Roads unknown

I R I S ”Yes.” Yes, there has to be a body. The Acquarones buried clothing in place of a son when Elias disappeared and Iris has been gnawed by doubt ever since. She wouldn’t risk evoking the same sentiment in Erasmus Acquarone. A sliver of doubt in his mind could be deadly. ”If there was a simple way of going about it, I would have done it myself. And you’d be short a lucrative opportunity.” A smirk appeared on Iris’ face as she watched Jack paint himself into the most profitable position. She was pleased. He was quick. And greedy. The epitome of the Torchlight criminal. An image that brings a healthy dose of wariness to the forefront. He needs to know that betraying her is never going to be the most profitable option. ”Nice picture.” He moved past the suicide scenario quickly enough. Iris wasn’t opposed to a good cliché and had pondered the option, but the insinuation it carried made her want to retch. She had a different idea, one that didn't admit weakness and defeat. ”The Fingers are being watched. And Iris wouldn’t be caught there alone waving her jewels around in the first place. I’m not an idiot.” She waved the proposition off. ”In fact, I’m a very good card player.” She bragged with a casual shrug. ”Good enough to win the password to the Грешников рай.” The repurposed frigate ‘Грешников рай’, better known as the Floating Casino, mostly due to pronunciation difficulties, sails out into the ocean twice a month, carrying the most elite and the most reckless of Torchline’s gamblers into a series of night long high stakes games. This pleasure was afforded to them by Sergei Vladimirovich Sokolov, an outlander who made it big in the gambling business. ”I go in, stake the necklace, along with some other valuables I could plausibly get my hands on, and end up in Sokolov Junior’s little debt collecting room. A fight ensues, I jump off the balcony into the water below.” Appearing to share the fate of the unfortunate wretches who couldn’t afford another ride on the Рай due to outstanding debts. ”Then, you pick me up before I catch a cold and silently row me to safety in a little raft or… dinghy. Think you can do that?” She offered a quick ,rather too innocent smile to the smuggler who was hoping for simplicity.