Dantes walked the streets of Uptown carefully, which actually meant boldly strutting like a peacock. He wanted it to appear as if he belonged to avoid the suspicion of the increased guard presence there. The murders had slowed down considerably, but when the usually untouchable nobility started to fall to blades in the night, they tended to take it very hard for a long time. He didn’t relish traveling to Uptown himself, but felt he was the best person for this particular job. Jayk was solid, but his ability with people was limited. Jayson on the other hand had that ability in spades, but not the intelligence to leverage it well. Zak… well if he needed someone beaten, Zak was always a fine choice.

While he was there, there was going to be a raid on a number of his operations throughout midtown and the docks by Pacha and his men. Dantes had known of their plans for weeks through the monitoring he’d been doing and so had already had all the valuables moved and the men warned. It wasn’t something that required a lot of attention for him.

Jacopo sat in his jacket, watching the street with him through a small hole

“These people walk very oddly.”

“Yeah, they aren’t weighed down by quite as much as the people in Midtown.”

“Not just that. They are fearful, and cast glances at one another as if they’re dangerous, but they don’t maintain those glances. They don’t watch darkened alleys or look down either.”

Dantes chuckled a bit. “Even a murderer on the loose won’t make them stop certain courtesies. It’s impolite for them to stare, especially if that stare implies fear of one another. Not looking down or checking alleys though? That’s just because they’re not used to having to. They simply haven’t really considered it.”

“Stupid.”

“In some ways? Absolutely, but their knowledge of how they are supposed to act with one another is a very powerful tool. Something that’s taught to them without which they can’t thrive here in Uptown. For them knowing not to stare might be as valuable as knowing to keep your hands in your pockets on Flea street is for us.”

“Like city rats and pit rats.”

“Yeah. Different places. Different priorities. Different threats. We’re all just adapting to them.”

They walked together a bit longer before reaching their destination, a small building out of which wafted the scent of coffee and tea. It had a small garden in front of it, and a hairless cat sleeping in the window. There was a sign above the front door with the words, “Morning Dew,” written across it in a spidery script.

He walked inside and saw his target. She was sitting at a small table in the furthest corner from the counter. She was a human with blonde hair that still had some orange at its tips, and she wore a stylish blouse and trousers, though he could tell the materials were sub-par. She was pretty, but a little plain, with only a mean turn to her eyes which Dantes actually found the most attractive thing about her.

He sat across from her, and held up a finger to the gnomish woman at the counter, pointing at the woman’s coffee. The gnome nodded at him, and he turned his attention to the girl across the table.

“So, Desha, I hear that you want to be a magister?”

Desha fixed him with a hard stare. She wasn’t stupid. She had to know that he’d manipulated her into requesting this meeting. He’d started moving things in this direction shortly after she lost her job working for Danglars. It wasn’t hard. She wanted to be a magister. She had the skills, the background, the blood, but not the money. Dantes just had to put the right people in the right place to put the idea of going a less than legal route to get it into her mind.

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“Dantes. You know my boss said your name quite often. He always sounded either afraid, or contemptuous.”

The small hairless cat leapt into Dantes’s lap and he gave it a thorough rub behind its ears.

“Well, that makes sense. We had a bit of a complicated relationship. That’s why I killed him.”

Desha swallowed, but kept her expression neutral. She’d clearly practiced that.

“No thank you? I am very aware of what you and your fellow secretaries went through working for him.”

The gnomish woman gently placed a small cup in front of Dantes.

“Brain almost never warms up to people like that,” she said, looking at the cat in his lap.

Dantes smiled at her. “I spilled some fish soup on my trousers earlier. She probably just smells that.” He slid the woman two copper.

She smiled and went back behind the counter.

Desha watched the exchange silently. “Is it true you can control animals?”

“It's best if you assume that every story you’ve ever heard about me is true. It’ll save both of us some time.” He scratched Brain under the chin a bit, at his request. “So, I’ll ask again. You want to be a magister?”

This time she nodded. “Yes.”

“And in order to do that, you need to be able to pay the fees, the bribes, and,” he looked her up and down, “A new wardrobe to better fit in.”

“Just the first two, thank you.”

“Sorry, I should know better than to judge a stylish young Uptown woman’s clothes.” He took a sip of his coffee. It was strong and bitter. “I can get you the gold you need.”

“And what will I need to do for you in return?”

“Nothing right away. There will come a time though when I need favors from you. I may need you to help a particular man purchase land available only to nobility. Or need you to vote a certain way in a committee for me. Small things for the most part. It’s likely you’ll go months or even years without hearing from me.”

She grimaced a bit. “But you’ll own me.”

Dantes nodded. “I will, but I can promise you there are far worse masters out there than myself. Think about the magisters you know. Are any of them without owners? Are any of them completely free from outside influence? I’m a more generous owner than them, and I’m a jealous one too. As long as we work together, I will do what I can to make sure I’m the only one you work for aside from yourself.”

Desha took a long sip of her own coffee and looked out the window, thinking.

Dantes wasn’t concerned about it. Her decision had already been made when she’d requested the meet. Of course, she hadn’t expected him to meet her there himself, but he imagined that probably strengthened his hand even further. He started to check on his operations while she sat in her silent deliberation. Things at the club were going smoothly, Sevryn was singing a high energy song about the one that got away to the accompaniment of a lute. Wane and Felix were both recovering, and were well enough that they’d requested separate rooms. Jayk was… yelling.

Dantes quickly moved his attention from the club to his operations. He saw one of his stash houses being torn into by the guard. Two of his dealers were being busted in a tavern on the south end of the docks. A Frasheid ship that had come in with a shipment of dust and guns was being thoroughly searched. Even a kobold at the gate was being arrested with a hollow saddle filled with untaxed weed.

Dantes gritted his teeth as he looked across all of it. His men were being arrested, his goods seized, and his gold taken. Pacha and his men hadn’t hit any of the targets Dantes had thought they would. Instead they’d hit some of his most profitable ventures, and done so in a well coordinated strike that no one had anticipated.

How had they gotten around him? Dantes considered all that he’d seen as he’d watched them through the eyes of vermin. They spoke openly about their operations. He’d been able to read documents and track conversations between them easily. Had they passed notes in some way he couldn’t have seen? There were very few places that were outside of what he could see, but if he was focused on the obvious, if he’d underestimated them and overestimated himself...

He inhaled deeply, and steadied himself. This was the first time he’d taken any real losses since he’d gained control of Midtown. The perception of invulnerability he’d cultivated was now threatened. He’d need to act quickly to make sure it didn’t stand.

He took a long sip of his coffee.

Desha looked at him. “I accept your proposition. You get me the money, and I’m yours.”

Dantes nodded at her, and gently removed Brain from his lap. He took a single gold coin and placed it on the table as he stood.

“Several parcels will make their way to you shortly, as will a contact through which we will talk. Keep your eyes open.”

He looked her in the eyes. “I look forward to seeing how well you do, Lady Magister.”

He left the building and made his way quickly and calmly to the nearest alleyway.