The Cat and the Sparrow

[Helo Tarran]

Helo made his way in the darkness, in his cat-form, to his destination without drawing any attention. He knew there would be at least one lookout, but he hoped they wouldn’t be smart enough to think a cat a threat or danger. Why would they? He was a cat!

When he arrived at the large shack, he shifted back into his human-form, knocking on the door. Three times, break, then four more. Short and sharp. He hoped everything hadn’t changed.

The door was pulled open a very large woman, who was glaring at him even though he had no idea who she was, and he was certain the reverse was also true. ”What? She snapped.

Helo nodded to her, politely. ”And a very good evening to you, fine woman. I am here to see Glade.” He kept a smile on his face, but he was nervous. Was he making the mistake that would end his life?

The woman’s expression didn’t change. ”Why?

”That’s for her to know, not you.” He shrugged when she drew herself up slightly. ”If you wanna piss Glade off, then that’s up to you. But I advise that you allow her to get her own message, this time. We know what Glade can do with a knife when she is angry, and I think you’re too beautiful for that kind of punishment.” He held out his arms. ”Completely unarmed.”

The large woman scowled deeply, but there was a flicker of ‘knowing’ in her eyes. ”Fine. But if you …”

Helo rolled his eyes. ”Yeah, yeah. You’ll brutally murder me very slowly, and all that stuff. I get it. I know the drill. Can we go in, please? It’s very cold.”

She all but growled at him, but with a flick of her head, she led him inside.

[Mila Glade]

“You got a visitor, Glade.”

Mila turned, toying with a dagger, turning it over in her hand, her grey, hard eyes falling on the man before her. ”Helo.” She said, with a sigh. ”What do you want?” The Half-Elven woman was leaning against a table, her short brown hair tied back from her face, which might have been lovely, had it not been for the aura she seemed to put forth. In a room full of thieves and murderers, many of them much bigger than her, she stood out.

Many eyes turned to look at Helo, curious. Someone sniggered, making a sly comment, which was quickly silenced by a brief glance from the woman herself.

”Last time you were here, you said you’d never come back.” She walked over to him, slowly, lazily. Though she was, in a way, younger than him (her Elven blood making maturity times different), she didn’t act that way, not at this moment at least. ”Did you forget something?” She tipped her head, as if curious. ”Like the fact that you owe me 15 silver? Have you come to finally pay me back, and to thank me for not hunting you down and putting a blade through your throat?”

Mila smiled, but it was not a pleasant one.

[Helo Tarran]

Helo glanced around him as he stepped into the room. It was quite big, especially for a place in the slums, and it was filled with men and women who were some of the worst people Helo had ever met. He had hated working with them, and had gotten out nearly as fast as he got in. But now things were different. He was trying to make his life better, and having to be constantly on guard due to Mila Glade’s little gang of criminals with a free ticket to kill him, was not going to work.

”Good to see you, Mila.” He said, using her first name. Normally, ‘Her people’ used only her surname, as a mark of respect. But they had been acquainted before she had formed this little pack of hyenas. ”And no, I hadn’t forgotten about that. In fact, it’s why I am here. I want back in. I’ll never be able to repay you by stealing pot pans from houses, so if I come back, I can use my … skills, to pay you back, and then some.

He kept eye contact as he spoke. Helo knew Mila respected strong people, but she was also a little … unpredictable. Most of her little crew would never speak to her as if she were an equal. Some had stood up to her, and they usually died. ”And I will up my game; no more robbing from shops or picking pockets. I’ll go higher. I’ll be loyal. Yes, I left, but I told you to your face, and didn’t just slink away. I respect you …” he feared her, just as much. ”And you know what I can do. Give me a chance.”

[Mila Glade]

Mila was silent for a moment as she looked Helo in the eye. He didn’t look away. She had always liked that about him. She knew she scared him, a little. Maybe a lot. But he still stood his ground in a verbal sparring, and he was the only person who had known her from before she had started the Sparrows, her group. She barely trusted a single one of them, and mainly kept them together through fear.

Helo had been with her from the start, but had wimped out when things had gotten violent during a break-in with another Sparrow. When Helo’s partner had taken a club to a child’s head during the little venture, Helo had left and had done so in debt. Out of her respect for him, she had not pursued it, and it had nearly toppled her in the eyes of the people she did her best to lead. She had conceded that if anyone were to find him, they could kill him.

What he didn’t know was that she had been making sure that that did not happen. And now he wanted back in …

”Why?” she asked, breaking the silence. The whole room was quiet at this point. ”If you’re in trouble with another gang, forget it. I’m not fighting a war for you, Helo.” She shrugged, glancing around with a smile, before looking back to him and, taking the dagger, she put the tip to his chin. ”If there is someone after you, I might get lucky by saving them the trouble and killing you right here.”

Laughter and chuckling came from the rest of the room, with a few people urging her to do it. They only stopped when she held up her hand. ”I don’t like to be kept waiting, Helo. You should know that, and you are usually much freer with that tongue of yours.” She leaned in. ”Which I could remove and keep, if you require killing. A memento … I am nostalgic that way.”

[Helo Tarran]

Helo felt the cold tip of the blade on his chin, his heart beating a little faster. He maintained eye contact. Mila Glade … such a pretty name … was more animal than she was a person. She acted on instinct. She killed first, asked questions later, or not at all. ”I am sick of living in the gutter.” He said. ”And I am the best thief you ever had, and I bet I could say the same would be true for right now.”

That comment brought a few hisses from the odd person. Even a ‘try me’ from an overly confident man at the back.

”And I am not in trouble with anyone. There is no target on my back, no one is after me, officially or unofficially.” He even dared to smile. ”Plus, I’m the only person who likes Elven wine and old stories as much as you do. Fond memories … we should make some more!”

Helo was hoping beyond all hope, that his little quip would pay off.

[Mila Glade]

Mila looked him in the eyes for an uncomfortably long time. She turned her head slightly, her eyes narrowing. The whole room seemed to be holding its breath.

Though she would never admit it, she had missed Helo. Most of the scum around her had less brains than a newborn mule, but Helo was inventive, creative and funny. He had always been able to make her laugh, and they shared a history, having both been born in Ajteire before coming here to make their fortunes. Both of them had not.

”Fine.” She said, and the room around erupted in murmurs, with one or two even daring to protest. She turned her head and looked around, silencing each man and woman with a look. ”I said ‘fine’. Helo is back with the Sparrows. Anyone have anything they want to say about it, I highly suggest you don’t.”

Mile turned back to Helo. ”You see Brhun over there … the big guy with the huge chest, bad tattoos and a face even a mother wouldn’t love? Yeah? Well if I find out you have lied to me, then I will have him punch you so hard in the face that you’ll bite your own heart. Understood?”

She stepped back. ”Come with me.” She said, and motioned for him to follow her as she walked to a door and stepped into another room, this one empty.

Just like a pack of animals, the 10 or so gathered thugs snarled at Helo as he passed.

”Close the door.” She ordered as they stepped inside.

The room was small, contained a single cot and a desk. The desk held a lamp, some small knives, and a bottle of something dark. She strode forth, uncorked the bottle and took a gulp of the strong rum. Turning, the slight young half-Elf held it out to Helo. ”Drink it and you’re in. Drink it and you follow my orders. Drink it and you will be a Sparrow. Drink it and then know that the next time you walk out of here in my debt, is the day you don’t take more than five steps to freedom before you die.” She smiled as she spoke. It was unsettling.

[Helo Tarran]

Helo listened to the grumblings of protest around him, but no one spoke out in open defiance. In the early days, she had taken out more than a few that had sought to either take her down, steal from her, or simply piss her off. It seemed in the time he had been gone, she had become more respected - of feared - that though they might not like it, no one was going to question it.

After she issued her decree, he did as he was told and followed her into what looked like a bedroom. He shut the door, again as ordered, and took the bottle after she drank. When she told him what he was signing up for, and the consequences of breaking any rule, he drank and sealed the pact.

It wasn’t cheap rum, but he had never had a taste for it and grimaced as it went down. ”Done.” He said, handing her back the bottle. For a moment he was silent, and then: ”It’s good to see you, Mila.” And he meant in, in a way. Yes, she was vicious, unpredictable, prone to temper tantrums and such, but they had a history.

[Mila Glade]

Mile Glade cocked her head and took a seat at the desk, leaving Helo to sit on the small bed. She gave a quick smile and had another swig. "I kinda missed you too." She admitted, and then laughed. "Ah, don't look so surprised, you are right. You always could make me laugh ... especially when you try and take on the role of my conscience!"

The half-Elf held out the bottle as she watched him. "Selling pots, eh? Who too? What fences you using?" She took her dagger out of her belt and began to play with it. Sometimes she would do this to intimidate people, other times it was just because it was her favourite dagger; no one was entirely sure. "You've come back at a good time, Helo. We're looking to move up in this city. Those idiots out there might not look much, but I've been skimming taking the cream and throwing out the milk for a good while now, ever since you left. They aren't the best in the city, but they are the best I got. What about you? Made any connections that could be useful?"

"I got a job, if you want it." Helo would know by now it wasn't a question. He had agreed to be a sparrow, and the Sparrow was giving him a job. "Don't look so nervous." She said with a quick roll of her eyes. "I'm not going to have you rob a noble or anything. But you were right; you were the best thief I ever had, and though you have some competition from Tania ... the dark girl with the great arse ... yes, I'm fucking her ... she's made me a fair bit of coin. So it's not exactly going to be anything too easy." She let the cool edge of the blade touch her nose and looked at him through smiling eyes. "You in?"

[Helo Tarran]

Helo laughed. "Yeah, being your conscience was rather futile. You never did listen."

Taking a seat on the bed, Helo looked at the girl before him. He'd like to say 'woman', for she was most certainly of age, and no maiden. But maturity stick like rare flashes of lightning when it came to Mila Glade, it was a wondrous thing to behold; when she actually used her mind and put effort into something. She was smart, resourceful ... but her almost fanaticism always held her break from being a truly great force. He had tried to guide her as best he could, but he had failed.

As to her question: "Shit ones," he said, taking another drink. "Sweaty Mags, Red Kriss ... you know the sort." He shrugged. "The better ones wouldn't deal with me. Did you have anything to do with that? I always wondered?"

Listening to her, Helo made a mental note to keep an eye on this Tania. It wasn't the competition of being the best thief in the Sparrows that would be the problem, it would be, if Tania cared - or was even in love with - Mila, he'd been seen as competition. He and Mila had always gotten along well. "Am I in?" He gave a laugh, wondering why she was even asking. It was a command. It always was. "How could I not be? What's the details?"

[Mila Glade]

"That's hardly fair!" She smiled. "I always listened to your wise advice, I just chose to ignore it."

The Half-Elf's grey eyes rolled as he asked about the fences. "I didn't do anything. Maybe someone else did, or maybe those low level shits didn't have enough coin for what you were selling. Anything you bring in you'll get - well, you know the drill. The better you do, the more you get. Simple." She leaned back, stretching her arms. She was quite graceful, considering her temperament, almost like a dancer. But Black had taught her to be more fluid, and despite having lifted herself out of his life, she had kept hold of his lessons and went roof running as often as possible.

Mila's eyes fixed on him. "What about that young man you've been hanging around with? The human you keep taking to that little hut down Hedge Lane? You fucking?" There was amusement in her eyes, but also a warning. She was not going to tolerate secrets.

She took the bottle from him, took a swig and kept it for a moment. "Simple. I want you to take the contract ledger from the Elf tavern." She grinned, knowing what this task would mean. She was interested in seeing what he would make of it. "It'd be interesting to know which non-Elves are working for them. It's valuable information, and I want it."

Mila took another sip, her eyes fixed on the Changeling.