Roads unknown

I R I S She smiled as the ghostly light reflected familiar craftsmanship. The piece from the small red pouch was meant for her, but it suited the smuggler well. And he came asking for more. Good. She had awoken his appetites. “In due course. If you’ve the skill and knowledge to acquire them.” Iris intended to reward him, without a doubt. But he had yet to accept the job, and perform to expectation. It required skill and discretion, and she had little faith in others’ proclivity for both. Those in the clandestine professions she’d had contact with usually stepped too loudly and spoke too freely. Not to mention that their loyalties were always in question. She decided to place her bet on Jack. Supposedly, he was a professional. It remained to be proven. Iris raised her chin as he approached, meeting his gaze. She didn't allow herself to be intimidated by the smuggler’s… understandable frustration. There was something attractive about not having to look down on a man. He had features that she normally wouldn’t consider pleasing but his eyes held a silent threat, eerily light in the darkness. Perhaps the danger was the source of the strange attraction. There were more important matters to think about. She raised her hands. All ten of her sticky fingers in the air right below the smuggler’s eye level. “I have a job for you.” She moved past the topic of trespassing, letting her hands fall back to her sides, and got right to the point. ”I need you to make Iris Acquarone disappear. I hoped a job like this wouldn’t frighten the capable captain.” The name was primarily associated with the Acquarone trading company and Erasmus Acquarone’s numerous altruistic endeavors. Like most things in Torchline, it was an attractive front to cover up his smuggling operations. Erasmus reigned over a relatively small piece of Haulani, but he held it firmly, and his roots ran deep.