Taris glared out of the shadow he hid within. First the Prince made too easy a target leaving for the hunt, and now he returned drunk. The elf almost buried an arrow in his heart out of sheer frustration. But no, the assassin decided, he would find a way to rattle him, to terrify the bastard. It was just a matter of finding the right moment. Still flowing through the shadows, he moved to another shadow closer to the Prince so he could hear the conversation between him and his friend.

He quickly wished he hadn't. The man beside Kentaro was asking when the last time he mounted Aera was... and offering to take care of that for him. Taris wouldn't mind that himself, but in pleasure, if nothing else, he put himself second. This man, from the way he said it and the leer he gave, like she was just a piece of meat, something to possess, was trash. By the Lady he hated humans sometimes, Taris at least had a code of honor, of sorts. Aera had approached by then, a younger girl that bore a striking resemblance to the prince beside her, and they greeted the man. A sister then, and Taris had to smile at the verbal jab she directed at her brother.

After a short exchange Kentaro and his friends walked off towards the castle, leaving Aera alone. She stood there for a moment, naked longing on her face as she looked at the gate. Go, Taris thought, but she turned and followed after the men. The Shadow Elf sighed. A missing Princess, even an Elven one, would cause a fair bit of stir within the castle. At least that’s what he told himself.

Taris finally stepped out of shadow behind a row of tents shortly before the sun had reached its zenith. The crowds had finally filled into the stands, and a dull roar of murmurs became constant companion. The archery competition would begin soon he knew, but he had one last thing to do before he joined the other contestants. He waited another second before reaching out from behind the tent and pulling a young girl behind it with him. Paytin would have screamed had he not clamped a hand over her mouth.

“Taris,” she said once he lowered his hands, “what are you doing? Has something happened?”

He shook his head, “No, no, Paytin nothing. I just needed some information, about a man that went hunting with Kentaro, he has dark hair and eyes…”

“Kasca. The man’s a pig, even worse than the Prince, if you can believe it. Thinks that a woman’s place is on her back… Why? You need to kill him too?”

Taris scowled, “The idea has crossed my mind.” 

Paytin looked at his face, and decided not to push the matter. Instead she pushed a loose strand of hair out of her eyes and said, “Kentaro takes him out on his little whoring trips into town. You might get them both in a nice little package, if you plan it right.” A smile lit her face.

The elf’s brow furrowed, “You may be on to something there. Any chance you know where this brothel is?”

At that the smile faltered, but not by much. “Not at the moment, but I could by tonight. You’d be amazed at what some guys let slip after a little bed-play. I know just the guardsman too…”

“Spare me the details. But I’d appreciate it.” He handed her a small note, “This is where I’m staying, it’s a small inn, room 8. The innkeeper is a friend to our guild. Find me there when you have the information.” Paytin nodded and rushed off to finish her errands. Taris reached inside his hood and pulled a mask of cloth out to cover his lower face, tying it to strings inside the hood. He pulled the edge of his hood down lower to keep the sun off and made his way to the archer’s range as trumpets started a fanfare.