Seth tapped his fingers nervously on the table at which they sat. They'd only just arrived, and he was greeted by scantly clad women. Now he understood Minke's displeasure at this place, and he kept his gaze doncast, at his drumming fingers, trying not to see in his mind what he saw upon his entry. It was no secret that he found those women to be.. pretty, to say the least, and they were all-too-happy to show off their nice bodies with the skimpy... he wouldn't even call it clothing. But he didn't, necessarily, find them to be attractive. Pretty and attractive were two very different things.

Minke was attractive. She was composed, modest, and had a very unique, interesting personality, reflected by her looks. These women were whores, likely carrying a large number of diseases. Though they could make any man look, and fantasise, he was not interested in them. They only served to make him very uncomfortable. "So... one hour... almost... one hour and we'll get what we need and we can leave..." He was mumbling quietly, mostly to himself, until he looked up at Minke. "Would you like a drink?" Something- anything- to distract him. We had better be right about this... I'd hate to have wasted an hour here for nothing... what are we looking for, here? Will we be approached by someone who knows what we seek? Or do we have to look? He shuddered. He didn't want to look anywhere, in this place, but at his own two hands, or, when he felt he could risk looking up at all, into Minke's pretty eyes.

((No drinks or tables hun - you're at a brothel ))

The denizens of Cook's Place had mostly filtered out by now - it was almost the middle of the night, and the employees and patrons alike (and together) had retreated to various beds across Vienda. Only a few women remained to hock their wares, dancing exotically and probably wondering why on earth Seth would bring another woman with him - unless he was into that sort of thing, they reminded him softly, in which case it would cost extra.

The hour was early, of course, but the aged man watching from the shadows was often early. It was the better alternative to being late. His grizzled jowls and scarred face held a picture of a long-suffering man doing dirty work, beginner's work; his posture was hunched, as though he were ashamed.

He saw them there, exactly as Simon the carter had described them. A witch with strange hair even for a witch, a scruffy-looking human boy, both young, inexperienced, probably newcomers to the city - good for mule work.

It was a shame, thought Mr. Ceres, that the resistance would use such promising young people as lackeys. Unavoidable, as Jon would say. In every game of chess, there must be a few pawns.

Stepping out from behind a velvet curtain, he joined them, not speaking a word, waiting for them to make the first move.

((Eh, sorry 'bout that, I knew it was a brothel, but it's not like I've ever been to one, so I didn't know what to expect. I just went off what I've seen on TV. ))

It was then that Seth remembered where they were, and flushed deeply, staring, again, at his drumming fingers, "Er, nevermind.. forget I asked... though, maybe we'll need a drink after all this is over... go to a tavern or something..." He continued to mumble incoherently, wishing theu would soon be interrupted by... by whomever it was they were supposed to meet. He chanced a look around the place, trying to catch sight of someone who looked as out of place as he felt, but quickly gave up, returning his gaze to the table. He tried very hard not to think about the sick offers these women made.

He was just glad noone had yet approached Minke, thinking she was selling. For reasons couldn't quite place, that would have angered him quite a bit- moreso than anything really should- and he would have likely shoved one of his many daggers down the man's throat, or, better yet, cut off the man's most prized possession. Or both. Both was also an option. Even as he thought of this, his non-drumming fingers instinctively stroked the hilt of the steel dagger which hung at his side, tracing the silvery designs of the steel, running over the smooth, black leather braiding. The blade itself was sheathed in an equally intricate leather and steel sheath, and he'd always kept it razor-sharp, ready for action.

Minke kept her eyes low trying to avoid any of the women. She couldn't help but feel guilty for them. Had they chosen their paths or were they simply here for means of survival. Minke wished the resistance had picked a classier place to start, but it was probably safest here. No self respecting galdor would ever show up here. He wouldn't need to.



Minke smiled to herself a bit. She could tell that Seth was a bit nervous which made her feel better about being nervous herself. Her eyes darted around the room quickly searching for the person they were supposed to meet. Maybe the person was one of the women. Would someone like that be useful to the resistance? Minke wasn't sure. She continued scanning the room.



"Oh, hello. I think we were supposed to meet you?" Minke said, unsure of herself. She prayed she was talking to the right person and kicked herself for having opened her mouth. She should have let Seth do the talking. She was no good at delinquency.

Curious, Seth looked up, only just noticing the man. "Er, oh, hello..." He clenched his fingers into fists to make himself stop the senseless drumming, and let the corners of his mouth twitch up into a smile. "I believe we were supposed to meet you..." He repreated Minke's words, a little more quietly. "I take it you're with the Resistance?" He cleared his throat. He wished the man had announced his presence- been the first to speak up, or just say something. It felt rather uncomfortable, and again there was the nervous twitch of his fingers. Like Minke, he hoped this man was, indeed, the one they were looking for. He bit his lip.

Mr. Ceres sighed. It was these starry-eyed young folks who always didn't know how to handle things, asking blatant questions without using code, expecting the resistance to accept them at face value. He found it both endearing and tiresome.

"'Round here we call it the Party," he said, nodding significantly to the both of them. "And I suppose you two kids want an invitation, right?"

Seth nodded once, mentally kicking himself for his mistake.



"Yessir, we've been seeking information for a few days..." He flashed a smile, still nervous, but not so mach as he had been. He unclenched his fists, letting his hands hang limp, his elbows on his knees. "Er.. I am Seth, and this is Minke. We- may not look like much, but- we are pretty skilled."

The man's face softened slightly. "Tha's all right, son. This ent a contest." Poor kids were out of their depth, really. Just wanting to make the world a better place - that was how the resistance began, and that was how it should be still...

Standing, he gestured towards the back, where Minke and Seth could see a narrow staircase, presumably one that led to the roof. "C'mon. Follow me."

Seth nodded, took Minkes hand- holding it, perhaps too tight- and followed the man up the narrow staircase. He gave Rita a reassuring scratch on the head, though he was, in truth, the one who needed reassurance. He kept quiet, and waited politely for the man to speak up again.

Cook's Place was the bottom floor of a rather tall tenement house, and the stairs seemed to wind up forever; they were rickety, and seemed dangerous and nerve-wracking to Seth and Minke. Up on the roof, the wind was cold and pierced right through their clothes.

Mr. Ceres wrapped his greatcoat further around himself and turned to the two.

"We don't want to be overheard," the could hear him say faintly, as though his voice was carried off by the wind. "Why do you want to join the Party, now? It's never been more dangerous to stand against the gollies, you know."

"Er..." Seth let out a low sigh, "Well, Minke's just following me. I don't know if she has any personal reasons for it. Me, well... My parents were in the resistance, Rita and Jacob Richards. They were found out and killed by the gollies... I just want to follow in their footsteps... you know, without the whole dying part... I mean-" He took a deep breath, "I would happily put my life on the line for the cause they faught for. I would like to do as much as I can to bring the Golly-gee-wiz government to their knees. If I die in the process... well, as long as I leave a few dents, that's fine by me." He smiled light-heartedly.

Minke couldn't help but be slightly offended. Although Seth had played a good deal into her current path, he wasn't the whole reason. "I was looking for a change." she said and thought it was too casual. The resistance wasn't just any change. It was the change. She added, "I've studied people long enough to know how miserable they are as a result of the galdori oppression. I want to make my environment a better one."




Why was he smiling? Seth dying was not at all a happy event. At least it wasn't in Minke's mind. She tried to put it to the back of her head.

"So are we invited?"

The grizzled man looked morose at their testimonies.

"You," he said, pointing to Minke, "you'll be all right. You're mildly indifferent, and you won't be let down. You, on the other hand..."

He looked seriously at Seth. "A lot of people do this for the wrong reasons, son. They go in thinking they'll be opportunities for revenge, stickin' it to the people who did them harm in the past, hopin' to change the world. It ain't like that. This is no easy fight, an' there ain't much honor in it these days. You'll spend a lot of nights in the gutter, doin' nothin', just waitin' for someone to make a move. You'll kill people who never hurt anybody and you'll hate yourself for it. In all likelihood you'll die a meaningless death, alone and afraid. An' I ain't tryin' to scare you off, if you think that."

He hiked up his pants - they were loose and baggy, and almost falling off his frame; he had the look of someone who had lost a lot of weight in a short period of time. "You won't be remembered as a hero. You prepared for that, kid? "

Seth bit his lip, thinking long and hard. It took about two minutes of silence, which for him dragged like two hours, and he nodded. He was determined. "I am willing," He wouldn't let it end like that- not the bleak, grey picture the man had painted for him, cast in shadow. He understood the path would be rough, perilous. He understood he may lose more than just his family. But he had a small hope he'd been clinging to since his parents' death. A strong desire to make things better, if only to honour their wishes- if only to lay their souls to rest. This was the light he saw in the darkness. A light he would cling to to his very end. His mind was made, his jaw set, "What ever it takes."

Mr. Ceres sat down heavily on an upturned crate, staring up at the two young adults, as though sizing them up.

"You'll need new names," he said, "and you'll need to tone your hair down or wear a wrap, Minke. Seth, we'd better get that scar fixed. No distinguishing marks. You can't be memorable or special when you're on the job. People need to forget you the moment they look at you. Understand?"

Watching them for a reaction, he took a wooden pipe from his breast pocket and stuffed it with a pinch of tobacco.

"How much magic do you know, girl?" he muttered, the pipe clenched between his teeth.

"Evenin', Triar," said Ceres, not unpleasantly, though he was slightly miffed at being interrupted. "They're legit, all right. The real deal. There's a spark in the eyes you can't fake. You had it, too."

Seth nodded. He was unsure of what he could do to hide his scar- some sort of make up? He didn't like the sound of that- paint was for women. Then again, it was for the resistance. He would think of something. As for a name... were they going to give them their new names, or would they have to come up with something?



Seth jumped, then calmed himself when he realized the man was on their side. He felt an odd, almost giddy sensation as the man said those words. He couldn't help but smile.



Again, the smile. He felt welcome, all of a sudden, felt like he could make it. He glanced at Minke to see how she was doing, what she was thinking about.

Minke shuffled her feet on the ground. She was embarrassed to tell the truth but did so anyway. Lying wouldn't do any good here. "I know the level one spells but I'm still learning level two." it wasn't her fault she had so little knowledge. To her defense she had been studying since they had left the Stacks but between saving Seth and joining the resistance, Minke hadn't had much time to herself. She was kicking herself for not studying as a child. Her parents were always more than willing to teach her. "Should have listened to mom." she mumbled quietly to herself.

"I swear I'm trying, though. I'm a quick learner." she added eagerly. It was bad enough humiliating herself in front of this man, but in front of that stranger lurking in the shadows, too? Minke needed to up her game.

"Don't worry about me standing out. A wrap hides my hair just fine."

"Ain't no shame in the beginner stuff," said Ceres, feeling a fatherly sort of fondness for this shy little witch. "You can start your services by lighting me this pipe, eh?" He winked - his eyes were very squinty to begin with, but the gesture was noticable.

Minke smiled bigger than she meant to. She was happy Ceres hadn't shoved her aside like she had expected. She quickly spouted off the incantation for Matches. That was one spell she had gotten very good at.

"My pleasure" she smiled.

[fixed it ]

((it's actually Matches, light just makes a...light. ))

Ceres puffed a great cloud of purple smoke from his pipe. It surrounded his head like some kind of localized fog.

"Once you've got your monikers, you need to find a new place to stay - can't stay at the How, no more room. Don't endanger your families, if you have any. Rent a tenement house in the Dives, it's cheap. We have businesses up all over town that can give you safe employment. I recommend deliverin' papers. We just lost our delivery boy, y'see."

He stood, and motioned to Triar. "We'll find you, kids. Don't go lookin' for us. When you've got a new place, we'll come get you." He grinned. "Trust me, you can't move a foot in this town without grumpypants here noticing." He gave Triar a friendly punch on the shoulder.

((Ok, I edited my previous post to include a response for Ceres))

Seth grinned at Minke. It was nice to know she was as nervous as he was- but better to know that she would do perfectly fine in the resistance. He wondered if this would be the last they would be together- and hoped not. Maybe they would end up running a few jobs together, here and there. And certainly they would visit each other where possible. He smirked- but also blushed very slightly- at the thought that came next, We haven't even had our first kiss, yet. Yes, certainly they would have to do that, at some point in the future. He quickly turned his attention back on Ceres when he spoke up again.



Seth nodded, taking mental notes as he listened, New place to stay, new cover job, wait for them to contact you. Got it. He scratched Rita affectionately between the ears. She'd started to look pretty nervous, her muscles tense, tail twitching methodically back and forth, but she calmed at his touch.