Zhi was damp with sweat by dusk. It'd been a hot day, and she was finding even her patience stretched by her long, quiet wait. If that wasn't bad enough, she'd earned herself several scraped knuckles as she'd settled and resettled into the place she'd made for herself between a rocky outcropping and the building that perched up against it. It was only due to a partial collapse of the roof (storm damage, Zhi estimated, though she weren't no builder) that she'd been able to make of it a hidey-hole, flattening herself against a revealed support and hiding behind the crooked and patchy roof tiles. Being able to fit didn't mean comfortable which she knew from innumerable past experiences and not a few nasty wounds earned during climbs and hours spent sitting in unstable perches.
The reward for her injuries and numb extremities was, as always, the arrival of an individual. This one was not the tabby in question -- he was male, hyur, and far too ugly (which, considering Zhi's low standards, was quite the feat) -- but judging by the way he loitered in the alley, Zhi gauged he was part of the "summat int'restin'" she'd been tipped off to. It was good enough she'd been given a starting point, because asides from that what she knew was slim indeed. The roegadyn was part of a network -- clear enough from the way he'd talked -- but he'd not given her many pertinent details. She wasn't sure why, though she suspected it had to do with the "tabby" woman who'd cockered up their network from an angle that was no doubt not entirely above the board; there'd be no need to hire her if the higher-ups were fully apprised of what was going on. If they were, it would've been handled internally.
The man below looked like he was either hopped up on something or very nervous, going by the way he startled at every little shadow. So, then, was this part of the network's usual operation, or was this part of the mess she was supposed to clean up? So many questions, and as usual she found herself drawn to them as keenly as a hunting cat to prey. The mystery intrigued her as much as the coin, she was ashamed to admit to herself, and she savored the thought of discovering the answers one by one, peeling them away from whoever held them. And then, Nald'thal willing, she'd be able to trade it in for a solution, neatly cutting out the tabby from the pantry, as it were.
She smiled, and watched.
The reward for her injuries and numb extremities was, as always, the arrival of an individual. This one was not the tabby in question -- he was male, hyur, and far too ugly (which, considering Zhi's low standards, was quite the feat) -- but judging by the way he loitered in the alley, Zhi gauged he was part of the "summat int'restin'" she'd been tipped off to. It was good enough she'd been given a starting point, because asides from that what she knew was slim indeed. The roegadyn was part of a network -- clear enough from the way he'd talked -- but he'd not given her many pertinent details. She wasn't sure why, though she suspected it had to do with the "tabby" woman who'd cockered up their network from an angle that was no doubt not entirely above the board; there'd be no need to hire her if the higher-ups were fully apprised of what was going on. If they were, it would've been handled internally.
The man below looked like he was either hopped up on something or very nervous, going by the way he startled at every little shadow. So, then, was this part of the network's usual operation, or was this part of the mess she was supposed to clean up? So many questions, and as usual she found herself drawn to them as keenly as a hunting cat to prey. The mystery intrigued her as much as the coin, she was ashamed to admit to herself, and she savored the thought of discovering the answers one by one, peeling them away from whoever held them. And then, Nald'thal willing, she'd be able to trade it in for a solution, neatly cutting out the tabby from the pantry, as it were.
She smiled, and watched.
