Pulling the rim of his hat low over his face to hide his visage, Orlaeth stepped briskly off the airship's gangway and onto the night-shrouded docks in Ta'Nalfein. Within moments he was flitting from shadow to shadow along storefronts and dockside taverns. Travelling between one tavern and a warehouse, he casually slipped into the gap between the buildings. Crossing back and forth through shadowed alleyways, dimly lit streets and closed marketplaces, Orlaeth wound his way through the city’s trade district to the lush residences of the well-to-do merchant families.
The Amavirrea Estate was built on a sizable grounds, a fitted stone road leading from the common thoroughfare under a long canopy of trees to the front courtyard of the estate's mansion. Fountains, gardens, topiary and a small pond covered the front's grounds of the estate to each side of the road, offering an obvious means of covert approach. Instead, Orlaeth strode rapidly but quietly up the center of the entrance road, relying on the late hour and overhead canopy of the trees to shelter him from view.
Just before he reached the edge of the brightly lit courtyard, he slipped into the shadows of the last tree in the row, his gaze falling upon one of the outlying structures beyond the main house's family wing. Arcane lights glimmered in the upper windows of the two story structure, bringing the ghost of a smile to Orlaeth's lips.
Waiting for a few moments, Orlaeth was pleased to see a pair of roving sentries come around the edge of the house, heading for the courtyard. Almost silently, a second pair of sentries arrived from the opposite direction, and the four converged in the well-lit courtyard's center. A flicker of shadows along the rooftop caught Orlaeth's eyes, as well as the faintest hint of movement from the arched entryway to the mansion. The four guards in the courtyard, upon meeting, swapped one partner each, wordlessly, and changed direction. One pair began to amble quietly along the entrance road, the other pair began a meandering route through the topiary on the other side of the trees.
Orlaeth exhaled silently as the first pair moved past, lowering his gaze to track their progress by watching their feet so as to not draw any attention to himself or give the slightest glint of a reflection for them to possibly notice. The sentries moved past at a methodical pace, each one performing a smooth, almost careless survey of their surroundings, neither in synch with the other. Orlaeth was impressed, knowing the seemingly casual observation to be anything but careless. By not directing their attention to any one spot, their peripheral vision would catch any motion far more easily in the darkness. By keeping their attention constantly moving, they were effectively covering a much larger area than watching any specific area closely.
Orlaeth tracked their progress until they were halfway down the entry road before he let his gaze slide back to the outlying house. Waiting for a moment to observe his route for any other sentries, he moved at a calm, stately pace several yards from the edges of the lit area surrounding the mansion. Slipping up to the front door, he carefully placed a hand on the circular engraved knocker, but rather than knocking, he slid it back and forth several times in a seemingly random pattern.
In response to his covert signal, the lights in the overhead window vanished suddenly leaving the front yard shrouded further in darkness. A moment after he silently lowered his hand from the metal ring, the door slipped open a handspan.
A delicate voice spoke softly to the darkness, "My guest is expected. Now continue your patrols, and make no note in your reports that any such guest arrived at all."
A trickle of sweat rolled down Orlaeth's spine as he felt, rather than heard, the faintest breeze move away behind him. He smiled into the darkened opening of the doorway as a heavy chain was withdrawn and the door opened just enough to admit him entrance.
He stepped inside, allowing the door to close behind him, before saying in a hushed voice, "I see Mother has made a point of hiring Ta’Nalfein’s best. I never even knew that last guard was there, Oraena."
A delighted tinkle of laughter followed his comment. The response was a breathy whisper, "Oh! How exciting! You did make it this far, and only missed the one! I've been watching since you made your way onto the grounds. If I hadn't put my lights out, I don't think they'd have had a reason to investigate. I think they're so used to seeing me work late that not seeing the lights was cause for worry."
Orlaeth enveloped the slender young woman in a heartfelt hug, kissing her on the forehead. Squeezing him back tightly, the girl suddenly giggled, and asked breathlessly, "What have you brought for me? Something new, I hope?"
Orlaeth chuckled, then nodded. He spoke with the rich, husky tone to his voice, "I know I've been a bit overdue in sending you your requests, so I've brought you something to help. Someone -new- to write to who is very curious about what schemes you're concocting in my absence. Would you like to write her a letter?"
The young woman nodded eagerly, her eyes twinkling with enthusiasm. Orlaeth took her by the arm as they walked to the sitting room, his voice a husky drawl in the comfortable shadows, "I'll tell you all the details, but I need you to do something for me in exchange. I've got some very important work that I need to do, and I need your help to get it done properly. If anyone should ask my whereabouts, I've been here with you, while trying to avoid Father's wrath."
The young woman tilted her head to one side, then asked curiously, "Whyever would Father be mad at you? Shall I have a word with him about it?"
Orlaeth smiled, shaking his head, "No, no, he musn't even know I'm here, and neither must Mother, though I suspect she'll get wind of -someone- paying you a late night call. If she does question you, only then must you tell her what I've asked of you, but nothing more, including where I have gone. It's very important. She'll know what to do."
His sister considered for a long moment, then nodded with a slight frown. She hugged Orlaeth tightly once more, whispering, "You know I'd do anything you asked." There was a brief silence before she looked up and asked with a teasing smile, "Why do you smell of lilacs?"