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	As the sun continued to sling low on the horizons, a young woman seated behind a large redwood desk was forced to reach out to activate the spark lamp that rested on the heavy object, casting the white papers strewn about in an eerie green glow. As always, Arelia was working the figures of her husband Volux’s business to ensure all dues were up to date and any upcoming payments from customers were categorized as appropriate. It was a tiresome job, but it was one she had grown particularly good at throughout her years working for the Bastion Automaton Company since her hand with the finer tools of building had not been a good one despite her husband’s attempts.

	Once she had finished scanning the paper with verdant green eyes, she pushed it aside and reached into a drawer with even more papers inside. Letting out a sound of mild annoyance, she pushed them aside and pressed down at the bottom of the drawer to reveal a false bottom where far more warn papers were hidden. Pulling this out, she scanned them quickly before placing them in one of the many inside pockets of the blue vest she was wearing and stood up to look out the window. In the amount of time it took for her to finish the business work the sun had disappeared giving way to the starlight sky and reminding the Noble that she had further business she needed to see too.

	Moving away from the window, Arelia left her office and headed towards her boudoir, intent on ensuring she would be able to leave without disturbing Volux who had retired to bed early after having pulled an all nighter to finish an automaton ordered by another noble. Unlocking her private chambers, she went inside, locked the door behind her, and immediately moved over to a large wardrobe inside. The room itself was spotless, though it was kept so by her hand alone as she refused to allow any servant within the room, claiming that is were her area to be let be and do as she pleased. While there was no bed, there was a lush couch that was large enough to lay on if she pleased, the material a soft cotton died a deep burgundy color with golden weave patterns throughout. In front of the large couch sat a darkwood intricately carved tea table with a delicate porcelain tea set resting at the center, the bright white a stark contrast to the almost black wood.

	Around the rest of the room sat numerous bookshelves against the walls, the far back wall being the only one with a bare area where the hearth was set into the wall. Her wardrobe, large as it was, sat tucked as close to the hearth as anyone dared put anything made of wood. As she approached the large wooden object her heels let out a consistent clicking noise against the Lapiz flooring, the sound only dulled for a brief moment as she walked across a large area rug that covered the center of the room, the pattern matching that of the couch though the stitching of gold was far thicker and far more intricate. Opening the Wardrobe, she pushed aside every day clothing and pressed a well hidden latch at the back, causing it to slide down and reveal a well organized array of disguises. 

	As she took a survey of her items, counting stone purses and inspecting clothing for any tares that were out of place, she took a brief moment to look out the window. At first, the darkness of the night seemed to swallow everything, her eyes picking up nothing out of the normal, until a streak of white caught her attention. Frowning, she set everything back as it was before clothing the heavy doors to the wardrobe and strode over to the glass to peer out with far more concentration. On a far wall only easily seen through the window of her Boudoir she finally managed to make out the white object she had thought was a simple streak slowly take form to that of a talon. 

	Biting down on the inside of her white cheek, she strode back to the wardrobe and began to pull out an outfit and grabbed a coin purse before stripping down where she stood. Setting to work on her disguise, she bound her chest and pushed her long hair back in a more popular style for males before pulling on a pair of black pants, a black shirt and a long dark blue coat. Adjusting everything so it fit properly, she slid on a belt and attached her coin purse to it before pulling on a pair of boots. She had originally planned on taking the night off and resting up after a day of work and taking her children out, but it seemed the leader of the Dusthawks had something else in the cards. Arelia could not say she was too happy about it, but the noblewoman had a loyalty to them that no one could really completely understand.

	Moving swiftly, she slid open the window and maneuvered herself out, utilizing the thick vines that grew along this side of the building as a means to reach the ground before she made her way to the Nest, taking the ferry and slinking along the dark alleyways within the Grey District. It had been a year since the last meet up, she could not help but wonder with mild excitement what this meeting would entail.
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