Waterdeep-Contracts in Crimson

The upper level of the Silken Tongue was a balcony that overlooked the common area. The area above was filled with large booths, effectively three walled rooms with long thick tapestry style drapery for curtains. The thick curtains did more than conceal those within from the gaze of others but baffled the voices within.

These booths were used for clandestine rendezvous and private shows for patrons and while the upper balcony was only for privileged guests a guard could also be assigned to stand before the curtain for additional privacy.

Assallya looked down into the rotunda below, at the servers delivering food and drink to the communal pits and the women dancing idly across the floor between them. It was early yet, nowhere near dusk, and the patronage mostly consisted of tradesmen making deals those and hiring merchant ships. These were those bartering for entire harvests, not petty trinkets. While this could be done in an office somewhere in the dock wards or the castle wards, those that wished to impress would bring their clients here.

One of the staff approached, whispering into her ear.

He was here.

There were two things that the blonde sorceress dealt with exclusively. That was the purchasing and selling of information and, representing her own, particularly lethal client. Assallya served as the front, the opening conversation for hiring an assassin that was growing in notoriety. Janella was an efficient killer and Assallya was quite pleased to be her agent. They made an excellent team. The blonde sorceress made contact, bartered prices with the tenacity of a rug merchant in Calimshan, provided support and got Janella closer than anyone else could. Then, Janella could handle the rest while Assallya made arrangements for her clean escape.

-and business was good.

The man come to visit was Zhentarim. Assallya didn't care for them. Cowardly, backstabbing lot with little care for loyalty or brotherhood but they were prolific. Like damn hydra, for every one of them that fell, two were clamoring to take their place in the hope of earning easy coin. They were currently at war with the Xanathar Thieves' Guild. One above in Waterdeep, the other below in Skullport and the two were both trying to edge in on the other's turf.

The staff member, clad in vest and sash that was Mulhorandi in cut escorted the black garbed man to her. Assallya was not impressed. The first rule of being a good rogue, at least unless you were actively breaking and entering, was not to look the part. The man look like a petty criminal. Black breeches, a dark grey tunic and a black mantled jacket with studded rings that was cut at mid thigh.

At least it wasn't a cloak...

The man had a dark greasy black mullet and possessed oily ringlets that fell across his forehead.

Assallya right hand brushed her heart, then her dark stained lips, before alighting to her forehead in the traditional Calishite greeting of respect. However, she also included a bow at the waist, not a full bow like those done before a noble, but a gentle dip. It wasn't Calishite but she liked to cover all the bases.

"Come," she beckoned him follow but folding her hands towards her bosom, "the booth is prepared."

Moments later they were inside and Assallya folded herself into a divan, tucking her bare feet beneath her and gestured at the assembled sweetmeats, iced mead in a pitcher and the hookah that was on a stand nearby.

"Greetings honoured guest," she welcomed him as she took a drag from the hookah and breathed out smoke.

"I am here to hire your assassin," the Zhentish man proclaimed without preamble, "It is time sensitive."

"The Assassin," Assallya reiterated in her mind. how she wished Janella would choose some "marketable" name for herself like "The Pale Hand" or "The Grym Man".

"It always is," Assallya assured him, "Lord... what?"

"Where is she?"

The blonde sorceress smiled, finding the question humorous. Instead of replying immediately she took another drag from the hookah and used her long, black manicured fingernails to come the long blonde hair back over her shoulder. The light from the candles caused the gold in her septum ring and the pierced earring chain that led up to an ear cuff to almost glow with the reflected light.

"I'm sorry," Assallya asked again, "Lord...?"

"I am no lord. They simply call me- Snatch."

Snatch? Assallya knew an adopted name when she heard it. She just had to wonder if it was one he chose for himself or one others chose for him that he couldn't escape. Still, he was being fairly demanding where it concerned seeing "the merchandise". While she didn't normally allow clients to meet Janella, she didn't mind unsettling this Snatch. After all, a confident Zhent is a Zhent that will stab you in the back.

"Oh, my dear Snatch," she said, "She has been here beside you the entire time."

What the poor Zhentish agent couldn't know was that Assallya had cast a simple invisibility spell on Janella quite some time ago. Sure, Janella could have been dangling from the ceiling or performed some other feat of daring do but why bother when a simple spell was so much more practical.

Janella usually rested during the morning, only requiring four hours of her meditative trance to feel rested and regain the use of her spells. She saw sleep as being inefficient, leaving one vulnerable. Even if she was tolerant for someone who had been ‘raised’ among dark elves, she still subtly looked down on humans. They were limited by their very birth, but she could not deny they had other useful attributes.

It was one of the reasons she enjoyed working with Assallya. Even if the half-drow’s tactile, dexterous hands could make almost any lock wield, or if she could wield magic and kill like it was an art, sneaking well enough that no one knew she was there until it was too late, she was still lacking in social skills. Trauma and long years of isolation between her life in the Underdark and being in humanoid cities had not left her with good coping mechanisms or interpersonal skills. She was working on it, but Assallya certainly made up for where she lacked, and she was also talented.

The two of them worked together well, pulling off kills that would stun the rest of the criminal community with their audacity or efficiency. Even if she didn’t perform assassinations often, most of her work being stealing, or just getting close enough unseen to listen to the right conversations, they paid the best. She watched, leaned against a railing and watching everything going on. Black eyes watched the Zhentarim man approach, judging him in much the same way that Assallya did. But he’d still pay. Walking over as their client started to speak with the other elf, she grinned with an opportunity to spook someone.

She was especially happy to spook this male who was unable to even give proper greetings. “Right here,” she said, dismissing the invisibility spell. Snatch jumped and flinched back. The half-drow was dressed in ‘casual’ clothes given she wasn’t about to head out on an assignment. All that gear was uncomfortable after a while. Janella dressed much like a man, a simple tunic and trousers with soft boots that quieted her steps. She wore neutral colors, usually brown or dark gray, though she did wear purple on occasion. Today her clothes looked like a mix of brown and green. Her appearance was like a foil to how well put together Assallya was.

Janella’s hair was tied back in a single braid, showing more of her ashen skin, the pale locks contrasting with her black eyes and making them look darker. “Who are you wanting dead, and how much are you offering,” she asked, both rogues sizing each other up. “How fast are you needing them killed?” She felt like she’d met one or two people named Snatch before, but this man didn’t remind her of either of those. It was probably a common enough nickname among thieves. Her words were neither rude nor polite, simply neutral. This man was a tool to be used, like most of his gender. She had one hand on her waist, the other dangling at her hip, there were no apparent weapons on her.

Those dark eyes looked into his own, ascertaining how much of a threat he was, and how useful he might be. Beyond the booth, business in the Silken Tongue continued as usual. Janella enjoyed assassinations the most. They presented challenges much of the time, strategizing, and she loved the thrill of the hunt. She also enjoyed working here in particular, not just because of Assallya but because of the atmosphere and comforts the place provided.

Snatch's eyes widened at Janella's sudden appearance. Taken off guard he reached for his blade, a simple, unremarkable dagger before his reckoning met up with him once more.

Magic. He despised magic. It was cheating.

Rutting elven bitches, he thought to himself.

The two of them reminded him of cats, languorous and soft but he knew cats; they were like coiled springs, not unlike striking serpents, only without the venom.

The Zhentish agent tried to look unbothered by Janella's suddenly appearance but the truth was in his eyes, the way his gaze had started shifting around the room, as if looking for further threats he hadn't accounted for.

"I though-" he began.

"The shade that walks would not be attending?" Assallya cut him off, "I am but her servant. The shade walks where the shade wills"

The answer seemed to further put Snatch off his stride as he looked at the drow woman that, according to others, could kill him before he saw her move and firnthe first time he believed it. It wasnt her poise; it wasn't her carriage; It was her eyes. They looked dead, absolutely bereft of emotion. They were a killer's eyes.

"I... uh...." Snatch resumed speaking, clearly unsettled, "It's not an assassination. I need something stolen. It will do much more damage to 'the' Xanathar and his guild."

He swallowed, growing ever more uncomfortable.

"Noska... Noska Ur'gray, a dwarf and Xanathar's chief enforcer is making a play for the Xanathar's favour. He has uncovered a number of soul stones, each containing a long lost soul, a veritable library of secret knowledge. WIth this knowledge he could well displace Shindria, their spymaster.

"What I wish," he continued, "What I need is to set them against one another. To erode what little trust the Xanathar have for one another. You can do this any way you choose. Steal the gems, plant them on one of the other members. Cast the blame. I don't care.

"We want to make a move on the Xanathar and would like them as distracted as possible."

Janella wasn’t at all concerned when he reached for his dagger, she was much faster than him even if he had completed the motion. She didn’t think of magic as cheating at all. Someone with her skin color was against the world, and she would use every advantage she could to win a fight. Every skill, spell and magical item she’d gained over the years had helped her get to where she was today.

She lifted a brow as the man explained what he wanted done, keeping her eyes on Snatch and seeing how increasingly unsettled he was getting. The mixed elf did nothing to reassure him, it was not in her nature and she liked to keep most of the people she worked with uneasy. Those who were nervous were less likely to try to double cross her.

This wouldn’t be the first time she got mixed up in the politics of other guilds. “What is the reward for stealing these stones and doing something with them that ensures that the rivals end up fighting each other?” The rogue did look intrigued with the proposition, causing trouble and potentially gaining one or two of the soul stones for herself sounded appealing. Janella couldn't recall hearing much about soul stones before, wondering if they were rare and esoteric or if they just didn't involve the kinds of things she typically dealt with. "And I'm guessing you want it to happen as soon as possible?"

Leaning a hip against the table, arms still crossed, she did look away from Snatch at times to gauge her surroundings. Checking for anyone trying to watch or listen, letting her gaze flit over the heads of any customers she might be able to see, and just because vigilance and paranoia had helped her survive in the past. It was an almost constant habit that she had learned, not to put too much stock into either her safety or privacy.

"Two hundred silver trade bars," the Zhentarim agent replied, "and a thousand gold's worth of various gems."

Assallya nodded. It wasn't a king's ransom. In truth, it was a paltry sum by many standards. Unless you were a peasant, of course. Then again, it was half of the purchase price of this very establishment they were in, or about the same price as a single, common, useful, magical item.

Assallya frowned at the meager amount. Then again, work had been scarce of late and Janella had been working more as a mere thug than performing the art that she was, indeed, a true artist of.

"Of course," he added, "Whatever you find on your journey is yours to keep. While normally we demand a percentage share of all wealth recovered by our agents be tithed back to the organization we recognize you are freelance operatives wouldn't infringe upon that."

Assallya, however, wasn't the one to make the decision. She believed that the Zhentarim were opening with a minimal bid, hoping to advance their position in the city with little or no risk for a mere trifle. Subtly, she moved her bejeweled hand in a furtive slicing motion, indicating she wasn't pleased by the offer. However, she wouldn't dare counter Janella's word in front of an outsider. Janella, to be taken seriously, had to be incontrovertible.

Janella didn’t bat an eye at the amount offered, it was a handsome amount but she didn’t feel like it was enough for what they were asking. She straightened from leaning against the table, arms uncrossing, unimpressed. Even if she knew that work had been scarce lately, she didn’t think it was so scarce she had to accept the first bid.

“Add fifty gems and some more gems, and I’ll ensure these two are killing each other within a couple of days. I understand costs must be managed but this is risky business and there won’t be time to gather information,” she negotiated. The rogue had not appeared to even glance over at Assallya before making her counteroffer, though from the corner of her eye she had picked up on her companion’s displeasure over the offer.

The mixed elf wasn't sure if this man had the authority to change the deal or not, or if he had been told to make a low offer that could then be bumped up. Janella was giving him an unsettling amount of scrutiny. She'd made more outlandish demands before, or tried to bargain with entities far more powerful and dangerous. This felt like a game in comparison.