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Don't Shoot the Messenger (P); Eko
Topic Started: Mon Mar 11, 2013 2:27 am (650 Views)
Xiren
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The Beehive. The name was daunting enough, but that section of the city was almost completely human, and that make Xiren more than a little leery. It wasn't all that long ago he and his riding bird, Zazi, were nearly lynched by a group of humans.

Zazi let out a high, "Chripp," and shook his head, fluffing up his crest a bit. He was clearly wondering what the delay was.

Xiren huffed and pulled his hood over his face as far as it would go. Dark elves were not unusual in Balefire, so wearing a veil to hide his heritage was just silly, but still...it didn't pay to advertise unless you wanted trouble.

He clicked his tongue and Zazi started forward.

It took him a while to find the right location. He had to keep asking for directions. "Life would be so much easier," he thought (and not for the first time), "if there was some simple way of identifying a house itself - like a name or a number or something - anything other than 'in between Curisk the Baker and Yellen the Cobbler' or something similar."

Right now he was working off a name, a lousy map, and some vague directions. The latter two were almost useless, since the streets of the Beehive where a city planner's nightmare. But finally, after asking a half dozen people and getting lost just as many times, he found himself dismounting to knock on a door.

"I'm looking for Eko Kinslayer," he said, envelope in his hand, chin tucked so it was harder to see his face. "I have a message for her."
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Lady Eko
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A small slot on the door slid open and a pair of eyes peered through. Without a word, the peephole closed and the other side clicked and jingled with the sound of multiple locks opening. The sweaty man at the door was of average height for a human, but had the build of someone who spent his life lifting heavy things. He was fairly young, in his late teens, and he peered curiously through a shag of light brown hair. "Come in," the boy said in a soft, polite voice, standing aside to allow Xiren to enter.

The inside of the building was spartan at best. It was a one-room former storefront, but all the old furniture was pushed to one side to leave a bare spot. A single lantern hung from the center of the ceiling. This open area was populated with cots laid in careful rows, thin crumpled blankets sitting on top of each, rolled-up pieces of clothing serving as pillows. A thin futon pad was draped over two cots pushed together, and around that landmark was where most of the people in the room were concentrated. With the messenger now inside, there were only five people present.

Eko was sitting on the side of the crude bed, allowing an old lady to dab at a gruesome-looking cut on her shoulder. She was a very small girl whose slight build made her appear even younger than she actually was. Her bloody jackets and sweaters were piled on the ground at her feet, leaving the upstart in a dirty sleeveless undershirt with her thin brown arms exposed. A bandage was stretched over her crooked nose. The girl looked up at the new arrival, her expression blank and unreadable. Her eyes went to the boy that let Xiren in, questioning, but waited until he had finished locking the door behind the mysterious messenger. "He says he has a message for you."

"Hello," Eko said to the hooded figure, forcing a polite smile to just barely tilt the corners of her lips. She had a soft voice. Her eyes didn't change. There was a hardness to them that belied her age. The hedge witch finished dabbing the cut on her shoulder and started to grind up a poultice with her mortar and pestle. "I'll take that message from you." She held out her hand and accepted the envelope. If he gave it to her, Eko would open it -- with some help from the young thugs around her -- and read the contents. Her stomach sank, but her face didn't change. If anything, she might have let some exhaustion show through in her eyes. "I hope you don't mind my asking, but what is your name, sir? Do you work for anyone in particular?"
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Xiren
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Xiren was uncomfortable leaving Zazi outside a heavily locked door - half because he was worried about the bird himself and half because he was very much on the wrong side of said door.

Still, a girl matching Eko Kinslayer's description was there and asked for the letter. He handed it over. With the exception of a quick glance to make sure of her identity, he kept his chin tucked and his copper eyes firmly on the floor.

She read the letter and asked, "I hope you don't mind my asking, but what is your name, sir? Do you work for anyone in particular?"

"My name is Xiren," he said, his own voice quiet and his words clipped and formal to minimize that dark elven accent. "And I don't work for anyone but myself. People pay me to deliver messages. That's what I do." He gestured to the letter in her hands. "I have been told to return with a reply. Will there be one?"

All the while he keep his head down and repeated those little phrases that kept him out of trouble in social situations. "Keep your head down. Bow before you leave. Speak only when spoken to. Don't give excess information, but don't skimp either. Back out if possible. Keep your hands away from your weapons until threatened. And whatever else you do, don't do anything...drowish."

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Lady Eko
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The letter's sender had been one Berach Okkeren. It was short and to the point, just like Eko's own writing. In a way, Okkeren was Eko's next-door neighbor. He was a small-time upstart in western Balefire who protected multiple successful businesses on Bane Street, the main drag to get to the larger markets at the center of the city. A little less than a week ago he had tried to buy off nearby Mohdu's Inn and Tavern, the de facto headquarters of Eko's protected property, by approaching its owner directly. The owner promptly denied his offer despite it allegedly offering a better deal. Matters never escalated to the point of a war at that time, but clearly Okkeren had some pent-up anger directed toward Eko and her loyal employees.

Dear Black Rat, the note said in dark, angry letters, the new nickname intentionally trying to be both racist and insulting. I know what you're doing and where you operate. I know all your business owners and employees. If you so much as look like you're expanding past the gutter-hole you live in, me and at least five other patrons will remove every single trace of your foul influence from this city.

Eko looked up from the letter and nodded politely at the messenger Xiren, who was not working for Akkeren or anyone in particular. It was a little difficult to find people in Balefire who didn't have permanent ties of loyalty to someone else -- whether it be by their choice or not. Eko respected independents for that fact alone. She set the message down on the makeshift bed beside her, allowing her employees to pick it up and read it for themselves. Their faces showed much stronger reactions to the threatening letter than she had. "Thank you for keeping your neutrality in such a volatile city, mister Xiren. Yes, I do have a reply to his message. Would you mind if I dictate? I don't have any writing materials in this building."

Since the hedge witch had just finished treating and bandaging the wound on her shoulder, Eko stood up to her full unintimidating height. She clasped her hands behind her back, looking at the place she assumed Xiren's eyes would be if his face wasn't covered in a deep hood. "I'd like you to tell mister Okkeren the following. 'Greetings. Thank you for taking the time to write your eloquent and carefully worded message. Unfortunately, you have made the mistake of threatening my employees. While I had no intention previously of interfering with your business interests, it is now my top priority to hunt down you and everyone you claim to be allied with. I humbly advise you kill yourself, as that is now the only possible way you will get out of this situation without suffering.'" She delivered this counter-threat in her usual calm, matter-of-fact tone.

Eko offered to shake Xiren's hand. "Thank you very much, Xiren. I'm sorry you got caught in the middle of this. Okkeren hired you because he was a coward who didn't want to risk losing one of his own just to deliver an infantile threat. You're free to leave, and I won't trouble you any longer." Behind him, locks clicked back open.
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Xiren
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Xiren shook hands with Eko, though it wasn't a very strong handshake. The dark elves didn't shake hands and it was still a custom that he was uncomfortable with.

A small part of him coughed and said, "Advertise. You need work."

Xiren cleared his throat. "Thank you," he managed. "Should you ever need to find me, I'm at the Dragon's Egg Inn." He then gave a small bow and took his leave.

"That was a terrible advertisement," the inner voice chided him.

Once outside and on Zazi's back and riding away, he breathed a little easier. That could have gone much, much worse. He hadn't known the contents of the letter were threatening, but clearly they were. If Eko hadn't taken it so well, he probably would have been mincemeat. Her friends had certainly looked ready to take someone down and, as Xiren had most painfully learned, nobody liked dark elves and everyone was ready to pin the blame on them.

Still - that was one heck of a reply. He had no doubts about rattling it off from memory (his training had been very good in that aspect and he was gifted with a good memory), but he wasn't sure how his employers were going to react to that.

A half candlemark of Zazi's most casual pace brought him around Bane Street again without really coming up with any answers but the truth. Anything else was simply too risky to both his life and/or professional reputation.

He dismounted in front of a storefront and made his way to the second floor office.

Berach Okkeren's office gave the appearance of wealth, but Xiren could tell that it's lushness was a bit shabby. The velvet drapes didn't quite match, the furniture had been carefully positioned to cover worn spots in the rug. Okkeren bought a lot of things second hand and it showed.

The man himself sat behind the piles of paper on his desk looking...well, Xiren would say like a spider in the center of a web, but that would have been an insult to spiders everywhere. He was very like his surroundings, well-turned out, but a bit worn. And he looked infuriatingly smug about something. There were a couple of his hired muscle in the room with him.

That made Xiren nervous. He didn't like Okkeren and didn't trust him. He found himself loosening his knife in its sheath.

"Your message has been delivered," he said in formulaic tones. "The following is her reply:" and he rattled off Eko's message verbatim.

When he finished, Okkeren didn't looked any less smug. "Excellent. And quite remarkable. I would have sworn it was her voice coming out of your lips."

If he meant that as a barb, Xiren was unaffected. In a culture where women rule, calling someone feminine isn't an insult. Instead, he shrugged and gave a polite, "Thank you."

"These gentlemen will see you are compensated for your services." He waved to the two men lurking in the shadows. They stepped forward and each laid a heavy hand on Xiren, each hand nearly covering his shoulder. Then they made the mistake of reaching for his knife.

If Xiren had any doubts about their motivation, they evaporated at that moment. In one swift movement, he unhooked the knife and sank it into the nearest one's gut.

It wasn't a dagger so much as a meat cleaver, and he used it appropriately. There wasn't much cut and thrust, just a lot of brutal, heavy chops that went down to the bone.

He doubled back and sliced the other's ribs - an action that might have been fatal if the man had not jumped away. The man grabbed his throat and Xiren slammed the knife down on his arm. Blood spurted around the blade and the man dropped him. He took off out the door and did not look back.

Crossbow bolts thudded the wall above his head. Okkeren was shouting, calling him a thief and demanding his capture. He was offering a reward as Xiren threw himself around the corner. Plunging down the stairs, he whistle for Zazi, who met him at the bottom. Xiren literally lept in the saddle and goaded Zazi into his fastest sprint, the words, "STOP! THIEF!" echoing behind them.

But despite the danger and no doubt damage to reputation, all Xiren could think was, "Sooo...I'm not getting paid? Again?!"
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Lady Eko
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Eko made a larger smile appear on her face in an attempt to look friendly. "I may indeed take you up on your offer." With that, their cowled messenger left the safehouse. The moment the door had closed, Eko's face returned to blankness. "He could have sent the letter to Mohdu's, but he didn't. He sent it here for a reason." She took a long, unsteady breath, dismissed the hedge witch, then rattled off orders to everyone else in the room. "Vance and Sven, follow him. If he gets into trouble, interfere. Fire off a burst if it gets ugly and I'll come running. Josef, spread the word that we're rotating the safehouses. Enric, go find Ketta and tell her to start rigging up the back of the Parchment & Flute. When she asks 'what recipe,' tell her to use 'her best healing powder.' She'll know what I mean."

Affirmations rang through the room as Eko re-equipped herself with various person-killing implements, both hidden and displayed, and then slipped on her jacket. It was a winter coat, slightly fitted to her body and lined with brown fur especially along the collar. Her men poured out of the room, leaving her alone for a moment to check the wrappings on her hands, pulling at them and making fists to check their tightness. When Eko was satisfied, she followed them out and locked the door behind her. The first thing she did was make a sharp, brief whistle. A big shadow bumbled out of the nearby alley, brushy tail wagging like crazy. Ansha was a hulk of a dog, appearing as a wall of muscle and long raven-black fur that was bigger than Eko herself. She greeted the girl enthusiastically, pushing up on her back feet and wrapping her front paws over Eko's shoulders, her tremendous weight forcing the girl down to her knees as her face was relentlessly licked. Eko spared a giggle since no one was around.

Once their greeting was over, Ansha took her owner's side as they made a beeline for the exit to Sokolovsburg. Having grown up in this cramped and convoluted borough, Eko knew all the best emergency exits to get out quick. One of them was just nearby: an exit that led to an external walkway around the towers made of wooden planks that creaked under Ansha's weight. Despite the sketchy nature of the exit, it hadn't failed her once before, so they chanced it. As predicted, they reached the road outside without falling to their deaths. Instead of climbing all the way down to ground level, Eko hurtled off the side of the plank and landed more or less neatly on a nearby rooftop. She cut a course for Mohdu's Inn and Tavern, which was about a fifteen-minute trip away from the Beehive -- if one was both not hurrying and using Eko's typical means of city travel. The girl threw her tiny body across gaps and over ledges, maneuvering any obstacle that was in the way of a direct course to Mohdu's. Ansha followed on the ground.

She landed on the roof of Mohdu's Inn and Tavern, which was actually quite difficult to remain perched on. It was built with smooth shingles that Eko made her employees routinely cover in scentless, colorless oil. The girl managed to stay positioned on the slope for a whole couple seconds before she was sliding down the side. She landed on her feet just in front of the door, in the process scaring the crap out of an exiting patron. "Oh, it's you, Eko!" the half-demon chuckled nervously.

"My apologies," she said, and entered the building.

It was always busy at Mohdu's these days. If not patrons, then certainly the construction workers out back working on adding new floorspace and rooms to the renovation efforts. Her employees worked in a bustle. Most of them were security workers, but lately she had hired a couple part-time paper-pushers and given them "offices" that were just refitted rooms in the inn. Several people greeted her and she got to work. Some time passed.

Outside of the window of her room, Eko saw and heard a burst of light in the air just above the low rooftops. It wasn't a very subtle signal, but in Balefire those things were pretty cheap so she had to deal with it despite the risk of attracting vultures. She jumped to action. Ansha perked up as the girl rushed out of the room, locked the door behind her and her dog, and went running out of the inn and tavern. Okkeren's territory was just a few blocks away.

Eko's duo of thugs, Vance and Sven, had kept their distance. They had stopped across the road to lounge and "have some lunch." But when they could hear impacts inside, and when Xiren came running out of the building with several people on his tail, they acted quickly. While one of them had fired off a magical signalling burst from the cheap handcannon-like contraption he had, the other slipped on a brass knuckle and a punching dagger hidden in the folds of his cloak and calmly marched up to the pursuers; in this case, the nearest crossbowman aiming behind the retreating Xiren. Sven jammed the dagger into the base of the crossbowman's spine, eliciting a pained cry.

That took a lot of attention off of Xiren, at least. Vance was quick to join the fight with his short-sword.

Eko jumped and landed on the road just a few feet ahead of Xiren -- not in his way, necessarily, but close enough to make her presence known. He could continue fleeing if he pleased. A couple seconds after she straightened from her crouch, Ansha came loping down the nearest alley to return to her side. This section of road started to clear of bystanders as it became more evident what was about to go down. Lots of Balefirens had that kind of street sense to avoid places where violence was happening. In between accusations of thievery Berach Okkeren squinted down the road to see her. His thugs were already running or getting ready to ride in that direction, and his crossbowmen were tangled up with Vance and Sven.

The girl lifted her hand high to the air and formed a fist. Just as she did, a massive explosion tore through a shop just down the road behind her. Alchemical fires blew out the first- and second-floor windows of the Parchment & Flute, a territory of Okkeren's. The cones of bright flame extended almost halfway down the street at the explosion's apex, casting a white glow on the dark street. The building was of decent enough construction not to go down, but it caught on fire as soon as the explosion died down. A silvery cat with black spots and tufted ears darted away from the scene.
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Xiren
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Xiren had fully intended to go around the muffled, coated figure that landed on the ground in front of him, but the massive black dog had come out of the shadows and Zazi had screeched to a halt of his own accord.

Xiren, surprised, did nothing to stop him.

They turned to try and dash back, only to find their pursuers bearing down on them, while the bowmen firing at them where lying in a heap.

There was no help for it, he decided, he'd just have to goad Zazi around the dog. He brought the riding bird around again, but then...

BOOM!

The blast temporarily blinded him and the shock wave made the ground tremble. Xiren swore and rubbed his eyes and Zazi, also temporarily blinded, dancing back and forth, shaking his head. "Didn't want to go that way anyway," he thought sullenly, blinking the spots away from his eyes.

His pursuers, it seemed where also temporarily stunned by the explosion. But it was very temporary. Even before the spots cleared, Xiren saw one of them raise his hand. It glowed orange for an instant...

"Zazi, tae'zak hai!"

...and the riding bird tucked and rolled as the fireball lanced over their heads, his rider still clinging to his back. He got to his feet, the only causality of the tumble being Xiren's hood, which fell back over his shoulders, revealing long white hair and blue-black skin.

"My turn," Xiren growled in elven, pulling his bow free from the ties that bound it to the saddle.

The mage figured out what he was doing as he drew an arrow from his quiver. The man raised his hands to cast again...

...but it wasn't quick enough. Xiren's arrow struck him in the throat. The man coughed blood and died.

He already had another arrow notched for the next enemy before that one even hit the ground.
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Lady Eko
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The explosion died to crackling fire, and Okkeren was stunned. He saw Eko and Ansha's distinctive outlines in the glow it cast. She was calmly removing a knife from her jacket.

"This is war!" he screamed, voice nearly cracking. "You have picked the absolute worst person to anger, gutter rat!"

Nevertheless, after the successful counterattack of Eko's men and, surprisingly, Xiren himself, Okkeren's men were bleeding out of the open street, shouting for everyone to retreat. Eko looked over at the messenger whose cowl was now down. "Are you unhurt?"

Meanwhile, Sven and Vance also came running, their weapons dripping in blood but also sporting a few small cuts of their own. Nothing too serious. "Eko! Should we pursue them?"

"You can let them go," she said. "Let them boil for a while. Ansha, no." The dog's tail was wagging and she nearly bounded straight up to the dark elf's riding bird, but Eko's command paired with a sharp whistle she made to keep the dire dog close to her. "I apologize for the discretion, mister Xiren. I had you followed as a safety precaution. Clearly my intuition had some merit..." Her pale eyes briefly scanned over the bodies strewn about the street, the burning Okkeren shop just a little ways down that cast clouds of black smoke into the night air, and then snapped back to Xiren. In the distance, the horns of the Clerk-run city fire brigade could be heard. "Could I trouble you to join me at Mohdu's Inn and Tavern just a short distance away? I promise you won't be discriminated against." She nodded to him as if indicating his now-apparent race. "I'd like to negotiate your payment for helping my men defeat their enemies."
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Xiren
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Zazi screeched and hissed at the bounding dog, dancing away before Eko said, "Ansha, no." Then he squawked and looked smug as the dog returned to its owner.

"Easy boy," Xiren said, smoothing down his feathers.

"I apologize for the discretion, mister Xiren. I had you followed as a safety precaution. Clearly my intuition had some merit..."

The dark elf nodded. It didn't seem necessary to say anything. Xiren looked around at the burning building, the bodies in the street, and, a fair distance away, the storefront where Okkeren made his office. He debated going back and seeing if he could get the money he was owed.

Probably unwise, under the circumstances.

In the distance, bells were ringing. He wondered what they meant.

"Could I trouble you to join me at Mohdu's Inn and Tavern just a short distance away? I promise you won't be discriminated against." Eko said politely. "I'd like to negotiate your payment for helping my men defeat their enemies."

"So...we might be getting paid for something?!" part of Xiren thought elatedly, while another part, the paranoid part, added, "Could this be a trap?" He thought about it for a moment. "Possibly. Just possibly." He looked back at the burning building, "But there stands a distinct possibility that you've made a very, very powerful enemy who is not done with you yet." He looked at the Kinslayer girl again, "And the enemy of my enemy is my friend."

"I'd be honored," he said, dismounting. He carefully put himself between the dog and Zazi and took a firm hand on the riding bird's reins. "Lead the way."

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Lady Eko
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Eko flashed a hand signal at Sven and Vance, who nodded and went to work dragging dead bodies out of the street. She then led the way, taking one of the unpaved cross-streets to enter a new block. Ansha stayed close at Eko's side, only taking occasional pauses to look back at Zazi. The dog had never seen a bird as big as that one, and it clearly made her very excited. Eko's hand came down to pat the huge dog's head and neck. Their easy, quiet walk took them to a homey-looking building on nearby Chimaera Street. Mohdu's wasn't much bigger than the other businesses neighboring it, but builders worked diligently on the wooden skeleton of expansions behind the main building. They passed the sign out front which had been recently repainted. Near the corner of the sign was a fist-sized symbol: a pair of stylized sound waves painted in silver, outlined in black, and angled against one another.

They went up a couple short steps to reach the landing, then entered the building proper. Very few people were in the ground-floor lobby slash tavern at this time of night. A thick-bodied human with dark skin and darker hair set down a plate of fried eggs and breaded pigeon meat on the table in front of a regular customer. Both of them greeted Eko and the man following her warmly. "Welcome to Mohdu's! I'm Mohdu," the man said, offering a calloused hand of stubby fingers to shake Xiren's. "Can I get anything for either of you? Do anything?"

"Well, I suppose we could talk in here over a drink or even a meal. Payment isn't much a matter of secrecy. Is that alright with you, mister Samuelsen?"

The tiefling man eating his meal gave a friendly, dismissive wave. "By all means. I'm the guest here, not you."

Eko pulled a chair back for Xiren, then took her spot on the other side of him. Ansha lay on the floor next to her feet. Mohdu appeared to their side, giving them each a lunch menu. The proprietor, bartender and waiter of Mohdu's seemed eager to have some work to do. "We've got a few traditional dark elven foods available now, if you're interested -- nothing fancy, just the basics. So what'll it be? Eko?"

"I'll just have a glass of filtered water."

"Not on my watch, you won't! You were skin and bones when I first met you, and you're not much better these days! A proper intimidating patron shouldn't be blown over by a stiff breeze." His tone was teasing in a sort of friendly, fatherly way. Eko made a sound somewhere between a laugh and an exasperated sigh, as if she'd heard him say that a thousand times. Mohdu turned to Xiren. "Maybe she needs some of that peer pressure thing. You're hungry, right, sir?"

Once they were done ordering, the man disappeared into the back rooms. Eko leaned back on her seat, folding her arms. "I can guess that Berach didn't pay you if he attacked you instead. How much? I'll match the amount. I also have a job offer, if you're interested."
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Xiren
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Xiren followed Eko to the tavern. He left Zazi outside, "Guard," he ordered.

He never bothered to tie Zazi. He was too loyal to wander off and anyone trying to steal him would be very sorry - Zazi may not have had strength or combat training, but he was persistent to the point of fatality.

He ruffled his friend's feathers and walked inside. He was accosted by a heavy, dark-skinned human who said, "Welcome to Mohdu's! I'm Mohdu." Xiren shook hands with him, though the gesture still felt alien. He offered some dark elven foods, but Xiren declined. "Thanks, but no thanks. I'm trying to forget the Dark Lands."

Eko seemed more than just a regular here - clearly she was someone who commanded a great deal of respect as well - though the owner still seemed inclined to mother her. He even tried to coerce Xiren into helping him. The dark elf didn't want to exasperate Eko, but he did give the unvarnished truth when he said, "I'm always hungry."

They ordered and the Mohdu left them alone. "I can guess that Berach didn't pay you if he attacked you instead," Eko said. "How much? I'll match the amount. I also have a job offer, if you're interested."

"I'm always interested in work," he replied carefully. "But I am a courier - not an assassin. Generally, I charge a flat rate depending on what you want delivered and to where - one third up front and two thirds either on arrival or on return. For Okkeren it was 50 copper and 3 silver - I have his upfront payment, but..." he spread his hands helplessly, "..let's just say I wish he was the first cheap bastard I've met."
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Lady Eko
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Eko made a mental note of Xiren's disconnection from the Dark Lands, but didn't comment. Instead she listened carefully to his payment methods and interest in taking on a new job, so long as it didn't involve quite so much killing. She reached into the folds of her jacket and pulled out a coinpurse from deep inside. "50 and 3... he really is a cheap bastard." Eko counted out the coins that made up two-thirds of Xiren's total payment, then gathered them together under her palm and slid them across the table. "His words weren't worth three silvers, but the labor should have cost more."

Mohdu interrupted by setting down drinks, but disappeared into the back rooms again. Eko sipped her water, then continued. "I need a reliable, unaffiliated courier for some work I'm trying to do in southern Balefire. Before I go into details, I want to make it clear that you can reject the job if you want. You can walk out of here without ever speaking to me again, if you wish. I won't hold it against you." She paused. "I'm currently fostering some strong diplomatic relations with a werewolf pack called the Silver-Eaters. You may have heard of them: recently fractured in a civil war, then relocated to the Western Quarter." Eko reached into her jacket and pulled out a sealed envelope. "I need this missive to be delivered, without any tampering whatsoever, to the alpha female of the Smokefur pack, Ascontia Rocca. It's very important that it goes straight to her and no one else in Smokefur, including the alpha male Luken.

If you keep your impartiality and don't mention that you're working for me, you should be able to do this job safely. However, I can also send some people to shadow you in case the delivery goes south. Because this job is potentially dangerous and very important, I can offer you 24 silvers for completion. Do you accept?"
She kept her coinpurse out in case she would need to count out eight silvers for the up-front payment.
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Xiren
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Xiren considered this. "I'll have to walk most of the way. Zazi might be brave to the point of stupidity sometimes, but he's too skittish around dogs to be a reliable if I have to talk to werewolves. I don't want him panicking."

"See if you can get her to go up to 30," part of his inner voice whispered. Then another part, possibly the more sensible one, chimed in,"24 silver is more than we've been offered in a long time. Shut up and don't negotiate."

Xiren stomped on both voices hard. There was one point on which he had to negotiate on. "I'd like to...to leave Zazi with you, in exchange for two-thirds payment up front. Keep him, and the belongings of mine he carries, as collateral. He'll be antsy and confused, but he should behave himself. There's a chance he'll panic if he thinks I'm in serious trouble, but I wouldn't rely on it. I'll take my bow, quiver, and dagger - I'd rather not walk through Balefire unarmed - but Zazi...he's my most precious possession and my best friend. I'll walk through hell to get him back." He said the last phrase with a passionate finality that didn't invite argument.
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Lady Eko
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Hands folded on the table in front of her next to her coinpurse, Eko lost her stoic facade to give Xiren a small, sympathetic smile that almost looked warm. "Yes, of course. We'll treat him well." She reached into her coinpurse and meticulously counted out sixteen silvers, piled them and slid them across the table. Mohdu placed a salad in front of her; it was slathered in a fattening dressing. He grinned at her and left before she could complain that she hadn't ordered it. Damn immigrant could always tell when she was hungry. "You're welcome to spend a sleeping period here, if you'd like. Rest, say goodbye to Zazi, and then leave in the early hour tomorrow. Mohdu will give you a large discount on your inn room."

She took a bite of her salad, careful not to spill any dressing, and nearly jumped as she remembered something. "Have you dealt with werewolf packs before? Smokefur is a patriarchal one. They don't like non-werewolves, but they hate humans the most so you shouldn't get too much grief. Just make sure to avoid eye contact or... general aggression, I guess, and they'll think you're being respectful."
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Xiren
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"Thank you," Xiren said politely to her offer of a discounted room.

"Have you dealt with werewolf packs before? Smokefur is a patriarchal one. They don't like non-werewolves, but they hate humans the most so you shouldn't get too much grief. Just make sure to avoid eye contact or... general aggression, I guess, and they'll think you're being respectful."

It took him a moment to adjust his mental image of government from matriarchal to patriarchal. "No," he said carefully. "Not much at any rate. Only in situations where I was required to do nothing other than be present and paying attention." He searched his memory carefully. "Should I expect to be challenged by Luken?" He thought he'd heard something about pack relations regarding wolves - hopefully they were similar. "Or by anyone else for that matter?"

The innkeeper returned with their food. Xiren applied himself studiously to it. The drow believed that cooking was a work of art and should be appreciated as such. Paying careful attention to the flavors of the food also helped you better detect poisons or unusual flavors. It was difficult to divide his attention between the meal and Eko and he hoped he didn't miss anything important.
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