The Infiltration of House Adamantine

Conveniently enough, the Crow's Nest is holding ample business today. The perfect place to exchange quiet words in a corner, and with just enough bar-room chatter for the words to remain unheard. Az had contacted Kai earlier with a vague letter, written in her usual scrawl, to meet her here in Lion's Arch. And now, she waits.  Her wine-colored coat has been shrugged off and is thrown over the back of the creaky wooden chair, leaving her in her usual dusty tank top and revealing the Krytan tattoos down her forearms.

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    She leans back in her chair and stretches backwards with an impatient groan. The room smells of spirits and smoke. She gives a quiet sigh as her gloved fingers ruffle through her hair as she tips forward to finally rest her elbow on the table, taking a thoughtful sip from her glass of liquid crimson as she watches the other patrons of the place. She's been here awhile, just sipping and thinking. Considering her options; for once she realizes that forethought is crucial and she's made her decision: if Kai's in, she thinks they can take this.

---

    She fidgets, leaning back again and slumping downwards into her chair, crossing her legs at her ankles this time. Hand remaining on her glass, as always. She looks out across the bar, scanning the patrons with those mismatched blue eyes. She takes another restless sip. "C'mon Havelock..." she mumbles quietly over the rim of her glass.

Kai was resting her head against the beige stone of one of the many staircases throughout Divinity's Reach, enjoying the sensation of the sun heating her shoulder-length locks of obsidian hair and china doll-esque complextion. Her legs were crossed in front on her and her hands rested palm-down on the ground on either side of her. She was nearly unconscious when a disturbingly jovial voice roused her.
"Hello! Kaiirenn Havelock? I have a letter for you. Been tracking you down for a while"
The courier laughed rather nervously and extended the bland envelope towards Kai.
She took it gingerly and glanced up at the courier, giving him a dismissive nod.
After he'd been re-immersed into the crowds of Divinity, Kai fished her finger under the lip of the envelope and opened it, removing the letter inside and flicking open the parchment with one hand. She smiled faintly as she noted the "A.A." signature at the bottom.
When she'd finished reading, she got to her feet and slipped the letter into a pocket, taking a moment to stare at the dying sun with a hand visored over her eyes.
"Lion's Arch huh..."
She said under her breath before turning to head for the asura gate.

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Kai stopped at the entrance to Crow's Nest, taking a moment to drink in the scents of old wood, worn red velvet and alcohol before taking a step into the tavern, her eyes narrowed slightly. She'd met with Azzie enough times now to know where she liked to sit, so she sauntered confidently to the back of the bar, slinging off her heavy overcoat to reveal a red chemise and a loosely attached thick leather belt with god-know how many different vials and trinkets attached to it underneath. Throwing her jacket noisily over the chair next to Azzie, she then pulled a seat out from underneath the table and sat down, crossing her legs and leaning to rest one arm over the back.
"You called?"
She said simply, flashing a white-toothed grin.

Azzie grinned behind the rim of her glass as her eyes found Kai characteristically sauntering over and throwing herself into the chair across from her. She grins, gripping her glass by the rim and sitting it aside before looking up to meet her gaze.

"I did."

She leans forward, resting her elbows on the table and lacing her fingers in front of her. "Now lets get down to business." she says, resting her chin on top of her fingers and grinning like a child who knows a secret that nobody else knows.

"I was approached by a rather wealthy man. A nobleman. House head, I think." she shrugs, "He's got a lot of coin in his pockets, and he's willing to share if we do him a favor." She takes another drink, her expression rather becoming more serious, "It's a bit risky, but the reward is good. He's apparently got a bone to pick with another house, and doesn't want to get his hands dirty." She snorts, speaking quietly as she looks down into her drink, swirling the liquid around in its glass with a hand, "Typical, right? Either way, he's only asking us to do what we do best."

She can't hold back the devious grin that cracks across her face as she speaks the words. She peers up at Kai through scarlet bangs, her blue eyes alight with excitement.

"Assassination- we're going to kill the Head of a House. You in?"

Kai didn't hesitate a moment.
"You bet your ass I'm in"
She said, speaking as softly as possible in an attempt to mask her excitement and mar any interest in their conversation.
"I've been doing a lot of elimination work lately, but it's been way too long since I've had a good old-fashioned assassination contract"
She was smiling crookedly, a tress of her hair having fallen over one, virdian eye. She set her elbows on the table, rubbing her hands together in one slow sweep of anticipation as she considered everything Azzie had said.
"A noble huh? Head of a house? By what means are we to take the target out? Nobles are notoriouly hard to reach. There's always security, bodyguards... Has our contractor suggested anything?"
Her eyes were gleaming with her injurious musings.

Azzie takes her glass in her hand and kicks back in her chair, still grinning. She's obviously pleased with being met by Kai's mutual enthusiasm.

"I'm glad you asked." she says with a smile, a moment before taking a drink. "Our contractor picked his timing rather deliberately. The House of our target is holding a party of sorts, soon. And not only is it a social event, but it's also an open-guest list; they're apparently looking to hire on workers for the House: cooks, couriers, maids and the like. You get the idea."

She wobbles her head her from side to side, looking upwards, musing over her plans as she says them. "He says she- the little Princess, is even doing the interviewing herself. Independent kind of woman. Likes to do things herself or something like that. Easy-peasy. We act interested in jobs, we get an interview, we get in the same room as her. Done deal." she says with a curt, self-directed nod.

She leans forward, propping her head up on the tabletop with an elbow. Her fingers drum against her cheek as her brows furrow in thought. "As for the guards... well, we'll figure something out. Maybe if we keep things quick and quiet we can slip out before they even know what happened. Who knows..." She gives a sudden shrug paired with a playful smile and raised eyebrows, "If not, we'll have to get creative. Right?"

Kai chuckles rather darkly.
"They're making this too easy, but I love a good party..."
Her gaze flashes to the cuff of her blouse momentarily, where she drums her fingers on her palm before looking back to Azzie.
"Creativity is always fun though".

Azzie returns the smile briefly before straightening herself up and running a hand through her hair, "I know you do." she says with an amused look. The look doesn't last long, she sighs. Her demeanor grows serious again. She looks directly at Kai.

"However, since this isn't a Whispers mission, we are subject to law if we are caught. This is entirely on us, and I don't know about you, but this isn't exactly a good time for me to be getting locked up in jail. I need to make some attempt to not be completely recognizeable. I don't think Vale will be too amused if the Seraph show up at our front door looking for me. He got mad enough when I shot out the porchlight..." she trails off, her eyebrows bunching together at the memory. She stares at the table for a moment.

"Anyway, when we're in the house. No names. Make something up. Do what you need to do. Also, we'll probably need to sneak weapons in. Guards'll probably confiscate them at the door."

She finishes off her drink, "So, any questions?"

Kai cracked her neck slowly on both sides before sighing contemplatively as she considered all the information she'd been given.
"All on us, huh? Well that'll certaintly make things more interesting I guess. Not only will we be in danger with the law, but if we do get caught the Order will be pissed too, especially that new lightbringer we're both under if we don't just get booted out plain and simple...we aren't really much use in jail."
Kai's tone flattened as she brought up the lightbringer, obviously still unhappy with the entire occassion under which Vale had reported her. Her eyes quickly returned to glinting, however.
"But imagine all that money...I could...I don't know where I'd even start if I had that much gold in my pocket..."
Kai said as she rocked her head back to stare up at the ceiling in awe as she imagined the future come their gain of the reward. She blew heavily out of her mouth again, sending the lock of hair over her eye back to the side.
"So what are you gonna do to change your appearence?"

Azzie watched Kai carefully as she weighed the rewards with the consequences, she'd considered these herself. She gazes down at her empty glass with a rather heavy look, "Dye my hair, for one. You could recognize me by my hair from across a damn marketplace..." she mutters. A heavy sigh. She begins to slide her glass across the table from hand to hand, "Just not sure about my eyes. They /are/ different colors. That's not exactly a common trait." She frowns as her eyes follow the glass as it sails across the table from hand to hand, "I guess I'll wear an eyepatch or something. Or a bandage, I could fake injury. Hell, I learned to fight one-eyed, anyway." She shrugs, catching the glass in a hand before looking up, "You have any bright ideas for yourself?"

Kai faked a pout.
"If you dye your hair, how will I ever find you in all these crowded bars?" she said with a sarcastic tone before sighing at Azzie's question.
"Normally I wouldn't care enough to change how I look, but since we've gotta go under guises and be social and shit I suppose I should do something."
She grinned suddenly.
"How 'bout a trade? If you dye your hair black, I'll go ginger"

Azzie gives Kai a flat, unamused look. "You, just called me a ginger." she states with a tone of annoyance. She draws a breath in through her nose and rolls her eyes. "Fine. Red it is for you. Ugh, this is going to be weird. Oh well. I say we settle for the night, gather our gear, and get ready for the big day." She leans back in her chair, crossing her arms behind her head, "Did I mention it's tomorrow?" She smiles.

Kai blinked a few times in disbelief and leaned forward in her seat at Azzie's casually added last-minute detail. Had she had a mouth full of alcohol, it would have been all over Azzie's face.
"Tomorrow?! It's tomorrow?!"
She huffed, biting her lip and sticking her tongue in her cheek before running a hand through her hair in instantaneous stress.
"You really couldn't have notified me earlier?"
She took a moment just to breath and compose herself before turning back to Azzie.
"What time? And where?"

Azzie watches with an unwavering expression, her arms still crossed behind her head as Kai proceeds to stress the hell out. She had sort of expected this response.

"You really couldn't have notified me earlier?" Kai complained, only to be met with a frown. Azzie exhaled slowly out her nose, closing her eyes for a brief moment before leaning forward on the table as Kai continued with questions.

    After a moment of pause, she looks up. "Look, this is risky. I had some things to think about, okay?" She twists her mouth off to the side, looking away with a rather guilty expression, "I've been trying not to jump into things lately." she mutters softly as she runs her fingers through her hair, "I just- I just can't pass this up though." She sighs, "As for time and place; it's tomorrow, late afternoon, in Rurikton."

    She slides her chair out and rises, grabbing her coat off the back of her chair and shrugging it on in a single swift motion. She belts the clasps together down the front of her coat as she speaks without looking up, "Well, we should probably get to work. We've got some preparations to make, don't we?"

Kai nodded silently and stood up out of her chair, following Azzie's lead and grabbing her coat.
"I need some alcohol..."
She mumbles as she pulls her arm through the sleeve of her overcoat and fastens it back onto her person. She then strided over the chartender, holding out her flask and a couple of coppers to him. He scraped the money into his enormous paw then proceeded to top the bottle off and hand it back to Kai. She took the flask rather aggressively from him and downed a few mouthfuls without hardly a breath. When she finished, she wiped her lips on her arm then slung the canteen over her shoulder before walking back to join Azzie.
"Let's go"

Azzie walks with Kai at her side down the road, looking for the house in question. She knew right where it should be, she'd seen it many times before. And finally, she sees it. Two stories tall and made of white stone, it's surrounded by a walled circle of small gardens. The ground floor has three entrances: A west, south, and east, all leading to the same large room which seems to be the source of savory scents and social chatter. The main entrance, the southern one, has two guards posted who are fulfilling their duty greeting guests and asking everyone to relinquish any weapons that may be on their person. It's late-afternoon, beginning to tip into twilight, and many guests are already inside enjoying the food and drink and gossip. She glances upwards, silently noting the balconies with a faintly devious smile.

Her hair has been dyed a jet black, matching the sleek noble's clothes she's wearing. The sword she usually carries is hanging visibly at her side, while her other weapons are slung around her waist and under her coat. She stays quiet as they near the house, and gives it a few more observational glances before walking past the main entrance completely, circling around the stone walls surrounding the house and stopping only when she's nearly reached the back of the house.

She turns to Kai, speaking in hushed tones, "Alright, so there's a guard lingering around the west entrance, and of course they're in front too. However, we do seem to have some balconies at our disposal, while the one at the front is impossible to utilize without being noticed, there /is/ one over there..." She points in the direction of the east side of the house with a thumb, "I'm sure that leads upstairs...somewhere." She pauses, furrowing her eyebrows. "The party is downstairs, and it seems rather loud. Not the place for conducting an interview I'd guess. So the Lady must be upstairs, right? You could sign up for the interview, get upstairs, and then I could jump the balcony and meet you up there with the weapons.....right? I'm sure there'll be guards to take care of up there..." She anxiously drums her fingers against the palm of her other hand. "Or I suppose we could both jump the balcony, although then there might be the chance of a random interview-ee in the room. Which would be one more person to take care of." She frowns thoughtfully.
"How about you, any ideas?"

Kai was trailing a half a stride behind Azzie, her face hard-set as she analyzed and accounted for everything in her view. Her hair, which was clean for once and now a deep crimson shade of red fell about her shoulders in gentle rivulets. Her green eyes, which were accented by a smokey eyeshadow flickered around the area. She was wearing a long dress in an evergreen shade which was pinched at the waist but blouse-like and long-sleeved at the top. On her wrists were the same gold and red cuffs she'd been wearing when she'd met Azmarion at the tavern the previous night.
Following Azzie around to the back, Kai listened intently as Azzie stated some of the same observations she had just made herself.
"I think we're better off going with the first plan. I don't really have any better ideas."
Her gaze dropped to her wrist again and she turned her palm upwards, spreading her fingers.
"There's bound to be guards in the interviewing room as well. This is gonna be an all or nothing deal I think. There's really no way we can do this without alerting at least  some guards."
She twists her mouth to the side, her wheels turning.
"Before we decide anything more, let's go mingle and see if we can find where the guards are putting the weapons. I think it'd be best if we didn't stay together the entire time either. Meet back up here in an half hour or so. Be social, eat food, but keep a sharp eye out for anything we might be able to use to out advantage."

The sun is just starting to near the horizon, casting long shadows across the Reach and turning the world into a palette of warm orange and yellow hues.

Azzie snorts, ruffling her now raven black hair with a hand, "Mingle? Pffft, I'm not going in there..." she mumbles quickly and quietly under her breath, peeking around the edge of the wall to eye the balcony, "Just give me your weapons and I can climb up that wall and make the jump to the balcony to meet you upstairs. That way we won't have to worry about losing any of our weapons to some guards, should we have to make a getaway." She pats the sword at her side, she pauses before adding, "Which I doubt." with a bit of a cocky grin accompanied by a carefree shrug.

Kai's eyebrow twitched angrily, her fuse even shorter than it usually was since she was under stress.
"If you weren't planning on actually attending the party, then why the hell did you wear noble clothes!" Kai was obviously struggling to keep her voice at a low level. Still, she begrudgingly handed over her quiver and bow to Azzie with an irritated grunt.
"Be careful with that thing, it's probably worth more than you are."

Azzie shoots Kai a glare, grabbing the bow with an irritated swipe. "I'll wear whatever I want!" she spits, then taking the quiver. She rolls her eyes at Kai's comment, "I'll be worth more when this is over with. Now get inside and go make yourself look hire-able." she quips in a low voice. She slings the quiver over her shoulder, followed by the strung bow and gestures to the front of the house with a shit-eating grin.

Kai's face suddenly sets back into a serious expression although her eyes glinted rather maliciously in the dying rays of the sun.
"Before I go, though, I have one last trick up my sleeve I meant to show you" She grins, flexing her wrist in what was becoming a nearly habitual way. She then proceeds to extend her arm towards Azzie, turning the underside to face the warm, coppery light of the sky. She paused momentarily to give Azzie an iniquitous grin, then drew her finger along her arm and down to a tiny red button which had looked rather like a bead or a stitched pattern at first glance. In a movement quicker than the human eye sees, a silvery sliver of a blade thrusted forward out of a tiny, inconspicuous pocket in the cuff. Roughly 8 inches long, just enough for the end to reach past the fingertips of Kai's extended hand, it's gleam seemed nearly hostile as it glittered before them
"Climb the balcony when you know I'm being interviewed, but stay hidden until you hear commotion"
Kai grinned and popped the dagger soundlessly back into place before turning on her heel and heading for the entrance.

Azzie smirks mischievously, muttering, "Nice toy." at the sight of Kai's hidden blade. She gives a quick nod, looking towards the mansion, "You got it. I'll see you inside." She takes a step back into the dim shade of the wall and begins to walk along it's length, searching for a good foothold in the masonry as a means to climb atop it. She eventually finds one, tucks her foot into it, hooks her hands over the top of the wall, and begins to push herself upward. She peeks over the top of the wall, her dark hair making her less noticeable in the cover of encroaching night.

She breathes a curse. There's a guard at the doorway directly underneath the balcony that she wants to jump to. Damn it, I forgot about you. She drops back down to the ground with a soundless landing, her fingers beginning to drum against her sheathed dagger. Hopefully everyone else has forgotten about you too...

The front entrance to the large house has two guards in plate armor standing at each side of the arched entryway. Both have at least a sword visible at their sides, but appear to be unaggressive. They greet the guests with friendly and warm voices as they look over people for weapons.

Kai promenaded away towards the guards at the front, approaching them with a smile that was nearly too endearing for her own good. When they asked for her weapons, she brought her arms away from her body and looked herself over as if she were trying to remember whether she had any on her person or not. After a brief moment, she gave a small "Ah!" and bent to pull her long dress over boots so she could take a small, insignificant dagger from the inside. She gently handed it to the guard and they nodded her in with slightly entranced expressions. When they couldn't see her face anymore, she let her lips curl slightly into a smile.

Her fingers drummed restlessly against her sides as she looked around the large room, listening half-heartedly to the various lack-luster and shallow conversations that were making the room hum with noise. Finally, she strolled up to one of the food tables at the back, picking up a garnished cube of cheese off a fancy silver platter. She popped it into her mouth and swallowed it down without much thought before quickly reaching for another. Moving to lean against the wall next to the banquet, her eyes had began to wander around the room again when she caught sight of the sign-up table across the way. Her heart skipped a beat as she considered whether to sign up now or later. She knew well enough that once she did so, there would be no leisure time and no going back, but Azzie was waiting on her. Taking a stuffed olive with her, she slowly stood up and began walking. She could feel every throb of her heart in her chest as she began to hem and haw over the stability of their plan. Forcing herself to smile, she brushed her hair behind her ear as she made eye contact with the stewart that was manning the occasion.
"I'd like to sign up for a job interview with Her Grace"
She said as charmingly as possible.

The man at the signup table smiles, looking up at Kai from over the rims of his glasses. He seems mouselike, timid, and easily charmed by Kai's smile. He fiddles around with the pen in his hands as he remarks, "Most certainly. May I have your full name please? And the position you would be most suited for?"

--

Meanwhile, outside, Azzie paces quietly as she stalls for Kai. She's restless. Fiddling with Kai's bow, turning it around awkwardly in her hands, inspecting it curiously before slinging it back over her shoulder with a snort. She glances over at the house, looks around the near empty streets, and runs a hand through her hair in the gesture of an anxious tick. She does a double-take, unused to seeing her hair a shadowy black entwined in her fingers. Another glance in the direction of the lone guard at the door. Her fingers are drumming lightly at her dagger handles again.

Kai watches the man fiddle with his pen. The more she made herself seem truely genuine, the less suspicious they would be of her right up until the moment before she...
"Alannah Drake, and maid"
She said in reply to the stewart. Maid seemed like the most tame option. Had she chosen guard or something more...hostile she would be all the more suspicious when the seraph were inevitably tracking down suspects. She would be the hardest hit with bounty for this job, sure, but she also didn't have anything tying her down to one place like a house or a husband. Azzie on the hand...she might be in more trouble if she had to shoulder the majority of the blame.