Business as usual

[Anonymous]

Slipping in easily amongst servants, Kos made his way towards his usual haunt. The narrow corridor was out of the way and rarely used. Supposedly a large number of corridors lent a certain respectability to a building... In reality, it just meant that many went unattended and unused.

Well, mostly unused. As with all things, this corridor had found itself a purpose. Leaning back into an alcove, Kos glanced up and down the long hallway. If Tyroshaun had any jobs for him to do, this would be where the nobleman would meet him. If not, Kos would wander his way back out into the city of Arca proper and sleeze around for a few more days before checking back in.

This 'honest life' concept was a bit new to him and it was taking some adjustment. He appreciated the monetary benefits but... he hadn't entirely given up his less-than-respectable ways and habits.

However, so long as Tyroshaun had a job for him every once and a while, he felt like he was trying... At least, good enough for appearances, right?

So half hidden in the alcove's shadows, the dark haired man waited patiently.

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately for Kos, at the moment the young viscount was seated in the library happily ensconced in a book and glass of wineâ€"or in other words, exactly where he was any other day of the year.  And, because a certain devious, evil-minded demon child had failed to alert him to the presence of his employee, he was blissfully unaware that Kos was there and remained in his little realm of obscure philosophical arguments.  In other words, he was far from being able to rescue the poor man.

And he would need rescuing, something made abundantly clear when a light, almost inaudible footstep became audible in the hall-way.  True, Tyroshaun tended to walk eerily lightly for a man his sizeâ€"but he also never skipped.  Of course, this was mostly because the person coming down the hall was not Tyroshaun at all, but little Nadiaâ€"and she had decided that, since she was bored, Kos might as well entertain her.

So the little red-headed girl simply wandered on down the hall as if aimlessly, humming slightly to herself as she skipped along.  She very nearly passed Kos by altogether, making very sure to skid to a stop suddenly as if she hadn’t noticed him standing there before.  She turned her wide, chocolate brown eyes on him, with her usual air of complete innocence and didn’t reveal even a trace of her internal giggling.  â€œAre you looking for someone?â€? she asked in her lilting voice.  â€œAidan doesn’t know you, so it wouldn’t be himâ€"and Ceallie only talks to horses.  â€˜Vril would have told me, and no one else is home, so…â€? Her eyes widened a little.  â€œOoooh. Are you looking for Tyroshaun, then?â€?  As if she didn’t already know.  â€œWhat did you need him for?â€?  Oh yes, she was going to find some way to make sure he never, ever forgot who she was.  She snickered internally.

[Anonymous]

Kos waited and waited and waited. Perhaps Tyroshaun had no tasks for him to carry out. That meant more free time for Kos (something that he did appreciate) but for some reason, it was making him anxious. Kos was smart enough to know that the noble appreciated the sort of connections Kos could provide--and Kos was also smart enough tto appreciate the sort of connections and benefits that Tyroshaun could bring him.  It had been a long time without a task, though, and Kos was beginning to wonder if their deal was still valid.

So preoccupied with these very pressing concerns, Kos was completely taken a back by the sight of a young girl skipping past his alcove. She appeared to have passed by and Kos was tempted to let out a sigh of relief but, then, there she was again. The thief swore silently to himself.

Smiling at the little girl, the stocky man stepped out from the shadows of the alcove, trying to seem like he wasn't hiding... No, not at all.

The little girl spoke quickly. She had to, he figured, because she had a lot of siblings and cousins to sort through in order to identify his purpose.

And to his utter surprise, she did; Tyroshaun. Of course he had no intention of letting her know that, though. Instead, he shook his head, grinned lightly.

"Terribly sorry, love, but I fear that I am no where near important enough to meet with nobles of any mark," he added a little bow, giving a half-joking impression that even she, a little girl, was too much noble for him. "I was however, waiting for a very lovely lady--she's got darker hair and works as a servant around here. Know her?"

Please, let her get bored and run off on her little games. if Tyroshaun wasn't going to meet him, that he certainly had other people (of a less respectable breed) to meet with himself.

[Anonymous]

Nadia rolled her eyes at Kos.  Honestly, the man was thinking almost loudly enough for the deaf to hear.  â€œNonsenseâ€"even if that would have been any kind of help, there are too many dark-haired people around for that to be a good enough description.â€?  Her dictionâ€"despite her lilting brogue-like accentâ€"was far beyond her age level, entirely due to her tendency to overhear thoughts not meant for people far older than she was.  â€œBesides, the servants don’t have to meet people in back corridors like this one.  They meet in rooms where they can close the door and make sure no one interrupts them.â€?

With her overly-innocent tone, there really wasn’t much room for mistaking her implication, despite the fact that she was only eleven.  She smiled up at him brightly, very happy to have someone to bother, although he wouldn’t be nearly as much fun as the Connlaothans.  He had no reason to be scared of her, after all.  Maybe I can change that… hmm.  She bit her lip and tilted her head a little to the side, suppressing a giggle as she asked rather pertly, “D’you need him for something urgent?  Or d’you think you can hold off a little?â€?  She ran through possibilities in her mind.  The best would be to be present when the two men met, somehow…

Quickly adding as much brightness to her tone as she could, she added, “He’s alone in the library, if you really want him for something right now.â€?  Her expression remained innocent.

[Anonymous]

Well, Kos had left his supposed lover's description vague for a reason. But unfortunately, this little girl seemed a little sharper then he calculated. His brow furrowed slightly, a little uncomfortably, at her easy explaination with its plainitive implications. Someone's clearly been around too many adults..., he mused to himself. He would have been somewhat amused by it--an innocent little tyke of a noble girl speaking like that--but he had serious concerns at the moment. He did need to speak with Tyroshaun but not at the risk of having this girl tug him blatently around the estate, flashing around Tyroshaun and Kos's (until now) rather quite business relationship.

"No, as I said, I don't need to meet with Tyroshaun for anything. And since there isn't anything to be met about, it certainly can't be urgent," he dug his hands deep into his pockets, looking nonchalant and ready to leave, but paused for a moment, a sly grin tugging at the edge of his lips, "Does he often spend time in the library?" No wonder the man needed contacts like Kos. The majority of people Kos knew couldn't even read--including himself. Nobles...

[Anonymous]

Nadia was really enjoying herself.  She hadn’t had this much fun since nearly giving those Connlaothans a heart attack.  It was really too bad that the Glaustrians were all used to her insanity by now.  Hmm.  I really ought to remedy that complacency…  Tilting her head a little to one side and quickly considered her next comment.  Hitting upon something almost immediatelyâ€"inspired by the man’s question, she said rather impertinently, “No, he isn’t always in the library.â€?  Then, with a slight grin, she added, “Sometimes he’s in bed.â€?  The best way to deal with people, in her experience, was not to lieâ€"just pick and choose the truth delivered to the best advantage.

She also decided not to enlighten Kos to the fact that despite his tendency to hole himself up in the library, her brother wasn’t quite the absentminded, dreamy nobleman he tended to appear to be.  After all, there was no real point in telling the man that her brother had very nearly stolen complete control of the estate quite neatly from under her father’s noseâ€"essentially by forging Cináed’s signature and altering the way it was run, particularly with the local governments.  No, if Tyroshaun hadn’t mentioned it, he had to have a reason. And she wasn’t going to spoil his fun.  It was too amusing.  Besides, he would be able to think up some kind of revenge.  Checking her brother’s mind very quickly, she was surprised to find he actually had made a note to speak to Kos as soon as possible, and the look she gave the man turned a little thoughtful.

“He doesn’t exactly have a study of his own here,â€? she finally said. It wasn’t precisely true, but it was connected to his bedroom, so he tended not to use it as such.  â€œHe uses the library for that, more or less, for business and other important matters.  And reading, of course.â€?  There, she’d taken pity on the manâ€"mostly because her brother would thrash her if she didn’t.

[Anonymous]

Kos couldn't really believe that he was having this conversation with this young girl-child. Didn't she had things she'd rather be doing? Unfortunately, he felt the answer was probably no... Noble children just didn't know how to scamper about and behave like young scaps. Too bad really.

"Hm..." Kos hummed thoughtfully. He found it hard to believe that in this whole building there wasn't a room that Tyroshaun could claim as his own study but the ex-thief wasn't going to question that. If he wanted to base himself out of the library, so be it. "Nice of him to mention the shift of venue," he muttered, mostly to himself before nodding at the little girl, "You know the way to the library?"

[Anonymous]

Nadia rolled her eyes and wondered if there was some way to show this man that noble or not, children were children.  Honestly, it’s not as if she were somehow a different species just because her father had a title.  She corrected herself that rather her grandfather had had a title and her uncle had seen fit to die and pass it off to a rather reluctant Cináed.  So by all rights she shouldn’t even have been a duke’s daughter.  But she was, and frankly life was probably a good deal less boring for her and her brother, at least.

“No, Mister Bander.  I’ve lived here eleven years and don’t know where my big brother spends most of his time.â€?  There was enough sarcasm in her voice to build another wall around the castle withâ€"and considering how large it was, that was saying something.  She turned and started to flounce offâ€"in the direction of the library, and something in her manner (possibly the way she looked over her shoulder) indicated he was supposed to follow her.  â€œHe really did mean to talk to you, but something came up and he probably forgot it was today.  He does things like that.â€? She paused, and tilted her head to one side.  â€œEspecially if he’s playing chess.â€?  As he was. Against himself, naturally, again.  He needed a hobby. Or a wife.

[Anonymous]

Kos never had liked children. Nor had he ever really appreciated sarcasm. Thus, Nadia was quickly becoming marked as one of those people he'd take to avoiding from now on. He enjoyed the extra income from Tyroshaun's errands but he'd be glad to get back to the city soon enough. There, the children were urchins and brats--directly sharp, and not sarcastic. Those were the kind of twerps he liked to deal with. Otherwise it was... too refined of a conversation. It was like talking to another adult. And really, who wanted to spend time talking to adults, in an adultly manner, about proper and adultly things? No, Kos would take the ragged street urchins any time.

As she flounced off, he followed, hoping her glance had not implied that he should be walking in her style as well as her direction. As if ex-burglars ever flounced. "Absent minded, hm? That fits..." Kos mused out loud, taking long striding steps to keep up with her skip. "Its not far is it?"

Kos cast a glance about. For some reason, speaking to this little girl, he had more or less completely forgotten to be covert about his presence. Hm. Hopefully they wouldn't run into anyone who might be unnerved to find a stranger following along behind one of the Kaleaster brood.

[Anonymous]

Luckily enough for Kos, no one really paid too much attention to who Nadia had dragged with her anymore unless she was obviously causing or about to cause trouble.  She decided, after a moment, that she really ought to defend her brother.  â€œNot exactly, noâ€"he only gets like that if something’s distracted him. Usually he’s not too absent-minded.â€? Unless he’d had a little more wine than he really meant to, but that generally didn’t happen too often.

Rather cheerfully she added as she moved into one of the more well-used corridors, “Nope, the library is miles and miles from here.  You have to go around in a spiral through half the castle to get to the library at the heart of it.â€?  After a few minutes of trotting down a couple hallways and down a flight of stairs or two, she skidded to a halt.  â€œUnless, of course,â€? she added nonchalantly, “you just decide to cut through the spiral instead. Far less time consuming.â€?  She opened the door and stuck her head around cautiously.

She could slightly make out her brother’s form as he sat in his favourite chair staring pensively into the fire grating, even though it was summer and naturally there wasn’t a fire there (especially since her father wasn’t at home).  She gestured to Kos to wait a moment, knowing her brother didn’t much like being startled, and drifted over to him to hug him and settle in his lap.  A brief, half-mental sibling conference resulted in Tyroshaun laying his book aside on a clear spot on the chessboard by his chair and glancing over at the door.  â€œKos, I meant to talk to you,â€? he said with a slightly apologetic smile as he gestured the man in.  He was far more relaxed than usual, although whether it was the familiarity of the room or the quiet it afforded would be a point of dispute.

Nadia, meanwhile, had snuggled happily into her brother’s arms. She was going to eavesdrop anyway, so she might as well get a cuddle while she was at it.  Tyroshaun rolled his eyes slightly.  â€œWine?â€? he offered.

“Yes, please,â€? Nadia replied impertinently.  Tyroshaun ignored her.

[Anonymous]

Kos resisted the urge to shoot the little girl a dark look. It was not his good manners, however, that held him in check. Rather, he did not want the wrong person to note any misgivings he had for the sarcastic girl. Tyroshaun was not bad but... the sooner Kos was back in his usual company, the better. Perhaps he'd even see if he couldn't find his sister since he had been meaning to speak with her since her last letter...

Kos was mildly surprised at how close the library was. He'd never been by this way before and he marked the place with his mind. Slowly but surely--despite his reformed self--he'd piece together the entire floorplan of the building... Just in case. Having a mental map of rooms, corridors and (most importantly) exits was something that could always come in handy.

Waiting while Nadia made her entrance, Kos chanced glances to either side. He always seemed to be doing something of the sort and it probably contributed to his shady characterization. His dark hair and dark attire certainly did not do anything to soften his appearance. However when Tyroshaun gestured him in, Nadia cuddled down in his lap, Kos gave a twitch of a grin. Little sisters...

"That's alright, Nadia was kind enough to show me the way 'round," he replied with a curt nod, his eyes skimming the shelves that were absolutely stuffed with books. Nobles.

He also ignored Nadia, understanding that the offer was not for her, but for him. "Wine? Yes, that'd be nice." Kos would never turn down the offer of wine (or any spirit) and was not above helping himself, "you've your arms full, don't get up," the ex-thief motioned, already uncorking the bottle that rested on the table near Tyroshaun. He picked up a stray glass (it may have been dirty, it may not have been) and poured himself a generous glassful.

Taking a long gulp, his eyes darted meaningfully between Nadia and Tryoshaun, trying to understand if they were to conduct business in her presence.

[Anonymous]

Tyroshaun smiled very faintly at the way that Kos helped himself to the wine, and made a mental note to make sure there were always at least two spare glasses in the library.  It was sheer luck he’d had one today.  With most of the family gone, he was the only one who was both old enough and stayed in the library enough to drink, usually, but in retrospect being prepared was never a bad thing.

Nadia, meanwhile, had happily closed her eyes and for all appearances was settled down for a nice nap in her brother’s lap.  Not really, of courseâ€"she was actually wide awake.  But it might make Kos feel better if she looked like she was ignoring the conversation.  She’d find out about everything at some point anyway, assuming her brother didn’t decide to be stupid and shield her out.

Calmly ignoring Kos’s seeming trepidation about discussing business with Nadia in the room, Tyroshaun noted with some amusement the way he glanced around the room.  Had the man been anyone else, Tyroshaun would probably have considered getting the man at least partially literate for the sake of expediting a few business dealings.  With Kos, though… he rather decided this one time he could take advantage of a lack of education.  Somehow he wasn’t entirely willing to trust the man yet with knowing what the occasional letter contained.  He picked up his own wine glass and took a thoughtful sip, his other hand absently petting his little sister’s hair.  The signs were faint, but between the rather uncharacteristic growth of beard and slightly dark circles under his eyes, it was fairly clear he hadn’t been getting as much sleep as he was accustomed to.

Finally, as he stared into the dark liquid in his glass, he asked quietly, “I don’t suppose you’ve heard anything yet, where you are, about the arrival of the Connlaothan ambassador?â€?  Tyroshaun didn’t reveal that he already knew not only who she was and who was with her but some of the… interesting events that had occurred upon her arrival in Arca.  He wanted to know what Kos may have picked up from the underside of capital life.

[Anonymous]

Kos made short work of his wine while deciding what he wanted to discuss. Apparently Tyroshaun was not bothered by the little girl's presence but all the same, it usually paid to pick and choose wordings carefully.

"Know that they are here. Came by down this way, with a whole pack of guards--as if using human buffers might keep evil tendrils of mage magic away..." he played absently with the stem of his wine glass. "Although from words of the crowd, they wore plenty enough riches to require such a guard. I wouldn't be surprised if they did stir up more trouble. After all, causing an international crisis would be an accomplishment many would be proud to hold to their name."

It was true, thieves were thieves and if they could steal and liquidate, that was one thing... To cause trouble for others was just gravy. Delicious gravy. However, the certain way the ex-thief phrased his disclosure seemed to imply that he knew the Ambassador's party had already been the focus of some trouble. After all, "more trouble" usually meant that there was already trouble at hand... just not the worst kind. At least not yet.

"What rumors are your noble friends gossiping around?"

If no one was aware of the original offense, then Kos certainly wasn't going to be the first to mention it.

[Anonymous]

[Sorry for the crappiness--have to go grab the Grandly Lovable Sillyhead from the train station.  How that girl manages to get lost on a train with 'Nait in her head I'll never know...]

Unfortunately for Kos, Tyroshaun was rather quick on the uptake for a man who spent his life buried in books.  In this case, it was the way that Kos had phrased that as “more troubleâ€? that particularly caught his attention.  Of course, Tyroshaun already knew what had happenedâ€"the letter from his father had been rather detailed in its own special, irate sort of way.  Cináed hadn’t taken at all kindly to the ambassador, and the knowledge that she rather disliked his little darling hadn’t made him more disposed to like her.  Even if Nadia was a demon from hell.

Tyroshaun said rather tersely, “I don’t really know what the court rumours are.  My father tends to ignore them.â€?  For that matter, so did he, but he didn’t really need the court rumours to tell him what was going on.  For one thing, servants heard a lot, and for another Kos wasn’t the only person he kept in touch with.  He took another sip and sighed.  â€œFrankly, I don’t think they’re looking for an international incidentâ€"if that was what they wanted, they would have taken the opportunity that came before then.â€?  He looked rather wryly down at Nadia.

The little demon, on the other hand, had started poking at Kos to see if he knew any more than her brother did, and her eyes suddenly snapped open as she sat up to stare at him.  With a delighted squeal, she all but leaped out of her brother’s arms to hug him.  â€œYour sister is absolutely amazing,â€? she gushed.  â€œIf she wants to help me take over the world, she’s welcome to join.â€?  Kos, you have been officially adopted.

Tyroshaun looked sharply at Nadia.  â€œSister?â€?  He leaned forward.  â€œKos, what do you know about what happened.  Facts, all of themâ€"don’t bother about Nadia, she always finds out everything in the end as it is.â€?  Or, as the case may be, even before he did.

[Anonymous]

Kos crooked a brow at Tyronshaun's rather curt dismissal of courtly rumors. Rumors--while they may be far from the truth--were valuable. They illuminated intentions and opinions and, regarding the ease with which they spread, could accurately be used to measure out the stance of a people. However, if the Kaleasters disliked dealings with rumors, Kos wouldn't push it. Maybe they had yet to learn the truth of the proverb that any information--even misinformation--can be important. In the underbelly of civilized life, truth and deception were often both part of any piece of information. Having all of the information was what really paid off.

Nadia's squeal more than surprised Kos. He took a half step back, eyes wide and hands up and away from the little girl as she flew at him to deliver an estactic hug, babbling about his sister. His sister? Kos pryed himself free from her, one hand now digging through his pocket for Brece's letter. In her last correspondence, she had been excited--proud even--but also very cryptic. The way she always was after a particularly good heist. So then his inclination to believe that his sister was behind the theft of the ambassador's ring was right. Of course. Only Brece would do something like that. Later, he would be proud but right now? No, this was a matter to be handled delicately.

"I'm not sure what she's on about..." Kos started, motioning to Nadia, "My sister is, in my opinion, amazing, but I am not sure if they've ever meet..." he explained cautiously, eyeing Nadia as if she deserved to be eyed warily. "I do know, however, that the Ambassador had a family ring stolen in a rather... personal and intimate fashion," he paused briefly, "Supposedly from a Kaleaster. Brinn Kaleaster".