RP:An Assassin's Gold

Part of the Surface Tension Arc

Synopsis: Winter arrives at Skylei's door in order to claim her payment for the assassination she carried out. She shows Skylei the boots she retrieved as evidence of the kill and satisfied, Skylei pays her. What the half-elf fails to realise however, is the value of those boots...

Arril Street

Skylei is in her apartment on the second floor of one of Arril Street’s ugly grey buildings; just as the instructions she had given Winter had suggested she would be. Skylei didn’t get much time down in Cenril with war preparations looming but, as fortune had it, she’s been required to come down from Frostmaw to deliver letters to the elven elders who had chosen to make Gualon and Cenril their homes following the elven exile. With these meetings drawing her down from the City of War, Skylei had decided to spend a couple of days back in her apartment, in the hope that the feline assassin she had sent to do her dirty work would return within that timeframe. She wasn’t sure she was happy going to war without knowing that the drow didn’t suspect elven involvement in the Trist’oth Arena Massacre. So, she would sit at her desk, making the odd note here and there, but primarily just waiting.

Winter knocks at the door to the apartment. The short feline is dressed as always in solid black. She doesn’t have Kana in tow but instead she is wearing the satchel herself. She was told this is the door she wanted and that the woman was home. She hoped it was true and that she wasn’t wasting her time standing outside the door to an empty apartment.

Skylei jumps to her feet at that rap on the door, “I’m coming, I’m coming!” Calls out the half-elf as she runs across the lilac-painted apartment towards the door. Once it is open and she sees her guest is Winter, she would quickly beckon the feline inside; no need to do business on her front porch after all. “Do you, uh, want a drink? Water? Or, uh, milk?” Skylei had no idea whether offering a feline milk was the correct thing to do or a completely offensive racial stereotype. She does it anyway. She waits for Winter to inform her whether the hit was successful.

Winter looks at the elf. “I would prefer something a little harder but water is fine. I’m not a fan of milk. Though I don’t know if I’ll be staying long enough for a friendly drink or that you would really care for me to do so.” She reaches into the bag and pulls out the boots. She sets tehm on the table. “There was an elf trying to protect him and I barely got out of there as a drow priestess showed up right at the end of things. But he’s dead.”

“An elf?” Skylei near enough spits on the ground at that revelation, “One of my blood would dare defend that treacherous wretch.” She fetches Winter a glass of water as she rants and raves about the hideous behaviour of that blood traitor upon whom Winter had stumbled. Once she had calmed down, the half-elf would take a few moments to examine the boots that Winter had set upon her dining table. Not the most hygienic place, but hell, Skylei wasn’t oft in her apartment long enough to eat these days anyway. “They’re the boots, alright. I take it the wearer was sufficiently dealt with?” She shouldn’t have to ask, but there’s no harm in ensuring that the job was completed as she would want it to be.

Winter nods. “I shredded him pretty good. Almost took a chunk out of the elf too. He was irritating me something fierce. I almost deicided to kill him on the way. But he turned out to be useful in distracting the priestess. Woman rode in on a spider.” She shakes her head. “Not that I could see it, but I could hear it. I need to get some sort of infrared goggles or something. It would have made that a lot easier. Though the stupid elf set off a flare in the middle of the fight. Nearly took a dagger from the drow for it. I fear I actually saved him from that. Not intentional. I was using the moment to attack. Just so happen it diverted the kill shot.”

Skylei couldn’t care less how Winter achieved the feat; though it does sound like quite a story. However, when Winter mentions a priestess riding on a spider, Skylei’s Gevurah-senses start tingling. But no, it couldn’t be. Skylei refused to believe that the first daughter of House D’Artes hadn’t been lynched after ‘her’ display in the Arena. She would shake her head, “Well, so long as the bastard is buried in the ground, I’m sure my, uh, friend, will be very happy. In fact, I have the money that is your payment right here.” Skylei goes over to her desk and begins rifling through drawers, looking for coin. “I swear it was here somewhere…” As she rifles with one hand she gestures towards the boots with the other, “Oh and keep those boots. Or chuck ‘em in the sea. I don’t want anything that’s touched drow blood in my home.”

Winter puts the boots back in the bag. “I’ll keep them. He was tall but it looks like he had small feet. They seem like they’ll come in useful.” She sips her water as she watches the elf search for the money. “I do hope you have it. I would rather like to be paid. It’s something I’m fond of.” She smiles sweetly. “In fact I’m violently opposed to the opposite.”

Skylei turns to pull a face at Winter, “Calm your claws. It’s in here.” Eventually Skylei would pull out a bag of coin, “See, I told you I had it.” Skylei has very few rules in life, but one that she holds onto staunchly is ‘always pay your assassins’. It’s only logical.

Winter sips her water. “I’ll wait.” When the purse appears she smiles. “Very good. I trust that it’s all there.” She holds out her hand for the purse. She’d count it later and if it was short she’d be back for the change.

Skylei hands over the gold. It's all in there, Winter, don't you worry. With the exchange handled and proof of the deed done, Skylei doesn't much feel like entertaining anymore. "Thank you for your service. I certainly know who I'll call upon if I- I mean, if my friend needs another job handling." That said, Skylei would get up and head to the door, pointedly opening it.

Winter sets the glass down. She didn’t need the not too polite invitation to leave to go. She was done here. The woman didn’t particularly interest her beyond the job. Time to go back to the place she had left Kana. Maybe she’d make her way back to Frostmaw now. She does love the snow.