A tall and imposing hunter in half broken armour walked across the room, spear in her right hand and lover in the other. She stops before a smaller member of her species, his silk nightwear showing off his status, as if the example of exceptional Khajiit architecture around her wasn't enough.
"Thank you for coming so soon" he said to her, slouching unprofessionally in his seat. Set up correctly he would look powerful and imposing to those before him, regardless of his short stature. Right now he simply looked tired, frustrated and a little arrogant.
"We didn't want to risk losing this job by being late. Business has been slow lately."
"Is this because you can't catch thieves?" He responded slowly. There was a silence in the room, tense and uncomfortable
Eventually she responded. Speaking slowly while imitating his slight accent. "This is because we have already caught them all.' The tense silence returned for a while. She slowly stroked Keshdul as felt hair move and muscle tense in her hand, trying to ease him as he struggled with the mood in the room. The hunter wondered if he was always like this or simply had a bad evening.
"My name is Baamhirr." The khajiit in the chair said as he propped himself up. "This night my home has been violated, guards killed and my most valuable personal possession stolen from me. The first two things cannot be helped now but the third is still very much rectifiable. A thief has run off with my Tiger's eye and I need it back."
"Excuse me,' the hunter interrupted 'Tiger's eye?."
He held out a goblet comically too large for his hand. "It's an opal that is too large to fit in this. The colours formed themselves in a way that makes it look like a Senche eye." and pointed to the large quadruped Khajiit standing by the hunter. "That gem alone could buy all the skooma in Elsweyr. Give me enough time and I could by all the moon sugar with it too. I need Tiger's eye back at all costs. Whatever you need, whatever the cost, if it will help you bring it back to me you shall have it."
Do'Hinda stood in silence, listening and absorbing all she could. He was powerful, direct and desperate. Clearly Tiger's eye was going to be a symbol of his if not already. Something personal worth more than money. Maybe a future family insignia? He also looked... defeated. She figured that she was in fact not the first person for him to meet with tonight. He probably met with guards, friends and maybe even other hunters before finally coming to her. She kept her silence to see if he would give away why.
"One of the guards who managed to give a report before the venom in his veins closed. He revealed some very enlightening information."
Not a hint of concern or gratitude from that she thought bitterly.
"The thief who stole it was very quick and very quiet. He's a suthay-raht, has a black coat with dark orange spots, he also used an azure dagger that glinted bright in Masser's light."
Do'Hinda and Keshdul both snapped their heads to attention.
"Oh good, you know what that means. You two actually are thief hunters."
Azure daggers that shine in the night, made of the rare ore Stalhrim, is the mark of a very talented underworld professional. Rare in the place they are made, they're even rarer here on the other side of the continent. The only ways to get one is to steal it, pay an extravagant amount of Septims, or kill the previous owner. Regardless of the method they used to obtain it, an individual that owns one is an individual to fear. The reason he was unable to find people for the job before became clear. Baahmirr felt a little uneasy from the sudden excitement coming off the couple before him.
Unbeknownst to the three below a small cat watched and listened. She heard their names, the deals they made, what they were going to do, how they were going to do it and that they knew of the azure dagger. She heard everything. The cat left as they did and casually made her way down from Baamhirr's roof with the elegance expected of a cat her size. She backtracked casually and slowly past the edge of town. Passing a tree with a fresh mark she carefully scaled the one next to it, avoiding the traps she had helped set up hours before. Reaching the top she was met with a very old friend.
"Oh good, Adhrina, you're ok. You were out longer than usual you know. I started to get worried." Adhrina reached into a small satchel attached to her friend's belt and pulled out a sheet with the alphabet, her friend taking paper and charcoal out of the same pouch. Adhrina may be just as intelligent as any other mer, a bit more than most in actuality, but her significantly smaller stature and lack of language producing vocal cords restricted her in just about everything in at least some small way. But like most obstacles in her life, she found ways around it.
Dar'Shato read what he had written. Then read it again. "This is going to be harder than I thought it would be..." He looked off into space, thinking, weighing up possible plans, available tools and potential resources. "But... much much more fun." he turned to her with a smile. The thief's confidence always made Adhrina feel at ease. "Better head off to sleep, we've got a lot of ground to cover and not nearly enough time to cover it."
He watched Adhrina fall asleep quickly, an ability he envied. He stared at the sky and watched the clouds glide smoothly across the stars. The cool wind blew through his coat, skin prickling at the sensation. With a sense of peace and comfort, he absorbed everything in, enjoying the moment. A ritual he performed every calm before a storm.