TSC - Chapter 3: Façades (8) - Strangers

Mezzo Holdings was originally founded by House Thanosa in the city of Qi. Although the family held the company for some time, complications within the house caused attention to be drawn constantly away from the business. It then only became a matter of time before they did not own a controlling share in the company. This, at least in Auspar, allowed the business to become a facade for illegal activities. With no real interest in the company, the new owners were left unchecked. For those that have the right connections, knowledge or a silver coin, the back storage rooms were available to use no questions asked . Lily had the right connections, although their contact's motive was still unclear. To maximise the secrecy all of Thanosa's grandiose adornments were taken down, and replaced with simple wooden furnishings and aged accents. This was a familiar setting to Lily, almost comforting in its Spartan way.

In the centre of the room there was a wrinkled woman with an angular nose, sitting at a small desk. She seemed to be utterly involved with what looked like a collection of recent rumours. After a few moments of standing in silence Lily coughed. The woman barely blinked. She again coughed, and coughed without a reaction. Frustrated, she shoved one of the notes in front of the other woman. Although not interested at first, once the woman had caught a glimpse of the beetle insignia she was a lot more responsive. Without any discussion she handed over a ring of keys in all shapes, including some that squirmed under Lily's touch. This was given along with any relevant information, including corpse disposal. This made Lily smile. She jangled the keys while walking past box after box of stored artwork and sculpture. Past this was a hallway which had numerous doors. She decided to go with her second choice, her initial thought might be the same as someone else if they wanted to get her. It was a simple wooden door, nailed together without much care. Only the brass handle, unique amongst he rest, seemed to have been the only part given any attention.

Lily cautiously opened the door, half expecting something to try to kill her. Instead she saw a small room, with a singular narrow window, along with its occupant. An imposing gentleman, not just by his stare but by the bulking mass that was his body.  After walking in she had disturbed him and in his sleepy stupor, half heartedly tried to send her away. She resisted easily. Lily then looked around for anything useful, perhaps to render the man unconscious. The room was barren, save for a chair, broken bottles and a set of blankets. She asked him if this was his living quarters, he shook his head with slight movements. That was all she needed and ordered him out. He laughed, much to Lily's bemusement. He calmly explained that he was the enforcer of security of this holding and by contract cannot leave. She sighed, another complication. She paced around the room, constantly observing the man, sat in the chair with his back against the wall. She glanced outside at the rock garden, one of many that adorned the spaces between spires in the merchant district. It was a small outcrop of rock and flowers, circled by a spiralling waterfall which came from its centre and dropped down below. One of the plants was singular stemmed but had multiple varieties of leaves and flowers, a living bouquet. It was unclear whether the garden would collapse under her weight or just sink. It was just another dead end. She turned back around to question if the man had ever tortured someone but before she get a response there was an almighty scream from reception and a heated argument filtering through the hallway.   

The man burst through the door into reception before Lily, he almost took the door off with the force. The receptionist did not shriek, instead she only tutted. She was not convinced of the credentials of these new visitors, especially as they were carrying what looked like a dead body in, rather than out. Lily smiled but  was also little shocked at the sight of Eryn. She did not think he would have been able to carry out the abduction so she welcomed him a little more friendlier than she normally would. Eryn was a little confused now and kept regimentally still while she gave out a barbed compliment. The man enquired as to whether Lily was part of their party, a question seconded by the receptionist. Her response was cold at best but it was satisfactory. It got them past reception. While they walked between the crates, a clear crystal statue lured Chloe away from the group. She gazed at its perfectly smooth surfaces, not a single crack or chip. She couldn't really understand what this piece was meant to represent. She felt a little chilly, the lights seemed to be drawing themselves away from her. From out her ear sprouted the tentacled voice. It started asking questions, asking Who are you? The shards of the other voice pressed in returning the sentiment. Chloe's own thoughts were being drowned out, she screamed and shouted. The man jumped down the hall, while both Eryn and Lily kept a firm grasp of the sleeping merchant.

Chloe now ran ahead down the hallway to the door and screeched to a stop a few steps before it and fell silent. She pointed her left foot out and tapped into the pool that had formed under the door. The poor lighting from the dimming lamps and the dark, worn wood made it difficult to tell what it was. A few steps behind the others arrived. Lily knelt down, completely dumping the merchant onto Eryn who nearly tumbled backwards under the weight. She dipped her finger and tasted it. Lukewarm blood, a couple of minutes from body temperature. Nobody had gone past them, and to other man's resolute conviction that there was nobody else in the building and with that sentiment he charged down the door.