No Loose Ends (Ruki)

"You are certain of this?"

"Yes, milord. She was the best I could find within the time frame you gave me."

"Very well. Then our business is over."

The agent Veran had put on the task had turned out to be a more valuable asset than he had first expected. As it turned out, he was a highly skilled spy with plenty of knowledge about the locals and their businesses, as well as a talent for finding and following people.

He was also someone that wouldn't be missed.

As Veran stood there on the docks, watching the lifeless body sink down into the depths, the pockets filled with rocks, he gazed down at the drawing that he had been given a moment earlier. It depicted a young woman with dark eyes, and a noteworthy delicate appearance. It was obviously a hasty sketch, but it seemed to have gotten the most important details down just fine.

"Let us hope that you made the right choice," said Veran as he turned his gaze back to the sinking body, now almost out of sight. "Because if not... well, you will have died for nothing."


OoC: Veran is currently in the same village/city/area as Cassandra. Feel free to go nuts with any details, I left it open deliberately.

Leaning against a grey wooden building under an overhang on the wharf, she watched as the rain fall down in a torrential downpour. She hadn't been in the small fishing village for very long, and as soon as she entered it had started to rain.

The whole place was a ♥♥♥♥ty little hellhole as far as Cassandra was concerned. The buildings were on rickety stilts and the buildings themselves looked like they were held together on spit and prayers. The only reason she had even stopped here because it was the closest town to her location on the map she had stolen from the previous town. She had wanted to resupply, but she had doubted there was anything here to steal. She could seriously find more stuff in the wild. As soon as this stupid rain let up, she was ditching this place.

Slipping her hand into her bag, she pulled out a small silver pocket watch. It was the only thing she had which meant anything at all to her. The director of the orphanage said she had it since she was a babe; it could be the only thing she had from her family.

Opening it, the two hands pointed to 4:13. It had been raining for an hour. Sighing irritability, she snapped it shut again and put it in her bag, not wanting the rain to tarnish the silver.

"♥♥♥♥in' rain," she grumbled.

"It's not all bad," said a sudden voice. Approaching the woman was a young man with half-long, blonde hair. His attire was neat and tidy, with a long coat and black leather gloves and everything, certainly not something one would expect to see on a person in a small, run-down village like this one. He protected himself from the pouring rain with a huge, black umbrella, although his nice shoes still had to get covered with mud from the ground.

Before the woman had any chance to say anything, the man brushed some hair away from his eyes and introduced himself. "My name is Ezekiel Grey. Call me Zeke, if you want. I am here on behalf of my master, who wishes to speak to you in private in more... secluded quarters."

Zeke searched his pocket for a few seconds with his free hand before extending it to her, offering a small card. On it were written the following:


If you are interested in a job that will earn
you a small fortune, seek me out in the local inn.
Go to the first room on the second floor, and knock two
times on the door.

"He looks forward to meeting you," said Zeke with a smile. "I hope we meet again."

With that, he turned on his heel and walked away, leaving the woman to consider her options (perhaps while being baffled over what just happened, to boot).

Cassie stared blankly in stunned shock at the retreating back of the man, holding the small card in her hand. She was at a loss for words, totally blind sided by what just happened.

She glanced down at the card again, flipping it over to see if there was anything on the other side. There wasn't. Flipping it back over, she read the words scrawled on the card again:

If you are interested in a job that will earn
you a small fortune, seek me out in the local inn.
Go to the first room on the second floor, and knock two
times on the door.

Weird.

Well, judging by the fact she didn't have a vision, this meant that whatever this thing was could lead to riches for her. And here she thought this was a waste of a trip. Obviously not if this invitation was anything to judge by.

Although, she wanted to know why this mysterious person had extended this opportunity to her. While Cassandra knew she was amazing at what she did, she kept on the downlow as much as possible considering being a thief and assassin didn't set well with people. Plus, if people knew what to expect from her, they would be more on their guard.

Well, I'll just ask whoever this guy is why and some other questions before I accept anything. Cassandra thought, pocketing the card, looking out at the still crying sky. While her interest was perked, she had enough paranoia built into her to be careful.

She leaned back against the grey wooden building and continued her wait until the rain subsided. If this man was truly interested in meeting her, he could wait a bit longer. Cassie while interested, wasn't as blindsided by greed as a lot of people would give her credit for. She knew what it could do to a person, and what traps it could lead to. While her visions certainly helped keep her out of many pit holes, she had found herself in more patches of trouble then she could count, seer abilities and all.

---[]---[]---[Cassie]---[]---[]---

The rain had finally stopped about thirty minutes later, although it was still coming down in a light drizzle. However, Cassie figured she could brave the elements and decided to make her way towards the inn before the rain started up again.

The inn itself looked better then the other buildings in the village, although that wasn't saying much. It was a small grey building on the lake which was a few stories high. On some of the windows on the edge were vendettas; they no doubt were the more expensive rooms.

Walking into the inn itself, she noticed a small desk on the right hand wall with the staircase right across from her. To her left was a large fireplace with a large bass hanging on a plaque above it. There was a fire crackling in the hearth, and there was a few men huddled around it, talking boisterously. They paused in their conversation when Cassie walked in, but she simply gave them the cold shoulder as she walked towards the stairs, their conversation only resuming again once her footsteps could be heard climbing the stairs.

She reached the second floor, and walked over to the first room. Without pause, she knocked twice and waited for what may happen.

The door swung open, into the room. Beyond the doorway was darkness, and the only light in the room came from the hallway as well as the small amount of light that managed to get through the curtains that had been pulled over the windows.

It was all the light that was necessary, however, to see the silhouette of a person sitting in the middle of the room. In front of the person there appeared to be a small, circular table, and by the table - opposite to the person - there was an empty chair.

"Sit," said a dark voice to Cassandra. "If you'd please."

The woman was cautious, as expected. A little more light would probably ease her worries, so the stranger in the room rose from his seat, strode over to the windows and pulled the curtains away. Everything suddenly became a lot more visible.

The person by the window came into full view. It was a tall, middle aged man - slender, with long dark hair and a long nose to go with it - dressed in entirely black garments, just like Ezekiel from before. He turned to face Cassandra, his eyes small and hard.

"I wish to hire you for a job. A very important job. A dangerous job."

He moved over to the table, and unveiled a folder that he had been keeping on his person. He placed it on the table for Cassandra to look at.

"This is the location, along with details on security and the artifact I wish you to retrieve."

He stared at her for a long while before continuing.

"You will, of course, be rewarded greatly for completing the mission. All you need to do, is bring me that object."

Cassandra studied the middle aged man, not touching the folder which lay on the table. She wouldn't even begin to look at it before some primary questions of hers would be answered.

Taking the man's suggestion, she sat down on the chair. It was a simple wooden chair without any cushions, and she had to slouch slightly to be comfortable. Crossing her legs and folding her arms, she completed the image (or she thought she did) of a woman who wasn't about to take any ♥♥♥♥.

"Before I can take you up on your little offer, I'm going to need to know a few things first," Cassie said coldly. "First off, who are you? Second off, why me? I won't even consider looking at this little mission you want me to do until you answer these questions."

"That's interesting," said the man as he sat down again, facing Cassandra with the same flat expression on his face that he had been keeping the whole time. "You're cautious, but not suspicious. You don't expect me to lie about my name, otherwise you wouldn't have asked."

A small smile flashed across his face for a brief second.

"Veran," he said after a short pause. "My name is Veran."

He leaned forward and folded his hands together.

"As for your second question, I believe you met my assistant earlier, Ezekiel. I tasked him with finding an appropriate candidate for this job within a certain time frame. He quickly determined that you were the fittest for the job, and I have no reason to doubt his judgement."

Indeed, it had been Ezekiel who had found Cassandra. And the real Ezekiel was now resting peacefully at the bottom of the sea.

"To put it shortly, you were the best candidate that he could find."

"First off, I honestly don't give a ♥♥♥♥ if you gave me your real name or not. I would just would like to use something other then 'this creepy ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥' because that's way more of a mouthful I feel like spending on you," Cassandra shot back, her vulgar mouth coming out in full force. It was because of this (and the rest of her personality) she never much any positive personal interaction.

"Also, what makes you so sure I'm the best candidate? This guy could have totally to say ♥♥♥♥ it and picked the first person who looked the part for whatever that is in that folder, and you would never know the difference. Talk about blind trust."

Of course Cassandra knew she was no doubt best for the job. The way he just talked it would suit somebody of her skill set. But it wouldn't hurt her already largely inflated ego to hear him talk about how awesome she was.

"Trust has nothing to do with it," said Veran calmly. "Trust would imply a possibility of betrayal, of uncertainty. I am absolutely certain that you are the best that my assistant could find."

There was a brief pause as Veran stared at Cassandra, and she back at him. Then a weak smile flashed across his face once more. Alright, he could humor her... just this once.

"You are well versed in the arts of assassination and theft. Blending into the environment, figuratively or literally, is no challenge to you. Lastly, you know to keep a cool head when others might not. These are all traits that would prove very useful for the mission I am offering you."

He reached into his robes and pulled a small, but heavy sack out of his inner pocket. He held it forth and let it drop onto the table with an impressive dump!

"This is what I will pay you upfront, if you accept. The reward that awaits you after the mission is completed will be ten times as much."

Cassandra sat quietly for a few moments, weighing her options as she stared at the enticing big sack of money calling out to her on the table.

"You are well versed in the arts of assassination and theft. Blending into the environment, figuratively or literally, is no challenge to you. Lastly, you know to keep a cool head when others might not. These are all traits that would prove very useful for the mission I am offering you."

His words rang in her mind. Although he left out some of her more finer personality traits and her seer powers (although, nobody knew about that; not that anybody would believe her, but whatever) he managed to nail her down rather well. It was flattering at the same time it was disturbing. On one hand she enjoyed people knowing about her abilities, but on the other if people knew she was put in compromising positions like she was now.

Because of his knowledge, a good majority of her options were thrown out the window that would benefit her more, such as simply killing him and taking the money. He no doubt would be expecting something like that from an assassin, and would be prepared. She didn't even need her seer abilities to activate to know it wouldn't be good.

Well the fact he came to me meant he is positive I am the best one for whatever job this is. It must be dangerous by the sheer amount it costs, but at the same time if anything bad will happen to me that isn't accidental, I'll be able to see it.

With this in mind, the reward would be more then out pay any risk. Reaching forward she took the folder and opened it up.

"So, what do you want me to do for this little fetch quest?"

Veran watched as Cassandra opened the folder and pulled out its contents - documents, maps, and a dagger that was wrapped in a piece of black cloth. As she unwrapped it, she could see that it was bloodstained. Moreover, upon the blade were etched symbols that looked like they weren't from around anywhere close.

"So, what do you want me to do for this little fetch quest?" asked Cassandra with a glance at Veran. He leaned over and picked up one of the documents - it appeared to be a letter of some sorts, addressed to a certain "master":


Master,

The artifact has been found. I write to you in all haste,
hoping that these news will bring you satisfaction. If all
goes well we will be arriving with the item shortly after
you have received this letter.


"It's not the original letter, only a copy," said Veran. "Sent and intercepted little over two days ago. The artifact mentioned in this letter is the same as the one I wish for you to retrieve for me."

He put the letter down and picked up a map next, showing a very large amount of land. Upon it could be found, among other things, the village in which they were currently residing, and just an inch or so to the north there was a circle marked. "This is where the artifact is being held. Less than a day's walk from here. The compound is well hidden from those who do not know that it is there."

He found another map, much smaller in scale. It showed the layout of what could only be the compound he had mentioned. There were several buildings, as well as what appeared to be a temple of some sorts in the middle of the area. "It is well guarded, with a lot of manpower hanging around. These people are serious about their security."

"And who exactly are they?" asked Cassandra sharply.

"Servants," said Veran shortly. "Servants of demons."

He sat down in his chair again, looked straight at Cassandra and folded his hands together over the table.

"I suppose I need to explain a bit here," he said. "Demons come in various shapes and forms, but the demons that these people serve are of one particular kind. They exist in a world apart from this one, which they call the mortal world - to exist in this world, they need mortal hosts that can carry them. Hosts can vary in size and in usefulness, but the general idea is that a demon's power is never really fully realized while using a host's body."

Veran smiled coldly.

"The artifact I want you to retrieve... is a book that contains the secret that supposedly lets demons enter this world without the need of such hosts."

He leaned back in his seat, keeping quiet for a little as he watched Cassandra go over the documents and maps.

"It is without a doubt being kept in the large building in the middle of the camp," he said slowly. "Under heavy protection, by guards as well as magic. That is why I will send Ezekiel to accompany you."

Demons? Magic? Holy ♥♥♥♥, he had said it was dangerous, but this was just insane. And while he was sending Ezekiel as an "accompaniment," Cassandra took it as a way to make sure she doesn't take the money and skip town. She also wasn't sure how good of a fighter this Ezekiel was, but she was forced to admit however grudgingly he was good at gathering information if he found her.

Well, he could be used as bait or a meat shield. Plus, if worse gets to worse I can just kill him.

While he would no doubt be watching his back due to his knowledge of her being an assassin, she had the confidence enough to be able to get the one up on him.

She turned over the bloody dagger, studying the odd symbols. Nodding slightly, she held up the dagger.

"I see," she said. "So, all I gotta do is waltz in, steal it, waltz out. No problem gramps." Of course she knew it was much more complex then that, but she placed a lot of faith in her abilities. (Although, she placed even more faith in her ability to get the ♥♥♥♥ out if things got too troublesome.)

"However, what the ♥♥♥♥ is up with this dagger? If it's in this little mission folder, it has to be important for something."

"Ah yes, this is important."

He received the dagger and twirled it a little in his hands as he looked at it. Then he put it down on the table, in front of Cassandra.

"If you are spotted by one of the guards, use this to silence them immediately."

The look she gave him told him that he had to explain further. He took a deep breath.

"This knife belongs to a certain group of individuals that are directly at odds with the demon servants. They are the reason this compound is so heavily guarded. It is known that this group seeks a certain item - different from the one we seek - and that item is under heavy protection. If they find this knife sticking out of one of their dead guards, naturally they will refocus their efforts in protecting their precious item... and lead their attention away from anything else. It's preferable that the alarm isn't sounded at all, but if it is, this will help make the most of it."

He looked at her for a moment.

"Ezekiel will be meeting you on the outskirts of the compound. Any further questions?"

Cassandra didn't like using other things besides her hidden daggers, but plunging a short steel object into somebody's body was what she did best. She gave a smirk as she picked the knife, folder and money off the table, sliding them into her bag.

"No, I think I'll be fine," Cassie said smoothly, adjusting the shoulder strap as she stood up. "You just stay here grandpa, and I'll be back in a jiffy."

She headed towards the door, opening it before casting one last look at the man, giving him one last smirk before she closed it firmly as she headed off to meet Ezekiel.

Looks like things are going to get interesting.

Veran had not had much time to get to know Ezekiel while he was still alive, but luckily Ezekiel had been the kind of person who stayed out of sight, who preferred not to make himself known to others. This made his persona a blank slate for Veran to fill as he saw fit - any personality quirks, phobias, or general mannerisms that would be convenient to have in any given situation.

The hard part would be to keep up the facade. Not the magical illusions - that was easy - but rather the illusion that he was someone with a distinct personality. Veran was well versed in various types of behavior, but he had never gotten used to it. Now, just like so many other times, he caught himself wondering if he should consider finding someone who could do this for him. Then he remembered that that would be impossible, because he had no trust for anyone other than himself.

In Ezekiel's form, he watched Cassandra approach him. It was almost time for them to get underway with the mission, and they were currently located at the outskirts of forest in which the compound was situated.

"Glad to see that you came," said Ezekiel to Cassandra with a smile.

Cassandra gave Ezekiel a disdainful look as her lip curled up in a sneer. Of course she came. There was nothing to worry about as of yet. If anything bad were to happen to her, she would know about it as long as it wasn't an accident. And she doubted anything "accidental" would happen on this mission.

"Of course," she drawled. "Wouldn't miss it for the world. Now, are we going to stand around like a bunch of homeless vagrants, or are we going to get our asses in gear and get this ♥♥♥♥er over with?"

"Hey, I'm the one who was waiting for you," said Ezekiel with a smile. "But you're right, we should get moving. It's rather wet in the woods, but I think we'll manage. We'll just have to pay extra attention and make sure we don't slip anywhere."

Within the next minute they were already well underway with traversing the forest. Veran wasn't particularly fond of this kind of grunt work, but he figured he might as well deal with it when considering what he would achieve later. Cassandra was highly capable of keeping up with him, all the while making sure that she didn't mess up, move too fast or too slow. Of course, Veran was at all times ready to use his powers of illusion to mask any sound they made and keep them out of sight from enemies, but he would attempt to avoid doing so as much as he could. It would be unwise to tip Cassandra off before the plan had come to fruition.

As they closed in on the compound itself, they came across more and more patrols. Veran became slightly annoyed over how many servants the demons apparently had hired to guard this area, but he paid it no further heed; it would matter little in the end. At least it would keep Cassandra on her toes.

"Here we are," said Ezekiel lowly as they took a small moment to rest right outside the compound's walls, well out of sight from anyone. "We should be able to stick together once inside, but if neccessary we'll have to split up. If so, you should use the map you were provided to find your way to the temple. If either of us get compromised or killed, we'll just have to go it alone. Understood?"

Cassandra snorted. If Ezekiel got killed (somebody else would no doubt point out it was overconfident of her to assume he would be the one to die-and Cassandra would laugh in that somebody's face) or they got compromised, she would ditch this mission so fast. She had some money, and her life wasn't worth the rest of the money in the world, no matter how much.

"Of course," Cassandra drawled however, glancing at the compound. It was rather big and the large brick walls kept prying eyes out. She studied the guard patrol, looking for an opening in their patrols.

Ezekiel stepped back a little, watching Cassandra think. It wasn't going to be easy, on two separate parts - sneaking in was one thing, but doing so without making Cassandra suspicious was another entirely. He could almost see her mind work as she observed the guards patrolling, mapping out a timeframe that they could take advantage of. Then again, as long as he kept his calm, this was going to be easy.

First off, there was the guards patrolling. As long as their timeframe wasn't open enough for them to slip inside, they'd be stuck outside. But that was only a problem for people who weren't able to conjure up powerful illusions.

To Ezekiel and Cassandra, the guard who was now patrolling the gates was nowhere to be seen. Neither were they visible to the guard, even if he were to stare right at them.

"Alright, seems we have our shot. Let's go."

Cassandra didn't need to be told twice. However, she was a bit suspicious why there was such a large gap of security in a place which was supposed to be heavily fortified. However, not was the time to be questioning such things.

Quickly running to the gate, Cassandra's eyes darted back and forth. While her visions would let her know of any ill intent, it would be unwise to place blind trust in them alone. Accidents happen all the time, much to her annoyance.

However, nothing happened on the way to the gate, and Cassie was able to slip through without an incident. Now that she was inside, she carefully combed the interior with her eyes, marking every last place to memory. It would be useful to know where there things were off the top of her head without having to refer to a map in case she had to flee.