After the spectacle Odd'n makes of himself is over, he finds himself north of town, devoid of an audience, throwing money into the deaf desert. Nani does her best to ignore the drunken giant as she answers Gwyn's question, "Kill him?! Whatever for? Landis may be a rogue, he may play fast and loose with the rules sometimes, but he's never done anything worth getting him killed...but then, he's never been more than a footie in that gang..." she loses herself in thought for a moment before shaking her head and returning, "in any case, it's like you say, he's a victim of circumstance. Anything he does outside of gamble--and occasionally cheat at gambling--he does to stay alive in that gang. The Upright Man's mob." She shutters as she says The Upright Man.
Garret refuses the help from Bronan, opting to earn the discount rather than take favors.
Odd'n sullenly, and clumsily, gathers himself and pushes himself off the ground and stumbles back towards Gwyn with his eyes downcast; the gold he had thrown into the desert already forgotten .
"Yeth.. yeths.. bad start not must make bad mehn.. you see.. you learn.." he mutters through his teary eyes as he claps his hands to get the dirt off them before wiping his eyes dry, unfortunately smearing dirt and tears all over his face.
Still in a mild stupor, Odd'n laughs upon hearing the name 'upright man'. "Aha.. sirrlly nem.. upright man. That.. that is.. downright.. sirlllyyyy!!"
"The Upright Man?" Gwyn asks even as her mind whirs to see if the name is familiar.
Upon seeing the burly man, she made to go and have a word with him. Then, she realized how futile that would be, and instead raced for the money, which was something she liked a lot. While not inherently greedy, she was not above accepting free money, especially when someone else rejected it, and was perfectly fine with borrowing goods that were obviously left abandoned by said goods' owners.
She apparently cared little about the presence of the two as she collected the money, given that she fell to her knees to collect it and place it in a small makeshift pocket in her skirt (as much of a pocket as can be made anyways, given its length). In a strange and comedic twist of fate, she was wearing her raggedy and torn furs, so she did have an air perhaps of a poor person, and was fully ready to start bluffing it if confronted.
The things I do for other people. I should be rewarded handsomely for this. But they may not understand. I'm saving their money, so it's not stealing! Yes, the money would just sit on the floor and accomplish nothing, so I'll give it a new task! It'll be glorious!
The words ran through her mind as she pocketed the money, and reassured her she was in the right here.
"You're not familiar?" Nani asked, surprised, "Forgive me, but from your get-up and your company," she indicated Odd'n, "I assumed you'd at least heard of him." She swallows, and instinctively looks about to see who might be listening, "He owns half of Krisol, the seedy half, I hear he has his hand in every pocket in the lower town, and even a few in the upper town. That and he employs nearly all of the vagabonds in the western shanties. That's where Landis grew up, and at a young age, he was given the same choice they're all given: work for the Upright Man, or go wanting." She sighs, "It's not a difficult decision for most."
As she nears the money, she watches the big man trudge back inside.
"Lan.. Landish.. he.. he was the guy.. he say he lead band. Buh.. buht you say he ithn't ledder! So.. why he.. why he on road with beshee? It no guhd, him.. him on road.. harassing poor. Can.. can he stahp..? Why not buy them to stahp..?"
"I grew up in South Shanty, and I've been living at in the Shelynite church in Center Shanty for the past two years," Gwyn tells Nani before turning to Odd'n.
"It's a protection racket. You send a group of thugs out to extort money from people who own homes or shops on your turf. They pay up, in return, you don't smash everything they own. It's probably the same deal here, and if it is, you can bet that this Upright Man has a bunch of cutthroats ready to kill anyone who defies him."
Something dawns on her and she turns back to the ifrit woman.
"Do you know if he wiped out a gang in South Shanty two years ago?"
Bronan takes his time with lunch. "I'll keep that in mind." he replies. "Looks like I've got some time to spare while Umaveti wrangles the kid. What does one do around here for fun?" he asks, not overly optimistic.
Nani looks down and away at the suggestion, "It's not for me to say," Nani answers, "But you say an entire gang was massacred. I wonder how many men have the power for such a feat?" At this she walks off toward the northwest room of the building. Shortly after entering it, the girl and her man hear her squeal, frightened.
"Fun? Ha!" Lars chuckles, "The best we can do is wait around for Mikaiela to uh..." he looks around, "clean under the bar. Otherwise, the only fun in these parts is generally had by the children of the miners' families," he juts his finger west toward the tents.
"It wasn't a big gang, just about a dozen thieves and cutthroats." Gwyn says before Nani leaves.
Then comes the scream.
Gwyn is running to the room she saw the other woman go into before she even has a chance to think.
"Nani? Are you alright? What's wrong?" The young rogue calls out as she skids to a stop at the doorway.
Seeing Gwyn sprint away towards the scream, Odd'n stumbles behind her as best he can without falling over. As Gwyn skids to a stop in the doorway, Odd'n bumbles into the back of her and knocks them both a little into the room behind/on top of Nani.
"Wha.. who der..?! COME OUT!" Odd'n challenges whomever scared Nani and set Gwyn on edge, his eyes scanning the room for something to punch.
--Gwyn & Odd'n--
As Gwyn reaches the open doorway, she sees Nani standing with her hands up around her head, shaking it as if she'd seen her father naked and was trying to shake out the image. Umaveti steps forward, also asking if Nani is alright; apparently he'd been in the room when it happened. "What happened?" he asks in tandem with Gwyn's questions, he puts a taloned hand on her shoulder to comfort her, "What did you see?"
Soon Nani regains her composure, and answers both of them rather dismissively, "Oh nothing, I thought I saw...nevermind." Quickly changing the subject she asks the librarian, "I thought you were going to see Minah?"
"I was," his whispy voice assured her, "I walked into this dark bedroom, and well, the trip caught up with me," he gestured toward the unkempt bed, indicating he'd had a brief siesta. "I'm up now, though, would you care to join me? Gwyn? Odd'n?" He offers to them. Nani nods in agreement, and turns to the others, waiting for their replies.
Odd'n, his stomach and head still upset with the mornings festivities, merely shrugs at the suggestion as he backs up a bit from the door to let the lot of them past. "Wrell.. sshuuurre, Gwyn.. we go.. wid dem?"
Taking the money, Mikaiela returned to the bar, now 78 gold pieces richer.
Upon entering the bar, she waved to Lars and Bronan as she made her way behind the counter. She however, didn't seem to make a move to change her attire. Rather, she kept her current torn outfit that barely covered what it needed to (and did so strategically, certainly making it a personal choice as opposed to a mere lack of funds).
She smiled at Bronan, than tented her fingers, as if waiting for him to make a request. However, she immediately moved to sign to Lars. If Bronan couldn't understand sign language, she was simply flailing her arms and hands in intricate patterns.
{Hey! What were you guys talking about? It seemed interesting.}
She was usually oblivious to things, because she couldn't actually hear them.
"Uh.. ARE YOU ALL RIGHT MISS?." Bronan says slowly and louder than his usual tone. "YOUR CLOTHES I MEAN." he gestures for emphasis.
"What I heard didn't sound like it was nothing to just ignore. What happened?" Gwyn asks, something in the back of her mind ringing little warning bells.
Mikaiela turned to face Bronan, and snapped, her expression turning sour. She began to reply in sign.
{... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...! ... ... ... ... ... ..., ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ..., ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...}
{I'll have you know this attire has weathered a few adventures and then some! If it bothers you that much, then I suppose I'll fix that issue. As an aside, I hate mucking about in dirt in fancy clothes.}
She then set her pack down and pulled out her chef's attire, changing on the spot in front of Bronan and Lars. Apparently, she lacked undergarments for her chest. Regardless of their actions or comments, unless physically stopped, she would finish changing, and then fix her glasses.
--Gwyn & Odd'n--
In a hushed tone, Nani answers, "It's really quite embarrassing, I'd really rather not say."
--Mikaiela & Bronan--
Lars elbows Bronan in the ribs, more out of guilt than anything else, "She's deaf, boyo, as in completely deaf. It doesn't matter how loud you speak." Seeing Mikaiela's signs, he continues, "And from what I can gather, she understood you none-the-less and is insulted, as these are her work clothes. They're meant more for labor than looks." Finally, his pupils dilate and his jaw drops (along with Tanwen's) as she disrobes in front of them all. Tanwen then finds herself on the other side of the bar, invading Mikaiela's personal space. The acolyte ogles Mikaiela's form, and signs to her fluently
Sensing that Gwyn isn't quite ready to let Nani off the hook just yet, Odd'n turns and leans back through the doorway.
"Shee.. shee jus' embarrass. Mehbay.. maybay Umavati.. getting.. dress and she see!" Odd'n slaps Nani on the shoulder and lets out a boisterous laugh (which abruptly ends with a grumble from his stomach). Rubbing his gut, Odd'n continues; "Ennyway, lets.. go.. ehm.. what are we doenng aggehn?"
"Okay, if you say so." Gwyn says before leading Odd'n to find the others. A few minutes later, she finds Bronan.
"Looks like we've got a dilemma. Landis is probably working for someone called the Upright Man, and he may be being coerced into being a bandit to fill this man's coffers." she whispers to him in low tones.
"That's not what I meant." Bronan mumbles. He tries to fixate on a point on the floor as Mikaiela undresses. Despite his noble efforts, he does get an eyeful and blushes. "Tell her I was just concerned is all. It looked like she'd just been in a fight."
Bronan whispers back "Who is this 'Upright Man'? Some kind of criminal mastermind on the island?"
"I guess so. That's what it sounded like to me," Gwyn whispers back. Then noticing the color of Bronan's face, she asks innocently, "Why are you blushing? Did something happen before Odd'n and I got here?"
Mikaiela swiftly finishes changing outfits, and simply glances at Bronan with a scowl, conveniently pretending Tanwen wasn't there, even though she was aware she was. Now back in her chef garb, she waited to see if Bronan, or the two who just entered, wanted anything.
She finally did respond to Tanwen.
{Chaos? The man here asked if my clothes were okay, and I assume he meant my usual travel attire. Since clearly, he disliked them, I changed into something less offensive and more official. Aren't I a saint?}
Mikaiela's chef attire did indeed cover a whole lot more. The only questionable part may have been her blouse, but it seemed purposefully unbuttoned two below the norm, so that was merely a personal choice matter as opposed to anything else.
--Not Garret--
When Gwyn stops to talk with Bronan, Umaveti and Nani continue on toward the door to the southwestern room in the Common.
Overhearing Gwyn and Bronan's whispers, Lars chimes in, also whispering, "Oy, you wanna talk about that someplace else? Wrong person hears mention of that name 'round here, and you could get yourself in trouble."
Then, Lars signs Bronan's apologies to the cook, and does his best to explain Bronan's side.
After Gwyn's innocent question, Lars slaps the young Bronan on the back and chuckles, "I'd say so, little lady!" But says nothing else, for Mikaiela's sake.
Tanwen's expression dims a little when Mikaiela finishes changing, but she laughs at the oracle's response.
When she was about to respond to Bronan's excuse, Tanwen got too invasive, and received a very critical reply in sign.
{Back off lady! This is the only warning you'll be getting! I don't roll that way, if you're implying what I think you are. Go find someone else to work your charm with.}
Then, she further explained.
{See, my perfect, ultra rare, high quality, limited edition goods are only available for the first coming lucky subsets of men who buy into my machinations, which are generally limited time offers that they simply can't pass up for a myriad of reasons.}
She shifted her body into a pose that faced Bronan primarily, but saw her head turn to face Tanwen, and her arms to become crossed underneath her bosom. Her expression was a straight and aggressive smirk.
{Unfortunately, women cannot participate unless they intend to delve into my line of work and work with me, which strictly requires perfected and nearly infallible manipulation skills, along with top-notch presentation skills.}
Lastly, she adjusted her glasses by pushing them up by the bridge, using two fingers, in a way that the ambient light of the bar reflected off of them, creating an ominous gleam that hid her eyes. Once could say her more evil side was showing, but her entire display over the course of her signing was merely ominous, and could be done even by a Paladin, leaving such conclusions inconclusive.
{Of course, if you're willing to strike a deal, and perhaps demonstrate such skills to me, then perhaps we could get somewhere. Plenty of work around here; we've three jobs in front of us, as a matter of fact!}
She then awaited Tanwen's reply, tenting her fingers as she did so. She veiled everything in her words, each sentence having a double meaning, if not a triple, or quadruple.
Finding himself back in the common, Odd'n awkwardly slips past Gwyn and stumbles back into the dining area where (presumably) Skullscar is still snoring the morning away.
Jabbing Skullscar in the ribs, Odd'n plops himself in a chair beside the man before further prodding the man back into the wakeful world. Quietly, or as quietly as he can manage in his state, Odd'n asks about the 'upright man'. "Skillscur.. hey.. shhhhh! Hey, you.. 'ave you hear of.. an upright man? He.. they..", Odd'n gestures to his travelling companions, "..is curious. I no lie.. me.. me too.. is curious. Tell.. tell me.. what are we.. gething into.."
--Not Garret--
Tanwen blinks blankly at Mikaiela's lengthy signing. But once she catches up she replies,
Skullscar, rested a bit now, rouses from his stupor, "Odd'n...you'd better not mess...with that man," he looks as stern and serious as he can with drool on his chin, "You'll only get your...self or someone you...love killed."
"Umaveti!" An excited cry like that of a firework explosion shoots out from the southwest bedroom. Those in earshot turn to see a firey sprite of a young man blast from the door to intercept the librarian. When the staunch nagaji puts down the Mayor's son, you can see that he is as splenderous as his father: flaming hair that stands up more than it lies down, but no beard yet. "I'm all ready to go! Are these our escort?" Minah walks over to them, and bows low, his hastily tied ascot nearly brushing the ground. "My name is Minah son of Minoj, Fifth in the Line of Minel, Liberator of Krisol." He lifts up from his bow, expectantly, but with a pleasant smile.
His eyes shifting to the mayors son, then drunkenly to both the floor and ceiling simultaneously, Odd'n shakes his head to refocus his attention on Skullscar. "Wha.. whyee here? So.. this town.. small.. why his interst? I.. we.. no wish to mess him.. but, well.. he mess wi' ush!". Odd'n, forgetting himself, spouts the last sentence out a little louder than he should have as he lets his memory of Belshoi and Landis get the better of him.
Realizing he may have spoken a little to loudly, Odd'n slumps over the table a little to hide his face from his companions as he continues speaking with Skullscar. "Wrell.. shay wha' you will.. I'll not repea' any ovvit. An' hey.. I.. I dink wree leaving sooon. Migh.. might you have anything.. interessing? I have shum shtone.. shiny shtones.. uhm, wan' see? May.. mehbe we can.. tred!"
Bronan shakes his head at Skullscar's warning. "Bullies like that live on an over-inflated reputation. I'll bet he makes up the rumors himself. You've just gotta stand up to his kind and they'll fold."
The aasimar returns Minah's bow with a smirk of his own. "A pleasure to meet you Minah." Turning his attention to Umaveti, "Is it time to hit the road again?"
{I'm all about rules! But your offer seems fine for now.}
Mikaiela let Tanwen know just that.
That was when she slipped into the backroom this time and changed back into her usual torn garb, assuming they were to leave soon (whether they were or not).
Stuffing her fancier attire into her backpack, she was ready to go. Her scythe now held it's rightful position on her back, and her grin was all too prevalent.
Skullscar looks out the door, then back at Odd'n, "I mean it, little'un...don't go there...only death...and pain. Speaking of death, you don't want to trade...with me, all I have...I need, and anything you give...won't last. I won't be...around much longer."
Hearing Bronan's comment about the "bully," Skullscar slams his fist into the table, altogether sobered with rage, He stands to his full, intimidating height,
At this, Lars comes into the room and says calmly, "Alright old friend, let's get you home, eh?" The formidable half-orc quickly returns to being a simple old man and agrees to being lead away. "Excuse us," the innkeeper says politely as they pass by everyone.
Umaveti remains stoic throughout the encounter, and then when asked whether it was time to go, he counts heads with his finger "One, two, three...who are we missing? The archer, where is he?"
When Tanwen sees the signs Mikaiela uses, she scrunches her face like she's just tasted something horrid. After hearing Umaveti's question she jumps at the chance to go and find Garret.
While waiting for Rory, Garret sees someone running toward him in the distance. By the loose bosom, the flowing robes and the beaming grin he quickly learns it is Tanwen.
"Garret!" She yelps as she crashes into him, tackling him to the ground and laying on his chest, "We've got Minah, everyone looks ready to go...except maybe Odd'n," she whispers, "He's a little drunk! What're you up to?"
While laying on the ground still I stroke Tanwen's hair, neck and back. Saying with a sly grin. "Why making friends of course. I am waiting for one now."
"Odd'n please, just... just drop it for now." Gwyn quietly pleads with her drunk friend.
Odd'n just throws his hands up in the air as he stands up from the table. "Rryeaaa fine. Les'... letsss go. Wee tahlk laater..".
Umaveti frowns at Odd'n, "Not until the cleric gets back with the archer," he says, "But you're free to go and get help her along." He looks towards the exit uneasily, "I can't imagine we're any kind of priority for her."
"Ehhhyeaa.. hel' her I jus' may!" Odd'n bellows as he strides through the door Tanwen had left through previously. "ARRRREEEEEEEEEEEETTTT!!! TANNNNNNDWIN!!!" the still inebriated man shouts, not entirely sure what his rush is considering Umaveti's relaxed acceptance of Tanwen's ulterior interests. "IS TIME GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. TAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANDWIIIIIINNNN!!!"
Odd'n spots the two frolicking in the dirt and can't help thinking this Garret fellow might not be as stuck up as he first thought. This thought is quickly replaced by some half-remembered joke that brings a chuckle to Odd'ns hulking form. He approaches the two, muttering to himself with the occasional outburst of laughter-- the very image of insanity in his ragged clothing. As he gets a little closer it dawns on him that they weren't merely playing in the dirt as he did as a child.
The closer Odd'n approaches, the louder his mutterings and laughter becomes."BWAAAAAHAHAHHAHAHOOOOHOOOHAAAAAAA!!! IN THE DUR' LIKE... LIKE A DOHGGG!! LIKE CALTRAP!!! OOOHHHHHHHWAHHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"
Bronan nods. Finding no one nearby able to translate, he points at his lunch plate, now picked clean, pats his stomach, and gives a thumbs up to Mikaiela. "Spose I should get ready." He heads back toward the room doubling as a stable to see about getting Sky kitted. Caltrop waddles along behind.
Odd'n does find the pair, and his billowing laughter and shouting is ill-received by Rory's neighbors.
Approaching Sky, Bronan finds all the paid-for supplies saddled on her back.
I frown as Odd'n approaches. Getting Tanwen up and then standing I cast prestidigitation and clean the dust from both of us. "You have found me Odd'n, you are obviously in no condition to travel just yet. Return to Gwyn, so she can care for you. I am waiting for someone." I look about to see if Rory is anywhere near.
"I'm faiiiinnnnnn to ravel.. Gwyn she may.. she make me better urrier! An.. anddd we are wai'ing fer yoouuuuuu. So.. since you er' wai'ing for fer heem... and we are wai'ing far you.. WE are waitsing for him has well!". At that, Odd'n crosses his arms and childishly sits on the ground to keep watch over Garret-- to make sure the man sticks to business and doesn't return to rolling around in the dirt with the priestess.
The sound of loud and tired men can be heard in the distance. The burning sun allows perfect, shadow-less visibility of a dozen or so men with picks on their shoulders laughing and jeering as they hustle home, covered in dirt and grime.
Some are greeted by running children and/or loving spouses, and still others return to each others tents. Before long, the young poorly-clad man Odd'n knows to be Rory approaches his tent, and seeing his welcoming committee, he beams saying, "Odd'n! How's your morning been? And who are your friends?"
Upon seeing Rory arrive, Odd'n springs to his feet to embrace his friend. Stumbling the short distance between them, Odd'n hugs the man as much as grabs him for support.
"Rar.. rarrrry! You.. you mish a gud murning! Skullskur urn I had such.. such funnn! Buh.. buht he wouldn't.. he no spek about the urpright mahn.. he get mahd. Uhm.. this.. this Garret..", Odd'n leans in to whisper to Rory, "He ith a bit ovv an harrogant asthh.. noble and what not." Standing back from Rory, he gestures towards Tanwen and merely offers her name before continuing.
"Garr..Gurret.. he say he waiting ferrr someone. Our party.. we.. we waiting to go.. but he uhm, he waiting.. so we wait." Odd'n shrugs at his last comment.
"Waiting for me are you, Garret?"
I glare at Odd'n while the two interact, taking on a more neutral expression before the attention turns back to me. "Ah yes, Rory correct? I believe there is something you can assist me with. I heard your well was drying up, and once I heard that I knew I had to do something." At this point I adopt a sheepish look. "However I don't know the first thing about looking for new wells. I was wondering if you could help? I do know a bit of magic that could assist.
"The well's drying up?! That's the first I've heard of that. Of course I'll help find a new one. I'm sure it's just the conduit they're using; they wouldn't have built the Common around it if there wasn't a steady supply of water there." Rory ducks into his tent and begins changing as he continues speaking, "We should ask Lars if we can get into the cellar to dig around the current access and see which direction the water's coming from. That way we can figure out where we need to dig next to make sure we have a more permanent water solution." He emerges from the tent in leather boots, gloves and vest over what seem like nice, if old, travelling clothes. "Shall we?" He leads them all back to the common where he finds Lars tending to the horses. "Oy, Lars!" He greets the man.
"Hello, Rory, I see you've found Garret and company; something you need for the new well, I'm assuming?"
"Just need to get into the cellar to look at the access for the current one."
"Why? What for?" The innkeeper asks, obviously averse to people accessing the cellar. Rory explains their need, and Lars submits, "Alright, but I take inventory, daily if anything's missing I'm holding you responsible, Mr. Dunne." He says this as he begrudgingly hands Rory the key to the cellar, "I mean it," he adds as Rory takes it (with some difficulty).
"Of course, sir, looking, digging, no taking." He mock salutes the innkeeper as he leads the party to the trap door in the north storage room.
Odd'n, his stomach beginning to feel a little better but his mind still somewhat clouded by his mornings inebriation, feels a twinge of hunger in his stomach. Against better judgement Odd'n launches himself down into the cellar and lets his eyes scan the room for any breads or cheese he can gobble down while waiting for Rory and Garret to join him and figure things out.
While looking about, he absent-mindedly returns to chatting with Rory. "Ssssthoo.. Rarry, how wers tha mineee? You.. you fine anthing naiice..? Mehbee.. mehbee afdur this you wan' look ah my rocks.. they shinyy! Lik' my feddur!"
I follow Odd'n down to the cellar. "Well, lets find out about this new well eh Rory?" Looking around once I get down. Also looking for interesting things, though a bit different then what Odd'n is looking for.
"Hey, Odd'n help us find where to dig a new well spot at, the old one is drying up and everyone here could run out of water."
Intrigued by the commotion. Bronan reties sky and heads over to see what all the fuss is about.
"What's all the hullaballo?" he asks.