"I don't know but it won't be nice." I finally told him and with a shrug Leovold stepped back far enough to allow me to breathe. "I guess I should say thank you...but I won't."
"That's a little rude, Serla. I don't think Hanna would like it if someone, say you, spoke harshly or rudely to me." Leovold commented and I narrowed my eyes somehow not too shaken by his warning. "Now that we understand each other I have a fun idea."
"Like what exactly?" I muttered barely enough for anyone beside me to hear but Leovold must have heard because he just chuckled. Moving towards his desk I watched as he took a seat, his hands settling on top of his oak desk before he looked directly at me.
"We will hold a contest just between the two of us. Over the course of three days we will gather as much intel as we can about each other. The only rules is this; we are not allowed to get someone else to gather the information for us." Leovold finished with a smirk as I nodded, already going over the conditions in my head.
"So you can't pay someone to ask for you huh? Sounds fair though that leaves me with less time than you because of my work. Though I suppose I can agree to those terms if there's no cheating involved." I replied and he snorted, casually waving his hand in front of his chest. "Shake on it then." I added stepping towards the desk and with a shrug, Leovold stood before he gave my outstretched hand a quick though firm handshake.
"Then I'll see you in three days." Leovold commented and I grinned at him, thinking about how happy I'd been in three days to see that smug smile wiped from the elf's lips. As I left the office I didn't see Leovold turn to the window and with a quick tug he opened it, beckoning to someone who had been standing below it the whole time I'd been inside his office. After a few exchanged words the figure nodded and after they left Leovold smiled to himself, closing the window before he leant back in his chair.
I might be under the same restrictions as Serla but I never said we were not allowed to use our resources to control just how much information we can gain about the other person.
Unaware about that part of the fine print I walked into Hanna's office, pretending to be interested in getting a few more jobs.
"Of course. I was wondering where you disappeared to, Serla. This is a pleasant surprise I must say." She said, a faint smile on her lips as she headed towards her desk. Echoing that smile I looked around the room as she gathered together a stack of paperwork.
"I was just talking to Emissary Leovold and he suggested that I make myself more useful to you. It's the least I could do for you giving me this job he said." I told her and that brought an even larger smile to her face making me a little shocked at seeing my employer smile for once.
"That's a nice thing for Leovold to say though he is know for being such a polite elf since he arrived in Paliano from Trest. He even started throwing parties to make friends and allies. That must have cost him a fortune but he doesn't seem to care." Hanna told me, handing me the papers before she turned around. "Now you had better get those papers handed to Queen Marchesa's guards about the new terms of their service. Off you go, Serla." She added and with a quick nod I headed out the door.
Once I drop these off maybe I can start this contest of Leovold's, I thought though as I headed towards Queen Marchesa's throne room I couldn't help a shiver. I still can't believe that an assassin's the ruler of Paliano...no, I'd better not think about that. The city's dangerous enough and I have enough trouble keeping my job without worrying about who's in charge of the city.
With those happy thoughts swirling in my mind I quickly found one of the new ruler's guards who took the papers from me without even a thank you. Silently fuming I headed back the way I came wondering if I would have a chance to start my search. Sadly today wasn't my day and Hanna found me wandering the halls, giving me a raised eyebrow and I sighed.
I spent the remaining day running back and forth between Hanna's office and the city of Paliano, returning to my room with aching feet and a somewhat sour outlook on my life. A goodnights's rest made me feel a little better the next day and I managed to sneak out of my room without further interference by either Hanna or Refia, the latter too busy being waited on by her usual entourage of dimwitted guys.
This time I chose to wander the city streets keeping my purse firmly gripped in my right hand and my eyes on anyone who walked too close for my liking. I noticed a young man not much older than me watching for an archway and I narrowed my eyes, deftly slipping a small knife no bigger than my fist from a hidden pocket from inside my jacket. Once he noticed the light glinting off the blade his eyes widened slightly and with a step back he disappeared into the shadows. It wasn't until I had moved two blocks away that I finally relaxed, a little anyway still knowing the darker reputation of the city I now called my home.
For the next few hours I casually asked around, trying to find out anything I could about Leovold. It wasn't until my stomach protested at being forgotten that I realized I had missed lunch and that coupled with the fact I hadn't learnt anything new about Trest's emissary left me tired and a little angry. Most of the anger directed at Leovold I chose to take a break and get at the very least a sandwich right until I turned the corner and just about plowed into Refia, who took a moment to stare at me before she giggled.
"There you are. I've been looking everywhere for you, Serla. Here." Refia told me and I nearly dropped the books she dumped into my hands. "Have fun." She added, waving as she walked straight past not even looking back as I struggled to keep the books in my arms.
"Refia, hang on. Refia!" I called out not sure why I bothered as she just ignored me. Shaking my head I looked down at the books, wondering if I could drop them off back at Hanna's office without her finding me.
Which was a dumb thing for me to think as the moment I stepped through the doorway I saw Hanna sitting behind the desk, a quill in her hand. Giving me a head shake she motioned at me to approach the desk so I chose to do so, carefully setting the books down once I reached the desk. I started to turn until Hanna coughed and I bit my lower lip to prevent myself from airing my frustration.
"Thank you for returning the books, Serla. I don't know where Refia has disappeared to this time. Oh well I guess they're back in my hands so it doesn't really matter. Now I need you to run a quick errand for me, Serla." Hanna told me and I sighed, running my thumbnail over the bridge of my nose. "Is something the matter?" She asked and I shook my head as I began to wonder if I would miss dinner as well.
The so called 'quick' errand turned out a lot longer than Hanna had assured me and I found myself climbing into bed sometime after midnight. Exhausted and with a much louder growling stomach I tossed and turned, emerging from my room just after sunrise with a yawn.
Rubbing at my eyes in an effort to stay awake I stumbled towards the cafeteria and once I opened the door I sighed, relieved to find it empty. As quickly as I could I made myself a ham and cheese sandwich for lunch, grabbing an apple to eat for breakfast before I walked back to my room. Once I was more or less awake I made my way to Hanna's office thinking about ways to disappear for long enough to find something, anything, about Paliano's diplomat.
When I found Hanna's office empty of her I actually smiled for the first time in days and I turned, looking forward to spending the entire day (the last day) on my own. I made it as far as the front gates before someone called my name and I groaned, mentally kicking myself as I looked over at Hanna. Obviously having heard me groan she stared then slowly she narrowed her eyes at me, one foot tapping the floor before she walked towards me.
"Sorry I'm still half asleep." I apologized and after staring at me for a few more seconds Hanna seemed to believe my little lie. "What can I do for you?" I asked, blinking as she handed me a long roll of paper.
"I need to leave the city for most of the day so I need you to finish everything on the list by the time I arrive back. It's very important and it has to be finished by tonight when I arrive back." Hanna said as I scanned the list, my eyes getting wider by the second.
"But there's no way I can finish all of these errands in one day." I protested and after glaring at me, Hanna snatched back the list.
"Then I guess you really weren't serious when you applied for this assistant job." Hanna told me and I grimaced knowing where this was going.
"I'm really sorry. I promise to have everything finished by the time you get back." I told her and after a pause she gave me a tiny smile, handing the roll back.
"See that you do. Now I have a carriage waiting outside so I'll leave you to it." Hanna explained leaving before I even had time to ask why she hadn't asked Refia.
Probably because no one can find her when Hanna's has work for us to do. I guess I have no choice though with Hanna absent maybe I can finally get some answers about Trest's emissary.
In between running books back to the library, I decided to ask a few of the locals about Leovold. It wasn't until I found two men having a heated discussion that made me ask them but as soon as I approached they paused, staring at me. I cleared my throat taking a single step towards them to see them narrow their eyes and I blinked, confused as they turned walking away in the opposite direction. Still confused I finished up my current errand returning a notebook to a guard who actually thanked me, blushing a little.
He seemed pretty thankful to have that notebook back. I wonder if it has anything to do with the name that had a heart drawn around it?
The next errand involved returning a stack of five books to the library which left my arms aching a little though it made me feel a little better knowing I was slowly but surely working my way through Hanna's list. I even managed to question a few regulars about Leovold however they all reacted the same way as the two men had and that left me cursing.
A few hours later I took a break to eat my sandwich scanning the list to see what I had left freezing in mid bite when I noticed whose name was at the bottom of the list. Once I swallowed I tilted my head giving the paper a smile.
"Leovold again? That saves me having to go looking for him I guess." I whispered, finishing the last few bites of my sandwich before I went looking for Leovold. For once he wasn't in his office and I was all set to leave the paperwork on his desk until I noticed the seal at the very bottom of an envelope. "A black rose? Geeze I guess I have to give these directly to him. I'd hate to know what Queen Marchesa would do to me if someone else found these." I muttered, scooping them into a neat pile.
Finding Leovold wasn't that easy and I found myself taking to the streets just as a lightning strike split the sky, the skies growing dark and in the distance I heard a rumble. Muttering under my breath I headed for an arch just as a single drop of water landed on top of my head making me yelp as it slid down my back. Nearly dropping the paperwork I moved to catch it in my arms and just as I clutched it to my chest the heavens opened up, soaking me to the skin in a manner of seconds.
Grumbling I raced for the safety of a nearby door, hoping it would shield me from the storm. It wasn't until I reached the doorway that the skies seemed to clear and I groaned as the rain slowed then stopped altogether. "Perfect." I complained to myself, noting that somehow the paperwork I still had to deliver had managed to stay dry. Unlike me who had no choice but to appear before Leovold in a very sorry state if I was going to make my time limit in our contest. As I headed for his office I felt a sudden sneeze coming on and I coughed, praying to whatever entity might be listening to not curse me with the flu.
To say Leovold was surprised to see me at his doorstep, soaked through and quietly sniffing was an understatement. The way he stared at me before his gaze moved to my wet boots and he frowned, clearly not happy.
"Please take those boots off. This carpet is expensive and it is very difficult to remove mud from it." Leovold asked and I grumbled, handing over the papers before I knelt to remove my boots. Dumping them inches from the door I took a step towards his desk only to see Leovold hurriedly shake his head at me.
"Oh for crying out loud. I just braved a storm to bring those papers to you and you won't even let me sit down?" I complained, sorely tempted to park myself on his stupid carpet just to get a reaction. "Whatever. So I guess the contest's over?"
"Yes you're right, Serla. Now what did you find out?" Leovold asked, his eyes on me as he settled into his chair. Letting out a cough I fiddled with the hem of my jacket and he actually smiled making me frown. "So you failed?"
I opened my mouth, still glaring at the elf only to start coughing. It took me nearly a minute to stop and by then my stomach and throat ached, leaving me hunched over and breathing hard. Slightly concerned Leovold rose from his chair and after he reached my side he raised his hand. His hand barely brushed my right shoulder before I pitched forward, vision blurring to nothing as I crumbled my nose smacking into his carpet before everything faded.