'What do you mean, "gone"?'
Jenn spun on her heel, the skirt of her silk dress flaring out with the sudden spin. She fixed her sea-green eyes on the woman before her, once again taking in the scruffy appearance of Siward's sister. As per usual, Ystcild was garbed in green and brown leather, heavily worn and bearing deep scores on the shoulder, forearm and gloves from the talons of her hawk. Her roughly cropped coppery hair was, as ever, a complete mess, sticking out from the sides of her head like wings which coupled with her naturally pointy features and that long thin nose to lend her a look more akin to her pet bird than any person should have a right to.
'Not there anymore,' Ystcild explained in Rohirric. 'That man in grey took her from the house a few nights back. I followed as far as I could, but had to wait when they hit open ground lest I be noticed. I have the trail, though, so I'll be following at a distance soon enough.'
Jenn narrowed her eyes thoughtfuly. It was obvious that the man had taken the girl to that secluded house as a means of protecting her. He must have thought the place safe. The only possible explanation for their sudden departure was him knowing that they were being watched, but how could he? Ystcild had many failings, true enough, but she was experienced and skilled enough to keep out of sight when stalking her prey. Could it be that this man was a match for her skills?
'I'll need funding,' the words cut into Jenn's train of thought, snapping her back to the present. 'I'm thinking this'll be a long hunt.'
'Of course,' Jenn replied, waving one hand toward the disguised trapdoor leading to the large basement. 'Take whatever you need.'
'There's something else.'
A rustling of paper from the womans direction caused Jenn to turn around once again, albeit more slowly this time. Ystcild moved closer, her long legs eating up the distance between the pair, a folded note in her hand. Jenn took the parchment, looking askance to her sister-in-law before opening it to read the contents.
'It's not the original,' Ystcild went on in a buisnesslike manner. 'Seemed to me it was better to leave that where it was: pinned to the door of the house. Didn't want to give it away if he came back looking. Copied it word for word, though.'
Jenn nodded, not bothering to reply as Ystcild was already walking away. A smile creased her lips as she read the words. It only grew more line by line until she was positively grinning by the end of the page. Oh, this was good, very good indeed. Her opponent was no novice to this game which would make things that bit more interesting. Unfortunately for him, he did not know who he was up against. This ruse of his might have worked on someone else, but Jenn had been playing these games for far too long to be taken in by it.
She folded the letter carefuly once more and drifted across the room to place it down on the table. It could be very useful to her if she could find the right hands for it to fall into. Time for some information gathering, then.
