A crack resounded around the crowded room as the auctioneer's gavel came down upon its pedestal, signalling the end of a bidding war. Without a moment's rest from his fast-paced tirade as two patons of the establishment had concluded their business, one conceeding victory to the other, he let out a cry of<strong>"Sold! To the man in the back. Now on to lot K223, reposessed from..."</strong><br/><br/><em>"Ah, finally,"</em>Cerise thought to herself as the announcer called out various details about the current prize up for grabs, one in particular she had been waiting for. Standing at the side of the room, flanked on either side by her pair of exquisitely armored guards who were admittedly more for show than anything else, the woman waited for the opening bids to judge the movement of the crowd. She'd had history with this piece, it had been part of her childhood and she was reluctant to see it in the hands of another. After a time, the bids had stopped. 80 gold, well within her budget. She may as well attempt to try and outbid at this point, after all it was going once...<br/><strong>"One hundred and fifty,"</strong>the divinely dressed woman called out, repeated by the auctioneer to a murmer in the crowd. Of course, this was met by some resistance from the prior bidder, who upped the ante to a sizable 200, then 300, 350...<br/><strong>"Five hundred,"</strong>Cerise said flatly. The last of what she'd set aside for this endeavour. Her guard seemed to look at each other uneasily, as her opponent conceded. The gavel once again cracked, just as the door to the auction house opened, a runner Cerise recognised from Bakkheia slipping in and coming up to her and the warrior to her left turning to face him. She knew it would be a message to attend a meeting with Daemus, of course, and so she simply slipped a gold coin to the boy and placed a hefty sack and a stamp with her seal on it in the hands of her right guard as her prize was ushered off the stage and sent to a collection area in the back.<br/><strong>"Please make sure that my property is secured and brought back home safely,"</strong>she said to him past the finely detailed helmet that covered most of his face,<strong>"She was my friend while growing up so her safety is paramount, though I know you two will ensure her safe passage. Please excuse me for now, however, I have other business to attend."</strong><br/>He nods and taps his colleague on the shoulder, motioning to the pretty but scared woman being taken from the stage, quickly being replaced by a strong gentleman in chains introduced as lot K224, apparantly a convicted murderer currently restrained by a mark of justice. Strong enough to fetch a good price, but dangerous enough to keep it low by d'Lahn's estimates, but how much of the history was true and how much existed to alter the price was a mystery. Not that it mattered of course, she'd gotten her old friend to safety, and that was enough for now. First the twin brothers who acted the part of her protectors and now their sister, Cerise's dear friend. Truely she owed Daemus and his informants much for their aid in securing them.<br/><br/>A quick jaunt later, and Cerise's heels clicked in quick succession through the marbled halls of Bakkheia, escourted to the secret room in the back by one of the club's members of staff. By the sound of it, her colleagues were already present and arguing already, something typical for the polar opposites that were Cecilia and Misha.<br/><strong>"Good afternoon sir Daemus, ladies,"</strong>she said as she entered the room, saluting her superior officer before delicately placing herself in a velvet-lined seat near his desk,<strong> "please pardon my tardiness if any, a personal matter came to my attention that simply had to be attended,  a once in a lifetime opportunity that had to be siezed, or be lost e'er more. I trust I haven't missed much, if any, information on our next assignment, sir?"</strong>