"Do you finally have some progress?"
"We either need more money, or we'll have to decline this job. There are variables that have come to light."
A hooded figure was talking to a plain looking man dressed in fancy clothes. They were once again at a popular bar located in the merchant's district of Jakarta. Seated at a table, they had cups of wine set out in front of them. The sweet aroma of the wine drew the hooded figure to take a sip from the cup.
"What do you mean by variables? All you need to do is kill one man, what is so hard about that?"
Putting his cup down the hooded figure spoke. "He killed five men within ten seconds, each in one strike. Well, mostly in one strike. The risks are just too high. We either need to hire more men, or we just will not do the job."
"I've already paid you twenty gold coins! How much more do you need?!" The plain man had a vein visible on the side of his head. His voice was getting loud, drawing unwanted attention.
"Settle down, no need to get all worked up. That's just the way things are. We watched the target and found it to be a much greater challenge than what you had mentioned, so we need more resources. We're not about to get ourselves killed just because we lacked men." The hooded figure said plainly, in a low voice.
"You didn't answer my question, how much more do you need?" The plain man said while he was rubbing his temples.
"Twenty more gold coins, on top of what you still owe."
"That's absurd! That's highway robbery!" The plain man shouted, standing out of his seat.
"If you can't pay, then just call it off. It doesn't matter to me either way." The hooded man said, standing as well, but much more calmly. He turned to leave the table when the plain man stopped him.
"Wait, wait. I can't afford the price, just give me the money I already gave you. I'll figure something else out."
"That deposit is non-refundable." The hooded figure said, then walked away, quickly blending into the crowd and disappearing.
The plain looking man had his mouth open as he slowly lowered himself down into his chair. He was shocked, those were supposed to be the best assassins in the whole city, what was he supposed to do now? Ackley took a sip from his wine cup, thinking things over. He's worked for his master for many years and knew how demanding he can be. If he didn't take care of it soon, he'd have to escape. He even managed to lose twenty gold coins with nothing to show for it. He was in a bad spot.
Ackley drained the rest of his cup, stood up and left money on the table. He had many things to do now that the assassins called off the hit. He couldn't think of any other way to take care of Marcus, he was just drawing a blank, so he only had one choice. He figured that if he hurried he'd be able to be aboard the ship he had reserved by nightfall. If he was lucky he would be in Marcain by dawn. With those thoughts in his head, Ackley hurriedly made his way to the docks.
........................…..
"So sir, what were you looking for in a home?" A fat man with a monocle was sitting across from Marcus.
They were in a large office with oak furniture, smoke filled the room from a lit cigar in between the fat man's fingers. Marcus and Clair were sitting on a very soft couch. It had red velvet upholstery and carvings of dragons on the wooden armrests. Sif was spread out in the sunlight coming from the window, just like she was in the president's office. The fat man was sitting in a high back chair with the same upholstery and carvings, they must have been part of a set.
The fat man's name was Terrance Lowery, he was a realtor. One of the only ones in the city. Not many people could afford their own homes, so demand was not very high. Terrance would occasionally glance over at Sif, he seemed a little uneasy with her presence. But he was a professional, so he wouldn't let his feelings get in the way of a commission.
"Well just something small, but it needs to have a garden as well." Marcus said, trying to not breathe in too deeply. He really hated smoke from cigars, they always made him nauseous.
"You don't want something a little bigger, for you and the Misses?" Terrance said with a smile.
"Oh, we're not to that point yet." Clair said hurriedly, a slight blush on her face.
"Ha, very well. I have two homes that fit your requirements. One is located on the border between the merchant's district and the noble's. The other is located closer to the docks, you get the sea breeze most of the time." Terrance said as he was leafing through a thick binder that he had laid out on the coffee table that was between them.
"Can you tell me the prices, and the addresses. I'd like to go look at them if I can."
"Of course. The one nearer the noble district is one-hundred seventy-five gold coins. The one towards the docks is much cheaper at one-hundred twenty gold coins. It's actually a little bigger, but the location isn't nearly as good." Terrance paused to take a sip from his cup of tea.
"Here are the addresses. If you like what you find, just let me know and I'll begin the paperwork." Terrance slid a piece of paper over to Marcus.
Marcus took the paper and put it in his chest pocket. He stood up and thanked Terrance for his help. He called Sif over and she coiled her way up to her perch. Marcus opened the door for Clair, and they both left the office.
"They're a little more expensive than what I was thinking. I might have to wait a little while before getting one." Marcus said dejectedly.
"Don't worry about it. I can loan you the money that you don't have." Clair said, taking his hand as they walked down the hall and out the building.
"Are you sure, I wouldn't want to put you in a bind."
"Yes I'm sure, It's a loan anyway, so I'll expect to be paid back. And don't you worry about being put in a bind, I'm doing quite well for myself just so you know" She said, squeezing his hand.
"Sorry, sorry. Ha. Thank you in advance, I really appreciate it. I don't know what I'd do without you." Marcus said as he brought her hand up and kissed the back of it.
They were closest to the house by the docks so they were heading to that one first to check it out. It was about an hour walk from where they were at now. The other house, by the noble's district, was actually fairly close to Clair's store. At only about a forty-five minute walk apart from each other, and thirty minutes from the mercenaries association. So other than the price, that was the best choice, but he'd check them both out anyway.
After an hour and a half, Marcus, Sif, and Clair, all made it to the first house. It was a small two story house, stained a dark color that brought out the natural grain of the wood. It had two paper windows on either side of the door and one paper window on the second floor. Using the key they'd taken from Terrance, they made their way inside.
It was empty inside, with a very simple layout. There was a kitchen in the back and a small receiving room towards the front. An office was to the left of the kitchen, it was small and had an equally small window that showed the neighboring house. To the right of the kitchen was a bathroom. The bathroom just had a simple toilet and a sink as well. This house must have a connection to a septic system, which was a luxury for most people.
A staircase was situated in the corner on the left, in between the office and kitchen, that led up to two bedrooms that took up the whole second floor. There were no bathrooms on the second floor, just closets that were in each room. The master bedroom was towards the front of the house, the other towards the back. The rooms were very spacious, the only downside was the low ceiling when walking by the sides of the rooms. The ceiling was connected to the roof, so it was pitched the same as the roof.
Everyone walked out the backdoor that was in the kitchen. Outside was a small garden. It was only about twenty feet by thirty feet, a very small garden. There were no flowers planted, it was all just grass that had been cut recently. A small waist high picket fence separated the garden from the other houses that were around. The other houses had gardens as well that butted right against this one. If they removed their fences they could maybe play tennis, that was about the size of the area.
"So, what do you think?" Clair asked, looking over at Marcus. She was at the other end of the garden, checking out the neighbors.
"The garden is a little small, and the air smells like fish. He wasn't kidding about getting a sea breeze. Ha." Marcus replied, also looking around.
"What do you think Sif? You'll be living here too, so your opinion matters."
Sif was slithering in the grass, exploring the area. When she heard Marcus ask her, she put her head up and growled. It seemed as if she didn't care much for the open space, perhaps it was a little too small for her.
"Haha, I don't believe she likes it." Clair said, giggling.
"I think you're right. Shall we move on to the next one?"
"Let's do that. First, can we get some lunch, I'll buy." Clair suggested.
"Sure, that sounds good."
.....................….
"How's this place look?" Clair asked as they stood in front of a large restaurant.
It looked to be two stories tall with oak double doors. A greeter was standing at the doors, escorting people that were stopping for lunch.
"I'm a little underdressed for something like this don't you think?" Marcus asked as he looked down on himself. He wasn't wearing his armor, he just had on simple wool clothes that he had gotten for cheap. He did have his warhammer on him, he decided that he would never leave it anywhere and always keep it by him.
"Oh, you'll be fine. As long as you leave a nice tip, they won't care." Clair said, pulling Marcus towards the entrance.
When they got to the double doors, the doorman gave them a strange look. He was well trained though and knew to never judge anyone for how they looked. There could be any number of people who looked strange but still had coins to spend. He spoke in a very respectful manner.
"Good afternoon, welcome to the Velvet Rose. How many will be dining this fine day?"
"There will be three of us if that is alright." Clair said clearly, moving over a little to allow the man to see Sif.
"Yes, I see no problem with that. As long as I have your assurance that no problems will arise." The doorman said, looking Sif over.
Sif gave a high pitched coo, telling the man not to worry. Of course he didn't understand what she meant by the noise. Marcus just nodded his head, adding "There won't be any problems, she is very well behaved."
"Good, now, if you would please follow me, I'll bring you to your table."
He escorted them to a table that was right next to a glass paned window. There were four chairs around a dark stained table. A single rose was placed in a crystal vase that was at the center of the table. The escort pulled out a chair for Clair as Sif managed to get herself situated on the chair across from her. It was actually quite comical seeing an eight foot snake with wings somehow sitting in a chair like a person. The chair she chose just happened to be the one in front of the window. She kept her wings tight against her body, if she spread them out she would start knocking things off other tables.
Marcus took his seat to the left of Clair, leaning his warhammer against the wall. The escort cleared his throat, still trying to wrap his head around Sif, then spoke. "Your waitress will be with you shortly, I bid you all a good day."
Marcus and Clair both smiled at each other then started to engage in idle chit chat. Just talking about nothing in particular while they waited for the waitress to come over and take their order. They only had to wait about three minutes, soon a woman in a black dress was standing at the table.
She had black hair that matched her dress perfectly, it was braided all the way down to the middle of her back. The dress was sleeveless, exposing her slender arms. Her skin was fair, and her lips were a dark red, most likely due to lipstick. She was undoubtedly a very beautiful woman.
"Welcome to the Velvet Rose. Can I interest you in a glass of wine?"
"That would be just wonderful, thank you." Clari said, ordering a glass for her and Marcus.
Sif looked over to Clair and snorted. It looked like she didn't want to be left out on the wine. Marcus had only ever given her water, so he didn't know why she wanted to try it. Clair looked over to Marcus, asking his opinion with her eyes. He just shrugged, showing that he didn't care, so Clair ordered a small bowl of wine for Sif.
The waitress gave a strange look, but was still very polite and brought everyone their drinks. After setting the drinks down, the waitress took their order. Marcus ordered the orc steaks with what was this world's equivalent to a baked potato. Clair ordered a salad with poultry cut into strips on the top. Marcus ordered Sif just two orc steaks, she didn't seem to be a fan of vegetables. He didn't know if she was just being picky, or that she just didn't need to eat any greens. He hoped that her growth wouldn't get stunted because of it.
The waitress nodded, and went back to the kitchen to put in the order. Marcus and Clari sipped their wine, enjoying the fruity flavor. As they were enjoying it, a slurping sound came from the other end of the table. They both looked over to see Sif with her head in her bowl, slurping up the wine. Sif seemed to notice the sudden lack of conversation, she lifted her head to find both Marcus and Clair staring at her. She cooed in embarrassment, slowly turning her head to look out the window.
Both Marcus and Clair started laughing. They didn't mean to embarrass Sif, but just the scene of her drinking at the table was too much for them to handle. They both quickly apologized to Sif for laughing, she just snorted at them in mock anger. Marcus and Clair returned to their idle conversation, waiting for the food.
"Marcus, can I ask a favor of you." Clair asked, changing the subject from what they were talking about.
"Anything you need, I'll do my best to make it happen." Marcus said, smiling at her.
"Oh, It's nothing too serious. I just need a date for an event that's coming up."
"A date? What kind of event are you talking about?" Marcus asked.
"It's like a ball. Every few years many merchants and nobles get together and mingle. Making connections and backroom deals, that sort of thing." Clair said, placing a wayward hair back behind her ear.
"I'd love to accompany such a beautiful woman, but aren't you concerned about your suitors that are after your store. I still haven't figured out who tried to kill me."
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried, but people already know that we've been seeing each other. There's no reason to try to hide it." Clair said, taking Marcus's hand.
"I suppose you're right. Alright, I'll go with you. As long as Sif can come along as well, I don't want to leave her by herself." He said as he squeezed Clair's hand.
"It might draw some attention, but should be ok. You will need some new clothes though, what you have on right now might not be the best." She said, looking Marcus up and down.
"Ha, yeah you're right. Don't worry, I'll get something a little more fancy. Look, it seems our food is here." Marcus said with a chuckle, then pointing to the waitress bringing trays of food over to their table.
Marcus, Clair, and Sif all stopped talking and started to dig into their meals. They ate happily, and had several refills of their wine. After about an hour at the restaurant, they paid the bill and left. Marcus was fine from the wine, Clair on the other hand wobbled just a little bit as she stood up. Sif was the same, lazily climbing up Marcus, then promptly falling asleep. He was very surprised that she was able to hang onto him and sleep at the same time, it was a very useful skill to have. Marcus helped stabilize Clair as they walked down the street. They still had one house to look at before calling it a day. Marcus wanted to look at it tomorrow since Clair seemed a little buzzed, but Clair said she was alright, so they walked hand in hand to the next house.