A young woman ran through the darkened alleys of Radasanthia. Her sleeves were tattered and bloodied, her skirts hiked up to make running easier. She had lost her shoes some time back. She slipped into a darkened corner and crouched low, her breathing coming hard an fast. She reached up and covered her mouth, trying to keep her breathing under contol as she strained her ears for any sign of that sound, a lot whistle.

It took a few seconds, but she heard it as the dull thud of workboots on dry pavement echoed through the alleyway. The whistle of a man who thoroughly enjoyed his work echoed through the space between him and her. The woman's heart dropped down into her boots as she huddled even deeper into her dark corner.

"Aw, come on, love. Don'tcha wanna make some men... well, okay a lot of men, very very happy?" the man asked as he approached the side alley she had ducked into. The thud of his boots stopped a few feet short of her hiding spot and he looked around.

"I know you 'aven't gotten too far. Just come out and we'll keep this real civil like."

He took a few more steps and squinted into the darkness as he turned his head to and fro. He stepped past the shadow she was hiding in.

Like a snake, a green kris dagger struck out and grazed the back of his neck. He turned and smiled as he grabbed the woman by the wrist. She struggled in his grip a bit before his smile faded and his hand went limp.

"Wha-wha..." he coughed out, blood dribbling down his chin. He dropped to his knees and gripped his throat with both hands, struggling with all his might to speak, and shortly to even breathe.

"Run out of smart things to say have you?" she asked as she slid the knife across his throat. "Mess with the Rose, get the thorn."

_______

"See, now I know you're embellishing. Rosey would never say something so hammy! Besides, the only people who call that dagger the Rose's Thorn is everyone who isn't Rose," Rehtul said as he took a gulp of whiskey and slammed the shot glass down on the table. The din of noise in the workman's lodging was the best place to have this kind of conversation. With all the drinking, loud talking, and bar fighting you could ask for as cover to remain unheard. The food wasn't half bad either.

"All right, all right, you got me, Frost. I added that last bit just to make sure you were still listening," the other man said just before he knocked back his own mug of ale. "The rest of the story is true, though." He flipped his hood back and let his golden locks fall in front of his bright green eyes as he beheld the ice mage before him.

"She lured the fool into the alley so she wouldn't blow her cover, poisoned him, then slit his throat? Woman's a dyed in the wool professional. Has been as long as I've known her."

"Isn't she the one who initiated you?"

"Aye, after failing to kill me on three separate occasions because I spurned her advances. Guess she thought I would be a better asset than target, especially that last time when I caught one of her damned poison needles in midair with an icicle."

The other man laughed and said, "Ah yeah, that sounds about right."

"Anyway, you were saying?"

"We left them quite the sternly worded letter... on the sewer entrance to their little club, with a dagger, run through the hand of the man Rose killed. We made it extremely clear that if those morons ever decided to mess with one of us again that we'd dismantle their entire operation."

Rehtul frowned and waved a server over for another shot. As it was poured, he furrowed his brow and sank a little bit into his coat.

The golden haired assassin across from him chuckled at the man as he said, "That's your goal now, isn't it?"

"Yes, but not as Black Frost... I'll be doing this job in my public capacity. I just needed to confirm some information."

"I figured as much. Well, far be it from me to get in the way of the illustrious Sir Orlouge. We will leave you to it, so long as you leave us out of it from now on."

"Don't worry, I don't plan on this becoming a Guild thing. I should be able to handle a few ne'er do wells. Farewell for now, Golden Tongue."

"You too, Black Frost. Look out for their leader, Lady Yua, by the way. Word is she's far more formidable than those louts she hires."

The two shared a handshake, nodded, and the golden haired man simply left through the front door. Shortly after, another man came looking for Rehtul. He held out a notebook to him and the young mage popped it open.

"Interesting... Lady Yua, huh? I swear I've heard that name somewhere before. There might have been a contract where she was the client... or maybe she was the target?" the mage rubbed the bridge of his nose as he tried to remember.

"Bah, I can't remember. Still, the information matches up with what Gold told me, so..."

He stood up, dropped a few gold on the table, flipped the book closed and stuffed it deep into his voluminous coat, and began to walk toward where he thought the Telgradian would be. If the information in the book was right, they'd need to be ready shortly.