Eyes in the Shadows

"Now now, friend. Don’t make such hefty promises quite yet! I’ll have to see the list to believe it, and perhaps speak with a few of them. Not that I doubt your abilities— far from it. It’s just incredibly risky for me to approach any surprising allies." He clasped his hands over his chest, trying to look innocent.

Its business done, it straightened up, adjusted its robes and scarf, and gave Kieron a shallow bow, but it paused for a moment before taking its leave. "Rhhemember," it said, waving a linen-wrapped finger, "Thiss ssecret iss qhuite exclussive, and vhery hhard to aquihre. I trussst you to have a dhamned good one in exchhange whhen next we sspeak."

He took another breath and deflated again, thinking. “Come now my friend, I know better than to report on news that hasn’t been made news. If I ever let thing spill, it means I’m at the end of my rope regardless.” He said with a wide smile, eyes glancing towards the blue violets that sat in a vase apart from the others.

He rubbed his chin, remembering he needed to shave in the morning. He was trying to think of some request, but the only thing he could think of could be exceptionally dangerous.

"After losing their dear sister, I imagine the other two Oracles should be..distressed, to say the least. If you can manage it—and it isn’t dangerous, perhaps you should feel for what their position is on all these recent happenings. It’s a long shot, but it’d be in the rebellions favor to create an alliance. And if the church killed one— like I’m sure they did, the other two aren’t safe."

He tried to think of the Oracle Nayru—a beautiful woman. If it wasn’t for his persuasion and the fact she was far out of his league perhaps he would have flirted with her once. And the other two— Helena would always be Haeyin’s little sister to him, yelling and getting into fights. And Farore…he frowned slightly to himself. The last time they’d spoke was over breakfast. It felt like ages ago, forever ago.

"We hhave been whorking diligently in thhe passt monthss to gauge the possitions of sseveral figuress of note," it explained patiently, reverting back to its soulless soldier's stance and tone. "Youhr movement hass more power behhind it thhan you ahre aware, but it iss a scattered powerr. We hhave decided, for the purposess of both sstrength and ssafety, that it isss time that changed."

"We are conffident, ghiven a ffew more weeks' effohrt, you shhall find yousself whith quihhte the lisst of aliess," it concluded. "I asssure you the Oracless will not be thhe mosst surprissing names upon it."

Being uncomfortable, it didn’t take much to wake the knight up, not that it had before. He’d drawn a sword at less than a cough before. But there he was, without a sword. Luckily his visitor this time was friendly. He winced, holding his middle as he sat up a little too quickly.

Not many would be so relieved to see a Garo, but the familar face(or lack thereof) made the knights’ shoulders relax. Paired with the smartass remark, Kieron couldn’t help but grin, the scarring allowing him to at least do that now.

"Hey now," He whispered, knowing that despite having his own room, if a nurse heard him talking they’d check on him, "I’m sure you’re incredibly handsome for a Garo. Don’t knock your own looks." He said, giving a good-natured chuckle before leaning forward slightly.

For as long as they had dealt with him the Garo warriors knew Kieron to be good on his word, and so it led with its own secret before requesting one he knew.

"It isss not a vissit of pleassure." It bowed its head slightly. "Thhe Oracle of Ages isss dead."

It allowed only a moment for the news to sink in before continuing. "The girl wass reported to be blind, and abssent of mind, in the prior monthss. The church was ever sswift to resst the blame upon the country'ss leasst favored citizenss." It shifted its stance. "We exphect no lesss from thiss. We trusst you to take stepss to warn those vulnerable to the fallhout. Do sso before the church's sstatement may emerge."

It paused momentarily, eyes wandering as it thought, then added, "We alsso advise you to try to keep a tight tongue rhegarding whhat you know. A ssuspected information leak in the chhurch could further thin the icsse beneath the feet of an individual of sssignificance." Its eyes focused on him again, and it added with emphasis, "To bothh of uss."

The thoughts weren’t nearly as comforting as Haeyin would have liked. His sister was still in very real danger… They all were. That stunt pulled the night before during the Masquerade was proof of that.

He suddenly felt a tug on the sleeve of his cape and paused, knocked from his thoughts, quickly turning to look over his shoulder. No one was there. Brow creasing, he scanned his surroundings, eyes finally settling on a dimly lit alley. Ah… Sighing shortly through his nose, the Salesman pulled his hood up more and slipped from the streets. He wasn’t terribly surprised upon spotting the robbed figure standing against the wall at the far end of the alley, but it never ceased to unnerve him at how still it always was. You never really notice that someone breathes until you interact with a being who doesn’t.

Haeyin stopped a few paces from the Garo, heart sinking at the question, his eyes widening slightly. How did… How did it know already?

"Word travels quickly among shadows, I see…" he muttered gravely, bringing a hand up to rub his face. He still hadn’t slept and the start of a headache was building behind his eyes. "As far as I’m aware… Only Din, Azrael, Farore, and myself know. Surely the higher ups in the Church have been made aware as well by now…"

Dropping his hand from his face, he added, “Din is making a few stops along the way back to the Church as we speak… I’ve no idea where, but whomever she is meeting with will more than likely also be informed of Nayru’s death.”

Red eyes settled on the cobble streets beneath his feet. He barely knew Nayru. He couldn’t be sure that she wouldn’t take her own life but the possibilities of that were very slim… She just didn’t seem like the type…

"Very lhhittle," it conceded. "We know shhe hasss been a very ... unfhortunate woman. Was ssaid to hhave fallen blind qhuite recently, and during masss spoke only nonsssense ." Its glowing eyes narrowed knowingly. "Payment for nonhuman ssssinssss."

A vague movement from within the hood indicated the spy was shaking its head. "No matter the manner of hher deathh, the newss shhhall not fall in our ssside's fhavor. Prepare for thisss."

For a moment it seemed as though it would be a standard report--the spy asking for one piece of tactical information and giving another in return before receding once more into the shadows. This time, however, the nameless one did not depart (despite how uneasy it was obviously becoming with being stared at for so long).

"... We hhear you mortalss like to sspeak in the termssss of games like chesss. We are not very familiahr ... but we undhhersstand it worksss besst when all piecess start on the sssame sside of the board." It inclined its head. "This shhall be the first missfhortune of many, and thesse fragmented effortsss no longer sssuite usss. We intend now to collect the piecess."

The Garo broke its stillness and stepped back, movements fluid and boots falling lightly and soundlessly on the cobblestones, and offered the salesman a shallow bow. "We sshall meet again to discussss alliancess between yoursself the othersss who shhare our causse."

The Shadweebs + Haeyin

Rook: eternally sober Garo trying to lead a completely hammered Cien safely home

"My, that hat makes you look positively gentlemanly, Lord Chesterhoneysworth!"

"Thank you. I do think your hat makesss you look quite gentlemanly asssss well, Lord Bloominhomingsssstein!"

"We are quite the hylian gentlemen, wouldn’t you say so?"

Kafei’s eyes squinted as he scrutinized the figure before him. He was cloaked and hooded, his face hidden behind a mask. His description seemed so familiar but he couldn’t place from where. Kafei couldn’t help but take a step forward to get a closer look at him, and that was when he spoke for the first time. He could’t help but bring his hand up to cover his nose, pretending to scratch an itch before taking a step back. I think he just breathed death on me. Kafei finally paid attention to the character when he mentioned “the non-human plight”. 

The Garo glanced once at the spot of icing left on the dress robes, and, in spite of wearing a full-face mask, still somehow managed to look up and give the runaway a withering look.

Why fate had deigned to give this one such political significance, it could only guess.

"Ssimply ssay nothhing," it replied, slowly and pointedly (so as not to confuse the inebriated prince), "and come withh me."

It was about as the last words left its mouth that it began to sense the crowd stir, and realized its time was about to be up. "Now."

It didn't give him much time to reply, electing to simply seize his wrist and drag him instead. It didn't have a surplus of strength, but the prince's unsteady footing ensured it didn't need it. He'd find himself stumbling after it whether he wanted to or not.

It was with great haste that it brought him to the tailor, handing him off without ceremony and hissing, "Leave immediately, and do not rhheturn hhere." No sooner had its words finished than the chandelier came crashing down in the middle of the ballroom floor, spreading darkness into which the warrior hastily disappeared, making its way at full speed towards the source of the hazardous commotion.

Kafei straightened out his spine and hopped onto the fallen table’s edge, standing above Shad and Fina. “Hey!” He called out as the pair hastily made their escape. He watched as they began to blend in with the crowd, unsure if they’d be able to complete their mission. He winced with doubt but would do all he could anyway.

When the one of the soldiers started to go after Fina and Shad, Kafei jumped down and brought his fist up before connecting it with the soldiers nose. He shook his hand when an ache came to it and watched as the soldier found blood trickling from his nose. "You’ll be arrested for this!"

"I was goin’ to be arrested anyway," he said before he ran back off into the crowd. This wasn’t going to work. He wasn’t going to make it. Why did he bother to fight? He may have just made things worse.

My life ends tonight.

The Garo did its best to conceal his sudden change in direction, and surely enough, the soldier sprinted blindly right past.

Only then did it pause to steady the obviously dazed (and frosting-covered) gentleman.

Though Kafei now had full view of the force that had so suddenly diverted him, the sight likely lent neither explanation nor comfort. Its improvised clothing had fit in well enough from afar, but upon closer examination (something the Garo were hardly ever subject to unless they meant to be), the garments were outdated and, in some places, heavily worn down, the distressing on the sleeves quite obviously not done for fashion and the runes and symbols lost to any living culture. Strips of dark cloth had been used to give the loose clothing the illusion of a more modern silhouette, or perhaps in some cases secure it to the stranger's eerily thin frame. Its mask, for it still wore it, was etched leather, with sculpted fangs bared in a snarl. The rest of the synthetic face remained unsettlingly expressionless. Its robes smelled lightly of ginger, and even more faintly of something that brought to mind the most untouched part of an ancient archive or library.