Elaina continues to wait for Arya at the back of the building, expecting a herd of animals led by Arya to exit the hall any moment.
Arenel raised and eyebrow as she brought out a piece of paper from her pocket. "When did...?" She muttered before she opened it to read.
Valghaz raised an eyebrow and waited for Arenel to read it.
Mimi pays Arenal no mind. She's still busy with her fingernails. They needed some biting after the cuticle work.
You are being watched by the Lotus Dragons. Your questions will bring you misery - it's best to sit back and let things happen as they will. Further interference will only bring you tears.
Arya quickly orients herself within the hallway, recognising it from earlier. She makes her way along the hall quietly and moves to explore the final unopened door.
"Hmmm, a threat or a warning?" Arenel wondered as she looked the note over. She read it softly to those companions still remaining before turning to them. "Seems like someone is worried we're getting too close."
Valghaz smiled. ”To what? A ring o’ deviants our to eat animals?” He chuckled. ”Sorry. I’ll take it seriously. But if anythin’ this means that we be earnin’ our pay. Any idea who we crossed?”
Mimi pauses work on her fingernails to give the note a look.
"More likely a threat. We've been at this less than a day. A threat would need for us to be noticed, the Lotus Dragons to decide to do something, writing a note, and delivering it. A warning would need for us to be noticed, the Lotus Dragons to decide to do something, just the right person to learn about that, I doubt there's many around who care much about us, and then that person to write a note, and deliver it."
"There hasn't been much time passed for the second chain of events to happen... Unless there's someone inside Lady Lavinia's household who did it. That could add at least overnight to the time. But that would also mean there's someone in the household who's working against her interests, whether it's a threat or a warning."
”Nobles. Always playin’ games. Well, we’ve got a job to do. Let’s do it an’ report this when we get the chance.”
"Hmmm, maybe we should wait for the others to return. Get Arya's opinion upon this. I would like to hear what she has to say." Arenel said with a small shrug. "After all we need to work, some what together."
The door in the dining room leads to a bedroom. As you enter the room, you hear a door open and footsteps coming from the hall.
Arya cautiously makes her way into the bedroom. The sound of footsteps behind her, she quickly dives to the floor and rolls under the bed.
you think they didn't enter the dining room.
"Arya and Elaina have been gone for a quite a while now don't you think? Should we be worried yet?"
”Nay heard any screamin’. I’d expect Elaina to scream ‘Cause she saw someone eatin’ a rabbit. An’ Arya wouldn’t go down without a fight. ‘Sides, if we sneak in now we may jack it all up. Me especially. Not good at goin’ unheard, believe it or not.”
Slowly crawling out once the coast is clear, Arya takes a good look around the room.
Arya is no theif, and seeing no good reason to confiscate the spell book, she places it back where she found it. Curious.
With nothing left to see, Arya makes her way back the way she came towards the exit, pausing to have a listen and make sure that whoever made the sounds of footsteps hasn't taken up in the back room.
Arya heads outside and breaths in the fresh sea air, a welcome relief after the stuffy taxidermist's, and much needed after the few close calls. Collecting Elaina on the way, she heads back to the street to rejoin the others.
"So... there was a lot of taxidermied stuff. There was a spell book too but I couldn't read it, and I heard a couple of people walking around but I didn't see where they went. Sorry."
The sailor shrugs and picks up her pack.
"What's new out here?"
After waiting for what felt like a month, Elaina was crestfallen that Arya hadn't returned with the any animals. She tugs insistently at the rogues sleeve as they return to the others. "Did you find where they were keeping the animals? They probably have some crocodiles. Crocodiles can't survive in captivity!"
Valghaz sighed. ”Is there anythin’ implicatin’ this man? He had a spellbook, but that means nothin’, Aye?”
"It just means the man studies magic. This not a crime." Arenel said with a shrug. "Oh, Arya." She added as she took out the note and headed to her. "What do you make of this?" She asked.
Mimi starts putting her things back in her bag.
Arya takes the note and studies it for a moment.
"...'Watched by the Lotus Dragons'... 'Best to sit back and let things happen as they will'...'Interference will only bring you tears'... Hmmm."
She scratches her head in thought, "Well, obviously something we've done today has taken us close to finding these people. Do you think someone could have slipped this to you at the crime scene this morning? Or could it have happened here?"
"They're watching us?!" Elaina gasps, crossing her arms over her chest and looking around frantically for the perpetrators. "Do you think they were watching when I was getting dressed this morning?!"
”Probably while eatin’ baby animals. They seem to be right bastards.” Valghaz said dryly.
"Yeah!" Elaina agrees emphatically. "They probably weren't even hungry, neither! These people are monsters!"
”So...this is a bust. Luckily, the Lotus Dragons seem to know what is going on. How about we pay them a visit?”
"Why'd You have to go encouraging her?" Arenel muttered to Valghaz as she rolled her eyes upon hearing Elaina's words. "Do we really even know where they are?"
”Sometimes ye have to choose whether to laugh or cry, lass...”
"Or the third option, ignore." Arenel said with a grin. "Though with some that's hard to do." She added to him with a wink.
"Yes, visit them where? It looks like they can find us but we can't find them. I suppose we can keep knocking about, being obvious about looking for them until they decide to come to us. But that would probably be to cut our throats."
Mimi looks miserable as she talks that option through to its likely result.
"I suppose that leaves us with finding those guards from the house and seeing if they will talk off duty. I can't drink with them though, I'd get sick."
"To the tavern then! I'm more than happy to drink your share, Mimi. All that sneaking around the dusty taxidermist's has me parched." Arya says with a grin.
"Yeah." Elaina says somberly, patting Arya on the shoulder. "I bet you saw things in there that made you very sad. I know I've probably never been sadder than I am right now. But no matter how much you drink, the memories will never go away." She stares off into the distance for a while, then adds "But it's till a good idea!"
Later that evening, the party arrives at The Cracked Mast, a tavern in Azure popular with off-duty guards. When you enter, you see that, true to its name, the tavern's bar is crafted from an large mast with a crack running down the side. It's a small and fairly quiet place, half-full with about a dozen patrons.
The bartender, a male half-orc by the name of Dreb, looks you over when you enter. "Aren't you a ragtag group of driftwood to float into my bar all together. What're you swilling?"
Valghaz stride forward. ”Ale. Pale.” And to Arenel he said ”How ‘bout ye lass? It’s been a frustratin’ day.”
Arya smiles wide at the half-orc as she makes her way to the bar, placing her hands firmly on the old cracked mast. ”A bottle o’ rum’ll see me through the night, nicely.”
She reaches into her pack for some coin as she waits for her order. Looking around she tries to spot a guard she recognises from the crime scene.
"Oh I'll take an ale." Arenel said as she took her place next to Valghaz. "Then another." She said with a smirk. She looked to Arya who was looking around and waited to see if she said anything.
Sitting down, Valghaz smiled. The day hadn’t gone as planned, but at least they were drinking. He wondered though, what Mimi and Elaina would drink. What drink one chose said much about the person.
"I want a spicy mulled mead, cuz' my heart is sad and cold right now." Elaina says, plopping down on a stool, crossing her arms on the bar top, resting her chin on her arms. "And you shouldn't call people that you don't know names cuz' they could be unstable!" She advises half-orc, following him with her eyes as he worked.
Mimi asks for a large cup of water and a small cup of red wine. She drinks half the cup of water, then pours the wine into the remaining water.
She seems to flutter for a couple of minutes, unsure where she should settle with her drink. Eventually she tentatively sits down at Valghaz and Arenel's table.
”I don’t think he meant any ill Elaina, I don’t think I’d mind being a piece of driftwood.” Arya tries to cheer up her friend, relaxing into an even more casual position at the bar.
Valghaz nods happily at Mimi, obviously the drink suits him. ”Driftwood. Debris. Rollin’ Stones. Doesnae matter. Good drink.” He raised his mug. ”Good company.” He put his hand on Arenel’s knee. ”To alcohol! The cause of, and solution to, all of life’s problems!”
Arenel grinned as she felt Valghaz's hand upon her knee. She raised her own mug with a laugh. "I'll drink to that!" Arenel said while placing her hand atop his.
The bartender provides drinks as ordered, and seems about to reply to Elaina's chiding when Arya answers for him. The drinks are stronger than they are good.
Arya: You see one guard you recognize, a young man with the kind of scruffy beard that indicates he can't truly grow a full one, sitting with a young woman at one of the tavern's few tables.
Having spotted the guard, and received her bottle of rum, Arya heads over to the table where the others are seated and points out their target for the night.
"So what's the plan with this lad? Looks like his mind's off work right now, any ideas on how we make him talk?"
Mimi stays quiet, nursing her drink and waiting for someone else to do something.
Valghaz sighed. He murmured ”I’ll get him drunk.” Rising to his feet he walked over to them. ”What have we here? Some scruffy chinned *boy* pretendin’ to be a man? Ha! Bartender! Let’s see if he’ll prove to himself to his girl. Drinks are on me. Out drink me boy an’ I’ll give ye ten gold. Lose, an’ prove to everyone ‘ere than nobody outdrinks a dwarf. Refuse an’ prove yerself to be a spineless git. Now tell the bartender yer drink.”