FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Ra'Jirra strolled out of the bath wearing only a towel, her hair wrapped up in another atop her head. Then she sat at the small table.

"Romanov? What kind of a name is that?" she asked, scanning the dossier.

"It's a malapropism. Her real name is Ko'Manir. Seems someone misheard her at some point and the new name stuck. She's been here in Hammerfell for years."

Ra'Jirra listened halfheartedly, her focus was on the papers before her. She finished and turned them over, then back again. "There's nothing here about_why_, Sarosh. Why does a khajiit cypher who has risen through the ranks of the Hammerfell security force suddenly want to defect?"

"No idea," said the Redguard, sitting up. "I guess you'll have to ask her."

Ra'Jirra shook her head, causing the towel to fall to the floor. She left it there. "No. She's got to prove herself before she meets me. Can you get a message to her? I want to get that encryption machine first, and I want to test it. This seems a little too easy."

"We've got a daily drop. She checks it every morning on her way to work. I'll tell her."

"Do that. Tell her. I want her to understand who is in charge of this operation. She may be legit, but I don't trust anyone without knowing their motivation."

She handed the dossier to Sarosh and he lit on fire before dropping it into a metal wastebasket. They waited for it to finish burning before emptying it into a bag, which Sarosh pocketed. Ra'Jirra felt slightly better. Her compatriot was a professional despite his nondescript build.

"Dinner?" Serosh asked.

"I thought you'd never ask," Ra'Jirra smiled, and opened her luggage. "Anywhere good here in the hotel?"

"Afraid not. We've got to brave the wilds of Rihad again. But I know a good place not too far. But don't dress swanky. It's a joint. A nice joint, but nothing fancy."

Ra'Jirra frowned, but put her clothes away into the closet until she got to the khaki number that seemed most appropriate, along with a set of matching underwear. The towel fell to her feet and she began to dress.

Suddenly she stopped, realizing she wasn't alone. "You got a problem, soldier?" she asked without turning around.

"Me? No problem at all. You're the boss."

"Good. Sorry Sarosh. I'm not trying to seduce you. I promise. Military training. You do what you have to do when you have to do it, you know?"

"Like I said, no problem at all. I've gone through it to. Case closed."

She pulled her bra on and began buttoning her shirt. A few minutes and a couple of spritzes of perfume later, and they were out of the door. She closed it carefully, inserting a small scrap of paper in the jam.

The ride to the restaurant was uneventful, though the driver was a Redguard this time and was riper than the Orsimer had been. They got out and walked into the open-air cafe, sitting at a table surrounded by other patrons. There would be no loose lips here.

At Sarosh's suggestion, she ordered a chicken platter over a bed of rice that was covered in a green sauce she recognized as unique to Hammerfell, which came quickly to the table.

"Very good!" she smiled at the first bite. Though in other circumstances she would have wolfed it down, she took care now to cut the meat into delicate pieces, apparently savoring the flavor. What she was really doing was scanning the crowd for anyone unusually interested in them. In five minutes she'd spotted all three.

"So," she continued. "Come here often?"

"I'll say! I bring my family here every other week, when I can afford it. It's a little pricey for me, though, but anything for an emissary from Elsweyr!"

"One at the end of the bar and two at the table in the back," she said under her breath. "Recognize them?"

"It's not everyday I get a buyer for my wares from so far away," Sarosh replied in a normal tone, adding quietly. "Maybe. The guy at the end of the bar looks familiar. I think he lives in my apartment complex. But I could be wrong."

Ra'Jirra thought about that as they continued their dinner.

"How about a little stroll to work off this food?" she suggested when they were done.

"Should be fine. This is a decent neighborhood."

"One minute, let me freshen up a bit. I'll be right back," she said and rose to go to the ladies' room.

She watched the guy at the bar from the corner of her eye. She didn't even glance at the two at the table. His eyes connected with hers for only a second, then he looked away. Amateur.

She came back to find the bill paid and they walked out through the low gate to the street beyond. The night was relatively cool and the smells had dissipated. Or she'd gotten used to them already.

"You want to confront them?" Sarosh asked quietly as they walked.

"What a gorgeous night," Ra'Jirra said in answer, whispering "Let's see how serious they are. Kiss me."

"What?"

"Kiss me, soldier," she repeated, the last word quietly but distinctly.

He did so, and she hugged him strongly back, glancing momentarily over his back. The one in front stopped. The two behind kept walking towards them, but they were far back.

She took Sarosh's hand and led him farther down the street, ducking into a darkened alley as if to continue their embrace in earnest.

"Quick," she said once they were out of sight. "Over here."

She took Sarosh by the hand and pulled him to the end of the alley. It ended in a stark stone wall. She could climb it, if she had to. He could not. She embraced him and made as if she were kissing his neck.

"What do you see?" she whispered.

"First one walked past. Looked in for a moment."

"Keep watching," she said, opening the button on a leg pocket. She felt the cold steel within. Just in case.

"The other two stopped..." Sarosh said, then a moment later. "They're coming in."

"Damn," Ra'Jirra said, and released him. "Oh! There's somebody coming!" she continued in a husky tone of voice.

The two men continued walking towards them. They were big, and they didn't look friendly.

"Excuse us," Sarosh said as they approached. "We'll be going."

"Fucking a cat?" said one of them, and he produced a wicked looking iron.

"Oh shit," Ra'Jirra said sincerely. They certainly weren't ruffians, but they were going to pretend to be. They could well plan to kill them both. She suddenly wondered if Sarosh had been keeping up with his self defense exercises. She didn't have time to ask.

She dropped to her feet and leapt at the nearer, but he blocked with an arm and grabbed her strongly. She wished she hadn't worn the boots - she couldn't use her claws. She brought her knee up into his crotch, but she felt the hard protection there. This man was no amateur.

He brought the iron down hard, but she lunged into him just in time to miss the brunt of the blow which glanced off the back of her head. She bit at his chest and tasted blood.

The man rammed her into the wall, knocking her head back hard against it and she dropped momentarily to the ground. She looked up at his face. It was emotionless. All business. He was damn good. She kicked as hard as she could as he raised the iron for another blow. Her kick had knocked him back only a little and he remained on his feet. She thought for a moment about the gun, but she had no time to draw it. Instead she rolled to the side, hoping he would be coming at her with too much momentum, but he swung around instantly. Goddammit.

Then a sound like thunder roared in the street beyond and a rose bloomed in her assailant's chest. She'd heard a similar sound before. Recently. The man fell instantly to the ground. Finally she had a moment to see what else was happening. The third man stood at the alley entrance, apparently guarding it. The second stopped attacking Sarosh, who had managed to hold his own. But now the second turned to the body in front of her. They could probably rush him now, but she still didn't know what had happened.

"You'll pay for this," he spat, then ran out of the alley.

"What was that?" Sarosh managed between gasps.

She pulled the gun from her pocket. Had it misfired? She sniffed it. Nothing.

"No idea," she said. "They weren't going to kill us. They'd have brought edged weapons. But they were good. Not hoodlums. They were here to deliver a message, but damned if I know what it was."

She bent to search the dead man's clothes. Nothing, but the clothing itself was a clue.

"Well we've got to get out of here, Raj. We've got to get off the streets. The local police are rough and they won't ask questions first. Come with me, I know a place. Plus... I think these were police. If I'm right, they'll be back in force. Soon."

She let him lead her away. Once back to the street, they turned farther down the road and ducked into a seedy hotel of sorts.

"This place will be crawling with them soon," he whispered. "Let's hole up here for the night."

She just nodded, trying to work out what had happened, but she had no ideas. Sarosh spoke with the greasy man at the desk and got a room key, then led her upstairs.

They walked down a hall, past a sleeping body and into a room with a bed so small Ra'Jirra wasn't sure if it even qualified for the term. The heat was stifling. Sarosh opened the window and looked out on a small balcony. Ra'Jirra stepped beside him. On other balconies, the residents were sleeping on theirs.