His paws thudded against the brick as he sprinted along the roof. His breath caught in his chest as he glimpsed the pursuers trailing him. I can't shake these guys!

True, the blue dragonet was fast, but his wings hadn't been earned yet. The dragons behind him had no trouble using theirs to gain on him.

He leapt over a short gap where an alleyway ran under him and continued on his way, not holding back his grin when he heard a dragon stumble behind him while making the leap. They must have been out of practice.

He sped faster, trying to remember the landmarks he was looking for. It couldn't have been far, but he didn't have the opportunity to slow down and look. He could almost feel the swipes of claws behind his heels.

Paurus wasn't the kind to enjoy face to face physical encounters with gangs, but he didn't particularly revel in being chased by them either. At least when he wasn't winning.

He swerved around a pole and slammed into another dragon, falling backwards as claws gripped him from behind. The dragon in front of him spun around, glaring. But not at him.

"Don't you have anyone better to chase?" He rasped out, pointing an accusing claw at the pursuers.

The one with his claws digging into the dragonet's tail hissed up at him. "He stole-"

"He's just a kid. Now scram, before I feel less generous." The dragon snarled as he stepped forwards, guarding the panting escapee with his leg.

It only took a few moments of glances for the dragons to leave, some even looking nervous. The dragon was menacing, his shoulders were broad, and the fearsome scar on his face must have been particularly unnerving as his orange eyes blazed into them.

The older dragon sighed and extended his paw to pull the dragonet up. "Ya know kid, someday they're gonna catch on. This isn't the first time I've had to bail you out of these stunts."

He shrugged. "Yeah, but until then, they gotta learn how to catch up-"

"They did." He sighed, rubbing his claws into his temples. "Tell me you at least got the dagger."

He pulled out a shiny blade and handed it to the larger dragon. "Piece of crafa, Shiel. Like I said."

The orange dragon inspected the weapon, then slid it in his cloak carefully. "Alright, we'll work on your definition of 'stealth mission' later, Paurus. Let's not keep 'em waiting, huh?"

...

The hooded dragon turned the metal dagger over in their talons. With a small sideways nod, an albino dragoness stepped forward and handed Shiel a satchel that jingled with the sound of treasure. "22 silver, as promised." She hissed, her eyes darting around quickly.

Shiel snatched the bag and grinned. "Pleasure, Etoile, Krait, as always." Without waiting for a reply, he turned and padded out of the husk-of-a-building. This side of the city had been hit hard, harder than most. But at least this district was still standing...mostly.

Paurus looked up at Shiel from his post outside. "That was fast."

The older dragon shrugged. "These ones are simple to work with. No changing terms, no bloodshed." He grinned and gripped the dragonet's shoulder playfully before striding down the crooked street.

The dragonet bounded behind him, sharing his confidence. "Where to?" He chirped, even though he already knew the answer.

"Any old watering hole. Maybe pick up another job. Or a girl..."

"You always say that, Shiel! But they don't seem to be interested in your drunk face." Paurus laughed. "I think you get too wasted."

Shiel shoved him away with his tail, grinning. "Nah, they just don't know a steal when they see one. Imma whole package, you know. Let's head to district five, I think they got the bar there up and running after last week's attack."

"The one you're banned from?"

"No, it's under new management now. Besides, how could they turn down my charm?"

"Yeah, yeah. Irresistible. Think they'll let me in at least?"

"Paurus, I'm gettin' in. I know a guy working the back door." The fire dragon winked, then turned down an alley, heading south west. Paurus couldn't have been happier to follow.

...

"Thanks Brutus! Love ya, I owe ya." Shiel grinned at the doubtful looking guard as he and Paurus stepped inside the bar. The attack hadn't touched the parlor hardly at all, but cracks in the outer wall were still visible if you looked close enough.

The space was dimly lit and crowded with dragons of varying elements. Many of them wore miner uniforms or gang insignias, but they weren't a problem if you didn't mess with them. Paurus trailed behind Shiel as he cut a path to the bar, hopping up on a stool casually.

"Shiel, is that you?" The bartender asked, bordering on a sweet tone. She leaned towards him playfully, flicking her tail

"Edana, my darling, good to see you. Looking awfully sober tonight." He raised an eyebrow, playing her game.

"You know, not everyone can shirk their responsibilities. Maybe we'll play shot roulette later; give you a chance at redemption."

Shiel flicked his ears forwards. "Hey, not fair. You cheated last time, that whiskey was way higher proof than normal and you know it."

She rolled her eyes and fixed his drink, knowing his favorite mixture by heart at this point. "Whatever you say, love."

Paurus leaned against the counter, letting his eyes wander the parlor as the two adults continued their usual banter. It really was busier tonight. And he couldn't shake the feeling a pair of eyes were on him as he shifted closer to Shiel.

"How's Dror? Still, uh... upset about-"

Edana cut Shiel off with a wave. "Taken out. Last week was intense with the fighting, but we've managed without him."

Shiel's face waivered slightly. "Oh... condolences."

Edana chuckled. "For what? With him gone, it's my parlor. My rules. Without him, I'm free." She leaned closer. "You know what else is free, baby?"

He grinned and downed his drink, winking at her. "Whatever you say. I'm sure another guy'll come around for you soon."

Edana shrugged as she walked away to attend to another customer. If she was disappointed, she never let on.

...

"You here to buy me another drink? If not, leave me alone." Shiel aimed a talon vaguely in the water dragon's direction. He had been watching the fire dragon down shots at the bar for a while now, and Shiel was too far gone to care about making a scene.

He held up a paw. "No, I have a job offer for a dragon of your talents." He gestured with his raised paw to an empty table in the corner.

Shiel looked him up and down, then shrugged and motioned for Paurus to follow. He sat himself at the table, letting his claws rest on the edge. "Alright, let's hear this." He spoke, somewhere between a slur and a sigh.

The water dragon in front of him reached into his pack and withdrew a scroll, laying it out before the fire dragon wordlessly.

He may have been drunk, but he still recognized a bad idea when he saw it. "Woah, woah, woah, woah buddy... that's a guard compound. Heavily fortified."

"Why would you even want to break in there?" Paurus flicked his ears forwards curiously.

Before the water dragon could answer, Shiel shook his head. "No... not doing it." He looked sideways down at Paurus and flicked his tail.

"Not even for three hundred silver?"

Shiel blinked at the dragon, taking a moment to comprehend the scale of the number and register the serious look on his face. "Ibbick... that's a lotta silver. What... do you want?" He leaned forwards, expression bordering on curiosity.

"Information."

"That's too vague. What exactly."

"The guards are planning something. File AA031. We- I need to know what their game is. I can't say anymore than that." He grimaced, looking around subtly.

Shiel, missing the queue, barked a laugh. "We all wish we could understand what they're up to. What's important is that you're willing to pay for it. Tell us what to find."

"Woah, you're suddenly on board with this now?" Paurus interrupted, splaying his claws on the table as he tilted his head up at the fire dragon. Sure, that was a lot of silver, but he had just declared it too dangerous. And Shiel rarely ever declared anything too dangerous. "Isn't the guard just another gang?"

The water dragon shook his head. "It started as a local militia. A corrupt one at that."

"Aren't they all?" Shiel slurred amusedly, tapping his claws. "I'm no friend of the guard, but I ain't aboutta stick my neck out too far. We'll find your plans, but I'm not getting drawn into some... suicide mission." He almost looked like he wanted to say more, but then he stood and waved for another drink from the bar.

Paurus studied the water dragon. The pair had done a lot of odd jobs for random scumbags. But this dragon didn't look like a thug or gang member. He reminded the dragonet of a broken hero. Weary, and tired, but determined. He had never seen anything like it.

Shiel slid back into the seat, already halfway through his drink. "Sorry, where were we..?"

"I need you to retrieve a communications folder. My intel says that the officers have been corresponding regularly for this attack." His claws motioned on the map where the folder was located. "You find that, you get your money. No further contact from me, no questions asked from you. Deal?"

Shiel reached for his paw, then hesitated. Paurus could almost see a thought flickering through his eyes, but he clasped his claws with the water dragons.

"Deal."