Syrene walked through the rain, garbed in a black overcoat as to not draw any attention. An acquaintance had told her about a man with deep pockets and a myriad of enemies. The perfect person for her to work for. As the talk of war spread, business was slowing down and as the state-organized military assembled and people became united under the same cause, there was less of a demand for killing rivals. Of course, in a business like hers, one gets accustomed to highs and lows in business and hopefully this potential client would change her fortunes.
Absorbed in her thoughts, she walked up to the gates of a large, luxurious mansion and rapped it sharply with the hilt of her rapier. Moments later, the oaken gates swung open. A butler came forward to greet her. Stepping into an elaborately decorated great hall, she said, "I need to speak with your master" She paused slightly before continuing, "On matters of mutual interests."
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Whenever anyone wants others to do their work they call upon their Altruism.
'Never mind your own needs,' they say, 'Think of the needs of... of whoever. Of the state. Of the poor. Of the Army, of the King. Of God.'
The list goes on and on. How many catastrophes were launched with the words 'Think of yourself?'
It's the king and country crowd who light the torch of destruction.
The butler nodded, as he indicated a small velvet-covered bench, "if you would kindly remove all weapons you're carrying, my master would be grateful. These days are rather... uncertain and he wishes me to take any extra precautions I think are necessary. May I also ask you to remove your overcoat and give me your name?"
In a carefully neutral voice, Syrene said, "Yes, these are uncertain days, which is why I would rather not go unarmed." As she spoke, her eyes darted around the room, taking in her surroundings. Perhaps the man's reputation for wealth is well deserved. "You can have my cloak but my name is of no concern to you," she continued. "I believe that I can provide services in which you master may be interested in."
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Whenever anyone wants others to do their work they call upon their Altruism.
'Never mind your own needs,' they say, 'Think of the needs of... of whoever. Of the state. Of the poor. Of the Army, of the King. Of God.'
The list goes on and on. How many catastrophes were launched with the words 'Think of yourself?'
It's the king and country crowd who light the torch of destruction.
"So can many people, but I assure you that you must forgo your own personal preferences if you are to be welcomed into this mansion. After all, you are our guest. Now please," he implored, "do place your weapons on the bench."
She weighed the risks and came to a decision. Syrene gave a thin smile, "Then perhaps I should leave. People who live by the sword yet leave their weapons behind generally do not have a long life expectancy. It is a rule that has kept me alive more than once." With that, she turned and stepped towards the door.
OOC: Sorry, dinner just now.
Private Mod Note
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Whenever anyone wants others to do their work they call upon their Altruism.
'Never mind your own needs,' they say, 'Think of the needs of... of whoever. Of the state. Of the poor. Of the Army, of the King. Of God.'
The list goes on and on. How many catastrophes were launched with the words 'Think of yourself?'
It's the king and country crowd who light the torch of destruction.
The butler made no effort to stop her, snickering slightly as it was truly her loss that she would be giving up a big chance in a faltering 'business'.
Inwardly, Syrene sighed to herself. It was a shame really. Still, staying alive is always the first priority. She recalled once when she was halfway through making a deal. A few of her competitors who had been doing less well than her had tried to assassinate her. She barely make it out alive. Well, there's plenty of fish in the ocean, even though their numbers are dwindling. Perhaps she would have better luck next time.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Whenever anyone wants others to do their work they call upon their Altruism.
'Never mind your own needs,' they say, 'Think of the needs of... of whoever. Of the state. Of the poor. Of the Army, of the King. Of God.'
The list goes on and on. How many catastrophes were launched with the words 'Think of yourself?'
It's the king and country crowd who light the torch of destruction.
She exited the doors, slightly disappointed but confident in her decision. Syrene walked down the street, noticing several men making no effort to conceal the fact that they were gawking at her, despite her modest attire in her cloak.
She gave the group a cold, hard stare. Such men were usually not difficult to deal with but they can prove to be annoying. Her right hand carefully move to the hilt of her rapier, ready to draw it at a moments notice. She walked on, but carefully watched them from the corner of her eye.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Whenever anyone wants others to do their work they call upon their Altruism.
'Never mind your own needs,' they say, 'Think of the needs of... of whoever. Of the state. Of the poor. Of the Army, of the King. Of God.'
The list goes on and on. How many catastrophes were launched with the words 'Think of yourself?'
It's the king and country crowd who light the torch of destruction.
As she looked at the men, another one walked up to her and tapped her shoulder. She whirled around, hand ready draw her rapier at any given moment to see a man who she could, in fact, see barely at all. His hood was drawn and all she could see was a faint outline of his face and a short, patchy beard. He spoke, "hello Syrene. May I have a word?"
Though she gave no outward sign of it, she was utterly stunned that man would know her real name. After all, she went by many names, and she seldom left her real one. Her fingers twitched inside her cloak and she took a step back from the stranger. Out of the corner of the eye, she continued to watch the men. There is no such thing as being too careful in her business. Raising an eye brow, she said cooly, "Hello, and who might you be?"
Private Mod Note
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Whenever anyone wants others to do their work they call upon their Altruism.
'Never mind your own needs,' they say, 'Think of the needs of... of whoever. Of the state. Of the poor. Of the Army, of the King. Of God.'
The list goes on and on. How many catastrophes were launched with the words 'Think of yourself?'
It's the king and country crowd who light the torch of destruction.
"Someone who had been watching you closely and someone who also knows how dangerous it can be telling an assassin your name." He took her free hand and kissed it politely, "for now you can call me Umbra."
"I see what you mean. Well Umbra, I must say I am certainly interested in whatever you may wish to say." Her right hand relaxed but stayed on the hilt of her rapier, shaking her head slightly. If this strange man has been watching her, then she should have notice. All she could do now is to just go along.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Whenever anyone wants others to do their work they call upon their Altruism.
'Never mind your own needs,' they say, 'Think of the needs of... of whoever. Of the state. Of the poor. Of the Army, of the King. Of God.'
The list goes on and on. How many catastrophes were launched with the words 'Think of yourself?'
It's the king and country crowd who light the torch of destruction.
"Do you think we could take our conversation somewhere a little bit more private?" he asked, not that she had much of a choice in the matter, as he walked back in the direction of the mansion.
Slightly surprised, Syrene hesitated slightly before following. She reminded herself that whatever he would want to say probably would not be fit for the ears of others.
Private Mod Note
():
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Whenever anyone wants others to do their work they call upon their Altruism.
'Never mind your own needs,' they say, 'Think of the needs of... of whoever. Of the state. Of the poor. Of the Army, of the King. Of God.'
The list goes on and on. How many catastrophes were launched with the words 'Think of yourself?'
It's the king and country crowd who light the torch of destruction.
Umbra walked up the steps of the mansion, opening the door for Syrene and allowing her to enter first. The same butler was there, ready to scold the girl before the mysterious man waved his hand and the butler backed down.
Umbra proceeded unhindered into the mansion, walking up a long staircase and looking back every so often to gauge Syrene's emotions.
Syrene rolled her eyes. She should have guessed. The beginnings of a smile were starting to form in the corner of her mouth as she began to appreciate the irony of the situation. Looking around, she tried to take in her environment and evaluate her situation.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Whenever anyone wants others to do their work they call upon their Altruism.
'Never mind your own needs,' they say, 'Think of the needs of... of whoever. Of the state. Of the poor. Of the Army, of the King. Of God.'
The list goes on and on. How many catastrophes were launched with the words 'Think of yourself?'
It's the king and country crowd who light the torch of destruction.
Umbra led her into a room that was small but richly decorated. The walls were a deep red with golden sconces lining the walls as well as golden moulding around the ceiling. In the centre of the room there were two chairs placed closely together. Umbra motioned, "please, have a seat."
Syrene was immediately struck by the lavish display of wealth. She quickly collected herself. After all, she's seen all this before, albeit in the dwellings of other, more affluent people. Deep in her heart, she knew that chances are she would never live such a comfortable life.
She frowned slightly at the proximity of the chairs. Walking up to one of the chairs, she pulled it aside slightly and before sitting down.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Whenever anyone wants others to do their work they call upon their Altruism.
'Never mind your own needs,' they say, 'Think of the needs of... of whoever. Of the state. Of the poor. Of the Army, of the King. Of God.'
The list goes on and on. How many catastrophes were launched with the words 'Think of yourself?'
It's the king and country crowd who light the torch of destruction.
Umbra sat on the other one, pulling back his hood for the first time to reveal a handsome man, probably a couple of years older than Syrene. He had dark green eyes and mid-length wavy black hair. Syrene studied him, noticing a scar that crossed over his mouth on the corner of the left side. At first glance, he was a good looking man but as she studied him further, she couldn't help but feel that he emanated a coolness that was slightly eerie.
"So why did you come here to begin with, Syrene?"
Raising one of her eyebrows slightly, she replied, "I would have thought that you would know. After all, my name is something that I keep to myself. My career choice isn't. Since you have found out the former, my intentions shouldn't be much of a mystery to you."
With that, she glanced around the room. Perhaps the it might yield some clue to the character of the enigmatic man before her.
Whenever anyone wants others to do their work they call upon their Altruism.
'Never mind your own needs,' they say, 'Think of the needs of... of whoever. Of the state. Of the poor. Of the Army, of the King. Of God.'
The list goes on and on. How many catastrophes were launched with the words 'Think of yourself?'
It's the king and country crowd who light the torch of destruction.
All signs pointed to one thing; status. The room was filled with extravagant decoration that showcased his affluence as well as statues of famous assassin's guild leaders. He leaned forward, not far from her at all given the proximity of the chairs, "I suppose I was only asking out of politeness. I'll be honest with you, you're very impressive. However, I have to do a... test... before I can trust you completely."
Syrene smiled wryly to herself. At least the man is smart enough not to trust just anyone. Still, he's not likely to have come to where he is now by being a fool. This is starting to get really interesting. "Right. And what might this... 'test' of which you speak be?"
Whenever anyone wants others to do their work they call upon their Altruism.
'Never mind your own needs,' they say, 'Think of the needs of... of whoever. Of the state. Of the poor. Of the Army, of the King. Of God.'
The list goes on and on. How many catastrophes were launched with the words 'Think of yourself?'
It's the king and country crowd who light the torch of destruction.
"It's one that determines if you're born with the blood of an assassin. The true mark of legends." He stood up in front of her, "please stand and take off your robe."
[Left Play Designs][Coffeehouse][DeviantArt]
Winner MTGS Weekly Sig/Banner Contest
Weeks: 37/85/87/94/135/159/160/226
Whenever anyone wants others to do their work they call upon their Altruism.
'Never mind your own needs,' they say, 'Think of the needs of... of whoever. Of the state. Of the poor. Of the Army, of the King. Of God.'
The list goes on and on. How many catastrophes were launched with the words 'Think of yourself?'
It's the king and country crowd who light the torch of destruction.
[Left Play Designs][Coffeehouse][DeviantArt]
Winner MTGS Weekly Sig/Banner Contest
Weeks: 37/85/87/94/135/159/160/226
Whenever anyone wants others to do their work they call upon their Altruism.
'Never mind your own needs,' they say, 'Think of the needs of... of whoever. Of the state. Of the poor. Of the Army, of the King. Of God.'
The list goes on and on. How many catastrophes were launched with the words 'Think of yourself?'
It's the king and country crowd who light the torch of destruction.
[Left Play Designs][Coffeehouse][DeviantArt]
Winner MTGS Weekly Sig/Banner Contest
Weeks: 37/85/87/94/135/159/160/226
OOC: Sorry, dinner just now.
Whenever anyone wants others to do their work they call upon their Altruism.
'Never mind your own needs,' they say, 'Think of the needs of... of whoever. Of the state. Of the poor. Of the Army, of the King. Of God.'
The list goes on and on. How many catastrophes were launched with the words 'Think of yourself?'
It's the king and country crowd who light the torch of destruction.
[Left Play Designs][Coffeehouse][DeviantArt]
Winner MTGS Weekly Sig/Banner Contest
Weeks: 37/85/87/94/135/159/160/226
Whenever anyone wants others to do their work they call upon their Altruism.
'Never mind your own needs,' they say, 'Think of the needs of... of whoever. Of the state. Of the poor. Of the Army, of the King. Of God.'
The list goes on and on. How many catastrophes were launched with the words 'Think of yourself?'
It's the king and country crowd who light the torch of destruction.
[Left Play Designs][Coffeehouse][DeviantArt]
Winner MTGS Weekly Sig/Banner Contest
Weeks: 37/85/87/94/135/159/160/226
Whenever anyone wants others to do their work they call upon their Altruism.
'Never mind your own needs,' they say, 'Think of the needs of... of whoever. Of the state. Of the poor. Of the Army, of the King. Of God.'
The list goes on and on. How many catastrophes were launched with the words 'Think of yourself?'
It's the king and country crowd who light the torch of destruction.
[Left Play Designs][Coffeehouse][DeviantArt]
Winner MTGS Weekly Sig/Banner Contest
Weeks: 37/85/87/94/135/159/160/226
Whenever anyone wants others to do their work they call upon their Altruism.
'Never mind your own needs,' they say, 'Think of the needs of... of whoever. Of the state. Of the poor. Of the Army, of the King. Of God.'
The list goes on and on. How many catastrophes were launched with the words 'Think of yourself?'
It's the king and country crowd who light the torch of destruction.
[Left Play Designs][Coffeehouse][DeviantArt]
Winner MTGS Weekly Sig/Banner Contest
Weeks: 37/85/87/94/135/159/160/226
Whenever anyone wants others to do their work they call upon their Altruism.
'Never mind your own needs,' they say, 'Think of the needs of... of whoever. Of the state. Of the poor. Of the Army, of the King. Of God.'
The list goes on and on. How many catastrophes were launched with the words 'Think of yourself?'
It's the king and country crowd who light the torch of destruction.
[Left Play Designs][Coffeehouse][DeviantArt]
Winner MTGS Weekly Sig/Banner Contest
Weeks: 37/85/87/94/135/159/160/226
Whenever anyone wants others to do their work they call upon their Altruism.
'Never mind your own needs,' they say, 'Think of the needs of... of whoever. Of the state. Of the poor. Of the Army, of the King. Of God.'
The list goes on and on. How many catastrophes were launched with the words 'Think of yourself?'
It's the king and country crowd who light the torch of destruction.
Umbra proceeded unhindered into the mansion, walking up a long staircase and looking back every so often to gauge Syrene's emotions.
[Left Play Designs][Coffeehouse][DeviantArt]
Winner MTGS Weekly Sig/Banner Contest
Weeks: 37/85/87/94/135/159/160/226
Whenever anyone wants others to do their work they call upon their Altruism.
'Never mind your own needs,' they say, 'Think of the needs of... of whoever. Of the state. Of the poor. Of the Army, of the King. Of God.'
The list goes on and on. How many catastrophes were launched with the words 'Think of yourself?'
It's the king and country crowd who light the torch of destruction.
[Left Play Designs][Coffeehouse][DeviantArt]
Winner MTGS Weekly Sig/Banner Contest
Weeks: 37/85/87/94/135/159/160/226
She frowned slightly at the proximity of the chairs. Walking up to one of the chairs, she pulled it aside slightly and before sitting down.
Whenever anyone wants others to do their work they call upon their Altruism.
'Never mind your own needs,' they say, 'Think of the needs of... of whoever. Of the state. Of the poor. Of the Army, of the King. Of God.'
The list goes on and on. How many catastrophes were launched with the words 'Think of yourself?'
It's the king and country crowd who light the torch of destruction.
"So why did you come here to begin with, Syrene?"
[Left Play Designs][Coffeehouse][DeviantArt]
Winner MTGS Weekly Sig/Banner Contest
Weeks: 37/85/87/94/135/159/160/226
With that, she glanced around the room. Perhaps the it might yield some clue to the character of the enigmatic man before her.
Whenever anyone wants others to do their work they call upon their Altruism.
'Never mind your own needs,' they say, 'Think of the needs of... of whoever. Of the state. Of the poor. Of the Army, of the King. Of God.'
The list goes on and on. How many catastrophes were launched with the words 'Think of yourself?'
It's the king and country crowd who light the torch of destruction.
[Left Play Designs][Coffeehouse][DeviantArt]
Winner MTGS Weekly Sig/Banner Contest
Weeks: 37/85/87/94/135/159/160/226
Whenever anyone wants others to do their work they call upon their Altruism.
'Never mind your own needs,' they say, 'Think of the needs of... of whoever. Of the state. Of the poor. Of the Army, of the King. Of God.'
The list goes on and on. How many catastrophes were launched with the words 'Think of yourself?'
It's the king and country crowd who light the torch of destruction.
[Left Play Designs][Coffeehouse][DeviantArt]
Winner MTGS Weekly Sig/Banner Contest
Weeks: 37/85/87/94/135/159/160/226