He walked down the cobblestone road to his secret abode. Its previous owner had died before he could sell, and with no heirs, the ownership fell to the city.

Not that the city knew this.

He’d found the paperwork filed away in the palace while he was digging through records to uncover a series of corrupt officials.

Immediately after finding it, he’d decided to requisition it for his own use.

He was empathetic though, and rather than bother anyone with all that paperwork, he’d done it all himself.

While one of the archivists took a nap with an empty bottle in his hand, Connor used the man's seal, copied his signature and handwriting, and transferred the house into his own name.

Anything to help out his fellow man.

His house was a simple construction of brick and timber with three floors, not counting the basement, and a small garden out front.

He had a smug grin on his face as he stepped into his little refuge that no one knew about.

Not even his uncle, the great spymaster.

He lit some candles and reveled in the silence for a moment before he stripped off his clothes and applied the gel from the jar he’d taken to his lean muscled body.

It felt cool. Like ice against his skin, yet soothing. His skin tingled wherever he applied it, and it soon leached away the pain.

When he was done, he let out a relieved sigh.

Victor always kept some around the sparring area, it helped to numb pain, and speed up recovery though Connor had no idea what it was.

Sometimes he swore that Victor kept secrets just for the fun of it.

He looked down at his bruised and battered body, and couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

He’d trained almost every day since losing his parents and ending up in Victor’s care. Yet, despite all his skill and the lean muscle he had spent years developing, Adelia thrashed him even when she was taking it easy.

Admittedly, he’d been unfocused. Usually it wasn’t so bad, but even so… he didn’t stand a chance against her.

The gel reduced the pain to a dull ache, and he felt more relaxed already. Although, the smell of the stuff made his nostrils itch and he fought the urge to sneeze.

Wearing nothing after covering his body in the gel, Connor sat down and closed his eyes with a content sigh.

"Nice place. Bit dirty though," said a gruff voice behind him.

Connor leaped out of his chair and kicked it back at the intruder without looking. He vaulted over the table, grabbing a candlestick on the way, and spun around, ready for a fight.

Adelia stood with one foot on the toppled chair, and slow-clapped.

“Dammit, Adelia! You scared the crap out of me,” Connor said.

"Really?” she said in her normal voice, “I hadn’t noticed.”

He let out an exasperated sigh and lowered the candlestick.

“So… are you going to put on some clothes? Or do you enjoy showing your full glory to all the ladies?” Adelia said.

He looked down at his naked body and wished the ground would open up and swallow him.

“You could at least look away,” he said as he threw on his clothes.

“And miss the view?” she said.

"How in the twelve hells did you find me anyway?" he asked, desperate to change the subject.

"I followed you, silly," she said with a giggle.

"There’s no way you could’ve followed me," he said confidently, “does Victor know about this place?”

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"Well you made it a little difficult in the tunnels, and you owe me for the ghoul I killed. Then all your ducking and weaving through the streets... I thought you were drunk or something,” she said.

He glared at her.

He’d shaken off expert trackers in the city and the forests nearby when he was no more than twelve years old. Nobody should be able to follow him so easily, and yet here she was in his most secret place.

It was enough to drive him insane.

At least, he knew what the sounds in the tunnels had been now. Which idiotic nobleman had decided to put ghouls down there anyway? It was only a matter of time before they found a way out.

"So how did you get this place?" she asked.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose and exhaled some of his frustration. "I requisitioned it," he said.

Adelia burst out laughing. "You stole it?" she said.

"It isn’t like anyone was using it," he said in a sulky voice.

Adelia just kept laughing.

"It isn't that funny," he said.

Tears welled up in her intense violet eyes, and she struggled to breathe.

He crossed his arms and scowled at her, but she only laughed even harder and, finally, he started laughing too. What else could he do? Her laughter was contagious.

Eventually, her laughter subsided into bubbly giggles. "I can't believe you stole an entire house," she said.

"I prefer to think of it as a reallocation of resources," he said with a grin.

"You know, most people only steal what they can carry," she said.

"Well I'm not most people," he said proudly, “but… please don’t tell anyone about this place.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t even tell Victor,” she said.

"So why did you follow me?" he asked.

"Well... you seemed a bit upset earlier," she said.

"Oh? You were worried about me? I'm touched," he said with a chuckle.

"Oh shut it," she said as she turned away, "but yes."

She turned her focus back on him, and her violet eyes gleamed in the soft candlelit room.

"So what happened?" she asked.

He thought about lying. He didn't want to talk about it. But, despite the fact he’d never even seen her face in all the time he’d known her, she was one of his closest friends.

She deserved an honest answer.

He told her about his visit with Elgar, and everything that followed, up to when they started sparring.

“… coupled with you beating the heck out of me and Victor’s constant criticism, I snapped. I’m sorry for what I said. I know you were taking it easy on me, but my head just wasn’t in it today.

“I normally love the training. I love picking locks and sparring with you. Even though you always kick my ass, I know that it makes me a better fighter. Hells, I don’t even mind decoding documents from time to time, but I don’t want to be like Victor.

“This isn’t the life I want for myself. I don’t want to be a thief and a spy. I hate being involved in this world. I want to find what happened to my parents. I want to forge my own path, and I thought I’d be able to take a step toward that today, but I failed, and now I just don’t know what to do,” he said.

They sat there in silence. Her expression unreadable behind her mask.

After a while, she came closer and rested her hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry it didn't work out," she said, "I understand wanting to be your own person."

She stared at him intently with her violet eyes before she embraced him in a hug.

He sat there awkwardly at first, taken by surprise.

Adelia was hesitant to touch anyone, even him. But, he quickly got over the initial shock, and embraced her back tightly, grateful to have a friend.

"I'm sure you will find another path," she said as she pulled away, "I know there is something out there for you to do. Don't give up just yet."

There was a softness in her eyes that he rarely saw before, and he smiled. "I hope so," he said, "thanks."

"Anytime," she said, before she looked around the room, "you should really keep this place cleaner."

"I haven't had a chance to come here for a while, and I hate housework," he said.

"It's not too bad though I suppose," she said, looking around as though the earlier moment hadn't happened.

"You're welcome to visit whenever you like, just don't tell anyone. You have no idea how hard it's been to keep this a secret," he said.

"Especially when you're so easy to follow," she said.

Despite her humorous tone, it still grated on his nerves that she’d managed to follow him.

"Show off," he said, narrowing his eyes at her.

"Now, now," she said as if talking to a child, "you wouldn't want people to think you're jealous would you?"

"Humph," he grunted.

"So when are you coming back? It’d break Victor’s heart if you just disappeared," she said.

"I know," Connor said with a heavy sigh.

"The funny thing is that only you can get him so furious. I’ve never seen him get so emotional with anyone, except you. Nobody can piss off Victor like you can,” she said.

"You're not very good at this whole comforting thing are you?" he said.

She shrugged. "At least I try," she said.

"You should stick to your day job," he said with a smirk.

"You mean I should kill you instead?" she asked.

"Uh... no. Comforting is fine," he said.

"I thought so," she said, "I hope I'll see you back at the palace."

And with that she walked out, leaving Connor alone with his thoughts.

He still felt the pang of disappointment and frustration, but after laughing with Adelia, it didn't feel so bad.

She was right. He just needed to find another path, and maybe he would find a way to use his magic more effectively in time.

The spell went horribly wrong, but it was also far more powerful than anything he had done before, so perhaps there was still hope.

He stayed in his house for a while longer, collecting his thoughts and emotions. Then he started on his way back to the manor.

Despite what Victor had said, he’d call in every spy in the city and the thieves guild he controlled to track Connor down if he didn’t head back soon.

Better to get back to the manor before that happened, especially as he wanted to keep his little house to himself.

Adelia wouldn't even show her face to anyone, so he knew she could keep a secret, and he trusted her.

It bothered him sometimes how little he knew about her though. What had happened in her past for her to be so cautious, and to hide the way that she did?

He never got any answers when he asked her, although he felt that she’d opened up to him more over the years he’d known her.

She wouldn’t have hugged him when they first met except to bury a knife in his back.

That was progress… right?