Andralyn’s mind wandered as the woman spoke, her accent wearing on her ear.
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Two groups. Pictures, faces, names, places. Her mind was aflutter with activity as she listened to the words spoken at her. Why? More importantly who? The Coeurl house. No. Their clientele was completely separate from hers she was certain. They targeted a very niche market; there was no need to come after her. Who... One moon cycle… maybe one and a half. Her time away hadn’t been that long. Not nearly long enough for her foothold among the houses to falter so terribly. This had to have been a long time coming.
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Farris. Her jaw set slightly as the name came to her. A longtime rival of her mother’s, the man had been livid when Andralyn was finally able to wrangle the writ from his hands after her mother’s death. She shook her head, her attention turning back to Zhavi as she straightened, hoping the action didn’t look too foolish given the topic at hand.  No….That man had tuco-shit for brains and lacked the gall needed to attempt anything like this.
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“Cut off yer work across La Noscea…†Andralyn’s attention was back on the miqo’te, her eyes narrowed. She was already dipping into her own pockets to cover the next week of business.Â
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Ruthless.
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The corners of her mouth twitched.
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Ruthless, hm?
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The twitched danced against her lips as she fought to keep the stoic face, ultimately losing as her mouth curled into a toothy almost malicious grin.
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Ruthless was the game. It sure had been a while since that mirror was pulled out of her book, but she’d be willing to knock the dust off today. She grinned for a long moment at Zhavi, a more familiar air coming over her as she shifted her stance, into casual serenity.
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“My business will continue to run as it has,†her voice was confident and willful. “My momentary lapse in judgment may have them thinking I’m an easy target, let them think it. I’ll continue to suffer the fools if it’s only to draw them to their deathbeds.â€
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“I will stay my hand and not indulge in a ‘siege’ as you say. Continue to do your digging; I’ll continue to play my part. How long do you need?â€
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Two groups. Pictures, faces, names, places. Her mind was aflutter with activity as she listened to the words spoken at her. Why? More importantly who? The Coeurl house. No. Their clientele was completely separate from hers she was certain. They targeted a very niche market; there was no need to come after her. Who... One moon cycle… maybe one and a half. Her time away hadn’t been that long. Not nearly long enough for her foothold among the houses to falter so terribly. This had to have been a long time coming.
Â
Farris. Her jaw set slightly as the name came to her. A longtime rival of her mother’s, the man had been livid when Andralyn was finally able to wrangle the writ from his hands after her mother’s death. She shook her head, her attention turning back to Zhavi as she straightened, hoping the action didn’t look too foolish given the topic at hand.  No….That man had tuco-shit for brains and lacked the gall needed to attempt anything like this.
Â
“Cut off yer work across La Noscea…†Andralyn’s attention was back on the miqo’te, her eyes narrowed. She was already dipping into her own pockets to cover the next week of business.Â
Â
Ruthless.
Â
The corners of her mouth twitched.
Â
Ruthless, hm?
Â
The twitched danced against her lips as she fought to keep the stoic face, ultimately losing as her mouth curled into a toothy almost malicious grin.
Â
Ruthless was the game. It sure had been a while since that mirror was pulled out of her book, but she’d be willing to knock the dust off today. She grinned for a long moment at Zhavi, a more familiar air coming over her as she shifted her stance, into casual serenity.
Â
“My business will continue to run as it has,†her voice was confident and willful. “My momentary lapse in judgment may have them thinking I’m an easy target, let them think it. I’ll continue to suffer the fools if it’s only to draw them to their deathbeds.â€
Â
“I will stay my hand and not indulge in a ‘siege’ as you say. Continue to do your digging; I’ll continue to play my part. How long do you need?â€
