A Simple Delivery (Iskessah)

by **Marcus Ahysen** on April 27th, 2012, 9:54 pm

A Simple Delivery

Timestamp: 25th of Spring, 512 AV
Location: The apartment of Marcus Ahysen

Marcus was annoyed. With the temple having been nearly destroyed during the massive storm, which still nobody knew exactly why it had been allowed to happen, he was forced to work out of his own home. Prayer sermons were still held at the temple, of course, and in fact his old office still existed, but all the rooms in the temple had been given away to people of higher rank. Marcus had been expelled from his office. His apartment was nice and well suited for the work he was doing, but he maintained the apartment for pleasure, and he hated to mix work and pleasure.

Little did it matter, truly, for there was nothing he could do to change it until the temple was rebuilt. He had sent for a messenger, and soon she would be arriving. It was kind of silly, really. He was using a messenger to contact a messenger, who would be bringing a message to someone he could just as easily go and speak to himself. But it was the way of things when operating as an Agent of the Black Sun. Marcus was not supposed to meet with the riff raff in person until they had proven they would be useful to his endeavors. In this case it simply meant the man had to be willing to accept the letter and that he could indeed read it.

Marcus bent over his desk and penned the final touches to his letter. It read:

Aeron Darkhair,

You do not know me, but my contacts speak of you to me. My name is not important right now, all you need to know is that Rhysol's Agent has taken an interest in you. I believe you can be of use to our god, and with his Agent as a benefactor, you stand to gain much. If you so desire, meet with me at the Studio of Yae Varone tomorrow on the twenty sixth of this spring, when the sun reaches mid-day. You will know me by the seal that adorns my robes, as well as this letter.

With the letter complete and the seal of the Black Sun stamped on it to mark its authenticity, all Marcus had left to do was sit back and wait for the knock on his door. Hopefully the messenger would be quick. If she did good, he might just employ her again one day. Letters weren't the only sort of thing an Agent of the Black Sun had to move about, and a good courier was always highly valued.

OOC :

by **Iskessah** on April 29th, 2012, 6:55 pm

Some days Ssrasshiskessah really hated her job. She had been having a wonderful nap in her toasty warm apartment when the knock came on her door. Someone wanted her to deliver something. It required a physical effort not to hiss at the messenger. She dressed slowly, trying to savor the heat from the fire burning in the hearth. But a few chimes later, she could stall no longer, and went out into the tepid climate of Ravok.

She had as long as it took to reach her client's apartment to improve her mood. She wished she had time to take her frustrations out on something. Perhaps she should look into buying a puppy to kick; that might make her feel better. For today, though, she would just have to settle with imagining violence and destruction, which was nowhere near as satisfying. But she had to control herself. Acting out of place in Ravok could be a death sentence (or worse), especially for someone like her.

By the time she reached her destination, she was mostly composed. She had taken the hostile expression off of her face at least. She took a deep breath and reminded herself what she was here to do. She was a simple courier, earning a living by delivering packages. And paying attention to where those packages went and what they contained, so she could be a useful source of information. She was a pawn in the game played by Ravokian nobles, but it left her alive and comfortable, and largely free to live her life. She sometimes had a nagging sense of something missing, something more she should be doing with herself, but since she could never figure out what that was, she remained the person Ravok had made her.

Iskessah Kosun raised her hand and knocked on the door.

by **Marcus Ahysen** on May 2nd, 2012, 5:56 pm

It was all about appearances with the wealthy and the powerful, and Marcus was no different. At least, not when he was on business. As he waited for the courier to arrive he set out a bottle of fine wine on the table, popping the cork and sniffing the compelling aroma. He did so enjoy a good glass of wine. The agent poured the dark red liquid into two glass cups, one for himself, and one for his guest who would soon be arriving.

Normally if he was entertaining at his apartment he would be wearing his white silk, but today he was an Agent of the Black Sun and was dressed to play the part. His robes were black, save for the symbol of the Black Sun on his chest, and he wore black gloves and boots to match.

As he filled the second glass the knock came at the door and Marcus set the bottle of wine on the table behind the glasses. He took his time in answering the door, knowing that if he did so too fast it would make him look desperate. Marcus was going to great lengths to appear the man of power he was supposed to be, though truly he could care less what the courier thought of him. He was practicing for another meeting, one that would hopefully come soon.

Marcus opened the door and stood to the side, motioning with his hand as he said, "Come in, come in." He closed the door behind her, watching as the dhani entered the room. He didn't know she was a dhani, nor would he have really cared at that moment. He was simply using her for her services, nothing more. Marcus followed her in and passed her by to get to the table.

"May I offer you a glass of wine?"

He pulled out a chair for the woman before sitting himself and pushing a glass across the table to her. Whether she would sit and drink or not, he would take a sip from his own glass, savoring the flavor as it washed over his lips and down his throat. Good wine was something few had the privilege of tasting, so the courier might count herself lucky that he was even offering. After a moment he got down to business.

"So.. I have a job for you. A simple one, really. I just need you to deliver a letter to someone here in Ravok. After it's delivered, you'll report back to me and let me know."

by **Iskessah** on May 12th, 2012, 3:43 am

Iskessah suppressed a sigh as she sat down, not touching the proffered beverage (it probably wouldn't agree with her stomach anyway). She did not think she could ever get used to the way Ravokians had to chat and make nice before getting anything done. She was already in a bad mood, and she just wanted to get this job over with so she could go back to sleep. She had virtually no patience for the usually shyke of Ravokians who thought their schemes were impressive.

Fortunately, this particular human seemed willing to dispense with most of the meaningless chatter. His simple instructions allowed her to keep her temper under control. When he was finished speaking, she nodded and said tersely, "Where to?" She spoke as few words as possible. She did not felling like taking the risk of revealing herself as Dhani by speaking anything that was likely to come out in a hiss. Not that most Ravokians would know what she was even if she slipped up, but the risk was real enough for her to be cautious.

Still, being rude could be almost more suspicious than being strange. "I mean, who am I looking for?" she added, with a touch of what she hoped sounded like deference.

by **Marcus Ahysen** on May 14th, 2012, 9:18 pm

She didn't take the wine, but Marcus didn't really care. It would probably be wasted on her anyway. So few of the lower class had pallets refined enough to truly appreciate the subtleties of a fine glass of wine. The agent took another sip of his glass as he passed her the note, which was folded and sealed with the crest of the Black Sun.

"His name is Aeron Darkhair. I believe he is staying at Tarsin's Boarding House, though he may have moved since I last checked. He shouldn't be too hard to find. Besides, if you can't find a simple merchant's son, then perhaps I will not be needing your services in the future."

Marcus was looking for a permanent courier, someone he could use that was competent and discreet. Someone who could get the job done quickly and quietly. As an Agent of the Black Sun he often had to move things about, sometimes even to other cities. It would do him well to have someone like Iskessah on his payroll. In the future he would likely have his slave deal with her, however. But Aurum was not trained for such things yet, and he needed to at least meet her in person once.

"That is all for now. You may finish the glass if you like, or deliver the letter now. When you are done, report back here and let me know."

Marcus purposely didn't bring anything up about a fee. He wanted to see if she would bring it up now, or after it was done. He really wasn't worried about the cost, this was coming out of the Black Sun's coffers anyway, but he was curious to see how worried she was about it. Would she demand her mizas up front, or after the job was done?

by **Iskessah** on May 15th, 2012, 1:40 pm

Iskessah was pleasantly surprised at the brevity of this meeting, and the apparent ease of the job. This "Aeron Darkhair" should be easy enough to find. She knew of Tarsin's boarding house well enough; it catered mostly to foreigners, and foreigners were generally pretty easy to find. She took the folded paper and stood, departing without another word, gesture, or glance at the man in the chair. He'd said she could deliver the letter now, and she wasn't about to waste her own precious time with pointless niceties.

As soon as she was out of sight of the apartment, she fliped open the folded paper and skimmed its contents. She had very little interest of her own in the goings on of Ravokian citizens, but her...long-term employer...might want to know. The movements of the Black Sun seemed like something he might want to be aware of, even something as low-level as a recruitment.

ooc :

by **Marcus Ahysen** on May 18th, 2012, 3:21 pm

After Iskessah left Marcus finished off his glass of wine before picking up the one he had offered her. There was no sense letting it go to waste, after all. Hopefully she wouldn't be gone long, Marcus didn't feel like waiting around forever, though he knew it would probably take at least a bell. He wasn't too worried about it though, he didn't have any other plans that day. At least not until the evening, when he had to go an speak at the temple.

It was something he volunteered for. Marcus was among those who believed that the massive storm that hit Ravok had been a punishment from Rhysol to those who had been lacking in their worship. Even members of the Black Sun had been slacking off, so Marcus made sure to preach his beliefs whenever he had the chance. He really didn't feel like trying to survive through another storm. He wasn't sure if preaching would be enough, but it made him feel like he was at least trying. Aside from that, he continued what he had always done, trying to spread the power of Rhysol while also bettering himself. That was the purpose of this meeting, to try to increase the funds in his own pocket, while also increasing the funds in the Black Sun's pocket. More mizas meant more missions, which meant more converts to Rhysol. That was the goal anyway.

But for now, Marcus simply waited. He didn't need this other man, but the extra funds would be helpful, and he could also use him as a fall guy if necessary. It was a good plan, and Marcus was glad he'd thought of it.

OOCJust a filler post until Iskessah gets back.

by **Iskessah** on June 1st, 2012, 9:24 pm

Not much more than a bell later, Iskessah was panting as she ran back to the Nitrozian apartments. She had not stopped running since she left Tarsin's Boarding House, and now she was thoroughly out of breath. That delivery had not gone at all as she had expected, but at least it was over. She had done her job, and now it was up to Mr. Darkhair whether he decided to follow up on it. In either case, she decided it would be safest to avoid the boarding house for a while, if possible.

As she stepped through the threshold of the housing unit she slowed to a walk, trying to recover her breath, and her composure. The rabble of Ravok could think she was running for whatever reason they pleased, but the man she was working for today knew where she had been. She knew how important appearances could be, and she had no desire to give the man cause to think anything in particular at all about her.

By the time she reached Marcus's door, her breathing was nearly back to normal, and though she was still on edge, she felt that she portrayed a relatively casual air. She took one last deep breath for good measure, and then rapped sharply on the door.

by **Marcus Ahysen** on June 5th, 2012, 9:35 pm

The woman was quick, he'd give her that. It didn't take much more than a bell before Marcus heard the knock sounding against his door. Quickly crossing the room the Agent opened the door, finding the woman he was expecting outside.

"Come in, come in," he said as he moved to let her into the room.

Marcus didn't bother with wine the second time around. If she didn't want it to begin with, there was little chance she would again. And for that matter, it was an insult to his hospitality to refuse it the first time, so really she didn't deserve a second chance. He was still a good enough host to offer her a place to sit, however, showing her to the same chair she had taken before.

"I trust all went smoothly? He got the letter?"

by **Iskessah** on June 16th, 2012, 6:48 pm

Iskessah declined the seat; she was still too unnerved to relax at all. She stood immobile, arms folded, her whole body tense. She wanted this day to end soon. At his question, she nodded tersely, even less willing than before to utter sound. She had already risked exposure enough for one day. "Smoothly" might be a bit of an exaggeration, but Mr. Darkhair had certainly received the letter. And it was not at all her business whether he chose to act on it.

She realized belatedly that she was so focused on her panic that she was completely ignoring her current surroundings. But her paranoid self-preservation instinct reminded her that the most important concern at the moment was the man in front of her. She flicked her eyes over him, trying to discern any hint that he noticed anything strange. It was only with great mental effort that she managed not to flick out her tongue as well...