[Suzerain of Sheol]

Special first assignment. Very important to the future of the guild. Lucky me....

Tsaerri traversed the halls of their guild base more slowly than she probably should have, given she had a meeting with the president in... a while ago now. She hadn't appreciated being woken up by some pissant messenger boy, and had decided to take her time picking out an outfit for the day. Skaeye could wait; she seemed like the indulgent type anyway. And really, Tsae held all the cards here -- not exactly a parade of heroes beating down their door begging to sign up.

Besides. She paused to yawn, rubbing the sleep from her eyes under her blindfold, careful not to smear the makeup no one could see. Besides, how important can it possibly be? Oh, yeah, Synod of Gods, Logan's got real important work for us. Yep. More like Synod of Babysitters. Some noble probably got their pet Asura stuck in a tree. You keep fighting that crusade, though, Skaeye. Doing us all proud! Please.

She passed through the main meeting hall of the guild, tacitly ignoring the lanky blond idiot she'd seen loitering about the last few days. Wearing a blindfold made it easy to ignore people she didn't like. Which was essentially everyone. Now which room was Skaeye's again..?

Of course. The one that's always open. Sure, Skaeye, let me just curl up and tell you about all the horrible things I did as a kid, and you can forgive me and tell me how I'm a better person now, and how I'm a valuable member of this company, and how I can come to you with anything and--

Skaeye was sitting at her desk, out of her armor for once and wearing a silken robe the color of her namesake. She looked up as Tsae walked in.

"You asked for me?"

The older woman rose, smiling warmly, and gestured for her to take a seat across from her. "Why, yes. We've received our first major assignment and I'm trusting you to lead the team on it."

Tsae leaned her arms against the back of the plush chair and remained standing. "How much?"

"Well, that's the thing, Tsaerri. Our contract will be with the new backer of our guild, an envoy from the Sylvari with a private fortune looking to enlist our services."

"As what? Is he planning to start a war? What use does some rich Syl have with a bunch of mercenaries?"

Skaeye pondered for a moment, then replied, "To be honest, I'm not entirely sure. He said that he had quite the list of tasks he'd be needing us for, I would presume bodyguard work. I think he said he travels a lot."

Tsae did her best to stifle a groan. "So this is... long-term, then? You've hired me to chaperon a plant around Gods only know where. You... do know the sort of thing I'm trained for, right?"

"Yes, and that's why I'm trusting this to you, Tsaerri. I need someone I can rely on to make sure this client is satisfied. We need this."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm sorry?"

"I don't know what you've heard about mesmers, but there is no way I'm 'satisfying' any--"

"What? Oh, that's not what I meant at all. I don't believe Sylvari even--"

"They don't." Tsae began to pace around the office, the animated feathers of her skirt swishing as she did, mulling the prospect over in her head. "So, we follow this Syl around, pretend to be friendly tour guides," Ugh. "and maybe, hopefully, if Lyssa has any mercy on my boredom, get to stab some people in the process. What? There's a lot of racists out there, this guy probably can't go two steps without some blood-dribbling Charr coming at him with a logging axe."

Skaeye let out a measured sigh, and Tsaerri made every effort to avoid smirking. She did actually need this job. "You'll accept, then?"

Tsae shrugged. She was growing bored of this conversation. "Yes. Whatever. As long I get paid. Are we leaving today?"

"The others are getting ready to depart as we speak."

"Great." She spun abruptly and began to walk out. "Can't... wait. Yeah." She waved to the knight over her shoulder without looking as she left the room.

Please don't let blondie be my partner, please don't let blondie be my partner, please don't let....

[Quiet Man Cometh]

Syrgei walked down the hall following his meeting with the new guild’s leader. She reminded him of Logan, somewhat, but a little less...tense. He had been up early, so the messenger’s knock on the door hadn’t woken him up as it appeared to have the dainty woman he passed in the hall. He might not have noticed her at all falling just below his usual line of sight as she did, but her near palpable personality made her hard to miss. She was probably tougher than she looked.

He thought back over the meeting. Escorting the rich around Tyria wasn’t exactly what he’d signed up for, but if he could be of some use along the way then he supposed he was up for it. Besides, getting paid in coins was certainly cleaner than collecting bounties on centaur hooves, though not half as exciting.

Not that centaurs were particularly exciting anymore, either. He smiled to himself. Perhaps there is a reason to be here.

Back in his room he shrugged on his coat and strapped his daggers to his hip without thinking, accustomed as he was to wearing them. He was supposed to meet the others in the guild hall foyer. He had plenty of time, and made sure the gears on his short bow were in working order before slipping that over his back. He’d yet to find a problem with Asura technology, complicated as it could be, but he checked anyway.

As it was, he was the first one there. With no immediate company and no idea how long he would be waiting for the others, he reclined on the flat banister of the Guild Hall entry.

[Suzerain of Sheol]

...great.

Of course it would be him. Was there even anyone else in the guild? Or maybe everyone who didn't look like a bipedal mop had better things to do than join this absurd assignment.

Tsae slid down to sit at the base of the railing across from him, drawing her knees up to her chest and making a point not to look in his direction. Snapping her fingers, she conjured Ilya in a flutter of wispy violet butterflies and began twirling the pistol idly around in her left hand. Thinking variously about shooting her unwanted companion in the face -- not like he could get any uglier -- and putting a quick round through her own brain to get out of having to deal with this entire situation, Tsae eventually decided to try communicating with him, starting with a pronounced sigh.

"So, what do you... do, exactly? Besides try way too hard with that coat, I mean." Oops. Oh well.

[Gallagher]

"Give me a hint."

"No—hint—is—available."

"Okay, okay, alright!" Gambooge frowned at the oversized golem as he walked backwards from the kitchen into the halls. A hatch was opened wide on the machine's front, and stuffed inside was a squashed bag and a steaming plate of eggs and some odd looking meat. "Give me a minute, I'll get it." Gamby reached inside for a chunk of meat, no sooner withdrawing his hand that the golem attempted to close its chassis. "Hey! I told you, keep it open until I'm done!" the man scolded, flicking the glowing gem on the golem's front.

"ERROR. Cannot—identify—'hey'. Please—repeat."

Gamby gave a spectacular roll of his eyes, but when he opened his mouth to reply, smacked into the wall beside the doorway to the foyer. "Gods above—"

"What—are—your—orders?"

"Not you!"

[Quiet Man Cometh]

Syrgei lifts one corner of his sunglasses to get a better look at who the voice was coming from.

Trying too hard...

“I like my coat, though the boots are a bit much, I'll give you that.”

He sits upright, crossing his legs and letting his elbows rest on his knees.

“I don't suppose I do much of anything, officially speaking.” He nods to her pistol hand. “Are you always this twitchy?”

[Suzerain of Sheol]

Oh, no, my finger slipped and I shot him in his stupid face. There's blood everywhere! Somebody help! I guess that's what I get for being so... 'twichy'. It really was an accident, I swear, Skaeye. He probably wasn't going to be that useful anyway. We have someone who can clean that up don't we?

"So... what you're saying is, you're useless. I can respect that." She keeps flipping her gun, magicking it from one hand to the other now.

[Quiet Man Cometh]

He raises one eyebrow, This will be interesting.

His response is cut off as his attention is drawn to the loud curse sounding from the hall, just to the side of the doorway.

"Sounds like our next partner is here."

[Suzerain of Sheol]

Trying to pretend that that shouting doesn't portend someone even worse than this layabout, Tsaerri continues.

"But, no, really, do you just buy whatever tacticool plastic tourist-trash they have on sale at Rabbitland, or what? Why are your knives serrated? Why does your coat have lights on it? Who on earth told you those sunglasses were a good look for you?"

[Gallagher]

"Please—watch—where—you—are—walking—to —avoid—injury."

"Yeah, thanks," he muttered, peeling himself off of the wall. He pat a hand on the golem's opened cover, making the machine shut it with a thunk. "Try warning a guy next time, would you?"

"Please—take—two—steps—to—your—left— to—avoid—injury."

"Not...! No." He sighed, rubbing his thumb against the bridge of his nose. "No. Nevermind. You do what you want. Just stay close, alright?"

"ERROR. Conflicting—instructions. Please—repeat."

Gambooge looked at the golem, then shook his head, heading through the doorway properly this time. "Dwayna help me, I am never getting a golem again."

[Quiet Man Cometh]

I'm getting this from someone wearing floating feathers as a fashion accessory.

"I've never been to Rabbitland, you'll have to tell me what they stock there."

[Suzerain of Sheol]

With a perfectly condescending smile, Tsaerri informs him, "I can read your mind, you know."

[Quiet Man Cometh]

"Something tells me I'm better off not knowing what's in your head."

[Suzerain of Sheol]

There's about to be a sparkly bullet in it, if this takes much longer.

Bored, Tsae hops to her feet, mentally smoothing her feathers as she does, and begins to pace.

"I thought Skaeye said we were getting ready to leave. What are we waiting for? Is anyone else even coming?"

She continues pacing.

"I don't know why I'm asking you, apparently I just walked in on your nap. Are you even part of this guild or did you just wander in here drunk last night?"

[Gallagher]

"Hostility—detected."

Gamby waved a hand at the golem without looking back, taking in the pacing woman and less than impressed thief waiting by the entryway. "They're fine," he told it, then called out to the pair as he crossed the room, "We didn't miss anything, did we?"

[Salone]

A harmonious chorus of harps issued from all directions, choirs of voices reaching to the heavens in the embrace of the instruments. As they reached the pivotal moment of chorus, the door to the guild of the Synod of the Gods was forcibly swept open. A dazzling light filled the doorway, and as it faded, a fabulously dressed Sylvari in luxurious fabrics shaded pink appeared. He was magnificent. He was refined.

He was...Eduardo.

"My people! Your patron has ahrrived."

He spoke with the air of someone who could afford his own air. Certainly as described previously in other places, he could afford an extra 'h' with words containing 'w', and seemed to be doing so well for himself that he could afford extra h's for other words as well. As the light faded away completely behind him, a massive assortment of musicians and choirs were packing up instruments and the like. There was the chaos of a job done and now being packed up, and they dispersed as he stood in the doorway, basking in the glory of all those who might view him. He raised his nose to the air, eyes closed as he posed. At this point one might wonder if he had hired a small local boy with a stick to hold his nose up in the air for him. However, none were observed. Perhaps he had sprung for the invisible model.

"Behold, for before you stands the esteemed...Eduardo Thicktree."

[Quiet Man Cometh]

Syrgei looks at the sudden parade in the doorway, the rainbow effects somewhat lost behind his sunglasses, but even as the orchestra -yes, it was an orchestra- members packed themselves away, the Sylvari remained.

Okay, I know I didn't have that much.