Relief washed over Aven at Ji's announcement of the Akshi’s death. They wouldn't have to chase down another one of its hosts with no plan. That was good, but that didn't mean they had cleared the storm yet. "Close the windows and the trapdoor, but keep your ears open. I need to know if anyone is coming after us," he said to Ji, turning his attention back to the former host.

"Hello, Avari," he said, trying to keep his voice as calm as possible, but his pounding heart didn't help much. "We need to talk. Take some deep breaths"

Avari's eyes, which had been filled with the Akshi's rage only a few moments ago, were now wide with terror. Aven was holding his hand over her mouth, and she was forced to take short, sharp breaths through her nose, as she was held firmly in place by Kotack's body.

"We don't want to hurt you," Aven said slowly when she failed to calm down. He reached into his pouch and pulled out a handful of silver coins to hold in front of her face. "We know you were working with that thing, and we don't care. We actually want to pay you to help us, but we can't make that happen until you calm down."

Either Aven's words on the sight of the coin had an effect. Avari's breathing slowed, and her eyes lost at least a little of their terror.

"Good," Aven said, still holding his hand over her mouth. "Now, I'm going to ask you a bunch of questions, and I want to have them answered immediately. That thing has been using you to write in a book that someone comes to pick up every now and then. Sometimes, other people leave books of their own here to be picked up. Nod if that’s correct."

Avari nodded twice, shuddering as one of Kotack's legs twitched against her face.

"And you have no idea who picks them up, only that they leave money for you." Aven said, getting another nod in response. "Thought so. Now, if I take my hand off your mouth, are you going to scream?"

Avari shook her head and Aven pulled his hand away. "Please get this thing off me," she whimpered, trying to not look at the massive centipede wrapped around her.

"Once we come to an agreement," Aven said, holding his hand tensed and ready to cover her mouth if she got too noisy. "Hear anything Ji?"

Ji knelt on the floor, ear pressed against the trapdoor. "Nothing," she replied.

Aven nodded and turned back to Avari. "Where do you leave the book to be picked up?"

"Downstairs," Avari said, trying to hold completely still. "There's a closet near the stairs. I leave it under a pile of tablecloths. Sometimes there are other papers in there too. But I don't know where they come from, I swear."

"I believe you," Aven said, fighting the urge to rub his shoulder. The heat of battle was fading, which meant the pain would only get worse. "What did you write down?"

"It wasn't me, it was never me," said Avari, eyes going wide. "I can't read or write. It was that thing doing it. It just used me."

Aven nodded, legs starting to burn from crouching down. "That means we can help each other," he said, sliding the fistful of coins back into their sack and dropping it on the floor with a jingly thud.

Avari's eyes darted down at the bag of silver, then back up at Aven. "What do you want me to do?"

"What day are you supposed to drop off the next book?" Aven asked.

"Five days from now," Avari answered quickly, "but I don't know when they get picked up. Only when I drop them."

Aven took a moment to think. "In a few days, you're going to have a client named Saiyun. He's the one controlling this thing," Aven said, poking Kotack. "He's going to review what the Akshi wrote and make any changes he needs to. He'll also bring some pages of his own to add in. You'll put them in the closet to be picked up. That's it."

Avari narrowed her eyes. "Then what?"

Good. She was thinking about it. Avari was no stumbling innocent the Akshi had possessed. It made Aven feel better about forcing her to help them. He reached down and picked up the sack of coins to shake it. "You get the other half. This is for agreeing to help us. Once we make sure the papers have been picked up, we'll give you the rest. Then we never see each other again. Sound good?"

"Deal," Avari said after a long pause. "Now get this thing off me."

Aven stood and dusted off his pants. "Soon. Once we're done plundering."

"What? Why?" Avari asked, watching Aven as he walked around the room.

There were plenty of decorations scattered around the sumptuous room, but most were too big or heavy to carry away. He opened a few drawers until he found Avari's jewelry box. "We beat up three guards on the way up, and this room is a wreck. You need an explanation for why we were here, and nothing beats robbery," Aven said, grabbing a fistful of earring and rings to stow away in his pouch.

"That wasn't part of the deal," Avari huffed.

"We'll return them with the second half of the payment," Aven said, sliding the drawer shut and walking over to Ji. "Hear anything?"

"Not a sound," Ji said, pulling her ear away from the trapdoor.

"Then let's go," Aven said, pulling it up. He let Ji go down first and followed behind, pausing for a second to look back at Avari, still wrapped up in Kotack. "Remember, everyone's happy if we work together, but no one is if you break our deal."

***

Yazwa paced the room, only making it a few steps before she had to turn and pace again. Batro sat in the desk chair, holding a damp cloth to his eye, while Cai laid on the bed, dozing on and off. How could he be so calm? Aven and Ji were alone in the brothel, anything could happen! She had caught flashes of the action with her sight, enough to know that they had been ambushed and that the Akshi was laying in wait for them. Seeing the Akshi burst into the sky and fade away had been a relief, but they were still in there. "What's going on Saiyun?"

Saiyun sat crossed legged near the window, looking much too serene. His eyes fluttered open and he smiled. "Avari agreed to the terms. They're on their way out now."

"There, you see?" Cai said from the bed, eyes still closed. "All that worrying for nothing."

"Can they make it out?" Yazwa asked Saiyun. "They still have to get out through the first floor before we can relax."

Cai let out a sigh from the bed. "It's Aven. There's probably ten different ways out of that brothel. He knows what he's doing. How's the eye?"

"You didn't have to hit that hard," Batro grumbled, pulling the cloth away from his face to reveal a dark black eye.

"Worked didn't it?" Cai smiled. "You excited to spend some time with Avari, Saiyun? All that time watching her, you must be ready for a face to face meeting."

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

Saiyun groaned. "Don't remind me."

Yazwa seethed, but bit back a sharp comment. Of course they were all relaxed. Cai and Batro got to infiltrate and be the distraction. Saiyun managed to turn the tide and save Ji from being crushed. They had all gotten to DO something,while she was stuck in the inn room on lookout duty. It had almost been disappointing when the Akshi faded away. She had been looking forward to fighting it again after the apartment, but now she had been cheated.

She stewed in silence until there was a quiet knock at the door. Moving quickly, she flung the door open to reveal Aven and Ji on the other side. "Did you make it out cleanly?"

"Yes," Aven said, sliding into the room with Ji close behind him. "You can let her go now, Saiyun, then dismiss Kotack."

"Did you have any trouble getting out?" Yazwa asked as she shut the door. "Was anyone suspicious?"

"No, but the sooner we leave the better," Aven said, trying to find a spot in the crowded room. "One of those guards is going to slip out of my knots eventually, and I want to be long gone when they do."

"Agreed," Saiyun said, climbing to his feet. "Do you think she was telling the truth? That she'll go along with the plan?"

"I think I convinced her," Aven said, reaching out to help Cai up off the bed. "She had no good reason not to go along. Money is a powerful motivator."

Cai pulled himself up with a grunt. "You'll be going in alone. None of us can ever show our faces in there again."

"I can," Yazwa said, pulling the door open as everyone started to file out. "No one in there saw me."

"We'll weather that storm when it comes," Cai said. "Let's just get out of here."

Yazwa had walked the route back to the ship so many times she had the path memorized. A few faces had even become familiar over the last few days. Their group was large enough that no one bothered them and they were back at the ship before morning broke. Bill stood watch on deck next to a flickering brazier.

"We're back," Yazwa called as they climbed up the gangplank.

"I can see that," Bill said, firelight dancing on his face. "Since you all made it back in one piece, I'm hoping for good news."

As the rest of the crew approached Bill, Yazwa stopped, careful to consider the distance to the brazier. Keeping her distance from fires just came naturally now.

"Very good news," Cai said, rubbing his hands together. "The Akshi's gone, and Avari agreed to help us."

Bill looked over at Yazwa, expression serious. "You're sure it's gone?"

"Absolutely," Yazwa replied with a firm nod. "It shot out of the window and rose into the sky, then twisted and shrunk in on itself before it faded into nothing."

A fierce smile shone through Bill's beard. "Perfect. I have some good news too." He reached behind himself and pulled two pieces of paper from his coat. "These came in a little while after you left. Manja wants Yazwa and Saiyun at his little party. The messenger said you could each bring one servant, but that one of them had to be the tailed one. What's that about?"

"Agori mentioned Ji while I was talking to Manja," Yazwa said. "He's never seen someone with a tail before, so he wants Ji to come."

Bill frowned, but then shrugged. "The rich do love their novelty. Get some sleep, all of you. There's lots to do. and I'm going to need all of you at your best."

***

Aven massaged his shoulder as everyone broke up to head below decks for some rest. He had rolled with the blow as best he could, but dodging had been impossible in such close quarters. Nothing was broken, but the bruise might limit his mobility over the next few days, and that could cause problems at Monja's party. There was a salve that could hurry the healing that he could apply once he was done talking to Bill.

Bill came over to him, chewing on a chunk of beef jerky. "Are you sure you can get into Monja's party? You spent a lot longer observing the manor in Channan Harbor before you wanted to go in. I'd say we don't have time to try again, but I don't even know how much time we have."

"I'm sure," Aven said, taking his hand off the bruise and squaring his shoulder. "I spent a lot of time in this city with my mother, and I've broken into a couple places like it since. They always keep their offices separate from their home with windows facing east and west so they can work late. There's only one place it could be."

Bill tore off a piece of jerky with his teeth and apple as he chewed. "What about guards? They always have a few around. You're playing a servant, so it will be hard to explain why you're wandering around in Manja's office."

"We don't have to worry about guards in his office." replied Aven. "The doors to his office will be guarded, but I won't be using them anyway. There's a gap between the wall and the side of the house on the west that's not patrolled regularly. When I was with Yazwa, I barely saw any guards go over there. There aren't any posted on the roof either. If I go in through the west windows. No one will see a thing."

"And the rich in Adoti are in the habit of leaving their windows unlocked?" Bill asked. "If it were me, I'd pay a servant to make sure they're sealed tight."

An ache flared up in his shoulder and Aven rubbed it. "The windows will be locked, but not well. Center pivot shutters are easy to pry open if you know what you're doing. The real problem is going to be the Achali."

Bill cocked his head to one side. "I thought they'd only be a problem if you get caught."

"The wealthy in Adoti like to hire them from the Temples as guards. They think they're more reliable," Aven said. "Agori was there and I saw him sweep the buildings with his sight on. If he sees me rummaging around in the office, he'll raise the alarm. We'll have to find a way to distract him."

"Any idea how?" asked Bill.

Aven shrugged and winced. "No. We'll figure it out once we've been at the party for a while."

Bill laughed. "Just what I like to hear. There's no plan for the linchpin of the whole scheme. Can't say I'm not used to it. Why don't you see what Ji wants before she explodes?" he said, pointing behind Aven.

Ji was standing by the brazier, shifting her weight from foot to foot. Her tail was free again, furred tip twitching back and forth. The firelight danced over her body, making her eyes almost glow.

"Do," Aven coughed, clearing his throat. "Do you need something?"

Ji closed the distance between her and Aven in two steps, leaning in close. "How did I do?" she said breathlessly. "At the brothel, when the guards came out through the door. You saw it, right? When I took down the first one? I tried to use what you taught me and I think I did well."

Aven took a step back, feeling his face get hot when she was so close. "I saw," he said, clearing his throat again. "It was perfect. You got under his center of balance and got his feet out from under him. If you hadn't pushed him back so far, I wouldn't have been able to close the door. That probably saved us from getting found out."

A radiant smile spread across Ji's face. "Great! What are we going to practice next?"

"Um," Aven said, rubbing his shoulder again. "Well. I didn't see what happened after that because I was busy. How did you do when you were both on the ground?"

"I think I did well," replied Ji. "He tried to pin me, but I managed to get out using the wall. I got on top of him and started to choke him, but I saw you were in trouble, so I let go and came to help. Does your shoulder still hurt?"

"Not much," Aven said. "Well, it sounds like you've mastered one takedown. We'll keep working on breaking holds when you get caught in them. At least after the party. I think we'll be too busy getting ready for that."

Ji nodded eagerly. "What do I have to do for that?"

"That is the question," Bill spoke up.

Aven jumped. He had forgotten Bill was even there. "Well...I wasn't expecting them to invite you, but it shouldn't be a problem. We'll do what we did in the brothel. Just don't talk much, and we should be fine."

"Doubt it," Bill sighed. "She was asked for, specifically. Monja and a lot of his guests will want to talk to her. Probably touch her tail too. I'd spend tomorrow coming up with a good story, Aven. If you can teach her to grapple, you can probably teach her to lie."

Aven nodded, trying to shrug off an inexplicable rush of anger that flashed up when Bill said the guests would want to touch Ji. "I'll come up with something."

"Good," Bill said, glancing up at the glowing eastern horizon. "Come up with something after you've rested. My watch is over, so I'm getting some shuteye myself. Put the fire out, and don't bother me until I get up."

"Sure," Aven said as Bill walked away. He rubbed his shoulder again and glanced over at Ji. They locked eyes and stared at each other for a long moment before Aven bent down and grabbed the bucket of water next to the brazier and tossed it on the fire. "Better get to bed before it gets too bright out."

"Yes," Ji said quickly as the fire sputtered out. I better go now so I don't wake Yazwa up."

Aven watched her until she disappeared below decks. Then he poked at the fire to make sure the coals were completely out before following her down.