Arya's eyes light up at Elaina's idea."A spa?"
The wealthier girls at the academy would sometimes arrange to go out to a spa together after special performance nights. Or rather, their parents would treat them to such occasions. Arya had never been invited along to those though, and had never thought to head to a spa by herself back when she was living at home and might have asked her father for the money.
"Oh yes, let's go! Do you know where one is? There must be one in the merchant's district, surely."
"Oh." Elaina says, taken aback when Arya agrees yet again. No one ever wanted to do what she wanted to do, let alone several times in a row. She chews her lower lip and casts her eyes around the room, as if searching for the punchline to some joke at her expense. "W-well okay then! I'm dirty and sore anyways and I got vampire minion blood on me. " She waits for the seamstress to return with Arya's clothing and asks if she knew where to find a 'lovely' spa.
"Well, you could go to Spa Daze here in Trade, or maybe Earth's Elements in Azure. I'd definitely avoid Wench's Welcome in Sails." She thinks for a moment, then her eyes light up. "Or Waves of Relaxation in Merchant! They're supposedly the best in the city."
Arya's eyes light up too, and she bounces on the balls of her feet. "I've got a bag of gold that says 'take me to Waves of Relaxation', what do you say Elaina?"
She smiles down at her new friend. She was enjoying this little outing a lot more than she had expected to, all thoughts of slipping away to find her more serious companions had completely vanished.
She gathers up her new outfit and pays the seamstress what she's owed.
"Thank you so much, perhaps we'll meet again, Elaina here has something of a passion for fancy dress."
"Come on!", Arya links arms with the bard and leads her out of the shop, then onto the streets heading back toward the Merchant's District.
It felt a bit surreal as Arya led Elaina back onto the street. Normally she had to drag people along with her when she didn't want to do something alone, which was fine overall since she liked taking charge, but it was nice not having to be the one making the decisions and herding people around for once. She was glad Arya had chosen "The best in the city". It sounded expensive, and Elaina was pretty sure she liked expensive things but had never had the coin for them. She placidly allows Arya to lead her to the spa, holding tightly to the woman's arm. Overall, her attempt to make friends was going well. She tries to make some conversation as they travel. "So, uh, how long have you lived in Siren's Bay?"
"Oh, a long time, nearly as long as I can remember actually."
Arya gazed out at the water as the ferry took the pair back across the bay to the Merchant's District.
"My earliest memory is of standing on the deck of a ship. The ship that brought my family and I here. Djehi, Ismar, and I were standing here, like you and I, with my mother and father watching as the ship came in to port."
A stern look crosses Arya's face. She seems to have more to say, but then the look fades and she is quiet for a moment.
"What about you, how long have you called Siten's Bay home?"
"I've been here for a few months. I came here from..." Elaina pauses, furrowing her brow in thought. "Somewhere else. It's a secret!" She still held tightly to Arya's arm. Even though they were in a bay, the idea of deep water and what it might hold scared her. "So your whole family is here? I bet that's nice. Do they know you're a professional adventurer now? A slayer of monsters!"
"Ahh, not my whole family, no. My, my mother died when my brother was born about a year after we got here. But the rest of the family are here still, at least they were last time I checked."
Arya looks out at the water and squeezes Elaina's arm.
"I, um, I sort of ran away from home. I haven't seen my family in three years."
Arya looks uncomfortable, but before too long the ferry arrives at the other side of the crossing and her mood picks up again as the pair approach the spa.
"Hmm." Elaina hums, unsure of how to react to the revelation of Arya's mothers' death. She supposed one was supposed to feel sad for the loss of a mother, but Elaina did not like her mother and she did not want to talk about mothers. She was going to comment that it seemed strange not to see your family when they live in the same city as you, but the mentioning of running away sends an excited shiver up her spine. She digs her fingers into Arya's arm and practically shouts "Me too! I ran away too! From the secret place I was before! And then again from my friend, Nkosama. He said I should stay with him till I was ready or something, but I have important things to do!"
Once they enter the spa, Elaina approaches the front desk. "Hello! We are renowned adventurers and we are here for your finest... whatever it is you do here." She had never been to a spa, but lots of women in poofy dresses seemed to like talking about them.
Mimi: Herrick shuffles his feet for a moment, looking anywhere but you, before muttering, "Well, bye." He shuffles away.
Arya/Elaina: Soft pipe music floats through the air as you enter Waves of Relaxation, and you're hit by a complex floral fragrance that speaks to decadence. The lady at the front desk is dressed in a simple gown that somehow makes you feel under-dressed and out of place. At Elaina's declaration, she raises an eyebrow and says, "I see. Do you have a reservation?" She looks at a book on the desk in front of her, the smirk on her face telling you in no uncertain terms that she knows you don't.
Arya immediately feels a wave of relaxation ease over her as she enters the spa. Normally a place as fancy as this would just remind her of her old life and set her on edge, but she had earned her place here tonight, and she was ready to enjoy it.
Of course the feeling of belonging only lasted a moment, as the pair approach the desk and meet the woman there she instantly feels like perhaps the spa in Sails would have been more suited to her.
Arya isn't ready to give up though, and she quickly thinks up a plan, her hand moving to the bag of the party's gold in her pack.
"Oh, our apologies. You see, we have just returned from an arduous task and had no time to make such an appointment in advance. Is there a fee for not making a booking? If you could find a place for us in here tonight we would be very grateful."
Arya/Elaina: The receptionist smiles suddenly. "Ah yes, I see your appointment right here, Miss...?" After Arya provides her name, the receptionist continues, "Miss Semkhehay and guest. I believe you are interested in the deluxe package. That will be fifteen gold each, plus," she coughs politely, "tip."
"Thanks for helping me bring the stuff home. Good night" Mimi replies.
After Herrick leaves, Mimi sighs and cleans up the after the dinner. Then she puts out the candles and goes to bed.
Elaina was going to spit something venomous at the receptionist for her rude behavior, but she bites her tongue as Arya's quick handling of the situation smooths things over. Instead she pulls repeatedly on Arya's sleeve with both hands, grinning and loudly whispering "Yeah, yeah! Deluxe sounds good!"
Arya grins back at Elaina, happy to have diffused the situation without too much trouble.
She reaches into the bag of coins and produces fifty gold pieces. Enough to cover both Elaina and herself and ensure the rest of the evening would pass smoothly.
"There you are Madam, I trust this will cover the costs. Where can we find this deluxe experience?"
Elaina bounces on the balls of her feet, tugging more on Arya's sleeve. She expected something pretty impressive for fifty gold.
Arya and Elaina are treated to a whirlwind of spa treatments that exceeds their expectations. When it's over, they leave feeling utterly refreshed and relaxed.
Elaina couldn't recall a time when she had felt as good as she did after the scrubs and massages and mineral baths at the spa, and she was elated that Arya had chosen to stay with her for it all. As they left the Waves, she leaned heavily on Arya, clinging tightly to the taller woman's arm. "I feel sooooo good! I think I'm going to sleep forever after sleeping on those rocks last night. What do you want to do now? We should go to an inn! And get a room with a huge feather bed and sleep forever. Then come back after forever and do it all again." She says sleepily, their vampire-slaying mission already slipping her mind.
Arya gazes down at Elaina as the pair of them leave the spa. She felt lighter than air, as if the bard were to let go of her she would float up into the sky.
"That was amazing! I feel so relaxed, I could sleep anywhere right now but that feather bed sounds devine!"
Arya looks up and down the street.
"If this is the fanciest spa in town, I'll bet we're not far from the fanciest inn."
Elaina tugs Arya along to different storefronts as they search for an acceptable inn. She hadn't been to such an upscale part of the city before and was curious about the higher-end shops. She stops in front of one display holding a silver "S" shaped scimitar with a black hilt and points at it. "I need that." Her tone implies that she is stating a fact everyone knew rather than asking for the sword. Moving on, she stops in front of a poofy black and yellow dress on display. After pondering the dress' colors for a moment, she announces "I think bumblebees should be considered mammals. They're covered in fur, it makes sense. Then people would be less nonchalant about killing them." Quickly moving on, the bard takes Arya to view and comment on other outfits, showing a particular affinity for ones that would show off ones legs as well as anything that simply looked expensive, even if she didn't know what the items were. Elaina rarely had anyone with which to share her many opinions and wanted to take advantage of Arya's attention.
Arya smiles as she is dragged along from one store front to the next, only half listening to what the bard was saying, still in a blissful daze from the spa treatment.
Eventually, despite her best efforts to stifle it, Arya let's out quite a loud yawn in the middle of one of Elaina's anecdotes and her cheeks flush with embarrassment.
"I'm so sorry! It is a very nice hat, I do think the green is really pretty. I'm just so tired and we need to get some proper rest if we're going to find Vanthus tomorrow."
Arya gently steers Elaina away from the last store on the street before it ends in a grand looking inn on the corner.
"Look, this one is perfect! Let's go inside and get a room!"
Elaina doesn't appreciate being interrupted, but Arya's yawn elicits a loud one of her own and she can't help but agree. After a long, slow stretch, she allows Arya to guide her to the inn. Her attention is immediately drawn to the huge stone fireplace at the center of the common room. A little squeak of excitement escapes her. "That's the biggest fireplace I've !"
Elaina approaches the clerk and slaps her hand down on the front desk in the manner she had seen people who knew what they wanted slap coins down at market, though she had no coins. "Good evening." She says to the clerk, another loud yawn blurring her vision. "I killed a vampire lord today and we would like your biggest, most comfiest, most floofiest bed. And a room!"
The clerk raises an eyebrow and smiles jovially. "A vampire-slayer, is it? Well then, you'll want the Sunrise Suite. 10 gold per night."
"That sounds perfect, we'll take it!" Arya exclaims, producing a stack of gold coins from the party's funds.
She grins back at the clerk, mirroring his jovial expression as best she can despite her encroaching drowsiness.
Elaina gasps softly. Eyes bright, she loudly whispers "That's a good idea! Vampires seeking revenge won't look for us in a place called Sunrise!"
After a deliciously sumptuous night of relaxation, Elaina and Arya awake refreshed and ready to find Vanthus. They meet back up with Mimi, Arenel, and Valghaz, to prepare.
To th'one what reads this. If ye have any honor or vengeance in yer soul, know that Vanthus must die. He dwells in the lap o'th'Lotus, below th'Taxidermist's Hall. Seek him there, but 'fore he dies he must ken it were Penkus what undid him and guides yer killing blow.
And if, by some cruel spite of fate, it be ye what read this, Vanthus, know with certainty I wait for ye beyond, where I intend t'rival the pit itself in yer torment!
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As you walk around the city, it's impossible not to hear the rumors going around that the harbormaster, old Keltar Islaran, was murdered last night! Details of the how the deed was done vary wildly - the only thing the rumor mill seems to agree on is that he was killed in his bed late last night and that the body was left in an especially gruesome state of evisceration.
Reading over the note again with a fresh mind, something in Penkus' letter triggers Arya's memory.
"He dwells in the lap o'th'Lotus...I wonder if that could be a reference to the Lotus Dragons. I've heard a few rumors about them. A new gang setting up in the Bay. Sounds like Penkus believes they lair beneath the Taxidermist's Hall."
Arya begins to ask around but turns up nothing more than the rumors she's already heard, and the latest gossip about the grizzly murder of the harbormaster.
Elaina returns to the others after her information gathering quest with tears in her eyes. "Someone told me they been kidnapping baby animals and making them fight! We have to help them!"
Arya gasps. "The animals we found on Lady Van Rebvorn's boat!" she exclaims.
"Vark must have been working for them too!"
After spending the night together with Elaina, Arya finds herself much more willing to buy into the bard's way of seeing the world.
"We have to stop them before any more animals get hurt!"
Mimi shows up looking rested, with her hair bunched back into two pony, well more like poodle, tails. She sets out along with the others to see what she might be able to find out about "lotus" or "lotus dragons" but the idea of approaching strange people and talking to them makes her fidget with anxiety, and soon she is reduced to sitting out of sight amid some barrels on a pier.
"We assume he's working for them, could he actually be running them?" Arenel asked as she crossed her arms. "After all it was Lady Van's boat that we found the animals on, maybe Vark felt he was owed it after their parent's death." Arenel said with a sigh.
"I do agree we need to shut them down." She nodded to them.
Elaina sobs into Arya's arms for a while over the fate of the poor animals. Eventually, sniffling and rubbing her eyes, she says "Also vampires ate the harbormaster. He was bad at his job anyways, so I don't think anyone cares."
"So." Elaina says to Arya, fists on her hips. "Where do all the criminals hang out in this city?" Arya seemed much like the rogues in stories Elaina had read. Rogues always knew where to find criminals, even the heroic ones.
"If we're looking for lawless folks, no better place to find them than down in Sails. But these big time criminals could be working out of anywhere and I'm not sure where exactly this Taxidermist's Hall is."
Arya reaches up and puts her hands on her head, thinking for a moment.
"If the Harbormaster was murdered, or eaten, last night, we have to assume it's connected to this gang. We should begin our investigation there and see if we can turn up something of use."
"Well let's go to his house or whatever and see what we can see." Instead of leading the way as she usually does, Elaina falls back to where Mimi's walking and takes her arm. "Where did you go last night? Did you get lost? Me and Arya got matching outfits! You could have got one, too, if you were with us. And gone to the spa and the inn, it had the biggest, comfiest bed I've ever seen!" She plucks at her skirt to indicate that she was wearing the new outfit.
"Um, are you wanting to break into his house?" Arenel asked as she crossed her arms. "Because that's likely what we'll have to do if we head to the Harbormaster's house."
"That's brilliant!" Elaina gasps. "I was thinkin' there would be a wake or somethin' since he's dead and we could look around, but breakin' in is such a better idea!"
"Well if I recall correctly, the harbormaster's family estate is located in the Azure district. We should head there now before the trail goes cold."
"Someone said the Taxidermist's Guildhall is in the Sunrise District. Sounds like a nice a place... A nice place for vampires to hide!"
"Well let's go to his house or whatever and see what we can see." Instead of leading the way as she usually does, Elaina falls back to where Mimi's walking and takes her arm. "Where did you go last night? Did you get lost? Me and Arya got matching outfits! You could have got one, too, if you were with us. And gone to the spa and the inn, it had the biggest, comfiest bed I've ever seen!" She plucks at her skirt to indicate that she was wearing the new outfit.
Mimi is downcast because of her failure to actually talk to anyone while out gathering information when she rejoins the others.
"I went to buy the things I needed for my alchemy lab, I like I told you before I left" she mumbles. "After that I took the stuff home and set it all up. That's all."
"Oh." Elaina says flatly, feeling a bit hurt that Mimi would rather shop alone than with her. "Well... well you missed out on some pretty fun stuff."
The Islaran estate is a large, U-shaped manor on the waterfront in Azure. As the group approaches, it quickly becomes apparent that the Azure Guard is out in force, as you count no less than ten guards at the gate to the estate. One of them steps forward at your approach. "Move along, citizens. The Islaran Estate is closed pending our investigation."
"We've been sent to assist in the investigation! We're specialists, due to the gruesome nature of the crime." Elaina says dismissively to the guard from under her huge, ridiculous hat.
Arenel raised an eyebrow and gave a small nod. Well she is good at telling tall tales. Might as well put that to use.
"Lass, ye made it." Valghaz smiled at Arenel as she walked up. [b]"Hope ye have nay been waiting long. I...ye look nice lass. I mean, ye outfit. It, it looks nice." He was suddenly acutely aware of how limited his wardrobe was. "Ahem. That is, good to see ye."
With that she leaned her elbow on the bar before them, resting her head upon her hand. "So, what is the drink of choice?"