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Zev just scowls and sighs heavily, he did so want to be in on some action, but can't help but agree that he doesn't look like the type to need someone else as hired muscle. Fine, but I will not be far, yet try to stay out of sight."
As to the question of where he got the nickname, he opens his mouth to speak, lets it shift slightly into a half-smirk, and answers. "I got it from here." he replies while tapping his temple with his index finger. Let her chew on that for a bit, and see just how crazy it makes her. If he didn't get to crack skulls, he'll at least have a little fun.
"Bubbles?" Nic grins, looking from Zev to Ally. "That's a good one. I like it. As for a sign, how about if you hear yelling and crashing, come charging in?"
Standing in line, she mutters to Ally, "So we're clear on it, what's our cover story?"
"We're being bothered by someone and want him to stop. i think Zev said he'd be okay if we said it was him," Allysen says in a whisper, "We tell them to go to his hideout and describe what he looks like."
"Or did you have something else in mind," Allysen asks thoughtfully.
"Nope. That works for me," Nic grins. "Here's hoping he goes gentle on 'em when they come looking for him. You weren't there when he mashed a guy into mist, but it sure was a sight."
"I bet," Allysen says quietly.
"So," Allysen says after a moment, "Do you want me to do the talking or do you want to do it?"
"Let me handle it at first. No offense, but you don't look the lying type." Nic rolls her neck and cracks her knuckles, as if getting ready for a brawl rather than an undercover mission.
"When you spend a couple years hunting someone down, you learn a thing or two about spinning a convincing tale," she adds, somewhat bitterly.
Zev nods with a smile, confident that he will get to hit something, "Okay. I will be out of sight of the building itself at some distance, but close enough to see Mercy, Blondie, and Tiny from where they watch. Once they give me an all clear that you've made it out safe, I will make straightaway for Zellara's, otherwise if they move in I'll be hot on their tails. Anyone care to join me for the ambush itself?"
After about thirty minutes, Nic and Allysen disappear into the shop, apparently the last customers for the day.
Inside the shop, you find two men, one in a bloodstained apron and the other keeping an eye on the two of you.
"Well, ladies," the one in the apron says, "I'm afraid that we're out of meat for today, but perhaps I can interest you in some of our other services?"
As Rhas takes Zev up on the invite, he claps the man on the shoulder. Walking a safe distance away, to where they can see if Mercy or Elise give the signal, he decides to belatedly address the change.
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It's a gift, apparently. I have been spending time with our former patron, He holds up the deck of harrow cards and she had trained me to be her... heir, you could say. I guess she took a liking to what she saw and decided I needed more time on this plane than my old body could give me.
Honestly, Zev, I have no idea. All I know is I feel like I haven't felt in over a century and I intend to not waste the opportunity.
Nic leans on the counter with both hands, head down, looking up at the man through a few stray locks of red hair. "Well, that's a damn shame," she sighs, shaking her head, "because here I was hoping you had some of the day's special cuts left."
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1-30 Suspicious
31-60 Lecherous
61 - 80 Confused
81 - 95 Exasperated
96 - 100 Helpful
"Oh really," the aproned man says with a smirk, "I think we might have some, if you and your friend are interested." He nods to the other man who begins to close the shop for the day.
"If you'll follow me, we keep the special cuts in the back for our special customers," he adds as he walks behind both of you and places his hands on your shoulders. His eyes wandering to Nic's chest and hips. "I'm sure we can find something that will satisfy you."
He gently leads the two of you into the back room, his fellow following shortly after and turning up a flight of stairs that are off to one side. The man leading you guides you up the stairs after giving his fellow a little bit fo a head start.
"So, ladies, what brings a lovely pair such as yourself out to this little corner of Korvsa."
Far off in the distance, all of you can hear someone playing bad, smoky jazz on a saxophone.
Taking up a lean against the doorjamb, she says, "Well, every now and then a fine young woman gets a bit of unwanted attention, you know? Some man or woman decides they can't keep their hands to themself, decides they can just invade your personal space or start grabbing things that aren't theirs. It happens, and maybe this time, someone went too far with the wrong woman. Might not be able to get at him myself - man's three parts orc, at least. But, I have coin, and word on the street is you can... discourage him."
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"Oh," the man says, a note of disappointment in his voice, "Well, there's no reason not to mix business and pleasure, right? What about your friend? Surely someone isn't so full of himself that he thinks that he can have both of you?"
It isn't hard to figure out. He's more interested in what you two can do in bed than what you two can do for his wallet at the moment.
Allysen chuckles nervously at the rather unwanted advances.
"Sad to say, but my friend's right. Some brute of an orc keeps making passes at us, and we want it stopped."
"Haven't seen a man yet that could handle one of us, let alone both," Nic cuts in smoothly. "This one in particular got cocky and thought maybe he could. Now I'm used to this kind of thing, but when someone drags my little sugar-plum into it, well, that's when I start seeing red. Isn't that right?" She gives Ally another glance, a look of faux adoration with a quirked eyebrow.
Bless her, but Ally just couldn't lie, it seemed. So Nic keeps talking, trying to keep the focus on herself. "Now, I've always tried to be a one-woman kind of girl, you know? But this has been going on long enough that it needs to stop. So, you take care of this fella for me, maybe I can take care of something for you. 'Course it's hard to think forward to such things when you're all shaken up - and if I may say so, pretty sure the brute followed us here. Doesn't exactly put pleasure on the mind, if you get what I'm saying."
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I don't remember specific either, but you don't spark any memories. Either way, water under the bridge. I, of all people, should understand second beginnings.
As the music starts to float through the night sky, Mercy's eyes narrow as she tries to discern from where it comes;
:
"Aw, that's too bad," The guard says, obviously disappointed.
"Well, I suppose we can help ya out, and maybe after you ladies will be up for a little pleasure, eh? What are ya offerin' in exchange for our, ah, services."
It seems to be coming from the House of Clouds at Eel's End. (A brothel among the dens of vices collected on a pier in Old Korvosa.)
A vein throbs in Nic's forehead; she quickly hangs her head to disguise it behind her hair. Couldn't have been someone able to think with the right head? she thinks bitterly. "Tell you what," she says sharply, looking up and locking her eyes on the pig's. "We start at, say, an hour. I'll give you an hour of my time after you deal with this brute - and I'll even show you where I last saw him, into the bargain. But, I'm not a patient woman. Each minute you take, is a minute out of your 'payment'." She makes a point of looking out the window at the sun. "I'd hurry if I were you."
The man's smile quickly turns into a frown.
"Listen, Red, I know you and your friend are wanting this taken care of, but we ain't stupid. If you know where he lives or where he likes to drink, then tell us and we'll take care of it, quietly. We ain't about to blow this by beating a guy in broad daylight," he says, his face a scowl.
"Now, if you'll calm down a bit, then maybe we can discuss this like two adults rather than a couple of brats."
As you watch the shop, the music fades away. It's been about five minutes since Nic and Allysen went inside.
With a furrowed brow, Elise eyes the Butcher Shop suspiciously as her hand instinctively reaches for her sword hilt. "It's getting quiet all of the sudden; I don't like this waiting, it's making me uneasy."
Glancing about the area, Elise tries to glean any potential dangers.
Nic takes a deep breath, running her hands back through her hair, and sighs. "Alright," she replies at length. "I'm just... I'm just all shook up, you know? Must look a right fool." She shoots the man a hopeless expression, remembering that men were likely to respond more favourably to a woman in distress. "I know he frequents the Sticky Mermaid, and he's like to be there tonight. Promise me you'll deal with him soon?" She tries to add a note of despair to her voice, disgusted at herself for doing so.
Watching the others waiting outside the shop, Zev looks for the signal he needs to either come fight or head to Zellara's and prepare the ambush. He breathes a heavy sigh of impatience. As a man of action, he's never been one to like sitting and waiting for something, anything, to happen. In anticipation he grips and re-grips the handle of his greataxe.
The man relaxes some, even smiling again as he begins to negotiate the price.
Nic glances sidelong at Ally. "That's an awful lot, but... if it gets this guy off our backs, sure." She reaches for her purse, but pauses. "How about half now, and half when the job's done?"
Allysen leans over and whispers in Nic's ear.
"I don't have that much. I only have about thirty gold," she tells her, a hint of trepidation in her voice.
"Fair enough," the thug says, obviously waiting for them to cough up the coin.
You spot someone looking through the second story window of the shop. He appears to be a look out. What do you do?
"I've got seventy," Nic mutters back. "We'll pick up the rest later, alright? Gonna take them a few hours to get the job done."
Straightening, she clears her throat and opens her purse, starting to count out the coins. "You got the rest, sugar plum?" she asks, glancing back at Ally.
Mercy nods and draws her scimitar and readies shield;
"Agreed Sister... Best we keep eyes and ears sharp should something befall them that prevents a warning or signal..."
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Allysen pulls out her purse and counts out thirty coins before adding them to the pile.
The man smiles as he sees the coins then waves the two of you down the steps.
"Don't worry, you won't have to deal with that problem anymore. And we could always use a show, if you know what I mean," he tells you before opening the door and letting you out.
You see Nic and Allysen leaving the shop unharmed.
"Oh, I'm sure you could," Nic grins as she makes her way outside, suddenly wanting to put as much distance as possible between the man and herself.
"Right," Nic says authoritatively when she rejoins the others (and leads them a safe distance away), "We set up an ambush tonight at the Sticky Mermaid, or close to it. And I could use a bath," she adds with a grimace.
Seeing the two women join the group from the distance he had set himself safely out of sight, he hurries off to Zellara's where he said he would be to await the thugs.
The party heads to Zellara's to set up the trap now that the bait had been wiggled under the thug's noses. It isn't too far afternoon, and there is time to eat a quick meal and rest before night falls. The hours stretch on, but shortly before midnight, four men can be seen swaggering up the street, Nic and Allysen easily recognizing two of them as the men that had been running the shop. All of them are dressed in the armor of the guard, even the coat of arms on the breast is still plain to see.
They chat in quiet voices, chuckling about something one of them had said, as they approach. They'll be at the door in a few more moments.
As the target himself, Zev doesn't even bother hiding. He sits relaxed at the table near the front of the small space that was Zellara's workspace. He leans back in the chair, arms crossed with his greataxe propped against the wall beside him, as he feigns like he's either nodding or nodded off. He mumbles quietly as they approach, "Remember, we want to get at least one of them alive to question. Maybe all of them, being guard and all."
Mercy smiles first at Rhasuel's nonchalant calm at the impending encounter, before nodding in agreement at Zev's plea for pulling of punches.
The holy warrior attempts to make her presence indiscreet, but does little to hide her armoured form;
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Dawnflower's grace! I am a warrior of the light, not a lurker of the shadows!
With a grimace the tall half orc readies blade and bulwark;
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Nic nods to Zev in silent agreement. After a quick glance out the window to check whether she recognizes the lecher from the shop, she flattens her back against the wall just next to the door, rapier already drawn.
Nodding at the Zev with her sword readied, Elise attempts to blend into the background.
Surprisingly, Elise does an admirable a job hiding, at least insofar as one might expect a flaxen haired and fully armed young women to blend into a small room.
Alright then, let's get this over with.