Thar Shaddin

Jacel wandered out into the street. It was late, cold, and the breeze was enough to make him wish his contact here was not so paranoid as to avoid meeting up in the Bite. His thoughts grumbled down the road with him, tapping his newly acquired cane on the cobblestone floor.

To be fair, he supposed this time his contact had a reputation to worry about, and it wasn't one compatible with the Bite's rather unique atmosphere. His mouth watered with the possibilties. Finally, a friend in the upper classes whom he could treat with equal standing. It sounded too good to be true.

He tightened his scarf about his neck. Even so, what was it with people and nighttime meetings? The suspicious, paranoid bastards he had to deal with. The elf shook his head, the tapping of the cane never stopping. The only valid reason he could think of was the night was a good time to kidnap a poor fool.

He looked back over the road, back the way he had came. There was his shadow, Cerranel, tailing just out of sight. He just hoped that the lout had actually kept his crossbow instead of choosing whatever random garbage he could toss at aggressors. He didn’t need a repeat of last Thursday.

He came to the designated square. His mark wanted him to wander off into the ally way, of course, but he thought that a better idea was to sit right out in the open. Besides, there was a lovely and inviting park bench here, under a graceful tree with willowy leaves and gently waving branches. It was much more comfortable than standing in a musty alley, surely. There was nobody else in the square, it was to bloody late for that, which made it much less likely Cerranel would have to use pointy objects on a particularly bold kidnapper.

Of course, in this case his bodyguard was more of a formality. As he understood it they were quite mutual in their distaste for an unusually bold watchman. But a man could never be too careful, and nobody liked leaving blood or bodies behind. He was simply taking precautions for the both of them.

And what the hell, it gave him an excuse to come and gawk at the houses of the rich and privileged. He admired the clean streets, electric lights, and the faint blue-grey tint to his surroundings which came from the lights and moon. Looking around the semicircle of homes he supposed one could be forgiven for thinking they were on some pristine Eyropan street, if only for a moment. The sky itself seemed to enhance the image, a perfect smattering of clouds between clear night skies, the crescent moon peeking out from behind one of the fluffy celestial bodies.

He leaned back and tapped his cane impatiently. Soon enough they would conclude this business and he could get out of the damn, Theo-forsaken cold.

If there was one thing Iarei couldn't afford, it was incompetance. If there was one thing Iarei hated, it was underlings who couldn't be trusted to behave appropriately, whose idiotic actions wound up making her look incompetant. Sure, sure, one could argue that it was her own fault for having such insufferable fools to complete the tasks she was too busy and too important (couldn't forget that) to do herself, but the truth was that she didn't have any control over who got assigned under her. And Adene, curse her sniveling rotting family name, was too important to get rid of. Whatever that implied.

And no matter what she thought of herself, she wasn't so important that she couldn't send just any of her insultingly moronic flunkees to fix certain mistakes. No, they might get caught. That would make things worse. So who was it who got to trudge around at incredibly bad hours of the night when she should be tucked up in bed with some handsome piece of flesh whose name she didn't need to remember because who ever remembered the names whores gave? That would be Iarei. And she was pissed.

The only good thing to come out of the night was that one of the wolfhounds had been available. True, the beast's temperament wasn't much better than her own, but it would make her search that much easier. The dogs were trained ever so carefully, as well as bred with who knew what, to be able to sniff out whatever mangy member of the menagerie got loose. It didn't happen often, but her employer was smart enough to know that magical beasties didn't just appear in Marn. If one was ever found by a Puradyne or guard, all hell would break loose. And it wouldn't break loose. Iarei wouldn't let it break loose. Iarei rather liked her head where it was, thank-you-very-much.

The dog pulled at the lead, drawing in gulps of air as it followed some magical trail or whatever malarky it used to find its prey. She didn't care. Adene had let the rutting strix escape. The woman could be thankful Iarei had insisted its wings were clipped, or orders or no Iarei would have had the bitch killed. It was bad enough the owl-like thing had hopped and fluttered its way into the richer of the districts -- those fancy-ass prissies gave her hives to be around, everything always had to be just so, and Mooren was always making her personally handle their most reputable clients despite the fact that he knew she hated it. 'You're my cultured girl, Ray, aren't you now?' with his weasely, oily voice, smiling at her as if he was actually asking and not ordering -- but now too the dog was growling. Quiet. It vibrated up through the leash.

It meant someone had walked through the trail the strix had left. It meant that either that someone was still nearby down the road she was taking, or more hopefully had gone right past. What if. . .what if the strix had been found?

Iarei went cold.

Iarei also backtracked, though the stupid dog didn't want to go with her. "I'm going around, you miserable mutt," she hissed at it, jerking the leash to get it to move forward with her. There was a sidestreet. If she went parallel to the other road, she could maybe come up again ahead from another alley, without giving herself away. Because if someone had seen the damn bird, she was going to have to get backup. Fast.

She disliked the night, too many shadows, nooks and crannies for thugs, bandits, shifters and Changers only knows what else could hide in. But night was the best. No one would recognize her in her cloak at night. Even still she skittered as close to the walls as she could, avoiding alleys where she could, hood drawn low over her face, her scarf covering the rest. Soft-soled shoes barely made a sound as she all but raced across the cobblestone, cursing under her breath.

This deal was essential. She was losing good business to this new person on the street, and she doubted that Jacel wasn't effected as well. She had to admire the person for having the guts to go up against her and the master of Bitch, but that admiration wouldn't make her pause in having him eliminated. The main issue was... she didn't have the men for it. They were all incompetent. And it was doubtful if they wouldn't be caught and squeal on her. Useless pigs... not even the fear of withdrawal would keep their mouths sealed.

And so she was forced to meet Jacel, offer compensation to hire a thug of his, and get rid of this bastard. Luckily she had all the information they'd need so it was doubtful he would refuse... even still she had a repectable amount of bishani on her, and a few... interesting garments... underneath her clothes in case the situation called for it. Couldn't be any worse than laying with the saggy old bastard she was fucking now.

She was just about to the clearing when a woman with a dog that looked as though it'd been crossed with some outlandish animal, nose to the ground, passed her. Baffled, she couldn't help but to stare a moment before hurrying over to where she saw Jacel waiting for her. In plain moonlight. Bloody fucking- she swore repeatedly. Sticking to the shadows she managed to get close.

"I'm sorry for being tardy, Jacel, but I cannot risk being seen... least of all with known criminals. My reputation would be tarnished... and with my reputation, my connections would disappear." Her voice was warm, calm, flute-like, though in reality she was anything but. Still, it wouldn't help to keep up appearances. "I believe we both know why we are here, yes?" Her question was breathless, but she needed to be sure he understood before she delved into details. She didn't want someone to overhear the actual plan, no no, that wouldn't sit well with her...

The evening had started out fairly nice, especially since it was fairly rare for Soneya to be out of the house at all, unless it was somehow work related. But tonight, she was out with a girl from work, another maid. The girls got along quite well which was a bit of a first for Soneya since most of the other maids didn’t like her very much. Not only was she treated slightly better due to her family background but in addition, she was practically always the one to be sent on errands throughout the city. The other girls rarely believed that it was necessary for her because she needed the fresh air to keep a clear head, they merely thought she was sleeping with every male involved in the decision making so that she was treated better than everyone else.

Eleana was different. She didn’t much care for what the others said and did her own thing, which surprisingly involved talking to Soneya quite a lot. So when the girl had asked her if Soneya wanted to join her for a nice little drink at a fantastic little pub just down the road – her words, Soneya really didn’t have much of a clue in terms of ‘nice’ bars – she had not wanted to refuse, instead relishing in the fact that someone was actually willing to spend some of their free time with her.

The bar indeed wasn’t too shabby and the drinks were good, but it all soon spiralled completely out of hand when Eleana started drinking more and more, and didn’t stop at that either. No, she insisted on inviting a few men over to their table, who in turn started paying for their drinks – no denying that it was nice to save a few bishani – but Soneya felt really uncomfortable with the whole situation, even more so when Eleana was throwing herself at one of them in the most obvious way, and his friend immediately thought Soneya would do the same. When she refused, he got pissed and left, which was quite the relief for the young woman, but her friend on the other hand... as far as Eleana really could be called a friend. Would a friend really put her into such an uncomfortable situation? Wouldn’t a friend at least ask if she wanted to meet someone? Or meet someone in this way?

As it so happened, Eleana soon winked at Soneya, planted a wet kiss on her cheek and bade her farewell while wandering off with the guy in tow, leaving Soneya completely by herself. Needless to say that Soneya was rather outraged at the behaviour and consequently decided to go home right that instant.

Once she had stepped outside however, instead of going home, she turned into the opposite direction and went on a stroll through the city to clear her head a little from the alcohol she had drunk and to get rid of the unpleasant aftertaste it had left in her mouth to be ditched like that. She was grateful however for having remember to bring her cloak because it was much colder at this time of night than it had been earlier on.

Her thoughts were still lingering on her so-called friend when suddenly Soneya grew aware of something on the road in front of her. Something small. Squinting in the relative darkness, she tried to make out the exact form of whatever it was. It seemed like an animal but definitely not something she had seen before. Or was it? Taking a few steps closer, Soneya bent down to look at the beast from a different point of view. It looked like a small furball; no, they were feathers! “An owl?! And where did you come from little one?”

“But of course, my dear.” He said, his tone mocking the upper class pleasantries. “Of course, known criminal is a bit strong,” He pouted, “seeing as the law quite distinctly has brought no charges against me, why, I must surely be innocent.” He flourished his ending with a twirl of his hand, ending in a pat on the bench next to him.

“And I do understand that you have a problem with your own legitimate business. An opportunistic whelp has begun to shove out a few deals, here and there on the side. A real thorn.” He paused to admire the moon as it went slipping behind the clouds. The area darkened a bit. “Of course, all’s fair in love and war, but they always forget business. Always.”

The elf pulled down his scarf and smiled a toothy grin, a spot of white against the dull, dark grey of the street. The breeze picked up slightly, catching their apparel and tossing it about. He waited for it to die down before continuing. “You’ve an opportunistic entrepreneur you want removed and I’ve a fanatic guard breathing down my neck. Certainly, no one could hold it against us were they to suffer tragic accidents. A stabbed guard, given a warning from a bold, inexperienced dealer. Well, certainly stranger things have happened."

He smiled again, obviously proud, “You need to but read the news to know that.” He put his hands together, warming them with a bit of rubbing. “A few days later, the guard’s investigation is done. He’s found the drugs he was looking for in the hands of an evil, foolish boy who was too daring in his acts against the guard.” He stopped and threw his hands out. “Justice is done, and our scrupulous activities continue. Do I have it right?”

He found her discomfort somewhat amusing really. They were in the center of a street. Anyone who wanted to eavesdrop would be hard pressed to find the eaves to do it from. The lights were off in the buildings around them, as everyone was quite sensibly asleep. They would easily see anyone coming down the street. Speaking of which, he turned his head down those cobblestone roads. He had been hearing little pattering sounds, rather reminiscent of the Bite. His suspicions were confirmed a few moments later.

“Why Iarei! As I live and breath, what are the chances?” He stood and walked over to her, offering out his hand. A brief bump to his leg caused him look down at her companion, sniffing him curiously. Jacel smiled and moved his handshake to pat the hound on his head. “And last time we met you told me you didn’t like my mutts. Why the change of heart?” Oh, but it was going to be fun watching Annalise’s paranoia silently scream behind him.

A woman passed Iarei as she backtracked. It didn't bother Iarei but that it was one more person who might stumble over her quarry, and the other woman was moving a little. . .oddly. No matter. She took the side street, tucking her stump in the pocket of her coat, and hunched her shoulders. There was a damp spot between her shoulder blades and a scowl contorting her face as she wrestled the damn dog into doing what she wanted it to do. There wasn't a street directly parallel, for which she blamed the flouncy ideas of architecture the nobles held within their money-full heads, instead one that was at a slight angle to the other.

Still, she edged out at the back of a large square; she was at the mouth of an alley that dumped behind a wide, cobbled street. Rich people. Waste of stone if you asked Iarei. Which no one did. Her expression worsened. She was still a ways away, looking around the mouth to see if anyone was down the street.

The dog was straining forward again, the scent caught. She braced one of her feet against the wall and yanked back hard on the leash. The dog whined. It was a leggy, tall beast, so when she jerked a knee into its ribcage it didn't take much extra effort on her part. It whined, then growled, and she hissed at it to shut up.

It surged forward through the alley's opening, and she was suddenly out in the middle of the street stumbling after it before she caught her footing and started to walk normally. Yeah, normally. Just going for a walk. The dog strained. She saw people, one on a bench and one standing near -- the same one who'd passed her earlier. She was squinting in the cool electric light, trying to catch either of their faces. She neared. The tail end of something that sounded quite. . .promising met her ears. The voice sounded vaguely familiar.

Then she heard her name.

Theogios take her soul and spit her out into the planes. Jacel.

Her face instinctively warped into a charmed, pleased expression. "How delightful to see you, Jacie." They knew each other. Of course they knew each other. He was well known for his down and dirty business. They had a comfortable arrangement, her boss and him. If any of their wealthier clients wanted a more private form of animal entertainment, Iarei referred them to Jacel. The magical creatures they smuggled for parts weren't allowed alive outside of their compounds, ever. Some rich idiots wanted to fight them. The planes would burn up before that major risk ever happened -- so rather than turn them down, they turned them over to Jacel.

In return, if he had any problems or suspicions with magical activity on his turf -- be it an illicit drug or otherwise -- he hired one of their own dog handlers to bring one of the wolfhounds to sniff it out.

He knew what the dog was. He probably even knew why she was walking the damn thing, or at least suspected.

"You know how much I hate the filthy beasts, and Mooren knows too." She pouted at Jacel, and turned her head, bendling slightly closer to him as if to indulge in secrets with a close friend. "You know how he is, hmm?" She straightened back up, and was back to smiling at him as if she was just so pleased to see him. "Who's your friend, darling?"

She'd been near, likely near enough to hear the conversation. Annalise felt her heart stop a moment. Changers damn him! If she didn't need the sodding bastard- but she did. She had a 'company' to run. The woman, at least, knew Jacel. So if she knew him, she'd be in that level of... society. Anna turned to the woman and dared to pull her scarf and hood down, smiling thinly. Inwardly she paniced, outwardly she was calm. After all, never hurt to have more contacts. And it was late. Changers DAMN IT ALL.

"Good evening, I am Lise." A name she went by in the underground when she was meeting new people. She didn't want them to immediately connect her name to the Annalise that was at the side of a certain powerful man. A legitimate man. She quashed another rise of panic, the smile on her face not even trembling. This woman would not rat her out. If she did... Anna's eyes darkened. The woman would know the fury of Annalise.

Vaguely contemplating the woman's demise, Anna turned to Jacel. "Speaking of the... charming... animals. Where on earth is Bitch?" Anna wasn't overly fond of the horrible smelling, drooling creature, but it was Jacel's pride and joy. Idiot. Shame she needed the sneaky fucker. Part of her wanted to leave him, just say yes and drop the gold in his lap, and walk away. Walk away to her home with the saggy, old bastard who drooled like Jacel's own mongrel whenever Anna entered the room. Perhaps dealing with Jacel wasn't so bad after all.

“Alas.” He said, putting a hand over his heart dramatically. He closed his eyes and moved to face the sky like a stage performer. “The young folk under forty do need their naptimes.” His eyes swiveled open, then moved back and forth between the two women accusatorily. The fat elf then burst out laughing and spun on his good leg back over to his bench. The willow tree seemed to move with him, the wind catching the leaves with his twirling. He chortled as he fell into place.

“And of course,” he nodded to Iarei, “I do know how Mooren gets. If he has you working out this late it must be important.” He leaned to her conspiratorially, yet it was with the least subtly possible he informed her “Especially seeing as I do know how much you tend to enjoy your evenings.” He smiled his toothy grin, this time with a lewd bent.

He leaned back, throwing his hands behind his head. The bench made a painful sound of protest. “Well, it was nice catching up with you, as I’m sure you’ll agree.” He smiled yet again. “Best of luck with the hunt. And if your dog lets you down then hey, always room at the Bite for fodder.”

He sat expectantly, waiting for her to leave. All’s fair in business, so Jacel decided to let the lovely ladies know that he had brought some company. When he was fairly confident Iarei was looking he turned to the shadows and nodded, beckoning forwards. He saw his guard detach himself from the wall and move to approach. He had been meaning to introduce Annalise to the man to be responsible for the imminent guard shanking anyways. Now he could contribute in a more practical manner by making sure Iarei didn’t happen make the mistake of eavesdropping.

Jacel hoped he wasn’t telling her off too strongly. In his opinion however, it was only polite to let a friend know when there were things they shouldn’t know. "Do stop by again tonight. I've been meaning to pass a message along to Mooren. I'll write it up as soon as we're done here." He patted Annalise on the shoulder, smiling his signature smile.

Iarei kept her grip on the leash tight as the dog waggeds its tail at Jacel, but it was a dog on a mission and soon enough it was straining forward again. "Heel," Iarei told it firmly, though it was too late as far as Jacel was concerned. The proverbial cat was out of the bag.

"A pleasure, I am Iarei," she shared the smile with Lise. The name reminded her of the word lice. She was as pleased to see Jacel with Lady Lice. The woman looked like the sort a man would take to bed. Iarei had been certain Jacel was not that type of man, but a man he was. Besides, who was she to judge on bed-partners?

But that hadn't been what they were discussing. Oh, no. The old bastard.

Iarei ambled after him, dog faintly whining as she kept pace with said old bastard. "Well," she said, adding a faint breathiness to her voice, "I do need someone to keep the sheets warm for me. You know how it is." She broke into a brief grin, eyes teasing.

Jacel had been known to call her the icy bitch. Never to her face, of course. Rather like how she called him impotent and disatisfying, and made occasional jokes about his size and the reason he kept Bitch around. Never to his face, of course.

"And of course, it's been too long since we've seen you last. Isn't this. . .late for you to be out taking a stroll? With such a lovely lady for your arm, too. A moonlight meeting, how very romantic." Her voice went a little soft, along with her smile. It was shared with Anna, and a dip of her head; a woman's acknowledgement and praise for another's beauty. It even lacked the edge most compliments of that nature tended to have.

Jacel had charmed a customer out from under her, insisting that mixing drugs and magical animal bits was dangerous to one's health and standing. It had all been fun and games at the time, of course; she'd been visiting him per Mooren's orders, taking a rich client out for a night on the town. Jacel had done it while she'd been at the table, smiling at him. He'd told her later that it'd just been a spot of fun, no hard feelings.

Mooren had been pissed off at her, not Jacel.

"But, then again, dangerous men are the most fun, don't you agree, my dear Lise?" Now her tone was outright saucy, and she offered the other woman a bold wink.

Payback sure was a bitch.

Anna watched the two exchange honey-coated barbs, her unease melting away for the time being. The two clearly knew each other, and Jace had been intelligent enough to bring a grunt. Excellent - now they could silence anyone stupid enough to get close enough to her them. Reassured, she smiled back at the other woman, mischief glinting in her eyes along with the easy humor and pleasure she'd drawn from the compliments. The woman was trying to get closer to someone she knew was powerful. Clever. She was good about it too, not overly obvious, but obvious enough.

"He does indeed make for an interesting partner for a moonlit walk, however he's not my usual partner of choice, just as I strongly suspect your... lovely companion... is not yours." She scarcely contained her disgust over the animal. "He does have his finer points, however, as few as they may be." She dusted off an invisible bit of dirt off her sleeve sending the other woman a smile, as though sharing a private joke. "In either case, I'm surprised a woman such as yourself knows Jacel so... well." She was going to say intimately, but didn't wish to insult the woman. The sog's fangs looked like they could hurt.

Besides... she wasn't against having another underground contact.

The animal gave a squawk and immediately Soneya was sold. It was an adorable little thing and obviously in need of its mother. Odd enough that it was on its own, it might have fallen out of a nest or something. Then again, as Soneya cocked her head to the side, still contemplating the animal, there wasn’t really a place for nests around here. So where had it come from?

As if to answer this unspoken question, the owl suddenly hopped forward little, sizing up Soneya. “Maybe I should take you back home. Or take you with me and try to find your home when it’s light out again. There isn’t really much possibility for discovering where you came from at this time of day. Well… night.”

Taking another few bumpy steps, the owl was now sitting in front of Soneya, gazing up at the young woman with an almost contemplative look. The girl was a little freaked but it was just an animal, it wasn’t as though there was much more intelligence behind those eyes than there would be for any other animal.
Not even for one second did the thought cross her mind that maybe this could be a shifter about to rob her, which really might have been a possibility despite the fact that generally they were all declared and they would inevitably be pursued for their crimes.

“Alright then, little fellow,” Soneya sighed as she scooped the young owl up into her arms. “Let’s go home.” As she cradled the animal in her arms in a way she considered comfortable for it, she looked around briefly. She hadn’t much paid attention to where she had been going in her annoyance and now she had to properly orientate herself again. “Shortcut, that way,” she muttered more to herself than to the owl, after all it wouldn’t understand her, but maybe hearing the voice was good for it.

After only a few steps, the alley opened up into a square and it was then that Soneya realised that she was in a part of town she rarely ventured to, with good reason, especially when it was no longer light out. Maybe she should have gone the long way round after all. Ah well, nothing would happen she was sure. Hastily making her way out fully into the open, Soneya still kept a firm, but not too tight, hold on the owl in her arms, and was thinking about which alley to turn to next that would take her home the quickest. She was really starting to be cold and was craving the comforting warmth of her blanket.

All of a sudden however, she stopped dead in her tracks. She had the uncanny feeling that eyes were following her and that she was not alone here. Looking around herself in sudden fear, she tried to find the source of her discomfort.
There they were! Three figures in the scarce moonlight, which kept disappearing and reappearing behind the clouds. One on the bench – a rather sizeable man actually, she might be able to outrun him – and two much thinner figures on each sides, in an odd sort of triangle. One of the woman was clad in a cloak designed to completely hide her frame – maybe she could run from her – but the other one was holding a dog on a leash – no escape there.

However, there always was the possibility of them just having an odd sort of arrangement and only starting to be acquainted. This certainly didn’t look like a happy threesome though, so it definitely had to be a different sort of midnight meeting, and in her world, there were only two kinds. The romantic one, which this really was not, and the secretive one. And that did not bode well for Soneya. Maybe if she just kept walking like nothing had happened, they would ignore her.

Jacel smiled patiently with her, like a father waiting for a child to understand simple math. “Why I must say, your flattery does you both credit. I’m usually called a fat slob and a simpleton! Ha!” He pointed a finger in the air, twirling it around the tip of a low hanging branch.

“But of course, we all know better, as your compliments so readily prove.” He lived for this. His grin broke out, bold and wide. “You chose a rather inopportune time to grow a pair, my dear Iarei. Not only are there no whores about to stick them in, but I believe I just mentioned I had a message for Mooren. He would be most cross if the information somehow failed to reach him in a timely manner, especially over something so trivial and avoidable as discourtesy. I suspect he would be even more so distraught if the woman responsible had also wasted time, losing a valuable and very suspicious commodity in the process.” He looked meaningfully down at her dog, which was sniffing the ground with increasing excitement.

Honestly, the nerve of the woman. Both of them. He shook his head sadly, looking down. “Indeed, it would be a waste. Such a tragic waste. It is excellent that this has not yet come to pass.”

He looked down at the hound. It appeared to have noticed something and was tugging on the leash, whining. “In fact, it seems chance has just chosen has just chosen to favor your surrogate nose. Rest assured, if you truly desire each other’s company so greatly, I would be more than happy to point you in each other’s direction at a later date.”

The dog strained hard, not comprehending why his owner wished to remain. He momentarily balanced on his back legs, the leash his other support. From this eager position, a growl turned into a bark which resounded over the night streets.

Jacel smiled. The dogs were always on his side.

"A woman such as me! How delightful! Jacie, I must say your taste in companions is impeccable." Iarei grinned at Annalise.

Then Jacel was speaking, and Iarei's hand found its way to her mouth and fluttered there. For a moment she looked distraught, then it faded into some sort of hang-dog expression. She was watching Jacel, treasuring each and every little sign that she'd irritated him. Oooh, an almost threat! Whoever this Lady Lice was, her business with Jacel warranted chasing Iarei off in a hurry. She throttled down her amusement and kept sincerity at the fore. "Why, I would never, darling! I merely wanted to be polite and properly intro--"

It was true that the dog had been tugging at the leash and Iarei had ignored it. She was too busy watching Jacie to pay it much heed. That is, until it bunched up its hindquarters and sprang forward, almost yanking her arm off in the process.

Now she knew why there had been a wolfhound left in the kennels. Whoever had trained it had done a shit job.

She took a step forward, then another. She dug her heels in and shared an abashed smile between the two of them. Look at that smug old bastard! "Ah, alas, I'm afraid I must take my leave. Lovely to see you as always, Jacie dear! And a plea -- ah! -- pleasure, Lise!" She'd taken another step before she turned and saw the slim figure.

The electric lights illuminated the young woman, highlighting the tawny feathers bundled in her arms. The dog was barking nonstop.

That could be a problem.

"Yoohoo!" She lifted her stump free of her pocket and waved it jauntily back and forth. It was a delaying tactic; if the girl realized the value of what she held she might bolt. The stump often served as a distraction: people were, generally, fascinated with obvious flaws. The crippled received stares, often guilty retracted as soon as the person realized what they were doing, but that was still a few precious seconds.

Iarei was the type of woman to utilize all of her advantages. Where a weakness might double? She could use that too. The end of the coat sleeve was pinned in place, the stump itself covered with a special metallic, decorative cap that caught the electric glow of the streetlights as well as moonlight, flashing and sparking. It was . . . attention grabbing, most days.

"Dear, if you have a moment to spare?" She was speaking loudly, too loud: one last rude gesture to the ever-irritating Jacel of the Bitch's Bite.

The dog was losing its mind! Anna grit her teeth against the echoing barks that (she was positive) threatened to wake the whole damn neighborhood. She turned to snap at the dog herself when she saw the girl. Anna went pale and turned away, subtly drawing up her hood even as a cold wind blew past. Changers thrice damn this ugly fucking woman with her stump and her attitude and- FUCKING HELL! She was calling the bloody bitch over!? Anna could feel panic clawing at her throat, constricting it.

She was over, through, finished! "I'm terribly sorry Jacel, perhaps this isn't the best time." Anna's voice was weak, even to her as she began to take a couple steps back. She hated it when plans went astray like this. She didn't wish to spend any money but- she growled and tossed Jacel a pouch. "That has any information you should need and enough to cover any... complications. Screw this up and I'll deal with you myself." She informed him, tipping her head to Iarei before turning to bolt. Too risky for her, she had no desire to be recognized.

So much for disappearing quietly with hopefully nobody having noticed her.. The dog was barking so loudly it would certainly wake up the whole neighbourhood in a matter of second! And jumping and tearing on the leash. Soneya could only hope that the woman was holding on tightly enough for the dog not to rip it out of her hand. Why was it even barking at her so much? It didn’t know her and it certainly couldn’t just be because she was a stranger to him, could it?
The owl in her arms began fidgeting at the noise the other animal was causing but didn’t try to get away. On the contrary, it was nestling itself deeper into Soneya’s arms almost as if it were trying to hide from the dog. Odd. Then again, fowl and dogs rarely mixed well.

Though the woman was calling over to hear and waving at her, so it couldn’t be that bad now, could it? Wait a minute.. Was she.. Oh my, she was indeed! She was waving a stump at her! Why would she even do that? The people with disabilities she had met, which were very few, granted, had tried not to make it obvious, but here this woman was waving about her stump as though it was the most normal thing on earth.
The other woman however turned away quickly and even was on the brink of bolting as soon as she glimpsed Soneya. Strange, very strange indeed. The gentleman on the bench didn’t seem very fussed and Soneya quite simply didn’t know what to make of the whole thing.

On the brink of simply waving back out of courtesy and moving along anyways, the woman suddenly asked if she had a moment to spare. Soneya may not be feeling too comfortable with the current situation but maybe the woman was in need of aid? Why else would she call out to a stranger? Hard as it was for her to say no to anyone at all, how could she refuse the request of a disabled woman? She had a stump after all and a very exhausting dog on the leash. Surely, Soneya could spare a moment to help her out if there was need.

Straightening her back and stepping closer to the group, though still keeping a bit of a distance, just in case, and mostly because of the agitated dog. “Yes? Can I help you with anything?” She tried to keep the tremble out of her voice and speak as though it were completely normal to be stopped in the middle of the night and asked for help by the oddest trio she had seen in a while.