*Sabian*
Sabian shifted slightly, easing the strain on his back.  The night air 
was cool, the promise of fall very clear.  He was in a very awkward 
position, but there wasnāt anything he could do about it.  This was the 
only spot that allowed him a clear shot.

He was crammed into the corner of a rooftop and he thanked whatever gods 
existed yet again that he wasnāt very tall.  He wasnāt short by any 
means either ... he was just normal.  It was the story of his life and 
that was just fine with him.

He glanced down at the crossbow in his hand ... the last gift his father 
had ever given to him.  It was a masterful piece of work, the wood 
smooth, the grip sure, the range farther than any other crossbow Sabian 
had ever seen.

His gaze went back to the door across the street.  Inside was just 
another brothel, with a standard set of prostitutes and one very 
unordinary duke.  Sabian had vowed early on not to get caught up in the 
political entanglements that fueled his line of work.  The only thing 
that mattered to him was that someone wanted this man dead ... and was 
willing to pay him to have it done.

Just as the door opened, Sabianās eye caught the glint of metal in the 
alley next to the brothel.  He froze for a full second and then his aim 
shifted.  Another second as the duke stretched in the cool night air and 
then ...

Swish!

The shadow in the alley toppled to the ground and ...

Swish!

The duke didnāt even have time to turn fully around.  Before the other 
assassin in the alley, for that was what the shadow was, had hit the 
ground, Sabianās second shot had found itās mark.  The duke looked down 
in sudden surprise at the arrow protruding from his chest and then 
slowly sank to the ground.

Sabian didnāt see this, however, for he was already on his way down from 
the roof.  He wasnāt in a hurry though.  It would take a few minutes for 
the cry to go out, another hour before anything got sorted out, maybe 
another hour to get witnesses as to what happened and yet another hour 
before anything was decided.  By the time any sort of search was 
conducted, Sabian would be long gone.

Where he would be gone to was another question entirely.  As he strolled 
down the street toward his room (his crossbow safely hidden beneath his 
cloak), he drew up a mental map of where he was and where he could go.  

Hmmm...he really only needed one more job to be set for the rest of the 
year.  He made sure to do only three jobs a year ... at most.  The duke 
had been really despised and his enemies had paid dearly for his death, 
but Sabian had fairly extravagant tastes and he knew another job would 
be needed before he was set for the rest of the year.

So who would have some work for him?  He ran down the list of known 
contacts as he packed his meager belongings.  He didnāt like using the 
same contact more than once every five years or so.  That got rid of 
most of the list right there.  

As he descended the stairs and flashed the innkeeper his most charming 
smile, he made a quick mental calculation.  Yes, it had been more than 
five years since heād paid a visit to his favorite town.

As he headed out of the town, a smile crept onto his face.  It had been 
a long time since he had paid a visit to Ralengarde.

<..>
*Christophen*
Christophen sat  in the corner of the dark inn, staring at his drink 
with such intensity that one would wonder how many drinks he had had. 
Truth be told, he was still on his first, but there was something 
troubling him.  

Rumors circulated VERY quickly in a town the size on Ralengarde and in 
Christophenās line of work, rumorās were extremely important.  The rumor 
that was occupying his mind at the moment dealt with a deadly young man 
who hadnāt been around these parts for quite a number of years.  His 
possible return scared Christophen witless.

He glanced up as three men entered the tavern.  Ordinary folk and his 
gaze was back to the drink in an instant.  So when a dark shape sat next 
to him and the sharp prick of a knife pressed against his side, 
Christophen nearly wet himself.

"Got you again old man."  A gravely voice said, the humor in it barely 
contained.  

Christophen let out a breath full of relief that he was far from feeling 
as the knife at his side was pulled away.

"Sabian!  Geesh man!  Have some respect for the elderly."  Christophen 
glanced over at the young man and saw what he had expected to see ... a 
very ordinary face.  The thing that made this man so deadly and the 
reason Christophen never saw him coming was that he was too ordinary. 
Unless you looked for him very, VERY hard, you would never find him.  
Eyes had a tendency to slide over his face without really seeing him.  
Sabian laughed.  "Back to staring at your drink again, I see.  Whatās 
worrying you this time?  It couldnāt be me, could it?"  

Christophen let out a nervous laugh.  "Why would you think that?"

Sabianās voice no longer held any amusement.  "Because you know who I 
am."

Christophen swallowed hard and glanced again at the face of the man next 
to him.  "I suppose you want me to send the word on up."

Sabian delivered a winning smile and said in a very pleasant voice, 
"That would be great.  Thank you."  Though his smile was warm and his 
voice even warmer, Sabianās eyes were colder than ice ... like chunks of 
coal.

Christophen wasted no time leaving the inn.  He had to catch several 
breaths before he started down the street.  It had been a mistake to 
look into those eyes.  He wouldnāt be able to sleep for a week after 
seeing what was in them.  Sabian had told him once that he was one of 
the lucky few who knew him as he really was.  Christophen sure didnāt 
feel lucky.

Striding quickly down the street, Christophen ducked into an alley after 
making sure no one was following him.  Moving to the second door down, 
he rapped on the wood three times.  A small door opened and Christophen 
said in a terse voice,  "The Angel of Death is in town.  Pass the word."

______________________________________
NRPG:  If anyone wants to use Sabianās "services", theyāll have to 
contact Christophen first.  Christophen can easily be found sitting at 
an inn, staring at his drink.  :)

Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore!"
Ben Tate
Galen - Norwall
Soren - Geode
Sabian - Ralengarde


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