The bite of the evening chill hit Flio the second he stepped off the paved main street of the central market district and turned into the narrow side streets. He pulled his dark cloak tighter around his shoulders, tugging the hood lower over his eyes until the brass clasp under his chin was completely hidden from view.
This was supposed to be a quick, solitary run. Slip out through the Valtrane estate's side gate, weave through the lower district's neutral passages, pay off his old contact at the information guild, and be back before the kitchen staff started prepping late dinner.
"You walk way too fast for someone trying not to be noticed," a dry, hushed voice called out from two paces behind him.
Flio stopped dead in his tracks, pinching the bridge of his nose beneath his hood as he let out a long, long-suffering exhale.
He turned slowly on his heel, glaring at the two figures standing in the shadow of a leaning brick storefront.
