The Crescent Isles brought her memories, most of them bittersweet in face of new revelations - under this new light, even the best memories seemed tainted and distorted....

"We found the place, Mother Raven. Market district, I'll meet you at the Purple Tower and we'll go from there."

Kamille chuckled at the jest when she heard Allan's voice in her head. It all started as a joke at least - a few drinks too much at Gerard's tavern and she became Mother Raven with her Crows. Her archer, Allan, really dug into it and the other two followed suit. She wondered how far that would go.

The Witch followed through the streets, while softly touching the black feather on her necklace that allowed her to communicate with her other Black Quills [1]. Edgar and Poe were probably already at the assigned place.

Speak up, Poe. And don’t go easy on him.... What kind of secret did you get? The feel I get from him is one more of those rejects from society...

It was early morning, and she assumed his shop would be opening just now. Which would be perfect, as she would be his first client. With that in mind, she gladly hoped down the street, ready to cause mischief, going to meet with the rest of her crows.

[1]Nevermore 

Fish was always in the market to find new places to steal from or crime rackets to get into. Zeinav was a veritable bevy of crime, but sometimes it gets boring robbing the same idiots over and over again. Fish needed to challenge themselves in new crime arenas if they were ever going to become the thief that stole the stars.

As new as the place is, Fish does notice some familiar faces, namely Kamille and Allan. They tilt their head curiously was they mutter and take to each other.  The kenku arrived suddenly next to Allan as he was getting into position, unheard until their arrival.[1]

"What are you doing? Fish can offer their services for a price again."

---

1. Silent Step

Despite both of them looking surprised at Fish's sudden appearance, their recognition reactions were wildly different: Allan instantly grumbled and rolled his eyes, while Kamille opened up in a broad, warm smile, quickly haunching over to be at the same eye level as the kenku.

Surprisingly, Kamille seemed to have learned a thing or two about sign language, since she answered them by signing too.

"Hi Fish! I'm so glad to see you! How is this erection treating you? Have you been to this city before?"

Kamille thought for a moment, apparently looking proud of herself. She also understood they seemed to be offering their services again, so she considered for a moment before continuing.

"I need to see someone right now, Fish. Tell you what... If you help me, I'll take you to see the city and buy you a gift! All you need to do is.......... Follow my lead. How about that?"

The Witch looked ecstatic to see the small criminal once again, a feeling not shared by Allan, who immediately crossed his arms and huffed in annoyance. He was already aware of his boss' blindspot for the mischievous and petty critters, but Fish specifically got to his nerves on a level he didn’t quite understand. He cleared his throat.

"We should be moving quickly, Mother Raven. The targets shop is supposed to be open already. Also.... Despite our associate's clear talent for stealth and subterfuge, I'm sure this will not be a mission well suited for their skillset..."

Allan glared at the small kenku.

"Fish has not been here before, Fish is expanding markets......Gift?" Fish tilts their head curiously up at Kamille, not really sure at what the witch is getting at. Fish understood the concept of gifts, but it was not something they did often so to have it offered to them was strange.

Their attention snaps to Allan, a little glare in their eyes, "Fish has created a poison to kill gods and fought dragons, Fish will not be spoken down to." One of these days Fish will end Allan....right after Fish figures out how to eliminate Ebony.

"If Kamille wishes for Fish to help, Fish will accept this gift as payment." They nod firmly and offer up a hand once again for Kamille to shake and make a deal.

Kamille gleefully shook Fish's hand, inviting with a gesture for them to perch up her shoulder if they wanted. Either way, she would stand up and start to walk down the street.

Allan raised an eyebrow at the mention of a god-killing potion and dragonslaying. He wasn’t sure if he should take the kenku seriously or not; but either way, Kamille apparently did.

"Really? Could you teach me to make this potion? I'm kind of a famous alchemist where I come from, you know....

Allan took the lead of the walk, guiding them up to said store.

"I do have a dragon slaying story of my own... Frok, the storm, a giant ice dragon from Frost Gale. It was said he was the one that brought the storm that was upon us... We got some.... Fairly interesting things from that fight."

But most of it was dragon's blood. Their walk was short, and they turned the corner just in time to see one of the Black Quills dissuade a potential customer from entering a shop, almost as delicate as a punch to the throat. It looked like an antique shop, dimly lit and with a very exclusive clientele. From old statues, gizmos and rugs, the place looked a bit cramped, every surface covered in items they couldn’t fully understand unless they had a keen eye for old things.

Both Edgar and Poe were already waiting. Edgar was taller and more muscular than the lithe Allan, much more tough looking, with a charismatic resting bitch face. Poe was the smaller of the three, also a half elf with short black hair and a serious look. It was Poe that approached Kamille, shoting a weird look to Fish, but apparently electing not to mention it.

"We suspect very few items in his store are actually the real thing. He is very good at what he does, though. He might have some items that are legitimate, but that would need a specialist to evaluate."
 
"That’s good to know, but it's beside the point today. We're here to teach him a lesson."

"Fish could....but that would be an extra cost. Fish will not give away trade secrets for free."

Seeing as a deal has now been made and the work was underway, Fish returned to business mode and followed behind. The silence of their steps returned. Fish was unfazed by the looks from the others, having dealt with enough of that already in their short life.

It is good that Fish cannot vocalize many of their thoughts as the other quills talk about needing specialists and other help. The cockiness of youth made Fish believe they already had many of the skills they needed and relying on others was folly. This ignores the myriad of times they did rely on others help, especially when it came to feats of strength or.....talking. They look amongst the others with a quiet patience as they talk.

"Fish will follow what Kamille wishes."

"Well, that is fair. We'll discuss this subject later, but for now... Just follow along..."

Unlike Allan, the other two Black Quills seemed a bit more understanding of Fish's presence - or at least weren't as threatened by them as the archer. Kamille pushed the door open, and a small bell over the door announced her presence. Allan remained outside on the door, gently persuading any potential client from walking in. Edgar and Poe went in with her, each to her side, walking around slowly and taking a good look at the goods.

From the depths of the door, a tall, lithe moon elf emerged, covered in a fancy robe of interwined patterns.

"Welcome! Welcome to the Wondrous Wools of-.... oh dear."

The man's flamboyant and wide gestures of welcome suddenly wittered at the sight before him. Kamille was calmly browsing over the man's stuff, taking a good look at a tapestry hanging from one of the walls while Poe and Edgar fumbled around. Fish had an idea that the Black Quills were efficient enough on their jobs to be under Kamille, but they were being quite a bit... disruptive. Edgar walked around dragging things a bit out of place, while Poe carelessly browsed things, making glasses and porcelain tinkle against each other. The man widened his eyes, suddenly nervous when he saw from the small glass panel that there was another one guarding the door.

"Good morning, friends! W-what owe me the pleasure of a visit from the Witch of Moonglade herself?"

"Oh, I was just wondering... I've heard you had one of this gorgeous tapestries from the Katua'pu and wondered how much it would cost me..."

The man wobbled over to their side, coming out from behind his counter while shoting concerned glances over to the two Black Quills around the store.

"I'm sure we can come to a fair price! Are you su-"

"The thing is...... I'm pretty sure I've seen this same tapestry somewhere else.... And I heard there was only one of those in all of Charon..."

"Ha! T-that's impossible! This was recovered from the tomb of-"

"Fish, come here for a second, I think there's even a small hole on this one...."

There was no hole on the tapestry - instead, Kamille winked at the kenku as if asking them to put the hole there.

Fish looks directly at Allan as a talon quickly pokes through the back, pretending to reveal a hole. Sharp little talons made that an easy task, more benefits they hold over Allan. The bird actually holds little interest in what is going on here, a shakedown is a shakedown. They show the hole to Kamille before letting go of the rug.

Fish idly hops around the rest of the shop to look around, their blank expression hiding their boredom. Kamille was smart enough to bring partners, she seemed clever, and Fish would not mind future jobs. Blowing up a ship was fun, this is just pedestrian for a little crime bird lord in the making.

Allan's eyes twitches slightly at Fish's display, but he gives the bird the best view of his rear as he keeps on guarding the door.

The man looks disheartened as he, for a moment, seems to think to wobble over to see the rug - but they could see in his eyes he realized it was a trap of sorts, so he tried to back up.... only to get face to face with Edgar. As if a switch had been turned, the air in that confined space felt heavier, thick with dread, harder to breath. Icy rocks revolving around their stomach, or so it would seem, brought a heavy feeling of hopelesness and fear as his eyes laid on the man's pin in the shape of a black feather [1]. With his words suddenly caught in his throat, when Kamille made a gesture to bring over a chair nearby, the chair moved on it's own accord [2] and promptly knocked the man over it, forcing him to sit down and turn back to her. Edgar's heavy hand rested on his shoulders, forcing him to remain seated.

His eyes suddenly as big as a full moon, under the influence of fear he seemed to quickly understand what was going on.

"I- I- I- I know who sent you! It-It-"

"Do you want your palm read, my lord?"

Not that the man had any choice, but he tried to recoil when Kamille reached for his hand; Edgar's firm hands on his shoulders had him locked in place, as if his panic already didn't bind him to the chair. The Witch took his hand, and for a minute or so looked very intrigued as she looked at his palm [3].

"Ah... Yes..... I expected as much..... This is a very distinct heart line, you know? I can almost make it...... Yes......... I can almost see a few important names here.... D'elavor, Mithreal, Vanitas...... All very proper husbands with... Very beautiful wives...."

The man seemed about to protest, but blood ran from his face, specially as she mentioned a few names that lit a dire recognition in his eyes. He opened and closed his mouth like a drowning fish for a minute or so, scouring his brain for the right words.

"I-if you d-don't leave my shop r-right now, I'm g-gonna scream! I'm gonna call the guards!"

"You see, Mr. Thylios...... I like to consider myself a lady. It isn't very ladylike of me to do all that was planned, you know... I'm not very good with knives. That's why I brought an associate of mine."

Kamille indicated Fish, who, despite its size, was very well armed. Maybe a bit too much for a small cute birdie........ wait, was that a crossbow?!

"So this will be your chance to either make up for your sudden lack of judgement. The tapestry you sold my friend is a fake one, but it is a very good fake. So is this one. So I know you actually have the real one, hidden somewhere here. What I suggest you do is this: You will have the real one delivered to my friend, and perhaps there won't be any angry husbands trying to kill you the coming morning."

"Y-you are b-bluffing! Y-y-you... I-I-I don't k-know what y-you're talking about!"

"I'm a terrible liar, Mr. Thylios. I'm gonna let my associates help you gather the tapestry, if you will. And if you'd allow me one last piece of advice. Stop f**king with people's wives. Let's go, Fish."

The man tried to stand up once again, just to be shoved back to his chair by Edgar, as Kamille took her leave and waited for Fish to exit the shop. Outside, Kamille gave Allan a nod, and the remaining Black Quill entered the building too - they all knew what to do, they didn't need much more than a glance and a nod to do her bidding.

"You see, Fish... Sometimes we don't need knives or explosions to sort things out... Sometimes a few words of encouragement do wonders to one's resolve..."

A click indicated the door was locked on the inside. Hanging on the door, the small plan where it read "Open" was turned over so it could be read "Closed".

[1]Looming fear
[2]Telekinesis
[3]Reveal truth

While others with a better respect for magic might learn to fully fear and be in awe of Kamille's magic, Fish is not. They tilt their head up at Kamille after leaving the shop.

"That is much easier for Kamille...Kamille can talk and people like looking at Kamille." Fish was also blind to the allures of attractive people, but they did recognize the looks others gave. Morrigan may have used their wiles a few times to get out of something.

"Fish prefers not being seen and handling things from a distance....the closer Fish is, the closer Fish is to danger.....Fish prefers people not know Fish is doing the work."

It takes a while for Kamille to fully grasp what Fish is suggesting, and when it finally dawns on her, the small kenku gets to witness an event so rare as to suggest the stars needed to align to such phenomena to happen:

Kamille blushed.

".......well. I often work better by acting as the distraction, so that come in handy...."

As Fish had already witnessed the "distraction" she caused to allow him to set some ships on fire.

"For the discrete part of the job, I have my associates, the Black Quills...... Although from time to time I am lucky enough to cross paths with a talented bird as well...."

The Witch smiles at Fish. Despite his personality apparently so void of emotions, Kamille seemed to like the kenku's presence enough to respect his rhythm and his boundaries. She started to walk along the street, hoping Fish would follow her.

"What do you usually eat, Fish? I know a few good places for food in here, but I have no idea which one will be the best..."

"Fish appreciates distractions." Did that count as a compliment? Hard to tell, Fish is still learning what it means to give those out. They do like Kamille though, Allan can kick rocks, but Kamille can stay. Fish is always much more amenable to people who respect Fish's skills.

Lucky for her, the Kenku does follow after. It is now Kamille who gets to witness a rare sight, with work mode disengaged and the need for stealth gone they move with little hops much like a regular crow would.

"Food? Fish often doesn't pick, Fish just steals whatever is easily available.....Fish just needs food that does not require chewing....No teeth." They point to their beak as if a reminder is needed.

Kamille used all of her might not to squeal at the sight of professional, cute little birdie hoping by her side. She was exercising a lot of self control that day, no doubt... And it also hit her that the kenku's mention that they liked distractions also implied that.... they liked her?! Really?! She was in heaven, feeling a gentle warmth raising to her cheeks once again.

"Do you like pies, Fish? I know a wonderful place here that makes great pies... Do you prefer savory or sweet?"

As her gaze wandered around the street, she found memories in each corner, pulling at her attention with each step - even from Fish. Maybe.... It was time to bring it out to surface once again?

And who better to listen than a mute bird? A mute, little murderous bird that had no business being so cute....

"It was a tradition for my father to bring me here every year for the festivals, you know...... I assume he would've liked you. He would be very interested in a potion to kill the Gods, you know."

The Witch still wasn’t sure if the "God killing" part of his potion was a metaphor, but Fish seemed too straightforward to make use of poetical license. She had much more in comon to her father than she was happy to admit, and she was positive he would've liked this no non-sense, professional and efficient little murderer just like her.

"Sweet?" They sign and tilt their head as if the word is a bit foreign to them. Birds of Fish's kind aren't especially known for going after sweet things and the finer points of taste were not something Fish usually considered. They stole and ate things based on a need for survival and not taste.

If Kamille were to just simply pick at random, Fish would be just as pleased as if it was perfectly crafted for a bird's taste buds. They look up at Kamille as she talks, Fish is honestly a great listener that much is true. They have the patience to sit for hours and just listen and without the ability to talk they lack the urge to interject themselves into a conversation.

"Tradition? Fish doesn't have any of those...Fish can teach Kamille to make the poison.....Fish would recommend having some sort of mask or breathing device though." They reach into their bag and proffer the little vial of God-Killer poison. There isn't a lot in the vial but the black liquid clings to the glass, a viscous mixture that looks almost a bit like tar.

Kamille likes this bird. Kamille likes this bird a lot. They listen and don’t interrupt her. Not that they have much choice, but...

When Fish pulls out the small flask, Kamille kneels before him to take a closer look. She looks equal parts fascinated and puzzled by it.

"I've never seen anything like this before, Fish.... You must be a very skilled alchemist! I would love to learn this from you! You know, I have all the equipment back at my house, so whenever you feel like stoping by, I would hope to learn it from you."

The thought of having Fish over at her house seemed to make her happy, because she didn’t even realize the broad smile stupidly slapped across her face. She stood up once again, as to guide Fish through the streets.

"Just give me a heads up about the reagents and I can get my hands on it."

In a few moments they both arrived at a small place that was literally just a window between two larger stores. To one side, a fancy clothes shop, and to the other, a noisy tavern. Right in the middle, a young-looking elf served people what looked like single pieces of pie. The smell was delicious. There was no tables, so they would have to find a place to sit. Kamille excused herself for a moment, as she went to buy some for them.

A couple of moments later, Kamille and Fish would find themselves on a bench beneath the cool shade of a tree, each with their own pieces of pie.

"Just... Let me understand this, before.... I mean.... What exactly did you wish to accomplish by making this potion, again?"