There it was, that special smile that seemed to make a world of worries go away. The male reactively grinned crookedly in response. For some reason, she always managed to get a smile from him whenever she smiled, no matter the situation. Azoth simply nodded as Viridiana took off, something he needed to do, to investigate her tip. With the situation seemingly under control now, Azoth could breathe a little easier. He grabbed his bowl as he got up from the table and placed it in the sink. He then gathered his bag that he had left by the door and put it in their room, resolving to sort his things out later.

Azoth quickly ran a mental checklist through his head making sure he had all of his tools and everything he would need for the party ready. After running around through the hideout and finishing up the little things, the golden eyed mage was satisfied that everything was ready and set out to the docks to meet Vane.

The walk there was deliberately slow for several reason. First, he had no idea if Vane was there yet, so he elected to walk through the crowds of people. Second, he had to mentally prepare himself for the possibility of an intense reunion. It had always taken him a bit more nerve to face Vane than it had any foe that he faced. Lastly, (and the most bothersome) Azoth was still scared of what Vane might know. There was no telling if his master had used his ability beforehand or not (at least until he got there). It was nerve-racking not knowing. All in all, it had taken at least twenty minutes for him to arrive at the seaside tavern when it normally would've only taken him five at the most.

When he walked in, he was immediately greeted by a waitress who directed him to a table on the second floor balcony. The young assassin hoped that it wasn't a sign that his master was already upset. After escorting the man upstairs to Raven, she was given a earnest tip and dismissed. Azoth wanted to meet the man he respected, feared and loved the most alone. Walking out to the balcony, Vane was leaning over on the railing peering out at the horizon. "Have a seat Azoth," that familiar warm yet deep and authoritative voice said.

Doing as commanded, the young mage sat down at the table. The first thing he noticed was that all the other tables on the balcony were empty. Meaning that Vane had arranged it to be that way. Not good. When the old assassin turned around, the face that Azoth remembered from his childhood was scarred. There was a deep scar over his right eye, though it did little to his appearance other than make his presence more fearsome. "Master, what happened?" Seemingly confused Vane cocked his head to the side before getting the question, "Oh this thing? It came from a clash with the Templar Leader a few months back." His voice was calm, calmer than usual. "That man is a helluva fighter. If you run into him, be careful."

Kage made a mental note of the advice. Turning around to face the younger man Raven looked at him for a few moments before speaking, "It's been a while. From what I hear, you've been doing well and you've made quite a name for yourself?" There was a gentle nod in response, "Yes sir." The remnants of a smile seemed to appear, "Good good. Where is Viridiana?"
"She's investigating a lead, then she said she'd join us as soon as she was finished." Raven smiled slightly, something of a rare sight, "I've heard quite a bit about her as well. She seems quite dedicated." The mage chuckled a bit, "She is. She works herself to the bone and rarely takes any time out to rest or have any fun." The response evoked a raised eyebrow, "Is that so?"

Feeling that he may have chosen his words poorly Azoth quickly tried to cover, "I mean she never seems to think of herself. Everything is about the job." His master's eyes narrowed slightly, "As it should be. If you want to be the best, as you say you do, then you need to have the work ethic." Sighing a bit the man walked to the table and sat down across from his pupil, "Azoth, both of you are exceptionally talented, but talent alone gets you nowhere. If you don't have the drive then it's all for naught. How badly do you really want it?" Here he was, not even two minutes into the conversation and he had already managed to piss Raven off. Unable to look the dark elf in the eye Azoth quietly replied, "Some things change. . ."

Then before he realized what had happened, the male found himself on the floor holding the side of his face as he gazed up at his master's imposing figure. "You sound weak boy! What have you been doing?"

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As the room remained silent, Regnus couldn't help but feel that there was some reason behind the silence in the room. Where his commanders afraid? No that can't be it. Then as if reading his worries, Commander Curro spoke up. The tall male (who was now in his late fourties) paced the room as he listened to Curro speak. The other Commanders, all listened intently yet Regnus felt there was an odd feeling in the air. "You have a valid point Curro and to add to what you were saying I think we need the most accurate intel we can get. With that being said, I want a list with the names and pictures of the most influential personnel from each guild. This way we can target them without issue."

Then as if on cue, Commander Valen Nightshade , a well respected and powerful man who was young for his position, stood up, "If I may, your grace. . . This purge is an excellent idea milord, but if what Curro says is true. Then are we not outnumbered and outclassed by these assassins?" His words seemed to spark up some conversation between the others for a moment before Regnus raised a hand, "I understand your concern. You speak of our lack of magic firepower if I'm correct?" He received a slight nod from Valen.

"Being that magic is forbidden from being used by anyone lower than the rank of lieutenant, that does make it seem like the assassins have the advantage, but that's not the case. If this purge is to succeed, only the top Templars who recieve my blessing as well as the Pope's will allowed to participate. I will not have any unnecessary deaths on my watch." Pausing for a moment to sort his thoughts out, he could sense that the feeling of the atmosphere was shifting, "I will give you all a few minutes to think about it and then we will call a vote."

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