Iskra entered the common room of the Dove. She scanned around the room, taking note of familiar and unfamiliar faces.

No Lasser tonight, well that suits. she thought to herself. Happy not to have to deal with the King of Thieves tonight.

She went to the bar and slapped down some coins on the bar. "Whiskey, give me the bottle." she barked at the bartender.

As she settled in to a seat she overheard a couple of merchants discussing the death of her target. The obvious glee and their less than polite nickname for him confirmed that his was the worst kind of dirt.

"Here's to the wretched dead." she muttered and gulped down a glass of whiskey.

Corus had proved an interesting time, but the question now was whether to stay. She would collect the rest of her payment tomorrow and consider her options.

John sat, silently. For once, not surrounded by his usual gang of cronies, and ne’er do well friends. He sat with a mug of and he was staring fixatedly at the corner of the room. Thinking.

Meridan was sitting a few seats away from Iskra, at the bar. For once, she was alone, at least at the moment. She scanned the room for prospective men to flirt with. She sipped her glass of sparkling cider and sighed deeply. Sneaking out didn't seem so fun anymore. She suddenly recognized the feeling in her stomach, it was one that she did not experience very often. It was loneliness.

Iskra hadn't noticed John in the room before. She would need to collect the rest of her payment from him soon, but not in here. She crooked a finger at a barmaid. "Take a drink over to the grim looking gentleman there, he looks like he could use some cheer." She slipped the girl some coins with a little extra for her troubles.

John was surprised when the barmaid set a tankard down loudly on the table beside him. He jerked out of his stupor much like a man startled from sleep.

"I didn't order . . ." he began.

"She did." The barmaid started and pointed to Iskra. He stared at the tankard for a moment. What the hell . . .he picked it up and saluted Iskra with the mug.

Iskra leaned her chin on her hand and gave John a tiny smile in reply to his salute. It was never wise to socialise with clients and this was as close as she would come to it until the fuss surrounding the merchant's death had settled.

She would have to wear her ladylike disguise again and seek John out. Iskra suppressed a shudder at the thought of donning the dress and make up again. She looked around the common room again. She hoped one of her aquaintances might turn up. It would at least pass the time.

Mercy walked in the Dancing Dove, the hood of her black cloak drawn up so her face was covered, she glanced around the room quickly, actually she glanced to a particular seat in the room, it was empty. Sighing she thought to herself Thank the gods, no Lasser tonight! He'd have a field day if he found out what I did the past couple days.

Glancing around the room she saw Iskra, smiling she walked over to the bar and sat herself down in the seat next to her, "Are we celebrating or are we contemplating?” drawing back the hood of her cloak as she smiled at Iskra.

Iskra grinned at Mercy when she realised who was speaking to her.

"A little of both. Toasting a dear departed and thinking about my future. Corus has proved a fair interesting place. " She laughed.

She gestured to the barmaid and got another glass, pouring a shot of the whiskey for Mercy.

"So, have we been having happy travels?" she asked, knowing that Mercy had had business afoot.

Mercy let a slow smile creep on her face, a small giggle escaped her lips, "Oh yes, happy travels, found this wonderful method up north to make the metal stronger," taking her shot with a small look of distaste as the wiskey hit the stomach, "also bought some nice material, "whispering she finished, "even paid for some of it, but then i realized i had lack of income to get home so i had to have of it back," smiling she remembered how badly she wanted to see the dealer's face the morning after he realized he was robbed, so she had stayed in town even after the merchant train had left.

"It was completely interesting and fun trip. Although did miss Corus life," she said as she waved an arm around the bar. in the backround she heard a drunk slurred speech and then the sound of a body hitting the floor, "and the Corus drunks," she said as she nodded and filled her shot glass with wiskey again.

Iskra grinned in reply.

"Merchants. Scum suckers to the hilt most of them. Nothing wrong with keeping them on their toes. Incidentally I was thinking of comissioning some throwing knives from you. Mine are getting old and battered and as I've recently come in to some money...."

She poured some more whiskey.

"Great!" Mercy exclaimed, "I can try my new techniques, and I'll be nice and throw ten of these wonderful little daggers I came across in Carthak," leaning forward she swhisperly explained, "they are so small, 'bout the length of my thumb nail, you just slip them at the back of someone's neck right below their head, and they die pretty quick," nodding she continued, "not a lot of blood, and it looks like they died of natural causes."

Shrugging she looked as Iskra, "So i take it business went well?"

Iskra just smiled in reply and raised an eyebrow. "Indeed."

"Those Carthaki's know how to make devious weapons. It must be all that paranoia running in the royal blood!" She laughed huskily. "Now in Scanra a spade's a spade and a great big knife is going to kill you. It's our way. I tell you what though, our cities don't have the colour of this place. I have met some....interesting folk. This young student for example, talking to a rat no less. I've never seen the like."

Mercy chuckled lowly, "I've feel that I've talked with worse, maybe the student is actually getting a more intellegent conversation then i did," with a small grunt she took the shot, a small smile on her face, "If i have much more of the shots," she stated as she put the glass down and waved down the barmaid, "I'm gonna start hitting on handsome over there," she said as she gestured to probably one of the ugliest biggest men in the room.

As a side not she added, "of course he looks like he got hit with the ugly stick to many times, but give me a couple more drink and he'll look like the god of beauty," she said as she took another shot.

Iskra laughed outright at this with her distinctive husky laugh, she wiped a tear away from the corner of her eye.

"Lords above, I swear if I see you making eyes at that...beauty, I'll put you out of your misery before you shame yourself!"

The large ugly man was clearly dimly aware that the women were talking about him, but in his stupidity he thought he was being complimented and puffed himself up with pride and what he thought was an alluring look.

All this did was raise another burst of raucus laughter from Iskra.

"I've just suddenly had a vision of avery ugly peacock during mating season," mercy said as she tried to hold back tears of laughter, leaning down she put her face into her elbow to muffle the sounds of her laughter.

Finally sitting up catching her breath she said, "this is the most i've laughed with someone who isn't three," she reached into her belt and gave a look of confusion, follwed by understanding and then with smile, she pulled a small purse from inside her belt, "old habits die hard apparently," she said with a shrug, "I don't remember where i....," shepaused, "where i found this."

"It's been a long time since I've laughed this much at all!" replied Iskra.

She looked at the small purse Mercy had just pulled out from her belt.

"What have you got there?" she asked, curious.

With a puzzled look on her face Mercy gave a small smile, "Its a purse," giggling the purse she heard coins hitting each other, "with money in it," shaking her head at herself, she continued, "The question is not what is it, but from whom did i get it from?" A quizzled look crossed her face, "i just don't remember taking it, i mean finding it."

Shrugging she opened it up and smiled, "drinks on me apparently!" as she took out gold coin and placed it down on the counter.

"Hazard of the job isn't it? Mind you, in my line of work I'd be fair worried if I did a job on someone without realising!"

Iskra leaned back and stretched her arms and shoulders, shaking her head a little to wake herself up.

Smiling as Mercy declared the drinks on her, Iskra slapped her palm down on the bar and announced, "better rustle up some more whiskey then. We're all out."

Rolling a coin over her fingers Mercy looked around the room, old and new faces. Her theif eye picked out the rich merchant kids and the pages and squires quick, at least one knight, a few riders and the rest were regulars, theifs and murderers, looking at Iskra she raised an eyebrow and asked, "what happened to Lasser? Or do we have a new king of theives?"

((OOC: I'll presume you mean Lasser!))

Iskra raised an eyebrow.

"No, more's the pity. Things got a little too hot with the Provosts men, the idiot nearly got himself caught so he's laying low out of the city at the moment." She pursed her lips, thinking.

"He'll be mighty lucky if he comes back to find his throne unoccupied though. You can't be going and leaving town for too long in his position."

(ooc: omg i can't believe i did that... must of been a bad day late day or just a blond moment (no insult meant to blonds) lol)

Mercy smiled, "I seriously think it would be funny if someone just took over his place while he was gone..." pausing she laughed, "I mean even i could walk over and take his place, not that i gave it any thought being queen of theives or anything," as an afterthought she finished, "okay maybe every now and then i threw around the idea."

Mercy rolled her eyes, "i bet you even thought of it once and awhile."

"Me! I'm not really a social butterfly, I'm not sure the demands of this here royal court would be to my liking. In Scanra maybe, things are different up there. But here? No."

She smiled.

"I could see you on that throne. Now wouldn't that give Lasser the shock of his life?"