Not yet, she sees a Familiar Face

As she crossed the street, Alice pushed past the multitude of prostitutes, displaying absolutely no interest interest in their garish makeup and outlandish attire. That is, until a mop of red hair comes into her view from the corner of her eye. Turning, she saw a familiar face from yesterday, and those startled green eyes indicated that she was also recognized in turn. Just like yesterday, she was clad in a modified dancer's garb, the transparent silks doing nothing to hide her rosy nipples and bouncy butt. It was the redhead that Kurtis had hired and fucked, though seeing her here just brought Alice more confusion. He had paid her quite the sum of money, more than she deserved probably, yet what was she still doing here? 100 Gold should've been enough for a fresh, if modest start in an more respectable profession. Had she squandered the sum already? Or were there other factors in play?

Before Alice could even open her mouth though, the redhead had grabbed her arm and was pulling her in, until the two of them were inches away from each other. Apparently, such a thing wasn't an uncommon occurrence, as hardly anyone bothered to even look, busy as they were with their own issues. Alice allowed for this to happen, even as her other hand clutched at the dagger in her belt. The redhead didn't seem dangerous, but appearances can be deceiving, as the princess herself is very well aware.

"Well, fancy seeing you here princess," the redhead whispered, quietly enough that only Alice could hear. The soft, sensual words simply caused the princess to grip her dagger tighter in annoyance. This damned whore was the only person who knew her true identity, but if word ever got out that the crown princess was hiring an assassin, then forget becoming queen, she probably wouldn't survive the night! "Did the general not satisfy you well enough?"

"Get your hands off of me," Alice scowled, pushing herself back and glaring daggers at the other girl. "I can assure you, whatever you thought happened definitely did not. Now, what do you want?"

"Now now, no need to be so hostile," the redhead said with a grin. "Let's introduce ourselves properly. Isn't that what you nobles do? A pleasure to make your acquaintance, your highness. The name's Rosa."

Flabbergasted by this turn of events, Alice could only shake her head and sigh in annoyance. "Crown princess Alice de Gardia. There, now we're acquainted, now tell me what you want from me!"

Laughing, Rosa beckoned for the princess to join her in the tavern, and Alice reluctantly followed. The inside was as chaotic as she imagined, and filled with sounds of chattering, glasses clinking, and the hurried footsteps of the waitresses as they ran about trying to fulfill orders. Alice could hardly hear herself think amidst all of this, but Rosa navigated the tables like a pro, weaving and sliding between tables with the grace of a feline. She got plenty of friendly attention too, as men pawed and groped at her the moment she got close, and she hardly dissuaded them, waving and giggling every time she felt a hand slap her butt.

Fortunately, with the redhead taking most of the attention, Alice got through relatively unmolested. Eventually, the two of them found a table in the back, far enough from the rest that they didn't need to shout to be heard. Two cups of stale ale were placed in front of them, which Alice had no intention of touching with a ten foot pole. Rosa had not such reservations, downing the drink in large gulps, even as some of it spilled down her chest.

"So, princess, lets get down to business," Rosa said, slamming her cup down. "Lets make a deal."

"...Excuse me?" Alice replied, questions marks appearing all around her head. "What would you have that could be of use to me?"

"C'mon, gimme a chance, will ya," Rosa said, gesturing for another cup of ale. "Besides, this is a cool story anyways."

"Fine, then be quick about it, I've got another appointment coming up," Alice replied, scanning the crowd, curious to see if this Crow was amongst the guests. Well, he was an assassin after all, so she doubted he'd be able to find him so easily.

"Okay, so you know the name Rayth the Rat?" Rosa asked, taking a sip of her second cup. Alice nodded. She did know that name, though not super well. Some sort of big name criminal who operates within the slums, but that's the extent of her knowledge. Smiling at Alice's understanding, Rosa plowed on. "Well, that bastard pissed off the wrong guy about a week ago and got himself shanked. Was found dead in a ditch yesterday."

"I'm failing to see how this concerns me," Alice replied, exasperated. These criminals gangs kill each in the slum all the time, why would one **** matter at all?

"You see, rumor has it, he left behind a priceless artifact," Rosa answered, the excitement in her eyes obvious. "Supposedly, it can manipulate the minds of other humans!"

"That's the most absurd thing I've ever heard," Alice snorts. What a waste of time. She can't believe had actually expected something of value to come from this girl's mouth. "If it's real, how the hell did anyone kill him? He'd be invincible, not to mention king, rather than a criminal in the slums."

"Well, here's the thing, I've got it right here," Rosa replies smugly, placing a small red orb on the table. It was dull and lifeless, about the size of an apple, and when Alice touched it, it was as cold as a winter's night. Far colder than it had any right to be. Her every instinct screamed at her to break contact, and she listened, rubbing her freezing palm as she looked at the orb in a new light. "It's got no power right now, and I've got no idea how to recharge the damn thing. Trust me, I've tried everything in the books."

"Okay, lets assume I believe you, what do you want from me?" Alice asked in return. "Are you trying to pawn it off to me? But why me?"

"Well, you're the only one who can afford it," Rosa said with a shrug. "You think anyone else in the slums can just have 1000 gold lying around?"

"Want to run that number by me again?" Alice replied incredulously. "I might've misheard you."

"One thousand. One-zero-zero-zero," Rosa repeated. "Final offer. No negotiations."