Iskra ran full pelt down one of Corus's many back alleyways. She was buzzing, full of adrenaline.

Thanks to Mercy's exquisitely welll made darts she had managed to hit the merchant first time as he disappeared in to his favourite eating house. In about 10 more minutes he would be stone cold dead, the poisioned tipped darts working their magic. It would look to all intents and purposes as if his heart gave out. The dart was so small and fine that it had punctured him and then dropped out as he swatted away what he thought was a fly.

Now she was running to put as much distance between herself and the crime scene as possible. She was swathed in dark clothing and a scarf that covered her hair and some of her face. She knew she had not been seen but it never hurt to be as far away as possible. Deaths in public places were no mean feat.

She slowed to a jog and checked over her shoulder. A triumphant grin spread across her face.

As the assasin disapeared into one of the alleys Eulia bent over and picked up the shining piece of metal that had fallen from the merchant. It was a tiny dart with a dark sheen of poison at the tip. Jolly good thought Eulia with a grimance. That man would be dead soon. Nothing she could or would do for him. But that assasin was altogether different. She had sparked Eulias interest. A somewhat dangerous thing to do. Eulia began to jog after the woman.

Iskra shrugged off the cloak, dumped it in a pile of rubbish without batting an eye and carried on walking.

She became faintly aware that she was being followed, a girl that she was sure she had glimpsed in the Dove before. This better not be more of Lasser's fun and games! she thought grimly.

Swiftly she turned a sharp corner, ducking in to an alcove. She would wait for the girl to draw level and find out what the hell was going on. She'd killed people for less if she thought they'd give the game away.

Eulia didn't want to risk finding out what kind of poison that dart was tipped with so when she heard something ahead of her that sounded like the rasping of cloth she paused. When she could breathe shallowly she slipped of her hard leather slippers and slipped on her cloth ones. Working quickly she worked a length of cloth around her head and neck, and tucked the back of her skirt into her front waistband. She released the two knives strapped to her forearm. Walking quietly and smoothly down the alley she stayed close to the building walls. As she approached a space between the buildings she leaped backwards across the alley to put as much space between her and anything that might be waiting for her there.

Iskra leaned against the wall and watched the girl leap in to the alleyway. She raised an eyebrow.

"Spare me the dramatics player," she called out to the girl, "if I were going to kill you you'd already be coughing up your own blood by now. Keep your hands where I can see them youngling and think twice about whom you're following in future. You're so keen to follow me? Okay. Here I am now start explaining why and talk fast before I loose my gracious mood."

Letting her hands drop to her side Eulia looked long and hard at the woman. She wondered how anyone could be so cocky with no weapons in hand when a potential enemy could flick a wrist and be done with you.
"I heard you talking to Lasser at the Dove you scared him someway and I'd like to know why and how. You're new here and try to hide it as you might you have an accent. Scanran I'm thinking. So living here most of my life I'm wondering what a foreign stranger is doing prowlin around the city scarin' my king and killin' people. Now I think those are good enough reasons.Especially since I'm curoius by nature." Eulia smiled a little at those words. It was true. Things sparked her interest and until she figured them out they plagued her night and day.

Iskra took the measure of the girl. She was brave if nothing else but Iskra didn't like the manner in which she was being spoken to. Her face remained passive and her tone of voice barely changed. She folded her arms across her chest, palming a small throwing knife.

"Girly I need explain nothing to you. I don't work for your king and I account for myself to no one. My reasons for being here are my own, perhaps before you start singing Corus' praises you might want to think why the likes of me would be here in the first place. I've given Lasser more than his dues and I am beholding to him for nothing. On the other hand your reasons for wagging your jaw at me need to get much better very quickly because I have places to be."

"Singing Corus praises? No, I'm not the singing type... I'm just not used to strangers. Especially ones that scare Lasser. Well mistress I'm young and have no better reasons so prefering not to die by some of the cleverly concealed weapons I'm sure you have on your body I'll be on my way."
Eulia walked out of the niche never letting the woman leave her sight. Eulia thought the better of staying on the same level as the assasin so she climbed up a drain pipe to the roof of a building and started to make her way across the roofs of Corus. She had something new to think about.

Iskra watched the girl disappear over the rooftops.

"Smart girl" she muttered.

This was yet another curious person to add to her list. She would have to get the story on this one from Mercy later.