Smells of warm bread, stew, and ale hung thick and tantalizing in the air of the Sunhaven Inn, adding to the already pleasant atmosphere of the scene. Most were there enjoying their evening in pairs or small groups, punctuated with excitement at the possibility of a game breaking out or a bard showing up to perform, but off to one side, a young man chose to sit alone, absorbed in his solitary meal. He was rather plain overall in his appearance, mild features that were easily forgotten, light brown hair and hazel eyes that blended in with the majority of the local population. Even his attire spoke of simplicity, dark browns and blacks with no flashy accessories, cut simply to look just like everybody else. But that was how Raith Telbourne preferred things.

Picking up a thick slice of bread from his plate, Raith began spreading a dollop of butter over the nut studded slice, Appearing to be completely focused on his task. in reality, he wasn’t thinking much about what he was doing beyond appearing to be enjoying his meal, all of his attention was focused on the talk of the people around him. Because that was one thing he was good at: gathering information. Information on trends in the market, secrets for blackmailing, which up and coming noble was in the market for hired labor, the information itself could widely vary, but everything was important. Raith was a spy, or a purveyor of reliable tips, or even a procurer of items of interest. It all depended on what his clients needed him for. His only lines were murder and enslavement. If those were off the table, Raith was the man to hire.

Taking a bite of his bread and turning over one of the pieces of parchment he had on his table as a prop as if reading, Raith listened for a moment to a farmer talking about his load of grain before overhearing the innkeeper mumbling about an overdue tab. Interesting details, but nothing important for the time being. Running his thumb over the edge of his plate, The young man focused his attention on a pair of newcomers to the establishment, a couple of guards down from the castle by the looks of them. Lifting his eyes from the table on the pretense of taking a drink from his mug, Raith swiftly scrutinized the two men before looking down at his plate once more. That one glance told him quite a few things. Something bad had happened at the castle, early this morning if the tired circles under the guards‘ eyes was anything to go bye, and The resulting after math was almost guaranteed to be a dire announcement when word finally got out. The only question was, [I]what[/I] that something was. Luckily for him, the guards seemed to be keen on discussing the matter with one another, though they did so in hushed voices, which was the unlucky part of the situation. Fortunately, Raith had trained long and hard with his skills in observation and was able to piece together the majority of what passed between the guards. And what he understood made him frown.

[I]’The Queen is dead and they honestly believe the captain of her guard did the dirty deed?’[/I] Raith wanted to roll his eyes skyward at the very idea of such a possibility. From everything he knew about the captain, she didn’t spend 10 years of her life devoted to the protection of her majesty only to suddenly snap and murder her on a whim. True, The guards hadn’t said what sort of evidence they had on the captain, but even then he doubted he would believe anything they could present.

Rising from his table, Raith collected his papers and folded them carefully into a leather satchel before making his way over to the innkeeper and passing over a coin for his dinner. He then collected his cloak from where it hung near the front door, swung it over his shoulders, and made his way out into the still early evening. He had a man to visit before the night was out, in search of information that made his skin crawl, the ghosts from his past stirring restlessly. But with any luck, he might be able to save an innocent life.