Legacy Information Guild, Azmar Village. Evening.
"I asked what is taking so long." Behellagh reiterated his words.
Tayoshi holds back a sigh "To which job are you referring to? We are currently handling four of your requests simultaneously."
"F-Four?" Behellagh's surprise was evident, he clears his throat and goes back to his usual expression.
He tried to recall the contents of his four supposed jobs, one could be accounted for, as for the rest he had to dwell and recall what he requested.
Tayoshi wanted to let out some form of sigh or huff but knew a man as explosive and sensitive as Behellagh would take offence had he done so. Furthermore, seeing that the young lord had already forgotten what he commissioned them for meant he is even more annoyed and secretly embarrassed. It made sense he would forget the things he tossed around half heartedly. Usually the young lord would send a servant along with money to hand over his request along with the payment. Seeing that Behellagh came in person indicated the urgency and sensitivity of the request.
"First request; find out more about the man, your lover Miss Anastasia cheated on you with...Ah, forgive the slip of the tongue, ex-lover." Tayoshi spoke with a passive aggressive jeer. "Second request; find out young master Bailey's weakness or something worth blackmailing him with. Third request; Find Eden Leonard, who scammed you into being an investor for 'very promising' business and then running off with a hefty sum of investment money that would have served as capital." Tayoshi pauses for a moment, letting out a soft breath. "Fourth request; To locate the whereabouts of Ingrid, a maid which left the Birdwhistle estate twenty-three years ago." Tayoshi's voice took on a softer tone.
Behellagh's face turned red at hearing his requests read to him, and with the last one the shadow of sadness crossed over his face at the mention of Ingrid. His rage subsided into a sombre state. "I'm here for that bastard Eden."
Tayoshi mouthed a silent 'ah' and a curt smile formed. Obstructed by the mask, the nobleman could not see his expression. Tayoshi politely offered a seat to the annoyed man. His clomping leads to the seat and flops down without a shred of grace nor etiquette that is drilled into the young elite.
Behellagh awaited an explanation, a piece of information for his eager question. His leg bounced from the impatience and anxiety, his teeth gnawed at his thumb nail. Tayoshi paged through his documents and noted the visible signs of distress Behellagh displayed, the loss of composure and overall state of his countenance would be considered quite unbecoming of a noble.
"Sorry to say my lord, but the name Eden Leonard is an alias. It's awfully difficult to find someone who does not exist." He hands a piece of paper to Behellagh who snatches it from his hand and reads the words, the conclusion of the so-called investigation.
"There hasn't been a single trace of the money nor assets being traded or bought anywhere. There is no trail whatsoever officially, and unofficially."
"This is your job is it not!? Are you useless at your job?" Behellagh spat with fury.
"The only information you gave us is a fake name and you could not even provide a description of his appearance because you don't remember." Tayoshi retorts sharply. "My lord, remember even if you deem us to be lower than you, in this situation had you merely looked upon the people you hate so much, you would not be in this position."
"Useless." Behellagh tuts, uttering his words of disapproval and making no attempt to hide his distaste. Tayoshi held his tongue, abstaining from retorting or causing a disturbance. The repercussions of disputing a nobleman were not worth the effort, this especially held true with a man as prideful as Behellagh Birdwhistle.
"When we do manage to find something, whether it be the person or information, you will be the first one we report to. I do hope you understand and will remain patient."
He glared at the guild master, the young noble clicks his tongue again and storms out the office without a single word of thank you or goodbye. Tayoshi slipped back into his chair, leaning back in the cushioning comfortably. A headache dulled his senses.
Cagrown City. Early Morning.
Kramoris stretches and sits up from his bed. His familiar and comfortable room had a peaceful scenery overlooking the sparkling ocean of Cagrown. The room is plain and immaculate, he never saw a reason to decorate it with personal items or touch, after all he only ever used this room to sleep. He always told himself it was just a bed, however his heart always felt at peace in this room and in this city. The idea of home felt foreign and yet this was the closest comfort he had of a home. The room contained a large king sized bed with white linen, a small bookcase with a selection of various books, a large window that took up nearly the whole wall that had the scenery of the ocean within its four corners and a bedside table with a jug of water.
He changed his clothing, donned his cloak and exited the room. He looks down from the third floor to see the empty store. The usual scenery was his humble store filled with the bustling of customers.
"I haven't slept that well in so long." Khio stretches and speaks through a yawn. Even if the sleeping arrangements were a little cramped, it's been far better than the last few days. They didn't have to sacrifice sleep, take shifts or act as lookouts, nor were they sleeping on the floor outside somewhere. They were immensely thankful for the staff resting area that Kramoris pointed them to.
Florian shuffles out with dishevelled hair and yawns, accidentally walking into the wall. Khio bursts out laughing at the groggy Florian who was confused at what happened. Rhetta walks out looking very fresh and ready for the day, the dark circles under her eyes had dissipated with a single good night's sleep.
The lock of the main door turns and clicks open. An employee steps inside a little before opening time, she sets her bag behind the counter and the grumpy woman organizes the mess of papers.
"Good morning Ayesha!" Kramoris yells from the third floor.
Ayesha, a striking woman with fiery ginger hair and obsidian black eyes, a plain eye patch covered one of her eyes from view. Her features appeared stern and unsmiling. Hearing the greeting she turned towards the door and scanned the store thinking that someone may have come in while her attention was occupied with the papers.
"I apologise but we are still closed right now-" In contrast to her serious appearance, Ayesha's voice sounded gentle and warm. Soft spoken as it is, something demanded attention from those listening.
"Unfortunately I will have to ask you to work overtime before opening." Kramoris spoke again as he plodded down the stairs. When Ayesha finally found the source of the voice and saw the cloaked figure on the floor above, she recognised him. Her face lit up and her visible eye sparkled with admiration.
"Of course sir! What can I do?" Her voice faintly rose in its volume and held a candid enthusiasm. Kramoris gestured to the top of the stairs to call the three down. From where Ayesha stood it appeared as if Kramoris waved at an empty floor.
Kramoris makes his way to the first floor, and soon after three figures trail down after him. Ayesha waited for them patiently. The group is standing beside Kramoris, Ayesha straightens herself eager to greet the guests with a genuine curiosity over the kinds of people they are.
She smiles "Good morning- I am Ayesha...Pleas-" Her words and smile falter. She recognises Rhetta and Khio, specifically as criminals. The other lady in the room bore no resemblance to anyone she had previously met. She passed a look of muted discomfort.
"These are my friends." Kramoris spoke happily. His words ended her curiosity and mistrust towards the trio. She swallowed her personal feelings, her perspective was one of an average concerned citizen. She had been fed the news of the traitors Rhetta Edevane and Khio Ditka, notorious criminals who plotted treason to destroy the empire, kill the emperor and bring ruin to everyone.
Kramoris took a stride forward and walked behind the counter searching for a certain set of catalogues. "Ayesha can you please take the measurements of Florian, the small one standing over there." Kramoris pointed over at Florian who lurked a bit behind the group. By no means was Ayesha a tailor, though she is quite adept at taking measurements for a variety of reasons. Such as fitting the flocks of travellers for ready made and tailored clothing. She nodded at the instruction, guiding Florian to stand behind the screen.
"Please stand still." Her voice rattled with a minute hesitation.
Florian stood patiently unsure of what exactly she had to do, since she had never had her measurements taken. Ayesha stepped away to retrieve a measuring tape while Kramoris stood making conversation with Rhetta and Khio. A conversation which looked very important considering how on edge they looked. Rhetta glanced over at Ayesha, meeting her eyes, she jumped and retreated behind the screen with the tape measure.
She drew a quick inhale and took note of all of Florian's measurements very quickly and accurately. She was trying to create the image of an efficient worker in front of the person she admired. Ayesha offered up the notes of the measurements to Kramoris.
"Thank you."
Ayesha beamed at the words of thanks taking it as praise for a job well done. After all, she knew Kramoris did not tolerate any unproductive and inefficient individuals. He glanced over the measurements, scrawled the information on a piece of paper and searched the catalogues under the tab of 'Professional Clothing.'
"Can you take the measurements of Rhetta and Khio as well?"
She flinched, reluctantly nodding and held the tape measure in hand. Ayesha is aware that professionalism is the most valued thing in this line of work, so a polite demeanour and typical business smile felt like the greatest weapon in her arsenal. She guided the two towards the screen where Florian had previously been.
"Ah no need for that, just their height and width of their shoulders is enough." Kramoris stopped her from doing a full measurement profile.
Ayesha looked a bit flustered. "Sir, what garment only requires their height and width of shoulders?"
"They are not being measured for garments."
"Then...?"
"They're being fitted for coffins."