World of Warcraft®

Renzly held herself close to the wall, half hidden from the traffic by stacked empty crates. Booty Bay was still a reasonably active city, even at dusk, as workers continued to pack their freight to be ready for the morning tide, or shopkeepers finally closed up for the evening to tread home. The bars were beginning to fill with evening patrons and she knew for a fact at least two illicit gambling establishments were within a few streets of where she waited.

Her target, however, would not be heading to any of those locations. Renzly kept a close eye on the boardwalk, her breathing calm and steady even as she impatiently twitched a toe. The wait was always the most boring part, but it was worth the satisfaction of executing a perfect ambush. To be unseen, unnoticed until a time of her own choosing, was one of the few things she enjoyed in her life.

At last she saw the flash of white heading her way. The AAMS offices were actually very well guarded (particularly after Renzly’s last ‘visit’) but the open streets were still fair game. The courier passed by her location without noticing the rogue, and Renzly took a quick breath before slipping out of her shadow to fall in step behind her target.

“Hey, Goldie.”

Kezrin’s yelp hurt her ears, and Renzly found herself automatically stepping backwards as the other goblin swung a mace at her head, if missing by a large margin. Kezrin glared angrily at her.

“Don't do that!”

“Ya shouldn't be so jumpy at just a greetin.’ Though good to know ya’ve been keeping up with training.”

Kezrin hitched the mace back to her belt with a huff. “Waddaya want, Renzly? Or are ya here ta bring me even more bad news? What now, is there someone new who wants me dead?”

“Nah, I'm here ta hire ya.”

“Huh?”

Renzly held up a small package in her hands. “To deliver something? That's what ya do, isn't it?”

“Ya could have come by the office.”

“Less fun.” Renzly grinned impishly. “Besides, I don't think your receptionist’s very fond of me after that time I punched her.”

"What is it, and who’s it for?”

“Nothing harmful. Just a little toy. For that Moradinel fellow of yours.”

For a moment, Renzly thought Kezrin was about to draw the mace again.

“Who?”

“Not that one. The other one. Your Moradinel, the one who works for ya? Another reason I wasn’t gonna stop by the office. S’posed ta be a surprise.”

“Don’t… just don’t call him that. Adassos.”

“Yeah, that one, then. Well?” She offered the box over.

Kezrin didn’t take the box. “It’s gonna cost extra,” she grumbled.

“I thought that TAE fee thing only applied ta things sent ta, well, TAE?”

“Yeah, but this is you, and that’s them. It’s gonna cost extra.”

“Fine, fine. Now are ya gonna take it or not?”

Kezrin relented and held out her hand. There was a moment’s surprise as she realized how heavy it was. “Just what is this again?”

“Jus’ a bit of fun. He’s in dire need of it, I think.”

“Uh-huh. And why are ya doin’ this?”

“Bored? Gal needs hobbies.”

There were a few more objections that Renzly avoided answering before coins were exchanged and Kezrin went on her way.

If nothing else came of it, at least she had fun messing with Kezrin...

Adassos left the office, grin stuck on his face from the reaction his last comment had elicited from Miss Kanzelry. She’ll be drinking that “brain bleach” of hers, surely.

A long flight was ahead of him on his dragonhawk back to Eversong, so Ada reined him down for a drink beforehand, sitting down gingerly to pull out the…”gift”...he had received.

Really, though?

A rock.

A bedamned rock.

Here he was, thinking someone perhaps had thought of him, and he gets some sort of...joke?

Upon further inspection, he saw on the bottom in small writing, “Happy Fun Rock.” Oh yes, certainly. Seeing as the sender apparently enjoys throwing things at people, he was sure it was quite fun to people who...enjoyed throwing painful things at others.

Adassos tossed it between his hands, sighing softly as he listened to his dragonhawk drink, the humid air almost relaxing with the breeze that came alongside it at this time of evening.

Aside from the serene environment, he found himself having to pay rather focused attention on the tossing of the rock, his hands shaky due to his body being weighted with dull, stinging pain. He frowned as his latest throw sent it not to his other waiting hand, but rolling to where his dragonhawk was now hovering impatiently waiting for Ada to quit daydreaming so they could leave for home.

Adassos watched with disinterest. His dragonhawk sniffed at it, beak pecking at the rock in the grass. Good, Ada thought, back where it belongs, not in the hands of someone who would use it to be a nuisance.

His dragonhawk made a characteristic piercing squawk, before he drew the “Happy Fun Rock” into his beak and swallowed it whole.

Ada blinked.

“Oh !@#$, Little Monster, no!”

The aptly named dragonhawk looked at him as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred, squawking in Ada’s face.

Adassos frowned scoldingly, before shaking his head with a sigh.
“Yeah, it’ll be -fun- getting that one out, huh? My word.”

“Aww, Goldie, ya shouldn’t have.”

Kezrin simply glowered at Renzly and slid the vase of flowers across the table. The Bilgerat Street Tavern wasn’t her first choice in locations, but it was at least a neutral point.

The rogue made a show of examining the flowers, fluffing some of the leaves. “From Adassos, huh? Ya know, you could’ve come by my offices…”

“If ya ain’t willin’ ta stop by the AAMS HQ, what makes ya think I’m goin’ anywhere near that tabloid that calls itself a magazine?”

“And here I thought you’d be happy I found folks who’re willing to pay me for sneaking around and not breaking anything. Well, mostly not breaking anything.” Renzly flicked a finger at one of the flowers. “So what are the flowers for? I ain’t inta married guys.”

“He said he was sendin’ ‘em with the message, ‘Kindness leaves a more lasting mark than painful annoyances.’ What was with the rock?”

Renzly snatched one of the flowers, idly plucking the petals rather than answer. “Pain can leave pretty long lastin’ marks, though, don’t ya agree? Hey! Is he calling me an annoyance?”

“He’d be right, ya know.”

“That’s half the fun. Good to know.”

“Good? Ya care ta fill me in at all? Hello? Ren?”

Renzly leaned back in her chair, plucking the remaining petals and rubbing them between her fingers. Bits of white smeared along her fingers. The scent of the flowers wafted across the table. “A more lasting mark, huh? I’ll take that as a challenge. Well, I know how to answer that. Wait here.”

“I’m gonna add lunch to your bill.”

“I ain’t gonna be gone that long.”

It was in fact only about ten minutes before Renzly returned, carrying a small glass bottle. “This’ll do, I think. Ya can tell him….” she paused to precisely word the message, “Flowers fade faster than contracts.”

“That’s rich, coming from ya.”

“There’s a difference between being ordered ta do somethin’ and agreein’ to it. And speakin’ of agreeing….”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll deliver it.”