All Work and No Play: Lore Fic

[Bricu]

(Lore asked me to put this up since her net access is limited and her day is quickly becoming craptastic. Enjoy!)

Alright! So, welcome to Wednesday, I’m having a crappy one, hopefully yours is going better… A couple weeks back, before his disappearance, Arrens asked Lore if she’d be willing to participate in a little revenge ploy again SI:7. Lore being Lore, was all over that. A few short, hushes discussions with Bricu later and what you see is what you get. Ironic? Possibly. A HUGE thanks too both Arrens and Bricu who were my co-conspirators on this. Amazing writers, the both of them. Enjoy!


The Silver Mirror is the house of ill-repute in a neighborhood known for ill-repute. Women and men, in various stages of undress, serve women and men, in varying stages of dress, a variety of goods and services. Tables can be made private by screens of paper and silk; however, for more intimate encounters, there are passages that lead to rooms for a variety of purposes.

In one corner of the room, a chamber orchestra, shielded by screens, played just loud enough to keep most conversations private. Miriam sat alone at the small bar, close to the hidden orchestra. Her profile was to the barkeep--a human male barely dressed in linens--so she could see almost as much as the barkeep himself. Miriam wore practical clothing--trousers, blouse and a men's sport coat tailored for her frame--and she appeared to be the patron with the most clothes on.

Loreli sat across the room from Miriam. Tonight the rogue had chosen a table farther from the door than nights previous. She had one of the prettier human girls in her lap, but that was the extent of their interaction. Loreli had been paying the girl--and well--for the last hour or so to keep her company. Slipping the girl another couple of coins, Loreli patted her on the thigh.

"Run along." The rogue told her. The girl gave her a pout, obviously having hoped for more. Loreli sighed and handed her another coin. It won her a grin as the girl headed off the find other, more willing prey.

Loreli leaned back in her chair, eyeing the room. She knew the layout of the Mirror well by now. She'd spent the better part of her last two evenings here. Evening one had been surveillance; of the Mirrior itself, it's patrons and employees. Evening two had been surveillance of Miriam. It hadn't taken Loreli long to spot her. Miriam stood out for a number of reasons. As for evening three...

"Show time." Loreli whispered to herself, lithely getting up out of the chair. The almost see-through dress slid down her body, falling in jade folds to the floor. She could be patron or employee, it didn't matter. She spotted a serving girl carrying a tray laden with two goblets of wine and moved to intercept.

"Oh! Oh dear, I'm so sorry!" Loreli exclaimed as she bumpped into the girl and wine tray. The rogue deftly caught both goblets without spilling a drop and set them back on the tray, "My sincerest apologies, I'll be more careful in the future." Loreli sketched a deep bow and noticed, out if the corner of her eye, Miriam watching the small disturbance. All according to plan.

Loreli wended her way through the room and took a seat at the bar. She glanced over at Miriam with a wink and a smile, "Good evening."

"Good evening." Miriam replied. Her tone was too clipped and her smile too friendly. Miriam took a sip of her wine. Loreli noticed that there was a small puddle of wine near Miriam, and that her blazer was a bit damp. Her clothes smelled of wine. She did not. "You caught those goblets." Miriam stated.

Loreli gave her a coy smile, "I did. Pretty neat, huh? I had good training." She nodded to the bartender as he handed her a glass. "So, what brings you here tonight, honey?"

"Training?" Miriam turned towards Loreli. "I mean, I'm here... I'm..." Miriam leaned towards Loreli, "I'm here to learn more about how the other half lives."

Loreli's smile broadened slightly and she leaned forward to meet her, "Well then, I think you've come to the right place." She straightened up, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face. She turned her head to the side, giving Miriam a look from the corner of her eyes, "Seen anything interesting so far?"

Miriam shook her head. "Most of the 'interesting' things thus far have been... licentious. Except... Well, between us, I think that table," Miriam nodded to a table on the far side of the bar, "I think there's a weapons deal going on there."

Loreli nodded, giving Miriam an impressed look. It was feigned, she'd been watching these two herself and the one was beyond obvious. "Good eye." She took a sip of her drink, "The man on the left has been supplying weapons to the Alliance army for years. Recently they've had to offer him less coin for his services due to most of the tax funds going to the war in Northrend. Hard times calling for desperate measures, he's had to go outside his usual clientele."

Miriam's jaw started to drop, but she managed to bring her goblet up in time to hide some of the surprise. "How do you know this?"

Loreli shrugged, taking another drink from her glass, "It's what I do. So many of us today are so caught up in ourselves and what we want. Those two over there will never notice me, except maybe as another pretty face. Even then, they'd just pass me off as another whore. It's amazing what you can hear, when people look right past you."

"Do you work here or are you working?" Miriam asked. She swiveled directly toward Loreli.

Loreli raised an eyebrow at her, "What do you think?" She turned around, to lean back against the bar, scanning the small crowd. The two men at the far table were still deep in discussion. The seller looked extremely unhappy, the buyer appeared to be in a hurry. She wondered if the blacksmith was upset because he was being short- changed, or bothered by having to deal with black-market traders. She couldn't see his face and so couldn't be certain.

"I don't know." Miriam said. She set the goblet down. "I <em>want</em> to know. I <em>want</em> to do these things. But you're clever. You knew more at a glance than I did in an hour of studying."

"It merely takes time. No one comes by these things naturally. It may be easier for some than others, but all need to be trained to see what's hidden in even the most simple turn of the head." She inclined her head to a lone man at a table by the door. "That man over there, he's madly in love with the woman over there." She indicated a draenei employee sharing her attention between a draenei male and a human woman. "He's afraid to tell her, though. You can see it in his face. Eyebrows knit in anxiety, mouth twisted slightly in a pain he's trying to hide, if you get closer, his hands shake."

Loreli took another sip from her drink, "It'd never work." she glanced at Miriam, "In case you're wondering. She enjoys her work too much and he's the jealous type."

"I was wondering. The draenei still... well, they disturb me. Its... never mind. This is what its like in the field, isn't it? Always working?"

Loreli nodded, "But help is help, no matter what corner the aid comes from." She adjusted the skirt of her dress, "Even when you're not 'on duty' you're on duty. You can never stop watching, listening, analyzing. You miss things, people who miss things... don't last long."

"And how long have you lasted miss?" Miriam asked. She gave the room a quick sweep before meeting Loreli's eyes again.

"I've been in the business a number of years. 759 to be exact, though, not nearly as long with my <em>current</em> employer." A young human male wandered over leaning towards Loreli and whispering in her ear. Loreli gave him a low, husky laugh, brushing a hand across his cheek. "Come see me later." She whispered, just loud enough for Miriam to hear.

Miriam sipped at her wine as the young man loitered over Loreli. "Is that part of the job too?"

Loreli's profile gave Miriam an amused grin, she nodded to the young man and he moved back into the crowd. "To make others believe, you play the part so well, you almost believe it yourself." She was quoting her step-father, but Miriam didn't need to know that. "Sometimes the part involves tasks that seem unsavory or beneath us. But it's not a choice, it's a necessity."

"I made choices like that for my family. I could make choices like that for my country. I need to."

Loreli nodded, "I'm glad you feel that way." the rogue hesitated, feeling conflicted. Miriam wasn't a bad person. She was just misguided. If Loreli used her in this fashion it would most likely end in Seven eliminating the compromised asset. Could she put a (mostly) innocent in that position? She had, many times before. For Lyas for Shaw. There was so much blood on her hands. She would just have to <em>ensure</em> the trail didn't lead back to Miriam.

"I need your help with something."

"I... " Miriam paused. "I would love to. But I need to know who you are and who you work for."

Loreli mentally swore, Miriam was better at this than she let on. She wracked her brain, she didn't want to drop Shaw's name, no one ever did that that was smart. She needed someone high up that Miriam couldn't easily access, but would also probably be known to her. Jaylen would fit that description, but which name would he use. She took a gamble and hoped her usual luck--made and otherwise--held. She leaned towards Miriam, "I'm Jaren's current errand girl. We're..." she shifted her eyes, looking to the side, "...we're sniffing out traitors, but I've hit a wall and he's unreachable on another assignment at the moment. But you, I think you can help me."

Miriam's eyes lit up. She took another sip of her wine -- Loreli knew her goblet was empty -- before speaking. "Then," Miriam whispered, "I am at your service."

"Good good." She got up out of her chair, "Come with me, I don't want to chance speaking too candidly out here." She headed for one of the back passages.

Miriam started to ask a question, but stopped as Loreli walked away. She counted to fifteen, paid her tip and walked out towards the other woman.

Loreli stepped into the room and waited for Miriam to follow before closing the door. She gestured Miriam to a chair and went to sit on the edge of the small bed.

Miriam entered past Loreli and sat down in the chair. "Are you a finger of Seven?"

Loreli nodded. She adjusted one of her hair pins before continuing, "We've been working on routing a turn-coat. We know someone is redirecting funds but so far I haven't been able to track it back to the source. That's where you come in, I need a list of all the benefactors coming out of Stormwind. I could go through the top, but seeing as this is from the inside, we want as few people to know as possible."

Miriam nodded. "From which institutions? All of them... Is this why you approached me?" Miriam's excitement bubbled through her questions. "Did you come here targeting me?!"

"Anything you can get me that comes through your hands would be appreciated. It's a starting point and I can back-track from there. I guess you could say I targeted you. I knew there would be someone here but I didn't know for sure who it was." She watched Miriam out of the corner of her eye, continuing to gauge her reaction.

Miriam sighed and her shoulders slumped. "Oh. Well. There are some records I see daily. Financial transactions. Inventory. I could find more accounts though..."

"Brilliant! Get me the names of anyone you know who is or you suspect of providing financial support. I can take it from there." Loreli said.

"So far, everything I've seen is above board at The Grove. I do see most of it. What should I be looking for?"

"I'd stay away from anything too large in amount. Anything substantial but not too substantial that gets parceled out. Anything that makes extra transfer jumps after it leave your hands... anything that strikes you as a little out of the ordinary. Find what you can and meet me here tomorrow?"

Miriam nodded. "I stay late some nights anyway. I can go over the books closely and have information back to you then."

"Perfect. Tomorrow then. Now, take off your jacket there and muss your hair a bit. It'll look a tad off if we walk outta' here in perfect condition." She pulled the pins from her hair and gathered the whole thing, adeptly piling it on top of her had and pinning it back in place. It did exactly what it was meant to do. Made it appear as if she had put it up in haste after a tryst. She got up and twisted her dress just a hair, then put a hand on the door handle waiting for Miriam.

Miriam took off her jacket and started to mess her hair. She undid the top three buttons of her blouse and then redid them out of order. "Sloppy enough?" She asked.

Loreli chuckled and inclined her head, not having to feign being impressed this time. She found herself liking Miriam just a little bit. The other woman was quick and listened well. "Perfect." She opened the door, "After you."

Miriam pinched her cheeks and rubbed at her eyes. By the time she reached the door, her face was flush and she had a rather convincing out-of-breath sound going. "Tomorrow then?"

Loreli nodded, "Tomorrow around the same time." She opened the door and ushered Miriam into the the hallway and back into the main room.

They got a few intrigued and amused looks from the less than discreet patrons. Loreli gave her smile, touching Miriam's hair briefly before turning. The young man from earlier caught Loreli's arm and she gave him a nod before they disappeared back into the passage again.

<em>Make yourself believe</em>... Loreli quoted to herself.

***

Jebediaeh stood outside The Silver Mirror staring at the door. He glanced over his shoulder but the street behind him was empty. He was nervous, a little anxious about this; but well, it'd been a while and he'd heard some <em>pretty</em> interesting stories about the ladies working at the Mirror. With a gulp and a deep breath, he pushed the door open and stepped inside.

***

Loreli came out of one of the Mirror's back passages a while later. Miriaim was gone and that was alright by her. She was planning her exit when she spotted a young man just coming in the door. He practically screamed SI:7. It was a tough transition from new recruit to operative. Part of being SI:7 was not <em>announcing</em> you were, with how you carried yourself. She could tell he had the potential to to change that though. Changing course, Loreli intercepted him on his way towards the bar.

Jeb's eyes wandered the full length of the the rather tall night elf standing before him. The dress she was wearing didn't hide much and that was quite alright by him. He did manage to scan the room for anyone he knew before returning his attention to her.

Loreli gave him a smile and a quick wink from under the small brimmed decorative hat she'd pulled down low over one side of her face. It was an odd fashion trend the nobles had started adopting that one of the other girls had insisted she try. She said it made her look 'mysterious' and 'exotic'. Loreli had laughed and let her have at it.

Jeb seemed to find his voice, "Hey, little lady. You Ilarra Stormrunner?"

<em>Luckily for me, Ilarra is out today</em>. Loreli took a step closer to him, giving only a moment for her body heat and the scent of her perfume to hit him. "I might be. What can I do for <em>you?</em>"

Jeb found himself slightly caught off guard by the questions. Why else would he be here? What else did they do here? He shook the thought from his head. He shouldn't be gone too long. "I'm... uh... Well shucks, ma'am... I ain't ever done nothin' like this before..."

Loreli couldn't help but find his awkward demeanor slightly endearing. <em>Stay focused! Unacceptable!</em> She told herself. She forced a slight chuckle, "It's alright." She said, watching as he began to turn crimson. "We inquire of everyone. Some patrons have <em>very</em> particular tastes."

"So ya are her, aincha?" He asked, craning his neck to try and peer through the shadows the hat cast across her features.

Loreli nodded, flashing him another smile, "And anyone else you want me to be."

Jeb's grin threatened to split his entire face in twain, "Aw, hot damn! Is it true then? You can do things... like..." He brought his hands up wiggling his fingers at her. "Magic things?"

Loreli rolled her eyes, under the hat. <em>If you only knew, farm boy</em>. Yet, she managed to keep her smile in place and inviting. "Just one of my many talents."

"Hoo boy! The boys ain't never gonna believe this when I tell em..." he stopped abruptly, the blush reaching all the way to the tops of his ears. "I mean... beg your pardon, ma'am."

Loreli almost felt sorry for the poor kid but business was business. "Oh, don't you worry your adorable little head about it. Say whatever you like, I'm here to please."

His coloring was beginning to resemble that of a very ripe apple or cherry. "So... uh... I mean..." He looked away from her, glanced back out of the corner of his eye, "How do we go about... I mean... Is there... like... a place? Or a payment kinda thingy I should be worryin' about?"

Loreli waved a hand nonchalantly, "Oh! For you, because you're so cute, first time's at no charge."

She'd thought his grin couldn't get bigger but it did. He snapped his fingers in a celebratory gesture with a slight turn of his head, "Hot dog! Thank ya, ma'am!" He sobered slightly, "So, uh... right here?"

Loreli bit back a sigh. This was proving to be worse than the episode with the Lord's son who'd gotten a bit overzealous and broken his nose against her shoulder. All she'd been after was the name of their ore supplier out of the Barrens and perhaps the key to their rather well stocked lock box. Instead, she'd ended up providing her 'services' to the Lord <em>and</em> leaving empty handed. Neither had gone over well with Lyas.

"No no. We've got a couple of rooms in the back. We'll choose one that suits your fancy." Loreli said.

"My fancy ma'am? Hell, I don't need nothin' fancy." He insisted.

Loreli laughed again, "Still, I'm sure you'd prefer not to be in view of the rest of the patrons."

"Ma'am, if you were ta ask the boys down at headquarters, they'd prolly tell ya I ain't got no shame."

Loreli tilted her head with a slight shrug, "Oh, trust me. I can do things that'll make you blush like a school girl." She gave him a wicked grin.

Jeb slapped his knee enthusiastically, "Then let's get started, ma'am! I gotta get back to work here before too long. Can't have the boss man askin' where I was all danged night."

Loreli nodded, stepping forward and taking both his hands in her. She gently pulled him along towards one of the back hallways.

He looked around with slightly wide eyes, "Hot dog, ma'am! You sure this ain't gonna get me in trouble with my boss?"

Loreli shook her head, drawing him after her into one of the lavish rooms and closing the door. "Not at all." She turned around to face him and he graced her with a conspiratorial grin. That was when Loreli grabbed the collar of his shirt and threw him onto the bed, placing a dagger to his throat. "Now, here's how this is going to go..."

Jeb blinked up at her, "Whoa! This ain't what I had in mind, ma'am!" He insisted, trying to shove her off him.

"I'd imagine not. But, honey, you're on the inside and I need someone on the inside. So, we're going to chat here for a little bit, I'm going to send you back to your boss and we're going to meet up again tomorrow and you're going to tell me what you can." She said, not letting up on the dagger in the slightest. "And if you don't show up, know I <em>will</em> find you. Also know that I can kill you in about thirty different ways and that's <em>just</em> with my bare hands."

Jeb's eyes widened a little further and the resulting gulp was both audible and visible. "Wait one gosh-darned minute! Whatddya want from me? I'm a nobody! I ain't even been out in the field yet."

Loreli scowled at him, "Because right now, all I need is information. Anything that maybe be useful. They'll never suspect you." <em>You seem to stupid to be a turncoat.</em>

"Hang on, little lady..." He pulled an arm free and swiped it at her head, knocking her hat off. He stared at her, mouth agape, "Sweet jumpin' jehosophat! You're..."

Loreli blinked, surprised by the move and that she didn't kill him for it.

"You're that one that Jaylen's been after! You ain't Stormrunner!"

Loreli swore vehemently and pushed the dagger a little further into his throat, "That was a <em>very</em> bad idea." She snarled.

"Now hang on a second? What kind of information do ya want?"

"Do you know where Jaylen is right now?"

Jeb started to shake his head, then thought better of it, "No. He kinda comes and goes when he wants. Or when the boss says so. And well..." He paused, "Truth be told, ma'am, he's kinda a dick."

Loreli couldn't help but chuckle at that, "Yeah, tell me about it. Does 'Channi' mean anything to you?"

"Only heard it. Dunno who or what a Channi is."

Loreli narrowed her eyes, "Can you remember anything specifically said in that regard?"

"Heard him tellin' the boss about a Channi being up in Northrend. Can't get more specific than that, ma'am."

Loreli nodded, relaxing the pressure on the blade at his throat slightly, "Good. I'm going to let you up now. Go back, try and find out where Jaylen is. Meet me here tomorrow. Got it?"

Jeb eyed her incredulously, "Now you hang on there, missy. Look, I'll help. I ain't got no love for those bastards. I can be useful, ya see? But they don't. And I'm riskin' life and limb ta help ya out." He waited a moment, making sure she was paying attention. "So, I want some kind of protection when this is all over. 'Cause frankly ma'am, the idea of a six foot hole in the middle of the Tanaris desert don't sound so appealin' ta me."

Loreli nodded slightly. Fair was fair. "That can be arranged."

Jeb nodded, though slowly and mindful of the blade. "Good. You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours. Right?" He gave her another mischievous grin.

"As long as you keep your end of the bargain." Loreli said, unamused this time.

"Oh, don't worry about me, ma'am. I can get things for ya. But if they find out I'm the one that took 'em... Well... You know how they operate."

Loreli nodded appreciatively, "Good, I'd prefer you knew the risks."

"Yeah, 'spose I do. But, before I go... Ya think... maybe... um... " Despite his precarious position he blushed a deep crimson.

Loreli had to make no guesses as to what he was getting at. She leaned down, here face only inches from his, "If you show back up here tomorrow with something useful, yes."

"Well slather me in pig sweat! You bet your ass I'll be here tomorrow, ma'am."

Loreli laughed softly, shaking her head. She got up, keeping close watch on him for any sudden moves. He sat up, watching her just as warily as she watched him.

"So... I can go, right? I ain't gonna catch a dagger between the shoulder blades?"

Loreli nodded, "Not from me, at least."

He'd made it to the door by that point, fumbling for the handle, refusing to turn his back to her.

"Alright. Thanks, ma'am. I'll be here. Promise."

[Loreli]

(('allo! If any of these characters leave you scratching your head then allow me to point you to my blog or this post on Arren's blog and the three that followed it.))

Miriam arrived at The Grove early, carrying her lunch and breakfast in the same bag. She was pleasant to the lesser clerks and assistants, but her mind was on her first mission; look for funds that suggest active traitors to the Crown and the Alliance.

She poured over her own files first. One name stood out: Galaram Cobblespot, a gnome whose preferred form of magic was financial wizardry. He was active with withdrawals, deposits and linked to a series of blacked out funds. The numbers by those redacted fields--n73401, n7230401- screamed SI:7 operations. She knew where to look for those redacted files.

After her brief lunch, she headed to the secure room. The marble floors and built in steel vaults were not the strength of the room. Arcane wards sustained by contracted Magi gave the secure room its strength. It was the safest place in The Grove, and it protected the records of all transactions made by agents since Stormwind was rebuilt.

After scouring thousands of records, she found the ones she needed. Galaram was supposed to be fixing for two active agents: Jaren and Jaylen. Jaren's designation, in the ledger, suggested he was an alias. He should not be getting his own funds. Definitive proof would be locked away somewhere else. But Miriam was clever. She crossed Jaren with other active agents in The Grove.

After hours of cross referencing and hiding her actions, Miriam had her answer.

This agent, Jaylen, was double dipping.

***

Loreli sat at a table near the bar, keeping an eye on the door for Miriam. The rogue hadn't had a good night's sleep in a few days and was just starting to notice. But she was used to long vigils and combat naps and had at least another day or two in her before she really started to lose her edge. She'd swapped the jade dress for a white one and left her hair down. It made her feel slightly vulnerable and she still hadn't gotten used to the violet hue she'd adopted for this task. She felt edgy but couldn't identify why and so, left the wine glass untouched on the table.

Miriam entered the Silver Mirror at half past nine. She was dressed in a similar outfit: Dark trousers, white blouse, blue blazer with tails, but she carried herself with more purpose. The serving staff, and some of the regulars, seemed to notice. Miriam politely turned down three offers before sitting down with Loreli.

"Buy me a drink?"

Loreli smile and signaled the bartender who sent one of the girls over to take Miriam's drink order.

"I did manage to find something. " Miriam whispered. "I don't know how much. But this isn't really the time." Miriam looked over her shoulder. "There may have been a lot more."

Loreli instinctively followed Miriam's gaze, without moving her head.

"I was followed. Briefly. I went to the Gilded Rose first."

Loreli made a show of pulling Miriam's face to her own, before placing her mouth by the other woman's ear. "Did you get a good look at them?" she asked. She watched the door, scanning for anything unusual.

Miriam giggled before whispering to Loreli, "No. I know they were smaller than a human. That's all. I waited at the Rose and then... Well, came here via the Cathedral district. I am positive I lost them after the Rose."

***

Jaylen glanced up in irritation from the report he'd been pretending to read. Shaw had been increasingly irritable lately for a number of reasons and Jaylen had found it better to just stay out of his way. Though, it was amusing to watch others under fire. Things seemed to have died down slightly at the moment. Jaylen, and the gnome cowering before him were the only ones currently in the room.

"You're back rather soon, aren't you?" Jaylen raised an eyebrow.

"I... I..."

Jaylen eyed the gnome, she appeared to be younger than the operatives he was used to dealing with, with close cropped black hair. They were recruiting younger and younger. Jaylen hated working with new recruits. They always came in acting like they knew it all, cocky and stupid. With something to prove. Or a blathering idiot, like this one. That sort of attitude got them killed. No matter to him, really, weed out the liabilities, keep the ones with half a brain. He figured this gnome wouldn't last much longer. He didn't know her name and he probably never would.

"I've been stationed over by that accounting office The Grove. There's this woman, she works there. She was acting strange, didn't go the way she normally goes, when she leaves work. I followed her. But she spotted me and ducked into the Gilded Rose. I... lost her there."

Jaylen narrowed his eyes. It may have easily been a coincidence, but he didn't like to put coincidences and the Rose together. He handed the report to the gnome. Then got up.

"Here, teach yourself to forge a signature. I'll check it when I get back."

***

Loreli relaxed and tried to shrug off her irritation. She glanced around, everything seemed clear, no one seemed out of place. "We should be fine to speak. Just keep your voice low... what did you find?"

"An operative, a finger at least, has been requesting funds from the same financier. No mission details, but it is extravagent."

Loreli quirked an eyebrow, "You don't say? Who is it? And the financier? How do you know?" She tried to hold back her interest.

"The financier is a gnome. Galaram Cobblespot I spent the better part of a day looking through the records, cross-referencing accounts, transfers, notations of successes or failures. I managed to peak at older files of Galaram's as well. I just went back and tracked the first instance of the operative's appearance. He started a year after Shaw was promoted to his position. He's been active for a while. Jaren."

Loreli managed to cover her surprise with a cough. Jaylen, SI:7's finest, was pocketing extra Seven cash? Or at least threatening the donor to augment his paycheck. This was not what she had expected. Did Shaw know?

This could be what she needed to take care of that bastard once and for all. But she needed to be sure. She couldn't take this to Shaw without proof. There was no garuntee that he'd listen to her even with proof. He might just kill her on sight.

"Are the amounts just extravagant? Or was there something else that tipped you off?"

"The last one wasn't too much; however, he's been doing it since Galaram came to The Grove. Over the past five years, it could be a small fortune."

Her mind was working at lighting speed. This wasn't really all that surprising, all things about Jaylen taken into consideration. It actually explained quite a bit.

"How was he managing it? He couldn't be shifting the money in his own name. Someone would have figured it out a long time ago."

"It was a separate SI:7 code. If you didn't know what to look for, you wouldn't find it. And the funds were legitimate."

Loreli narrowed her eyes, “Legitimate how?” A gnome by the bar was giving them a curious look. Loreli pulled Miriam into an embrace, giving the voyeur a glare that could either have been possessive, ‘mind your own business’ or both.

"They were all cleared. As in no holds, no trackers..." Loreli could hear Miriam exhale sharply, "This is all part of the game, right?"

Loreli chuckled with a slight nod. Nice to know she could still have this effect on people, though.

"Okay. Here's what I need you to do now; I'm going to check into this further from my end. I want you to get up, be outraged at something I said, grab the glass of wine there on the table and throw it in my face, then storm out. Tomorrow you're going to go to work as normal, track this back as far as you can. Compile a list of any source they may be siphoning from." She paused thinking quickly, "Tomorrow, I'll send you flowers in appology for my transgressions tonight. The return address on the note card will be where I want to you leave the list and any other information you can find." Loreli sat back, running her fingers through Miriam's hair, "You did good, do it again, make sure you're not followed. I know I don't need to impart to you how important this is."

Miriam gave a slight, barely perceptible nod before she knocked Loreli's hand away from her hair.

"How dare you touch me after you say that!" She screamed. She grabbed the wine glass and threw its contents into Loreli's face. She spun quickly, knocking over her chair in the same manner a truly angry person would stumble. She stormed out the door, only beginning her faux-sob when she reached it.

Loreli wiped the wine from her eyes and did a rather convincing job of looking both abashed and irritated. After a moment she left the table to go clean up, terribly unintruiged by the idea of trying to get wine stains out of a white dress.

***

Once again Jeb found himself standing at the door to the Silver Mirror. Though, this time he was nervous for an entirely different reason. Jaylen had been conveniently missing for days--like no one would admit to knowing where he was, missing--up until the crazy broad at the Mirror had coerced Jeb into spying on him. Earlier today, Jeb had managed to get himself assigned to a trainee position under Jaylen's self-proclaimed right-hand, Drin. Of course, Jaylen had popped up the moment Jeb had started digging.

He'd been extremely tempted to just turn her in. It was a rather large reward being offered. Though, technically it was hush-hush, offered only to Seven's elite and Shaw's most trusted. Jeb was pretty sure Drin had just wanted to gloat when he talked about how he and Jaylen had the whole situation well in hand. And people think I'm an idiot.

Jeb knew Seven didn't appreciate him. He was a little sick of playing errand boy for jerks like Jaylen. He was capable of bigger better assignments. So, Jeb had decided to take his chances with Loreli. Crazy or not, at least she was a lot easier on the eyes.

***

Loreli still smelled of wine and this was a point of some irritation to her. I really need to think these things through. She told herself. The dress was a loss, at least for the moment. She'd been forced to change, and while purple wasn't a bad color for her, with the slightly lavender hue of her skin and the violet dye job on her hair, it just sort of all blended together. She had just returned to the front room when a glance at the door gave her a reason to grin. Perhaps things were going to get better after all.

She moved through the crowd and met Jeb at the door, "Nice to see you again."

He inclined his head, "Evenin' ma'am." He glanced back at the door.

Loreli raised an eyebrow and nodded towards the back, "Come on." She took a chance turning her back to him, she knew it. She wanted him to know she trusted him and hopefully he would trust her too. Though, she did insist he enter the room before her. Jeb watched her over his shoulder as he walked past. This partnership was indeed tenuous.

She closed the door and leaned against a small table in the corner, folding her arms across her chest. "What's going on? You're really tense."

"Well ma'am, Jaylen got a bit nosy as I was leaving."

Loreli swore under her breath. That was now both of her contacts that had suspected someone from Seven of following them. This wasn't looking good at all. She'd have to be really careful. She tapped her fingers against her arm, considering.

"Stay here." She said, as she slipped back out the door. She made her way down the hall and glanced past the entrance into the main room. No sign of midnight hair, let alone anyone as tall as Jaylen. That didn't necessarily mean anything at all.

Stepping out into the main room, she gave Jaylen's description to one of the serving girls. Loreli told her he was a very powerful and important client and was to be treated with the utmost courtesy and respect. She told the girl she was to be informed immediately when he arrived. The serving girl nodded, slightly saucer-eyed and Loreli headed back to Jeb.
"We should be clear for now. I've got a look-out just in case." She took up her original spot leaning against the table.

"Begging your pardon, ma'am but a look-out ain't gonna do much good against Jay if he's really determined."

Loreli sighed and inclined her head, "This is true."

"That disguise aint gonna fool 'im either, by the way."

Loreli narrowed her eyes, "It was never meant to stand up to close inspection." She tapped her foot, "Do you have something for me or are we going to sit here and go over the SI:7 handbook all evening?"

"Jay came back this morning. General thought 'round Seven was that he'd been in Darnassus, but no one'd say for sure. I did hear Drin mention Channi to Jay. Said there'd been some complications in Northrend. Drin seemed to think Channi was in Stormwind."

Loreli nodded and wrestled with her temper. She didn't want Drin anywhere near Channi. Jaylen was bad enough, but Drin was just creepy.

"I'm pretty sure Jaylen told him to back off, but I ain't for certain. I should be able to keep a closer eye on Drin at least, seeing as I've been assigned to be trained by 'im."

Loreli blinked out of her thoughts. This could either be very good, or very bad. On the one hand, he was right, he would be privy to most of Drin's activities. Seeing as Drin seemed almost permanently attached to Jaylen he'd be party to most of those as well. Unless Jaylen decided it was time to break up with his best SI:7 buddy. On the other hand, that might make it even more difficult for Jeb to get away and deliver information to her.

"You realize what this means, right?" She asked.

Jeb nodded, "Well aware, ma'am. Can't rightly say as I like it, but those bastards deserve to have their own games turned 'round on 'em."

Loreli sighed, "That it?"

"It is. I know it ain't much, but to be fair, ya only gave me a day." He shrugged.

Loreli nodded stepping away from the table, "True. But I made a promise. "

"Ma'am..." He put up a hand stopping her, "I can tell you don't normally do this sorta' thing and well, my momma raised me right. I ain't never pressured a lady into somethin' she din' wanna do and I ain't about ta start." He got up, holding his hand out to her, "So, you jus' uphold your promise ta keep me outta' harm's way and we'll call it even."

Loreli frowned and started to blush. She raked a hand through her hair to cover it. She hadn't meant to be so obvious about being frustrated with constantly trading on her body for this sort of thing. Well, don't I feel like an ass. She was silent a moment longer before opening one of the drawers in the table and producing a deck of cards. “What’s your name?” She asked, as she began to shuffle.

He hesitated a moment, eyeing her. She couldn’t blame him. All information in this game was vital. A mere name could hold way more power than anyone bargained on.

“Folks call me Jeb, ma’am.”

“Well,” she pulled one of the chairs from the table and, gesturing him into it, “you a gambling man, Jeb?”

He raised an eyebrow at her, taking the chair. “I been told I play a fair game of cards, ma’am.” He watched, feeling slightly apprehensive as she continued to shuffle the deck.

Loreli took the chair, “Here’s what we’ll do. You win, I’ll take better care of you than most of the girls here.” She gave him a wink, “I win, you go back to Seven for just a little bit longer but report to me.”

He shrugged, “I figured I’d be doin’ that anyhow. So, how’s ‘bout this? You win, I give you a date and names ta go with it. What you do with ‘em and how you put ‘em together ain’t none of my concern. Anyone asks, I don’t know you and I certainly ain't got no clue how you got ‘em.”

"Names and dates for what?" Loreli asked.

"For places them jerks meet and whatnot. There's a whole lot more than just Sevens in this ring, ma'am. And if ya win, I'll give it all to ya, just so long as you keep your end of the bargain."

Loreli nodded, holding out a hand, “Agreed.”

They shook on it but Jeb didn’t immediately take his hand back, “Hand me those cards. I been watchin’. You’re way too good at that and I hope you'll forgive me for sayin'; I really hope you lose."

***

A few hours later, Jeb returned to the SI:7 building, whistling, and walked right into Drin.

“Oh shoot! Begging your pardon!” Jeb said, trying to duck around him.

“S’alright.” Drin replied inclining hid head at the younger man, “What’s got you in such a good mood?”

Jeb grinned and shrugged, “I just played the best damn game of cards s'all.” He nodded to both Drin and Jaylen who was coming in from one of the other rooms.

Jaylen frowned watching Jeb leave. “Keep an eye on him.” He told Drin.

“Eh, he’s alright.” Drin insisted.

“I’m sure he is. Keep an eye on him anyway.”

[Loreli]

((It's gonna get worse before it gets better... Once again, thanks to Bricu for working with me on this. And everyone else who's offered assistance or insight.))

Miriam wrapped herself in the thickest wool cloak she had, and headed off to her favorite bakery before the sun had cleared the horizon. It was not out of her routine--Miriam knew that she had to stick to her routine--but it certainly was a treat. A treat she knew she deserved.

With her breakfast and lunch in one hand, her coffee in the other, Miriam walked to The Grove to start her day. Her current task would be easy to accomplish while she worked on her normal duties: Checking balances.

It was long, tedious and boring work. Miriam added, subtracted and checked numbers against the master ledger. The Grove identified its patrons--from operatives to nobles--in a series of random seeming letters and numbers. The list of benefactors for Jaren was easy enough to get. Getting names was a bit more difficult.

Names were kept in the Secure Room. Two trips to the Secure Room would draw unwanted attention. Being asked by a coworker to help with a series of investigations, however, wouldn't make anyone raise an eyebrow.

During her lunch break--a generous thirty minutes--Miriam sat near her target: Samir Meath. Samir was a few years older than she was with thinning black hair and a bit of a paunch. He also had a crush on her.

"Hullo Miriam."

"Samir." She said cordially.

"You're in a good mood? What's new?" He said.

Miriam took a bite of her sandwich before answering. "Nothing! I'm just getting most of my work done early. I know that Master Leeming wanted to make sure all the accounts were verified by the end of the day..."

"He did? Why didn't he mention this to me!"

"He told all of us." Miriam said softly, "Don't tell me..."

"I don't know how I'm going to get this accomplished!" Samir said. "I just don't have the time for it. I have to run all of my deposits today. How am I going to get all of this done? I have..."

Samir's face flushed as he started worrying. Miriam put a hand over his to comfort him.

"I can help you verify everything. If we have to stay late, we stay late."

"You would do that, for me?"

"Samir, it would be my pleasure to help you." Miriam said with a smile.

***

Hours after the Grove officially closed, Samir walked Miriam out the door. He carried the bouquet of flowers she had received earlier. She held a small ledger in her hand.

"Thank you for everything Miriam. I would be here all night if it wasn't for you. Could I buy you a drink at the Rose?"

Miriam smiled at him. It took him so long to work up the courage to ask her, how could she say no?

"If we take a walk by the canals first, you can buy me two drinks."

"Really?" Samir blushed a deep crimson, "But you got flowers..."

"From a friend Samir. Just a friend. Come on, the night's not getting any earlier." She took him around the canals. They stopped only to drop the ledger off in the mail slot of her friend's house.

***

Loreli made a quick scan of the street before ducking out from behind the shadow of the building. She darted across the cobblestones, stopping at the door to a ground-floor apartment. She had done enough research earlier to know that it was currently looking for tenants. Which left no one else to get unwittingly caught in her questionable affairs. It took mere seconds to pop the lock on the door and slip inside. She spotted the ledger on the floor immediately. Scooping it up, she slipped it under her leather jerkin. One check out the window confirmed the street was still empty. She relocked the door as she ducked back out and commenced walking down the street as if she did this every night.

She wanted to get somewhere a bit safer to pour over the contents and confirm as much as possible before passing it off to Bricu.

***

Jaylen moved to put out the cigarette, but thought better of it and took another drag. He had caught up to Miriam outside the Gilded Rose as she parted ways with her companion. He'd then followed her to the Trade District and had been waiting as she did some shopping. So far, nothing about her seemed suspicious, but he wasn't ready to buy that just yet. He fell into step beside her, as she exited the shop carrying a few wrapped packages.

Exhaling smoke, he gave her his most charming smile, "Evening, Miriam. How are you?"

Miriam stopped walking and turned to face him. She didn't recognize the Kaldo'eri in front of her, and this gave her a moment of pause. He was tall, even for his race, his midnight hair worn straight and lose to the middle of his back. She took him in with one long gaze, trying to size him up. He looked big and intimidating.

She realized she was starring a moment too late. Her new found confidence fled and Miriam started to stutter out of worry.

"Hel-hello. Do I know you?"

Jaylen waved his hand, casually, "Oh! Where are my manners! Not by name, probably. I come by your firm occassionaly to conduct business." He swept a low bow, "Please, called me Jaden." He gestured to her parcels, "May I assist you with those?"


Miriam pulled her dinner closer to her chest.

"Oh. No. No, I have it."

Her eyes darted left and right. She wasn't ready for this. Analysis was one thing, looking at her target, no matter how attractive, was terrifying. There was no real escape route. She didn't have a weapon on her, let alone one she was confident with. She was trapped.

"B-B-Business hours are b-b-between seven and seven. Special ar-arangements can be made through a super-supervisor." She stammered. "Good night!"

Jaylen inclined his head with another smile, "Of course, madam. I beg your pardon. I didn't mean to... well, I'll drop buy during normal business hours. Enjoy the rest of your evening." He stepped back to indicate that she was free to continue on her own.

Miriam nodded curtly. She tried to meet Jaden's eyes, but she couldn't bring her self to look into his face. She turned on a heel and marched off to her apartment.

Jaylen narrowed his eyes as he watched her go. If that wasn't someone who was hiding something, he'd hand his resignation to Shaw. He knew she'd go straight home. This one wasn't much of a threat in that regard. However, he wanted to know what'd she been up to.

An hour or so later, Jaylen was knocking on Samir's door.

Samir was not accustomed to late night visitors. So a knock at his door, hours after the sun had set, was a rather exciting development. He was tempted to open the door and invite whomever was knocking in. But he knew from his manager's lectures that being that "polite" could threaten his security.

He cracked open the small peep door and looked outside.

"Hullo!" he said, "Can I help you?"

Jaylen made a quick short bow, "Sir, please pardon the late night inconvienence." He dropped his voice, "SI:7 begs your kind assistance on a matter of utmost sensitivity and secrecy."

SI:7? Samir took the oak plank from behind the door, undid the chain and pulled the door wide open. Luckily, he had yet to change out of his work clothes.

"Please, come in!" He said brightly. "How can I help?"

Jaylen took a step through the door, laughing to himself. This wasn't even a challenge. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there seems to be a breach at your office. As we don't want to tip off our suspect to our inquiries, we're conducting our investigation outside of work place after hours. You are not to share this information under any circumstances. It could greatly hinder our progress and you wouldn't want to be responsible for that, now would you?" He let a tiny hint of menace creep into his voice, just enough to question if it was actually there or not.

"Oh no. No. No!" Samir took a step back. "Am I under investigation?"

Jaylen rolled his eyes, though he didn't let Samir see. He put on his most congenial smile, "Oh, not at all! Why?"He gave him a wink, "Should you be?"

"Certainly not!" Samir said. "I make sure to follow all the required rules and regulations!"

Jaylen nodded and folded his arms, resting his chin in one hand, "Of course you do! And we know that. Regardless, and this is purely routine, I assure you, I need to recount your evening for me from just before you left office until you got home. Leave nothing out as even the smallest detail may be important. Not for you, but because something you consider to be a coincidence may actually be someone pulling strings you can't see and using you! Do you want to be used, Sir?"

Samir shook his head, his eyes wide.

"I see." He said. "Oh dear. Do I see..."

He motioned for Jaylen to follow him into the apartment, past the small entrance-way. He walked into a sparsely, but tastefully, furnished sitting room. Samir sat in a well-worn chair and pointed its matching one just a few feet away.

"Last night." He started saying, "I asked my colleague, Miriam, to help me with some paperwork. We're doing audits, apparently, and I had to catch up. We compared accounts, names and addresses, ensuring that everyone was balanced to the copper. Do you know the process?"

Samir didn't bother waiting for Jaylen to answer, as he continued, "We were there till well after nine bells. We decided to get a drink at the Gilded Rose. We took a long, scenic route." He frowned at the next memory.

"I thought it was a bit strange. She stopped at this address, near the Flower Shop in The Canals to see if her friend was home. See, Miriam is infatuated with me. I cannot imagine why she stopped there. But we stopped. She knocked at the door and called into the mail slot. We moved on after a few seconds. At the Rose we were waited on by Kara Thompson. She could not stop blabbering about her son and how she's with child. Again. "

Samir sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose. "She was constantly interrupting us. Some find it charming, bantering with barely educated servers. Miriam, bless her heart, did. I was polite, as decorum demands. But she brought us a few drinks. We stayed there till ten, maybe ten thirty? I offered to walk Miriam home, but she declined, saying she had to pick up something and didn't want to keep the shop keep up too late. She graced me with a good night kiss and talk of more drinks this weekend. I guess that won't happen now...."

Samir watched Jaylen closely, "What did Miriam do, Agent...I'm sorry, I don't remember your name."

"Please, call me Jasen. We're colleagues now." He smiled, reassuringly, "We're not even sure it's this 'Miriam' at this point. We're just looking for strange activity to give us an indication of where to start. You have been most cooperative and when we do catch the culprit, your assistance will be aknowledged." He got up sweeping a deeper bow than upon his introduction. "Please, keep me informed if you noticed anything else out of the ordinary."

"Certainly, certainly. I should see "Miriam," Samir put the name in sneer quotes, "tomorrow. How should I update you?"

"You should be able to drop a letter by SI:7 without arousing suspicions. I know your firm sends messengers 'round all the time." He headed for the door and let himself out.

Something odd was deffinately going on. Time to go have another chat with Miriam, but first...

***

It was somewhere around midnight when Jaylen made his way up to the door by the flower shop. He jiggled the handle gently but it didn't give. Tumbling the lock took no time at all and in short order he was standing inside the empty room. No one was in residence and he doubted anyone could have packed up and moved in the time between Miriam's stop here and his arrival now. He didn't like at all where this was going and in who's direction his thoughts were leading.

A quick stop by SI:7 to confirm that the small apartment by the flower shop was indeed for rent. Then back off to another part of the city.

Despite the fact that it was now extremely early in the morning, there was light burning in Miriam's window. The soft light of a candle that had burned extremely low. Afraid of the dark, are we? He thought with a predatory grin. And with good reason.

A check of all the other windows confirmed they were barred from the inside. That was fine, he had no problem using the door. He also had yet to find a lock he couldn't figure out. Jaylen paused just inside the entrance, listening. All was quiet in the house.

Silently he made his way down a narrow hallway to a back room. Pausing by the door, he listened again, picking up steady breathing. The breath of sleep. Chancing a glance around the door frame he spotted Miriam. She was seated in a chair she had pulled in the corner, away from the window and door, fast asleep, kitchen knife in hand. Oh, how cute. He thought to himself, snidely. Were you planning to fight me with that? Darn, I'd have been interested to see how you would have faired.

Slipping through the room, Jaylen paused long enough to blow the candle out. More than capable of finding his way in the dark, he drew up alongside Miriam's sleeping form. Swift as the hatch on a trap he brought his hand to her mouth and pinned her to the chair with his other arm.

"Sssshhh. I'm not going to hurt you, you're in trouble." He whispered into the darkness.

[Loreli]

If you're looking for a happier aside, you canc check this post, which happens between this and the one before it.

Loreli sat alone at the table, watching but not watching the rest of the Mirror's patrons. She wasn't entertaining tonight and had turned down a number of offers. She just couldn't bring herself to do that to Zha'ane. It was interesting how one's taste for this business could sour over night. She'd decided she'd done enough and would tell Bricu as much when she spoke with him next. Now she was troubled.

The wine had done nothing to calm her nerves and she'd stopped drinking, leaving the glass over two-thirds full. She hadn't expected Miriam to come back the next evening. Loreli wasn't surprised when she hadn't shown up the next night either. However, now it'd been four days with no sign of the other woman. Loreli had arranged for another bouquet of flowers to be sent by Miriam's office and paid the delivery boy extra to return so she could 'ask how her lover had received her gift.' He'd reported that Miriam wasn't in that day. Loreli had tried to tell herself that maybe Miriam had just been sick that day; but she knew better. Something had gone horribly wrong.

A draenei woman stepped up to the table; she tossed a small folded sheet of parchment onto its surface. Loreli looked up at her, raising a questioning eyebrow. The draenei shrugged, "Kid at the door said give it to the elf with the plain face. You're the only one, honey."

Loreli blinked, momentarily confused, plain..? Oh! She'd been covering up her facial markings with make-up. Between that and the purple hair, she'd barely recognized herself in the mirror. Hoping the note was from Miriam, she snatched it off the table and unfolded it.

Four words started back at her and dropped the bottom out of her stomach. They were written in handwriting she knew well. She remembered teasing Jaylen about his perfect penmanship and his slightly flowing script. She'd know it anywhere, alright.

'I've got your mouse.'

The parchment fell from her hand, fluttering back to the table. In an instant she was out the door. If Miriam had been compromised, she needed to get to Jeb and fast. She may already be too late.

***

It was one of many abandoned buildings in the warehouse district of Stormwind. They weren’t exactly warehouses, but a series of small shops that had been left without owners or employees. A lot of businesses in the area had been forced to shut down. More and more of the able bodied workers had joined the ranks of the army or moved their business up north where they perceived a great call for their trade. Now the city was attempting to make use of the area by renting the buildings out for storage. However, business was not booming.

Loreli hadn’t had much time to consider or debate her methods of getting a message to Jeb or the location of their meeting. Given another option, she would have elected not to meet him at all. Except, she didn’t want to trust committing any messages to parchment and there were too many people involved already.

So it went that Loreli found herself pacing the back room of one of the empty shops. She’d lost track of how long she’d been waiting. All she knew was that Jeb should have been here by now. Had her message been intercepted? Had Jeb been unable to get away? Or worse...

Loreli shook her head, clearing bleak thoughts and almost missed the sound of the door opening. The room was dark; the only light a small shaft coming through a dusty window from a lantern in the street. It was weak light at best but enough for Loreli's eyes to make out indistinct shadows. Jeb would be virtually blind. Loreli stepped back away from the door, holding her breath. There was a long silence, the only sound soft-controlled breathing and the occasional barely audible shifting of the room's other occupant.

"... Miss Lore...?" Jeb's voice whispered softly. Loreli moved through the darkness, silent as a wraith. She came up behind him, matching his breathing pattern. He was unable to keep still in his nervousness. She grabbed him, clamping a hand over his mouth to muffle the resulting shout of surprise. He struggled, trying to break her hold.

"Calm down. For the love of Elune, calm down. It's just me." She hissed in his ear.

It took only a moment for her voice and words to sink in. Finally he calmed but she didn't release him.

"I'm going to let go, now. Please try to resist the urge to shout at me for startling you." Loreli removed her hand but didn't step back too far so he knew where she was.

"You're crazy!" He hissed, though he kept his voice down. "Ya tryin' ta scare the bejeezus outta me?!"

"Never leave your back exposed." Loreli reprimanded. She watched his shadow move, figured he was crossing his arms.

"Ya dragged me here ta tell me that?!" He asked indignantly.

"No, I asked you here to hopefully keep you and me alive. Leaving your back exposed is counter-productive to my cause." She continued before he could interrupt, "My other contact has been compromised. If Jaylen's gotten to her, I'm afraid you may be next. I'm terribly sorry for this. If things go bad, I need you to take a message to the Pig and Whistle in Old Town. Be careful! And do not, under any circumstances, mention that you are or were SI:7."

Jeb was staring at her unable to respond. This was way more than he could process. He'd have to trust her judgment and do as he was told.

Loreli raked a hand through her hair before continuing. "Alright, here's what you tell them; 'Sorry about first impressions ruined. The parchment's clear. The unworthy brothers have taken control of the source, while the lore of the scholars has promised to ward the courier.'"

Jeb nodded, repeating the message back to her.

Then, things went bad...

[Loreli]

"Lore...” A familiar voice carried through the darkness, dragging out her name with a wholly mocking resonance, “Her blood is on your hands."

Loreli froze, her heart skipping a few beats. Slowly she turned, placing herself between Jaylen and Jeb. Through the darkness she could barely make out Jaylen's form. However, she could just see Miriam. Jaylen appeared to have one hand gripping her hair, pulling her head back. The other held a knife to her throat.

"Go!" Loreli hissed at Jeb.

"But... he won' be alone!" The young man insisted, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Probably not but you can make it, my life depends on it. Go!"

She didn't hear Jeb slip out, but she knew he was gone. She prayed to Elune to spare her any more blood guilt tonight. It was dark enough on the edges of the room, maybe Jaylenn hadn't noticed Jeb leave. Loreli tightened her grip on her dagger and went for her second back-up, strapped to her thigh, under her skirt. It caught on something and wouldn't come loose.

"Where's the other traitor?" Jaylen asked. When she didn't answer, his tone grew more insistent, "Lore!"

Loreli nodded back towards the door, "Gone." was all she said.

Jaylen shrugged, "He won't get far. I have to admit, I'm impressed. I've apparently underestimated your charms. To turn these two, so easily, one so loyal to King and country, the other loyal to Seven. You truly are amazing. Tell me, did you sleep with them both?"

Loreli snarled and clenched her fist at his implication.

"If you want to be a whore, I'll gladly accommodate you. Love the dress, by the way." He said.

Loreli found herself wishing she'd taken the time to change before finding Jeb. The dress she'd worn at the Mirror was very revealing with a lot of fabric. Not ideal for a fight and that appeared to be what this was coming to. Her first concern at the time had been verifying Jeb's safety and she hadn't even considered her attire.

"You remember how we deal with traitors, don't you, Lore?" Jaylen asked.

Miriam's eye rolled toward her, Loreli could see the low light reflecting off the whites. She could imagine the pleading look she must be getting.

"Jaylen, don't...'

"Don't what, Lore? What don't you want me to do?" He asked.

"Don't kill her."

Jaylen tilted his head in mock-confusion, "Why not? She's a traitor, after all. That's the problem with traitors. You can't trust them. But you'd know all about that, wouldn't you, Lore?" Together, Jaylen and Miriam took a step forward, "But she didn't know, did she? You lied to her from the beginning. Impersonating an SI:7 agent! Mocking all that she held dear! Didn't you?"

Loreli furrowed her brow, what was Jaylen up to? Did he think Jeb was still around? Was he trying to turn another possible ally to his side?

"Answer me, Lore. Or she dies!"

"You play the game as well as I do, Jaylen. Maybe better."

Jaylen laughed and pulled the knife from Miriam's throat. In an instant Miriam had snatched the knife from his hand and slammed into Loreli, knocking the rogue over. Miriam stood over her, knife pointed at her throat. Her eyes blazed fury.

"You! You...! You lied to me!"

Loreli blinked and look back and forth between Miriam -- brandishing the weapon at her -- and Jaylen who was still laughing. "I..." she began, as her mind put the pieces together. Jaylen had played the game better than she had. He'd turned Miriam.

"She's quite the actress, isn't she? I dare say she could be almost as good as you." Jaylen chuckled.

Miriam was still trying to articulate her anger, “You tricked me! You used me! I would have never… ever… Tell me why I shouldn’t kill you?!”

Loreli softened her voice. She could easily disarm Miriam at any moment, the way she was holding that knife. However, that would not help Loreli’s cause. “You’re not a killer, Miriam. You don't want this on your conscience.”

“Like you?!” Miriam spat, “He told me all about you! All the innocent lives lost for your schemes! How can you live with yourself?!”

Loreli had to close her eyes against the force of Miriam’s words. She knew Jaylen had been feeding Miriam stories, making Loreli out to be the villain. Yet, the rogue remembered all of them; every face and every name. If she hadn’t known their names before they died, she’d gone back to learn them. Jaylen knew that, had mocked her for it, had tried to change her. Loreli shook her head.

“Did he also tell you that everything I did, I did on SI:7’s orders? Many of them from Shaw himself.”

“You’re lying!” She glanced over her shoulder at Jaylen, “She’s lying! Right?”

“Of course. Nothing she said to you was true before. Why now?” Jaylen asked.

“Miriam… what did he tell you his name was? Jasen? Janen? How about Jareth? Jaren? …Jaden?” she watched Miriam’s eyes widen slightly in recognition. “Aliases, all of them. His real name is Jaylen and I know you’re smart enough to put that together.”

Miriam’s eyes widened further, if possible. She began backing away from Loreli, turned, saw Jaylen behind her and squeaked, trying to get away from them both. Loreli saw Jaylen start to move, she was fast, but he had the distance advantage and she had to get up off the floor. He got to Miriam first. Before Loreli could blink, Jaylen had snatched the knife from Miriam’s hand and slit her throat.

[Loreli]

“No!” Loreli cried, in anguish.

Miriam crumpled to the floor in a lifeless heap. Jaylen had been executing people like this for years; Loreli entertained no notions of saving Miriam. She needed to focus on her own survival. Judging from the way Jaylen was looking at her, she needed to do it soon.

Loreli cut loose her tangled dagger, heedless of fabric or flesh in the way. She saw the opening and rushed him. He tossed the knife he'd used to kill Miriam aside. Drawing sword and dagger, he was quick enough to deflect her slash. He circled her, making a show of watching her move. He could tell she was worn or playing at it well. Even if she was, he knew her too well to relax around those blades. He needed to chip away at her more, turn the game to his advantage. He watched her struggle to reign in her temper so she could focus. This too, he could use against her, if he did it just right.

Loreli narrowed her eyes at him. She didn't like watching his mind work. She knew physically they could go round and round for hours and never gain any ground on either side. The stakes of the game were higher now as both sides knew the other's hand. The trick would be the order in which the cards were played. Much of that would be dictated by who made the first move.

Silently and with no change of expression, Jaylen closed the distance. Loreli held her defensive position, turning his blows, watching for an opening around the extra range his longer weapon afforded. Lack of sleep from the last couple of weeks was finally catching up to her. She knew Jaylen saw it. That was fine, she could play that up.

Loreli pressed back, her lower center of gravity bringing her in at an angle slightly underneath his. Jaylen wasn't fooled, deflecting easily, pressing back in a flurry of blows. He locked her daggers, stepping in close.

"You're tired." He stated.

"You're playing." She snarled.

He shrugged, "I've always enjoyed watching you fight. Admired the way you..." he paused, glancing down the plunging neckline of her dress, "...move."

Loreli didn't have to follow his eyes to know where he was looking, "I think you're watching the wrong curves!" She snapped. With that, she twisted to her left and drove her knee to the inside of his. It buckled under the blow as his body was drawn towards the floor. She twisted back the other way and brought her elbow straight up behind her making solid contact with his chin. Playing with her or not, he was seeing stars. Steel rang as blades slid free and Loreli immediately went for his throat.

Sensing the release of the weapons, Jaylen was already pulling back in a defensive maneuver. He managed to deflect her attack and throw his weight into the backwards fall. It was only enough to keep her dagger from splitting his throat. Instead it grazed the skin and blood welled from the cut. He hit a table placed in the center of the room, harder than he expected and almost reacted too slowly when Loreli refused to give away her upper-hand and moved to attack him while he was prone. He let her get just close enough before bringing his leg up and landing a kick to her stomach that knocked the breath from her.

Loreli staggered back, drawing in a long ragged breath. Jaylen was getting to his feet. Wiping away the blood at his neck, he looked at his hand and then returned his gaze to her. Loreli could not recall ever having seen Jaylen truly angry, irritated perhaps, but not angry. He went into battle with a deadly, efficient calm she had always envied. What she saw now made her pause, if only a moment and wonder just how out-matched she really was. Yet, could she turn this to her advantage?

"What's going to happen when Shaw finds out about your little money making scheme?" Loreli asked, setting her stance to take another advance.

"Seeing as he's not going to find out, I'm not terribly worried about it." He growled.

Loreli made a quick indicative nod in his direction, "Shame about your shirt. Blood stains and white never did go well together. Guess we'll just have to dye the whole thing red to match."

"That sounds an awful lot like a threat. Do you hate me that much?"

Loreli barked a laugh, "Oh, you have no idea." She went on the attack.

Back and forth they went, trading blows, trading wounds. Jaylen took to using whatever he could get his hands on to slow her down. She spun away and he grabbed the end of her skirt, dragging her back to him. He got a slash in on her arm before she cut the excess fabric away and put distance between them again. He gave chase and took two wounds to before he was able to gain the upper-hand again.

She was getting in too many shots, holding the offensive too long before he was able to take control of the situation back. He was going to tire before she did. He needed to do something, let her get close. He saw his opportunity as she advanced and took it.

Jaylen watched her dagger arc towards him, steeled himself and purposely feinted a hair too late. He didn't have to fake the colorful swearing that erupted as the blade buried in his side. It was an extremely risky move but he was out of tricks. He dropped to the floor and struggled to focus as she stalked towards him. He'd have to do this fast. Loreli was kneeling at his side now, ready to slit his throat, much the same way he'd done Miriam.

"Wait!" He gasped, hiding a smile as Loreli's hand stilled.

"Why?" She snarled the question.

"I... just want you to know... before you kill me." Just wait a few seconds more, honey. "That... I loved you."

Fury contorted her face, outrage at his audacity. "Nice try, asshole." But she'd hesitated too long. He grabbed her wrist in a grip so tight, she could feel the bones grinding together. His other hand planted a blade in her side, the same spot she'd wounded him, adding irony to the injury. She tried to finish him off, but his grip on her wrist wouldn't slacken.

Suddenly Loreli felt dizzy, tired, the edges of her vision began to turn dark. She realized too late, his blade had been poisoned and she had no antidote. The poison took only seconds to claim her consciousness and she slumped forward.

Jaylen spared a moment to stroke her hair, "I always warned you to quit being such a sucker, sweetheart."