A Way In

The three figures walked up the ornate cobblestone pathway to the front of the estate, beautiful gardens surrounding them and dotting the perfectly manicured lawn that made up the front portion of the gated property. As they approached the marble steps leading up to the double doors of the structure, the leader of the three paused, looking back at the other two.

All three wore purple robes and hats or hoods, each bearing the emblem of the Kirin Tor on their chests. Each of them had spell components hanging from their belts and staves at their backs as any practicing magi of the Kirin Tor might. As she looked her companions over, Rosellina smiled and nodded, turning and walking up the steps and knocking on the door; they were as ready as they would ever be.

Only a moment went by before one of the double doors opened and a man with graying hair stuck his head out of the entrance. He looked the three over, his eyebrows rising as he spoke, "How may I assist the Kirin Tor?"

Rosellina offered him a charming smile, speaking for the group, "Good day sir. We've come to see the Lady Bernice Lightston in relation to urgent matters that require her attention."

The man, clearly a servant of the Lightston family, nodded and replied, "Yes of course. If you will wait a moment I will see if Lady Lightston is available for an audience."

With that he was gone back into the depths of the estate, the door closing gently in front of Rosellina. She looked back at her companions again, exchanging glances with the other undercover SI:7 operatives. They'd planned the ruse well in advance and now it was time to see if it would bear fruit. A moment later the door opened again, wider this time as the man gestured for the trio to enter, "Lady Lightston will see you at once. If you would be so kind as to follow me, esteemed Magi."

With that the three were inside the estate and quickly lead into a parlor off of the main hallway on the ground floor. They were ushered onto plush couches and a minute later a well-dressed noblewoman appeared, looking somewhat apprehensive as she entered the room. Rosellina studied her carefully, noting her somewhat darker complexion and the jet black hair on her head. Although she was not as dark as Rosellina herself and was quite a bit older, the two shared some similarities in appearance. Enough for the plan to continue as originally scheduled. Rosellina carefully stretched, her fingers looking as if she were simply flexing them but in reality giving a complex series of signals to her companions.

"To what do I owe the honor of a visit from the Kirin Tor?" Lady Lightston asked as she sat on a couch across from the three, taking care to adjust the many layers of skirts she wore so they lay just the way she wanted them.

Rosellina spoke, putting on an apologetic tone, "My Lady, my name is Rose and I'm an investigator of matters arcane amongst the Kirin Tor. Specifically my role is to investigate potential criminal activity in relation to the use of magic or magical artifacts. It pains me to have to pay you a visit without notice, but I bear urgent and dire news."

As expected, the complexion of the noblewoman across from Rosellina paled at the words, and she wrung her hands together, looking alarmed, "C-criminal activity? Magic? W-why, I've no idea what this is about!"

Rosellina held up a placating hand, offering the other woman a reassuring smile, "Lady Lightston, rest assured that the matter is not in relation to you or any of your staff, but rather is an unfortunate consequence of the location of your estate. You see, last evening we were able to apprehend a rogue mage who was using magic most foul. Unfortunately, the cur had fled to grounds adjacent to your estate. During his apprehension he unleashed a volatile spell that allowed a number of untamed elementals to appear and disperse into the area. We are here to ensure that they are properly contained and removed so as not to cause you or others any inconvenience."

Lady Lightston's eyes widened but she nodded, seeming to relax somewhat once she understood the nature of their visit. She cleared her throat, her voice still containing a trace of anxiety, "I s-see. So then how can House Lightston assist the Kirin Tor in this matter?"

Rosellina shook her head, "It is actually we who will assist you Lady Lightston. We wish to keep you and your staff from harm during our clean-up efforts. I have come to ask if you would consider taking a vacation to one of your summer homes for a few weeks so as not to put yourself at risk. While we appreciate your offer of assistance, obviously we would not want to place you in any danger."

"D-danger....er...yes, yes I see," the noblewoman said. "It has been several months since I've traveled. Perhaps a trip to the hot springs in Feralas is overdue. A-and you will take care of this potential menace while I'm gone?"

"Rest assured Lady Lightston; your property will be completely cleansed of any rogue elementals or magic that may cause you and your staff harm. We will see to the security of the area for the duration and your estate will be perfectly secure and safe," Rosellina replied.

The noblewoman nodded, rising from her couch and clapping her hands. A servant appeared at the doorway and she began to bark a stream of orders, "James! I'll be taking a trip at once. Please put together enough things for three weeks. Do be sure to include my travel clothing and see to it that we've booked passage on the next ship bound for Tanaris. The rest of the staff may have leave for the duration of my trip."

The servant nodded and hurried off as Rosellina stood and walked to where the noblewoman stood. She placed a hand on her arm, offering her another smile, "Thank you Lady Lightston. The assistance that you are rendering to the Kirin Tor will not be forgotten, and when you return everything will be orderly and to your liking."

The noblewoman offered Rosellina a smile of her own and then turned to go oversee her servants as they prepared. Her voice could be heard echoing through the estate as she hurried her staff along, her anxiety obvious in her tone of voice.

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Three hours later Rosellina waved as an expensive carriage began to move out of the entrance-way of the estate. As soon as the conveyance had taken Lady Lightston out of sight, she turned and nodded to the disguised SI:7 agents.

"Search the house. I know it's in here and we'll need it in order to proceed with the next steps."

The three entered the estate and split up, with Rosellina heading to the master suite and looking through the closets there. She went through Lady Lightston's clothing, looking over the various dresses and outfits and picking out a few that might fit her without too much effort or alteration. As she was wrapping up, one of the other operatives entered the room, a letter in hand.

"I've found it," he said, holding the letter out to Rosellina. She took it and read it over, nodding and smiling. It was an invitation to a ball that was to be held at the end of the week. A ball being thrown by none other than one Lord Zackery Falconoak. It was a way to get into his estate and begin her task of uncovering the source and destination of the weapons.

Rosellina smiled, nodding to the other operative, "It seems Lady Lightston will indeed be attending the ball. And once I'm inside, we will see what we can find. Good work. Let's secure the estate and get the next phase set up."

The other operative nodded and headed out, leaving Rosellina alone with the dresses she'd picked out. She'd be wearing one soon enough, playing the part of the charming Lady Lightston and finding a way to ferret out the secrets of traitors amongst the King's nobles. It was almost child's play.