around the cathedral. That much is obvious. It's a different sort of structure than I'm entirely familiar with, but at the same time I can understand its function quite well.

Religious administration. As such, it makes sense to be one of my first stops, and the mere fact there is so much activity here made it of interest.

I can't be certain the presence of the guards is entirely abnormal, but at the same time it's my first lead.

All I need to do is remain nearby, and remain inconspicuous. It's unlikely that any ordinary guard would think anything particularly poor of a street urchin hoping for some kind of shelter or assistance by remaining near a religious center.

That also means that they might not hold their tongues so tightly in my presence. After all, I'm quite insignificant, aren't I?

There's an overhang nearby. It's not even in the direct line of sight of the nearest guards. It's a perfect place to stay out of the sun, or out of any kind of inclement weather.

A tall guard and his shorter companion are also quite close by, talking to one another. Their voices are lowered, but plenty audible for one of my kind.

They're stupid. It's idiotic to be talking about anything sensitive where anyone could hear them. Certainly, they're clearly making an effort not to be heard, but is that really all they can do?

Idiots. I suppose they're not asked to think particularly hard.

But it benefits me, regardless.

"[i]Grovemaster doesn't seem very happy, still...[/i]"

"[i]Locked up in her quarters like that, she must be working hard on something.[/i]"

That's all I need to hear. This disguise has given me just what I needed.

Now I just need to retrieve my gear.

[hr]

Getting back to the cathedral isn't so difficult. I have to avoid getting too close to anyone, but the rags I was wearing before still work quite well to conceal my weaponry and climbing gear.

Now I just need to find a suitable location. It can't be one of the more heavily-monitored areas, obviously, and I have to be aware of who could see me as I ascend. One of the neighboring structures is actually a better option, when it comes down to it.

It may take a little longer, but if I can reach the cathedral without having to scale it directly, then it's a much higher chance of avoiding even a passing glance in my direction. It's uncommon for guards on the ground to look up, though it's not as if I can count solely on that.

All I need to do is find a good spot.