The tall, slow moving thugs were no match for Jillian's small size and fantastic dexterity. With relative ease, she slipped out of their reach and avoided the pipes they swung at her. The dance lessons her mother made her take when she was old enough to reason, really paid off. Each night she practiced a number of exercises her dance instructor had taught her, thus keeping her body as nimble as a child's even at the age of 23.
She sent another thug scurrying off into the night after she cut him with her small knife then ran after Rowan who ran after the group chasing Soran. It was nice of the blonde to coax their attackers away from them yet his actions were rather stupid as well. Unless he happened to be some sort of Supreme Being with super powers, he'd never be able to fend off a mob of thugs for long. And Jillian wasn't about to let Mortin's gang have him because she wanted the brooch for herself, especially since she knew a buyer in Dara who'd pay her at least 3,000 gold for such a fine piece.
Jillian was very impressed by the way Rowan took out the two thugs threatening to kill an injured youth. The elf had a damned good eye, and a magnificent throwing arm. Since her help really didn't appear to be needed, she faded into the shadows and watched him finish off the rest of the gang members with some help from apparent friends who arrived on the scene.
When the woman she heard someone address as Xue told her she dressed funny, she made a face then adjusted her hat, hoping none of her auburn hair had fallen loose during the fight. Her fear of inadvertently revealing the fact that she was a woman faded once Rowan offered her a fistful of money to lead them to the hidey-hole her Huck persona had spoken of earlier. From the look in the elf's eyes, he had no idea he dealt with anyone other than a grubby, young boy who lived on the streets. A worried frown did cross her face when she sensed magic being used and turned to see one of the men muttering a spell that lifted the severely injured youth's body off the ground. I'll have to be careful with that one. Playing her games with what might be a powerful mage was not something she looked forward to doing because most mages were too smart for their own damned good. Similar to full-blooded elves, she mused.
While they hurried along, she listened to the group softly chatter amongst themselves. By the time they reached the boarded up home, Jillian knew all their names by heart. She couldn't stop glancing at Xue because the woman had the oddest eyes she'd ever seen; they looked feral in nature. Remembering Xue's earlier comment about how she found Rowan by smelling him made her really start to wonder. If that wasn't bad enough, one of the youth's had horns on his head!
The latest pawns in her game were turning out to be quite an intriguing group of people; possibly a group she wouldn't mind getting closer to. Trustworthy friends were hard to find in her line of work. That explained why she rarely revealed her true identity to anyone.
Fatigue brought on by her overuse of magic made her sway on her feet. She sat down by a wall near the door since she liked being close to a quick exit. The location also provided her with a clear view of everyone in the house except for Alex, cloistered away in the bedroom. Considering his condition, she didn't feel the need to worry about him interfering with any new plan she might dream up.
When the healer suggested someone go out for food she re-thought her idea of adding sleeping powder to their meals. That would be a fine thing to do if she had enough power for all of them, but she never carried that much around with her. The vial in her pocket would taint two, maybe three, bowls of stew. Sighing, she rested her chin on her drawn up knees and listened to the friend's talk. It soon became obvious they cared about each other. What would it be like to have a circle of friends she didn't need to constantly lie to? A rich circle of friends, considering the amount of coins Rowan offered her to get them to safety. How much would he pay her to prove Soran's innocence?
She smiled upon hearing Eremis ask about the, young boy now dozing by the door. Apparently he thought her asleep since she hadn't moved a muscle since sitting down. A good thief knew how to remain perfectly still for long periods of time, and she considered herself a very good thief.
After thinking things over for a few more minutes, Jillian made her way to the couch and sat down next to Rowan, who held Soran in a tender embrace. Were they brothers, lovers, or simply extremely close friends? She shrugged off her wonderings because the only thing that mattered now was how she could benefit most from this evening's proceedings. Hopefully her judgment proved to be right on target and Rowan would pay her more than the 3000 gold the brooch was worth to clear Soran's name.
She glanced at Soran, smiling when she found him sound asleep. Who could blame the handsome lad for being exhausted after what he'd had to endure since entering Annib? Jillian shifted slightly in order to stare Rowan right in his eyes before she dropped the Huck facade and spoke in her normal voice.
"I'm going to cut out the bullshit and get right down to the point. I am not a boy, and my name isn't Huck. Close friends call me Weave because of my talent for weaving tales." Weaving tales sounded so much nicer than downright lying. "How much would you pay me to lead you to the man who robbed Talem's jewelry shop and murdered his son?"
Jillian had no idea that Kato had used a spell to listen in on Riley's conversation with Mortin, and that he would be able to point out the man to his friend's for free. Of course they'd have to hope to run into him sometime since Kato didn't know where he lived or the establishments he frequented on a regular basis.
