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"It's quiet here, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

Xelya absently balanced a dagger on her nose, her slender form stretched out over the booth. "Is it always like this?"

"Usually." The man took a drink from his tall glass, the dim lights of the bar flickering through the amber liquid. "Heh...the queen and her flunkies keep things quiet. All the magic's in the center or lying low, so there ain't much trouble."

"Hmm..." Heavy shoes and chairs scraped across the tavern floor, combining with the dull clinking of glass to form a muted background. "No civil strife, then?"

"Nah. Queen ain't much liked for being soft with magic trash, but she's got enough force to keep things quiet." The man smirked and fingered the end of his long braid. "Least, enough to keep things quiet around here. Something's always going on some place."

"Yeah." Her own hair was carefully tied and hidden under her black bandanna. With a sharp jerk of her head, the dagger flashed in the air and landed neatly in her palm, only to vanish. Xelya languidly sat up and flicked her right hand, causing the bells on her bangle to chime softly.

The man watched her, mildly amused. "Ya shouldn't show off like that."

"Show off?" She grinned darkly at him. "You have no idea."

"That so?" He took another swallow of his drink. "In this city things're more or less safe, but go do that in a normal town an' you'll get jumped before the day's done, flashing silver around like that."

Xelya shrugged. "Let `em try."

"What, you looking for trouble?" He cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Trouble?" A slow smile crept over her face. "Now, why would I look for that? I'm just searching for something interesting, that's all."

He pulled a pamphlet from the pocket of his dark coat and tilted his head down to read, cleverly masking his eyes with shadows. "Like I said b'fore, you're in the wrong city. Things're quiet here."

"Little too quiet, maybe?"

"Heh. Don't go stirring up something you ain't ready for, sweetheart." He pushed his chair back from the little table and stood to his feet, blending disquietingly into the dimness. "See ya around."

Heavy footsteps left the little table, leaving a half-full glass of amber liquid and a pamphlet behind. Silently, she also rose to her feet and idly picked the pamphlet off the table. After a quick glance, she slipped it into her pocket for a later time. It was far too dark to read in here.

{{ *amused* I'm flattered I managed to catch your attention, and I apologize for the wait. I probably should check this guild more often than I do, but Life tends to keep me busy. }}

A waning crescent cast its pale light over the city of Syarnai, creating a stark contrast between the silvered roofs and dark alleys. Within these alleys darted a hidden shade, her movements quick and efficient.

Day three in Syarnai and already accepted into the underground movements. Xelya grinned smugly as she speeded through the darkness, her black jumpsuit blending flawlessly into the shadows. She'd gotten lucky, to have hit gold on her first try, but she always did have a knack for finding opportunities.

The coins in her bag were carefully muffled from making any sound, and Xelya smirked again thinking of how easy it was. Her group, Harmony, had struck a deal with quite a few shopkeepers. Harmony kept the shops safe from the average ruffian, and the shopkeepers share a little of their profit. After all, not every business wanted the government snooping about. This way was far more convenient.

A sharp flare of warning flashed through Xelya's mind, and she came to an abrupt halt. Hmm? Carefully, she peered around her surroundings, searching for what had made her uneasy. It wasn't hard to locate.

Drifting along the open street was a foreign creature, almost impossible to tell from the night. As she observed it from her alley, Xelya guessed it to be a sort of dark magic. Strange for magic to come so openly into this city, even if the queen is lenient...hmm. I wonder...

She had a bag of money to deliver and a prickling sense of danger associated with this apparition. All her common sense was telling her to simply continue on her way...but she always did have a weakness of curiosity. Without a second thought she made a quick turnaround, secretly trailing the creature as it went on its way.

{{ That so...and yet, you're a long time member of this guild, are you not? }}

Now, let's get something straight: Xelya was a thief by upbringing, not choice. She wasn't particularly interested in collecting shinies, especially when she already had enough to spare. Nor was she particularly interested in messing with things she didn't understand, especially of the magical genre. Nevertheless...it was hard to ignore a pretty silver key. Keys meant locks. Silver keys meant unique locks, and even if whatever was unlocked wasn't that valuable, the silver itself was definitely high quality. And it would be a challenge to steal from something non-human, moreso considering the empty environment, with nothing else to steal the creature's attention away.

Well, why not try? All I have to lose is my life, and I got that for free! she thought merrily before stepping out of the shadows and into the street. Her stride was innocent and wistful as she walked closer to the gray creature, her attention seemingly focused on the stars. Just a quick swipe and I'll head down that alley...

She overtook the creature, moving as if in her own little world, before her hand flicked out in an imperceptible movement for the glittering key.

"....." Well. That was easier than expected. Emanating a definite skeptical air, Xelya picked up both the key and the letter at her feet before melting back into the darkness and heading on her way.


Fairly soon she reached her destination: an elegant two-story house, not at all like what one would imagine to serve as a base for a group of criminals. "I'm back," she announced quietly when she entered, setting the bag on the floor. "Here's the load from the inn."

"Took ya long enough. Have trouble?" one of the men replied gruffly. She shook her head.

"Of course not. I just decided to enjoy the walk back," she retorted before heading up the stairs. "I'm going to get to sleep now, so don't bother me."

"Yes ma'am..." the man mumbled sarcastically. Xelya shot him a cheeky grin and a wave, then swiftly skipped up the stairs. She had a letter to read.

Although, now that she thought of it, this was a little unnerving. Xelya was pretty sure she wasn't supposed to be receiving correspondence from eldritch shades, no matter how high she was in demand, and that door the shadow had disappeared into had a silver keyhole - not to mention it led to seemingly nothing but pitch black. She wasn't sure she wanted to accidentally get sucked in one of those...but, no harm could come of reading a letter, right?

Xelya seated herself on the bed, slit open the letter, and began to read, the silver key flashing over and around her fingers as if by a magic trick.

"Well, that was helpful..." she muttered a tad sarcastically as she stared at her empty hands. She had no idea who Dante or Vaati was, nor the location of black FLUX except that it was in another world of some sort - and that tidbit of info wasn't exactly reassuring. Furthermore, she was quite certain it wasn't her counsel this person was seeking.

Still... Xelya gazed at the silver flashing between her fingers, idly making it vanish and reappear with a simple flick of the wrist. She ought to at least inform this Dante that his letter had gone astray. Who knew, perhaps he'd even give her a little reward...and she'd already gotten herself caught on the edge of something by approaching that creature. She had never been the sort to leave things half done.

With a deceptively careless hop to her feet, Xelya crossed the room to stand before her door and analyzed the keyhole. The letter had said the key would work on any door, and even if it seemed too big, she didn't doubt it would fit.

Sure enough, the key fit in smoothly, and when she opened the door she didn't find the hallway. For a moment Xelya hesitated, then stealthily entered the darkness.

Soul warped into the city from Dante's vortex. She looked around startled. "Just great an anti magic city." She slipped on some clothing to help her blend in better with the city, though the elf ears were a dead give away. She slipped in and out of the shadows looking for a tavern named The Three Moons. Untill she reached that part of town, she kept to herself and made no eye contact.

Lying on the floor in the corner of her room was man. He was unconcious, his body was contorted into a fetal position shaking violently, and blood dripped steadily into a pool on the floor from his mouth.