OOC: And satisfaction brings it back

IC:

Eulia had become exceedingly curious about the Scanran assasin. She had tested the poison. It had turned out to be made of relatively benign and useful plants that when mixed together became highly poisonous. Eulia couldn't track the woman that way. That meant she had no choice but to go to the source itself. Especially since the merchant was rich, and the servant who answered his front door wouldn't even take a message. Even when she had dressed as a nob, and touched up her speech. So Eulia was spending a day at the Dancing Dove waiting for the woman to show up. If that didn't work Eulia would be forced to search the city step by step. sipping at a mug full of tea she waited.

Iskra slammed the door to the Dove open angrily, looking around for the girl. She spotted her sitting and drinking tea. She grabbed a chair and sat down, pulling it up to the table roughly and nearly knockng the cup over. Her face was pure fury. Under the cover of the table she levelled a dagger at the girls stomach.

"Don't move." She hissed between gritted teeth.

"Now you speak quickly girly and you tell me just what in the name of Yahzed you were doing going to that merchants house. Are you trying to die young, because let me tell you if I get sussed for that job you will be wearing you guts as a necklace. I've warned you once and now I'm telling you!"

"It was a warning before?" Eulia said calmly "Do you want the truth or a reason for you to kill me? I'm not interested in showing you up by the way, just in case you do feel like killing me."
Sipping at her nearly upended tea she set her face in stone. She was not in a good position.
"I don't know who you are, since you didn't tell me, I searched with my own means. I'm naturally curious, and my days were growing dull. You presented a challenge, and have proved one for the past few days, especially in the past few minutes."

"I told you that who I was and what I was doing was none of your business and yet you ignore me. Do you not appreciate child that I have killed people for less and I won't bat an eyelid doing it?"

She began to get a handle on her anger and lowered her voice.

" If anyone from that household links you to the Dove that brings the whole damn thing on to your own doorstep and then we'd all be swinging from the Provosts noose. You have to be smarter than that!" She tapped her own head for emphasis.

"If I've found out where you'd been and what you'd done then anyone can. That merchant was no simple trader, he was shady and you have put too many people at risk. I have not lasted near 14 years in the worst slums of the Eastern Lands to be done in by a silly girl's mistake!"

"Hmph. I followed the servants on their way home and when they came out of the building. Even them sniffed at everyone not dressed in Carthaki cotton. They wouldn't know anyone from the Dove. Much less me. I don't associate with snooty commoners who dress themselves up in a way to think their nobs themselves. I don't associate with people in general. Besides the Provost knows about this inn and knows that if he comes for anyone from here he'll have his throat cut in his sleep. Why do you think this has been a safehouse for the Corus dredges since anyone can remember? Besides I can keep secrets. My own brother doesn't know the half of my profession, even with him living with me. I have my own means of keeping my mouth shut. Anyway doll, I'd say that you could get yourself out of just about any fix no matter how bad I MIGHT have botched things up. You also have certain talents I'm sure would aid you in figuring out things about me. Certain connections also."

((OOC: can I just say that in other threads there's been a precedent set that the guy who was killed was a big time dirt bag so...yeah that's where I'm going with that.))

Iskra narrowed her eyes at the girl, so furious she could spit.

"You're so naieve it's painful. Wake up girly. All the Provost needs is an excuse, he's not scared with the guard at his back! You're not safe anywhere, especially in a den of thieves. Your king will sell his own grandmother to keep his own neck. Think about keeping that brother of yours safe and not messing with things you don't understand, you do not want that merchant's cohorts thinking you're mixed in this and DONT call me doll."

Iskra swore in Scanran and clenched her fist, banging it down on the table.

"I may well manage to keep myself alive but be advised, I'll do that at the expense of anyone necessary. That's two warnings now Eulia and yes, I've found out all I need to know about you and yours, next time you cause me a headache you're dead, it's what I do. Stay away from me. Go back to your players."

She withdrew the knife from under the table and stood up. She turned to go then turned back and chucked down a couple of gold coins.

"Get yourself a whiskey, you'll need it. You'd do well to go straight girl you've too much at stake, you've got family."

Iskra turned and walked to the bar. She leaned against it and ran her hand over her face. Why did people have to make her life complicated?

Scooping up the money the Scanran threw down Eulia followed her to the bar.

"There have been two provosts within living memory. Both of them have had decades of excuses to come after the people in the Dove. Why should he be concerned with one sleezy merchant who probably evaded the taxes too many times to be counted? You do your work well. No one suspects it was anything but natural. I haven't even managed to find out your name."

Grabbing the Scanrans hand and covering it with the her own Eulia stared at the woman full on.

"I don't drink hard liquor. I have a family, but being crooked is what let me keep them when we were starving on the streets, and what got me the closest thing to parent I can remember. I like being crooked just fine Mistress."

Eulia left the coins in the womans hand and walked back to her table.

((OOC: Okay no offence but your character needs to give a little of the high ground now and then. Iskra is a scary woman and if it weren't against the rules for this board she'd have killied Eulia by now for what she's done and said.))

Iskra turned to face the girl. Her eyes cold and almost unreadable. This girl was like a fly an annoyance that didn't go away when she swatted at it.

Lightning fast she flicked a tiny knife stashed at her wrist so that it whistled past the girls head and thudded in to the wood near to her cheek.

She marched over and grabbed the knife leaning in so her face was inches away from the girl's

"Now you listen to me because this is the last time I am going to exchange words with you. You may not fear the provost, you may not fear the merchant but you have no idea about me, my employer, how big this all is and quite what they'd want done to a know it all child.

I have been warning you because if you're not careful, thief or no you are going to wind up dead and then all the knowing everything and being so damn cocky in the world isn't going to help your brother.

I am warning you because I don't want to have to kill someone so young, but if you lay your grubby mitts on me ever again I will cut every one of your fingers off before I kill you.

If you're so damn proud of being a thief Eulia, why doesn't your brother know?

Now I'm going to say this slowly. Stay....away...from me because next time you WILL be dead."

She yanked the knife out of the wood, gave Eulia one last look then walked to the door and out in to the dark.