Nadia had been in bliss for the whole day, but her face fell as she stared at the small townhouse in Mid-Town.

Though she had never worked with jademechs and other jadetechs before, she knew how they worked on principle so finding the right gears and tubes where jade energy ran through was simple enough. It was amazing how, in just a day, Mandu was able to get her and a few of their guys into the Fortress as part of an official jadegeneer delegation. And for the first time in a long time, she was able to work closely with amazing technology without lack of resources preventing her.

The only thing was, she came to destroy, not build. There were twenty jademechs. One for each of the Family’s best men-at-arms. And she had to work everywhere so that no one would suspect her or connect her to the failures to the faulty jadegeneering that would happen when the time called for it. It was delicate work, making the maladjustments just right to make it perfect for inspection, but faulty when actually used. The exact science thrilled her.

But now, come night, what she had to do next made her shiver. It was a horrible way to end a perfect day, but…

Nadia sighed. It was necessary. They had no other way of stealing the key, short of killing the man in front of everyone. She grit her teeth and steeled herself forcing her leaden legs to walk up to the door and knock. The door opened and she blinked, surprised that a little kid opened the door.

“You’re late,” the boy said. “I have another job, you know, lady? Make sure you don’t mess up anything in there.”

Stunned, Nadia could only nod as the boy left her with the keys. She looked from the key in her hand to the house and gingerly stepped in. The townhouse was Spartan in its white and light wood interior, but spotless and neat. There was barely any furniture except for a simple kitchen with a single seat on the counter and a couch on the living room beside the window.

She closed the door behind her and called out. “Shadow?”

“Up here,” Shadow’s muffled voice came in. “I sent a message to the boy that you would be housekeeper for the night. He’s pretty miffed that he won’t get to live in such a fancy home. At least, fancy for his life.”

Nadia climbed up dreading each step. “I didn’t ask.”

“You looked like you were wondering.”

She stopped at the landing. “You saw?”

“You arrived a little earlier than I did. I just took a different entrance.”

Nadia sighed and continued her slow climb up. “You employ that kid to keep the house?”

“It’s a good job. And he doesn’t know his employer. Besides, I barely come here, so he can use it.”

Nadia’s brows creased. Why wouldn’t he live in this house? Why even keep it? A safehouse, perhaps? She shrugged. It was none of her business.

Reaching the top of the stairs, it had two doors on either side, but one had written on it Kar’s room. Which must be the kid’s name. She opened the door to her right to find that all the windows were darkened and lit by white jade lamps. There was a settee at the foot of the bed. The bed itself was large and thickly padded with a layer of blanket, comforter and duvet with four pillows. Off to the right was a door where Shadow leaned on the wall beside. This time, he was wearing the rich shirt-vest-coat combination of the rich of Calcedonia.

“Don’t be stiff. I’m not going to devour you.” he smirked. “You may be cute, but you’re not my type.”

Nadia scowled. “As if I’d let you do anything to me!”

“Any emotion is better than being stiff. Even anger.” He walked over to the settee and lounged on it. “Now, we can start.”

“I don’t even know how to start,” Nadia said through gritted teeth.

Shadow looked at her from head to toe and it was all she could do not to smack his head. She took a deep breath and waited for him to say or do something. But he just stared at her. She stared back, unmoving, unflinching.

Moments passed by and it felt like Nadia was running underwater, but she held firm and relaxed. It wouldn’t do to show him any sign of weakness. Moments passed, stretching further and further until she was ready to burst.

Roth nodded. “You look calm and reined in. Good. You will need that when you get into the den of wolves.” He stood and went into a corner putting down the bag slung on his shoulder. “Take a seat.”

Nadia stood still, a little bewildered. Was he just saying things to make her feel comfortable?

“Take a seat.” His tone brooked no argument. There was a tone of finality to it. An order.

Taking a deep breath, Nadia went to the settee and sat, wary as if Shadow would pounce on her. And she wouldn’t put it past a rogue to do something like that. She gripped the locking mechanism near her thigh ready to release and shoot her jaderound should the need arise.

Shadow nodded and squatted returning to his backpack searching and pulling out random objects from it. “Now, I want you to get my attention,” he said without looking at her. “But remember, you’re not an Outer Reaches whore who screams, ‘hey! Look at me!’ You’re a sophisticated courtesan.”

“You’re not even looking.”

“Everyone has a sense that can’t be explained. When they know, they just know.”

Nadia glared at him. First, he praised her, now he’s confusing her? The insufferable man! If they didn’t need him, she would leave and walk out of this farce!

“That’s not very seductive,” Shadow muttered connecting a gear to two pipes. “That’s more like you want to kill me. Actually try, please. Unless you want innocent blood on your hands.”

Nadia mentally shook herself and bit her lips. She was doing this to save people. If she screwed up, she could compromise the Red Band and the people they were trying to save. And for that, she had to get over her hatred of the charlatan. She took a deep breath and glared at him, clearing her throat.

“Right now, you’re more a dissatisfied teacher more than anything.”

She frowned at him as he continued to work on…whatever it was he was working on. She closed her eyes and looked at him and cleared her throat again.

“You need cough medicine?”

“You told me to get your attention!” The calm slipped and again anger ruled.

“Clearing your throat is never a subtle move. Try—ouch!” he shook his hand as something clicked. “Try again.”

What was he working on? It didn’t matter. Nadia sighed trying different ways to get his attention. Staring at him. Trying to look like a love sick puppy. All of them were met with one type of failure or snide remark from him about how it didn’t work.

Frustrated, she gave up on him and looked at what he was working on. It looked like a trap of some sort, but it…looked wrong. The poor machine. “What are you working on?”

“Something for one of my clients.”

“The two parts don’t seem to go well with each other. Can I see? It’s getting a little frustrating seeing you fumble about.”

Shadow laughed and let the thing fall apart. He looked at her grinning. “You almost got it. But you just had to say that you’re getting frustrated with what I’m doing. That derogation will not work well with a Ducass.”

Nadia blinked. She…actually did it? Her frustration was the key to actually getting it. The grin he had made him look less like a rogue and more like a normal human being. “Wait, I don’t get it.”

Shadow laughed even more. “You got it without getting it? You are a funny one, you know that?” He stood and faced her, hands in her pockets. “You usually get people’s attention by copying them. Liking what they like. Being interested in the same things they are. That establishes rapport with your target. Find something you can have something in common with, or just be curious about something that they like and you have them on the hook. The question then becomes, how do you reel them in?”

Nadia groaned. Rapport with people. Ugh! Humans are much more complicated than just liking what they like. Why couldn’t they be machines that followed logic?

She sighed and buckled herself through the rest of the lesson. After all, lives depended on her.