In the smoky air of the narrow alley, Maldor's Quarters seemed like a sanctuary for the lost souls of Gaunan Prime. In its dimly lit confines, secrets were shared, deals were made, and lives were ended - all in whispers, cries, and the omnipresent sound of coin.
Yandrith slumped into a tattered stool, the remnants of his once-elegant attire hanging off of him like rags. A woman of no conceivable age and with eyes that held one too many memories slid beside him, her fingers tracing intricate patterns on the table's grimy surface.
"Curious company you keep, Yandrith," she murmured, her feigned nonchalance betraying the fear that coiled ever so tightly around her heart.
"You know the game we play, Ellestra. I can ill afford to be choosy." Yandrith replied, wiping a trickle of sweat from his brow. The alley filth had left an inexorable mark on the establishment and its patrons, himself included.
A silence hung in the air like a fog, broken only by the clanking of glasses and the hooded laughter of the watchful crowd.
"So then," Yandrith muttered, turning to Ellestra with a tired grin. "What news have you got for me this time?"