The kaleidoscope of carvings long etched into the wooden tabletop had mostly disappeared under the papers that Nyx shuffled in her direction. As he spoke she looked them over, never raising her eyes while his voice played into her ears.

He was right, they were hiding something in these caravans, people and supplies it seemed. When the barmaid arrived she slowly lifted her eyes to the massive woman, catching an etching at the edge of the table out of the corner of her eye as she did; a rather phallic creature with arms and teeth chasing after a crude busty female shape. 

“Wine as well… and stew… whatever you have so long as it is warm.” She offered slightly off handily and then returned her eyes to the papers.

“We shall need to speak to this Aelion, I think… and I may need to get into Vadim’s, as well…”

“Yes… that of course will prove to be difficult. I must admit I am a bit surprised we have not heard rumor of an arrest for the murder in our travels yet… Vadim must be stalling for some reason. Perhaps a journey to this Avenon will also be in order before long.” She spoke quietly, slowly as if she was using this thought process to delay others that ticked through her mind.

“Avenon is mainly mith’ganni territory is it not? As much as your people have a territory now…” she winced almost as she said it though and finally brought her eyes up to his. “I didn’t mean…” the sentence ended with a sigh.

“We will be busy then.” A pause while she found herself in the warmth of his moonlit eyes. “I know what you want to know… I remember what you promised me.” The heat became too much and she let her eyes drop back to the table. “I’m counting on you living up to it.”

Carefully she released the square of yellowed paper she still had tucked into her palm. It was creased and the edges damp with her sweat already. Without unfolding it she reached across the table to offer it to him, but did not release it until his pale hand ventured from the shadows of his cloak to take it. With her own thin fingers she pressed the paper into his palm firmly before curling his fingers around it, much as he had curled her own fingers around his purse that morning. 

“Just let me finish what I have to say here before you go spouting off… I’m fine to start with Nyx. It isn’t like I’m some blushing rose that hasn’t had someone try to force themselves on me before, so don’t even think about handling me with kid gloves here okay? What happened after you left is simply that I tried to delay any amorous thoughts he had, but I was unsuccessful. At least at first. I assure you he didn’t get he wanted out of me. Physical strength can easily be under minded with the correct grip and spell to go with it.” At that a slight smile played on her lips as she remembered the look in Reginald’s eyes when she bit his hand and clamped her fingers into his tender flesh. Slowly her eyes moved back up to Nyx’s twin moons. “He should only just be coming out of the mental state I left him in, his physical state will take a bit longer to repair… and as for his ego…” The tip of her tongue appeared as she ran it between her teeth slowly. “I doubt he will be going to the guards with his complaint, my bet is he will return home as soon as he is able to lick his wounds and perhaps begin a less official inquiry to Eva.”

The smile fell from her lips then and she looked at Nyx with all seriousness. “Take care of him. And not like the last one. We are in enough trouble as it is right now, another heap of flesh in some alley with a blood trail back to your crypt is not what we need.” She leaned over closer to him and dropped her voice to a hushed whisper. “Make him suffer to whatever you want… but make him disappear afterwards. No trace… tomorrow morning I don’t want him to exist. No body, no blood, no screams… he is just gone. I don’t normally kill, but he does not deserve to live…” 

As if to drive home her thoughts she lays her palm down atop the phallic carving and whispers a chant. For a moment her hand flares up with a bright flame then dies down, when she pulls it back the charred outline of her hand remains burned upon the carving.