Fate - First Reply Gilded Halls

[Azad]

Thanasis - House Yuru Palace

"Listen, Spinny." True to his name, the tiny black dragon spun around in place. His tail whipping back and forth as he came to a sudden stop, nudging the item he had dropped on the floor closer to him. "Shiny, doesn't mean valuable."

Picking up the small fork, a frown touched Azad's lips. "Although this one is platinum so I guess it does mean its valuable."

The tiny dragon in front of him did another spin, and then with a flurry of movement zipped off down the yet another corridor.

Azad let out a little sigh. Two weeks ago he would have freaked out the moment the thing ran away, but he'd very quickly figured out that Spinny wasn't exactly the type to catch eyes. The little dragon had a remarkable talent for disappearing, even from his eyes. Even when looking directly at him, it seemed most folk couldn't quite 'see' Spinny at all.

A trait that had now been passed on to him.

Explaining it, any of it, was entirely out of his depth. After what he'd gone through in The Rising, Azad had been sure he'd either died or been cursed somehow. A fact which might turn out to not entirely untrue, given the fact that he now seemed to live in some odd sort of liminal space where he had to shout at the bartender just to order a drink.

It was rather good for the thieving business though. A week of practice had really been all that it took. Spinny was quite smart for being so young, and as soon as Azad had realized that whatever the Dragon's magic was also applied to him? Well it really made things simple for him. Who was going to begrudge a thief no one could see?

Probably his victims, but they wouldn't know who to blame. "Slow down, buddy."

Azad called to his dragon, shifting the pack onto his bag as he finished placing the fork in the right pocket.

"It's a big house." And there was a lot to steal.

 

[Carlyle Arevalo]

Carlyle Arevalo gave a final bow to the head of the Yuru House. The task they had asked of him had been a simple enough one, and he usually preferred to stick to missions assigned to him by The Ascended themselves. However, ingratiating himself to the noble Houses was an excellent way of building working relationships for his darling Faye, who was always looking for new clients.

"Of course, Lady Yuru. If you ever have need of my services again, simply send for me as you did this time. Please, have a safe evening milady."

With final farewells out of the way, Arevalo turned on the heel of his boot and exited into the obscenely large Yuru estate. The moment his face was no longer under scrutiny his polite demeanor turned to that of a scowl. If these nobles put as much effort into solving their own problems as they did into talking, Thanasis would be twice the size it was now.

Better that it wasn't, The Ascended thought to himself as he crossed into a wide hallway, lined with all matter of expensive trinkets and baubles. Zeodag scarcely tolerated the City as it was, and even when his Dragon was far from him he felt the gnawing teeth of the black behemoth's hatred scraping against the base of his skull.

It wasn't Zeodag's distaste for Thanasis that the Dragon made known in the recesses of his mind, however; As he felt the beast's tug on his psyche, he followed its ire to a small creature reminiscent of a Dragon in its own right scampering quickly across the hall in front of him.

Odd... it didn't look like any sort of Dragon that Carlyle had seen before. The little thing almost looked to be flickering in and out of sight as it walked as though Arevalo was only seeing it with one eye. Perhaps it was not his eyes that noticed the little creature, but Zeodag looking through him? Nevertheless, he pocketed his thoughts and followed the small thing flailing its tail this way and that.

Azad

 

[Azad]

One might have thought a thief would take more care in the way he went gallivanting about.

A year ago he would have been, hell, a month or even a week ago he would have been. When the Rising had completed and he'd found himself with a dragon but not much attention, he had initially taken that as his cue to leave. The ascended after all were meant to be warriors, and how much of a warrior could he and Spinny ever be?

Well, as it turned out, they had probably not forgotten about him...but just never seen him.

Once the young thief had figured that out, and had done some experimenting with the odd effects of his Dragon, he had taken to the ability like a duck in water. Of course he was no fool, when someone was directly in front of him he stopped stealing, but there was a reason Azad didn't worry about anyone being home.

Spinny came trotting around the corner, holding in his mouth what appeared to be a large golden chalice. Likely stolen from some centerpiece somewhere. "Well do-"

Before he finished his sentence, Azad noticed the creak of a floorboard.

"Come here, quickly!" He said, motioning to Spinny. The dragon immediately rolling forward as Azad and him practically threw themselves at a wall. One of the nearby curtains draped half over him.

It was a silly thing, if it hadn't been for Spinny's magic.

Though of course the thief had no way of knowing a much older Dragon's eyes were about to cut through his adolescence still fledgling abilities.

 

[Carlyle Arevalo]

Truthfully, it mattered not whether a thief was liberating some of these treasures from gathering dust within the Yuru Palace. If Carlyle were stealthily inclined and hadn't met Zeodag, it wasn't out of the realm of possibility that he would have taken up thievery himself, growing up a poor laborer trying to support an ailing mother.

Unfortunately for the little Dragon prancing about the corridors so blatantly, Yuru favor went a long way in allowing him access to certain luxuries among the Nobles. That, and the materials they were so graciously, and discreetly, supplying him for the work he'd done for them were not those he could get so easily elsewhere.

That made anybody stealing from the Yuru family excellent leverage.

Quietly, Carlyle drew his sword from his hip, holding it at his side as he pressed himself to the wall, approaching the corner that the creature had scampered around. It wasn't likely for any type of Dragon to be skittering about a place like this on its own. No, Arevalo expected another. A Bonded.

Gritting his teeth, the violet-haired man quickly spun around the corner and pointed his blade forward, expecting either a fight or a flight from that which he'd tailed. Instead, the hall appeared to be empty, as though the little beast had vanished into thin air in the span of a second.

"Zeodag..." He muttered under his breath, eyes glimmering with the sight of his bondmate, "...What do you see?

Carlyle took slow steps down the hallway, sweeping wall to wall with his empowered gaze. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, his skin raised to bumps. There was something here. He was not alone.

Azad

 

[Azad]

Azad was no fighter, soldier, or anything of the sort. But no one grew up in the slums of Thanasis without learning how to use a blade.

The dragons above liked to think themselves the danger from their great city. The warriors upon their back marked as the fiercest combatants in all of Malakath. Yet a knife in the dark could do just as much damage as dragon fire. A lesson that had been learned time and time again through the ages.

As the man stepped forward into the hall, tension flickered through Azad.

Years of skulking, running, and taking only fights he knew he could win had taught him many skills. One was studying his opponents, and it did not take him long to see the measure of Carlyle Arevalo. Within the span of a breath Azad knew to his bones one simple thing; there was no winning a straight fight with this man. Not for him.

It was the way he carried himself. The blade gripped firm in his hand, the tension in his muscles, the careful measure of his steps. Everything was exactly where it should be, where it needed to be to kill within the span of a heartbeat. The man in front of him was no soldier, no, he was a killer.

Azad glanced down at Spinny, the little Dragons spine bristling as it pressed itself against Azad’s side. A slow breath dragged into his lungs, and then slowly the thief took a step. He moved slowly, each step practiced and careful, drawing himself slowly around the tapestries and curtains that hung from the walls. His boots slowly falling into place, until they pressed against the one thing Spinny’s magic did not effect; the environment.

Though the little dragon cloaked his own, and Azad's sounds, he could not rip the noise from a whole building. This, as the thief took his step, the ancient floor board beneath him creaked. The sound echoing within the nearly silent hall. ”Shit.”

He cursed, whipping around in an instant to face what he hoped would not be a foe.

 

[Carlyle Arevalo]

It was in that hanging moment of silent dread in the air, those seconds of only breath and footsteps that roused the Dragon that drove Carlyle's actions. Was this a man, searching for a thief in the home of those who employed him? Or was this a beast, on the hunt for weak and vulnerable prey that hid from him like a lamb from the wolves?

Arevalo himself had long since lost his ability to tell the difference. Zeodag's influence had gripped him for far too long, and either scenario would result in the same outcome, the pathetic whelp's neck on the end of his blade, and his weight in coins lining Carlyle's pockets. The path he took to reach that end mattered little, when those paths converged at their conclusion.

As he traversed the long hall, only his breath echoed in his head. There was not even the flicker of movement, nor even a speck of dust floating aimlessly through the air. Perhaps his own mind had begun to play tricks on him? Had he seen something through Zeodag's eyes, and not the other way around? Maybe--

”Shit.”

Carlyle spun in an instant, pointing his blade toward the voice coming from behind him. How in the hell had he missed the bastard? What's more, it wasn't the scampering Dragon that met his gaze, but a man, seemingly around the same age as him.

The conclusion of the hunt. Take the prey.

Arevalo heard the words in his head, but only winced at Zeodag's command. This was no high-class thief bathing in plunder from well-off victims. He looked no more privileged than any common folk in the Outer District. The Ascended's grip upon his sword wavered, and he lowered the weapon by inches.

"Slippery one, aren't you? Give me one good reason I shouldn't turn you and your friend over to the Yuru's and let them do with you what they wish?"

Azad

 

[Azad]

Azad played the odds over in his head.

He had absolutely no idea who this man was or why he cared about Lady Yuru. As far as he knew the man wasn't part of the Household Guard, or at least none of his heraldry matched up, and that could mean pretty much anything.

Was he a visiting noble? A brother? Lover?

The possibilities were unfortunately endless in this moment, and he hardly had enough information to make any sort of good play. A slow breath dragged into the thief lungs, his fingers tightening ever so slightly on the hilt of his dagger. Shoulders relaxing in case the man lunged forward. Not letting the man's more lax nature affect him.

He'd fought enough soldiers to know that even when they pointed their swords down, there was still danger in the air. ”One?”

Azad echoed the man, his voice distorted. Sounding echoed and distant even as he stood there. Spinny’s natural cloak still hovering around him even now.

”Why stop at one? I can give you a dozen.” He lied. ”But why trouble yourself at all?”

The thief contended.”I'm not anyone, and what I take won't be missed.”

Not by people these rich.

”I think you'd be better off forgetting you saw anything at all, friend.” Azad suggested, not a threat to his words, but a smile on his face. ”After all, you might find it more advantageous to not remember.”

He offered, dangling a bargain instead of a fight.

 

[Carlyle Arevalo]

Carlyle narrowed his eyes, sneering at the thief's attempt to deal his way out of this. It was admirable, and Arevalo wasn't unwilling to negotiate, but it would take much more than a vague, formless offer of riches that 'won't be missed'.

"What, pray-tell, could you offer me that a noble house cannot?" His violet eyes beamed over the hilt of his blade at the stranger. "You're not in much of a position to bargain, my friend. I turn a thief in and I walk out a richer man. I let you go and... what, I've spared a petty burglar?" It was becoming quickly apparent that Carlyle's motives weren't centered on morality. He was out for himself, and Azad was a tempting chip at a high-stakes table that guaranteed a payout.

Killing him though, acting on his words instead of waiting to be talked down, would have just made him the monster he struggled so hard to fight. Carlyle already had too many lives on his conscience, and he'd avoid adding another if he could be given any reason to. Zeodag disapproved, but he did so on many things.

For now, at least, Carlyle's mind was still his own.

Before Azad had a chance to answer the question he'd posed, Carlyle replaced it, with another. "Your dragon." Arevalo's eyes darted right and left, though his blade never wavered. Where had that thing gone? "It's an odd one, isn't it? What's it called?" There was, perhaps, one thing he could think of that would convince him to turn the other way.

Azad

 

[Azad]

There was something about the other man that came off as inexplicably...violent. It wasn't his words, or even the way that he held himself. In fact, Azad wanted to say that the man himself actually seemed somewhat...alright.

He was talking, and he was even reasonable. Plus, there was the fact that he'd probably been schtooping with the quite married Lady Yuru, at least Azad assumed. Why else would an unattended man be wandering around this mansion?

Other than thievery, obviously.

Despite that though, and for reasons that Azad couldn't quite explain. He felt as though the man standing in front of him could end his life in a mere moment. Not something that he was willing to test. "Spinny."

Azad answered, unhelpfully. Carlyle had likely wanted to know what type of dragon it was, but the thief had absolutely no idea.

"And I can offer you far more than any Noble." He mused. "How many doors can Lady Yuru get you into? Because I bet I can get you into more."

Albeit, through entirely different means.

 

[Carlyle Arevalo]

Spinny.
Carlyle rolled his eyes, but he supposed he couldn't blame the thief for not being forthcoming with answers. Even as much as Carlyle had changed, he still knew well the value of one's Dragon. To so carelessly give them up would be a sin even the most foul of criminals would think twice about committing. It went against the nature of a bond.

That being said, it certainly didn't help Azad's case in not being dragged to a cell in exchange for fattening Arevalo's wallet. As a matter of fact, Carlyle had heard about all he needed to until the man offered up something a bit more tangible.
"How many doors can Lady Yuru get you into? Because I bet I can get you into more."

Something new crossed over Carlyle's face; A smile that he didn't have to force his lips to form. His eyebrows shot up in interest, as finally this mysterious thief had found a way to fully capture his attention. Azad was right; Yuru couldn't open doors for him, and there were more than a few he sought to have opened.

"Change of plans." He decided, lowering the blade completely and sheathing it back in his hip. Sure, the man could flee now, but Carlyle had reason to believe he wouldn't when he heard what came next. "Are you interested in more... long-term employment?"

Azad

 

[Azad]

Suspicion almost immediately flickered through Azad.

In truth, his bargaining had mostly been a tactic to buy himself time to think. Fighting wasn't really his…thing, and he'd not expected the other man to accept any deal at all, much less offer him ‘’long term employment”. The words set his hackles up almost immediately.

Azad had survived in the Thansian underworld mostly by keeping himself out of larger trouble. There were gangs, just like in any other city, and those gangs tended to be the ones the Ascended wiped out when there was trouble. He had long ago learned to stay away from anything too large, knowing it would only draw the ire of the powers that be eventually

In this moment though, it hardly seemed as though he had a choice.

Narrowing his eyes, Azad stared at the man for a moment more. Trying to gauge the truth of his words before relenting. ”I'm open to the idea.”

Though most entirely because of the situation he currently found himself in.

”But I'm going to need details.” Even backed into a Corner he wasn't fool enough to agree to something he didn't know everything about. There had long since been horror stories about deals made in the dark and the consequences held therewithin.

Better to know what you were getting yourself into.

 

[Carlyle Arevalo]

Now that the topic of employment had come up, Carlyle simply had no reason to further threaten the thief. Azad had something that Carlyle wanted after all, though it was not what either man had expected. Raising his hands up to demonstrate that he held no hidden weaponry meant to betray, Carlyle allowed a thin grin to crease his face.

"I think you'll find it to your liking. You keep doing what you're already doing, with the added task of clearing my path of obstructions, should I need such a service." One of his hands moved to press against his chest in some gesture of earnest. "I am connected to the finest fences in Malakath. I can sell your hauls at a premium, and you will keep three-quarters of the profit."

Carlyle took no shame in admitting to a thief that he too was a criminal. The difference between them being that Arevalo had taken to hiring others to do the dirty work for him, while he and his lover operated from the shadows.

"As a bonus, I can grant you far easier access to just about any Noble estate in the city. Your days of sneaking in will be over; they'll leave the front door unlocked for you." That was where his darling Faye Valimir came into play, her spectacular works of art were all the rage amongst the art-loving Noble communities. So delicate were they, that they could only be delivered by her and her helpers. Helpers that Azad could easily be one of. "All that I ask is that you be present when I need you to be, and that you follow my orders when I give them. For the most part, though, you will have complete autonomy."

Looking around a bit, Carlyle shakes his head and laughs.

"But this is scarcely the place for you to make such a decision, isn't it? What say you join me and my beloved for dinner? We can hammer out the details in a more private setting?"

Azad

 

[Azad]

This sounded like a Gang.

Gangs were trouble.

Oh they had their own protections of course, benefits. No doubt he would be able to do all the things the man offered. Rake in more coin, get to places he couldn't otherwise. Probably a dozen other opportunities that he couldn't even think of in the moment.

It also meant that you were connected, connected to other people, places...things.

There was a danger in that. A danger in getting dragged into something that was over his head. Fingers flickered at his side for a brief moment, and he glanced down at Spinny as he considered the options which lay in front of him.

"Well..." Azad considered for a moment more. The man's offer more generous than one he probably would have made. Surprisingly he wasn't even pressing for an answer within the moment, and for now...that was the best the Thief could hope for.

"Who am I to say no to Dinner?" He said with a chuckle. "Better, certainly than standing around here."

The thief offered, smiling. "I might even say yes."

Azad said with a chuckle, and then finally let his hand slip off the hilt of his knife. It was, perhaps, a fools gambit. The man could still choose to strike and run him through, but a little good will went quite the long way.

At least he hoped.

 

[Carlyle Arevalo]

Carlyle had been called a great many things during his lifetime, but he couldn't be called a fool. He knew perfectly well that his new acquaintance had little to no reason to trust him, and that both would be prepared to turn on the other, should the need arise. Arevalo, for his part, was merely happy he'd avoided shedding blood in the halls of a Noble.

That he may have found a useful ally out of the ordeal was merely a bonus. Competent help was so hard to come by nowadays, and this fellow seemed more capable than Vernon and Hassad combined. Not to mention the increased profit that would come from having such a skillful thief in his employ.

"Come then, we should make ourselves scarce. It's a wonder we haven't been seen already." While Carlyle had been able to spot Azad, he wasn't aware of the man's unique ability to remain undetected. The power of his Dragon had seen through it, but the man himself did not comprehend. Not yet, anyway. Turning his back, perhaps unwisely, to Azad, he casually made his way to the doors, never even stopping to look and see if he was being followed.

"My name is Carlyle Arevalo, by the by." He called behind him. "I assume you'd rather not be referred to as simply 'Thief' throughout our time together, so how may I address you?"

Azad

 

[Azad]

Yeah, funny that. Az thought to himself as he glanced down at Spinny, The little dragon quickly returned the look, clearly glad for his role in all of this. Briefly the thief considered explaining, but quickly decided against doing so.

Anyone who didn't know, didn't need to know. Even if they could see through whatever was happening sometimes.

"Az." The thief volunteered.

He didn't have a free name beyond that, nor would he offer it if he did. There had to be some form of secrets in this business. Azard was willing to listen to someones pitch, hell, he was even willing to be nice about the whole thing. But he was allowed a certain amount of suspicion.

The Thief was sure Carlyle felt the exact same way. "Don't really have a title or anything like that."

He continued with a shrug.

"We'll stick to first names, yeah?' Az flashed a smile, hoping that it was convincing enough. He had been told he was lying more than once, but that wasn't always true. Sometimes the truth was far better as a tool.

 

[Carlyle Arevalo]

The offer of his full name had been more a show of good faith than an expectation of the same in return. After all, Carlyle was careful with his work; should this 'Az' character do any digging on his name later, he would find nothing soiled or suspicious about Arevalo, only records of a respected Ascended who was dedicated to serving Thanasis and her people.

At Az's request to remain only partially acquainted, Carlyle shrugged and spoke back to him, "As you wish. I can respect wanting to maintain some anonymity, in our line of work..." Carlyle showed no concern in walking back out into the dwindling crowds of the Inner City, even pausing to offer a kind wave to a group of noblewomen passing by and chattering to themselves. "Faye will be delighted to have company. We so rarely have visitors anymore."

It may have seemed curious, that a man who was obviously at least somewhat well-off would live so far from the expensive estates and manors that littered the Inner Districts, but as they pair of them slowly made their way into the Outer City, a lesser privileged and more gritty section of Thanasis, Carlyle did offer some explanation.

"You seem a man who would know this city well. Perhaps you've heard of Valimir's Glassblowing? It's been around for quite some time. A popular place with the Houses, the beautiful Faye Valimir is capable of creating some of the most exquisite pieces you could fathom. It's a thriving business."

In the distance, smoke plumed high from a two-story building that stood slightly above the other ramshackle homes in this slummed part of town.

"And of course... an excellent mark of legitimacy, if you catch my meaning..."

Azad

 

[Azad]

Oh. This really was an operation.

It was clear that Carlyle was essentially offering a sales pitch, and Azad could see why. Gangs that operated in Thanasis were extremely practiced and entrenched. Having survived through the centuries. Crime here was conducted carefully, mostly because of the Ascendant ready to roast anyone who broke the law too badly. There were still a dozen different criminal organizations of course. Even the urchins new to be careful, and usually operated a ‘front’ as shoe shiners or the like.

The fact that Az recognized the name, and that he didn't know of it as a front, spoke to just how well this Faye Valimir had managed to keep the illicit side of things hidden. It was an impressive feat, and Az began to realize that perhaps being so standoffish might not be the best play after all.

He wanted to keep himself alive, but he also wanted to live a little. ”That's quite something.”

The thief mused, his gaze flickering to the building they were headed towards.

”Its nice to meet some true professionals.” Az complemented. ”Better than dealing with the Razors.”

He said with a chuckle, evoking the name of the Bloody Razors. A gang that had been stamped out by the Ascendent have a dozen times only to creep back up. They were a brutal bunch, known for their need to…flex on other gangs. Taking over by force, and never by word. Az had heard stirrings that they were in a current upswing, and this avoided their side of town as much as he possibly could.

Spinny trotted at his side, apparently happy and content to simply be along with his bondmate.

 

[Faye Valimir]

She had been working in the workshop all day, polishing the cooled down creations and packaging them carefully for distribution to those that paid a fine price for articulate work. Faye spent time cleaning and clearing out her space, having finished all the commissioned work asked of her, and she could look forward to a few days with her love. After all, he did promise to help her repair the staircase to the cellar in the workshop after they had somehow broken a few rises and steps.

Carylye was not returned yet, but she never took his word for trying to make it home on time. She knew he always returned, no matter how hurt, tired, or moody, she was able to heal whatever woes he brought home. This was their shared safe space, one she took a lot of comfort in living in. It had been her father's home, left to her and her beloved when he had passed.

Faye had already set the dining table, now waiting for the soup to finish to whatever point she deemed it to be ready. She leaned against the table used to chop the vegetables and shred the chicken she had cooking in the soup earlier, leaving it a mess across the preparation area. At least she was meticulous in cleaning the workshop, but never got a hold of cleaning as she cooked.

The front door opened, the sound carrying to her dragon that found a home up on the flat roof, and he purred through their bond.

"Dinner will be ready in a minute." Maybe five? She had been contemplating at what point to throw in more peppers...

Carlyle Arevalo Azad

 

[Carlyle Arevalo]

"The Razors?" The name made Arevalo's brow quirk as he looked back to Azad. "The Razors are little more than a bunch of brainless thugs, punching their way to whatever meager sum they can find. Common criminals, and they'll never be anything more." Carlyle had learned well the value of discretion, that precision and subtlety far outclassed raw might.

To say that their home was quaint was perhaps too simple; Among a large cluster of older, poorly maintained homes from a bygone era of Thanasis, the Valimir Workshop looked to be in stellar condition. Once Carlyle had moved into the historical building, he'd almost immediately set about using his experience as a laborer to rejuvenate the structure, with help from Faye Valimir herself.

The home's condition seemed to be all that made it stand out, though, save for the smoke that sometimes rose from the chimney, far thicker than any other. Standing at the doorway with his prospective hire, the two would hear the soft call of the home's namesake the moment Carlyle pushed the door open; a soft and welcoming voice that instantly drew Carlyle to step inside.

"Ah, Faye's already started dinner. Smells divine, doesn't it?" Arevalo slid off his coat and hung it on the rack by the door. Even inside the home, one wouldn't be able to discern Carlyle and his partner were up to anything of a less than legal nature. The violet-haired man gestured Azad to the small table beside the entryway window, with a seat on both sides. "Make yourself comfortable, please. I'll go inform Faye of the situation."

Without waiting to see if Azad sat or not, Carlyle crossed over into the adjacent kitchen, approaching his lover from behind and snaking his arms around her waist with a soft coo of affection, pressing his face into the crook of her neck.

"I do apologize for the short notice, my darling..." He spoke lowly against the flesh of her neck. "But I've brought company. I'm hoping to acquire his services, you see..."

Azad Faye Valimir

 

[Azad]

"When you're right, you're right." The Razor's really weren't much more than thugs, but thugs tended to be...loud. Azad had learned long ago that those who screamed the most, were those who needed to be avoided.

Good thing his new...friends, didn't seem that sort at all.

As they stepped inside of Carlyle's home, Azad couldn't help but frown ever so slightly. Confusion flickering over his features at the normality of his surroundings. It was half almost as though he had just encountered some pleasant farmer who'd invited him to dinner.

The scent in the air truly was delicious, and Spinny nudged against his leg with a great deal of urgency as the scent of food touched his nostrils. A frown pulled at the young thief's lips, but he raised a hand and smiled at his host. "Sure..."

He said, though made no move to remove his coat nor boots.

This whole thing was...weird.

If he hadn't thought Carlyle was capable of killing him much earlier, he might have guessed that this was some sort of trap. But the man had had his chance of an easy execution. Leading Azad here wasn't helpful, not really, so now he couldn't help the bite of curiosity that had taken him.

Slowly thief milled about the room, his dragon following on his heels, as he poked and glanced at anything and everything he could.

 

[Faye Valimir]

Faye leaned her head against Carlyle, smiling as his familiar warmth graced her. It did not waver even as he spoke of having company over on such short notice.

"Look at you, bringing home strays." Was it not him that begged her to stop feeding or caring the stray Kesh dragons after last year she decided to keep a second one to live in their home. "That is alright, my love. There is enough to feed a family of six here..." After greeting him with a kiss, Faye turned to the mess on the bench she leaned on, cutting up more slices of the bread loaf and added it to the kitchen table.

"You may come in. Take a seat at the table." She called out, turning to Carlyle and gesturing him to do the same. The soup was ready, and Faye began to scoop it into a large serving bowl. The glass was sturdy, hand painted with foliage found in the Thanasian gardens in the Inner City. With gloved hands, she carried the glassblown masterpiece to the table without any of it spilling.

After fussing about pouring wine and insisting on changing out of her workshop clothing, Faye returned to the table in a lovely green dress, and was all smiles.

"We have rules in this house. I am unsure if Carlyle has spoken of them to you, but I can assure you, they are to be taken seriously here." Her dark green eyes cut to him, her love, sitting at the head of the table. "Have you told your guest, Carlyle?"

Carlyle Arevalo Azad

 

[Carlyle Arevalo]

"Strays?" He repeated, feigning a hurt expression as he drew back from her, sliding his thumbs into the hooks of his belt. "That's not a very nice thing to say about a prospective hire. Especially one as talented as this fellow." Carlyle took a few steps around Faye to rake his eyes over the soup she was preparing, lowering his voice as he took in a deep breath of the delicious scent wafting into the air. "He's good. If it weren't for Zeodag, I'm not sure I'd even have noticed him."

There was something strange about the thief, something more to his ability to conceal himself. Arevalo was sure of it, and yet he hadn't the first inkling of what that hidden power could be. Ultimately, he didn't care and wouldn't pry. So long as he could convince 'Az' to use it for his benefit when needed, the man could keep all the secrets he liked.

Details he could discuss with Faye later. It was rather rude to discuss a man's prowess in front of him, especially over a meal. Carlyle spun and returned to their guest, gesturing to the long, finely crafted dining room table as he pulled out a chair at the head of it, and sat. "It's an older building, but I've put much care into maintaining it. When I was a boy, I used to clean the workshop and the cellar. It's where I met Faye." Those quiet moments between them, between Carlyle's shifts cleaning up after her father in their youth had turned to young love, and that had brought them to today.

Faye arrived shortly after he sat, dressed in some of her most splendorous emerald and practically glowing with beauty. Simply witnessing the smile on her face was enough to set Arevalo aflutter, even if he playfully scoffed and waved off the talk of rules.

"Come now. The man's not a child, love. I've no intent to treat him as such. I think that Sir 'Az' here can appreciate the situation we're in, and the expectation of 'discretion' that comes with this meal. Or did you mean to lay out table manners?"

Arevalo smirked, his eyes sliding over to his guest, asking for some confirmation that he grasped that which Carlyle spoke of. Bringing him here, to his home, was affording the thief some level of trust. Say what you will about trusting a thief, but betrayal of that good faith would mean an end to the pleasantries between them. Perhaps to an unsightly end.

Azad Faye Valimir

 

[Azad]

"Discretion I can do." Azad said, almost too quick to assure the pair.

He wasn't fool enough to think that he had walked into any sort of safe space. Carlyle could kill him just as easily here as he could have back at the Estate where he had originally found him. Coming here hadn't been a smart idea, but it was one that could possibly enrich him.

Given the choice, Azad would always choose one over the other. "But Table Manners I might be a bit lost on."

The Thief said with a slight smile.

"Wasn't really raised to have any I'm afraid." In fact, he wasn't really raised at all. Neither of his parents had stuck around, and the streets of Thanasis weren't exactly the sort where one had the opportunity to learn. "Know how to use a spoon, though."

He offered, clearly in jest as he made his way over towards the table. Trying to keep the easy smile on his face as to now show the inner-tension that was still running through him. He had every intention of getting out of here alive, and he had every intention to make a bargain that suited him.

If they did the same? Well, then they would all profit, and there was nothing wrong with that.

He'd often found that making sure the guy next to you had just as much gold was a good way of not getting robbed.

 

[Faye Valimir]

Pleasant as always, Faye chuckled at their assumption of table manners. As long as the meal was enjoyed and the table was cleared and clean after, there was not so much table manners to be spoken of in this house.

"First and foremost, no admittance into the workshop unless I have invited you. Too many fragile pieces in there." Faye began to dish out the slices of bread onto the plates before each of them. "And secondly, the business does not run from here. Whatever strife you find yourself in, there are others in the Outer City that can help you."

Setting aside the bread basket, she then took hold of Carlyle's bowl and began to serve some of the soup, placing it back before him and then reaching for their guest's bowl. "I grew up in this house, learned the trade of my father. Anyone that wants to commission glass work knows that Valimir made glass blown pieces are done here." And Carlye had done his best to keep this as their shared sanctuary. She wanted him to come home and properly detach himself from the business he had created.

An attempt at normalcy.

Nothing would tie back to Faye either.

Faye placed the hot bowl back in front of Az, the heat not bothering her hands that had been burned in much hotter fires. Her hands still looked soft despite the work she had been doing for over a decade. Finally, Faye served herself. "Now, tell me. What is it you do, Az? How did you come to meet my beloved?"

Carlyle Arevalo Azad

 

[Carlyle Arevalo]

Carlyle had an inkling that perhaps he and 'Az' had a similar upbringing if the small tidbits of information he provided were anything to go by. He'd been the son of a sickly temple priestess, a thankless position with little in the way of monetary compensation. Without a father figure to look up to, Arevalo had been forced to work from a young age to provide for himself and his mother.

It was those memories of long hours scrubbing and hauling through aches in his stomach that he found his motivation to build the blossoming enterprise he now headed. Faye would never want for anything as he did, nor would his child, should they ever be blessed with one.

"I understand you may have heard my initial proposal and thought of this as some street gang," Carlyle briefly interjects as his eyes linger on Faye as she fills his bowl with food aplenty. "But I much prefer to think of this as a business. I'm not interested in hiring you to be my flunky or hired goon, I'm investing in you; giving you better tools, access, and connections for a meager share of your profit."

Carlyle nods, gesturing up to his lover with a hand as she clarifies the lack of tangible connections between any nefarious activity and this shop. "As my darling says, this is little more than a Glassblowing shop. You are an independent thief, and I'm an investor that seeks to work with the both of you. It's structured in a way that if I go down, you are not taken with me, and vice versa."

There was something in Az that intrigued Arevalo. He wasn't the garden-variety cat burglar he'd run into time and time again. He was smarter, more capable, and that dragon of his...

Azad
Faye Valimir