[IC] The Veiled Isles

[ayzrules]

Jade strode briskly down the busy street, ignoring the vendors hawking their wares in the market district. She grimaced slightly as a few grimy street urchins jumped in the puddles of water a few feet in front of her, giving the dirty water that had splashed onto her boots a disdainful glance before continuing on her way. Jade normally avoided the side of the market district that bordered the poor sector and docks, but today it couldn't be helped. Her most recent contract was a fairly well-known member of the Guild who was reported to loiter in the market for hours at a time. For the job, Jade had exchanged her usual clothing that identified her as an assassin for a pair of well-worn boots, a roughspun tunic, and a pair of black breeches. The hood of her earthy brown cloak was pulled up against the rain, which had slowed to a drizzle. In terms of weapons, there was a dagger hidden in each of her boots and a rapier with a relatively simple hilt concealed by her cloak. She held a small pouch with three small rubies inside it in her left hand.

Jade caught sight of an old woman standing by a cart of carrots, most likely imported from the north. Despite her age, Jade knew from experience that she was a spry woman who was more formidable than she looked. Jade had been assigned this contract over a month ago, but the ever-evasive thief had escaped twice now, both times with the old woman's help. Jade had managed to wound the thief the second time, but Jade was determined to finish the the job. A familiar feeling of irritation came unbidden, but Jade pushed it away. There would be time enough to reflect on her shortcomings after she finished this job.

Jade rounded a corner and surveyed the street in front of her quickly as she walked. Pale pink flowers accompanied by deep green leaves were everywhere on the island, and the market district was no exception. Despite the poor soil this close to the ocean, the nameless flowers somehow managed to survive. They were so common on Valencia that most of the wealthier residents regarded them as little more than weeds.

The street was also filled with the smell of salt and sweat. Just beyond the line of fishmongers to the right of Jade was a pier, with the last of the day's catch arriving. Jade flicked her eyes up to the sky-a heavy cloud cover obscured the sun, but she could still tell that it would be dark in around half an hour. Time to get this over with, she thought to herself.

The green-eyed assassin was not so foolish as to believe that she would be successful in apprehending her target on the streets near the water. This was Guild territory; their allies dominated the marketplace along the coast. However, once you went further inland, the fishmongers and produce vendors gave way to middle-class artisans displaying their pottery and ornaments, and finally the wealthiest merchants had whole plots of land reserved for their valuable jewels, exotic spices, fine silks, and vintage wines brought to Valencia from faraway lands.

Jade let her gaze rake across the crowded pier, until she finally spotted the thief drinking something (most likely beer) from a canteen maybe twenty feet away from her. As Jade continued to watch, the thief downed the contents of the canteen before standing up and stretching. Jade narrowed her eyes and sped up until the distance in between her and the wily black-haired thief was less than five feet. Then, she walked past the thief, purposefully brushing against her. Jade let go of the pouch of rubies as she did so, as if she'd dropped it accidentally, then wove her way through the crowd before slipping into an alleyway. Jade waited a few heartbeats before risking a glance back to where she had dropped the rubies.

A small feeling of triumph overcame her when she saw the thief had picked up the pouch and was looking in the direction she'd left in. Jade counted another ten seconds or so before walking back out of the alleyway. After a minute, she spied the thief following her out of the corner of her eye.

Jade led the thief, a thin black-haired woman, into the wealthier section of the market district. She paused a couple times and pretended to examine the things on display. Jade had to admit that the thief was very smart. She would have stuck out like a sore thumb in the wealthier section of the market district if she kept to the fringes of the crowd like Jade, and she realized that the thief had started to make her way toward the center of the huge mass of people milling about, all the while keeping an eye on her. No matter, Jade mused to herself. All I have to do is make sure she keeps tailing me.

Finally, Jade was in League territory. As opposed to the vendors lining the streets near the coast, all the people selling items in the wealthiest section of the market district were allied with the League. They were the ones who usually took out contracts, though the Guild usually did not take the risk of stealing directly from their stalls. Instead, they struck when the cargoes of the merchants' ships were being unloaded with fast hit-and-run operations. The streets in this part of the market district were wider and cleaner, and the smell of ginger and nutmeg permeated the air. The slightest of grins slipped onto Jade's face. She glanced up to the sky, noting how dark it had become, before deciding that it was time to make her move.

Jade moved to turn into an alleyway that had been cleared for the night. Merchants were closing up for the day, ready to go back to their large villas and enjoy the night. But before she could fully round the corner, she stopped in her tracks and quickly pulled back, her heart hammering in her chest.

With all thoughts of the thief forgotten, Jade sucked in a breath of air before looking back down the alley. What she saw bewildered and, as much as she loathed to admit it, terrified her. The bodies of several lower-ranking League members, identifiable by the red and white that they wore, were littered across the thin space. But what made Jade's heart drop to her stomach was the man wearing a midnight-black cloak driving his obviously expertly forged sword into the chest of the last surviving assassin.

*****

A couple of days later, Jade glimpsed a familiar black cloak slip past her while she made her way through the docks to meet up with Dale, the League's second-in-command. Frowning, Jade immediately began to follow the figure, the darkening sky making it harder for her to see. She had tried tailing him the day she discovered the dead assassins, but after an hour or so she realized that she'd lost him. She returned to the League headquarters and told Syra, the Sovereign of the League, about the man and the corpses. Syra's stern brown eyes remained impassive while Jade recounted what she'd seen. After Jade was finished, Syra told her to tell Dale and then to keep it quiet until further developments presented themselves.

All of this whirled through Jade's head as she struggled to keep her eye on the figure, making sure that she was staying a safe distance behind him. She noticed that they were now in the market district, and she was reminded of the black-haired thief all over again. Jade shook her head slightly and pushed it out of her mind. There were more pressing matters to worry about. Just then, she saw a dark-haired and dark-skinned thief whom she identified as Elia, one of the higher ranking thieves in the Guild. She had evaded every single assassin who'd taken out a contract to kill her so far. Before Jade could fully process what her appearance meant, Elia had disappeared like she'd never been there at all. Jade furrowed her brow but ignored it, and had continued no more than ten steps when a hoarse cry of pain filled the air. Suddenly, Elia was there again, her black curls cascading down her back as she staggered forward, blood soaking her chest. Jade glanced at the cloaked figure, who was sheathing a sword, its blade stained crimson. Then the sword was back out again, the blade slashing quickly. Jade saw to her surprise another thief attempting to attack the cloaked man, wearing earthy tones. This thief was tall and blonde, and there was something vaguely familiar about him. Jade debated helping the thief for a few seconds, deciding that the cloaked man was now a common enemy. She shoved her way through the crowd that had gathered and drew her daggers from her boots in one fluid motion, arriving on to the scene of the struggle.

[WilsonTurner]

"Hey, Lalli, wait up a moment!"

The slim thief paused, turning to glance at whoever was following him. He already knew who it was; he never forgot a voice. He stared at Elia jogging after him, an unusually heavy coinpurse hanging from her belt- which had been wrapped in leather and had copper wire threaded through its drawstring, to prevent a thief robbing the thief.

"I gotta meet with a foreigner- wanna come? I need someone to watch my back with this guy. I'd... really like it if you came. No one else is as good as you at judging people."

He stayed silent for several moments, letting Elia catch up and give him that curious, inquiring look that many people often gave him. He already knew she had a thing for him- they were both some of the most respected thieves in the city- the difference was, Lalli was a name known by no one. He didn't socialize or spread his name like some of the others do.

But he nodded his head, and gestured ahead, vaguely. Elia gave him a bright smile, and started jogging again. "Come on then, no time to lose. This could tip the balance of power, get us an advantage against the League.."

Oh? Lalli tilted his head slightly, and glanced at Elia, who immediately flashed him another grin. She was pleasantly surprised when he chose to speak, but not quite so much about what he was saying.

"Trying to change the balance of power could be dangerous. We keep each other in check. It's equal."

She frowned, and obviously tried to take it into consideration, before replying.

"Yeah, but if we oust the Assies, then we can let the Council do whatever, and we can continue on with business as usual- except all over the city-" She was interrupted when Lalli pressed a finger against her lip- they were nearing a corner, and he felt something off.

She went cross-eyed, looking at her crush's finger pressed against her lips, as Lalli peeked around the corner. Taking in a stranger in foreign garb, framed by the sea out a ways through the street, he gave Elia a questioning look. She peeked too, and said, "Contact- he's the person I'm meeting. Watch my back, yeh?"

And then she was gone, walking straight out to meet the man. Lalli reached up, and climbed up the house they had taken cover behind, squirreling himself away on the roof, tracking Elia's progress.

He didn't know what they were saying- he just watched as she gave him payment, and then she started doing her thing- until the man drew his sword, and attacked.

Lalli was already jumping from the story-and-a-half house before the sword had pierced Elia- he had a knife on its way to the man before he had re-drawn his sword to attack him. His style was unfamiliar, but Lalli worked by adapting, not going through practiced motions. He turned and threw his body to the side, lithe body easily escaping the sword that the man was wielding, and he launched another knife at the man's legs. He wasn't trying to get in close-close with the swordsman- he wanted to take him down and end the fight, get to his friend.

The cloaked man rushed him, before he could make another move, though. It seemed that both of his knives hit- there was one sprouting just inside his shoulder, and another in his thigh, but neither of them seemed to slow him down. Dodging, ducking, and evading, the cloaked man grew angrier and angrier at being unable to even cut the fabric of Lalli's coat. He weaved and threaded away, eventually getting close enough to a wall to throw himself up it, climb up, and then wait for the man to lower his guard slightly.

The man was about to shout up, and his sword wavered slightly. Lalli jumped then, whipping out two of his last knives, rolling behind the man, getting to his feet, and then throwing the extra knives- one slammed into the man's side, and the other went flying in the direction of the approaching assassin.

The cloaked man cried out, cursing at him in a foreign language, and glanced at the assassin, before deciding he had enough hurt that day.

Fleeing, leaving Lalli with the assassin. He stayed ready, ready to run, to dodge, but let the assassin approach, let the assassin get within talking distance. She began getting too close; he started back up until she stopped. He glanced at Elia- already dead. Getting himself killed or captured won't help her none.

[ayzrules]

A knife flew in Jade's general direction. Jade let it fly by, barely sparing it a glance. She noticed that the thin blonde thief had managed to lodge at least one or two knives into the cloaked man's flesh. Jade made a move to join the fight, but before she could do so the man noticed her, cursed loudly, and fled. Elia was lying motionless on the ground, most likely dead. Jade slowly edged closer to the blonde thief as he eyed her warily. Jade suddenly regretted the crimson cloak on her back; it was an obvious sign that she was an assassin. Finally, when Jade and the thief were within talking distance of each other, she spoke up.

"What was she doing with him?" Jade questioned in a neutral tone of voice, gesturing vaguely at Elia's body. Jade made an effort to keep her face relatively expressionless, trying not to appear threatening in any way. Jade kept her daggers out, but she let her hands drop to her sides and relaxed her posture. She had nothing against this particular thief. Really, Jade had nothing against any of the thieves. Contracts were never to be taken personally, and the League was just doing its job. The thieves understandably did not want the assassins to be doing their jobs, considering that their recent contracts all targeted members of the Thieves' Guild. If they would just stop stealing, I'm sure we wouldn't be asked to go hunt them down all the time, Jade mused silently. But she knew there was literally no chance of that happening.

Jade cast a furtive glance around the street. People were openly staring at them, and all activity had ceased. Jade felt a slight twinge of concern. The League certainly did not need hundreds of witnesses spreading rumors about the whole incident. Syra had wanted the whole thing with the foreign man to stay quiet, but that obviously wasn't an option anymore. Jade knew what would happen after this; the Council would get a wind of the whole thing from the wealthy merchants, who would hear it on the streets or something. Then the Council would confront the League, Syra would tell the Council that the League had everything in control and to stop meddling, and the Council would get upset. However, the League had considerable power over the Council, so they wouldn't be able to do anything but sit there, grow more agitated, and continue to nag the League. Syra would ignore them, but if Dale got irritated enough he would give them a polite equivalent of "fuck off". After that, there was no way to tell what would happen. Jade was so familiar with this routine of mutual complaining that it hardly came as a surprise when something like this arose anymore.

"Listen, I know this is going to sound...strange, but do you think we could, ah, discuss this somewhere else?" Jade asked in a low voice, trying to sound as genuine as possible. The thin thief in front of her seemed suspicious, stand-offish, and not very likely to want to even be within a ten-foot radius of an assassin, and in normal circumstances Jade stayed as far away from the thieves as possible for security reasons, but these weren't normal circumstances. Jade needed all the information that she could possibly get, and since the man appeared to kill people indiscriminately, Jade figured that maybe the thieves could offer some assistance in determining what the hell he was doing on Valencia and why he was going around killing both assassins and thieves.

A nervous murmuring had started up in the crowd assembled, with people openly glaring at Jade. She was anxious to get out of this potentially hostile setting as soon as she could. It would do her no good to have all the Guild's friends decide that Jade was a threat. She sighed softly, shifting her weight slightly. Oh, the things I get myself into, she thought wryly to herself, turning her head to the side a little to survey the whispering crowd before facing the blonde thief once again. If I get out of this alive, I'll consider myself lucky, Jade thought, although she felt strangely calm. Jade patiently for the thief to make a decision.

[WilsonTurner]

Lalli stared at the assassin, stomach twisting into knots. He can't beat an assassin. Run from, yes. Beat an elite one, no. But he wouldn't leave Elia's body here; even though they were strong, thieves having to be, he wasn't strong enough. And so he quickly thought up a solution, and replied, in his quiet, passive voice.

"Grab her. Follow."

Then he turned, and used a pile of boxes as sort-of stepping stones to jump up on the nearest roof. Crouching on the edge of it, he watched her until the assassin began taking ahold of Elia's body, and, at a much slower pace, started following him. Lalli didn't speak, he just made sure that he was plenty far ahead of her, running around on the rooftops, across boards purposely laid out over alleyways too wide to jump over, and occasionally places to climb down into the alleyways and snake through certain sections of the city, before climbing back up on the rooftops.

And the thing about it that was fascinating, was that not even Jade was aware of how extensive the network the ran along the roofing of the city was, and they hadn't even gotten to the underground part, yet. Either way, Lalli would go on ahead and then crouch on a ledge, the top of a house, a chimney even, and stare, almost like a cat. Not a sexy cat, mind you, more like a wide-eyed cat that that's about as threatening as a mouse.

Eventually they came to a stop on a roof in the lower, very much Guild-territory, which had a decent vantage point of the harbor here. Stopping Lalli waited for the exhausted assassin to catch up, before motioning vaguely at the ground. He knew Elia was dead- there was nothing he could do. But now he brought his body back into familiar territory, in record time!

So he just watched the high ranking assassin put his friend's body down, and asked, "Do you know who he was?"

[ayzrules]

"Grab her. Follow," the thief said in a soft voice, before taking to the rooftops. Jade picked up Elia's body and did as the thief asked, making her way up the boxes and following him. Jade had to admit that she was impressed by the network of pathways laid across the rooftops, all but invisible to anyone who didn't know about them. The added weight of Elia's body made it harder to keep up, but the thief waited for a minute or two every so often to give her a chance to catch up. As they snaked through the rooftops and alleyways of the market district and eventually into the slummy area of Valencia, Jade watched the thief. She took in his lithe, agile movements and the way he seemed to know exactly when and where the next rooftop would be. Jade could almost imagine his eyes darting around and locating the next place to jump before leaping gracefully across the gap in between the rooftops.

Finally, the thief found a rooftop to stop on near the harbor. When Jade arrived, he gestured toward the ground. Jade gently set down Elia's body, stopping for a moment to catch her breath. Jade did not doubt that the rooftop network extended far beyond the snippet that the thief had shown her, but there were more important things to think about. "Do you know who he was?" the blonde-haired thief asked after Jade had put Elia's body on the ground.

Jade shook her head, a wry expression on her face. "I wish that I did," she replied, tucking a piece of her dark brown hair behind her ear. She hesitated for a moment before continuing. "What Elia was doing with him is my biggest question right now," Jade went on, glancing down at the corpse. Even in death, there was still something about her that drew the eye. Perhaps it was her wild, untamed hair, as free as Elia had been herself.

"Anyway. You didn't hear this from me," Jade began, giving the blonde thief a pointed look, "but I found him killing assassins as well. I'm not sure what his motives are right now, considering that it seems like he does not intend to ally with either of us, but based on his fighting style I would say he's from the north, probably Eltevi." Jade recalled what she had seen of the man's forceful slashes and strong thrusts, a far cry from the fighting style of the League, which emphasized stealth, agility, and evasive maneuvers. "He obviously had formal training-his movements were more precise and controlled than those of a common street fighter," Jade said. She flicked her eyes to the blonde thief. "No offense. And did you see his sword? That thing must have taken ages to forge. So he's foreign-most likely Eltevian-and rich, meaning that he's probably somehow affiliated with the Eltevian government." Jade stopped talking to let it all sink in. She shook her head slightly. "This doesn't look good."

[WilsonTurner]

Lalli watched the assassin, like a hawk, listening to her speak, and analyzing every bit of it he could. He didn't take offense; he understood what she meant. Despite his distrust, the assassin went quite a ways to just speak to him, and wasn't even directly asking him what had happened. That put her in his good books, even though she- Jade, he faintly remembered- had killed others of his friends before. But no one was really his friends, and such is the life of the day.

So he walked over, and gently closed Elia's eyes, ignoring the assassin standing over him. He was alert, and ready to spring away if he even thought she moved, but nothing happened, and he stepped back. Staring at her with the same, almost innocent, childish, wide-eyed stare, he said nothing for several moments.

"Elia wanted to align the Guild with them to shift the balance of power. I warned her not to. But I came anyways. Wanted to watch; observe. Didn't know she'd die. Didn't know others were already dead." He stared at Elia, frowning, the hints of grief and sorrow tainting his expression.

Glancing back up at Jade, he asked, straightforward and somewhat clumsy with his own voice, "Do you have a plan? I will help, if you do."

[ayzrules]

Jade watched as the thief closed Elia's eyes. They must have been close, she thought to herself. Then, he stared at Jade with an oddly innocent look on his face, studying her closely. Jade met his gaze evenly, and then he finally spoke.

"Elia wanted to align the Guild with them to shift the balance of power. I warned her not to. But I came anyways. Wanted to watch; observe. Didn't know she'd die. Didn't know others were already dead," he told her, and looked down at Elia's body with a frown. Then, he re-focused his attention to Jade and said that he would help if she had a plan.

Jade was mildly surprised at his proposal and how perceptive he was. After all, if he'd been close to Elia, then he probably was one of the higher-ranking members of the Guild himself. Most members of the Guild wouldn't hesitate to take any opportunity they could to bring down the League. Jade grimaced slightly. "Thanks for offering, but I have no plan yet," she admitted sheepishly. "But I would really appreciate some help. Tell you what-I'll head back to headquarters, let Syra know what's going on, and come up with something or the other by tomorrow. I have a feeling that something bigger than both of our organizations is going on, so the first step in the plan would probably to get more information. Some reconnaissance work, yeah? I know that the Guild is very skilled in recon, but the League's strength is more in its stealth, and, ah, fulfilling contracts." Jade paused for a second to catch her breath. She glanced at the thief's face, and satisfied that she didn't detect any sign of hostility, continued. "If you could help with finding out what the hell this guy is doing around the island, well, frankly, it would be a huge help. Some of the assassins aren't so great at blending in with the crowd."

"So what do you say?" Jade questioned, tilting her head slightly and appraising the thief. An alliance in between the Guild and League was very unlikely, but not impossible.......and Jade had a feeling that they would have to work together to uncover what the Eltevian man was truly doing on the island.

[WilsonTurner]

He stared at her, before frowning down at the corpse that used to be Elia. He let out a sigh, and leaned slightly to the side, as if a breeze was pushing him. He stared at her, before appearing to completely ignore what she said, and started, well, looting Elia's body. Coinpurse, daggers, her saber, her belt, the hood and cloak that marked her as a Guild member. He wrapped them up, and pulled out a piece of fabric- which he unfolded into a sort of bag. He stuffed her non-sharp items inside, before slinging it around him.

And then he took three of the four knives from Elia's body, and slipped them into various parts across his body. The last one, he offered to the assassin, along with the saber, scabbard, and accompanying belt.

In a lighter, lilting, foreign accent, he spoke, still not entirely familiar with the language. "Take them. Keep them. Wear them. I will work with you, and you will not be attacked while carrying Elia's things. I will spread word. Meet here in a fortnight, I will keep you posted. Will interrupt any attempts to murder. You have my word."

[ayzrules]

As Jade spoke, the thief began to take anything and everything of value from Elia's body. He took a purse most likely filled with coins, a saber, a couple of daggers and knives, a belt, and a cloak. After he was done, the thief stood up and handed Jade Elia's belt and saber. Jade accepted the items and listened to him speak. She inclined her head slightly. "You have my thanks," Jade replied, turning around and making her way back down into the street, relieved that the whole thing had gone much smoother than she'd expected. Most other thieves would have fled or attacked her, but this particular thief had been willing to hear her out. When Jade had gone twenty steps, she realized she never found out what the thief's name was. She made to retrace her steps and ask, but then she realized that he was gone already. Sighing, Jade began the long walk back to the League's headquarters.

*****

Jade walked inside the grandiose marble and gold building in complete darkness. While she and the thief were talking, the sun had slipped down beyond the horizon, leaving the sky pitch-black. The moon was a tiny silver sliver, and a myriad of stars spread out across the night sky like drops of paint on a canvas. She tucked Elia's belongings under her cloak, not wanting to draw unwanted attention. Jade strode briskly through the corridors, nodding politely to any assassins that she happened to come across. The League headquarters was relatively quiet at this time of night, something that Jade was suddenly immensely grateful for. When she reached Syra's study, Jade knocked softly. She wasn't surprised when she heard a stern voice telling her to come in. Syra always stayed late.

The study was more practical than elegant, but there was grace in its simplicity. The desk was made of fine mahogany, as were the door and chairs. The rosewood paneling was unadorned save for a few small designs carved into it near the ceiling and the floor. A fine Persian rug lay near the door, and cream-colored damask curtains framed the window. There were three bookshelves on the wall closest to the door, and five wooden chairs pushed up against the wall opposite to the desk.

Syra was rather tall and rather pale. She had a more peachy complexion as opposed to the dark caramel color that seemed to be the predominant skin tone of Valencia. Her ashen brown hair was pulled away from her face in a messy bun. Syra had a strong jawline and piercing chocolate-brown eyes, and she was adept with a variety of weapons. Swords, knives, daggers, crossbows-you name it, and Syra knew how to use it. Needless to say, she wasn't someone that anyone wanted to mess with.

"Yes, Jade? What is it?" Syra questioned as Jade padded across the study to stand in front of Syra's desk, where she was scribbling away. Syra stopped writing and let her full attention settle on Jade. Her sharp brown eyes met Jade's mossy green ones.

"I saw the man who killed the assassins again today, except he killed a thief this time," Jade began. Syra looked at her expectantly, silently prompting her to continue. "Elia. The thief's name was Elia. Anyway, the man got away, but not before her friend managed to stab him a couple of times. I think he's from Eltevi based on the way he fights. And he's obviously wealthy, and very skilled, so he's most likely a member of the Eltevian League of Assassins, or whatever it's called over there." Jade paused for a second, watching as Syra took everything in. As usual, Syra remained impassive, although Jade detected a small twitch of her lip when she mentioned the Eltevian assassins. She swallowed a tad anxiously before going on. "I talked to the thief who attacked the man. He said Elia was trying to ally the Guild with the man and weaken our control over the island." At this, the small frown that had formed on Syra's face deepened. "But Elia got killed, and her friend said he'd help us. He agreed to do some reconnaissance work, and gave me some of Elia's things." Jade set down the sword and belt on the desk in front of Syra. Then she stepped back and took a deep breath, waiting for Syra's reply.

For a few minutes, none of them said anything. Syra brooded on what Jade told her, and the silence hung heavily in between the two women. Finally, Syra began to speak. "I suppose you handled the situation better than most would have," Syra said with a small grimace. "But there's something that doesn't add up. Why would the thief agree to help us? We're the League, for Pete's sake."

Jade hesitated before responding, knowing that she had intentionally disobeyed a direct order. "I told him that the Eltevian man had killed some assassins," Jade admitted. "He was able to see that the man wasn't specifically targeting just one organization."

Syra sighed. "Very well then," she said, glancing up at Jade. "All we can do for now is try to figure out what his motives are. You said that the Guild was going to set up reconnaissance?" Jade nodded.

Syra made a dismissive gesture. "Tell them not to. We will get it under control."

Jade furrowed her brow, taken aback by Syra's obvious disdain for the Guild. "You know as well as I do that the Guild must be skilled. Otherwise, how would they have survived this long? We need their help, Syra. The poor won't take kindly to us parading through their streets, stopping everyone who looks suspicious."

Syra narrowed her eyes. "Jade, my decision is final."

"Your decision won't help us at all," she retorted, feeling recklessly bold. "Syra, please, think about this," Jade pleaded.

The two lapsed into silence again. Jade was worried that Syra wouldn't be convinced, and what she would do if she wasn't. Jade had already questioned her authority twice today. It would do her no good to question it a third time.

But Syra finally nodded. "Alright. We'll let the Guild handle the reconnaissance." Jade exhaled softly, relieved. "When and how are you to get in touch with this thief again?"

"In a fortnight, on a roof near the poor side of the market district," Jade answered. Syra contemplated this for a minute and nodded again. "I will get some of the lower-ranking League members to patrol this section of the island. Lord knows that they need something to do. You are dismissed."

Jade inclined her head respectfully before walking out of Syra's study.

*****

Over the next two weeks, Jade had almost no time to even think about her contracts. Even if she'd had the time, Jade would not have wanted to. She was almost certain that they were all for members of the Guild, and you really couldn't go about killing the people doing your recon, could you? Instead of chasing down thieves through the market district, Jade spent her days on the look out for anything that could provide her a clue as to where the Eltevian man was. She lurked in the shadows long after the sun had set, watching the streets with a couple of assassins Syra had put under her command. Jade never caught sight of the man again, but she found a dead assassin towards the end of the first week who was obviously killed by him. The clean wound said it all; it was the work of a professional, not of a self-made street fighter.

When a fortnight had passed, Jade made her way to the rooftop she'd talked to the blonde thief on. It took her a while to find it again, and she regretted not paying closer attention to her surroundings while following him that first time. But after a few wrong turns and dead ends, Jade managed to locate the rooftop. The thief hadn't arrived yet, so Jade stood there patiently and waited, watching the waves crash onto the shore. She touched Elia's belt, saber, and scabbard lightly. True to the thief's word, no thieves bothered her everytime Jade wore them. Nevertheless, Jade refrained from wearing red and white. Those two colors would only make her more easily identifiable to the Eltevian man. She watched as late afternoon began to make its subtle transition to twilight, wondering how in the world they were going to find the Eltevian assassin.

[WilsonTurner]

Lalli peeked over the edge of the roof, gripping by the ends of his fingers and toes as he tried to recon the rooftop again. Spotting the assassin, back facing him, he silently pulled himself up over the edge of the roof, and dropped down on cloth-wrapped shoes. He silently padded over to the assassin, keeping as silent as a thief, and gently, oh so gently, took the assassin's coinpurse. Pocketing it in one of his special for-coin-purse pockets, he took a dozen steps back, and then coughed into his hand to get her attention.

He watched, so amused, as she twisted and got up, not even noticing the lack of coin. But oh well- that was her bad. The weight of her coinpurse was very promising. If there was something he knew, it was taking money.

So he gave a small little half-bow when she finally faced him, and he waited patiently for her to reciprocate. Satisfied, and started. "I've been trying to track him. Hard to, smart, knows the city like the back of his hand. Six individuals-" he pulled out a list of paper- "I suspect are contacts, since he speaks with them, one every day."

On the paper was several names- next to them, a small notation just said "Yes."

Lalli pulled out her coin purse after she had taken the note, and added, "Here is payment for a contract, against the foreigner."

[ayzrules]

Jade listened closely as the thief outlined his discoveries for her. His observations were mostly what she'd known already, although she was mildly surprised to hear that the Eltevian assassin knew his way around Valencia. Jade had lived in the city-state her whole life, and even she would get lost if she wandered randomly through the market district or poor sector. Valencia certainly wasn't a small place-Jade knew of people who'd gone their whole lives without stepping foot in the poor sector, and there were probably many more who hadn't ever had the chance to visit the wealthier section of the island. Either the man was just really good with directions, or he wasn't new to the island. Jade strongly suspected that it was the latter.

The list of people was a pleasant surprise. Jade gratefully accepted it, scanning through the six names. "Thank you. How did you know who they were?" Jade questioned with a raised eyebrow. "These are mostly all people who avoid the poor sector like it's the plague," she said rather bluntly, not bothering to sugar coat her words. Jade didn't think that the thief would take offense to it anyway. He seemed more logical than the drunken hotheads Jade had encountered many times in the past. "Nathaniel Sills would rather have his eyes gouged out than be within a ten-foot distance of the slums. He said that verbatim one time," Jade went on dryly. Sills was in the jewels business, which was probably why he harbored such a fierce hatred of the poor. The Guild was known to be especially fond of jewels. "Eric Peytin, well, he's a scribe and lawmaker who inherited a lot of money. I don't think he's been to the market district once in his life. Hell, he rarely steps foot outside his house." Jade read the rest of the list-Desdemona Heath, Ebeneezer Oliver, Minerva Ygitt, Cecilia Cryll. All wealthy, powerful merchants, artisans, and scholars, save for Ebeneezer and Cecilia, who were former merchants and known smugglers that had disappeared off the face of the earth after the League had started investigating their illicit goods. Jade noticed that all of them had been denied Council positions at least once, which made her frown worriedly. That was certainly interesting.

When the thief produced a coinpurse and offered Jade payment for a contract, Jade was taken aback by his proposal. She wasn't treating the whole situation with the Eltevian assassin like a job; she was treating it as more of something that needed to be done if the League was going to survive. If word got out that assassins were being killed, well, the Council would throw a fit. If the Council threw a big enough fit, then the League's position could be seriously compromised.

But then Jade realized it was her own coinpurse. Her hand instinctively went down to where she usually kept it, only to grasp empty air. She narrowed her eyes and studied the thief for a moment before shaking her head slightly and accepting her own money back. "Well, that teaches me to never keep my money unattended around here," Jade said wryly, although she was a bit troubled because she'd never noticed him taking her coinpurse in the first place. "And if it wasn't clear, I'm not going to treat this as a job. More of something that needs to be done," she told him sincerely.

Jade hesitated, and spoke up again. "If you don't mind me asking, what's your name?" Jade inquired, figuring that knowing the thief's name would make communicating easier. She paused for another second. "You probably know who I am," she admitted. Being as young as she was and already third-in-command of the League was rare on Valencia. The only other person who'd ever accomplished anything like that was Syra.