Southern Guild Ward

" To no man will we sell, or deny, or delay, right or justice."

The night smelled of death and rum. The morning smelled no different, at least not to the fiery bard as she walked along paved paths through the Southern Guild Ward. Ceres inhaled sharply, taking in all the swirling scents around her and immediately scrunching her nose in distaste. "Revolting.."she murmured under her breath. Hunger and disgust coiled inside of her stomach, her craving for food slowly ebbing away by the tide of smells that passed around her." OI! Fire head!" . Hunger left her thoughts as the booming voice reached her ears. she spun around so fast her cloak nearly caught onto a passing wagon traveling down the paths. A plump stocky man stood at least ten feet away from Ceres, sweat dribbling down from his brow onto his chest. He wore a blacksmiths apron, something that seemed a little odd on this side of towns.

When the man began waving at her, she took it upon herself to walk towards him even though she knew the exercise would do the fellow some good. "I'm guessing you have a good reason to be shouting at me at this time of day." She answered in the darkness, stepping closer to him until he was in stabbing range.

" I do. Ye have no need to be worrying none about me now lass. I'm working for the same lot you are."

She raised a brow. "Obviously. If you weren't , you wouldn't be in this part of town. You'd be up some Achaz's ass in the Western Guild." She paused for a moment when she saw the flicker of fear pass over the mans face, as evident as a child face when they've been caught doing something wrong.

"If....you were part the Achaz and were spending time around here, I can imagine many of my companions would be happy to show you around. Maybe even demonstrate what it looks like for a man to be flayed and flogged." It was cruel of her to frighten the man, knowing very well he wasn't any enemy of hers. She couldn't help it though! Especially when she hadn't been doing much of late, other than singing and playing in taverns to earn any extra coins she could.

The man began sweating profusely, causing a small smile to slowly slide onto her face. " Calm yourself, I'm only kidding . You humans are horrible with taking jokes." The portly blacksmith blinked and shook his head, a nervous chuckle emitting from him. "O-of course miss. Anyways, I only wanted to say the weapons one of your mates ordered was ready. I've got the shipment at my shop whenever you want to send some men over to grab em." He gave her a small nod and moved his head as if asking if he had leave to remove himself from her presence. A swift nod in his direction and the fat man was off as fast as his legs could carry him. She would probably be scolded for frightening him, not that she cared too much about it. She was always getting scolded , be it by those who were above her or the remnants of family she till had.

The thought of family made her shudder, a violent one that passed all throughout her body. Elves were known for their long memory, and their even longer grudges. Most of her family had disowned her the minute they realized her involvement with Seithur's Hand. " Disgraceful child" they called her, even though she was no child by the time she had joined the Guild. Another jab at her by her elder kin. She had been thrown out of the house she had called home for sixteen years the minute the news reached them. Thankfully, the Guild gave her shelter and the food and clothing she would now require. After she had made a name for herself a few years later, her family came back out of the wood work and slowly requests from them became a common occurrence. It was like that with most families though. Once one person becomes successfully, the hounds descend and began begging for a bone.

She hated dogs, so no bones were ever given and now family rarely contacted her unless one of them died or went missing.

"Avo acheno." A soft whisper escaped her chapped lips and brought comfort to her . The elven tongue always soothed her whenever her thoughts turned to troubling matters. Now..if only an elven curse could bring some peace to the Guilds.

If only.

As the crowd bustled around them, Kilel arched an eyebrow at Saren. "Relax brother, this may be no vacation but it is still morning and I have already picked up what we need so don't worry so much." Shaking his head, Kilel continued down the street with his brother. Sidestepping a woman who walked right through the crowd as if sensing it rather than seeing it, he remarked, "There is much work to be done still. We have to secure ourselves here, find...consistent work." He did not say more, even, or perhaps especially, in the city of thieves and murderers it was prudent to be discreet when discussing such things. Killing for small time individuals was okay work, but it would get them nowhere quickly. If they were to get into the city big-leagues, where there was gold and respect to be had, they would need to make a name for themselves with the guilds.

But how to go about such a thing? Kilel was fairly sure that the guilds weren't so desperate to kill each other that they would just take anyone who wondered through the door, that would be a foolish risk to security in a city where loyalty was something given to the highest bidders. He supposed that was the inevitable difficulty to be faced while living in a city like this. That said, he had a few ideas of where to look to start with. He had heard pirates might be in need of extra hands, though spending a good deal of time cramped on a boat with a multitude of louse-ridden simpletons was not something that particularly struck his fancy. As far as he knew, the bounty hunters' guild openly posted some bounties, so he could potentially take advantage of that, bringing in some bounties to increase his renown, while making some cash in the process. Tracking down fugitives in a city of fugitives would prove rather challenging though, and would require him to increase his knowledge of the streets far past what he knew now. The other option was to question the locals more thoroughly. He was sure the local apothecaries, especially those of the guild, would have some information on the two assassins' guilds in the city, though it would probably be extremely difficult to convince them to divulge any information on the operations of such dangerous organizations and individuals. Prostitutes were the other locals who he felt would be good sources of information. People tended to loosen up with their sexual partners, letting slip things they might not otherwise share. For the right price, he was sure they would be willing to share what they heard.

As Kilel finished contemplating their options, the woman who had passed through them earlier and a boy who was holding her hand turned to look towards him and his brother. Well, the boy looked at them at least, the woman didn't seem to be focusing on anything in particular. It seemed she was blind, though he wouldn't assume it just by looking at her. Though the boy definitely seemed to be the one leading her, not the other way around. It seemed as though they were headed towards an apothecary building. It would be worth checking out, later on perhaps. Beyond those two, there was an unusually well dressed woman entering the bazaar, he briefly wondered who she might be as he continued on towards the other end of the bazaar. This was much easier said than done. As the morning had worn on, the guild had become more and more filled with the humanity that inhabited the city. It was really a pain, pushing through the crowds while watching out for pickpockets and other unsavory types. This was rather difficult and bothersome since the overwhelming majority of the types here were unsavory. Finally though they made their way to the end of the bazaar where they found an archway separating two wards. They found themselves at the Southern Guild Ward.

Turning to Saren, Kilel said, "Come on, lets go check out the Southern Guild Ward. Word is they are one of the main power hubs in the city. If we make good progress today, you can take a break from working later." Truthfully, he couldn't keep Saren from goofing off if he was intent on it, but he hoped the promise of a later reward would motivate him to at least be somewhat productive today.

Looking through the archway was almost like peering into another world. There were far fewer people wandering about in this ward. There was a distinctly dangerous, unwelcome air about the place, more so than that which already permeated most of the island city. Looking around as they walked into the ward, Kilel decided to go through and check out some of the guilds, see if they had any promising work. One of the guilds he was particularly interested in Sethur's Hand. While he knew outsiders were not exactly welcome in this part of the city, he was hoping to at least get the chance to approach a member of that particular guild, preferably in a non violent manner. Though he had only been here for a short time, he had already heard from many people that they were one of the most powerful guilds in the city, and he felt it could prove worthwhile to at least check out the guild.

Saren

Saren hadn't really expected his words to soothe his brother, Kilel was as he knew nowhere close to a morning person and generally wanted things done his way, something Saren was quite use to. That being the case he had done as he always did and brushed it off knowing that, while Kilel may raise his voice at times, he had yet to ever take it farther or even enforce it, at least that much could be said for Saren. For others it was just a matter of what kind of mood Kilel found himself in at the time. So he didn't pay much mind, still humming a soft tune and letting his eyes roam about, not really focusing. That was until a rather beautiful woman passed right between himself and Kilel. His interested was peaked immediately, most any woman with a nice figure could arouse his interest but this one particularly so since she seemed rather strange. Not strange in the sense that she was weird in appearance but her movement and the air about her was unique to that of others he had encountered in Daggerford thus far.

"There is much work to be done still. We have to secure ourselves here, find...consistent work." Kilel as usual began going on about work and such, things that while being important interested Saren very little. Instead of being attentive to his brother, his eyes followed the person of interest that had just passed them by. He watched as the woman continued to walk a ways before being intercepted by a young boy of all things, a rare sight indeed within Daggerford, and while Saren did just hate to eavesdrop he found his curiosity overpowering. Unfortunately hearing what was being said proved difficult for several reasons, one because Kilel continued to walk in the opposing direction leading him farther away and two because the voices of merchants and customers alike drowned out the young boy almost entirely. Straining his ears allowed Saren to catch enough information though, managing to make out the name Liana and something about her being without sight. Perhaps it was not enough information to know her life story but it was plenty to satisfy his wandering curiosity. It was a good thing too or he would have been thinking about it all day because soon enough she was being led away, the boy only looking back for a moment to which Saren responded with a large smile and small wave before turning about and continuing to walk with Kilel.

It was only once his curious nature had been appeased that he turned his full attention back to his brother and the task at hand, finding as Kilel had called it 'consistent work'. Saren knew consistent work would be easily found in Daggerford, the city itself was full of people to kill and others who would pay for those services, a perfect place for the brothers to go about their trade. Of course they had one problem with that course of action and that was the guilds of Daggerford. While guilds could provide its members with ample job opportunities it seemed that they didn't like other people stealing their business, who would have guess. So, since the guilds in Daggerford seemed especially powerful it was fair to assume two lone men like himself and Kilel would not be allowed to simply do as they pleased for long. That left them with only two real options, one was to find a guild to associate themselves with, something he was sure Kilel would be displeased with until researching the best options thoroughly, or trying to muscle their way into some other guilds territory. Neither of these were exactly Saren's style and they sure as hell weren't Kilel's. The two brothers much preferred to stay out of sight, hidden from the eyes of anyone powerful enough to cause them trouble for convenience sake, but that just didn't seem to be an option in a city where people such as themselves were so numerous and influential. No, they would have to pick one or the other and if he knew Kilel it wouldn't be settled with something easy such as a coin toss, no, it would be an arduous process, of that he was certain.

Now despite the brothers having been in the city for a time Saren had not done any research on exactly which guilds were powerful or even which guilds would provide what he and his brother were looking for, he had only heard a few names at best. The research, or boring, aspects of their lives was something he left to his brother as he explored other parts of the city and had his fun. That meant while he knew the streets quite well he still knew rather little on the people who actually controlled them. Saren realized, as they approached an archway that separated the Bazaar and Southern Guild Ward, that Kilel would be leading him on a boring field-trip in search of the 'consistent work'. "Come on, lets go check out the Southern Guild Ward. Word is they are one of the main power hubs in the city. If we make good progress today, you can take a break from working later." Brother, trying to encourage me with promise of time off? Well I swear, you know me all too well. He hated to make himself look easy though and proceeded to let out a loud sigh and an elongated, "Fine..." Because who knew, maybe after a lifetime of never slipping anything past Kilel his excitement at the idea of having some time off wouldn't be so obvious.

His attempt at deceit aside he didn't hesitate after that, following Kilel into the ward and deciding to actually be a tad serious, walking at a decent pace and passing up the guilds that looked too small or unsuited to the needs of him and his brother. He stopped at a couple places, looking over each candidate with Kilel. There was a bounty hunters guild that had seemed alright until walking inside and seeing a bunch of rather idiotic looking men with the same guild crest punching the hell out of each other for what seemed like no reason in particular. Then a thieves den that had very amateur thieves, most of whom looked unreliable and untrustworthy even for thieves. It more or less continued like that for some time. Only a few guilds seemed to have experienced members and even fewer had promise. All of them had the same feel to Saren, they were all rather mundane.

He was getting restless, looking around at every little guild was boring and as far as making progress and earning himself some time off, as opposed to simply slipping away, there had been none. It was at this point he just stopped in the middle of the street and turned to Kilel. "Enough of this endless wandering, let us simply skip ahead of all the small fries because frankly I am bored beyond measure. Now I know you brother, you would not come looking unless you had at least one guild in mind already. So for the love of all things holy let us get to the real reason you brought us to the Southern Ward." When he was done he continued to look at Kilel without a care for who heard him or anything else for the moment, he was just ready to get on with the 'work' portion so he could move on to the more enjoyable bit before going mad.

Ventrizza Azyan

Morning had long since awakened the woman long before the sun reigned high in dreary skies. In her chambers, a thin sheet of white fabric was draped over her torso and chest, ending just short of her navel. Below that, her breasts were tapered with a cardinal bandage, ensuring that it was loose and properly fitted. While she often utilized her own body for her work, there wasn't much use in showing it off to everyone beneath the sheen of her top. After wriggling on a pair of harem pants, which bellowed and gave no hint of having either slender limbs, or robust ones, she threw on her leather bound sandals, and headed toward the Southern Guild Ward. Through the tavern district, then the bazaar, she was quick on agile feet, and skated easily through the hearty crowds in both places. The only hazard would be the thieves, however, she was sure that she could handle a petty swindler or pick-pocket should it take place. As of this very moment, the only armaments to adorn her figure were ringed melee fastened with loops upon her hip. The others had been left to idle at Sethur's Hand.

A dash of ruby locks tailed her as Ventrizza quickly pushed through the throngs of the southern bazaar, and her feet were cat-like and speedy. Against the hard cobblestone, her gait held the sound of a ghost floating in a silent dark corridor. The female was by no means an amicable spirit; shortened temper, a joyful antagonist. Most of the time, if she was not in the domain of Sethur's Hand, she found herself in the most lowliest tavern wrecking havoc on the men, or swindling merchants for their all-too pricey artifacts. The taverns were here most likely place, as she enjoyed a squabble or two with those of brawny make that think they could so easily pummel the 'fairer sex'. But she was small, and in comparison to those thickly built males with flanks of muscle pulsing at every finger lift, a diminutive stature had far more eye-fleeting movements.

Passing, finally, through the bazaar with no spilt blood, Trizza breached the threshold of the guild ward. Few lingered through these treacherous veins, and two set eyes upon some stranger was a rare sight. That was why, upon viewing the backsides of two men, she stopped momentarily. None of the opposing sex in Sethur's Hand displayed such audacity to wandering aimlessly instead of entertaining the ladies of the guild. The only thing that could creep upon her mind in regards to the pair, was that they were from The Rakkath's command. Now, this particular woman could be very brash and quick to act, which gave her trouble by the plenty. Her silently judgmental mind was the reason for her being so abrasive by nature. It was the unknown that got people killed in Daggerford; the inability to be cautious and fathom every possible outcome or motive of a person in close proximity.

Movement ignited in her quiet feet again, but slower was her pace this time. Listening carefully to their musings, she figured that they would make the attempt to get in with Sethur's Hand. Still, it was strange to her, for did word not get around that the leader abhorred the likes of men? Certainly they did not hear word of their power, as many could speak ill about a band of women wielding blades. Hazel eyes delved in a space further than the brothers, and she saw the visage of the guild's face. They were close. Too close for her taste. Thus, she maneuvered nearer to them, but stayed to their rear. In soft tremors of her vocals, she spoke with nothing but truth, "Word drifts that the leader of Sethur's Hand would detest the likes of men. If you are of The Rakkath, you are better off leaving this course."

She was sure that the woman that held power in Sethur's Hand would sooner maim the two men than accept them. It was best to forewarn them, rather than have to witness yet another down creature that would have to be cleaned up and dumped somewhere. Ceasing her movement, she was patient in regards to waiting for them to let off this course and turn around. Faces. Her eyes wished to settle upon faces, for one never knew who their next enemy might be. A name hadn't been spoke of either the wrathful leader of Sethur's Hand, or herself. Right now, she could hardly see it necessary, and it was just an extra step of precaution. Not that anyone knew the name of their notorious leader, only that she went by Noxia. "Go find another guild, or go back to The Achaz, as it would be arduous to convince Sethur's Hand of your allegiance." It was true. Noxia was paranoid about the spell of spies from The Rakkath's hands, as they were a glorious guild, and one that was not burdened by loss. Yet.

A part of her wished that they would be of The Achaz, and another hoped that their conquest in seeking out a guild was truth. Her mood was not soured with aggression this morning, but she could use the training.

Kilel had to hold back a smile as his brother reluctantly consented to his plan. While he couldn't really keep his brother in line all of the time, he could generally motivate him to do work for at least part of the day. Being Saren's older brother, he knew how to push Saren's buttons in much the same way Saren would push his own. Now it was time to put his brother's promised productivity to good use. They walked into the southern ward, looking to find what passed for suitable employment in these parts before his brother's interest began to wander too far. That also meant he would need to find something before too many attractive women went by, his brother was particularly easily distracted and enticed by their charms, though people who knew their past, Saren's in particular would wonder why that was still so. In his mind, Kilel briefly thought through some of the defining moments of his brother's life, events that made him who he was. And he understood where others did not, the motivations, events, and choices that made Saren who he was. It was inevitable, given what had happened, Saren could be no other person. Thinking on it for a moment, Kilel put that line of thought aside for another time. It would take more than an afternoon's idle thought to review the defining moments of his brother's life. And this was not a place he could afford to walk through in a distracted state of mind.

Looking through the guilds, trying to find one worth associating with was a dubious proposition at best. Some of these guilds seemed just as likely to stick a knife in someone as consider accepting them. In fact, most of them were like that. Low caliber bounty hunters and thieves. That was all that seemed to inhabit these parts. Wandering the ward for what seemed like a long time, even to Kilel, he began to wonder if they shouldn't give up here and search a different ward, especially if they could not locate Sethur's Hand. Since even he was beginning to question the point of continuing, it came as no surprise when Saren finally lost his patience. "Enough of this endless wandering, let us simply skip ahead of all the small fries because frankly I am bored beyond measure. Now I know you brother, you would not come looking unless you had at least one guild in mind already. So for the love of all things holy let us get to the real reason you brought us to the Southern Ward."

While Kilel understood his brother's sentiments, this was not the place for such outbursts. Drawing attention like that was a good way to get oneself killed in this city. Mindful of the attention the outburst drew, Kilel drew his brother into a side alley. He whispered urgently to his brother, saying, "Brother, I know you are impatient. But outbursts like that will only serve to draw unwanted attention to us, and that will get the both of us killed. I don't know about you, but I have no intentions of dying in this hellhole. But as it so happens, you are correct. Enough of this tedious wandering, I do have a particular guild in mind."

Since the two of them were new to Daggerford, they did not know many specifics of the two warring assassin guilds. From what he had heard, the Achaz was traditionally the most powerful guild in the city, however Sethur's Hand had now risen to the point where it was capable of competing directly with them, and now the other guilds were being pulled into a conflict between the two guilds of assassins. As it so happened, he had heard that Sethur's Hand was predominantly a female guild. Many of the individuals he had talked to discounted the clan's power solely on this alleged fact. However, Kilel recognized this as closed-minded thinking. If being composed mainly of women was true weakness, then the guild would not be one of the top two most powerful guilds in the city. While Kilel had no real leanings one way or the other in this conflict, he did have reasons for choosing to approach Sethur's Hand first. For one thing, they were certainly viewed as the underdogs in this battle, regardless of how strong they were, the Achaz had more renown and seemed somewhat more respected, just from what he had heard in his short time here. Hopefully, being underdogs they would be more inclined to accept the assistance of himself and his brother. Secondly, their would come a time when the brothers would need to step from the shadows to claim what was rightfully theirs. On that day, they would need all of the renown, fame, and respect they could muster. Being on the winning side was important to that, and being the ones to push an underdog to victory in this matter would help them garner far more respect than helping an already strong force put the underdog down. Lastly, he had to take his brother into account. Sethur's Hand was notorious for using womanly charm to gain an advantage. Given his brother's...tendencies, he decided it would be much easier to work with Sethur's Hand than against it. Though he would never admit to the last point aloud.

As Kilel was about to explain to his brother that he was looking for Sethur's Hand, a soft, low-pitched female voice floated their way. "Word drifts that the leader of Sethur's Hand would detest the likes of men. If you are of The Rakkath, you are better off leaving this course."

A wry grin briefly flit across Kilel's face as he remarked to his brother, not looking away from the direction the voice had come from. "Well speak of the devil. On your toes Saren, let me handle this. Make sure i don't catch a knife in the back in the meantime." He said in a slightly louder voice, "You may show yourself. We mean no harm here. We are not men of The Rakkath. Contrary to what you seem to think, we are here to provide a service, and perhaps to gain the good graces of this leader you speak of." As new-comers to the city, the brothers were yet unfamiliar with what the Rakkath meant. Though Kilel was fairly sure it was not good to be associated with it in this part of the city. He made a note to find out more about who or what the Rakkath was. It would surely pay to know about such dangerous references if he planned on staying alive for any extended time. Remaining on his toes, he waited for a response from the woman, whoever and wherever she was. He had been intentionally vague in his response to her as he was not in the habit of divulging concrete information to anyone who happened to call out to him. Still, he hoped this stranger could provide him with some information he could use. Though the part she had said about men was a little disconcerting. He hoped they weren't making a terrible mistake seeking out the Sethur's Hand guild...

A small chuckle rumbled deep within her chest as Kilel Niordan spoke. As she had been standing still, she allowed his words to sink into her ears. Still, suspicion lay at every corner of their vile city, and it was all the wiser not to trust anyone. At the same time, he had no real reason to weave lies, so boldly beginning to enter the devious threshold of a woman that would snare a man just to shed flesh from his bone. You may show yourself. We mean no harm here. We are not men of The Rakkath. "Why, I am right behind you. I am not hiding, just silently striding." It was hard not to find that fact that he thought she cowered in the shadows mildly amusing. What would he think her for? She was no doe, and he no ferocious lion. A slender build barely shrouded to leave much to the imagination, wedged in between the two men. Yet, she did not cease her movements there. Her figure parted from them at a leisurely pace, and a careless one. It would seem that maybe she was not afraid of drifting about among the cluster of guilds teeming with crime often dubbed too ugly for the feint of heart. Thankfully, she was not that type of female. Ventrizza held a thick air of relentless confidence, but she did not think for a moment that she would not be out-bested. Anyone could be.

As the Niordan brother continued to speak: Contrary to what you seem to think, we are here to provide a service, and perhaps to gain the good graces of this leader you speak of., she smiled with her backside steadily fleeting from them. "Ah, you wish to gain entrance into Sethur's Hand. That is, my friend, a very wise decision given your options. Mind you, there is no good grace about our leader. Though, now that I think about it," in mid stride, she turned to face them with an index finger imprinting upon her chin. A cheery pensive expression held onto her features, and she cast her eyes upward toward the endless skies, "there is a small problem that she would see quelled. Of course, it would be hard upon a good man's heart to commit such an atrocity." Her hip flexed outward, and she had a small sway stemming from her ankles. Shaking her head, she waved them off as she pivoted on her heel to face her destination once more.

"It may be too tasking of you. If you think that you could kill without question or second thought, then you may follow me. If not, turn back from whence you came and seek out other hazards." She recalled Noxia speaking of the mission before, but no one else would do it. Quite frankly, the redhead did not like to get her hands wet with the blood of the innocent. Perhaps these two men would see no care of it. They appealed to her as very new faces, not quite native to the city of Daggerford, much less Pathos. The individual she spoke of had nothing at all to do with the guilds as far as she, herself, could see. Yet unknowingly, she had catered to opposition for far too long, and that vexed Noxia to no end.

Ventrizza had no idea who this female was, and she really did not care to know. The best thing about her employ as that she did not need to inquire, nor dapple in the business of anyone around her. Instead, she did as she was bade to, and carried her tasks out flawlessly. If the pair trailed her willingly, they would be well on their way to getting their foot into the maw of Sethur's Hand. It was a stroke of chance. All they may get in is a foot before they are quickly booted out. Placing her hands idly behind her back, she wove fingers together and moved with a joyful countenance about her. There was no reason to be gloomy all of the time, and she was a generally jovial person. On the outside, anyway. These two men were advantageous to their cause, and she knew how to hone such gifts sent forth from the gods. That was what she was - a trickster, and an abuser of people's situations. It couldn't be helped. It was a dog-eat-dog world, and she was not going to be consumed by letting merits just pass her by.

She just didn't want to get handed the job, really. It was better that they do it than herself. That is... if they chose to follow.

Saren

It wasn't really a problem to attract attention as far as Saren was concerned, in fact he rather liked attention as it tended to make things interesting. He had other reasons for not worrying as well, mainly because, outburst or not, he knew that he and Kilel could handle themselves, it was proven fact. Yet Kilel being overly cautious, or responsible, though Saren preferred to use the first description, dragged him into a side alley. He even went as far as to speak in a whisper, like anyone really cared much about what they had to say. Saren couldn't help but sigh, still listening but with a look of boredom plastered on his face. "Brother, I know you are impatient. But outbursts like that will only serve to draw unwanted attention to us, and that will get the both of us killed. I don't know about you, but I have no intentions of dying in this hellhole. But as it so happens, you are correct. Enough of this tedious wandering, I do have a particular guild in mind." Yes, because dragging us into an alleyway doesn't make it easier for assailants at all... What a wise decision. Sarcasm aside he didn't yell again but neither did he whisper, he simply spoke in his normal calm voice, granted there was a lack of the usual enthusiasm. "Well then what are we waiting for, if you have a guild in mind I am sure there is good reason for it. Should we not just head straight to the guild in question?" It was a rhetorical question but he spoke it seriously, his impatient side not quite understanding the point of wandering around when Kilel had an idea in mind from the start.

Kilel of course didn't get to the point quite quick enough, before he could speak further on the issue of which guild they were here to investigate his attention was dragged away. The faint sound of a voice catching his brother's attention, and while he didn't much care if someone was nearby Saren couldn't help but hear it as well. "Word drifts that the leader of Sethur's Hand would detest the likes of men. If you are of The Rakkath, you are better off leaving this course." Oh, the leader of Sethur's Hand detests men, first I have heard of it, though I haven't been paying all that much attention. Can't particularly blame her now can you, women are so much better. It does make me curious though... Saren smirked amusing himself with thoughts of the Sethur's Hand leader being some sort of kinky man-hating fiend, whipping the men under her command into shape quite literally and other such thoughts. It was one of those situations where while he knew he should take it seriously he just couldn't. It wasn't that he underestimated the guild either seeing as he had heard the name, although he knew almost nothing of it, and when a name comes up often enough in the idle chatter in Daggerford it indicates a certain renown.

Unfortunately Kilel didn't seem to find humor in the situation as Saren did. No, instead he turned towards the voices point of origin with a grin that usually meant trouble. "Well speak of the devil. On your toes Saren, let me handle this. Make sure I don't catch a knife in the back in the meantime." And why would you catch a knife in the back... Whoever it is was just issuing a warning, not that dastardly a deed. Saren knew words wouldn't stop Kilel's one track mind so he didn't bother voicing them. To Kilel it was no doubt showtime, time to try and learn more about Sethur's Hand. Knowing this Saren didn't make a move, he simply leaned back against the stone wall of the alley and kept his eyes on Kilel, keeping a lax lookout but not reaching for a weapon or even pretending to put himself on guard. He honestly didn't feel the intent of an ambush, it was a warning, harmless. The fact was that especially for assassins and thieves warnings were only issued if a fight was to be avoided. It was when there was no warning you had to be careful.

"You may show yourself. We mean no harm here. We are not men of The Rakkath." Yes brother because we both know that simply saying you mean no harm has a lot of merit, especially in this city... "Why, I am right behind you. I am not hiding, just silently striding." Saren was a bit surprised to see a very attractive and scantly clad woman pass right between himself and Kilel. Still, he made no move, only watched, his eyes roaming her body with no shame. In his mind anyone wearing such revealing 'armor', if it could even be considered armor and not just clothing, invited people to look. He felt inclined to like the woman right off, she seemed so very relaxed despite him and his brother, not that people really had a reason to fear them but it was nice, it revealed more about her than one would think. Of course her clothing, or lack thereof in so many places, didn't hurt.

"Contrary to what you seem to think, we are here to provide a service, and perhaps to gain the good graces of this leader you speak of." Kilel simply continued to talk, whether he enjoyed the sight of the woman as much as Saren did was uncertain. What was certain was that Kilel, as always, was keeping things strictly business. Saren did find it ridiculous that after the warning Kilel continued on to say they wanted to gain the good graces of the leader of Sethur's Hand. It almost made Saren laugh, how his brother talked about the good graces of someone who apparently disliked men to an extreme degree. It kind of destroyed any hope of good graces, if there was any to have in the first place. Of course, none of that much mattered, Saren found a challenge fun. As it so happened anything fun only came with a bit of effort. Saren would put in the effort if need be, and wouldn't mind checking out Sethur's Hand despite the disadvantage of being a man. In fact he was excited about the benefits of such a guild. That was, if the leader disliked men so much it implied that the guild was full of women and that was the best news he had heard since arriving at Daggerford, a guild comprised mainly of women... It sounded like paradise.

"Ah, you wish to gain entrance into Sethur's Hand. That is, my friend, a very wise decision given your options. Mind you, there is no good grace about our leader. Though, now that I think about it," Saren with great effort heaved his mind out of the gutter, his thoughts focusing back on reality, to the woman who, by this point, he assumed was part of Sethur's Hand. "there is a small problem that she would see quelled. Of course, it would be hard upon a good man's heart to commit such an atrocity." A problem that could be hard upon a good man's heart, I suppose it is lucky that we are not good men... Though atrocity does give me concern, makes the possibilities all so dark. Of course with the concern came curiosity and at that point Saren was in, he was ready to go check out the guild and see what this mission could be that would be so hard on a good man.

"It may be too tasking of you. If you think that you could kill without question or second thought, then you may follow me. If not, turn back from whence you came and seek out other hazards." Oh and there is our invitation, how lucky. Saren had been sold on visiting Sethur's Hand some time ago and with an invitation and possible work he was not about to hesitate now. He knew Kilel would be up for a visit as well, the man couldn't say no to a possible job offer, especially if it bought him favor with the leader of a guild he had his eyes on. So Saren just smirked, pushing himself off the wall and patting his brother on the back. "Come on now, let's make haste, you know, progress and all that." He shot Kilel a grin as he quickened his pace in pursuit of the beautiful guide. He would rather follow her as closely as possible, and he began speaking to the woman enthusiastically as he approached, "We will most certainly be joining you, no doubt we will find something of interest if we do. Besides, wouldn't want to miss the opportunity to arrive with one of Sethur's Hand's own beauties." His confidence was definitely strong, in fact it never ceased and although he knew it would have been wise to reign it in with all of the information he had, he wouldn't, that would be no fun. Besides, believe it or not, some people found him charming, and he seemed to grow on those who didn't, so best start clawing away at their barrier early.

"Why, I am right behind you. I am not hiding, just silently striding." Kilel's head turned sharply, looking over his shoulder to see the woman flow out from in between himself and Saren. How had she managed to get behind him? As she walked, glided rather it seemed, he noticed that she was a very attractive woman, and he suppressed a sigh as he could already tell Saren had eyes for the girl. There really was no helping him sometimes. Still, he was not about to get distracted by the woman or her feminine charms, he focused intently on her, already trying to get a read on her and her techniques. The shatterpoints were there, in every building, technique, and person, he just had to find them.

"Ah, you wish to gain entrance into Sethur's Hand. That is, my friend, a very wise decision given your options. Mind you, there is no good grace about our leader. Though, now that I think about it," The mystery woman was moving as quietly as anyone could, Kilel reckoned neither his brother nor himself were a match for her in terms of sheer stealthiness of foot. Still... Hmm she seemed rather confident in the Hand. But was it too much? Over-confidence was a fatal flaw in many, he even saw it in himself from time to time, despite his best efforts to squash it. Time would tell. And of course he had figured as much, murderers were not typically predisposed to having good graces, but it never, or at least it didn't often, hurt to try. He knew his brother hated the way he did things like this, approaching most things in a manner Saren called..."Strictly business." Well, confidence was key in this city. People here, master assassins in particular he figured, could take any sign of weakness as a reason to kill them. That being the case, he would continue to keep things, "Strictly business," never a moment of doubt, weakness, or hesitation apparent in his demeanor or his words.

Turning to face them, the woman struck a bit of a pose, and Kilel was certain that her confidence was not fake or inflated, it stemmed from genuine ability. He would need to be careful around this one, though that went without saying he supposed. "there is a small problem that she would see quelled. Of course, it would be hard upon a good man's heart to commit such an atrocity." If their had been any doubt before, it was banished now, this woman was without a doubt a member of Sethur's Hand. Saying nothing, Kilel allowed the woman to continue. "It may be too tasking of you. If you think that you could kill without question or second thought, then you may follow me. If not, turn back from whence you came and seek out other hazards." It appeared that the woman wanted them to kill someone. Shocking coming from an assassin, he thought sarcastically. Still, it was probably the girl's mission, and now she was handing it off to them. Whether as a test, or because she didn't want to do it herself mattered not. To Kilel, any job was worth doing if it advanced him closer to his endgame. If she was too lazy or weak of body or mind to get the job done herself, well then he was happy to take the burden from her. If the girl was not careful, she would find herself surpassed by the Brothers Niordan in no time at all. Ambition and drive were key after all.

Saren of course needed no motivation to go following after the attractive female assassin. Despite his prior thoughts and his ambitions, Kilel wasn't apt to move so hastily as his brother. It was entirely possible that they were walking into a trap, or perhaps some other sort of untenable situation. Still, confidence was key. When Saren patted him on the back saying, "Come on now, let's make haste, you know, progress and all that." Kilel nodded with a slight smile, saying, "Of course, only one chance to make a first impression." Still, as he followed the two back towards the Bazaars he kept a wary eye out. It would not do to die here after only having lived here for a few weeks. Though he was confident he and Saren could handle whatever situation they were thrust into, he wondered what Sirius might be up to. They could sure use him here as Saren was already trying his best to get them in hot water with his advances.