Between girlish giggles and hardy laughter, Vara listens to Vark's meandering tale, and returns his toast, rescuing his glass just in time to save the crystal from shattering. She is sure to have the glasses clink though, to give the gnome the satisfaction of the sound.
"Aye, may we set down roots in this place!" She cries merrily, with a laughing smile. She then goes wide eyed as Vark nearly falls over. Gasping, she gently steadies him.
She grins at Mazra, "I think you shall likely hold the red wine better than our fey friend here, dear Mazra. When you get your wine, could you get him and I some of that wonderful honey mead mixed in with spiced milk? I think this one here needs a gentler drink to help him down from his high branch. And I- I like the southern spices!" She smiles, turning lightly pink.
"Honestly, in this place, it's best if you do not ask."
"It would be my pleasure," Mazra gets a couple of Honey Meads mixed with spiced Milk and a separate goblet of the Red Wine for himself. He saves his tankard for Ale only.
"Thank you, my dear!" She manages to croon after the Varisian as he goes to retrieve the drinks, then "Eek!" She cries quietly, as Vark nearly falls over in the other direction. She helps the gnome find his seat, and after a moment, she eagerly takes the cups of mead. She sets one before Vark, giving him a stern look. Then she turns to her own drink, and a takes a good smell.
"Ah, such an aroma! Cinn-amon, in warm mead and milk. That will keep you warm in the winter! Thanks again, my good Varisian." She winks at Mazra as she takes a swig.
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Once everyone is enjoying their drinks, Mazra chats with Vara and any others around that know the native tongue.
Mazra smiles at Vara, holds up the goblet, then takes a gulp of wine. Mazra's face becomes contorted. He quickly finishes off the wine, "I think I need to get some more Ale."
Vara leans forward to listen, with an expression of intent concentration. At the end of his story, she nods her understanding, and bows her head slightly, in sadness.
Looking up as he stands to leave, she has an expression both happy or maybe hopeful and sad. She then speaks, slowly at first, then picking up speed, in the Varisian tongue. "Ya pobjegao... takve stvari iz Sjeverne. Čini se da iz vaše priče, tu su divovi, čudovišta, i zlih, ljudi ... svuda. Ovo zašto, možda je Varisini ne nasele u mjestu. Ti lutaju. Mislite li da ćemo biti u stanju da ga ovdje, Mazra?"
Sensing Mazra's unease, Vara lowers her gaze, and then takes her cup and takes a big swig. With a *hic* and a rosy face, she hands the cup the Mazra for a refill of mead while he goes to get his own tankard filled up.
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It must be the wine mixed with the ale, Mazra's head begins to spin:
"Putem face aici, impreuna. Singur Supravietuitor nu va lucra în acest loc. Aveţi nevoie de cineva care să vizionaţi înapoi. Este bine sa fi gasit prieteni," he begins to hug everyone with small beeches slipping out.
"Vark my friend! Teach us a joyous song," Mazra gives the kindly Gnome a big smile.
As Vara takes care of his bite, he listens with a raised eyebrow about the great tree.
"Nani? I have heard a few strange things in my time, but a great big tree is new indeed."
Grunting he stands, feeling a bit dizzy but he manages to shake that off.
"Some people... where I come from, say that a serpent's venom is a blessing. Should one be bit, and then recover, there is strength to be gained in that."
Giving a wry grin, he says, "You gaijin, always so optimistic. Believe what you will. I will get to the cross roads in my own time. Nothing I do will change that. Keizoku wa chikara nari! Continuance is power! Let the past lie."
Making his way to the bar, he yells out, "Bar! I need medicine!"
Finding a table, he drinks and laughs at Varks antics, drinking heavily.
"Mazra, yujin! I do not understand. Hanasu common!" he slurs loudly, slipping in and out of tien.
Vark gladly pipes up at Mazra's request as he drunkenly sways over to the stage.
"Here's a little diddy you'll all enjoy!
The Nobleman laid with the scullery maid,
So loudly, they made quite a riot.
The Nobleman's Wife took the butchering knife,
And carved herself some peace and quiet!"
As he finishes with a flourish, Vark nearly tumbles off the stage, doubled over in laughter.
"The whole world is the Tree." Vara would have said enigmatically with a mysterious smirk to the quizzical Tian.
Knowing she would not have been able to stop Tamiro from getting the medicine he chooses, she would have quietly followed him to the bar to join Mazra and the others.
***
Vara smiles brightly at Mazra's happy words. "Asta este la fel de simt! Dacă ne pasă de celălalt, ne-am prospera."
"We prosper if we care for each other!" She repeats in common to Tamiro, "It is Varisian, my friend, the language of this place. You should learn!"
She squees then laughs as Mazra hugs her and then everyone else, and looks with bright-eyed anticipation on the delightful gnome.
She grins as Vark steps up to the stage, and then, as words of the drunken diddy fall on her ears, Vara's eyes and hand over her face show her disbelief. Did he really just... Talk about poison in the scullery!
Then, as the gnome tumbles down, drunk and merry, she too nearly falls from her seat as she bursts into a flurry of side-splitting laughter.
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Vark gladly pipes up at Mazra's request as he drunkenly sways over to the stage.
"Here's a little diddy you'll all enjoy!
The Nobleman laid with the scullery maid,
So loudly, they made quite a riot.
The Nobleman's Wife took the butchering knife,
And carved herself some peace and quiet!"As he finishes with a flourish, Vark nearly tumbles off the stage, doubled over in laughter.
Mazra tries to sing along to the tune, but it is obvious that this skill is better left to Vark. After the song, Mazra is rousing with good cheer, "Well, well good Gnome, that was quite the joyous song, particularly if you happen to be the Nobleman's Wife. It doesn't sound as joyous for the Nobleman or the Scullery Maid though. I hope there is no greater foretelling for us in using such a tune at such a time."
"Lady Knight, Nel. I believe that this serpent was sent through the window on purpose. There is a note in the scullery threatening mister Saul's life should her refuse to leave town. I have left it where I found it-to show everyone."
Sheathing her sword, Nel stays back as Vara and Mazra rush to help the injured scullery maid and Tamiro. Right as Nel was about to return to her post, Vara mentions the note. 'Great. First floating coins, now an assassination note. What next, fish learning to walk?' Frowning and heading into the small closet, Nel looks at the note over Vark's shoulder.
"It looks like Saul's past has come back to haunt all of us..."
Patting the gnome's shoulder in the most reassuring way she could muster, Nel offers him a reassuring smile. "This is just Riddleport politics. Zincher is probably just grumpy that Mr. Vancaskerkin is on the straight and narrow. This time next month, this will all just be a bad memory."
Listening at the heated discussion between Saul and Mazra, Nel keeps quiet, not wanting to pick between her coworker and her boss. She stays silent as Saul returns to his managerial duties.
"I'll join all of you later. I want to make sure that the rest of the staff is okay and everything has settled down from this afternoon." Offering the group of four a reassuring smile, Nel makes her way back to the front of the hall, where she smiles and greets newcomers and regulars. As the evening winds down, Nel swiftly returns to the groups quarters to change out of her armor into a more casual clothes.
Varisian:"Sandpoint is a nice town these days. Terrible Ale though. But then there were 'The Troubles'. The name they called a series of horrific events from a murderous wood sculptor named the Chopper, to the burning down of the town Cathedral, to Goblin raids, to a demon obsessed Aasimar, to an ancient Thassalonian demon living under the town, to more recently Stone Giants attacking with a Red Dragon. To say that recent events in Sandpoint have been interesting of late would be an understatement. But I needed to get away from there to find better Ale and better company."
Taking a seat next to the other Varisian, Nel frowns. "I remember the late unpleasantness. My mom lived in a house that had one of Stoot's carvings on it, while she was pregnant with me. She moved us to Magnimar shortly after she had me." Pulling out a coin from her purse, Nel begins to spin it on the bar, falling into a rhythm of stopping the coin just as it is about to fall and then immediately spinning it.
"But anyway, the past is in the past." Grabbing a bottle of something from behind the counter, Nel doesn't wait to see what it was before taking a hearty swig. "Lets just enjoy the here and now!"
A rather eventful first week has passed at the Gold Goblin.
Please make 3 additional days of checks to indicate your character's work for the Gold Goblin as outlined in this post. I have approved Vara's use of Heal to make money, as well as Strength/CMB checks for Tamiro.
Earlier this morning, Saul sent one of the new staff, a coupier named Saban, to the shared quarters, asking for all the juniors partners to attend a meeting at 10:00 AM the next morning. The summons was unusual; ever since the first day, he had not asked for a group meeting, but preferred to consult with individuals that he thought would have the most expertise in the specific area. Vara, in particular, he would call in for consultations on risky decisions, in order to be "harness her luck".
Saul is sits at his desk, smoking a thick cigar and staring in contemplation at the art of therianthropes playing golem. He lets out a huge plume of smoke as the first person enters the room and absentmindedly says, "I've been thinking, and I think I may be able to find a dragonhide-covered chair to replace this one with. Wyvern skin is a luxury, yes, but I can only imagine how nice dragonhide must feel. Thoughts?" He opens a snuffbox and offers some to everyone in the room before closing it and putting it back in his desk.
On the day after the snake incident, Vara is preoccupied with damage control. She helps Nel in trying to keep the guests calm and coming into the establishment, while also spreading the word of her massage services, while being careful to avoid any misunderstandings!
After that, for the next two days, she returns to aiding in weapon collection and keeping customers honest. She also resumes her massage service and kitchen inspection duties.
Vara would be visibly uneasy about being used as a good luck charm, and may make the occasional comment to Nel or Mazra about the foolish and dangerous superstitions of their employer. However, she otherwise would attend the meetings and contribute as best she can.
She coughs and waves away the the smoke and snuff. At the mention of dragonhide for his chair, she is reminded of the sagas of the great kings of the North, the Linnorm slayers who would rule her people and make for all their men the finest armor of dragon hide. He who fells the cursed wyrm shall be called king!
She looks alarmed at first, then dubious and wary, regarding Saul with an arched brows and bright eyes. "There is a dragon near Riddle Port you mean for us to slay?"
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Mazra provides extra aid to Vara to restore everyone to full health over the next three days. But this task doesn't take up too much time.
On the first day post Viper, he greets guest,
and help in Healing.
On the next day though, he gives it a shot working as a Dealer,
and do some healing.
He enjoys the task of Dealer, and tries it another day,
and also helps more with any healing.
On the day he is called to Saul's office, he goes with the party but hangs back to only listen. Mazra's loyalty is to his new found friends, and not so much to Saul; as he sees this man more and more as a brutish and crass individual. He sees that Saul needs this party a lot more than this party needs Saul. But he will follow Nel's lead in whatever comes. In the few short days they have been together, he has come to trust the Cavalier.
Saul's eyebrows shoot up as Vara speaks. There's a dragon outside Riddleport?" he says as he begins scribbling some numbers on a sheet of parchment. "I was just thinking of contacting some suppliers in Magnimar, maybe Absalom, but the profit margins would be enormous... and if you think the signs point that way, I would trust your luck..."
"But that isn't why I asked you in here." He glances quickly around the room and rolls his neck. "We may want to wait until more of our associates are here, though."
The resident gnome bard has a hangover.
After pounding on the solid oak door for five straight minutes, Saban is about to give up when he hears the great sorrowful moan of a titanic fanged beast. Vark had awaken.
He tumbles out of bed, hitting the floor–hard. He lay there for a long while, certain he had finally reached the great beyond, for surely no pain this great could possibly exist in the living world. To his utter dismay, he was wrong.
”UUUUuuhhhhhhhhoooooooaaahhhh…
…
The pounding. Wha- What is it? The Hammer of the Gods!? My head is split in two! Is there a priest in the house? Help!”
As he realizes Death herself may be knocking at his door, a nervous panic hits Vark full force, sending him into a blur of action. Unfortunately for him, the blur doesn’t last long for as soon as he attempts to jump to his feet, hot lightning shoots through his skull and the resulting vertigo sends him tumbling back to the ground in a heap, rolling under the bed in a tangled mass of sheets and rumpled finery.
Vark the gnome wasn’t quite ready to start the day.
When Vark finally recovers, he returns to his normal performing schedule, teaching the other new found talent his wide repertoire of stage tricks and techniques.
Saul's eyebrows shoot up as Vara speaks. There's a dragon outside Riddleport?" he says as he begins scribbling some numbers on a sheet of parchment. "I was just thinking of contacting some suppliers in Magnimar, maybe Absalom, but the profit margins would be enormous... and if you think the signs point that way, I would trust your luck..."
"But that isn't why I asked you in here." He glances quickly around the room and rolls his neck. "We may want to wait until more of our associates are here, though."
"I had thought that was what you implied-" Her expression goes from wary to confused. Then she gasps and her cheeks turn rosy, she explains, "ah, I am still learning your southern customs... I did not realize it was possible to buy dragon hide. That is the sort of thing a Northern lord would have in his keep- king of all the North were it Linnorm, and the beast would have been slain by 'is own hand. Please forgive my misunderstanding. I find this custom of buying the hides of such powerful beasts... to be very strange."
She snickers, and grins, looking around at the others and then back to Saul, "I am flattered that you have such faith in me- in us!"
"Ah, yes," Saul says as he continues to puff on his cigar, the acrid smoke filling the room, "the northern customs are so quaint. Reminds me of when life was simpler... but we're civilized now, and that means you can find anything you want if you've got the gold to spare."
"But that is besides the point. It seems like the rest of the crew isn't bothering to get out of bed, so I'll cut to the quick. The floor manager, Larur Feldin, has gone missing. I've hired on some extra help for today. Got it at a good price too - some half-elf with red hair who foolishly thought one of the of the Cyphermages would take her on. Our gain, her loss. Anyway, that's for later.
"I sent a runner to Feldin's flat, just to check and see if he was still sleeping off his drink. The place was empty and completely destroyed - the front door was off its hook, no valuables left behind. Of course, Feldin wasn't there. You need to figure out what happened to Feldin. Last I knew, he was visiting a moneylender, Lymas Sneed. Maybe he ran into trouble there. I don't know, but I want him back as soon as possible."
Tamiro comes into the room, still languid from lack of sleep.
"Asa wa korosu.."
"Bosu, what is it you want?" he says grumpily, finding a chair and collapsing in it.
Finding something to eat, he grabs at it and begins gnawing.
Listening he raises an eyebrow and growls, "It must have been that Zincher. I will cut the skin from his bones!"
"Engu er heillandi um villimenn sem veiði drekinn konar." Vara murmurs coldly in her native Skald.
"It could've been Zincher, or any one of Saul's former playmates," she says, not entirely hiding a hint of spite in her voice.
Her tone then changes to practical, her eyes bright as she verbally works through the problem at hand. "The wise course would to be find a trail and follow it! Perhaps if we go to Feldin's homestead to see if we find any trace left by whoever spoiled it. Or perhaps we could seek out this Lymas Sneed fellow. If Feldin fell into trouble with him, then maybe he knows something, or saw something..."
Saul says, "Well, Lymas Sneed isn't exactly an unknown. His base of operations - his house, really, that he then lends money out of. It's down on Rat Street. He calls the gaudy place Rat Street Loans."
As the conversation continued, Vara had been taking the occasional irregular step or pace back toward the door - and out of the central cloud of spoke Saul had been blowing into the room.
"If we are to find a trail, then we should not tarry. Shall we go to this Street of Rats? Seems to me like as good a place as any to begin!" Vara then stops just before she backs into the door, looking behind herself.
If Nel is in the room, she looks to her, hopefully, if not, then she looks to the others generally, "Shall we go to rouse the others? Að og frá þeim reyk!"
So here are the rolls, if they are needed. Since she is doing this during down time, perhaps she would be the one aiding. After all, after a full day of work, she would mostly want to relax, though she would have certainly checked on poor Gildi and helped out however she could. That is, unless she can still function as the main healer during her down time- and her rolls happen to be super high!
She smiles at Mazra, "Some of them may still be sleepy with last eve's drink. Shall we stop by the bar to gather what we need to help them clear their heads?" She winks at Mazra.
"That is, if there is nothing else, mister Saul?" She asks quickly, looking back at the Propieter, a foot already out the door.
Nel, like most mornings, had been in the barn when Saban came to inform the junior partners about Saul's planned meeting. After a couple of hours of quality time with Gabraltar and Kino, Nel had wandered back into the hall, preparing to get ready for the first part of the day as marketing the Golden Goblin.
As she left the shared quarters, the half-elf pauses as Mazra and Vara leave Saul's office. "What's going on? Did I miss something?" Tightening the last band on her gauntlet, Nel ensures that her armor is properly in place before leaving the gambling hall.
The day is fairly nice, but as you move around the Gold Goblin, Samaritha is looking shocked as a purple mist covers her. She casts a spell, and more mist floats away from her as the magic cleans a nearby table.
Seeing Nel and Vara, she anxiously asks them, "Do you know what is going on? All my spells giving off this mist. They're working normally, I think..." She bends over an examines the wood table. "Yeah, it's clean. I don't know what's going on!"
Exiting after Mazra and Vara, and seeing Nel down the corridor, he draws his blade, flourishing it and roaring, "Ken otome! Come! We have Zincher to kill! We send him to the crossroads of Hell."
He grins widely, and taps his fist to Nel's shoulder, "We fight together again! Draw and let us spill his blood!"
When the party finally attempts to rouse Vark from his slumber, it proves to be a difficult task.
Hungover Vark isn't quite the same jovial happy-go-lucky gnome that you've come to expect from Sober Vark. He stomps past the party, hair and beard sticking out every which way, clothes a disheveled mess and makes his way down to the common room. Only after a few cups of strong coffee and a heaping plate of salty bacon and greasy eggs does Vark finally begin to seem like his old self. The pounding in his head subsides and the perpetual scowl from his face lifts, replaced by his usual carefree visage.
"Remind me to ask what vineyard that wine came from. I do believe they tried to poison me!"
After hearing Sam's exclamation pertaining to her spells, "Hmm, very odd indeed. Maybe this is related to the floating metal objects from before?"
"Here, let me try a spell." Vark casts summon instrument, attempting to summon a lute to idly strum while they try to figure out exactly what is going on here.
"I drank me wine,
Sure all'd be fine,
Felt the devil's kiss,
Now our spells summon mist..."
Strum, strum... "The gods must surely be pissed..." He trails off, flashing an uneasy grin to the party.
Nel, like most mornings, had been in the barn when Saban came to inform the junior partners about Saul's planned meeting. After a couple of hours of quality time with Gabraltar and Kino, Nel had wandered back into the hall, preparing to get ready for the first part of the day as marketing the Golden Goblin.
As she left the shared quarters, the half-elf pauses as Mazra and Vara leave Saul's office. "What's going on? Did I miss something?" Tightening the last band on her gauntlet, Nel ensures that her armor is properly in place before leaving the gambling hall.
”Ah, Lady Nel!” Vara cries, clearly glad to see the other half-elf. ”Saul told us our floor manager, Larur Feldin has gone missing.” She stops as Tamiro pushes past her to speak of drawing swords and spilling blood.
She smiles coyly at the spirited samurai, and then clarifies, speaking up in her soprano voice, "Our trail shall likely lead us to conflict. However, we do not know yet who is behind Feldin's disappearance. Still, one of our own has vanished, and he was last said to be visiting some coin lender on the Street of Rats. So that is where we are headed, once we find our drunken gnome!"
Vara looks with motherly sympathy on the poor hungover Vark, and would help keep his coffee mug filled during breakfast until he feels better. She is happy to hear him sing, a sign he is beginning to return to himself. Then, head tilted aside at the strange magical affects appearing all around, she casts detect magic to see if magic is in the air all over, or if only the mist and spells being cast are magical.
"The mist is floating upwards, toward the blot..." She observes in a grim tone as she concentrates on the magical aura. "I have a bad feeling about this."
"Strange... I sense no magic in the mists or in the air. How are these spells being altered?" Vara wonders aloud.
Tamiro guffaws at Vara, "It is his fault. The money man is a dead end, a decoy. He will not fool me!"
Watching as Vara and Tamiro bickered about the new assignment, Nel rubs the bridge of her nose, already feeling a headache forming courtesy of the missing floor manager. "Do we have any leads?" Nel asks as she half walks, half-herds everyone downstairs, in an attempt to make sure that the group can start finding out their way-ward employee.
As they all reach the main room, Nel sigh as she spots Samaritha covered in purple smog. "Good morning Sam." Grabbing a bucket with a brush, Nel brings it over to the cyphermage hopeful. "If the spells are causing this effect, we should switch to elbow grease. I'm sure that it will pass shortly, and you can go back to the old way of cleaning tables."
Smiling pleasantly at the rest of the floor, Nel helps lead the much smaller Tamiro outside. "Tamiro, not everything is caused by Zincher. We need to have proof before we topple the entire social structure of Riddleport. After all we should try to avoid kaden rika. Perhaps, finding our missing manager will point us to Zincher."
Nel is trying to tell Tamiro that she wants to avoid moving against Zincher until she has substantial proof to bring to the overlord.
Vara is eager to go on the hunt. With no need to be led down, she walked briskly as soon as people started moving, and answered Tamiro over her shoulder, paying no attention to his guffaws. "Whoever is at fault, our first aim should be to find the one who is lost!" Hesitating only to wait for the others, she would have answered Nel's question about leads on the way down stairs.
"Leads. Vísbending? Ya. We have two. There is the money lender on the rats' street, and there is Feldin's home, which someone has tarnished. Though perhaps from searching these two, a third appears..."
Once downstairs, Vara at first did what she could to help Vark sober up. At present, she is too concerned about the strange effects of what seems to be the blot's mysterious influence on magic, without a trace of a magical aura of its own, and so does not immediately partake of any further discussion.
As Vark begins to sing and lighten the mood, she leads him and any others outside to where the rest of the party is headed. She would appear mildly unsettled, and is quite clearly glancing at the sky from time to time with a worried expression.
After overhearing the plight of the missing floor manager, Vark quickly perks up, "Adventure to be had and an epic tale in the making! Yes, let us go see what has become of our fair associate!"
He brazenly begins heading outside with the others, but stops short, "But not without my spear-flag!"
Vark turns and bolts up the stairs back to his living quarters where he finds the spear leaning against a wall in the corner of the room. He speeds back downstairs to catch up with the group, banner whipping in the wind behind him.
"Hopefully sometime along the way we can learn more about that eyesore," he says as he looks up at the calamity in the sky. "Floating metal, purple mists. Whatever it is, it can't be good..."
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On Rat Street, Lymas Smeed's house is easy to spot. Among the rundown homes and squalid apartments, the sign reading "Rat Street Loans - by appointment only" stands out with its glittering pile of painted coins. While it would likely look quite dingy in nicer parts of the city, it is bright and clean among the street littered with refuse and stinking of human filth. The house itself is a stand-alone building with alleys on both sides.
"In learning more of blot... would we save ourselves from whatever evil is behind it, or would we bring its darkness down upon us?" Vara riddles grimly. She shakes herself, and then pulls herself together with a breath. "Ah, I see Mazra has his bjór, and Vark has his banner. We are ready; Să departe!"
"Harður to saya what's worse... Saul's chimney of an office or this place... Nur venaer I was beginning to like cities, we are reminded of just how unnatural it is for so many to gather in a closed space."
Regarding the clean building with more approval, she looks at the sign, "This looks vie the place..." She squints momentarily at the word appointment - despite her excellent eye sight - "O capăt? It says we need an appointment, - însă, shall we go in?"
Blinking at Nel in surprise, he speaks to her quizicolly, "Anata wa Tien o hanasu hōhō o s$~#te iru?" 1
Listening to the group, he frowns.
"Eh...very well. We will get this money man first." sheathing his blades, he follows the rest grumpily.
Following along, he watches the streets lazily, his mind dwelling on the removal Zincher.
Raising an eyebrow at the upcoming building that is supposed to be the loan rats, he chuckles.
"A man such as this could not have committed such a crime. He brings too much attention to himself." Walking up to the door, he bangs on the door with his fist.
"Kon ichi wa! Rat! We have questions! Hiraku!"2 he roars.
"Na Klar. This does look like the sort of place where we should watch our backs..." She muses in agreement with Mazra's advice.
While Tamiro takes the more direct approach, Vara looks around and listens to see if anything in the area is amiss or for any other details of note.
Riding Gabraltar through town was a nice change of pace, but when they got to money lender office, Nel dismounts. "Okay 'bral, just like we practice. Gaurd!" Pointing to the door, Nel hopes that her horse will listen to her better than the samurai
"I'm going to check the back, to make sure that no one slips out." Nel states to the group, before walking down the left alley to check the back.