Another Round

Gisele dipped the nib of her quill to ink and let the excess drip away before she began writing on parchment. She would occasionally look up, moving her gaze about the room of the small pub of the undercity. The barkeep left her alone, which he knew by now is how she preferred it. And when she was finished, she sat the quill down to the table and waited for her missive to completely dry.

Her company had returned to the table by then and Gisele motioned Shinver over to the table as she folded the parchment. "You can take this," she said impatiently to the owner of the pub as she pushed the pot and quill away from her with a free hand. "And we'll have another round." She eyed her company who sat across the table from her. "It is done," she said and slid the note in front of her. He would have to rise from his chair to reach it which he did, pocketing it away.

The pair could have been seen together once before in another location of the undercity, but it was unlikely. Their meetings were always discreet and brief. Shinver returned shortly with their goblets, and the party of two was silent until he made his way back to another area of the pub where he was out of earshot. "Why don't you sit by me so I'm not yelling at you over the table," Gisele frowned as she watched her companion, waiting for him to seat himself next to her. The little pub was always lively, always loud with chatter and movement. She turned in her chair slightly so she could face him.

"Are you playing some type of game?" She asked, a hardness returning to her eyes which shone like dull marbles. "I meet the First Estril and Dame Commander all in one day," she said quietly so that her voice would not carry, but her companion would not miss a word that was hissed. Her eyes searched his, and he only chuckled, otherwise remaining quiet in his chair. Her nostrils flared briefly as she lifted her goblet for another sip, giving him a look just before she did so. Gisele cast her gaze about the room again as he spoke in response, giving him a nod. "Yes, good location as you had promised," she confirmed.

The two drunken men at the nearest table stood, inching closer to Gisele's table as they began to roughhouse. She continued her conversation with her partner fluently in a foreign tongue until they stumbled off, and both Gisele and her companion watched them take their leave. "At this rate, I'll probably only need a couple weeks." She sat back in her chair smugly. "Unless we run into another… situation."