When Fiora woke up the next morning, she was entirely unsurprised to find that Garran was long gone. She hadn't expected him to stick around when they had business to attend to, though he could have at least left a note for her. After all, he was the one responsible for tiring her out last night, and the reason why she was waking up so late in the morning, with only sheets shielding her modesty and some very pleasant bruises.

She got dressed, thankful the servants had yet to come wake her or clean the room. Perhaps they heard the noise from last night and figured it was best to leave the guest chamber alone until both its occupants had left. The thief certainly didn’t expect an assassin's hired hands to be big on discretion in that regard. Though she supposed the seraphim had no use for such information save to tease them at opportune times.

If she recalled the plans the group had for today, Neon would be speaking to the Council, along with all their seraphim companions. The rest were likely going about their own business, and the thief doubted anyone else would still be loitering about the house. Of course, she hadn't expected Ruby to be waiting right outside her room. "One of the Council has been assassinated." The young girl began, ushering Fiora to follow. "The initial reports claim his injuries resembled the marks of daeva teeth and claws, so you can imagine the most conspicuous group of them in this city will be targeted at any moment."

Fiora did not like where this was going. She knew the human emissaries were more than willing to use underhanded tactics to undermine the credibility of the group, and incite war, but to actually assassinate someone… No, it couldn't have been them. They were in a foreign capital built on mountainous terrain and navigated by air travel. Their agents would be hard pressed to stage an attack and hiring an assassin here would be too dangerous if one did not know their way around the underworld well.

The two of them ended up in Ruby's workshop, where the young girl passed the her a pair of gloves. "After what happened with your biological father and almost getting caught stealing that book, I figured it would be best if I made you something to augment your abilities a little." It was black leather, much like the rest of her outfit, but Fiora could make out the engravings of what had to be magical runes etched into the gloves. She could feel metal plates underneath as well, which somehow didn't remove the flexibility of the gloves at all. In fact, the metal seemed almost liquid in nature, as if it had no form.

"As you probably noticed, the plating is made of a special metal that is extremely malleable. You should still have the same amount of dexterity even with the added protection. It's a little weightier, but as long as you don't try to stop anything heavier than a blade, it should hold. The runes focus the magical energies you absorb through your touch and amplifies it. I'd probably practise a little before trying to blast anything, however. I tend to go a little overboard on the offensive capabilities." Ruby explained the functions of the gloves, and Fiora couldn't help but think the girl got a little more from her father than intelligence. The blacksmith started to work on a similarly black leather outfit, which Fiora presumed would be the rest of her gear. Given that they had only really been in Adalrich for a night, she probably hadn't had time to do much else. Fiora appreciated the help all the same.

Now, it was time to get to work. She had no idea how much longer the meeting with the council would take, but there was no reason why she couldn’t get a head start on finding leads. Plus, she had to find Garran and give him a lecture about simply leaving a lady alone in bed the next morning.

[hr]

Itzal could not have honestly said he knew Hagumi was going to pass her trials. They were difficult for a reason, and talented as the girl was, she had a bad habit of pushing herself past her limits for the sake of others. Knowing that the fate of the Council's decision on war rested on her shoulders, it was unlikely she would behave any differently than in their previous battles.

Still, a sigh of relief escaped his lips as she passed the trials. Not with flying colours or ease, perhaps, but she was alive, and that was more than most could say. Itzal suspected the last trial had not been as intense as it should have been, but he was not about to call anyone out on it. Her vote could prevent war - or at least keep the seraphim out of it - and that was enough for now. As for how the Ice Princess was going to deal with having to stay behind as a Council member instead of continuing the quest, it was not his problem to solve.

"I trust we have permission to leave now?" Itzal asked the Council, getting permission as the guards opened the door and permitted them to pass. "We shall return once we have finished our investigations." It was more of a formality than a promise. Some members of the council would no doubt retain suspicion that it was them who were responsible for the assassination. They would keep a watch on every member of the group. Itzal expecting nothing less of them. If they didn't, it showed a great amount of trust in Neon's diplomacy, but not much else.

"Kayla, I'll leave the crime scene to you. With your knowledge of magic and attunement to the elements, it should be fairly simple for you to figure out what went on in there. I'm making a detour to get some leads - and hopefully some additional eyes scouring the city. Anything you miss, I'll find later." Itzal instructed the group as he made sure his weapons and gear were all in good condition. He checked their surrounds to make sure there was no one within earshot to hear what he had left to say before continuing. He was kind of hoping he would not have to return to that place again, but it seemed necessary. "If there's one place in this city where you can find out who would want to murder a council member, the headquarters of the Specters would be it. At the very least, I'll be able to find out if one of them did it. If you don't hear from me in two hours… don't come looking."