Disclaimer: I don`t own them. I have no idea where this story is going, so I cant really give you any summary.

Chapter 1: Tavern talk

Carefully she let the dagger clean away the dirt from under her nails. She leaned back and let the chair dance on its legs as she studied her work. Satisfied that all the dirt and dried blood was removed, she carelessly tossed the dagger on the table and sighed deeply while she waved her hand at the bartender, ordering a new bear.

The flickering light of the candles on the tables only broke the dunkle light in the bar. The tavern was crowded, something that was not unusual since it was the only place in the Slums where you could get a decent meal and something to drink. Quiet murmurs and the scraping of wooden chairs against the wooden floor was the only sound heard and she enjoyed the peace and quietness around her.

By the table, next to her, sat a man dressed in a red cowl, bent over an old piece of paper, which he had been reading for days. He would not stop muttering to him self; sometimes he would exclaim loudly that he was a genius and that everybody else was baboons and monkeys.

Across her, Korgan, the dwarf sat, using one of his axes to delicately cut up the meat on the pig he had ordered.  She let a hand run through her tangled black hair and looked over at the last member of the little group, Yoshimo, a thief she had encountered while escaping from Irenicus`s dungeon. He was studying some jewels he had?borrowed from one of the women in the tavern earlier. She was sure they would bring in a nice sum of money, if they could manage to sell it.

?Now, fearless leader? said Korgan, with his mouth full of food. ?Where will our epic journey bring us now?. too a rich man?s house, or grave, perhaps?? his eyes sparkled and Yoshimo grinned. She shook her head and stretched her arms before she rested them behind her head.

?Stealing will only bring in measly profit, we need something large if we are going to get the money for Bodhi?

?I can't believe you actually think that she? or whatever she is, will know how to get hold of that mage?. what was his name?? said Korgan.

?Irenicus? Yoshimo answered quickly.

?We don`t have any other choice?

?Why are ye so obsessed with huntin` the wizard any why?? Korgan muttered and let his fingers clean his ears.

? I owe him depths of pain,? she answered shortly.

?Sure it has nothing to do with that other girl, Imoen?? Yoshimo asked shyly.

?Finding her will just add a bonus to our quest, I really don`t care at all, she was always a pain in the ass with her whining? she answered quickly.

The red wizard looked up from his paper, glared around at everybody in the room before he tucked the old parchment in is satchel.

?It seems like we are always looking for that child? Edwin sighed.

?I told you, we are not looking for Imoen, we are going to find Irenicus and when I do?I am not sure exactly what I will do to him, but I promise it will be something painful? she snapped angrily and the others moved a little uneasily, they knew when not to cross the line.

When she got angry, she really got angry and there were a whole lot of graves to prove it.

?Well I for once am going to step out into the night?to have a look around? Yoshimo said and his eyes sparkled again, then he rose, grabbed the dagger she had used minutes ago to clean her nails and walked outside. Korgan yawned heavily and scratched his stomach ? I  am goin` to retire to my room? he said, patted his stomach and grabbed his axe.

?You then Edwin, are you going to call it a night as well?? she asked and the red wizard thought for a while before he shook his head. ?No I will not (the night is when everything happens) I think I will look around for a while? and then he to walked away leaving her alone.

Just then, a small and gray cat jumped on the table and looked at her with its yellow eyes.

?So you are the only who is not ditching me? she muttered and scratched the cat behind its ear.

?Give me anything you have pickpocket will you?? she asked and the cat sat down, curled its tale around its body and sighed deeply.

?I found it its mine,? he protested and she glared at him. The cat sighed deeply before it dropped a few gold coins and a small gold ring on the table.

She picked up the coins and quickly hid them and then she grasped the ring. It was a small golden ring, there were no diamonds, carving or anything on it, it was probably not worth anything.

?So where did you get this?? she asked and the cat pointed its busy tail to a man standing in a corner. She carefully looked in his direction and then cursed under her breath.

Her cat had just pickpocket a knight from the Order.

?You stole from a knight?? she whispered harshly and the cat nodded proudly.

?Well I must admit that it was well done, if not foolish. I don`t think even Yoshimo would dare that? she muttered and the cat smiled ( can cats smile?)

She looked casually in the knight?s direction once more and now she recognized him. He had been hanging out in the Copper Coronet several times; he had even been helping the party that had uncovered the pit fighting and the slave trading in the Slums. She had been busy nicking gold from the corpses.

His name was?Anton, Arnold, or something. She remembered hearing Jaheira mention his name when she overheard a conversation once. Thinking about Jaheira and the others made her flinch a little. She had helped them out of their cages, but then declared that it was all man for him self.

She had meet them again outside right before the Cowled wizard appeared and snatched Imoen and her chance of revenged right in front of her eyes.  She had no doubt that the Harper was looking for Imoen as well. With any bad luck, their paths would cross.

Suddenly the knight looked straight at her and she quickly lowered her glance to the table again. She could feel his eyes burning in her neck and she could almost picture his eyebrows furrowing in thoughts and that the grip around his mace tightened. She was well known- or well feared by several in Athkatla and more then one group that wanted her head on a pole.

The Order was one of them.

?Come Sage let us get moving I have a feeling we are being watched,? she whispered to her cat and, ignoring its wild protests, put him in her bag. Just then the door opened and she, as all the others, turned their head in the direction to see who the newcomers where.