Obtaining The Unobtainable {Evyn}

The game board was filling up nicely. There were so many new pieces for him to chose from. The war golems and the briar beasts were his two new prizes, but Thade was careful not to forget about his old pieces. Since the end of the war Thade had been cultivating his connections among the Fey, as well as the human underworld. He did not like having anything to do with humans, but these criminals were a blight on human society, and anything that hurt humans was of interest to him. Even when he decided to stake out on his own and rekindle the war, Thade maintained those old connections. One never knew what would come in handy along the way. Everything has uses even if they are not apparent at first.

It was like being the spider at the center of a web. There was the network of eyes and ears that watched and listened. They were the whispers in the dark that made the silken threads vibrate, and those vibrations stirred the architect. Those silken threads trembled, and Thade listened to them. 'Someone is looking for you. They are told that you can obtain the unobtainable.' A black market deal interested him because one could tell quite a bit about a person's path by the things they needed to walk it. Perhaps there was a way to profit from this. Thade shook the web and moved to close in on the new arrival that was getting entangled with him.

One night Evyn had a surprise encounter at her usual hang out. A man with a strong jaw and a nose that looked as if it had been broken one time too many walked up to her, placed a folded piece of paper in front of her, and said "You want to meet with him, be at that address at that time. He won't wait around." He looked into her eyes while she spoke so that Eyvn could tell he was not joking, and then he turned around and walked away. Just hat quickly she had been handed an opportunity to make the moves she wanted.

One hour after midnight, the deepest darkness, as many hours to daylight as you were from it. That was when he wanted to meet her, and the where was just as dark. It was an abandoned building in the slums of Librium. There were no lights on the street shining light, nor where there lights inside to show anyone waited. When Eyvn mustered up the courage to walk into the dark building she would find its interior was just as run down and dilapidated as the outside. Once she stepped into the entry hall she heard a voice that sounded like death walking through dry leaves.

"Close the door, and walk to the end of the hallway." The raspy whisper seemed to come from all around her. The room was empty as was the hallway. "In here." The voice finally had a direction. It came from the room to her left. Inside the room was a faint light from the moon in the sky above filtering through a window. The silvery light illuminated a tall man with a stocky build, wearing a quarter length coat that had its hood drawn up over his head. Inside the hood shadows hid his face, and no matter how good her eyes were, they could not penetrate it. It was as if the darkness had substance, and purposely kept her out. "I hear you are trying to obtain the unobtainable. That could be very expensive. Tell me what it is you're looking for."

The corner of Bull and Dodge was the local hang out for many of those that had no homes. At least those in the 'in' crowd. Evyn didn't really do much with these guys, but it was good to keep up appearances. Especially, since she wanted to take some of these idiots and make sure that she was capable of using them. Using and abusing. It had to be done and these guys were dumb enough to snap up a job that offered cash and not ask too many questions.

Course, she had no problem with dispensing of the question askers.

Just more mess for those that were 'good boys' to clean up. But that was life. Life on the street, and she wanted to create a harder life. But, one that in the end would prove fruitful. As the boys and a few girls joined around the barrel laughing and singing and drinking some gut-rot moonshine that Zipper had brewed... she stood off to the side. Perched on a concrete barrier of some construction zone that had been abandoned at some point. She was there. But she wasn't participating. A message to the masses, she was in charge.

Out of the shadows a man stepped in. She could get a general idea of his looks with the fire dancing in the barrel. Her blue and silver eyes shifted over to him as he handed her a paper. Saying that she wanted to meet this guy. That he would be there, at this time, at this address and he wouldn't wait.

Cool.

She didn't read the paper she shoved it into her pocket and let the revelrie go on. It wasn't until later when they were mostly passed out drunk that she took out the paper and read it. Six blocks west and four blocks north. The warehouse area over by the wharf. Fine.

She had a feeling that.. something was going to happen tonight, something big. Something pivitol. Word had gotten out through.. various contacts and messengers that she was looking for help. She was willing to give a cut. And this might be the first pay off.

That or she died.

Either way, it was looking up.

Letting the guys finish their disgusting display of male testosterone in the making she slid down the concrete barrier and began the walk that may or may not change how fast her future moved forward.

*Twenty Eight minutes later, and just before time*

Evyn was not afraid of the warehouse. Funny thing, when you were raised in a governmental-esque facility that raised you on pain, hardwork, and fearlessness... you didn't fear creepy dark warehouses the way that a normal person would. This was fate, this was where she would figure out what her next step was and this.. was her first step in that direction.

Without hesitation she opened the warehouse and stood there. A creepy voice began to speak, and she listnened to it. Either I'm nuts, or I just don't give a damn anymore she thought to herself as she followed the directions that led her down a pitch black hallway. Her avian eyes capable of picking up the insubstantcial light and using it to her advantage so at least she wasn't tripping over her own feet or bumping into walls.

Left.

There was a room and a hooded figure stood within it waiting for her. Talking to her. She stepped in, her silver-blue eyes appraising what she could tell of the man which wasn't much. He had strategically placed himself with the moon at his back so not a single ounce of his features could be told.

Smart move. She liked him all ready.

See, this is why I don't like the game telephone. I tell one ass, and he tells another ass, and so and so forth until I finally get to talk to someone and they come back with some wild shit I never said in the first place. So... Lone Ranger, lets back up the wagon and start from the beginning.

She leaned against the wall next to the doorway. She was slight. Dirty. Tall and lean. She had a narrow face, and was suffering from malnutrition. Whatever she could steal, or find .. was what she ate and sometimes none at all. As an Avian she would always be thin and tall but it wasn't obvious as she wore a huge oversized hoodie with some school logo on the front and torn dirty jeans. Her red hair was a mess pulled back away from her face a few escaping tendrils framed her otherwise pale face.

I know what I'm looking for. I know where it is. I don't need you for that. What I need is a team. A team to help me get in, get it, and start something that is going to rock this world to the core. But then, you're all spooky dangerous guy, and I'm thinking.. you're probably thinking I'm just a little girl, and I don't know what I want but I'll sure pay with my daddy's money something you can give me. You're wrong. If you take thisjob. You work for me. For a cut. That's how it rolls, Batman.

Now she just had to see how he would take it.

The wings that sprouted over her shoulders and the inhuman irises were a dead giveaway. This young female wasn't a young woman. She wasn't human at all. She was an avian, one of his people. That was a mark in her favor. He was not above helping a human hurt their own race, but helping one of his people to cause strife for the humans would be a pleasure. Still this was business and he needed to conduct it a certain way. There was a persona that put forward in this aspect of his dealings and he needed to uphold it. Thade listened as she spoke, but no amused smile came to his lips.

Persona aside, he was still Thade Aran Fey'rial. If anyone had spoke to him like that in open Court he would have disemboweled them before the gasp of shock made it to the back of the room. AT the moment he wasn't Thade so he needed to restrain his personal urges. For the time being he would humor her and see where this was going. He took the time to think through the angles while he listened to her speak. In his mind he moved the pieces on the board that represented the world in his mind. Multiple levels of play, different patters all running through their sequences only to be reset, and redirected. It was a perfect scenario.

Here standing before him was an avian female who wanted to stake her own claim on the world. Even if she didn't have the means to do it, she had the vision, and the determination. She had made it this far, and the way he read her, she would succeed one way or another. Thade may be in a position to help her depending on what it was she needed. Here she was offering him a cut of whatever it was she planned. That told him two things: failure wasn't an option she allowed herself, and she could function on her own in whatever she was planning. All she would need is a little guidance to keep her vision within his strategy. What better way to do that then as one of her subordinates. That thought brought a dark smile to his lips.

Time to play, "A cut?" he laughed, "I provide the manpower, the firepower, and the resources, and I'm supposed to take orders?" Thade walked towards her a few steps and his voice dropped into a devilish whisper. "What is keeping me from just ordering my men to take it from you once we have it?" His footsteps started to take him around her in a tight circle. His one hand lifted to caress the feathers of her wing. "Curiosity." he said when he finally stopped in front of her.

Still cloaked in darkness Thade stood in front of her and even though she couldn't see his face, she could have sworn he was smiling. "Curiosity, will keep me from doing that. Something about you... I see potential in you." Thade walked away from her and pulled two chairs from against the wall. He situated them so that they were facing each other, and then offered one to her. Waiting until she sat first, Thade eased himself into the chair without disturbing the dust. "Full disclosure is the first requirement. Since my payment is dependent upon your success, I have a voice that you hear. That is the second requirement. You have fire but it is wild. Since I have stake in this now, I would like to see it succeed. Now, talk, but this time with mutual respect..... please. I have a temper."

Yes. A cut.

She folded her arms over her chest and her wings rustled to a slight breeze that blew through the building. The auburn feathers, much like the color of her hair shivered slightly in the breeze. They weren't often given room to breathe because she felt they would make her a bigger target. Her wings were quite beautiful. The feathers started out at the base the same red as her hair when it was clean and slowly filtered out until it was a soft tawny color at the ends. When he walked by asking her how she could be sure she wouldn't be backstabbed by him and his men.. she couldn't help but tremble when he brushed against her wings.

She didn't.. let people touch her wings. She was very protective of them,and their fragile bones within. But there was something about.. the way that some people touched her wings that sent hot waves of desire and a shiver of desire running through her body. She supposed that was one of those erogenous zones or whatever she had read about.

He answered his own question, and she tilted her head to the side. Her body was.. all ready hmming, but she was not about to tell him or let him in on that business. It would be a weakness if he realized what such actions would do to her. He said he saw potential in her and she could not help but give him a smile. One similiar to the one she was certain he was giving her right now.

He pulled two chairs from the wall and sat them facing each other. She sat down in the one chair and he did the same in the other. Evyn put her hands in her lap, her wings spread out to the side just slightly so they weren't jammed into the seat behind her which made sitting uncomfortable. Her eyes had a way.. that the moonlight picked up the silver accents in them and made them almost glow. That was the StarDust. What was used to alter her DNA to make her what she was. Not Avian but more than that.

Take your hood down. And we'll begin. If I trust you, you trust me, please.

She was trying to be more respectful, she knew that he desired that and she didn't want to be a total bitch she really needed his help. Evyn waited until the hood was down, they were sitting in the moonlight so she would only be able to make out a little bit of his face anyway, not enough to know who he was.. but enough to feel more connected. Like she was speaking to an actual person this time.

Have you ever heard of the Aurora Project? she asked him. Whether yes or no as an answer, she would still continue. They had a machine, that would harness the power of the Aurora Borealis. A machine, that turned the power of such an anomoly into a dust. Now.. I know you're thinking what does this have to do with us. The Aurora Project was shut down by Government mandate a long time ago.. but I have plans for that machine. It's what I need help to get.

She shifted herself slightly and brushed some dirty and greasy hair out of her face. Shane had given her a cell phone. That was it. She was still homeless and she still was half starved. It didn't matter though, if her plan succeeded she wouldn't need to worry about being so dirty all the time anymore. She would have the power to control herself. To control her life.

I have the idea, the dream, the hope.. to harness something outside of StarDust. I want .. to harness mana. Raw mana. Taking it, and creating it into a powder. One that could be... inhaled. A new drug. Can you imagine, what raw mana will do.. I have.. a few.. spin off ideas, but that's the main one. To change, the way that the world sees a Drug. My Drug. So.. now you have the truth. What do you think?

Thade could feel the tremor that went through her body while he was touching her wings. He knew very well how sensitive an Avian's wings were. It was yet another test to make sure she was exactly what she portrayed herself to be, or in this case, what he thought her to be. There were a few other winged creatures in the world, and lots of disguise techniques. Touching something, and seeing how it reacted was one of the best ways to test the reality you were being presented. No one had ever accused Thade of not being thorough. The reaction was genuine, and part of him took away a perverse sense of satisfaction at the effect it had on her.

When they finally sat down in the room and began to speak with one another, he almost didn't grant her request to remove his hood. Part of him wanted to tell her that any face he showed her would only be a false face because he did not trust her, but the addition of please crushed that line of thought. She was making an effort to do as he asked, and it was a marked change from what her tone had been before. Thade wasn't the type to grant request easily, but this one was. He reached up and pushed the hood that covered his head back. It fell around his shoulders, showing her the outline of his head in the light behind him, but shadows still cloaked the features of his face. The son of house Fey'rial needed to protect his identity. The shadows clinging to his face could have easily been explained by his positioning in the darkened room.

"I'm familiar with it," he said to her, and then crossed his one leg over the other so that they formed a 'T' shape. He was getting comfortable in the old chair because he was truly interested in what it was she had to say. He knew a great deal about the Aurora project because he was so very close to Darnorn Axecaster, the current Shadow Emperor. The Treaty of Terra made the project illegal, so the entire facility needed to be decommissioned after its signing. Thade had not personally worked on that task, but the paperwork had come across his view when it was done. His station in the Shadow Court would allow him to find the information he needed to formulate a plan. This meeting was turning out to be quite fortuitous.

He shifted as she finished telling him her intentions for the machine. It sent his mind spinning through a number of different paths. He had a great many questions, but he did his best to filter out the small ones and decide which ones were the most important. "That project was the brain child of the Courts' greatest minds. That machine isn't going to be easy to use. What makes you think you can use it? Even if you did get it to work, will you be able to make it do what you want it to.... make this drug of yours? As far as I know it was designed to make soldiers for the war. There isn't just a switch to flip to make it create drugs. The humans use drugs, and they do a great deal of chemistry, trials, and fine tuning to get it right so they don't kill of their clients."

Evyn appreciated his interest. She also appreciated that he didn't call her plan stupid, but instead, sought out more information. To make sure that he understood .. that she understood what she was getting into. She knew that it wasn't as easy as flip a switch and gather mana into a machine. While there was mana in everything, she had a plan to harness the most mana, and she was glad that he was asking these questions. It meant that he was interested, and it meant that he didn't see her as foolish yet.

Being that she was homeless, she was glad that he felt that way.

Yes, I know that. I know they created soldiers for the war. I was.. one of the last batch myself. Ever met at Auroran? Now you have. she shrugged. The silver in her eyes caught the moonlight again, giving them that eerie glow. The silver iris effects over the color she normally had .. were because of the StarDust infused in her DNA after birth.

I have information. On a Dwarven city, one, that is abandoned, empty, and free to use. It was massacred during the war. No one ever came back, I've checked, many times. I'm surprised, but it's true. I found maps in that city. Do you know what that city has?

She asked with a small smile. Her wings flapped out with a loud snap behind her, so she could lean into the back of the chair and her wings folded around the back of the chair. Evyn pulled one of her legs up holding her knee to her chest, as she gave him a second. To see if he could figure it out.

A ley line. Now, the plan for this leyline, a nearly inextinguishable form of mana.. is to harness it, in the way they did the Aurora Borealis. What I am going to need, is an Aurora Scientist. I know vaguely how to use the machine, and there are opperating manuals, but, I need someone that can show me the ropes. Or show the people I hire the ropes. Once I get it, to work from the ground instead of the sky, we'll be able to take the mana turning it into powder, like the StarDust.

Her idea was brilliant, and she was very proud of it. Shame, no one put faith in her enough to send her to school or give her a job that was worth doing. So she was going to create her own life, her own world, and she was going to make an impact.

I know that we'll need trials. I know that it's going to take work. I want to fortify the city. I have a lot of plans for that. Funny thing about being homeless and poor. People think you're stupid, and illeducated. I am not illeducated, I have one of the finest minds in my group. But people think that, and I can gather a lot of information just by talking to the right people, that have no idea it isn't a coincidence I sat next to them on the bus, or at a table next to them at their favorite coffee shop. I have my own network of people, Mister, and that is why I think this will work. But, I need help, there are things I cannot do with just information.

"An Auroran?," he said, "I'd heard of them through the war, even heard stories.  I never met one in person though."  Thade was telling her the truth.  He'd never fought alongside an Auroran during the war.  The Stardust Children were a special unit that were kept isolated from the other Fey.  "So, you're one of the Stardust Children.  That explains how you know about the machines.  What they say is true.  You can't really tell one of you from any other Child of Terra.  It has me wondering if I've ever crossed paths with one of your kind and not known it."

 

Evyn's mention of a dwarven city peaked his curiosity further.  Because of the nature of dwarven architecture the enlightenment was harder on the earth dwelling than most others. A great may cities were destroyed, and countless lives lost when once buried sanctuaries became tombs.  There were so many lost over the years that even The Shadow Emperor didn't know them all.  Thade was hoping that Evyn wasn't speaking of the city Darnorn petitioned Arwyn the Princes' Proxy to restore.  If it was, that would cause a great conflict of interests, and bring her into the Shadow's. notice.  Thade would warn her before it came to that but his knowledge of it could compromise his anonymity.  The elf would cross that bridge when he reached it. 


He was impressed with her assessment of the situation.  She knew where her strengths lay and where she was lacking. Not many people would admit such things to themselves let alone others.   Thade grew thoughtful for a moment.  He pondered the things that she would need to make her venture a success.  She would need the location of the Stardust collector which was decommissioned and stored in a warehouse.  The courts had this information and his position allowed him access to it.  He would also need that same access to information to find out the whereabouts of the project staff.  He would need to find a lead technician because the project heads were to high profile to disappear without being noticed.  Stealing the equipment and kidnapping this scientist would require manpower, arms, and special equipment to pull off the theft.  Thade broke his thoughts and reached into his pocket.  He pulled out a metal coin and pressed his thumbnail into it.  There was a faint glow under the nail as he etched a symbol into its surface.  He flopped it to her and said,  "Tomorrow go to the warehouses along the river's western bank, building 2379.  Don't try sneaking around, the guards will kill you without question.  Just walk right up to the door. Tell whoever comes to you, that you want to talk to Ayzen.  They'll take you to him. Give him that coin and tell him to give you a 'Fist' and a 'Shadow'.  Make sure you give him the coin so he knows to take you seriously.  Take him to your dwarven city and they will secure they will make side the place is truly secure.  I'll be there when they are finished."


If Evyn did as she was told she would be taken into the large warehouse with blackened windows, and brought in front of a lithe elf who had one eye missing. In its place was a stunning emerald gemstone, that was only made more apparent by the faded scar traveling down the one half of his face.   His one remaining eye was also a vibrant green.  Blonde hair was pulled back into a braid that hung down his back. When she gave him the coin and repeated the words, he turned it over in his fingers to examine it.  "Kage gave you this, eh?  Alright.  Take us to your forgotten city." he said. Looking over his shoulder he raised his voice and yelled out, 
"Tokar Fist, Kahl Shadow form up!! ".  From the busy warehouse a group of thirteen cam from all directions to form two groups with military precision.  From the war even would remember the term Fist meaning a force of ten combat soldiers, and a Shadow being used to name a stealth team of three.  These people were former military. 

Evyn walked, she walked everywhere. She supposed she could fly, but it helped to walk and she didn't mind it at all. Plus, eating the amount of food it would take to fuel a flight through the city to her destination wasn't something she could afford. Perhaps, when she was capable of eating better she would be able to fly again. To feel the wind in her feathers, and against her face. That was what she wanted.

Missed. Craved.

Evyn found the warehouse that the weird guy had mentioned. She checked her watch, and then the outside of the building again. Remembering the words she was told about not going around the building but straight up to the door if she didn't want to get her ass filled with holes.

She did just that.

Her eyes were as sharp as a hawks though. Constantly looking around and taking in every ounce of the scenery around her that she could. Curious as to what was going to happen here. Inside there was a creepy Elf with a jewel in his eye that looked more scary than any elf she had ever met. Creep factor of at least a 10. But she tossed the coin at the old bastard and he caught it so maybe he was still a bit faster on the upswing than she thought.

It was always a good way to test the reflexs.

Yeah, he gave it to me. Said you'd give me a Fist and a Shadow. So I'm here to collect.

Evyn of course talked a big game but she had no idea what the hell a Fist and a Shadow were, she just hoped whatever it was didn't kill her. And then it made since, they were names of the fighting groups in the military. Names that she had learned a long time ago when she was in Aurora and studying the ins and outs of everything that she would need to know to win the war.

Thirteen men stood before her. And the Creepy Dude.

I hope you have a bus. she stated looking at all the people. Most of the men looked at her as if she was a child, which she knew that she looked young. others looked at her like they didn't understand why they would be taking orders from a girl that looked like she was straight out of the gutter. Evyn reached into her pocket.

Who is the driver? she asked among them until one of them stepped forward and she held out a map. On it was circled an old Dwarven ruin, underground and completely abandoned. They would have to clean it up, clean it out, reinforce, and do some heavy work. But it would be perfect.

It was called Ghornheim. It is no longer that. The men that join up with me today, those that come in the future. We will be known as the Syndicate. We are those that will change the face of this city. Lets get to that city. There is a lot of work to do, the man that sent me here says you can secure it for me. Lets do it.

She turned on her heel and headed out of the warehouse allowing the driver to lead her to whatever transportation they were taking to get out to the place where the Dwarven City had been. Out in the Wastelands, but close to Librium where they would have easy access to the city.

The gem eyed Ayzen stood there looking over his men with a very scrutinizing eye. It was as if no detail escaped him even though he only had half the vision of another elf. His facial features did not change at all but he seemed to grow grimmer as he looked them over. He turned his eyes back to her and gave a curt nod. ”We have enough trucks to get us there.” he said quietly. He seemed to be a man of few words when it came to just about anything. ”Everyone get ready to move. We aren’t coming back anytime soon.” His men fell out and started to get their gear ready before piling into three trucks that were parked inside the warehouse. Ayzen held his hand out signaling he was the one who was driving at the head of the caravan.

He took the map from her and opened it up to look it over. His grim face stared at it intently for a few moments and then suddenly he handed it back to her. If Evyn had any experience in the war she would have encountered soldiers like this Ayzen before. These operatives were used to being given their orders, or sensitive materials that they had to commit to memory and then destroy. They were used to life knowing that they should die before they were captured. If they died, all their information died with them, and nothing could be found on their bodies. Ayzen walked away from her towards a truck that had the passenger seat left unoccupied for her. Obviously it was up to her weather the map was destroyed or not.

The two companies of men were ready to go in very little time. Ayzen turned the key bringing the truck’s engine to life. He seemed to dislike the sound a great deal. After the peace of the Enlightenment a great many of Terra’s Children had taken on the mixed ways of the new world, but a few disdained it. They only conformed so they could hide in plain sight. Humans tended to have a blind spot for things that were human. All they saw were the trucks and not the people driving them. The features were human enough at a glance, and the police never bothered them. Ayzen led the way out of the warehouse, and through the streets of Librium. Eventually they exited the Western gate of the city, and started the trek across the Wastelands towards the city. With perfect recall, Ayzen brought them to the dwarven city hours later, and barely uttered a word, let alone asked for directions.

Hours later they arrived at the location of the dwarven city. Ayzen got out of the truck and gave a few hand signals. The rest of the former soldiers piled out of the vehicles, concealed them in the surrounding landscape, and then followed the two of them into the depths of Terra. They lit the darkness with glow crystals, but Ayzen didn’t seem to need them. Through the caves and tunnels they went making hardly a sound as they broke off and then returned. Off in the distance where they disappeared Evyn could hear the screams of creatures dying. Other things moved out of fear and soon they too became death cries. Once they opened up into the dwarven city proper, the troops spread out like a fire that swept through the city.

Over the next few hours there were screams in the distance. Small teams of soldiers moved through the darkness. The city became a killing field. The silence between the sounds of battle in the distance became longer and longer until it was all but silence. The entire time Ayzen stood in one spot staring into the darkness beyond the sphere of light that they stood in. He would hold his hand up to stop her from speaking with him, but while he stood there, his lips moved. It was as if he was talking to someone but his voice did not pass his lips. He was looking at something she could not see occurring in the city around them and his words were falling on ears other than hers. When all was silent Ayzen knelt down and drew a strange symbol in the ground. He placed the coin in the center of it and said ”It is done. ”

Thade walked out of the shadows behind them and the only hint of him being there was the sound of gravel crunching beneath his boots. ”You did well Ayzen. “ the shadow faced man said in his raspy voice. He walked over to Evyn with his face still shrouded in shadows and said, ”The city is now as you said it was…..deserted. The soldiers reported that there were a number of wild creatures, a few lone tribes of kobolds, goblins, and other subterranean dwelling races. They wiped them out.” In time the soldiers started to return and began cleaning the blood from their hands. They immediately started to unpack and set up a command area. ”This building would be the best to set up as a command building. It’s fortified and has good lines of site. Your city is now secure. Make yourself at home.”

The drive out to the city was filled with nothing but excitement for the young woman that sat in the front seat of the large vehicle with a one-eyed elf. She wondered, while her excitement waned and flowed, how he had actually lost his eye. But, she thought it would be too rude to ask such a thing at the moment and it was more than likely she would get an answer of 'the humans during the war' than anything else. She doubted it was because he pissed someone off so much they had taken his eye. But, then it could have been something terribly mundane like.. an infection.

Hours later, they were at the dwarven city opening. She let the majority of the men go first and she hung back with Sparky. That was what she had named him in her head because of the way his gem-eye seemed to sparkle sometimes when it caught the light just right. She doubted he would appreciate it but in Evyn's world, everyone got a nickname whether they liked it or not. Just like HD. Whom she hadn't seen in a very long time. She made a silent note to drop back in on him at some point in the future.

When they reached the city, he had her stay. She stood next to him leaning against a building so that her back was protected in the darkness as she listened to the screams and howls of agony. She knew they were not actual people. This city was abandoned but that didn't mean that rifraff and beasts hadn't moved in to feast upon the dead, decaying or just to have a dark place to live.

She jumped when he told her it was done, that ws the first time he had spoken in hours. But, Evyn was used to waiting, she had been through all sorts of training and one of them was in an isolation chamber for a week. She had nearly thought she was going to die when she came out and all her senses suddenly sparked to life after being in the dark and deaf chamber for a week. But, she got used to waiting easily and she hadn't gone insane like others. A mark to her, apparently.

He drew a symbol on the ground and then placed the coin she had brought him into the center. Seconds later the guy from the warehouse stepped out of the shadows and her eyes appreciated him far better in the dimly lit light around them.

Thade began to speak, and she listened to him throwing her hands in the pockets of her hoodie, the ever present piece of clothing that hid her body, her wings, and how fraile she actually was because of hunger. Her eyes followed when he told her a specific building was best for her Command center and she couldn't agree more. She followed as he told her to make herself at home.

Why do I have the feeling in the future, outside of money, I will owe you something. Oh... she looked back at the one eyed elf. Thanks Sparky and Sparky's team. I owe you boys booze and soon as I have the money, the party is on me.

She headed up the stairs to the command center building. Inside, she flicked on the light, one of the men had turned the generators on and so the lights flickered on after a moment. It was filthy. There was some furniture though, and some stuff that had to be cleaned but it was a far cry better than the closet in the back of a parking garage.

So, Prince. What's next? Since you seem to have an agenda and a means to an end. she asked adopting a little nickname for him because of the way that he acted around her, it suited him rather well she thought.

Thade stood silently for a moment after receiving the reports for his men who were still very much soldiers even a decade after the war. He had his hood up and in unnaturally dark shadows kept Evyn from getting a good look at his face, but she could tell he was watching intently. The straight backed way he stood with his fists behind his back spoke if command and experience. He could easily be one of the mercenaries that formed their own private armies in the vacuum of conflict left by the enlightenment. Once a small group came out of the building that was supposed to be the command base, Thade strode towards it with Evyn at his side. When she spoke of owing the men booze and fun to show her gratitude a few of the hard faced elves looked up at her and smiled. It would seem all of them weren't carved out of stone.

As they were walking into the building Thade finally broke his silence, ”It’s because you’re intelligent, and you have a good sense of foresight.” The shadowed hood shifted so that the darkness was looking at her, but Evyn could feel that he was smiling. He walked into the room aling with her as she turned on the lights, and he began to inspect the interior furniture. There was once a shop front here that was now emptied to make it spacious. The rest of the building was a home that housed the shop owner’s family. When she called him by her nickname she could hear the difference in his voice. If there was a way for rage to be ice cold, she now heard it when he spoke. ”If you value your life, you will never call me that again. They call me Kage. You will call me Kage as well.”

Thade slowly clenched his hand into a fist and then let it relax just as slowl. Veins rippled across the back of it and she could see scar tissue and callouses on the knuckles flex. The now relaxed hand reached up for his hood, and he spoke as he moved. There was no longer any ice cold anger in his voice, now that he gave the warning of the raw that she had hit. ”You’re in deep here. You’re hiding an entire dwarven city from the Courts, you’ve been a party to murder, and you’re conspiring to steal treaty contraband that is property of the Courts. There’s no way out alive except success, so its safe for you to see my face.” The hood fell back and she would see a very well-known face among the Courts. Evyn was now staring at the Hand of the Shadow Emperor himself. This elf was the enforcer of the dark lord, and if she was ever discovered for the crimes she was conspiring to commit, the elf that would be sent to hunt her down.

Thade watched her reaction closely. There was a great deal that could be learned from a person when you understood the things that were not said aloud. It would be obvious to her why he did not want her calling him ‘Prince’. He had a blood claim to the Shadow throne because it was his family that founded the Shadow Court. His great grandfather had been betrayed, deposed, and then assassinated by one of his trusted advisors. His father had chosen to foreswear claim to the throne, and Thade now served the Shadow Emperor who killed the betrayer that deposed his great grandfather. It was a twisted story that gave Thade every right to call himself a prince, but he refused it. ”The next step is to determine who among your people are trustworthy and begin moving them here to fortify this location. Regardless of you vouching for them, I will continue to conceal my face. I trust you with it, and I am not one to trust easily. While you do that we will begin planning our move against the warehouse.”

Evyn's back stiffened as his voice turned from normal to cold right after she had called him Prince. Apparently, there was an issue there. Which wasn't normal. Usually, her nicknames were just that, but she had unintentionally hit some sort of nerve with him. Her eyes didn't widen nor did she look scared, but she did watch him as he told her to call him Kage or nothing. But, she was never to call him Prince. Evyn watched his hooded figure for a moment. She had been taught, trained, tortured to understand.. you never showed fear, and now was no different.

Sure enough, K. No crazy nicknames for you.

She shrugged as if it were nothing. Though she hoped, inwardly, she would never have to hear that tone in his voice again. The tone alone had sent a sense of foreboding through her entire body. Not a sensation that she appreciated feeling. Especially with her business partner here. But, Evyn wasn't the kind to show weakness, sadness, or anything. It never got you anywhere. Emotions made a woman weak. Hell they man anyone weak and Evyn didn't have time for them. Besides, if people caught onto how you felt in certain situations then it would be easier for them to figure out how to get to you.

She liked how as he was in a way congratulating her on her find and her plans for the future at the same time making sure to remind her how deep in shit she was. A slight smirk crossed her face as she crossed her arms over her chest and watched. Waiting for the inevitable moment that hood gave way. When it did, her eyes again, did not widen in surprise. However, this time it took actual effort. Her blue and silver eyes studied his face, taking it all in for a moment. You could almost see her cross referrencing it through the 'Important Figures' that she had learned about during the war.

Her eyes then gained understanding.

She said nothing, but it all in a way.. fell into place once she figured out who he was. There was nothing to say about it. There was no reason to bring up his name, or his position, or anything. To say that she didn't care would be a lie, but she also wasn't going to let it be that big of a deal. He had helped her and he would be in deep shit too. His fingerprints were on this thing too.

He told her what was going to happen now, and her brow rose. She liked how 'he' was telling her what was going to happen next when it was her show. But, she supposed that was okay. He was her partner afterall.

Cool. Okay, we also need to get some people to help clean this joint up a little bit. No one is going to want to live down here if it's all dusty and crappy. So, I'll try to get some of my guys on it. I don't have many guys though. But, now that I have a place, I can at least hold interviews.

Evyn reached for the hem of her sweatshirt and pulled it over her head casting it to the side. Her auburn colored wings unfurled slowly and she sighed. That was the worst part about being an avian and homeless. There was no where to really stretch your wings, and because you were constantly starving there was no energy to fly. She missed flying more than she missed anything else. Still her wings stretched she let them fall back behind her back but kept her sweatshirt off.

I have a lot of plans. For this city. So... I was wondering if you had connections to a good building team? I also want to be completely self sufficient down here. Which means we'll need farm lands, some way to fake sunlight that they will grow, as well as a way to find our own water supply and so forth. I do not want a single possibility of being sabotaged from the outside.

'Good' he thought to himself, this was no shrinking violet that stood before him. She was his partner in this endeavor. She was his chess piece in a grand game that he played against the world and every peace loving sheep in it. He did not want some delicate flower that curled up and withered beneath the light of the cruel sun. Thade wanted a flower that would survive and bloom to make the world take notice. He saw potential in her and wanted to nurture it. Sometimes that would have to be tough love, and Evyn needed to thrive off of whatever was given to her. Yes, she would do nicely.


"I would appreciate that." he said to her in response to the affirmation that she understood what he was unwilling to accept. That was yet another desirable quality. Finding people that you didn't have to repeat yourself to was like finding a diamond among the pieces of coal. "Since this is your organization, I'll leave you free to choose your numbers and do with them as you will. That’s the reason for me keeping my identity hidden from all but you and those I trust." Thade had no desire to run a criminal organization, but this soon to be leader needed his assistance in getting started so that was what he was going to give. He had a vested interest in her success so he would take the reins and be certain of a good beginning.


"The details of making this place self sustaining is up to you. While my men and I can fortify and hold a location, we are more adept at getting in and turning those fortified locations into death traps." Thade moved over to the window that looked out on the street outside the structure. His men still moved with methodical precision through the square, unpacking their gear, and setting up base camp. A sizable team was busy making trips back and forth to the trucks, bringing in their gear, supplies, and equipment. Yes they were very good at setting up a fortified position, so the question of how good were they at destroying them, tugged at the imagination. "We will, of course, give you any advice on possible weaknesses and vulnerabilities in those systems when you do have them set up. We wouldn't want anyone turning your lair into a tomb."


Thade watched as she removed the hoodie that for the moment hid her wings and upper body. He had seen her wings in the dim moonlight of their first encounter but today she hid them from the light and the biting cold. Analyzing eyes watched her body move and took in the details as they were revealed. He was surprised by what he saw beneath. Thade has known Avians to be a small framed people, but hers was obviously underfed. It brought a smile to his lips because he was reminded if a human saying he had heard once while he walked among them. They had a barbaric habit of taking dogs, animals that they cherished as pets, and pitting them against one another in combat. A man who was on a winning streak told him, "You always bet on the dog that looked the hungriest".


"Ayzen," Thade called out the window to the jewel eyed elf, "Have some of the fist start cooking dinner. No need to ration, we're celebrating tonight." It wasn't often that Thade had mirth on his voice, which made the slightest hint of it very noticeable. The troops among fist that knew cooking was their job already started to task without being told what to do. There were some jubilant rumblings among them at the thought of being able to eat their fill and then some. Evyn could tell that Thade didn’t break discipline often, but when he did his men knew to enjoy it properly. The two cooks began to set up cook fires, and break out foodstuffs that were soon giving off delicious smells that told of tastes to come. Thade moved into the building to find the dining room and began to pull other tables and chairs into the dining room alongside it. Soon he had enough seating for everyone there, and he began to wash and set out plates for them all. It proved further that he was one of them and not some noble commander that simply barked orders. These were his people, he ordered them, he cared for them, and he fought alongside them. In no time they were all sitting down around the table and Evyn had a feast laid out before her for the eating.