Suspicious Minds
Title: Suspicious Minds
Fandom: World of Warcraft
Genre: General
Couple(s): None
Warning(s): Main character’s a rogue. A stoic SI:7 rogue.
Fic Status: Complete
Summary: Sometimes, it’s the little out-of-place things that are the biggest hints.
Notes: This is kind of a lead-in to a storyline that Dar and I came up with after I RP’d with Ehrzuli’s little human mage Johenna (which Zuli was totally cool with!). BTW, Smith is my character Adamek (or as I affectionately call him “Stoic Rogue”) but he generally goes by his last name. Feel free to make all the Agent Smith jokes you want.
Smith was convinced that he’d thoroughly annoyed Shaw somehow. What other reason could the leader of SI:7 have to assign him to go and assess this potential recruit who seemed to think he was the greatest rogue to ever carry a blade? Smith already knew the outcome of the assessment, and he suspected Shaw did, too.
The only positive thing about it was that he could easily split his attention between the task at hand and his own private concerns. After all, he only had to observe the recruit and report his findings on the youth’s abilities.
His concerns stemmed primarily from vague suspicion. Even before he’d been recruited into SI:7, Smith had learned that sometimes it was the little out-of-place things that were the biggest hints of major trouble. The royal House of Wrynn wasn’t popular with everyone, particularly if the latest problems in Westfall were anything to go by. Those who were clever enough-like the Defias Brotherhood-knew how to cover their tracks well. However, people made mistakes. It just took an alert eye to find them.
This was why advanced spell books hidden under the floorboards of a cottage concerned the experienced assassin.
Smith dispassionately watched the recruit trip and knock over a broomstick, the clattering sounding as loud as gunshots. Yes, this was going precisely as he’d thought it would. He stealthily circled around to a better vantage point as the guards roused themselves.
The girl, Johenna, didn’t seem to be involved in whatever required the spell books. Unless she was an amazing actress on the level of the un-mourned Lady Prestor, she was exactly what she appeared to be: An idealistic young trainee who wanted nothing more than to become a great mage. Her involvement in whatever her parents had been planning most likely extended only as far as finding the spell books that she believed belonged to her missing mother.
This brought up a new series of questions, at the top of the list being “Who was the mage?” Just because Johenna thought them to be her mother’s didn’t make them so. To make things more difficult, Smith had only Johenna’s first name to go by. To ask her family name was to rouse suspicion; he had no legitimate reason to ask for it. Her mannerisms and reaction to being lost in Old Town confirmed his assessment that she was probably from one of the smaller villages in Elwynn Forest: Close enough where loyalty to the king was almost absolute but far enough away that the capital city was overwhelming on first visit. That narrowed down the field of places to look, but it would still take time.
Without thought, he slid farther back into the shadows as the footfalls of a guard approached, the clanking of armored boots against wood flooring abnormally loud. He held his breath as the guard paused for just a moment before moving on. Once the guard was out of view, he stepped back forward, finding the recruit’s hiding place almost immediately. The impatient youth was obviously getting frustrated, and Smith briefly closed his eyes in disgust.
He supposed he could ask around the Mage’s Quarter about Johenna. It would be simplicity itself to get the basics as long as he didn’t give too many details on why he was looking into her. Perhaps a cover story that her father asked for a progress report without his daughter’s knowledge? It would certainly give the impression that whatever it was his source had to say was important, possibly to a noble who wished to remain anonymous. It was an old trick but it worked almost every time.
His mind flirted with the idea of sharing his suspicions with Shaw but dismissed it immediately. All he had was Johenna’s word that the spell books had been advanced. Considering she was a novice, anything would probably seem advanced to her. No, he’d do his own private investigating whenever he had a free moment from his work for SI:7 and bring it to Shaw’s attention if he did find something more definite.
The guards started to shout, and Smith left the boy to his fate. Shaw would want to know about the recruit’s miserable failure just as soon as the older assassin finished the mission himself.
Fandom: World of Warcraft
Genre: General
Couple(s): None
Warning(s): Main character’s a rogue. A stoic SI:7 rogue.
Fic Status: Complete
Summary: Sometimes, it’s the little out-of-place things that are the biggest hints.
Notes: This is kind of a lead-in to a storyline that Dar and I came up with after I RP’d with Ehrzuli’s little human mage Johenna (which Zuli was totally cool with!). BTW, Smith is my character Adamek (or as I affectionately call him “Stoic Rogue”) but he generally goes by his last name. Feel free to make all the Agent Smith jokes you want.
Smith was convinced that he’d thoroughly annoyed Shaw somehow. What other reason could the leader of SI:7 have to assign him to go and assess this potential recruit who seemed to think he was the greatest rogue to ever carry a blade? Smith already knew the outcome of the assessment, and he suspected Shaw did, too.
The only positive thing about it was that he could easily split his attention between the task at hand and his own private concerns. After all, he only had to observe the recruit and report his findings on the youth’s abilities.
His concerns stemmed primarily from vague suspicion. Even before he’d been recruited into SI:7, Smith had learned that sometimes it was the little out-of-place things that were the biggest hints of major trouble. The royal House of Wrynn wasn’t popular with everyone, particularly if the latest problems in Westfall were anything to go by. Those who were clever enough-like the Defias Brotherhood-knew how to cover their tracks well. However, people made mistakes. It just took an alert eye to find them.
This was why advanced spell books hidden under the floorboards of a cottage concerned the experienced assassin.
Smith dispassionately watched the recruit trip and knock over a broomstick, the clattering sounding as loud as gunshots. Yes, this was going precisely as he’d thought it would. He stealthily circled around to a better vantage point as the guards roused themselves.
The girl, Johenna, didn’t seem to be involved in whatever required the spell books. Unless she was an amazing actress on the level of the un-mourned Lady Prestor, she was exactly what she appeared to be: An idealistic young trainee who wanted nothing more than to become a great mage. Her involvement in whatever her parents had been planning most likely extended only as far as finding the spell books that she believed belonged to her missing mother.
This brought up a new series of questions, at the top of the list being “Who was the mage?” Just because Johenna thought them to be her mother’s didn’t make them so. To make things more difficult, Smith had only Johenna’s first name to go by. To ask her family name was to rouse suspicion; he had no legitimate reason to ask for it. Her mannerisms and reaction to being lost in Old Town confirmed his assessment that she was probably from one of the smaller villages in Elwynn Forest: Close enough where loyalty to the king was almost absolute but far enough away that the capital city was overwhelming on first visit. That narrowed down the field of places to look, but it would still take time.
Without thought, he slid farther back into the shadows as the footfalls of a guard approached, the clanking of armored boots against wood flooring abnormally loud. He held his breath as the guard paused for just a moment before moving on. Once the guard was out of view, he stepped back forward, finding the recruit’s hiding place almost immediately. The impatient youth was obviously getting frustrated, and Smith briefly closed his eyes in disgust.
He supposed he could ask around the Mage’s Quarter about Johenna. It would be simplicity itself to get the basics as long as he didn’t give too many details on why he was looking into her. Perhaps a cover story that her father asked for a progress report without his daughter’s knowledge? It would certainly give the impression that whatever it was his source had to say was important, possibly to a noble who wished to remain anonymous. It was an old trick but it worked almost every time.
His mind flirted with the idea of sharing his suspicions with Shaw but dismissed it immediately. All he had was Johenna’s word that the spell books had been advanced. Considering she was a novice, anything would probably seem advanced to her. No, he’d do his own private investigating whenever he had a free moment from his work for SI:7 and bring it to Shaw’s attention if he did find something more definite.
The guards started to shout, and Smith left the boy to his fate. Shaw would want to know about the recruit’s miserable failure just as soon as the older assassin finished the mission himself.