Hark: I don't own all the characters. See chapter 1. Just borrowing them again. And for some reason I can't find good quotes... Let's try Latin again.



Chapter 2. Meetings in the guild



Miseranda vita, qui se metui quam amari malunt. Those who would rather be feared than loved lead sorry lives (very bad translation, but the idea is right) Nepos



When Entreri and Jarlaxle arrived to the alley that the letter had asked them to come to, there was a halfling woman waiting for them. She eyed them both for a moment and then walked up to them, taking a piece of paper from her pocket.



"Entreri," she read, nodding at the assassin. "And Jarlaxle, who appears to be a drow. Why is it that I'm never told anything? Well, do you have the letter? I haven't got all day."



"Here," Entreri said, handing her the letter they had received from Aran Linvail, calling them to come and meet him to discuss the possibilities of cooperation. Possibilities that, in Entreri's opinion, were more profitable for Aran than for them. But he had decided that he wanted more than rainy streets and small jobs from people who didn't trust them because of Jarlaxle's race.

"Great," the halfling muttered after reading the paper. "My name is Mitsu. Follow me, I'll take you to meet Aran."

"How do we know this isn't some kind of a trap?" Entreri asked, not moving to the direction that Mitsu pointed. Jarlaxle rolled his eyes, wondering why his companion had to make some things too difficult.

"You'll just have to take my word for it," Mitsu said. "We have no reason to attack you. Yet. And although few guilds in Calimport have announced that they will pay a fortune of the head of Artemis Entreri, we have no need for that money," Mitsu finished, looking sharply at Entreri. The assassin kept his calm appearance, he had expected something like this to happen. He returned Mitsu's stare and the halfling turned around laughing. "I can see why people find you a fearsome adversary. No emotions whatsoever. Now let's go."

"A wonderful idea, my lady," Jarlaxle said and received another sharp look from the halfling. "You are an interesting one," Mitsu said. "Please, don't start a war between the women of the guild with your charms. That has happened. And let me tell you, there is nothing more pathetic than all the whores fighting over one man. Well, mostly all of them," she added, as to herself. "Some of them have more class."



"They are still whores," Entreri said. "So speaking of class is pointless."



"No respect for the working girls?" Mitsu asked smiling. "I have to warn you," she continued, starting to walk out to the main street, "there are lots of them in the service of the guild and they have respect for themselves. So try at least to cover your disgust even if you can't make it disappear."



"He'll do his best," Jarlaxle said smiling while Entreri simply shook his head. A guild full of murderers, thieves and whores. He hid a little smile. It felt like coming back to Calimport after all.



Mitsu's route took them to the Dock District, avoiding all the guard points that had been established in the city. There was not much need to it, the guards in the most notorious areas had decided that if their superiors weren't going to come down there and receive their part of the fights and injuries, the guards shouldn't bother either. Guard points were mostly empty and the guards spent their time near the taverns and places where they could keep out of the rain.



"Wonderful human society," Jarlaxle said in an adoring tone. Entreri smiled, although the drow wasn't in favour of all the habits of his people, like he had told Entreri, he still found all kinds of things that he could remark on in the villages, towns and cities they had passed through. Entreri agreed with him, the guards of the city were doing a terrible work, if they were doing it at all. Better for us, he thought when Mitsu lead them to a back door of a huge house near the district entrance.



"Welcome," she said and knocked to the door. It was opened by a beautiful elf woman. She started to greet them, but then her eyes widened as she stared at Jarlaxle. "A drow!" She gasped, looking at Mitsu in horror. "What is this?"



"Isaldora, this is Jarlaxle, companion of Artemis Entreri," Mitsu said, first pointing at Jarlaxle and then at Entreri, who was starting to get tired to people who stared at them in astonishment before slamming the door closed. Isaldora didn't do this, although Entreri saw she wanted to. Her blue eyes went from a lighter blue to a colour of stormy sky. "Aran hired a drow?" she said in a voice that was too calm and controlled. "Fine. That's just great."



"Isaldora," Mitsu started, but she was silenced by a dismissive wave. "No," the elf said, "I don't need to hear. You bring that thing inside, feed it, let it sleep here. But remember that it is a monster that will kill you without hesitating a moment!" the woman turned and run away, leaving the door open.



"That could have gone better," Mitsu sighed. "Well, I hope she'll calm down. Come in, Aran must be wondering what is taking us this long."



"Who was that?" Jarlaxle asked and his voice brought to Entreri's mind a hunting animal who had found a perfect prey. He couldn't help but hope that the drow could control his urges and leave the girl alone. Still Entreri didn't place much hope on this; Jarlaxle seemed to have decided in those few seconds that the elf girl would be a perfect challenge. Entreri wouldn't have disagreed with him about that. It could be interesting, if somewhat dangerous.



"That was Isaldora," Mitsu said when they entered the building. "A nice person, if a little too prejudiced. Now, you can wait here," Mitsu finished after leading them through hallways to a small room furnished with sofas and arm chairs. "I'll tell Aran that you are here."



"Alright," Jarlaxle said, sitting down. Entreri, deciding that they wouldn't be attacked and he could take it easy, also sat down, letting himself enjoy the soft seat, although he would've never admitted it to anybody.



"This is nice," the drow said, leaning back in the chair and flashing Entreri an honest smile. The assassin didn't say anything, he had noticed that Jarlaxle usually gave up after some time. The silence seemed to be bothering the drow, who was about to say something when the door was opened in a hurry and a woman rushed in, slamming it close behind her.



"You haven't seen me," she hissed to them and dived behind the nearest sofa. Jarlaxle and Entreri exchanged an amazed look, but then they heard steps hurrying closer to the door and a fat man opened it.



"Have you..." he started to say and then looked at them closely. "You are new, aren't you? And you're a drow! I'd heard some rumours, but... I'm sorry to bother you, my lord, but have you seen a woman? Short, dark-haired, has a very nice... figure, if you know what I mean," he said and laughed. Entreri hated the laughter instantly, it was greasy, obscene and reminded him of some things he wanted to forget.



"Sorry, we haven't," Jarlaxle said calmly. "But I would be grateful if you knocked next time. We drow elves are known to respect our peace and we do not like people rushing in without a notice," he said, smiling in a way that made the man swallow nervously.



"No offence meant, my lord," he muttered. "I'll go now, leave you in peace and all that, but if you see that little whore, tell her that Owen is looking for her."



"We'll be happy to do that," Jarlaxle said, still smiling. The man stared at him and backed away, closing the door behind him very carefully. Jarlaxle walked to the sofa and peered behind it. "I can assure that the road is clear," he said. The woman looked up and then got to her feet, straightening the lines on her dress that - Jarlaxle noticed - didn't cover much of her.



"Thank you," she said in a soft voice and smiled at him. "I see that the rumours circling in this place were accurate. For once," she added. "But it's good to have new people around. Hello to you too," she said to Entreri, whose cold stare made her shiver. "Sorry to make your acquaintance," she muttered and then turned back to Jarlaxle, not caring about Entreri's surprised look.



"Might I ask why that man was... looking for you?" Jarlaxle asked smiling; he liked the woman and her quick wit, although he had to admit that it wasn't very smart of her to try to annoy or overlook Artemis Entreri. He also liked her looks, especially her sparkling green eyes and her beautiful body covered by the red dress.



"Your eyes will fall off soon," she said and winked. "And to be honest, around here women are more interested in money than admiring looks. But I'd rather take the admiration. Money is overrated. Oh, you were asking about Owen" she exclaimed, and Jarlaxle realized that her mind was working so fast that she jumped from one thought to another without any pauses. "He was the one looking for me, a complete bastard by any standards. One of my friends owes him money and is trying his best to avoid him, and Owen thought that I would pay. He is a violent and stupid man, and sometimes forgets who he is. And who I am."



"And that is?" Entreri said, unable to stop himself. For some reason he was also interested of this strange woman and the way she was having a simple conversation with a drow, like there was nothing strange about it.



"So you can speak," she said and Jarlaxle almost chuckled, partly of amusement, partly of horror. Entreri's look could have caused even great warriors to back away, but the woman didn't seem to care. "I'm Shandara," she said and flashed another smile. "And if I should trust what people say, you are the infamous Artemis Entreri. I thought you'd be taller."



"Do you have a death wish of some sort?" Entreri asked her quietly. She looked at him, her eyes widening with surprise. "No, not really. Should I?" Entreri knew how to respond to simple insults hurled in battle, but this woman wasn't playing by those rules. She had a little smile that annoyed Entreri, a smile of complete confidence, but there was something in that smile that Entreri thought he recognized, although he wasn't quite sure why.



"I like her," Jarlaxle announced when it seemed that Entreri wasn't going to attack the woman. "Honestly, my lady," he said, bowing his head at Shandara's direction. The woman gave him an amused look and then shook her head. "You are an interesting one, aren't you? And I suppose I could say the same about you," she said to Entreri. "But I really must go now. I guess I'll be seeing you around. I can't wait," she said, winking at Entreri and leaving the room with soft steps.



"I really, really like her," Jarlaxle said grinning. Entreri gave him a blank look and then shook his head: "I thought you set your eyes on that elf girl."



"What makes you think I couldn't have both?" Jarlaxle asked. "But I think the elf girl will be enough. She seems to be the easier one to conquer."



"I would have thought that a whore would be the easier one," Entreri said, unsure of why he was having this conversation with the drow. But he had noticed that he actually enjoyed these pointless talks that nevertheless always cheered him up. Time for a chance, he thought, or at least some kind of attempt for it.



"Not this one," Jarlaxle said. "There was something about her that... Some whores are nothing more than poor little girls, who have ended up in a wrong profession. This one could be a noble if she wanted to."



"So the challenge is too much for you?" Entreri grinned. "That I wouldn't have expected," he added. Jarlaxle stared at him for a while and then responded: "But you could give it a try. I think she finds you a challenge as well."



"I've no interest in trying to conquer some stupid whore!" Entreri said angrily. "And I still believe there wouldn't be any challenge in it anyway."



"How about a bet?" Jarlaxle asked. "I get the elf girl, you get her. If one fails, he should pay the other..."



"I'm not going to start gambling on people," Entreri said in a cold voice and Jarlaxle congratulated himself on finding out one more aspect of the assassin. "You take your elf girl if you wish, but I will not play on people just for your amusement."



"I didn't think for a second that you would," Jarlaxle said calmly, but before Entreri had any time to respond, there door opened and Mitsu slipped in. "Aran will see you now," she said. "Follow me."