Cass’s POV

As I walked towards the held-open door, I could hear Phillip talking with another person. If growing up in the lower quarter had taught me nothing else, it was that the ability to read the people in a room would multiply your chances of not getting robbed, or worse. Working for Phillip for as long as I had only reinforced that impression.

Entering just after, “I think you’ll like her,” left Phillip’s mouth, I took a moment to look at his companion. Tall, dark black hair, a well-shaped face. I suppose many people might call him handsome. He looked rather scrawny to me, though, and he lacked the tense posture that one would associate with someone who lived in the lower quarter and had to deal with its dangers on a daily basis.

“Cassandra!” Phillip said. “So kind of you to join us. This is the person you’ll be working with on the upcoming job, Ren.” Oh, joy, I thought. I had never liked working with other people on jobs. More chance for one of them to fuck it up then to help me. The name Ren did ring a bell,  though. “I picked Ren up almost eight years ago after he caused some trouble for my business.” His companion snorted at that.

“On the upside,” Phillip continued, “He had a wonderful acting ability when I picked him up. A few years of working under me refined that into a very fine con-artist with passable skills in sneaking and lock picking.”

Ren chimed in at that point, saying “I’d like to think that my thieving skills are more than passable! Besides, you haven’t seen me work in nearly six years! How would you know they haven’t improved?”  

“Because,” replied Phillip, “you always relied on that silver tongue of yours to avoid situations where you’d actually need to do anything more difficult than any decent thief in my organization could handle. I doubt you’ve changed that much now that you’re on your own.”

Tuning out their conversation for the moment, I took my time trying to recall what exactly Ren had done for Phillip. If I was remembering correctly, I’d heard stories about some of his jobs when I had first started working for Phillip. He’d stolen some rare jewelry from the wife of one of the academy heads by sneaking into a ball, taking the wife and a maid to bed, and then sneaking out with the jewels early in the morning, if one were to believe the rumors. I hadn’t believed the rumors then, and my first impression of him hadn’t done anything to make me think otherwise.

I noticed that they had stopped shooting jabs back and forth, so I took that moment to cut off their banter, asking, “Why exactly am I here, Phillip? You know I work best alone.”

“Patience, Cassandra. Please, take a seat, and I’ll explain what I have in mind to both of you.”

Not one to refuse a ‘request’ from Phillip, I took a seat beside Ren and waited.

Ren’s POV

The entrance of my soon-to-be colleague brightened my mood somewhat. I had always hated long conversations with Phillip, and today was no different. I’d put up a mask and banter with him like old friends, but that wasn’t what I wanted to be doing. I’d seen what this man could do, what he would order others to do, and I knew the way he was behaving now was just like what I used on my jobs – a persona. Though, I’d argue this one had less in common with the man’s true nature than most of my personas had with mine.

Ever since I began to work for Phillip, however, I had learned how to truly appreciate beauty wherever it might be found, and Cassandra fit the bill quite well. Shorter than I was, maybe 5’6”, she boasted shoulder-length red hair and piercing green eyes. A rare combination anywhere near Leyden, it’s possible one of her parents could’ve come from one of the countries near the northern border. I had heard red hair was more common there. Her movements were lithe, but they held a wariness that one would associate with someone that had spent too much time living in the lower quarter.

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If I had one complaint, it was that this analysis was limited solely to her face. Her clothing revealed little about her form. Dark leather, seemingly made more to provide protection from a stray dagger or assist with blending into a dark area than to make a fashion statement, suggested a concern with utility common to many that worked for Phillip. In fact, if not for her hair and eye color, she would blend in quite well with Phillip’s other hired thieves, that is if they had any reason to come together in one place. I would have to wait for Phillip to explain why she was here, then.

Phillip, as it happened, did not disappoint. After she had taken a seat, he began by saying, “Cassandra has been working for me for a number of years. I suppose she began a little after you left the city, Ren.” Casting her a quick glance, he continued, “Unlike you, she was born and raised in the lower quarter. Because of that, she learned from an early age how to avoid notice and take what she needed. Her work for me has only refined that talent. She’s one of my best thieves.”

Seeing that neither of us had anything to say, he went on, “Now, as you may have noticed, the one point she lacks is people skills. She grew up rough, so it’s only natural, but she’s not the type of person I can hope to blend in at a party of nobles.”

At that, I cut in by saying, “So, that means this job does have something to do with the nobles that have moved in over the past few years?”

“Yes,” Phillip replied. “Have you had a chance to see the upper quarter since you’ve returned?” Shaking my head in the negative, he continued, “Then you haven’t seen where the nobles are located now. Duke Leyden’s residence was always there, but few people doubt that his ‘temporary’ ascension as regent will remain temporary. The old king had few friends after all. That’s meant a growth in the number of nobles’ villas, wealth, and security in the area.”

Cassandra interrupted him then, saying “If all you want is to rob a noble, I can just break in and take whatever you want. No need for help from a con-artist.”

I could tell that this partnership was going to be difficult. But, before I could reply, Phillip responded and said, “Normally, you would be right. The item I’m interested in, however, is an artifact that the Lady Adyllan recently acquired. She’s an avid collector of Cesian relics. Several buyers had put out word of their interest in the item, and I intend to provide it.”

“Cesian relics? I had heard that there were some excavations going on further south, past Revlon. Lady Adyllan was involved in those, then?” I asked Phillip.

He responded, “From what I have found, yes. Regardless, Lady Adyllan has always been known for her rather eccentric pursuits and her avid protection of the things she acquires. Compared to most nobles, she spends much more on paying for security on her estate. That is why I feel it is necessary to have Ren assist after gaining some amount of trust from the Lady.”

“How? If she is as paranoid as you say, I’m not sure how I could easily gain any access or trust, unless you can fabricate a noble identity for me.” Looking at Phillip’s smug smile, I could only stare as he replied.

“How very insightful, Ren. Indeed, you’d need some concrete identity to gain any amount of access to noble functions, and I’ve secured just that. In the time you’ve been away, I’ve started operating a few money lending services for those that have issues receiving credit through normal means.” Showing the glare in his eye I had come to associate with his true, sadistic, nature, he continued. “One unfortunate fellow who has failed to pay me back in full happens to be a minor noble with some very … unsavory… sexual practices. If these, as well as his current debt levels, were to become known, it would destroy his family’s reputation and make it very likely for him to lose his titles to another family. As such, I will prevail on him to fabricate an identity for you as a distant cousin. He will ensure that this stands up to any cursory investigation, and I will forgive his debts to me.”

Cassandra followed up this question by asking, “Then where do I come in?”

Phillip, in reply, said “I believe that Ren’s work will take several months to come to fruition. During that time Cassandra, you will, for the most part, continue with your normal work for me. Once he gains the trust of Lady Adyllan, he will assist you in infiltrating her estate and retrieving the artifact. However, I want the two of you to become more familiar with one another in the meantime as you’ll be relying on each other once your work begins.” Looking at me, he added, “I also suggest you prevail upon the information I have here and become familiar with the current trends and relationships between the noble families. Passing you off as a cousin from the countryside will only do so much to excuse any failings. Besides, I doubt you would have much success wooing any noble daughters if you appear a buffoon.”

Not deigning to give that a response, I continued to stare back at Phillip until he continued. “Ren, I will get you more information on your identity later in the week. For now, I’ll leave you to alone to talk. May this be a long and productive partnership.”  

As he left the room, and awkward silence settled between myself and Cassandra. Seeking to break the mood, I flashed a smile and asked, “So, can I call you Cass?”

“NO!”