The upper floors are quieter, the air heavier with incense and the faintest trace of old, expensive tobacco. The guards lead us down a wide corridor, polished boards underfoot, blue glass lamps on every wall. Every door we pass is shut tight, the only sound the muted hush of important voices and the soft brush of cloak and mail. The meeting room is at the end, a set of double doors, already open, guarded by another pair of Sapphire men, both with the guild’s crest stamped on steel badges.

Inside, the lighting is low and deliberate, casting sharp edged shadows across a long table of dark wood. The only windows are high and narrow, letting in a strip of moonlight. Three chairs face us from the far side, but only one is occupied, the recruiter from the inn, the one who smiled at the chaos and saw an opportunity instead of a problem.

He stands as we enter, spreading his arms wide, the sleeves of his expensive blue jacket catching the light. “There they are the Master and his infamous kitten, just as I promised the council.” His voice rings clear, carrying both welcome and command, all business beneath the easy grin. “I knew you’d come. Word gets around fast when the Iron Guard gets humiliated by outsiders, and the Sapphire Guild never misses a good story.”

He gestures for us to sit. I move first, fast and twitchy from the tea, eyes scanning the room, half expecting a double cross, half daring them to try. Master sits with that cold, unhurried grace that makes everyone else seem anxious, his badge clipped, his stare level and unimpressed.

The recruiter settles into his chair, steepling his fingers. “Let’s get to it. You’re outsiders here, which means you’re not part of anyone’s web not yet. That’s exactly what I want.” He slides two small metal badges across the table guest guild badges, the kind only handed to those who’ve earned trust but haven’t sold their souls. The design isn’t so different from the Oakwood Vanguard’s clear, functional, the mark of someone with permission to move freely, but not the right to vote.

He leans forward, his smile gone serious. “You’ll have free quarters in the guildhall, clean, private, food on the house. Access to the guild market. Work if you want it. No strings… as long as you play by the basic rules.” He lowers his voice, something hard behind the words. “That means if you spill blood in the hall, it’s on you. If you pick a side, you see it through.”

He glances at Master, then at me, taking in every twitch, every tremor. “Now, here’s where it gets interesting. The Iron Pact, our favourite rivals, have been sniffing around Merchant Cross all week. They want to push us out of the trade routes, squeeze our allies, force us to take bad deals. Typical Pact work. Subtle as a hammer but just as dangerous when they want to be. We’ve held them off so far, but they’re getting bolder.”

He leans back, voice dropping lower, all sharp edges now. “There’s a meet happening at a warehouse tomorrow night. Iron Pact, a couple of unaffiliated fixers, and a city scribe or two probably dirty, probably looking to shift alliances. They think we don’t know. I want you” he looks right at Master, then at me “to go as our eyes. Listen. Watch. If you see a chance to break the deal do it. Quietly. No brawls, no bodies unless there’s no other way. Make sure they know the Sapphire Guild sees everything, even what they try to hide in the dark.”

He passes a folded slip of paper across the table, details, a sketch map, a coded name to drop at the door. “You’re outsiders. You can get close without raising flags. They’ll underestimate you. Let them.”

I stare at him, the world spinning a little, caffeine and adrenaline making the room too bright, the words too sharp. My tail lashes once, twice, but I manage to keep my mouth shut, letting Master take the measure of the offer. There’s no threat here, not directly. But the rules are set: we’re here to be used, to play one power against another, to survive and profit by being the sharpest shadows in the city.

The recruiter cracks a half-smile, all charm again, but there’s something cold beneath it. “If you do well, you’ll have a permanent place with us. Maybe even a contract. If not, well” he shrugs, eyes glinting, “I’m sure you’ll find other friends. But I like winners, and I don’t have time for anyone who can’t keep up.”

Master’s thoughts move fast, cold, methodical, already thinking three moves ahead. I can feel him weighing everything: the risks, the rewards, the chance to get inside the city’s real power. I twitch, hungry for a fight, desperate to prove we’re more than just outsiders. I want them to see what happens when they let the wrong shadows in the room.

The recruiter pushes the badges closer, his voice final. “So. Quarters are yours upstairs. Eat, rest, get your bearings. You’re with us for now. Show me you’re worth the trouble.”

He stands, signalling the end of the meeting. Two guards reappear at the door, ready to escort us to the private quarters above. The recruiter gives Master a nod of respect, and gives me a look that’s equal parts caution and amusement.

His words land soft, no judgement, no anger, just that cool, unbothered neutrality he wields. “Have you forgotten that we’ve got to do this quietly, you know, I love the way we came here for a break but then how can I be surprised that this happened when my wife is a half feral.” He speaks the word ‘wife’ like it’s just another fact in a ledger, something true and eternal and utterly without drama, and I want to shriek with joy and snap at his throat in the same broken breath.

I bristle, tail whipping, fur ruffled with a flare of violent pride, half feral? He says it as if it’s a mild inconvenience, as if he didn’t pick me, claim me, bind me to him with blood and madness. I cling tighter, pressing every line of my body against his, claws biting through fabric into skin, daring the world to pry me off. My ears flatten with wild amusement and vicious love. My purr becomes a growl, low and feral, half threat, half desperate craving to be acknowledged.

He sets me down with a practised carelessness that only makes the humiliation sharper. I glare up at him, eyes wide, pupils blown out, lips curled in a grin too sharp to be safe. “Quietly?” I echo, laughter all teeth and claws, voice trembling with the need to both obey and disobey. “You married half feral on purpose, don’t pretend you don’t love it. No one breaks things better than I do, and you like seeing them scramble, don’t you? You love knowing the only thing between this city and chaos is me wrapped around you like a noose.” My tail flicks, ears twitch, staking my territory with manic glee.

He moves to the bed, casual, composed, as if inviting me to simply sit is the most natural thing in the world. The bed is small, too small for comfort, just big enough for two bodies pressed so close there’s nowhere to run. He sprawls on his side. I prowl over, never breaking eye contact, shedding the last coils of adrenaline as I crawl up onto the bed, tail curling in lazy arcs.

The room falls away, leaving only the heat of his body, the rhythm of his breathing, the pulse of his heart beneath my ear. I press close, inhaling his scent, letting the world narrow to the small space between us. My purr is a rumble. “If I’m going to crawl around in your head, you should’ve made your thoughts easier to read. You can lock the doors all you like, I’ll still pick every one clean.” I bite at his jaw, just enough to leave a mark, my tail curling tighter around his thigh. “Let them all try to guess who owns who. I’ll always make it obvious. I want the world to choke on the truth of it.”