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Sometimes sanity can be as simple as the tic of a clock. Something that brings memories of a better time, or a better place. The not-so-simple pocket watch ticked loudly as it sat upon the table beside Jace. It had taken him two hours to take apart, assess the damage, then replace the damaged parts and reassemble the watch. It was a work of true genius, it's what happens when an artificer decides to build a watch. Precise jeweled movements, a sturdy casing with intricate designs, all hand carved into the surface.

It was his greatest treasure. He would do anything to keep it and to keep the ticking. The tick was something that reverberated off whatever it was placed against, which is why he normally kept it in his breast pocket. If he focused even a little, he could match his heartbeats to the rhythm of the watch. But now he had moved on to other projects, ones for self defense.

He could not rely on a dagger, not when that was sometimes hard to reach. He wasn't entirely sure about carrying around a sword...but a boot tip dagger would come in handy. He pulled another dart from the wall as he reloaded his wrist crossbow. He was quite proud of it. It was lighter than the wrist blades and had range. It was easy to reload and to fire, but the best part was it was very hard to spot as it sat farther back on the arm and couldn't be seen up someone's sleeve. The downfall is that if he wasn't careful it would go straight through his sleeve.

There was a knock on the door and he pulled his sleeve back down before it opened. "M-Mr. Ozymandias?" Edward peaked his head in. "Oh good you're still here..."

The door opened further and Jace saw several armored men standing inside the shop. "Is there a problem?" He said as he walked forward, slipping his pocket watch back into his pocket.

"No problem," the large bulldog said as he pulled off his helmet. "The Patrician would like a word with you."

Jace hesitated. He stared blankly at the bulldog, wondering if it would be better to run than face the Patrician. "And what does the Patrician want of me?"

"Just a word." There was the general shuffling of the guards in the room.

"And so he sends a regiment to fetch me?" Jace slowly picked up his briefcase, which he had left beside the door.

"They're not here for you. They're here for my protection. My sergeant would not let me leave the station without them as there's a contract on me." Jace felt a bit more relaxed as he walked out from behind the table.

"I have made a tally of what I have used, Mr. Haberdash, if you could price them I will pay them on my next visit." He gave the badger a smile, who returned it nervously.

"My name is Bilt, Commander of Has-Haven's guard," the bulldog said as he turned around and made his way back out into the street.

Jace followed him out, there was a large, heavy duty coach outside. "Pleasure to meet you."

"I'm sure." They both got into the coach, along with one of the other guards as the others grabbed the sides and got on top. "I'm going to be blunt with you, Mr. Ozymandias. I don't like you being in my city."

"To be honest, I do not like being in your city. As wonderful as it is, this whole war business has me trapped here. I can assure you that as soon as I can, I will be leaving." Jace got comfortable in the seat, Bilt eyed him but he seemed satisfied with that response.

They rode on in silence for several minutes before coming to a stop, Bilt not saying anything the entire time. But Jace was fine with that, it gave him time to think of what he would say to the Patrician. He had heard...unsavory things about him. The door opened. "This is where you get out," Bilt said, pointing his thumb out the door.

"Thanks for the ride," Jace said with a smile as he stepped out in front of the palace. He had never seen it up close, or even imagined that he would ever be standing in front of it. The coach quickly went off down the street, and Jace watched it go. "Tsk. Not even a goodbye?"

"Don't take it personally." There were two guards at the front palace gates. "He's a tight ass."

"Yes, I could tell from the glaring." He turned to the guard, looking him up and down.

"Anyways, Patrician is expecting you. Any weapons?"

Jace looked at the guard. "Yes."

That had obviously not been the answer he had been expecting. "Uh...could you leave them here?"

"No." Jace clasped his hands behind his back, holding his briefcase with both hands.

"I...uh..." The guard looked towards the other one. "Can he do that?"

"Uh...I think so?" the other guard said.

"Should I...still let him in?"

"I...well..."

"If you want to go and tell the Patrician that you're not going to let me in, then by all means, do not let me in." There were nervous glances between the two guards.

"Uh...right." He quickly opened the gate. "Go right ahead."

Jace smiled and nodded as he walked onto the palace grounds. There was the rush of the closing gate behind him as he walked. He was annoyed at how long of a walk it was going to be, but again, it gave him plenty of time to think. It was a very large courtyard, smaller than the one he was used to, but that was probably because of the city. Auser Palace was not surrounded by a city. But somehow, in this city, there was a beautiful place like this.

Other than a few gardeners, or the occasional passing guard, Jace didn't see anyone until he got up to the palace doors, which were open. It was odd that they would be wide open, but he supposed there was no reason to close them. He laid his hand over his pocket, pressing the pocket watch against his chest, feeling the heavy tick. It made him feel...stable. Like things would work out.

The palace was empty as well and Jace looked around for someone to point him in the right direction. "Mr. Ozymandias?" Jace looked up the large staircase in front of him and saw a white mouse that looked fairly familiar. "The Patrician will see you now."

He took a deep breath as he walked up the stairs, looking at the bespectacled white mouse. "I do hope it's not terribly much farther. The walk through the courtyard was rather long."

"Terribly sorry," was all the mouse said before he began walking. It was a slight walk down the hall to a door that looked like the dozen others in the hallway. Jace had been in a few palaces and castles and vaguely understood their layout. The mouse knocked as he opened the door. "Lord Patrician, Mr. Ozymandias is here."

"Show him in." The voice sent a chill down Jace's spine that seemed to stick somewhere near his tail and making him very uncomfortable.

The mouse stepped out of the way and Jace walked in, looking at a rather thin Jackal sitting behind a large desk. "I must say you surprised me in how prompt you summoned me," he said as he walked into the room. "I was so sure it would be a day or two before I heard from you, Lord Patrician."

"Nonsense." The Patrician folded his hands in front of him. "You're already causing so many waves within the city. Please, Reynolds, you may return to your duties." The mouse bowed and closed the door. "Please, have a seat, Mr. Ozymandias."

Jace walked slowly across the large room, which was a bedroom converted into an office. "Now then, I must be honest, I had thought of what I would say to you, but I'm afraid I've come up with nothing."

"Really? That is strange. I assumed you would have much to talk about considering the current circumstances..." The Patrician was watching him very carefully.

"I'm sorry to disappoint, I'm afraid my mind was elsewhere since my arrival and as I said, I thought I had another day." He sat down in one of the chairs on the other side of the desk. It was...uncomfortable.

"Yes...but I'm afraid matters could not wait much longer. I worry you will be quite busy tomorrow, and Wednesday is the day of the meeting. It is not very often someone as important as you comes to the city. Especially considering the...circumstances." There was this odd look the Patrician was giving him. "This war has created quite an uproar, wouldn't you say?"

"Quite so. It's rather bothersome. It has thoroughly ruined my plans, that's for sure." Jace got as comfortable as he could in the seat.

"Yes, I hear tell you were heading to Auser after staying here only briefly...that is a shame. Have you thought of other ways to get there?"

"Other ways have crossed my mind, but I find that the best plan would probably be to wait it out." Neither of them were moving, both showing no expression on their face.

"That is one plan, I suppose...probably the best considering your particular circumstance..." There was suddenly the feeling that the Patrician knew everything.

"Have you heard from Lady Foxern, or Lady Cersa?"

"I have received much from both, I'm afraid. Both request assistance, but until the guild vote, I am not going to side with any, though I can guess who the guilds are going to vote for, seeing as who they chose as their mediator."

"Yes I was quite surprised myself to be chosen for such a task." He was trying his hardest to not shift, focusing instead of the ticking of the clock and keeping his heartbeat steady.

"Quite surprising indeed, but most favorable for Lady Foxern." He paused for a second and for the first time cracked a slight smile. "Seeing as how your plans include going to Auser, is what I mean."

Jace cleared his throat. "Yes, quite so." The Patrician was the kind of person Mr. Ozymandias was trying to be.

"You know, I find this whole war thing quite silly...especially since Lady Cersa has been unable to provide any proof that Lord Foxern is indeed, dead."

"Have they not?" There it was, he couldn't do it anymore and shifted in his seat. "I was under the impression that his death was official?"

"I'm afraid not. In fact, I would not be surprised if he simply...walked into my office."

"And what would be your reaction?" Jace felt nervous, but again focused on the ticking. Why was the Patrician dancing around the subject so much?

"Well I would be shocked to see him make it this far, honestly. But...I would advise him to be careful. The city is not a safe place, and he should surround himself with people who would be on his side." The Patrician finally leaned back. "Before things got very bad..."

"Would you be one of those on his side?" He looked past the Patrician out the window.

"Oh most assuredly. But, of course, due to my position, I would not be able to publicly show my support for a Mixed...they are terribly unliked, for some reason. A reason I've never understood." The Patrician turned and joined him in looking out the window.

"It is a very odd thing to be hated for, as far as I've seen." He felt far more at ease, watching the Patrician who had finally taken his eyes off of him.

"Quite so...but now...I do believe that our time is up. I have other meetings to attend to, you understand."

"Of course," Jace said as he stood up. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Lord Patrician. If you'd ever like to chat, I'd be more than willing."

The Patrician actually looked slightly surprised at that. "Really? Most hate to speak with me, for some reason."

"I have no idea why." He walked towards the door. "This has been a most enlightening meeting. I'll see myself out."

~

Jace stood at the doors of the palace, staring out at the garden. His heart was racing and he needed just a few moments to calm down. A few minutes to gather his thoughts and stop his head from spinning. If the Patrician knew, there had to be several people in the city that knew. He pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes for a moment. "Now what?"

He opened his eyes to a quite surprised white fruit bat. "I-" She cleared her throat. "My name is Stella, I've been assigned to be your assassin by Dr. Minsra." She was obviously a bit flustered that Jace had apparently seen her coming.

In fact, he had had no idea and had just been thinking out loud, but he played it off as best he could. "Yes, I assumed that from the way you skulked about."

She opened her mouth, Jace assumed to say 'I do not skulk,' but quickly formed other words. "My apologies."

"So you are an assassin, Ms. Stella?" he said as he began walking down the garden path. Honestly the only thing about her that said assassin was what she was wearing. With her figure alone he would have had her more pegged as an entertainer of some sort...the kind that work in shows that decent men do not tell their wives about.

"Y-yes." She cleared her throat again. "I'm sorry it took so long to introduce myself, but I did not catch up to you until you were entering the Commander's carriage, and I sure as hell wasn't going anywhere near that."

"Quite so, with him having a price on his head and you being an assassin." Jace was doing his best to ignore the way she bounced and wiggled as she walked. His mind was still racing from his dealings with the Patrician and Stella was a distraction that he really didn't want.

"Yes...how did your meeting with the Patrician go?" She was trying to make conversation after her assumed blundering.

"It was most enlightening," he said as he looked everywhere but at her. "He has given me a lot to think about."

"He didn't threaten you, did he? He does that a lot." She paused. "Or so I hear," she added.

"Why would he threaten me? The Patrician and I are...well I would not say friends, but we are on quite good terms." He saw the look on her face and did his best to not smile. Rumors would fly, and he knew what saying that would lead to but he needed a bit more of sturdy ground to stand on. "Now, explain to me what you specialize in, I'm a tad...out of date when it comes to assassin's in this city."

"Have you been here before?" Of course he knew she would have questions.

"No. It is a place that in all honesty I have wanted to see but also have actively avoided." He could see the gate now. "Now, please explain a bit of your skills."

"Oh, right. Well, I specialize in...well it used to be called espionage. Now it's just called stealth."

"Espionage sounds much more exciting," he said, the guards at the front had changed shifts apparently.

"I know, right! It got changed like, as soon as I started. Stealth makes it sound so lame." She sighed softly. "But I'm quite skilled at getting in and out of places without leaving a trace."

"It sounds a bit more thief like than assassin," he commented, eyeing the guards as they opened the gate for him.

"Oh of course, the thieves guild has a very similar class, but the difference is that they use the skills to steal something and we use it to inhume a target." She shifted slightly and Jace noticed how her entire figure seemed to shift.

"Of course." The guards seemed a bit perplexed that he was leaving with someone when they were told that he was alone. "If you could please lead me to the wizards guild, I'd like to take a look there."

"Oh that's hard to miss." She pointed to an immense tower that Jace actually had to tilt his head back to see the top, or what he guessed must be the top.

"Wizards," he said with a slight frown. Auser didn't have many wizards, they had artificers.

"I know, right? By the way, have you chosen a thief yet?"

"Yes, I did that first."

Stella actually looked hurt. "Oh. I thought you would have chosen an assassin first."

"It seemed prudent since I am staying at the thieves guild and they were so quick to seek me out." They were walking towards the massive tower now. "By the way, Ms. Stella, do you see the rather large white tiger, with a rat nearby?"

Stella looked around. "Uh...the ones over in that alley way trying to not stare at us?"

So they are following me... It had been a guess that they were there. "Yes, those two. That's Skagger and Burce. Two thieves, with ulterior motives, I think. Or they're jealous I didn't choose one of them as my thief... Anyways, they are eventually going to be trouble so if you could take care to keep an eye out for them as we travel I would much appreciate it."

She looked at him a moment, her brow furrowed. "Don't think you could handle them?"

"Ms. Stella, I make it a point to try not murder people myself." He looked at her, noting that she was about his height.

"I-I didn't mean-"

He put up a hand. "I know what you meant. But as I have always believed, your enemy need only get lucky once. Better to cover my bases than risk the two of them getting lucky."

She nodded slowly, looking rather sheepish. "Yeah...right."

He looked at her a moment and then around at the crowd. He had almost been ignoring the crowd because it was actively avoiding him. It felt like his reputation was growing by the second. How long before it gets too out of control? "Have you had any dealings with wizards, Ms. Stella?"

"Me? No," she said as she shook her head. "I mean, they pretty much stay there or sometimes they go to the Hogs Head, that's a tavern near the tower, and it's pretty far from the assassin's guild. What sort of things have you seen?"

Jace had had very little to do with wizards. "I've come to find them a strange thing, but knowledgeable if prodded properly." She was giving him a odd look. "As in to say, if you use the correct words and say the right things you can get a wizard to tell you anything."

"I thought they hated questions." Both of them turned to look at Jersa.

"Ah, Ms. Stella, meet my thief, Jersa." He made a sort of indicating gesture towards the ferret.

"Pleasure," Stella said with a smile, holding out her hand.

Jersa took it rather hesitantly. "Likewise? This your assassin?"

"Correct."

Jersa looked Stella up and down with a scrutinizing look. "Bit top heavy, dontcha think?"

"What?" Stella glared at Jersa. "This coming from a-"

"Ladies, play nice." He had to purposefully walk between the two of them as they tried to glare around him at each other.

"That thing is a lady?" Stella scoffed and put her hands on her hips. "I'll have you know, Dr. Minsra chose me specifically for the job," Stella said as she puffed up her chest a bit.

"Was that before, or after you got up off your knees?" Jersa said with a smirk.

Stella's face flushed obviously under the white fur. "This coming from a flat chested tart."

Now Jersa seemed flustered. "At least I got my rank by skill and not looks. Are you sure you're even an assassin? Look more like you belong to the entertainers guild to me."

"How dare you, you little street urchin. I could slice out that tongue before you even made a second retort." Stella shifted her weight back on her heels.

"Bring it slut," Jersa snapped as she shifted her weight to the side slightly.

Both of them had weapons drawn in an instant, but both immediately froze. "I said play nice." Jace was standing in between the two of them, not looking at either of them. He was starting to get annoyed. "And as entertaining to the onlookers as this fight would be, I would hate to have to go and speak to Dr. Minsra and the Mistress about getting new acquaintances." He started walking again, ignoring the two of them.

Weapons were hidden once again. "Bitch," Stella said as she fell in step behind Jace.

"Whore," Jersa retorted as she followed along.

"Your insults are worse than your attire." Stella folded her arms under her bust.

"At least I had the decency to wear clothes out in public," Jersa said, rolling her eyes.

"You're just jealous you could never pull off this outfit."

"If by jealous you mean nauseous."