In The Cards

Once you reach a certain level of skill most of your assignments will be easy. Far too easy, enough so to make you bored. Always beware boredom. When you finally face a stimulating opponent again you would do well to remember that the very reason they're stimulating is that they're dangerous. Far too many students have ignored this rule to their own detriment. Don't expect me to visit your grave if you do the same.

Excerpt from 'Interview With An Assassin'

Careful now. Mustn't underestimate this one. Too dangerous by far.

Zaerini watched the man opposite her, trying to decide what to make of him and hoping that he wouldn't notice her scrutiny. Adahn had politely pulled out a chair for her and then seated himself on the other side of the table. Edwin remained standing, hovering nervously between them. Rini couldn't quite make up her mind about this strange bandit. True, she hadn't exactly socialized with any bandits before, but whatever she'd been expecting it certainly hadn't been this curious blend of manners and menace. He was undoubtedly dangerous, but the danger wasn't an immediate one, or so she thought, though it was hard to tell for sure. And there was something else about him…something that kept nagging at her mind like an itch she couldn't quite scratch. She was quite certain she'd never met the man before in her life and yet he seemed strangely familiar. Something about the way he looked…or moved…or talked. She couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Are you quite finished cataloguing my every feature?" the bandit said, interrupting her thoughts. "Flattering as it is to have a charming young lady gaping at me I'm hardly vain enough to consider it a sign of my having suddenly become irresistible to females. Perhaps we could move on to the business at hand instead?"

"Oh," Rini said. "All right." She cleared her throat. "Edwin tells me that you have…an offer of a sort to make us. Does that seem like a more acceptable topic to you?" She put just the smallest hint of sarcasm into her question.

"Indeed it does," Adahn said, and the faint glimmer of appreciation that surfaced momentarily in those black eyes told Rini that she'd chosen the right course. Polite, but not too deferential. "I have been told that you have an interest in searching out certain people. Certain people who have recently been major players in the 'wealth-redistribution' around these parts. Is that not so?"

"It is."

"And might you also be interested in participating in any such further endeavors? Are you perhaps even seeking employment?"

Careful now, Rini thought, studying the motionless face in front of her. Play your cards close to your chest and set the bluff up solidly. She was playing for high stakes, she knew, and for once she was uncertain whether she was the one with the winning hand or not. "We are," she said, making her voice flat and matter-of-fact, as mercenary as she could. "We need the money, we want to get ahead in the world and it seems like your people are the ones most likely to provide both for us."

"I see," the bandit said. "How very ambitious of you." He gave the bard a thoughtful look across steepled fingers. "However, you still haven't provided me with a good reason for trusting you - or for employing you. You'll need more than ambition to impress me, you know."

"What?!" Edwin sputtered. "But…you can't mean…you have to…"

"I 'have' to do nothing," Adahn said. "I thank you to remember that much. Or are you perhaps presuming to order me about?" His wintry smile suggested that any such attempts would be very much unappreciated and severely dealt with.

"No," Edwin answered, sounding a little sullen. "No, of course not. I was implying nothing of the sort. (Ha. That would be the day. Likely the same day that Cyric gets married to Mystra and abdicates his office to celebrate their blissful union.)"

"How kind of you. I suppose I won't have to practice being deferential then."

This is really getting eerie, Rini thought. I've never seen Eddie that easily subdued by anybody.

Envious, kitten? Softpaws remarked from her spot on the floor. The black cat had been watching the proceedings warily for a while, paying particular attention to the bandit. Now she silently padded over and rubbed herself against his leg, looking very imperious. Adahn gave her an amused look, but he did reach down to pet her. Oh, very nice, Softpaws purred. This one's extremely clever with his hands. At least as good as your wizard. Probably even better.

Would you stop that? He's not my wizard. And how come you're suddenly acting so very cuddly with a complete and total stranger? One who, I might add, could try to kill me at any moment?

Don't be silly, kitten. Mmmmrrrrr! Yesss! Just a little lower down…perfect. He isn't about to kill you, at least not yet. He set this meeting up, remember? He wants something from you, he's just trying to pretend he doesn't. Anyway, I get the impression that he sort of likes you. I usually can pick up that sort of thing from people when they're touching me.

You could have fooled me. Rini thought her familiar was probably right about at least one thing though. The bandit must have some sort of interest invested in this meeting, something he hoped to gain. And that meant that her hand of cards consisted of more than just twos and threes. She decided to try to take advantage of the situation.

"You mentioned something about impressing you," she said to Adahn. "While I'm certainly not about to get up and dance exotic dances on the table, perhaps this is a little more to your liking?" She didn't just speak the words though. Instead she used her power of mimicry to imitate the bandit's voice, down to the last sarcastic nuance.

For a moment Rini wondered if she'd gone too far. It seemed that time stood still as she stared defiantly into the motionless face of the bandit in front of her. Her heartbeat roared in her ears and she could feel her stomach curl into a tight knot as those black eyes met hers without blinking. I'm dead, she thought. That's it. I'm dead. Beside her she could hear Edwin gurgle quietly, quite gray in the face.

And then the moment passed. Adahn laughed softly, looking genuinely amused. "Fascinating," he said. "A most useful talent, one that I wouldn't have minded having myself. Very well. You have at least managed to pique my interest. It would seem that you are more than you appear to be, even as I first suspected." He gently scratched Softpaws beneath the chin as he continued to speak, seemingly devoting his entire attention to the black cat who had by now leapt onto his lap. "That does bring another question to mind though," he said, his voice now so innocently casual that it set off a hundred loud alarm bells in Rini's mind. "Namely, exactly why the noble and illustrious Heroes of Nashkel, Beregost and Gullykin are thinking of going into banditry."

He knows! The sentence kept running feverishly through Zaerini's mind. He knows who we are and he never let it show! It's a trap, it has to be! Half of her mind was boiling hot with anger, preparing for battle. The other half had decided that the stranger probably could have made a living as an actor without a problem and that under other circumstances she wouldn't have minded exchanging a few tips and tricks with him. Her hand was already on the hilt of her sword, striving to draw it. For some reason Edwin was clinging furiously to her swordarm though, refusing to let go.

"Don't be an idiot!" the Red Wizard hissed through clenched teeth. "You'll just get yourself killed!"

Easy, kitten, Softpaws said. He's not doing anything, see? Besides, it's quite difficult to attack somebody when you have a lovely cat sitting on your lap. I have claws too, remember?

The fire in her veins subsided somewhat and Rini could think clearly again. As the heat of her bloodlust diminished she saw that while she had got to her feet in her shock Adahn was still sitting quietly at the table, having made no obvious hostile move. The man even had the gall to look amused by the whole thing. "And now that that's over with," he said, "perhaps you would be kind enough to answer my question?"

While Zaerini was quite busy gathering her thoughts again Dekaras was equally busy evaluating her actions. Gently now, he thought to himself. This one is truly more than she seems. It won't do to underestimate her. She was young and inexperienced to be sure, but he made a mental note of the fact that he hadn't exactly been harmless himself at her age. The assassin watched the girl opposite him as she sat down at the table once more, obviously struggling to keep calm. Poor Edwin looked truly shaken by her fit of temper, almost as if he had been expecting them to come to blows at any second. He really ought to know me better than that. I've invested a lot of time in this assignment already. I'm not about to lose control of it now. And he really ought to be more used to hotheaded females, considering his mother's legendary temper. At least this one hasn't broken any furniture yet. Dekaras watched the young half-elf for a few more moments, adding to his mental picture of her. Fiery red hair, and equally fiery yellow eyes. The mark of her blood? he wondered. Or something different? An attractive enough face, he supposed. A hot temper, yes certainly. Perhaps even enough to match that of a certain raven-haired wizardess. I wonder what would happen if she ever got into a strong disagreement with Elvira, the assassin thought, feeling amused. Probably there'd only be a crater the size of a small town left behind.

Most importantly, the bard was highly intelligent. It shone through in her every word. Which is a good thing, Dekaras thought. Dealing with a stupid woman might have been easier, but tedious beyond belief, even if it does mean I must be more careful than otherwise. He had been pleased to notice that she had spunk too. That little voice-trick of hers had actually impressed him. Not just because of the mimicry itself, though it was certainly a useful talent. But she had also stood up to him in order to prove a point, and not let herself be easily intimidated. That, he respected. Of course it didn't mean he intended to let her get away with trying to take charge. Revealing his knowledge of that ridiculous 'Hero' title had thrown Zaerini neatly off balance again, exactly as he had intended. Now to use that against her. It was much like a game of chess, actually. You needed to keep a cool head and think strategically, to plan ahead, make multiple plans for different situations. And if your opponent lost their temper…so much the better.

"I have no idea what you mean," the girl said defiantly. She didn't quite manage to sound convincing though.

"Oh, come now," Dekaras said, using his mildest voice. "I happened to be in Nashkel at the time and saw the award ceremony." He pointedly ignored the chagrined look on Edwin's face. "Very entertaining, that was. Very…heroic."

Zaerini rallied nicely. "So you saw," she said, crossing her arms. "And what do you intend to do with your knowledge?"

"Do? Why, nothing except to make you an offer." The assassin carefully deposited the black cat on the table and rose to a standing position, taking full advantage of his height and the way his shadow loomed high on the wall in order to create a certain impression. "A business proposition, if you will." He couldn't help noticing that Edwin still looked extremely uneasy. The boy really needed to get a better grip on himself. "You want to destroy the bandits. Well, it just so happens that our goals coincide there. I want them out of the way as well, and I believe we are in a position to help each other. In fact, the only reason I ever joined them was in order to get close enough to them to attempt something like that."

"Wh…why are you telling us these things?" Edwin asked. Obviously the boy still hadn't figured it out. Dekaras would have preferred telling him earlier, but he hadn't been sure he could be trusted to keep a straight face. "Because," he said, "I much prefer telling the truth to telling lies, if I am able to choose. It makes things so much less complicated." And of course, he thought, it makes the lies I do tell so much more palatable if they're wrapped in truth. But there is hardly a need to mention that little detail.

"And why do you want to pull down the bandits?" Zaerini asked, obviously not ready to agree to anything just yet.

"That, I will not tell you. I don't expect you to tell me your motives either. We have a common interest, and that will have to be enough. You can either accept that or not. Or would you have preferred me to make up a sad story about how I'm out to take revenge for my poor betrothed who was slaughtered by the wicked bandits? I can, if you want me to. You may even choose her hair-color and make up a name for her if you want."

The half-elf laughed. "I'm almost tempted to take you up on that," she said. "I'd ask you to do it in verse, I think. Would be fun to see if you could pull it off."

Oh yes, Dekaras thought. Very spunky. A most entertaining young lady. He said nothing though, simply gave her a smile that more or less was a predatory baring of teeth. It had the desired effect as the bard immediately calmed down. Won't do to let her think she can get away with anything however.

"Anyway," Zaerini hurriedly added, pulling her hand a little nervously through her red hair, "how can you be so sure you can trust me? I could easily sell you out."

"A Hero like yourself? I hardly think so. Your reputation has proceeded you, my dear."

"Well, how do I know I can trust you?"

The assassin shrugged. "You don't," he said firmly. "It's entirely up to you. But remember, I knew about your plans and I could have killed you already. I didn't have to tell you anything if all I wanted was your head. If I want somebody dead I kill them, that I can assure you. I don't waste my time by chatting extensively with them first." Dekaras was pretty confident that his plan would work. What he said made a certain twisted sense, and the information he had volunteered should hopefully be enough to close the deal. And the beauty of it was that it was all true. It was the things he hadn't mentioned that could have caused problems, but there was no great risk of that. He was a little surprised at the immense relief evident on Zaerini's face though.

"At last!" the half-elf exclaimed. "Finally a sensible killer!" Then she blushed a little. "Um…never mind. Just remembering a few annoying people, that's all. Sorry."

"Nothing to apologize for. So, have you decided yet?"

"Yes. I agree."

"Excellent. I will need to arrange a few minor details before we meet again." The assassin produced a map and indicated a certain spot. "I will await you here, in this part of the area known as Peldvale, one hour after twilight every day. Try to avoid other bandits though. The forest is heavily patrolled, and they won't be expecting company. Be as discreet as possible." He shook the girl's hand and then did the same with Edwin, noticing that the wizard looked as relieved as if he had narrowly avoided certain death. I'd really like to know what is the matter with him.

Zaerini nodded. "We'll see you later then," she said. Then she gave him a mischievous smile. "And just so you know, at least Softpaws seems to trust you for now. She's very particular too, she knows about these things. And she says to thank you for the nice backrub. Actually, 'nice' wasn't the word she used, but I wouldn't want to shock you with an exact quote."

The cat…the familiar, for that she must be, turned her head to give the assassin a satisfied look, her eyes glowing like green lanterns. "She's welcome," Dekaras said dryly. "And I assure you, I don't shock easily." Clever girl. I should have realized that was no ordinary cat. But she shouldn't have told me so in her eagerness to score a point. Now she's lost that advantage. Well, at least the cat can't read the thoughts of others but her mage. "One more thing before you leave," he said. "That little impersonation you did earlier…entertaining as it was, I would really prefer if it were never made part of a public performance." He produced a throwing dagger with a lightning-quick movement and then started flipping it absentmindedly into the air, catching it and throwing it again without really looking at it. "I trust we understand each other?"

Zaerini opened her mouth to say something and then Edwin caught hold of her arm and hissed something that sounded very much like 'Don't push it!'. "Yes," the half-elf said, her golden eyes glittering with a mixture of annoyance and amusement, much similar to what the assassin himself was feeling. "Yes, I think we do."