With school finished for the day, Altair was free to complete a task he had been putting off for several days now: getting identification papers for Endyr Syndrine. He had done some research since Nios had visited her in the Guild, and now knew what exactly was needed to avoid scrutiny by the officials.
Since Endyr Syndrine did not exist in the eyes of the world, Altair had no choice but to illegally procure false documentation, and he needed help from an acquaintance to do it. And so, Endyr Syndrine once again waltzed into the Sky Cross Guild reception, ignoring the gazes along the way. She seemed to have become famous since the cleansing operation, but Endyr paid them no mind.
Making her way over to Suzan the Receptionist (as Endyr playfully called her) she knocked on the desk and asked in a low voice, "Have you seen Kulkiri or Johan and Erich recently? Ah, Aryll too actually."
When it came to helping with illegal activities, Erich and Johan were absolutely the best choice. In Kulkiri's words, the two made no attempt to hide their connection to the black markets. Kulkiri himself admitted to committing several "off the books" transactions in Sky Cross to Rndyr, so he was also visible for procuring fake ID's for her. Aryll seemed clean, but she clearly had a mischievous side to her, and all experienced Adventurers toed the legal line at times.
"Hmm, Aryll and Himmel were here earlier but left on a quest a few hours ago. I haven't seen the brothers since yesterday, but Kulkiri is in the lounge upstairs if you want to see him. Third room on the left."
Thanking Suzan, Endyr turned and walked up the stairs, slightly upset with who she got. Between the three parties, she wanted help from Kulkiri the least. The man creeper her out in more ways than one, and acted eerily familiar with her despite the two never meeting before that Quest. She had come to suspect him as the lackey of some God or powerful figure that knew her identity, but dismissed that suspicion after merging with Altair. No God held Authority over Mist, with the closest being "Fog" held by Jester and Fallacy, but Kulkiri lacked Divinity from both of "Them". The possibility of him being a spy still existed, but Endyr believed him to just be an eccentric freak.
Turning left and stopping at the third door as instructed, Endyr rapped on the door and waited. After several seconds, the door swung open to reveal a recreation room with a pool table, darts board, multiple sofas and an ongoing poker game. The person at the door was a woman with heavy bags under her black eyes and blonde hair. Looking at Endyr with a question in her eyes, she spoke first. "I'm looking for Kulkiri Mist. I was told he's here?"
The woman nodded mutely and then turned around, hollering loud enough to make Endyr wince. "Kulkiri! A girl with silver hair is here for you, got business to discuss!"
The sound of a chair bring dragged back, and a man cursing loudly rang out as Kulkiri stomped his way over to the door. His hair was flustered and his clothes a mess, and Endyr wrinkled her nose at the stench of alcohol. Kulkiri wasn't wearing his mask though, causing Endyr's eyes to widen at what lay beneath it. A face of gorgeous proportions, enough to contend with supermodels, greeted her. But that want the most surprising thing: his skin was a deathly grey.
Some of the bandages covering his arms were also undone, revealing the same grey skin. Raising an eyebrow but polite enough to keep her tongue (for now anyways) Endyr raised her head and locked eyes with Kulkiri. "Hello again."
He tilted his head in confusion at first, before his eyes widened. "Miss Syndrine? Well, this is certainly a surprise! What can I do for you my dear fellow?"
"I need your help with...something you are suited for. Can we talk alone?" She asked, shooting the blonde woman a look. She stuck her tongue out childishly at Endyr, but ducked back into the room. "Reneé was cool, but whatever" Kulkiri shrugged, leaning against the door frame. "Now before you say anything, let me guess: you need help committing a crime."
Endyr frowned but didn't deny it, looking around first in case anyone was listening in. Kulkiri chuckled but didn't interfere, waiting for her to finish and answer. Once she knew the coast was clear, she quietly spoke, "It's nothing too serious, I just need your help entering the black market here and getting some fake ID's. I can pay you upfront if you want."
Kulkiri smiled lazily and scratched his chin. "Well, that's quite simple indeed. Hmm, we can go now if you're in a rush, but the market is in the other side of town, and a rough patch at that. You might want to disguise yourself better, especially since we're all famous after that Quest."
"I thought the Harvest Church promised to keep our identities secret?" She asked with a frown. Kulkiri paused before breaking out into laughter, causing the chatter in the room behind him to cease. Without looking back, or asking permission, he placed his hand on Endyr's shoulder and gave a pat. "In this line of business, not even the dead can guarantee secrets. News always leads somewhere along the line, but it's fine. The Blood Coven doesn't bother wasting time getting revenge on random Adventurers unless they are repeat offenders. None of us are that important."
"Now then, I need to get myself propped up, and you need to get a disguise. Wait here, I should have a few spares lying around." Leaving her there, Kulkiri strode away and around the corner, vanishing from Endyr's sight. Letting out a sigh, she crossed her arms and waited for his return. While doing do, she noticed someone was staring at her through the door. Turning her head, she saw the blonde woman that Kulkiri called Renée watching her intensely. Seeing she was caught, Renée ducked her neck back but retained eye contact. As Endyr watched her in confusion, Renée took a breath and came forward.
"You want..to play?" She asked timidly, gesturing towards the cards scattered on the table. Endyr tilted her head in contemplation, shooting a look at where Kulkiri had vanished before sighing and nodding. "Sure, I suppose I can try one game."