Styxx Shade: chronicles of a Spy Lord

The Art of Stealing secrets

Ethan stared at him and then shrugged his shoulders. "Okay. Strange enough that happened to me once. She was an arcane addict. She asked me for change I told her to fuck of she promptly came at my Jewels with a knife. Still not a reason to give up sex." He said.

Styx stared at him with one raised eye brow in question. "It happened more then once. Females in general hate me and the one time I came close to having sex with fairy I woke up naked with a dead female fairy next to me and Momma Fiona cursing at me for being a damn fool for hocking up with a damn fucking fairy offering up free pussy."

Ethan grimaced. "Momma Fiona killed her? That doesn't sound like her style." Ethan said in doubt.

Styx rolled his eyes. "I didn't say she killed the bitch. Momma Fiona said the bitch broke some fucking rule with trying to make me her sex slave. One of her clients was a high lady judge and heard the fairy was with me and she executed her. High Fairies hate that shit. Though I still don't know what that shit she was referring to." He said.

Ethan nodded his head like he understood. "That sounds about right. Momma Fiona probably saw what the bitch secrets were in the past and then she told the authorities what the fairy doing and ended up getting the fairy killed. Fairies are superstitious assholes. Your strange enough as is. Neither human or fairy and you would be considered a child by human and Fairy standards and the fairy folk absolutely hate child rape. What did you find out about the rich lord that owns the red brick bakery?" He said changing the subject instantly.

Styx just stared at him. "How the fuck do you know that?" He asked.

Ethan waved an annoyed hand. "One part experience and second part second hand knowledge you get from being married to fairy folk and third part being raised by a back sight Oracle. Now what did you find out?" He asked again.

Styx sighed tiredly. "They call him the Baron. The Baron doesn't go out much during the week but on Thursday and Sunday to visit his mistress on 5th avenue.

Ethan nodded. "The Baron doesn't have any children, or wife living with him?" He asked.

Styx frowned. "His wife is a good lady that works at the bakery along with her two grown sons down the street just a few houses from the Baron's mansion. The oldest of her children a daughter is an opera singer and actor at a small theater. So who is our client here?" Styx asked now annoyance.

Ethan had been staring off down street with a thoughtful expression on his face and then he quickly glanced at Styx annoyed scowl. "You don't seem that enthusiastic about the job? What the hell is wrong with you?" He asked.

"Where's the money?" Styx asked. "The whole family are all a bunch of middle class types depending on the mother's skills and ignoring the Baron of dumbass whoring lazing exploits as he uses up the bread winner's profits. Where's the money for us?" Styx said.

Ethan smiled slowly with a expression that made Styx want to kick his ass. "Mrs. Baron must have a charming smile. Did you charm a laugh out of her?" Ethan asked.

"Fuck you Jackass. I'm not a handsome asshole like yourself. I never even had a conversation with her. I bought the information from some street boys with a game of dice and a favor. The kids like the old lady. She gives em jobs in the summer and scrapes of bread by the end of a working day. The lady's got pull and loyalty around here." Styx said with a more then a hint of respect in his own voice.

Ethan snorted in real amusement. "You fancy the lady. I knew it. Admit it!" Ethan said with a smile on his face.

"She's old enough to be my mother Jackass. Anyway is Lord Baron paying us or one of the children." Styx said.

"Our client prefers to remain in secret while we fish out the secret that will reveal to us who we're working for and what we need to do with said secret to earn our pay.." Ethan said in a upper crust voice.

Styx stared at Ethan while he cued on the roasted nuts. "You have no idea who the fuck hired us? Do you? Your just bullshitting your way through this shit." He said.

Ethan scowled at his apprentice. "You can call me on my bullshit privately but do remember to keep up appearances around strangers and in public." He said.

Styx smiled and nodded his head in answer. "Okay Boss. What the hell are we doing?" He asked.

Ethan shook his head. "Wrong question. Who has the secret? Our job is to find it. So. Who is the most boring or less busy in the Baron's little middle class family?" Ethan said.

"The hell I know." Styx said with a shrug of indifference.

Ethan frowned. "Not good enough. Think about everything you have learned. Whose the most boring or mysterious of the whole bunch." He said.

Styx scratched his chin in thought. "The daughter. I don't know maybe the sons!" Styx said less sure. "The sons are still single and work all day and then go to bar."

"The daughter? What makes you suggest her. It seems like the daughter has the most interesting life out of the Baron's family." Ethan said.

Styx Shrugged. "The father spends his days reading over stupid books, paying bills. The mother and her boys work at the family bakery business all day. The daughter works a few nights a week and nobody knows what the hell she does in the day time and between working hours." He said.

Ethan gave Styx and disappointed look. "Lord Baron spends his money on a paid companion to sit on his lap and feed him strawberries. Did you miss that bit of information?" He said.

Styx rolled his eyes. "What heathen Lord in this damn city doesn't have a whore on the side and a wife that knows all about it and Lady Baron knows about it She was even joking about it with the other wives in the area at the bakery. Lord Baron is your typical Land Lord. The daughter is the only damn mystery. I say we hunt up for the daughter and try and find out her secrets."

Ethan without a word got to his feet and he started walking off. Styx got to his feet and started following Ethan quietly eating peanuts along the way.