Barely keeping the smile from her face; Laura breathes softly. "Americans..."
Morien grimaces at Sal. "Doesn't solve the problem. It's like you've killed one ant," she mimes squashing a bug with her thumb, "when you really need to get the queen and the eggs."
Kenneth nods, "I'm thinking that we're best to be on the same boat -- maybe take it over and do the meet ourselves."
Not noticing, or more likely pointedly ignoring Laura's comment, Danny nods at Ken.
"Sure. Long as we get him to do the driving. I'm not exactly a master navigator." He adds wryly.
To Laura says,
"You should see us on a GOOD day. Why there's never any talk of magically maiming anyone over dinner, and we almost never have to threaten most-likely innocent people to in order to get a wine menu." He says with wide-eyed innocence. The wink that follows is most likely involuntary. A force of habit.
"So the plan is we stow-away on the vessel and then we see who they meet with. After that we arrest as needed?" Laura confirms the plan as she moves the group into the pub, but out of direct sight of Molly. "We don't need to confiscate another vessel?" she adds with a hint of regret, enjoying her authority.
Whilst the rough sailor with whom Molly is conversing, gets out his mobile phone and starts talking in a thick accent.
Kenneth chuckles at Danny's comments, and then nods soberly, "Aye, 'tis true. Most ay the time, and tae most people, we're no more scary or untoward than a group ay punters in a pub... and I dinnae include football fans in that. And unlike those hoodlums, most ay us e'en have table manners... though I dinnae ken what yon Billy learned at his trough growing up."
He smirks and then leans in to whisper to Laura, "Dinnae fret, I'm sure we can think ay another outlet for all of tonight's assertiveness after this spot ay fun.", noticing, as he's leaning in, the activity across the way.
He straightens up and says, "Say, lad, feel like making us a wee less us-like? I'm thinking yonder gentleman's got tae many bars ay service, and I wouldnae mind fixing that, ye ken?"
Danny nods.
"I can do that. But you might want to hold off just a bit there DJ Hexmaster. After all, we WANT him to make the arrangements, so we can hitch a ride on his wagon and stop it. And the last thing you want to do is tip off the Wicked Witch of the West that we're meddling with her candy house."
Danny looks at Ken.
"And yes, I am aware that I just mixed at least three metaphors. Or, fairy tales." He shrugs with a 'Whatcha gonna do about it?' look.
Kenneth sighs, "Aye, ye may be right... I dinnae ken what he's daeing with his poxy phone, and I'm just worried it might be him getting a warning 'bout us... After all, once our last mukker stops wetting hisself at the thought ay Laura returning and he realizes that he's lost a few thousand quid in electronic toys tae completely coincidental power surges... I'm sure, at that point, that he's capable ay nipping out tae the corner pub tae make a call that tries tae ruin all our fun."
He then winks and adds with a chuckle, "Ye ken? Or were there nae enow mixed metaphors for your twisted little mind tae follow?"
"Should I get close? I look a bit different with my hair down, I could eavesdrop." Laura offers having a sip on her drink and flicks her locks if a soft cascade.
"Is there anyone in our group that Laura hasn't seen yet? Otherwise,... I could do it." He offers, Only slight hesitancy in his voice.
"Yeah, I can make it so she won't even know I'm there. Take a listen, find out which dock it is, everything we need to know to put a crimp in her plans."
"Be right back." He adds, not getting up,...
Kenneth offers, "Moiren, actually. She wasnae at the bobbyhouse with the rest ay us. Tangris hit on her, Laura obstructed her, Sal mostly glowered and ye were your usual charming self, as I recall."
"Yeah, I definitely couldn't do it. I mean, she'd totally remember me. I'm unforgettable."
Kenneth nods, "Aye, just like gunshot wounds and poxes."
"Glower? I don't glower!" Sal glowers at Kenneth, then leans over to whisper to Morien.
What does 'glower' mean?
Morien raises an eyebrow at Danny and merely leans back in her chair with her head tilted to one side, listening.
"Yeah, I was in good form that day wasn't I?" Danny grins fondly at the memory.
Danny looks at Morien, smiles, and takes a drink from his cup.
"Yep. Like I said. I'm goin'." He says, getting up.
Morien adds to Danny, not so quietly as to Sal, "Go outside. Someone named Jack is supposed to be leaving a pub and going to the boat we want. Follow him."
"Which pub? And which boat?" Laura asks; "The harbour isn't so big....we should be able to find some drunk starting a craft up?"
Morien shrugs, "Our mark over there hasn't said which. Danny should be able to figure it out."
"I can work with that. Thanks Morien." Danny grins. He gets up and shambles casually to the door, pulling out his cell as he goes like he's going to make a call.
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Sal gives Morien a nod, then slips away from the table after Danny so they exit looking like a couple. She looks bored and ignores him so they really look like a couple.
Danny steps outside, holding the door open for Sal at the last second. He zips up his heavy leather old-style motorcycle jacket, and glances around.
"So,... What now?" he asks Sal. (With only a hint of innuendo in his wink.)
"Maybe a quiet walk down by the docks," Sal suggests, taking Danny's arm and steering him in that direction.
Whilst the rough sailor with whom Molly is conversing, gets out his mobile phone and starts talking in a thick accent.
Danny and Sal outside, move down the cobbled street slick with sea fret. A soft mist of rain driven by the wind gives a sheen to all. Moving past a jewellers with the local jet-stone and towards the quay gives a good excuse to observe the boats.
Using her both extensive and intensive military training, Sal spots a man leave a pub and move to unhook a boat. Danny has often seen a similar stagger near the closing time of many a bar, however the blaggard has enough poise to affect a rakish air to him.
The boat appears quite serviceable, from their knowledge it appears to be a fishing vessel, or maybe a light tourist boat. Certainly it could hold a decent amount of cargo.
Her interest covered by Danny and Sal's departure, Morien looks back and forth between Molly and Kenneth. "Someone really primed the pump on your family, didn't they?" It could be a rhetorical question. But given Morien, probably not.
"Heya 'sweetheart'." Danny says, leaning in close to Sal.
"I thinks we got a nibble. It COULD be a coincidence. But since meeting the Fae I don't believe in that anymore." He says with a bemused snort.
"And it's a little late at night for a pleasure cruise. In the dark. On a fishing boat. With no passengers,..."
"Yeah. Right. 'If it walks like a duck, Kick it and see if it quacks.' " Danny grins.
He slides his arm around Sal's waist so they can converse easier. Feeling the tension in the lithe frame as Sal mentally gets ready for action, Danny deliberately misinterprets.
"Relax Sal. I don't hit on girls that hit back. I can't afford the insurance." He quips in her ear. Feeling Sal shake slightly and hoping it's suppressed laughter, Danny quickly continues.
"So, we don't want to just knock the guys out, or we're stuck with a boat and still no idea where we're going. So,... Sneak on board and hide? Even if we get everyone on unseen, it's gonna be hard to stay hidden. The boat ain't THAT big. We could take him and I could take his place?" He suggests with obvious lack of enthusiasm.
"Or, we chat his tipsy @$$ up, and get him to tell us enough that we can follow them in another boat?"
Kenneth sighs, "Molly's just dad all o'er again, but with the intelligence, and ruthless drive tae match the ambition. Addictive personality always reaching for the brass ring, willing tae step on anyone, e'en herself, tae reach it. As for all ay this..."
He shrugs, "...I thought it was more ay the same, but she's nae on vamp venom any longer.... and it seems that they bothered tae kidnap the man in her life... and he isnae a prop or a tool tae get ahead.... So I dinnae ken what's happened with her."
He sighs again, wistfully, but then shakes off his confusion and locks back to the matter at hand.
"As for me, my friends were attacked by monsters and a goddess made me an offer I couldnae refuse.... Still, that leaves four more sisters that, as far as I ken, dinnae ken the slightest about the world beyond what they show on the BBC."
He then chuckles and smiles, adding, "E'en if I did call each ay them a witch at one time or another."
Morien gives an amused smirk at the sibling infighting - or perhaps just the BBC. She leans back and cracks her knuckles. "Whatever she's up to," the selkie indicates Molly's table with a slight tilt of her head, "I'd bet my eyeteeth that she's got some tricks up her sleeve. Special ones."
She slides out of her chair in the direction of the bar. "See if I can get a better look."
Morien orders a gin & tonic and finds a place to be unobtrusive which offers a good view of the quay, with reflectors and the handful of running lights bobbing at dockside, and the shadow of sailboat masts obscuring the cityglow. Conveniently, it's a place where Molly's table is between her and the window.
"Listen, 'darling', I'm more afraid for you than of you, if you get my drift." Sal looks around thoughtfully for a moment, surprisingly comfortable against Danny's side, then pulls out her phone, leaning close with the phone at arm's length. "Say cheese," she says quite loudly, laughing, then puts her head near his to continue their discussion more softly, snapping selfies to cover their time.
"Never thought selfies would be useful," she growls softly, "Even if we hid on board, we'd have to let the others know what's what. Maybe we can hire or 'borrow' another boat to follow, but they'd hear us. Is there any voodoo you can do so we can follow that boat at a distance, or make the trail boat run stealthy? Make yourself useful?"
Danny reacts in exaggerated mock indignation. Then smiles for another selfie.
"Spend enough time with me, and I promise to make myself VERY useful!" He waggles his eyebrows.
"But as far as the veils go, I can do sight no problem. It's the first thing I learned I could do. Sound can be done but it mutes everything. We'd be hard pressed to talk. And I'm not sure how long I can keep it up. I've never done any single veil for more than the length of a song. A long song." He adds thoughtfully.
"It's a matter of concentration. When you first think of something it's hard to think of anything else. But as time goes on, your attention starts to wander. I can do an entire set of songs I've done a thousand times while thinking about my next week's schedule. But doing a veil requires me to be in the here and now. Wizard's talk about power drain and gathering energy. But I don't know anything about that. I can maintain a Veil as long as I can keep my focus. That's why doing a Veil during a performance is actually easier. All the crowd response keeps us in the moment. That's why I do it." He adds almost as an after thought.
"So, um..." Sal suddenly puckers up and plants a kiss on Danny's cheek, watching the phone as she snaps another. "That would be no, unless you hold a concert on the boat?"
She saves the cheek-peck snap with a malicious grin. "That should get you in some trouble. Better behave."
Danny rolls his eyes, realizing he asked asked for that one.
"Hey. I can get into trouble ALL by myself. I don't need any help. Thank you." He mock glares at her with a look that says he'd like to return the favor. Or at least the kiss.
"Pretty much, yeah. I don't have to worry about hiding sound at a concert. But hiding sight and sound means I have to sing quietly, which is sort of,... counter-intuitive. I've done it, but it wouldn't be my first choice." He finally answers her question, pointing past the boats as if telling her to look at the light on the water.
"So, either WE sneak on board and hide, and let the others follow, Or we ALL follow in another boat. Which I can probably hide. For a while."
"Hmph. James Bond never has to worry about a plan going Kerblooie. Heck, Usually his plan IS going Kerblooie!" He grumbles.
"Well, if we use another boat, we need to find another boat. That means hiring one or borrowing one. I'd make it ten to one that Morien can hotwire a boat." Sal turns the phone sideways and takes a shot back towards the town, capturing the twinkling lights. "Fewer questions if we borrow one. Besides, we'd bring it back. They'd never even know."
"I'm ok with that." Danny responds casually.
Danny has a keen belief in the sanctity of private property. Being a poor musician would have taught him that even if his father hadn't. But he also knows the world is not black and white, but a thousand shades of grey. If they were to 'borrow' a 'good' boat, (Meaning fancy=expensive in his mind) and bring it back, he has no problems with that. He would feel bad if they borrowed one that was obviously not-expensive and lovingly maintained (especially if they managed to damage it in the process), but he has trouble feeling sorry for people with enough money to blow on a fancy boat in the first place.
"Yeah. Let's text the others to come join us. While we wait for them we can scout out a 'good' boat. One that's so expensive that the owners obviously have insurance. Or money for repairs. You know, just in case."
He grins at Sal and sticks his tongue out just as she snaps another pic.
"And besides..." Sal reaches up and whispers in Danny's ear. Then her thumbs fly over the virtual keyboard.
Found night boaters. Thinking of borrowing another for a night cruise ourselves. Any interest?
Morien's Eavesdropping
The gruff looking sea captain swishes his phone shut, turning back to Molly after seemingly pleased with his phone conversation. "He's firing up the boat, now before I take you out to sea... the payment you promised."
The lawyer picks up her drink, a golden cider, in her hand is an envelope which she slips upon the table as she puts down the glass. "Discretion is assured." she commands, not brooking any disagreement.
Whilst the man snorts and takes a sip of his drink, showing he isn't used to this situation but he isn't stupid.
Moriens' unfocused gaze out the window is interrupted by the chirp of her cellphone. She glares at it, but quickly taps out a response.
[I have a boat. Push Danny in the river and tell him to page Lyceus.]
Sal tilts the phone towards Danny so he can read Morien's response. I'm going to enjoy following those orders...
Danny reads the lines of text. Danny looks at Sal.
"Don't you dare."
His voice is full of half-mocking fear. And the rest is real fear that Sal just might.
"Do you know what she means - 'page Lyceus'? You could save yourself a dunking if you can manage it before you hit the water." Sal's evil grin is not reassuring.
"Yes, I know what she means, and NO it does NOTrequireathoroughsoaking!" Danny speech speeds up to a 33RPM old vinyl record being played at 45 as he ducks Sal's innocent-seeming arm and dashes, laughing, for the water's edge.
Sal's bemused eye follows the batty bard as she pauses to take a few more nighttime pics of the lovely seaside town. Too bad I didn't snap a shot of my food. She strolls slowly down the pier, fiddling with her phone as cover while she watches and listens for any trouble on their target boat. The rest of her brain tries to identify the odd, empty feeling in her gut. Oh right, that was it. It was that feeling of having a really good time with the completely wrong guy.
Danny reaches the edge of the pier, and, after checking to make sure that Sal wasn't RIGHT behind him, moved a little to make sure he was out of sight of the man they thought was prepping for the nighttime pickup. Danny swipes his hair out of his face and sticks his face in the water before he inks about it to much and changes his mind.
<'Brr! Hey! Lyceus! Calling Lyceus! Danny calling for Morien! Manthisiscold!'>
Danny pulls his face out of the water, spits out what travels to his mouth, and takes a gulp of air. After catching his breath, he sticks his face in again.
<'Hey Lyceus! Morien Requests your help!'>
Danny pulls his face out and wipes it off some, trying to keep it off his leather jacket, just as Sal wanders up. He smirks at her look, figuring she's trying to figure whether or not he's soaked enough yet.
"Yeah, OK I'm awake now!" Danny quips as he rises and shakes off most of the remaining water.
Danny looks up to see Sal reviewing photos with a pleased look. "That's an interesting pose," she muses, "Looks like a half-hearted try at drowning yourself. Wouldn't it be easier to associate with folks who use phones, Danny?"
Danny growls, realizing that Sal just took a snap of him head-down & b#tt-up, with his face in the water as if he was bobbing for apples.
"Yeah, it probably would. Unfortunately I don't seem to attract normal people. The guys I get to hang with tend to kill phones without trying. That's one reason I use a pay-as-you go phone." Danny smirks, wondering if he dared to try and snag Sal's phone long enough to delete just a few pics from it,...
"So this Lyceus is bringing Morien's boat?" Sal inquires of Danny, wondering if this underwater walkie-talkie is two-way.
By the Docks
A bright shimmering fish bobs to the surface, the water surrounding it is a slick with rainbow colours amidst the gently oscillating tide. A large fish, it bears some resemblance to a carp which is unusual for these waters. Heavy whispers stick from either side of it's face, they begin to vibrate starkly as it sticks it's head out of the sea's meniscus. The eyes seem to look straight at the pair, despite their positioning and the creature stares sharply.
It's gullet seems to shake, then suddenly a voice comes from the creature - guttural and thick, however distinctly Lyceus' "How may I help? Though I am far from the Ouse, my powers do extend."
In the Pub
Molly lets out a sigh; "30 minutes? Your boat takes that long to get going! Well I don't have all night." She looks a bit annoyed with the sea captain, who just shrugs stoically clearly used to the whims of the sea - so the whims of a lawyer mean little to him.
Whereas Laura comes back with a round of drinks, "So we have a plan? Oh I got an extra, for the others." she holds out the tray if anyone else wishes to grab more drinks.