Axton had arrived with his party earlier that day and though many of the rebels that were joining them on this journey to the capital city were disguised as a servants or assistants to members of the party it had been too risky to have Elexis attempt it, not just since the party had gone directly into the castle and she would have been spotted or recognized, but also because the party had paraded through Nocturn on the way to the Iron Castle. Instead she and a few other rebels had traveled quietly down around the mountains, going a few days before the company of Axton and the members of his party.
Now she and a few of those same rebels were sitting together in an abandoned warehouse they'd spotted a few years ago with a second floor that couldn't be seen from the ground level. They were all arayed on various pieces of furniture they had long ago filled the space with, an old beat up leather couch on which Reagan had sprawled herself, a wooden chair on which Bevin sat and a table on which she was sitting. The rest of the rebels that had accompanied them including Conner, Anatia's sworn protector to-be, Korvis, a hardened rebel that was good in a fight, even if they weren't looking to get into one, Oya, a new recruit that was good at slipping into small places and listening to others, a favorite of Airleche, and Farlen, a pickpocket and protage at sleight of hand. They stood around the room, Korvis looking bored, Oya trying to see if she could slip through the vents and Farlen playing with a deck of cards, pulling one out of thin air every few minutes with flourish.
The goal of the mission was to gather more information on Anatia, preferably where the King was holding her. But right now they were mainly waiting until it was time for Elexis to go and check in with Axton at a tailor shop in town.
"Oh gods, someone just say something, the silence is torturous." Reagan.
"Reagan, what do you want us to talk about? We are waiting for it to be time for me to meet Axton at the tailor shop, until then there isn't much to do."
"There's always something to do."
"That may be true but right now the thing that we are doing is waiting."
"But why, most of us don't have anything to do with your meeting at the tailor shop?"
"Because-" She started not knowing exactly how she was going to end the sentence but Reagan cut her off before she could.
"Because nothing, how about me and Bevin," She stood up, jerking Bevin from where he had been watching from the chair, "Go out and do some scouting around the shop.
"Reagan-" Reagan had already slipped out the door pulling a dismayed looking Bevin behind her. Conner looked up from where she leaned against the wall on the other side of the room.
"You know, you should have expected that."
"Which part, the questioning orders, disobeying orders, or dragging Bevin into her scheme?" Conner gave her an amused grin.
"Would you hit me if I said all of it?"
"No," she said, "I'd tell you to remind me the next time," She felt the water in a glass Korvis was currently drinking from. It rose into the air and shot towards Conner, "Then I'd hit you." He gave a huff and pushed his now wet hair out of his face to give her a look that was equal parts annoyance and amusement and understanding. Reagan was excited, and they both knew why.
Despite having told Reagan not to go looking for Cinis Sarifease they both knew she was going to do exactly that, and though Reagan could defend herself not even Elexis was sure if she would walk away from a fight with the Scarlet Lady. But no matter what she said she knew Reagan would be searching the city for the Mistress of Death, so all Elexis could do was hope that Reagan never found her, or more frightening, if Cinis Sarnifease found her.