"Stop the carriage here please, Mr. Hamond." Sarina gently guided from her seat in the carriage. The carriage halted in front of a ramshackle bakery, and the grimy children playing on the curb paused to gaze wide-eyed at the sudden presence of a little splendor amid the usual squalor. Sarina descended from the carriage, her gray cloak swishing around her sturdy black long boots. Garbed in a plain white tunic that reached her knees, and black deerskin leggings, Sarina would have shocked the ladies of high society if they could see her right then. She always dressed to be inconspicuous during her many forays into the impoverished parts of the city. Attracting the wrong sorts of attention would not only waste her precious time, but could also have the unfortunate side effect of death.
"M'lady, are you certain you wish for me to leave you here like this? There are all sorts of unsavory types skulking around you know." Mr. Hamond frowned his heavily bearded face and furrowed his bushy eyebrows. Sarina smiled and comfortingly laid one gloved hand on Mr. Hamond's. She had done this countless times and yet her devoted butler never stopped being concerned. "I will be fine Mr. Hamond. We will rendezvous here again within two hours. In the unlikely event I do not show up, wait fifteen minutes and then please inform the Karof brothers." she said, referring to the burly yet sharp bodyguards under her employ. "They'll be able to find me. Or whatever shall be left of me." Sarina grinned with mischief as Mr. Hamond's visage turned a few shades paler.
"Oh do not fret so, Mr. Hamond. I will see you soon!" and with that she pulled the hood of her gray cloak over her shining black curls and began to walk away. The hood obscured her tawny eyes, and the planes of her golden brown face. Only a hint of her full bottom lip could be seen. The cloak hid the curvature of her form, and the gloves hid the sign of wealth that was unblemished and uncallused hands.
Sarina walked briskly through the neighborhood, nonchalantly passing by gruff laborers in sooty clothes, simpering prostitutes with their breasts falling out of their corsets, and scampering orphans with faces caked in dirt. The people became more scarce as she continued on her way, and soon she stopped on a street that was completely deserted. Her contact had told her that this was where the Guild would be residing. Sarina could have easily sent one of her men to establish contact but when it came to new business ventures she preferred to be there herself. This Guild was intriguing. She had done the math, and if she could start fencing goods and services for them she would make a hefty profit. Not only that but the security benefits were very tempting. The Karof brothers were decent bodyguards, but her line of business required a subtler touch, and more work in the shadows.
Sarina's stomach gave a small growl, interrupting her thoughts. In her hurry she had skipped breakfast. It had been kidney pie, a favorite of hers.
"This had better be worth it." she mused impatiently as she drew close to what looked like a rundown mini-tavern. The vaguest sounds of life could be heard from within it, muted chattering and random shouting. Sarina pulled back her hood, then tapped firmly on the door. The rectangular peephole slid open and a pair of feminine eyes stared out.
"I am Lady Sarina Mashir. I believe I'm expected." she smiled. The peephole was snapped shut and a moment later the door creaked open to reveal a brightly lit hallway within which stood a pretty woman in barmaid regalia.
"Aye mum, please come with me."
Sarina followed her into a small but relatively clean dining area. Some of the chatter ceased as the newcomer entered.
"Six men, one woman. Most of them armed. One of them very big." Sarina noted to herself, the weight of the daggers strapped to her thighs providing only a little comfort. Her sharp gaze fell on a unshaven man with unwashed black hair and a handsome chin. He seemed to have some level of command over the room. She nodded towards him.
"Are you Alekzander?"
