"The good doctor was right…Manners aren't your strong suit!"

"Desil!" Elend only called his name but the man with the belly nodded and clapped his hands. Multiple barmaids swung to action, cleaning up the mess while the guards opened the large door for Elend who gingerly made his way inside.

"Business first I suppose…follow me." He gestured for Asher who got up from the food with a bit of reluctance.

The room was quite lard. To call this place an office was an exaggeration. Red carpets, extravagant paintings, gold enlaced furniture, and most striking of all was the skeleton of a Grimhawk hanging from the ceiling in all its majesty.

Wards and wires kept the assembled the bones afloat. The creature was a mixture of a raven and a griffin with four pairs of wings.

"Is that a....?" Before Asher could mouth his question, Elend puffed smoke from a cigar he'd lit with a swift familiarity and answered.

"Yes...yes soak it in...the very hawk Lethica rode in the schism. We found the beauty in a mining operation down west and now its here in the flesh...well bone." Elend embellished the truth a bit but that didn't stop Asher from finding the creature fascinating.

"If the gold bloods ever find out about this...let's just say I'd prefer what you did to Boryx." Elend didn't exaggerate this time. The creature was on the Mercian flag...the mark of the royal family. 

'The historical significance...the truth of the schism...if only I could...'

'Focus!' Asher snapped at himself for dallying. He focused on Elend who rolled his eyes.

"Ahhh back to business…well blights…why the hell not." Elend took another puff before sighing. He wore a disgusted look as he got out of the blood soaked top and lazily stumbled back into the chair.

Whatever edge or sharpness he wore devolved into a tired gaze.

"Listen kid...you're going to be staying here for a while yada yada yad...Learn from this experience...yada yada yada...do fuck all honestly...I took you on as a favor." Elend spun his chair to face away from Asher who was obviously surprised.

Asher approached the table and spoke loudly

"You seem to have skipped a lot there." Asher jibed with a vexed tone causing Elend to turn around.

"Thought you were a smart little puppy...I got nothing for you...go bother Desil, he'll find a use for you. Oh don't look at me like that...all smug...I'm as lost as you...who knows what Stephan is thinking."

 "How about you start by answering some questions."

"Ohh right you asked me why I shot that prick...well simple really…because I smiting could." He laughed at Asher who stared at the man dubiously.

"Ahhh but the real important part is what that makes me?" Elend seemed agitated suddenly...smoke coalscing around him.

"A fucking tyrant...and do you know what happened to the last guy who were a mask in these parts..." Before he finished the smoke lashed out, grabbing Asher by the foot and raising him into the air.

"He ended up dead..." He got up from his seat and walked towards Asher who struggled vainly as more tendrils of smoke wrapped around him.

"Manners people...all I ask for is fucking manners...you should take off the mask." Elend stood infront of Asher who hung upside down infront of him. He raised his hand to remove the mask and...

"Ouch you mongrel..." Asher bit the sylph's hand.

"You done?" The boy asked unimpressed by the whole ordeal.

"What gave me away...was this too stephany...I thought I nailed the craziness." Elend snapped his finger with a wry smile as he went back to his chair.

"Listen kid...I honestly don't know why you're here or where Stephan is...only thing he told me that..." He grabbed a pair of round glasses and wore them before tightening his voice, giving the best Stephan impression he could.

"Show the puppy the real bottom side...maybe teach a trick or too...I'll be back in a month or two." Elend coughed and waved the smoke away. Asher on the other hand froze.

'Did he leave me...is this a test...what do I do now...should I find my way back...what if I shouldn't go back...no...maybe...no.' The boy's thoughts were in disarray. A sudden blue crystal lit up on the desk.

"What you should do now is stand behind me and give me your best intimidating look." Elend choed the boy to where he was supposed to stand. He then wore the blood covered white jacket again with a look of disgust.

He ran to the window and faced away from the door. He then tidied his hair and took a deep breath followed by the old sharp gaze he wore when Asher first met the sylph.

The large door opened and Desil entered followed by three men shackled in chains and a plethora of grunts playing at being proper guards. When they reached Elend's desk, they kneed the chained people to the ground and lined up to the side.

"Here's the traitors boss!" Desil said as Elend slowly turned around. He walked forward his steps producing a loud echo in the room as smoke slowly rose around them. Elend grabbed a pistol elegantly off the table and leaned close to the three men. One was a sylph and the other two human.

"Now gentlemen I trust we all know why we are gathered here today." Elend spoke evenly but when none replied he motioned to Desil who kicked one of them.

"One-one of us stole…He stole from the Fang." The sylph whimpered as he spoke but Elend was indifferent. He leaned toward the sylph and grabbed his hair. He raised his head up and shoved the pistol down his mouth before firing.

"Two-TWO of you stole!" He declared loudly as more blood colored the white suit. Some of the guards shivered visibly while one of the prisoners pissed himself and the other began to cry.

"Now I killed two people today and I don't think my fabric can soak any more of your blood…so one of you has to prove his innocence…Which one though?" Elend slowly got up and dragged the blood-covered pistol across the two prisoner's faces.

"I didn't do it…it wasn't me! I wouldn't dare…I have a family!" One shouted as he pleaded but Elend only stared at him with disgust.

"It wasn't me…it wasn't me…it wasn't me." The human repeated as he shivered in place.

"Well this is getting nowhere…should I kill you both…orrr?" He spun the pistol around his finger until it pointed towards the man who'd cried. Elend opened his hand and offered the pistol to him.

The human eyed the pistol and quickly got up and grabbed it pointing it towards Elend. Elend laughed as he eyed the man coldly…the man wavered and lowered the gun, but Elend grabbed it and then spun the man around.

"Prove it…prove you didn't do it." He whispered to the man as he raised his hands and helped him point the gun toward the other prisoner's face.

"Prove it and you're free…prove it and things can back to how they used to be." He whispered again and the man didn't hesitate anymore. He fired the gun, and the other prisoner was dead.

"Good…good case closed…well done!" He declared loudly as the tension slowly disappeared.

"Clean it up boys…I have guests to tend to." He slowly spun around but not before the prisoner who was left standing spun around bowing as he offered the gun to Elend who smiled.

"Keep it… it's yours now…so you'll always remember how you cleared your name." The man lowered his hand and stared at the gun for a long time before Desil dragged him out.

"Oh...and Desil...reward the man for a job well done."

"Ay boss." He nodded before he left the room. The bodies were soon dragged outside and the blood was swept away leaving barely any trace. If not for the blood drenching Elend this wouldn't have been a crime scene.

Once everybody was out again, Asher returned to his chair while Elend removed the jacket with a bit of disgust.

"So my lovely pupil…did you enjoy the show...bet you don't know who really did it." He faced Asher who stared at the blood for a long moment before staring back at the mad man.

"None of them." He sighed at Elend who frowned when he heard the answer.

"Now how'd you figure that out?" Elend asked pointing the cigar which he'd swiftly lit almost as a habit.

"Simple really...I didn't...Always assume the worse when dealing with your sort."

"Handsome...smart...oh oh...talented sort..."

"The crazy sort." The boy brought a chair, feeling a headache bubbling.

'Another mad man.' Asher shook his head as Elend grabbed another cigar.

"Well consider me offended...and you only got it half...well yes mostly right...boho luck." Elend spun more in his chair the more he spoke.

"Greg...the sylph was skimming money off the top so he needed to go...plus the boys think I'm soft on my own elk so he was a good example." Elend described the killing of another sylph as if it was a logical decision.

"Oliver on the other hand...oh the guy who pissed himself...he was treating the lasses down low in a not so savory manor..." He tried to sugarcoat his words a bit realizing he was talking to a kid.

"What?...Rape...abuse...just continue." Asher looked him dead in the eyes.

"Sheesh...we need to work on your etiquette."

"Lastly sweet old Seb...was too sweet...he was growing complacent...showing a wee bit too much kindness to the merchandise..."

"Just because of that...you made him kill another man...just because of that." Asher raised an eyebrow at the sylph's logic."

"Just because of that...Well, that and I really didn't want to shoot another person...sue me."

"You're no fun...we need to work on that...and on your manners...and let's do something about those clothes...no pupil of mine should wear these old rags"

"Pupil? Thought you didn't want anything to do with me..." He eyed Elend who sheepishly swung in his chair.

"That was the Stephan in me talking...I have so much to teach you" Elend smiled raising his hand to shake Asher's

"I'm good...one psychotic stereotype is enough for me..." Asher stood up and turned to leave.

"Face it pups...you're going to be here a for a long while plus it's not like you got anything better to do..." Asher kept walking, ignoring Elend.

"I'll have you know I've got so much to tell you about the good doctor...in fact I taught the 'psycho' most...nay all that he knows." Elend rambled more in a panic as Asher seemed unfazed.

"I-I can teach you how to impress any lass...how to lie like your life depended on it...I'll teach you to become another person with a finger snap." Asher stopped and turned at the sylph who had a relieved look on his face.

'Thunders...what's the alternative.' He thought. Stephan left him here for a reason, might as well stay and see what he could learn.

"This better be worth it." Asher said grudgingly, the headache he felt earlier drumming up.