Ortik returned to Zellara's home with Lyla after their visit to the Citadel, and slept the first sound sleep he'd had since the Old Man was incarcerated. He woke up with the dawn, and opened the window to let the cold air upon his face chase away the sleep and looked out over the people below, going about their daily routine.
He looks back at the bed that he had slept in the last two nights. He could count the number of times he'd slept on an actual bed on both hands, and never twice in a row. "Don't grow used to it," he chuckles to himself. "Easy come, easy go. That's the rules of the street." There was no need to get dressed, as he slept in his clothes, another habit from living on the street. He walks downstairs and starts gathering food to make a simple breakfast. He turns to the children who were already up and in the downstairs with a smile.
"Who wants flapjacks?"
"I'd forgotten the sounds of a child up earlier than me." Demitri wakes up thinking.
"You need any help with that?" He then turns to the children. "Go wash your faces and get ready for breakfast."
You can hear grumbling as the children begin filing into the small washroom. There's a queue going back to the door at the end of the hall.
"With this many?", the dwarf asks with a grin. "Grab an apron and get on in here!" He slides some eggs Demitri's way. "Scrambled, if you please."
Karri comes downstairs in no great hurry. Her restless night leaves her with a haunted look, but her mind is at ease. Maybe if I focus on something bigger than myself, I can reign in this choir? Coming into the kitchen, passing through the queue of little ones she thinks, Is caring for these going to be enough? Not likely, Zellara said the city[/I] needs help. But the children will be a start...[/I]
"Ortik. Is there anything I can do to help?" The question is plain, but her expression says her mind has turned inward again.
"I can do scrambled, though breakfast was not my strong suit." Demitri starts cracking eggs. "You can help get the children ready for breakfast. I can hear fighting already."
Karri looks at Demitri. "Maybe I should do breakfast and you deal with the civil disturbances? I don't know that I have the skills to do it... right." She holds up her hands, helpless at the thought of corralling children.
"I'm sure you'll do fine. Just be kind, but act like an adult. They'll respond. I also think it'll do you some good. I'm already covered in egg anyway. And you look tired, getting washed up yourself wouldn't hurt either."
Waking to the sound of a house full of children, Jakob sits up slowly and pulls himself out of bed, yawning. He shuffles down the stairs to the kitchen and raises an eyebrow at the sight of the egg-covered ex-guardsman advising the possessed sorceress on child care.
Hearing the sounds of battle from the next room, he walks in. He pulls the combatants apart and sighs.
"You may not be Lamm's lambs anymore," he says, his tone mild "But you're not going act like a pack of wolf-pups while you're under Madame Zellara's roof. Especially before breakfast."
The kids settle down once Jakob steps in, their eyes wide. If nothing else, they remember how easily he freed them from Lamm.
"Er--we didn't mean nothin' by it, ser..." One of the kids starts, but stops once Jakob looks at him. "Sorry..."
Nadia is the first one downstairs, her hair wet and stuck to her face. The sight of her father preparing eggs causes her to giggle a bit. She walks over to the table and hops into a chair, swinging her legs back and forth.
Ortik spoons some batter onto a hot skillet and begins searching for something to flip the pancake with. "Where do you suppose a ghost keeps her spatula?", he wonders aloud as he digs through a drawer full of kitchen tools.
Ortik finds a clean spatula in the drawer he's looking in, buried underneath carving knives, spoons and a couple dozen forks.
Karri steps into the hall about the time Jakob does. She watches amazed as he issues his instructions and with barely a word the children are in line and calm. The scarred girl is quiet a moment but gets an idea to keep the kids attention. "Does anyone know the words to the song "BaaBaa Black Sheep?" She smiles and begins the ditty: "Baa Baa black sheep, have you any wool? Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full. One for the master, one for the dame and one for the little girl that lives down the lane." Glad the kids are singing Karri smiles. The wistful moment passes, intrusions from within: You'll never have children! Not even a real woman are you? Karri turns away and clamps down, silencing the Legion trying to break her heart.
Demitri just smiles, first at Nadia then at Karri singing with the rest of the children. "I told you so. You're a natural, you'll make a great mother someday."
Jakob nearly jumps when Karri starts to sing, but after a moment he hums along. He gives her a smile and a nod of encouragement as the children join in.
The kids finish washing up, their mood lightened by nursery songs about sheep and wool. Soon the main room of the house is crowded with children.
The smell of cooking pancakes causes a stir amongst the children. All eyes are on Ortik & Demitri as they cook.
Marissel wakes to the sounds of children singing. A smile spreads slowly over his face. He makes his way downstairs for breakfast.
Lyla tries to sleep through all the noise, but eventually gives up and leaves bed to meet the rest of the group. As usual, she is the last one up. Before leaving the room, she dresses up for guard duty. Smelling breakfast, she goes to the kitchen to grab a bite, greets everyone and takes a spoonfull of scrambled eggs and a couple of pancakes to eat on the way. Just as she is about to leave, she turns back to the group and asks "So, anyone else enlisted to help Field Marshall Kroft? I'm on my way to Citadel Volshyenek, in case any of you want to come along." There's a hint of sadness in her voice.
"Of course I am, Lyla," Ortik says, collecting dirty dishes. "I meant what I said last night. Give me half a moment." Ortik pulls a few of the older boys and girls together, and seats them down. "While we're away, you six are in charge. You're each in charge of chores around here - cleaning, tidying, cooking, and so on. I'll give you some leave to divide the responsibilities, but at the end of the day, it's your responsibility to make sure it's taken care of. And that doesn't give you leave to slack off - there's more than enough work around here to occupy all your hands. If you've any questions?"
Once their questions are satisfied, Ortik prepares to leave with Lyla.
The six orphans Ortik chose all nod. "Aye, ser!"
It takes roughly six seconds before they begin squabbling over who has to do which chores.
They settle down after a couple of minutes, each of them figuring out which ones for them to do.
"Yes, I was told she needed to see me. Let me get cleaned up and I'll go with you." Demitri will go upstairs to wash the egg off himself and to put on his equipment. Before he leaves the house, he picks up Nadia to give her a kiss. "You be good and listen to the older kids. I'll be back later today. I just have some work to do." He then hugs her one last time before putting her down. "Let's get going."
Yes, I'm coming. Marissel stands before realizing he hadn't finished breakfast yet. He sits down quickly and stuffs the rest of it in his mouth, Mles bet boin, he says through a mouthful of pancake.
Nadia hugs Demitri as he turns to leave. "Come back soon, Daddy."
As you open the door to Zellara's home, the first thing that greets you is the smell of the harbor: fish and saltwater. The walk to Citadel Volshyenek is a crowded one, with fishermen and dockworkers putting in their share of labor in preparation for Sunday.
You reach the Citadel without incident, and the two guardsmen on duty give you a nod as you approach. Apparently, you are expected.
Stepping through the gates, you can see that the training yard is barely in use. There are a couple of guardsmen taking swings at practice dummies, but for the most part, the Citadel appears to be manned by a skeleton crew.
"Field Marshal Kroft's in her office, citizens. Just on your left." One of the guards says, pointing to a set of great oak double doors to the left of the yard.
"Thank you, ser," Ortik says with a nod to the guard, and heads towards the double doors without stopping. For the most part, he remembers the way, and leads the party through the citadel proper to her office. "I believe this is hers," he says, turning to Demitri for confirmation.
You can confirm that this is indeed Kroft's office.
"Yes, it is." Demitri replies before knocking on the door.
Jakob slips out with Demitri and Ortik to go and meet Kroft, lurking behind them with a mild look on his face.
You hear the *clanking* of mail-clad footsteps from behind the door. The doors swing open, revealing a large room with a grand table in its center, lined with chairs on all sides. The back of the room has a desk decorated with images of pseudodragons and a high-backed chair with comfortable-looking cushions next to it.
Standing before you, clad in red & grey plate mail armor, is Field Marshal Cressida Kroft. Her brown hair is rather messy, her grey eyes have a hardened edge to them. Her expression changes from annoyance to relief.
"Well, I didn't expect Lyla to come back with so many people, especially not one of my old guards. Come on in, have a seat." She says, moving away from the doors.
"I was under the impression you wanted to see me." Demitri says as he takes a seat.
Jakob walks in, slowly, taking in the Field Marshal with a hint of worry on his brow. Aside from Demitri, most of the guards he's seen in the city have been hard to tell from the strong-arm thugs of the gangs, but Kroft is different. Her armor is clearly a badge of pride, and she moves with a prowess that speaks highly of her skills. After a moment, he realizes he's been staring, and flushes.
"Good morning, Field Marshal," He says, and gives a low bow before sitting and doing his best to disappear.
Karri stands with the group in Marshal Kroft's office, she watches. WE watch, this and so much more... useususeus! She smirks at Jakob's 'admiration' of the Marshal. She bows, and introduces herself. "I am Karri Chouk, a recent associate of Demitri, Ortik and Lyla." She offers her hand, at once proud and shamed by the scars she bears on her arms.
Marissel clears his throat, I am Marissel Corliss. We were . . . he pauses for a moment before continuing, We were all together yesterday when the Queen instructed us to see you, but many of us had some errands to run. Marissel bows quickly, then finds a seat.
"Yeah, it took some convincing, but I got them all here. It's hard out there for a concerned citzen..."
Kroft nods at Demitri, walking with you towards the table in the middle of the room.
"I'll bet." She replies to Marissel & Lyla, taking a seat at the head of the table.
"Now, onto business. I've heard that you all had a hand in bringing down Gaedren Lamm. Not that such an act of vigilantism was unwarranted, or even undesired, but vigilante activity still falls outside the bounds of the law. So you'll have to understand that I can't officially hire any of you as Guardsmen. Not even you, Demitri. Sorry." She says, giving Demitri an apologetic look.
"What I CAN do, however, is hire you as agents of the Guard: not wearing the uniform, but acting on my authority. You can trust me when I say that I'll ensure you're well-compensated for your services." She leans back in her chair. "Starting with this: if you agree to work for me, I'll ensure you have a line of credit at the Three Rings Tavern in North Point. Classy, low-profile, and damn good food, drink & rooms. The proprietor is an old friend of mine, she'll go for it. What do you think?"
"Three Rings Tavern—wow! I say I'm in... but we already shook on it, anyway. Will we work together?", she asks looking at the group.
Ortik blinks, surprised at the Field Marshall's generosity. "I...I don't know what to say, Maam," the dwarf stammers. "You're sure that your friend won't mind having me there? I'm liable to lower the property value." Already though, his mind is working. A place like that is bound to throw away more food than they can use. I might be able to work something out with this Theandra for the Forgottenfolk.
"Stow the apology. We did what needed to be done. I've never heard of Three Rings, so it must be high end." Demitri says before looking to Lyla. "We will."
Karri smiles at the offer of room and board at such an extravegant tavern. "I would take this duty, M'Lady." She pauses and offers an explanation: "A friend of mine asked me to look after her affairs in Korvosa..."
Kroft chuckles at Ortik's remark.
"Oh, don't worry. Odds are, Theandra's been in dungeons and caves that smell worse than you. She won't mind. The clientele might complain, but they'll fall in line if they know what's good for them."
"We'll work together," Jakob says. He listens to the offer that the Field Marshal presents and chuckles to himself. "Good thing we won't be in uniform, or I'd never able to show my face in Old K again."
It's a deal, he says loudly.
Kroft smiles. "Well, glad to hear that's settled, then."
Her smile changes to a serious look. "Korvosa's been going mad for the past couple of days ever since King Eodred passed away. The riots are bad enough, but what really makes things worse is the fact that some of my guards decided they could help Korvosa put itself back together in their own way."
"I've had a few guards resign in order to keep their families safe--" She looks over at Demitri briefly before looking back to the rest of you. "--and that's not something I have a problem with. The problem I'm having is that a squad of my guards decided to follow your example, Demitri, in all the wrong ways." She looks back to Demitri.
"There's five guards that deserted: Corporal Baldrago Westlake, Private Malder Fetton, Private Karralo Sand, Private Parns Storm, and their leader, Sergeant Verik Vancaskerkin." She lists off their names, raising fingers as she names them. "Verik got it into his head that Queen Ileosa is going to drive the city to ruin, and convinced his squad to desert in order to serve the people in a better way."
"I can't afford to send any of my regular patrols after him to bring him in, so that's why I'm leaving this to you. He and his squad are holed up in an old butcher's shop in Northgate: the place used to be called All The World's Meat." She folds her arms, leaning back in her chair.
"Now, let me make something clear: I want you to bring them in alive, if at all possible. Verik especially: Demitri, you and I both know he isn't brave enough to do this without someone backing him. If you can find out why he deserted--letters, a confession, anything--it'll go a long way to keeping something like this from happening again."
"Verik's worth 1000 Crowns to me alive, and only half that dead. Any questions?" Kroft finishes.
"I'm glad I inspired people. I do remember Verik. Follows orders well enough, but no initiative or ambition. He definitely got this idea from someone. No questions from me."
Jakob listens carefully as Kroft explains the mission. At first, her story confirms his worst assumptions about Korvosa's guards are confirmed, and besides, who's to say Ileosa isn't going to drive the city into ruin? When she starts saying that someone must be backing the deserters, though, he frowns. There were plenty of powerful players in Korvosa's underworld who would eagerly snap up a squad of guards as muscle.
He clears his throat and can't quite look the Field Marshal in the eye. "Any idea what they're doing at this butcher's shop? It's only, the last one we went after, Gaedrenn Lamm, was doing something funny with fish meat, and now these guys are in a butcher shop." He shrugs.
Kroft addresses Jakob.
"Well, from what I've heard, Verik and his gang stockpiled a supply of meat that they're handing out to folks in need. When the riots went down, food started getting scarce. I don't know how or where Verik got his hands on a shipment of meat, since shipments of food from the outlying farms were cut off. But I do know that he's got himself a steady supply of customers: if you ask around North Point, odds are you'll find out more."
A puzzled look appears on Kroft's face, giving way to irritation. "If Verik's started aping Lamm, he must be the dumbest man alive."
"Can't say I disagree with their decision, Field Marshall," Ortik says. "Especially if their motives are as altruistic as they say. But I agree with Jakob here - the meat Verik is passing out might be the same stuff that Lamm had at his warehouse, and that is what concerns me."
Lyla sticks her tongue out and makes a face. "Blergh. From what we've seen that could well be Little Lamm meat... ugh", she shudders. "Well, let's get those creeps. Need me to scout ahead?", she asks, looking at Cressida.
Kroft nods at Lyla, the color beginning to drain from her face.
"It'd be a good idea to scout the place out first. They normally serve customers during daylight hours and lock up at night."
She rubs her forehead. "Gods above, I hope you're wrong, Lyla."
Jakob nodded at Lyla's suggestion.
"Any of us could go in to get some meat when they're open," he said. "If they're giving it away, word will spread. They won't have any reason to look too hard at a beggar, or a dock worker, or anyone looking for a free meal."