Once a Thief: Part 3
----- Services -----
"Satisfied?" came a voice from a dark corner of her bed chambers.
Startled the lady sprung up, wide-eyed. Her hand instinctively went to the dagger on her nightstand, when it was abruptly halted, a hand covering her mouth.
"Don't move... Don't scream... Don't make a sound... "
This voice came from another female mere inches away from the head of her bed. If she hadn't made her presence known, Paige wouldn't have even been aware of her presence. In fact, both were barely visible in the flickering light of the dying fireplace.
The woman by her head continued, "Not here to rob you, hurt you, anything like that. We're simply here to talk. It may be in yours and your House's best interest..."
"To comply," Tressa interrupted from the dark corner of the room. She flash the yellows of her eyes to get the point across.
Kimura added, "Nod if you understand and agree; any other sound or movement and we bolt. You wouldn't want that, believe me."
Paige took in a deep breath from her nose, then slowly nodded, which prompted a retreat of Kimura's hand.
"Good girl," Kimura said, stepping from the woman's headboard. "if we were here to hurt ya, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now."
"Then why are you here?" Paige squeaked the question out nervously.
Glowing red pulsed from the corner as Tressa took a step from the darkness. Slowly her silhouette became visible to Paige. She said nothing and not a sound was made from her mother movement.
"We're here to make an offer - one which would be beneficial to both of our parties, and keep your business, winery, and yourself... safe."
Paige suddenly became aware something had rolled from under her pillow. She bit her lip, reached to stuff the Asuran device back in its place.
Tressa leaped onto the bed, slapped her hand away from her pillow. "Don't," she said, undoubtedly assuming it was a weapon.
Paige froze. To say the black and red woman was intimidating was in understatement. The woman blushed. "It's uh... Not a weapon okay? It's uh... personal. Please let me have just a bit of privacy. You've already seen me in my nothings..."
"If you're lying, my dagger will find its way into you.
Kimura looked to her companion but said nothing to her. She regarded Paige with scrupulous eyes beneath her mask. "She doesn't bluff you know. You don't remember me, do you?"
Paige searched the woman's appearance, then having remembered, nodded. "You were... You were the one from before. You were here and you... warned me last time."
"I did. And you should listen to us now." Kimura plucked the robe from the rack and tossed it to the woman.
A thought occurred to her. "Are you here because I reached out to the... uh... underground?" Paige wasn't sure if she used the right vernacular, having very little experience with such people.
Kimura raised an eyebrow, eyes darting to her partner before speaking again. "First, sorry for intruding like this again, but we could not exactly make an appointment. As a show of faith-"
"We won't kill you," Tressa injected.
Kimura slightly sighed, then reached up and pulled her mask off. Her bright pink and white hair came bouncing out, one side longer the other shaved side. She was young, not much older than Paige, with distinctive Canthan features. Her eyes were lime green against a very pale complexion that seemed to contain a pink hue. If one didn't know the business the woman was in, she would be considered quite cute.
"I am Kimura and this is Tressa, or perhaps you know of her other name, 'The Black Rose'."
Tressa immediately and visibly brightened her glow as she flashed a scornful glance at the woman.
"I don't generally associate," Paige stopped herself from inadvertently condemning the women. "I've not heard of her. But, if there's business to discuss, I'd rather not do so here in my bed. May we adjourn to my office?"
"One sight of a guard and we're gone. You wouldn't want that trust me."
"And we'll return less... hospitably," the sylvari's voice came from the shadows.
"Again... She does not bluff."
The women adjourned to a room that was as much of an office as a cozy study, a place where Paige could both conduct business and read to get her mind off the affairs of the estate. Kimura immediately propping herself up on a chest near a window - a habit of a quick getaway, while Tressa gravitated to the only darkened corner of the office. Paige took a seat not behind her desk, but purposefully in a straightforward and appropriate manner. She had begun to settle her nerves, now seemed to conduct herself gracefully.
"You know the name Blackstone? Lord Remus Blackstone (of the Blackstone wineries), and his son Olgen? You should. Their your biggest competitor, aren't they?". Kimura adjusted her pistol holsters, making them accessible at a moment's notice.
Paige took note of the maneuver and frowned. "No need for that," she said softly. "But yes, I definitely know of them. Our major competitor, as you say. We'll, soon to be our past competitor given how business has been booming." The woman afforded herself a congratulatory smile.
"And if you recall, I mentioned Olgen sent me for dirt on you before. Well, now there may be another ploy..."
Tressa stepped forward, unceremoniously tossing Paige a bottle, who almost fumbled and dropped it. "A bottle of your wine, yes?" Tressa's voice was almost a whisper.
"Look closely," the Black Rose interrupted.
The lady of the house did as instructed, peering closely at the bottle. Her eyes traced its contents and shape before landing squarely on the label. She raised an eyebrow. "The crest is all wrong... It's... It's a fake…"
"Exactly!" Kimura added. "Go ahead and try it; It's your wine, after all. (Or, at least that's what all of Lion's Arch and every customer the Emporium was pushing this on thinks.)"
Paige popped the cork, frowning at the smell. It was similar to her vineyard's, but a bit off… almost tainted. She tipped the bottle back to sample the wine, immediately spitting it out. "Fwaahhh! That's-"
"Tasty, huh?" Tressa had a smirk on her face, barely visible from her soft glow.
"That is what the Blackstones are delivering by the wagonload to the Emporium. They are the once who hired me to surveil this place and your operation by feeding me false information. And… there is more… Tressa?" Kimura nodded to her colleague.
Tressa was hesitant about just how much information to divulge. She decided on short direct statements to get her point across. "A contract. For your head."
"Someone is very threatened by you and your business," Kimura added.
Paige sighed, rubbed her forehead. Things had been going well for their operations, and while Paige leaned toward optimism rather than its counterpart, she knew things were bound to go south at some point. "Why? I mean, this is such a small house. We are hardly a Thackary or a Delaqua. What threat do we pose?"
"You're a small house so far. Word of your product spread quickly when it hit the market. Before Olgen's swill started passing for In Dejar, that is."
"The festival you catered your wine at. It gained you fame," Tressa said, her words tinged with a bit of annoyance at having to explain the entire ordeal.
"I suppose so. The festival was a success and I've made contacts since," she paused, taking a deep breath in to assess the situation. "What do we do to put an end to this? An opportunity I believe you called it. (And, I do tire of people breaking into my home, as well as having hits put out on me.)"
Kimura leaned back against the wall. "We have a… personal vendetta against one of those involved in the plot to ruin you: the owner of the Emporium…"
"And I want to see justice brought to these characters. The reason I sought your… expertise is because an investigation into one of our drake hatchling's death turned up foul play. My belief it was to inject distrust, aimed at a woman who doesn't deserve it, and create dissension. These seemingly random events may very well be tied together. Perhaps a larger conspiracy to disrupt our operations? I even have my theories on just who may be pulling the strings…" Paige thought aloud.
"Which is?" Tressa stepped from the shadows, flashing yellow orbs.
"An inquest monster named Professor Lennk."
Kimura tasted the word, sticking out her tongue as she did so. "Never heard of him," she said, hopping down off the chest.
"Well, if you wish to come tomorrow, I can tell you more. And, we can discuss such things in private (without me in a robe)," Paige said, adjusting the robe which had become loose during their conversation. "My people need security; my people need to trust that they are safe, and I, alone cannot do that."
"And, there is a whole underworld your people may not even know about. That's where we come in," Kimura began.
Tressa pulled a dagger for effect. "You cross us, I will show you just why they call me The Black Rose."
"Enough with the threats. I have not raised a hand in anger, nor raised my voice. I locked myself in here with you, in fact. And, my spell focuses are in another room. If you are here to provide services which will protect my people, then you'll never need fear me."
Tressa glowed a vibrant red and grinned. It seemed, to her, the Lady of House Dejarin was deserving of the noble title - something she hadn't seen since their arrival. She pulled back her hood, revealing fern leaves of black, accented by the same bio-luminescence.
Kimura cleared her throat. "Forgive my associate. Her side of our business is, well… let's just say the customers on the receiving end of her services never complain."
"They are not able to," Tressa seemed to take the description of her work as a compliment. She twirled her dagger, affixing it to her belt in a smooth motion. "So… trust then."
Kimura giggled beneath her breath at her sylvari friend. "Myself, well… Heard of the Whistlefern heist? Me. The Graymoor bank robbery? Me." She smiled proudly of her accomplishments, brought both thumbs to her chest. "I have a knack for getting in and out of places unseen and unheard. Such services we will provide to you."
Tressa raised a thorny eyebrow. "For a price, yes?"
Kimura nodded. "Aye, a retainer, if you will."
"Then I suppose I am fortunate to work with the best. The question, however, is just how much your services will cost me."
"Depending on the level of risk and such, may be a wee bit pricy, but our services are beyond worth it. But…" Kimura flashed a look to Tressa, knowing the sylvari wouldn't like her next statement. "We will charge fair prices for our services. We're not here to gouge you or cheat you. It will be a reasonable rate, I assure you. Once you see what we can do, we can re-evaluate payment."
Paige nodded. "And I suppose you will 'always be watching' for suspicious activities in the house and directed to our estate?"
"We have watched you all night in your room. Did you even know we were there?" Tressa said coyly.
Paige's cheeks grew red and she fidgeted with her hands for a moment, trying to retain the embarrassment. Her voice cracked. "Yes… Well, you don't have to brag about it. Just…"
"It shows the quality of our work; we were in the room most of the evening, and you had no idea." Kimura pulled her mask back on to hide her grin. Tressa followed suit, pulling her hood back on, her glow dimming as she did, only the yellows of her eyes still visible.
"Okay. Point taken. This retainer should ensure your silence on the matter then?" Paige offered trying to mask the nervousness in her voice. "Gods know, I can't have either of them know…" she said under her breath.
"We extend our trust by revealing ourselves to you. Trust that we take our job seriously and nothing of this meeting will be made public that you do not desire."
Tressa plucked at a thorn growing from her arm. "And remember: we got here easily. I was hired to end you. I could have. We chose differently. Trust, yes?"
"So we have an accord?" Kimura said, stepping forward raising her hand to the noble.
Paige looked at her own hand, remembering the previous activity and the fact she hadn't washed up. "You'll… um… understand why I can't shake your hand at the moment."
Kimura and Tressa both smiled wildly: Kimura's hidden beneath her mask; Tressa's obvious and not at all discrete.
Paige rubbed the back of her neck. "You know where the servants garb is? You can use that to come in and out of the house without raising suspicion, if you so choose to."
"We have already procured such things. We know the layout of your grounds quite well…"
"As well as your bedchambers," Tressa jabbed.
Kimura tossed the blushing woman a small disk. "This is an asuran-made device. Set it in your window and press the button if you need us. You won't see anything, but we will."
"Or, if that can't be done, purchase a black rose from the flower stand within Lion's Arch. There is only one that has black roses," Tressa nodded.
Kimura was already at the window, opening it. "Expect us soon," she said.
"Be ready for us… unlike this time," Tressa added, again poking at Paige.
Paige rubbed her temples. "Yeah, because I always expect two women to just show up in my bedchambers out of the blue." When she looked up, Kimura had vanished, Tressa silently gliding across the floor.
The sylvari paused and looked back over her shoulder, grinning a red glowing smile back at Paige. "I believe your pillow is humming."
------
Tressa joined Kimura atop the roof of the house, overlooking the estate. She shrugged, then decided to join the woman, leaning back and looking at the stars.
Kimura clicked her tongue, then also leaned back on the roof. She sighed. "You know… It really is quite a place."
Tressa looked around at the grounds. "Not many wooded areas, but the sky is clear to soak in the moonlight. I suppose it isn't… that bad." She removed her hood, tussled her own ferns which began to pulsate a deep red.
"No, it isn't. Besides, we needed a place…"
"We?"
Kimura sighed again. "Okay, fine. I needed a place."
A thorny eyebrow was raised at a thought. "Do… Do all of you humans do that?"
Kimura looked at Tressa as she pulled her own mask off, the moonlight making her own lime-eyes glow. "Do what?"
"You know… What she was doing with that device," Tressa's own glow inadvertantly shone brighter at the question.
A warm smile came over Kimura. "When the mood is right, sure. Hmmm… who knows, one of those could be whittled from some of your shedding bark," she giggled, teasing Tressa. It wasn't something she could do often, but the sylvari's knowledge of intimate human relations was almost comical.
The sylvari made a repulsed face, but she looked back to the stars, letting her mind wander on the subject silently.
[To be Continued...]
