End of the Line [Complete]

[Kari Muffin]

Someone had hired him. Well, someone was going to hire him it seemed. The boy was a little hesitant about going to an inn. He didn't like busy places, no matter how small and shady they were. Someone was usually bound to make a comment towards him. He hated the stares he got sometimes. People just weren't used to Hisstors he figured.

Conway nearly jumped out of his skin when he opened the door and it rang. He hadn't been expecting a bell. He looked around. It was almost empty, except for a woman at the counter and a few people in the seats. Who was the man he was supposed to meet again? A Highlander eagle. He saw one in the corner, but he wasn't sure if that was the one. He looked a lot less frail than most of the people that hired Conway for jobs. Why would he need someone if he looked like he could snap Conway's neck? The boy walked over to the table, letting his spine make sound as he walked. He looked at the man briefly, waiting for his reaction before anything was said or done. Conway wasn't about to talk in such an empty place.

[The Jenn]

Blaine looked up from his contemplation of his drink, the swill in the bottom of the glass better than he would get in similar establishments in other regions but still a far cry from what he was used to. He liked his alcohol better than this cheap crap, but there wasn't much for it. The place didn't have anything more. He grimaced and threw the rest of it back, then stilled when the door to the inn opened.

He didn't turn around, didn't look at who might have entered, but the rattling of bones alerted him to the presence of the Hisstor he was waiting for. Slowly he turned around and looked the young man up and down once, briefly. Awfully young, fresh-faced but worn, and - if his information proved to be correct - a person of exactly the sort he needed. A Joker. Their reputations as sneaks and subtle spies were often well-earned and he remembered the one who used to live in the Palace of Hearts before Queen Regina died, bitch that she was. He'd always wondered where that rat had gone.

For a bird, he was large and thickly built, almost the opposite of his scrawny brother. Though they both had golden manes, Blaine's was more yellow and lacked the Highland swirls. It also had a definite curl. Bernard always preferred his books and his magics. Blaine couldn't be bothered most of the time. His magic was always weak and books bored him, unlike physical activity. He'd always been exceptionally proficient with an axe and he looked as though he'd spent most of his life keeping himself at a physical peak. That had begun to deteriorate slightly over the past few years, but not enough that he would look especially weak. He would just look very stressed and a touch haggard.

"You're Conway, then?" he asked in a low voice.

[Kari Muffin]

Conway nodded slowly. He wasn't sure about this one. Highlanders usually wanted very specific things. Picky bastards. The problem was that Conway was in desperate need of money. His Uncle had left him high and dry, completely without options. So the wolf had been left to finding a job that paid big. Enough that it would cover his sister's bills for at least a year. This man was his ticket to saving his sister from being thrown out on the streets.

That didn't mean he wouldn't be careful. The boy pointed up. He wasn't going to talk here when there was a chance that someone might find out about him. He was already paranoid that one of the drunks in the corner was staring at his lack of shadow. People were uncomfortable things, drunks doubly so. They wouldn't shut up unless you went and smacked them around, or killed them. Killing them was a lot easier.

He raised an eyebrow, waiting for the eagle to react to his gesture. He hoped that he would get it. Jocks weren't always that smart, and people always had problems understanding Conway.

[The Jenn]

The eagle stared at his gesture for a minute, trying to figure out what he was implying or trying to say before the metaphorical light bulb went on. "Ahh," he said and, with a nod, stood up. "Follow me, then. 's a private room. We can talk there."

Quiet was good, and though he hadn't yet noticed the lack of shadow he certainly wouldn't have minded once he saw it. He led the human up the stairs in the back to the second floor, a corner room where he could draw the drapes and lock the door. When you were a wanted man, you very rarely advertised your presence. It was a good thing he knew one secret too many about the inn's owner for the man to report him to the proper authorities.

He turned to the youth and gave him a scrutinizing look. "Have you ever killed someone before," he asked seriously, wings rustling as he settled them close to his body. His eyes never left the young Joker.

[Kari Muffin]

Conway was thankful to be lead to a dark and quiet room. A little bit of his tension released itself, but he wasn't going to let his guard down around this man. He would never trust an employer, regardless of who they were. The boy looked at the man with a raised eyebrow.

Then he asked an interesting question.

Conway laughed. He couldn't help but find that utterly hysterical. His voice wasn't particularly masculine. He sounded exactly how he looked, a young boy who had barely made it to adulthood. "Of course I've killed someone!" The boy shook his head and brushed a bit of hair out of his face. He looked at the man with a tilt of his head. "That's why you hired me right? To get a job done. I may be young, but I'm not innocent. If you're hesitant about my services I'll just leave." Conway smirked at the older man. If he was being so careful about all of this, then he must have wanted someone Very Important dead. Highlanders. So stuffy and particular about death, asking stupid questions of people.

[The Jenn]

Blaine looked momentarily startled at the boy's words, then scowled slightly. He hated annoying little know-it-alls. His brother had been that way sometimes when they were younger and it had always rubbed him the wrong way. "I just wanted to make sure that you were the right person, boy," he growled. "Watch your mouth. Here's another question for you. Have you ever been paid three thousand gold to kill someone?"

Considering that a normal assassination would normally range anywhere from seven hundred to twelve hundred gold, the price he quoted should shut the kid up rather well. If he thought this would be an easy job, he was dead wrong. The eagle had been pooling his funds for a long while to see this deed done, and had been calling in even more favors after he learned of his daughter's fate at the hands of her vengeful, powerful brother. It had been flaunted across the lands like a banner and caused him to leave his place of hiding almost immediately, something that still made him incredibly bitter.

[Kari Muffin]

Conway's heart skipped a beat when the price was quoted. His eyes widened as he looked at the man standing before him. To pay that much for someone's death was unheard of. Unless they really wanted someone dead, and that someone was extremely difficult to kill. The corners of the boy's mouth twitched upwards. That would pay for June's housing and other assorted needs for quite some time. If he upset the man he might go to someone else -- but who else would take on such a obviously dangerous mission? That much money must have come at some price.

"No, I haven't. But if you're offering that much, than it means you want me to do something very specific, or you want someone very important dead. Possibly both." Conway prevented himself from grinning further, even though it was quite difficult for him to do such a thing. But, even if he took the job, his employer would have to suffer for the death of his hit. After all, Conway wasn't about to take the blame. And a jock like this probably wouldn't realize what happened until he was greeted by the knife of vengeance.

After all, Conway didn't want his customer to betray him. If the hit was traced back to him, the man could easily say that it was all Conway's fault. No, that wouldn't do. He'd take the job. The customer would pay the price.

[The Jenn]

"Smart boy," the bird said snidely, then seemed to settle down a bit, feathers returning to their normal state as he moved to lean his hips against a wooden table at the edge of the room. He'd made his point, hopefully, and now the kid would stop mouthing off. At least his last comment had been more to the point.

His eyes trailed down to the line of vertebrae connected to the youth's belt and across the bland, holey clothes. Obviously he could use the money for something and maybe he used that outfit to make himself less memorable... though in the Highlands, it was only likely to make him stand out more, especially with his already noticeable region.

"The man I want you to kill will not be easy to access. He will also not be easy to kill. If you try to do so by outright murder, it isn't going to work - that's why I'm hiring an assassin. He'll destroy you and everything you've ever held dear if he realizes what you intend to do. I hope you're subtle, boy. For three thousand gold, you'd better be. I also expect you to take the form of someone else, someone who can be targeted instead of you, who won't be traced back. Think you can manage that or have I already scared you off?" Of course, if he was 'scared off', Blaine would have to kill him where he stood.

[Kari Muffin]

Conway chuckled. Oh, he had already decided who he was going to take the form of for this lovely little hit. He didn't need this silly lecture from the Highlander, who obviously thought he was the greatest thing since the invention of the wheel. It would be all the more sweet when he realized that he had made a huge mistake in hiring a shabby-looking "boy."

"I'm not. All you need to do is tell me the name of the man you want dead and I'll take care of everything for you. Not a single living soul will know it was me who did the deed or you who hired me." Conway smiled. It wasn't a real smile, it was a smile of sadistic amusement. He wanted to see what this man would look like when he was dying, but Conway was smarter than that. He was planning to leave as soon as he got his money from the man. "I do hope you seriously have this money and won't short change me though. I would be very upset if that were the case. I don't mean to be disrespectful, but I'm sure you understand that I need to know you won't short change me."

[The Jenn]

Blaine felt a small chill go down his spine at the quality of that smile. Hisstors. Ugh. Monstrous things, according to everything he'd ever heard. It was only fitting that the assassin to kill his son should be one of them. Nevertheless, he felt a small bit better about his choice. At least the young man seemed to know what he was talking about. As a Joker, and an assassin with enough of a presence to attract the eagle's custom, he would have had to master his powers as well.

"Yes, I have the money. Half will be given to you before you leave this room. Half will be given to me after you complete the deed and return to me with some small sign of proof. Say, a crown. From atop the head of Queen Serafino."

His stare turned colder, beak gapping slightly in anger. Anytime he said that name, anytime he even thought it, he just got angry. When he killed Lin, that should have been the end of it. But no. His brother had trained the spoiled little brat until he was able to defeat Zulaya without complications, or so he interpreted it. How could Serafino have done otherwise without his brother's intervention? Were he able to kill Bernard, as he had come close to doing that day, he would have done so without a moment's hesitation.