Now I know what Dwyn's house would look like if he ever settled down in the countryside. It's vaguely depressing that the only thief in town isn't actually the most selfish person. For that matter, I think I'm struggling to break into the top three. Oh, well, I can but try harder in the future...

Well, might as well get on with this.


"Hello there, Ms Deegan." Liselle slipping around her colleague to address the witch directly. "My name's Liselle, and I'm a thief, a burglar, a cheat, a scoundral... and thanks to an Emperor made of equal parts grateful and devious bastard, Terim and I are two of your new lords. There's a bunch more of us, but due to their particular male idiom, they're all inspecting the castle or getting drunk, and probably both at once. Which leaves us ladies to do the important work... but there's nothing new there. Anyway, we were told that you are the go-to lady if someone wants to know the state of things around here - inter-village relations, recent local history, that sort of thing - and if we're going to make a decent showing as local lords, it's the sort of information we'll need to know. Or, to be more accurate, it's the sort of information Terim will need to know, since she's the responsible one. I'm just the street urchin who signed up with a bunch of 'heroes' instead of a bunch of tomb robbers by mistake. Still, while people still think I'm a hero, I may as well act like one. Some chances only come once a lifetime, right?"

And breathe...