"I have an idea. Keep asking around just in case..."
Following a whim, Headsman rushes down the hallway, looking for a door that might be decorated or otherwise indicate an artist's home. The court's own entrance was dressed up like a castle's front gate. Perhaps an artistic spirit like Miss Sabor would have a similar idea.
More doors appear in the hallway, while stairs beckon the party up. Headsman doesn't see any doors decorated beyond some paint or a hanging of holly.
Druidic sympathies? Machaera considers the possibility. Not entirely surprising: in as crowded a city as this, one might need help to hold onto a bit of nature.
Still, the old tanner said something about artsy types upstairs, so that's where Machaera goes. Her eyes quickly scan the doors lining the hall on the next floor for any obvious signs of artsy-ness.
Io follows along, on guard (as always), but making sure to watch Machaera's back should trouble break out.
Yanis stops at the stairs that lead upwards. "Not down here, shall we head up?"
"We are still all clear on the outside Merlin?" Yanis asks
All quiet out here
The next floor yields nothing of interest. The third floor, however has more young people coming and going. One looks at the oddly well armored and armed group and says "Bounty hunters?
"Us? No we don't hunt for bounty." Yanis says
Headsman stops for a second, pondering his weaponry. Maybe it would have been wiser to go in as a smaller group.
"We're here to protect someone, not hunt them. I need to talk to Miss Sabor, it's really, really important."
The next floor yields nothing of interest. The third floor, however has more young people coming and going. One looks at the oddly well armored and armed group and says "Bounty hunters?
Certainly not, Machaera thinks when the group is next accosted. She is grateful that the others are quick to offer their assurances, as it gives her a moment to collect her own thoughts, since her first instinct is likely too facetious. One might say ‘concerned citizens,’ but that sounds frightfully like a euphemism.
Headsman stops for a second, pondering his weaponry. Maybe it would have been wiser to go in as a smaller group.
"We're here to protect someone, not hunt them. I need to talk to Miss Sabor, it's really, really important."
She follows up on Headsman’s asseveration with her own, self-deprecating but earnest. “Believe it or not, we’re passionate patrons of the arts – arcane, mostly, in my case, but also pyrotechnical, and with a nodding acquaintance with performance. The streets are wild, and we need to make sure Miss Sabor’s safe.”
Once again, Machaera finds herself thinking she really ought to make time to get some visiting cards made up. She tries to quash an absurd thought wondering if, if this business for the Guard works out, she can talk her way into being able to add to those notional cards, Pyrotechnicist, by appointment to H.R.H., etc.
Of all the things to be thinking at a time like this! she rebukes herself. I doubt it would go over well with this crowd, anyway.
The young man says "Oh, Trinia? She headed off to Magnimar once the troubles began after the king died. She was a fun woman to know before then, but things just went badly for her when she was painting the king's portrait."
“Mm, that’s too bad,” Machaera winces inwardly as the glib reply slips through her teeth before she can catch it, her casual remark meant to fill the silence as she tries to sort out what’s going on. Recent experience with the Korvosan Guard clearly indicates they’re stretched too thin and have internal problems – where did that Vancaskerkin lout come from? – but so far they’ve been good about directing the group to actual fires to put out. What’s this fellow’s angle?
After a moment, she finds a way to spin the situation half-truthfully. “I hope things work out for her soon. But someone’s using her name, then, for whatever reason. If not to get to her, to get her friends in trouble. Do you know what it might be about? If Trinia’s flat’s not been rented out yet, do you think we could just check if there’s any hint of why anyone would want to use her particularly? We’re no housebreakers, but you don’t need to take our word for it – we don’t have anything to hide.”
"What day she she leave? Seems odd that she left just "after the troubles began" like maybe she was part of it?" Yanis asks to see their reaction.
"Oh she was never part of the troubles. Not like those rioters in Old Korvosa or that mad bard Gaspard. Crazy fellow, dressed up like a pelican and said he was the White Pelican. He said he was going to be the vengeance of the night and bring down pelicany doom upon his enemies. If you want to find Trinia's room, she was upstairs on the third floor. Maybe something is left up there fo you to find her. And if you find her, tell her Horatio says hello.
“Thank you,” Machaera says, smiling sweetly. “One last thing before we go, if you don’t mind. Do you recall which door it was again? We wouldn’t want to disturb absolutely everyone down the hall.”
Wouldn’t want to, but will, if necessary. Glancing up the stairs to the next floor, Machaera reaches out through Yanis’ link to the Black Merlin before heading up to continue the search. “Inmate says Sabor left for Magnimar soon after the king’s death. Some sort of put-up job? We’ll check her apartment just in case, on the third floor.”
"It should be the second door on your left".
Yanis will bow to the young man, "Thank you kind sir, we will be on our way then."
"He is lying, we should prepare for trouble when we get closer to the door or go into the apartment." Yanis thinks to the others.
Headsman, having stopped to lean on the wall in frustration while the others kept looking around, eyes the others, uncertain.
Let me know when you get to the door and I'll get ready to come in through the window if needed. The Black Merlin rechecks to insure his pistols are fully reloaded and performs some light stretches atop the roof.
Headsman, having stopped to lean on the wall in frustration while the others kept looking around, eyes the others, uncertain.
Machaera nods in agreement with Yanis’ parting words, and hurries on as quickly as is remotely decorous. She is trying not to give the impression of a dangerous mercenary, after all. Finding the right door, she stands to one side while giving Headsman room to come forward, just in case the door needs forcing.
“You knew her best, Heads,” the mage extemporizes, borrowing Io’s shortened nickname for the young man. “If Trinia’s gone and someone’s messing around…”
She does her best to acknowledge that fisticuffs or axes might soon be necessary without sounding like that’s what she’s actually suggesting. Through the link, she thinks, “It might be a bit too conspicuous to draw or cast an obvious spell on the landing. I’ll risk another lurking archer. On three?”
Extending her hand and counting fingers in deliberate motion, Machaera tries to open the door to Trinia’s apartment.
Headsman waits by the side of the door, and nods.
"I hope nothing bad's happened to her..."
Io stands back from the door a bit, watching her companions backs, "On three."
Yanis readies himself for anything to come out.
Machaera tries to open the door, but it seems to be stuck.
Naturally, Machaera thinks exasperatedly. She steps back a bit to give him room, then asks, “Headsman, would you do the honours? We’ll be right behind you.”
She would try forcing the door herself, but though her wiry height is reasonably strong, Machaera knows the young man is that much stronger than she is – and can leverage more weight behind a shoulder than a slip of an elf.
Yanis gives room for the larger youth to do his thing
Headsman pounds a heavy fist on the door twice. "Miss Sabor! Are you in there?!"
Unless an answer comes, he plants his shoulder in the door to force it open.
Io likewise adds a bit of muscle to the attempt, coordinating with Headsman to burst open the door.
The door bursts open, revealing a two bedroom flat covered in art supplies. On a bed lies a young woman with blond hair dressed in a red tunic with blue leggings. She appears to be asleep, with tear stained cheeks from crying.
Does Headsman recognize her as Trinia Sabor?
"Eeesh. Deep sleeper."
"Apparently." Yanis says moving towards the woman to see if she is ok.
Machaera nods in agreement, still hunched over a bit from the sounds of the bolt giving way and the door rebounding off the wall. If she can sleep through someone breaking through her door, I’m not sure shouting would do the job, she thinks.
She’s not sure if the thought makes her jealous. She also thinks that she could probably pull off quite a nice shrill scream, but that might attract too much attention. Carefully, knowing how she would react in such a situation, Machaera follows Yanis into the flat and approaches the sleeping figure, trying to be as unthreatening as possible. She reaches out to give one shoulder a gentle shake, keeping her other arm out where the sleeper will be able to see it, unarmed and not dangerous, on waking – but hopefully where it can swing back in case the young woman does keep a sensible dagger under the pillow.
“Miss Sabor?” she asks, as gently as she can.
Still quiet out here. The Merlin thinks outward.
Yanis feels feed back as he tries to help Miss Sabor
As Machaera reaches out, a slight chill shivers down her spine. Something's off about the room, and her senses snap to full alert.
As her nerves spark, she thinks back excitedly to the Black Merlin, and letting everyone else in on the course of her racing thoughts, "Sleeper here, but something's strange! Give me a second!"
The Merlin tenses up, waiting for a call to action.
Machaera gasps as her senses catch up to her instincts, and her eyes snap to the nearest window, to the door behind her. She finds the presence of mind to call a warning, “It’s an illusion!”
Her thoughts race on. Lady love us, she thinks, taking Calistria’s name in vain. Alright. Unless it’s been cast by someone very skilled, they should still be skulking around to maintain the spell. If they were invisible, they could just slink off, so-
Heart pounding, she sends a warning to the Black Merlin and everyone else through Yanis’ link, “Merlin! It’s a trick – an illusion! Probably short range! Any movement out there? Inside looks clear – if no one else, expect us at the window soon!”
No sooner thought than done, she rushes to the window, throwing it open and leaning out to make sure the masked avenger can trace possible routes from the right window.
"Interesting, so either our lady friend here is a mage and is just hiding or someone else is up to this." Yanis says getting up and moving about the room to look for something amiss
"So... it's a fake? Sure fooled me!"
"Sure looks like her to me."
Meadsman moves to shake Miss Sabor awake, because that is clearly her in the bed, and the mages must be mixed up in their usual mumbo jumbo.
The Black Merlin sees a woman hopping away from the rooftop to another building away from him. Headsman touches Miss Sabor, but she doesn't seem to wake at all. Yanis' keen eye notices the bed has some imprints on it that make it seem someone just left recently.
Io looks around the room, trying to see if there's a mage maintaining the illusion nearby.
"Someone was in the bed room." Yanis says standing and moving towards the door.
"Merlin do you see anyone out there?" Yanis sends the message to him.
"Sure looks like her to me."
Meadsman moves to shake Miss Sabor awake, because that is clearly her in the bed, and the mages must be mixed up in their usual mumbo jumbo.
Indignation sweeps over Machaera, then a wave of anxious sympathy. She can be wrong, more often than she’d like, especially since things other than magic and nothing else have entered her life. Still, she knows what she’s seeing, or not, more to the point.
“Well, that’s the idea, isn’t it?” she says. Turning to where the vague form of the figment rests, she makes what would be a most unmannerly – and certainly horrifically uncharacteristic – grab at “Trinia’s” hair that would definitely cause a rude awakening in a real person. Machaera smiles grimly as she continues, though her voice is understanding, “It’s alright – it’s the sort of thing that gets past the best of us, sometimes.”
That thought, and Yanis’ words, bring the mage back to the urgency of the situation. “But not through the door and all the way down the stairs on our way up. Then-”
Not looking forward to the idea, Machaera looks through the nearest window again, gauging the descent to the street below, or the possibility of climbing up to the tersely named Shingles.
There's someone up here! I'm giving chase, we're moving northwest. The Merlin gives chase, retrieving a tanglefoot bag to have at the ready.
Someone there? I'll be right behind you. Io thinks back at Merlin's message, looking for the fastest way on to the roof.
Headsman, still somewhat surprised by the revelation of the illusion, takes note as Io begins moving. Though he's not privy to the mental conversation, it is quite obvious by now that there's something else that requires notice.