"Tis a shame indeed, young sir, and I am greatly sorry for this terrible inconvenience." Alena whispered consolingly to the poor lad with a gentle rub of his shoulder, though still she was satisfied somewhat with saving him from what could've been a catastrophe. Alot of the merchants here in Karstberg weren't too keen with con artists and back-biters, and if this boy even tried once to show his false jewelry to any of them, he was guaranteed a long...hard discussion in the back alley with some hired muscle. It did surprise her though how this man reacted to the bitter news of his valued ring being nothing but a folly, how his gauntleted hands immediately burst into flames, such heat the woman felt from him, imbued so heavily with his anger, his frustration just melting away those tiny red shards she recently set in those very hands, till the fires died away, receding back into those hands and his head hung low in utter defeat. She certainly felt the boy's pain, for even the life of an assassin wasn't all to glamorous, and contracts such as what she received today were usually a diamond in the rough, rarely would an assassin be paid so generously for their....services.

Speaking of such, her eyes seemed to light up immediately when he asked if she knew of any work around the city, although she hasn't seen this boy display much besides his quick temper and that fire he had in him...quite literally. Alena was unsure if this boy knew how to fight or more importantly...how to kill, but stating he was a mercenary appeared evidence enough, but saying was far from doing, because for Alena, or Ravenhead Matthias, or any silent blade of the Coven, actions, the more violent, the better, indeed boasted louder than spoken word. Maybe this boy would make an honorable inductee into the Coven, but before so, she would need to have word with Matthias, and last she heard, the Grimm man, no pun intended mind you, was already on contract in the city, something of slaying a nobleman's libidinous and unfaithful wife for thirteen hundred gold, a little bit less than what was made due towards Alena, but still a plentiful bounty it was. However, before she even spoke word of offering service to the young lad, the stone one practically dived at the mention, rather blunt and coarse, about as coarse as the granite that was his solid walled body. [i]Curses[/i] she muttered aside. With the Coven in such dwindling numbers, recruitment was a top priority, but so much for that missed opportunity. Her smile did return though when the Granock called for more food, for her, the young boy, and the definitely ravishing fox woman a few seats down from her, humorously mistaken for an octopus by the giant. Alena couldn't help but release a small chuckle at this, also the pigeon leaving his...surprise atop the Granock's head.

Amused was she, but not for long as she was taken off guard by the cantankerous cawing and soon there he landed upon her table, picking at the remains of her haddock and gawking at Alena with his beady black marbled eyes with another squawk from his obsidian razor beak. "Edgar?" She addressed the shadowed bird by his name, or more frankly the name the raven's master had placed upon him when he was made docile, and indeed Alena knew who this very black bird had belonged too. The raven cawed to her once again before soon taking flight, a flickering of midnight feathers passing the woman's crimsoned eyes. Before too long, she turned to watch it climb higher and higher towards the sky, until it perched upon the shoulder of...his master. [i]Matthias.[/i] Despite the grand distance between the two veteran assassins, Alena could see clear enough his cold and enigmatic features. He stood atop the ancient clocktower, his long flowing black scarf and cloak billowing about the swift crosswind like a phantom that haunted Alena, but she was more bothered than frightened greatly by his ever looming presence. His dead, cold eyes, as black as the abyss, glowered down upon the woman, and of course in spite of how far away he was, his scar was still able to be viewed. Some say it was the last blow an enemy swordsman was able to deal him, before he strangled the bastard with his bare hands. Others speak of how the abrasion was really a ritualistic mark given to him by Death, signifying the dark man as the Father of Shadows' blessed emissary. Either way, it was the most striking feature of Matthias, that and...his hair as white as frost upon the tombstones in winter.

He looked to Alena only once, before concealing the rest of his face with his hood and vanishing from his perch in a swift leap. The look however was enough to show he wished to speak with his protegee, possibly another contract. "If you will excuse me, I must attend to some important matters. Thank you again for the lovely meal, mademoiselle. I will most certainly return here if I'm ever in need of nourishment again. Au revoir." She gave a parting smile to the girl behind the counter and the rest of the patrons before donning her black hood and once again taking for the rooftops, already etching in her mind the quickest path towards the city gate.