Quicksilver checks up on her new assignment.
(Darkside) (Quicksilver) (Rephidim) (Shadow Kill)
---
A Shady Street in Darkside
Darkside is most alive at night. This is not good. Crumbling buildings stand about, open windows staring like empty eyesockets at the desolation around them. Here and there, the glitter of red eyes indicates the presence of vermites, who skitter about through the piles of waste which are never taken away … especially since anyone who bothers might inadvertently uncover a corpse. The tile streets are broken up, some bits being intentionally pried away, to the point where part has collapsed, to one side, revealing a gaping hole from which noxious fumes emit, testament to the ancient sewer system. Woe to those who might fall (or be pushed) in.

It has been a couple of days since the Kavi, Quicksilver, was hired to take on a very unusual 'project'. Her quarry… a seven year old human boy, and her client was willing to pay in gold for the job. Something seemed very strange about the whole thing, so Quicksilver has come to Darkside in the hopes of finding some answers.

The black-cloaked Kavi leans up against a dank stone wall, pulling the hood down from her face. Some snarling in a nearby alleyway betrays a fight of some sort growing ugly, but the weasel looks at ease, if alert. She swishes her thin tail around her legs, whiskers on end as she peers into the dark.

A few lone figures bundled in rotten rags dart through the streets. Darkside is not a safe place at night.

Off by a stack of boxes and old garbage, a short kavi sits huddled over a small fire. In his mouth is a pipe that strange curls of purple smoke rise up from. Oddly, nobody seems to be bothering him.

The sound of shattering glass echoes from inside one of the buildings, soon followed by high pitched arguing. It stops abruptly.

Quicksilver smiles slightly, walking over with a slow step to the other Kavi. Fast movements can attract the wrong sort of attention. She nods to him and sits across from him. A waft of smoke blows in her face and she coughs slightly. "Long time since last seeing, Hagen", she notes to the other Kavi, moving a bit upwind. "Must ALWAYS be smoking that? Knowing how eyes water" she notes with a touch of a scowl. Hagen has been a long standing contact of hers, and she felt she could trust him as much as any other Kavi, but she hadn't been in the Darkside in a while. "Needing information, as told you did." she notes, getting right to the point.

Hagen smiles and pulls himself upright. "So you decided to seek me out? My services are always at your disposal, my dear." He smiles, showing a mouthful of blackened rotting teeth. "The streets have ears… let us go to my… er… office if we are going to discuss information." He motions toward one of the buildings and walks inside.

Quicksilver chuckles, her tail swishing. "Never telling if 'soft spot' having for ME, or for money I bringing often," she notes with a smirk, entering the dark building. It would be hard to believe that anything could be blacker than the outside, but it takes even her sensitive eyes a little bit to adjust.

The building is just as decrepit as the outside, and lit only by moonlight. Hagen walks to a corner and seats himself in a pile of papers. "Now then, what can this old piece of guttertrash to for you?" He smiles again, but thankfully the darkness conceals the view of his rotten teeth.

The ermine sighs, pulling out a drawing. It was one she received from the raccoon who gave her this job she's been hired to do, a nicely drawn portrait of the victim. She passes it to Hagen. "Careful being with that," she says simply. "Need knowing lots on this … person." She smiles endearingly. "Knowing 'old guttertrash' very smart being in this way."

Hagen takes up the sketch and examines it carefully. "A human? Hmmm, he does look a bit familiar. What do you know about him?"

Quicksilver chirrups, "Well, being called something of 'Captain Astromancer Candidate' he is, and having red head-fur."

The Kavi informant begins coughing loudly and drops the sketch. "The candidate?!?! Are you serious?" he sputters.

Quicksilver's muzzle remains still, feigning impartialness to this reaction, but her heart jumps. "Very."

Hagen recovers and then begins laughing out loud. "Ha! I knew we'd make you a rival for Shadowspite yet! Goodness, the candidate… " He shakes his head and then straightens himself, adopting a somewhat professional stance. "I know a few things, what particularly are you wanting to find out?"

Outside a pair of children rush past the building, giggling and shouting while an adult chases them angrily.

Quicksilver snuffs. "Well, this VERY fancy setup by temple pigs. Knowing type you be. Worried about trap, maybe. Mostly needing knowing what going up against. VERY suspicious. Not killing kid often."

"I see." He examines the paper again. "Well, rumor has it that there are more than one candidate in the Temple." The kavi lowers how voice to a whisper, "… And one of them is a Savanite slave sympathizer."

Quicksilver frowns, her brows furrowing. "Hrmf. Well, THERE being killing reason already, eh?" She nods, "And… ?"

"Not much is known about him… just he's surrounded by Elite guardsmen at all times." The grizzled kavi says as he takes another draw from his pipe. "There are also factions that want a particular candidate to take the Astromancer position as their puppet. and the easiest way to accomplish that is to knock the other ones off."

Quicksilver shudders. "Elite… uggg… " she sighs. "So, serious being about this, 'pig' was. Wait… curious. Not doing with job. What knowing of red-headed, tall female Savanite slave. In temple maybe."

Hagen taps his chin. "Red haired Savanite? Hmmm… I believe that such a slave was once owned by Arch Inquisitor Moffat – before his untimely disappearance. Shame it was… he paid well."

Quicksilver's tail bristles. Her mind flicks over the events of the last few days. She nods, silently. She thinks for a few more seconds on this. "So, boy being important, eh? Dunno… just not knowing on this."

"The boy is extremely important." The informant says, chuckling. "The Captain Astromancer predicts the path of the island… and since the last Astromancer was murdered Sinai was in chaos."

Quicksilver chuckles. "Yes. True, that important being." She finds a twinge of moral decency slip past her guard. Never has she been a pawn for such a large game. She stands up, and pulls out a couple of shekels. "More coming if I live this," she notes with a laugh. "Very helpful being." She of course never carries much money to such a volatile place.

Hagen weighs the shekels in his hand. "I hope you come out alive then. You're lucky I like you, assassin, otherwise I'd charge a percentage. This hit must be paying pretty big." He grins.

Quicksilver nods."Very big. Percentage'd setting up for life being" she whispers, lest she be overheard.

Quicksilver nods. "Believing me, money coming if job survived. Coppers, maybe."

Quicksilver turns to leave, but stops to give the old Kavi a light nuzzle on the cheek, her stomach turning. Such sweet gestures are what keeps her in his good book. Before he canspeak again she disapeares into the night.

---

GMed by Zoltan

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