A Figure by the Window

Irene raised her chin, her gaze focused on the crimson haired woman before her.

The other woman's crimson lips curled up with a smile. She dramatically placed her hand on her chest. "Oh, Irene," She exclaimed, leaning forward ever so slightly. "Please, I only worry about you and your people." The wind blew her silken dress black, revealing her smooth legs, drawing some attention from the citizens walking past them.

"Me and my people are just fine, thank you very much." Irene almost snarled as she responded. The vile woman's smile only widened. "Alright, dear, if you say so." She gently touched Irene's arm. "Just remember that we are here if you ever need our help."

Irene's lips formed a thin line. "We do not." She stated, the shook the woman's cold hand off of her and turned her back. "Please worry about those under your protection instead – it wouldn't do if they started dying as well." She brushed past her and walked away.

Two people could play this game. The Eclipse witch didn't mind threatening and mocking Irene and her people, but she was forgetting; Irene was just as powerful as her. Younger, yes, but strong, nonetheless. She almost growled as she walked back home. Just smelling the woman was enough to disgust her.

She sniffed her arm where the woman touched her, and her expression immediately soured. Her stench lingered there. "Vile witch…" She snarled through her gritted teeth and hastened her steps.

Not long after, she was home. Ivy was there to greet her, and as soon as she stepped inside, her sister's expression soured too. "You stink of that bat." She commented with an annoyed voice.

"I know – she touched me." Irene pouted as she kicked her shoes to a corner and headed upstairs. "Bath!" She called from upstairs before shutting the door.

The wicker flooring of the bath creaked under her weight. Irene ignored the noise, and took off her clothes, rolled them into a ball and threw them on the ground. Those were getting burned – she wasn't about to wear something reeking of that vile woman.

She waited for a while as the steaming hot water began filling the large, ceramic tub. It was large enough to fit two people with ease, so it took a while for the water to fill it up. She opened the windows as she waited, and let the fresh, cold air in.

The wind touched her naked skin, and she smiled. Nothing was better than this, she decided. She watched the city below, knowing full well they couldn't see her up here. They'd need to be standing on the rooftops.

A sudden thought crossed her mind as she turned her gaze from the streets onto the rooftops. She had seen something move up there a few days ago, hadn't she? She wondered who that was – perhaps the killer? Ivy did say the cloaked figure escaped by making a run for the rooftops. Was that perhaps an assassination attempt on that night?

She licked her lips. If only they tried to kill her – she would love to teach them a lesson. She watched the rooftops for a while longer before turning her back on the window and approaching the bathtub.

She breathed in the hot steamy air rising from the water and stepped inside. The hot water rising up to her knees sent a shiver throughout her body.

Aoric closed his eyes and tried to calm his racing heart. He couldn't believe he was almost spotted! He also couldn't believe that she would walk up to such a large window completely naked. Was she insane?

Yes, he answered his own question. She was insane. Beautiful, he admitted as her curved body came to his mind, but insane.

He had just barely hidden himself behind a tall, wide chimney. He hesitated for a moment, then leaned to the side and shot a quick glimpse at the window. It was empty. Aoric sighed a breath of relief, then got back up on his feet and ran to the other side of the roof. Hopping from one roof to the next, he made his way back to the other mansion, the one he was supposed to steal from.

He nested on his previous vantage point again, and started watching the mansion, yet he couldn't quite focus. "Irene…" He whispered. That was the name of the woman clad in white. And the other woman was called Lady Eclipse. There was clearly some bad blood between the two of them, but it was hard to tell what it was all about.

Irene had basically threatened Lady Eclipse. But who were their people? And why were they dying? Did it have anything to do with the deaths – murders, even, he heard about back at the inn? He bit his lips. If the city gates were still open, he would have left Vesporum as soon as he heard about the murders.

"This is insanity." He mumbled as his gaze lingered on the gardeners tending the plants in the garden. How was he supposed to find the vial in such a huge mansion? He could only hope to be lucky. Or…

He reached for his boots and touched the hilt of the blade hidden there. Worst case scenario, he could threaten them, he reminded himself. "Ah, no." He muttered, hoping it wouldn't come to that. He was a thief, not a murderer. And if he was seen in that mansion, he would have no choice but to kill if he wanted to leave as a free man.

"If only the gates hadn't closed." He mumbled. Then he could slip out of the city even if he was spotted. He let go of the hilt of the small knife. No, brute force wasn't the way to go about this. He needed to stick to his principles: if no one knew he ever was in the mansion, no one could catch him.

He turned his gaze onto the cathedral. Tomorrow, another sermon was scheduled. That was going to be his best chance to sneak inside.

Tomorrow, he promised himself.