Lia unbuttons her parka and neatly folds it under her arm before walking over to the boots and sitting down next to a rack of them. She kicks off her ratty-looking shoes and starts going through the boots--and she's taking her time slipping into them and testing them, as if she's savouring the experience.
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Tosti Firehall listens quietly to Kavell's explanation, his brow furrowing in thought.
"Truth be told, Cillian here applied earlier in the week--around the time Stone-Eye's funeral was being held. I spent the interim making arrangements for him to take on his new duties in as smooth a manner as possible. Our staff are doing alright, but the fact that it's not caravan season means that they don't get as many tips from our guests as they normally would." The proprietor wrinkles his nose.
The waiter, Cillian, doesn't take his eyes off Kavell.
"Was it this empty at this time yesterday though?"
Mr. Firehall pauses. "...now that you mention it, I don't believe it was."
”Have you seen any of your other staff today?”
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"Better tips, I understand."
He said idly gently sliding to the side to get a better straight access to then. He noted the man's eyes hardening and Kavell's eyes narrowed as the man suddenly started to size him up.
"Cillian the road you are traveling leads to ruin and pain. You are at a crossroads don't make the wrong choice."
He said simply and sincerely though there was an edge... a finality to his words.
Smiling at the sight of Lia's enjoyment, Kasha heads into the dressing room and tries on the skirt, checking out the fit, and stepping out to show Lia."What do you think?"
Lia stares intently at your skirt. "I think it suits you quite well. Very... earthy."
Her cheeks turn a bit pink and she pats the fur-lined brown boots on her feet. "These feel so much more comfortable than my old shoes--I don't remember the last time I had a chance to wear something like them."
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Tosti nods in response to Friday's query. "Oh, aye. Couple of the cooks came in, and one of the bath attendants is still on duty."
"That being said, Cillian's been the only one to show up for work today."
The waiter's eyes soften a bit, looking on Kavell in a bit of disbelief.
"Well they're yours right after I pay. Hopefully they'll keep your feet warm when we head further north." Kasha replies, before impulsively giving a little twirl to show off the skirt. "So see anything else you like or need?"
"I could use some thicker pants. These don't do much to keep the chill out." Lia tugs on her leggings before collecting her shoes. She vanishes into the store, working quickly to find herself a proper pair of pants to keep the cold at bay.
"Where are your coworkers, Cillian?" Friday calmly asks the man.
As Lia finds pants, Kasha goes through the footwear, selecting herself a new pair of boots, and picking up a heavy woolen shawl for Koya.
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Eventually, the two of you find a complete set of clothes for the both of you--and you find some nice, warm clothes for Koya.
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Cillian shrugs. "Out sick? Off their shift? I don't know."
”Did they appear sick yesterday?” Friday asks Cillian, but turns to face Tosti.
Tosti blinks. "...now that you mention it, they looked just fine to me. I even asked how they were doing, and they said they were fine."
Cillian is starting to slink back to the kitchens.
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"Where are your coworkers, Cillian?" Friday calmly repeats to the man.
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Cillian's face turns pale and he shakes his head. "...I can't tell you."
Tosti turns on him. "Excuse me?"
The waiter recoils in response, and Tosti circles around him before stopping in front of the kitchen doors. "What, exactly, do you mean by that?" The normally-jolly man's eyes turn hard and cold.
Cillian shakes his head again. "...I'm sorry, but I cannot tell you. I can't."
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"So, want to check for maps now or after the bathhouse?" Kasha asks as they bundle up the purchases and leave the shop.
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Lia is wearing her new clothes as the two of you leave the shop--she was quite insistent on doing so.
"Let's get the maps now. Then we can relax in the baths later." She has a bit of a spring in her step, taking you by the hand and leading you through the Ice Quarter once again.
"I bet he is under that same spell the others were... he cant tell us... or something terrible.. perhaps death will happen to him."
He scowled for a moment his grip tightening on his glaive.
"Does your geas include trying to avoid being followed?"
He asked the young man.
With a happy smile on her face, Kasha follows Lia into the ice quarter, looking for any indication of a mapmaker as she enjoys the stroll through the city streets.
Friday arches a brow at Kavell's suggestion, turning his gaze back to Cillian.
Cillian's lip trembles. His head doesn't dare move.
"...I can't tell you. I'm sorry."
Tosti pales and takes a step back towards the kitchens.
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It takes several minutes, but the two of you eventually find a one-story building that looks decidedly nondescript compared to the more elaborately-constructed & decorated shops here. The shingle above the door has an image of a piece of parchment carved into it, along with the words "Chauncey of Woodsedge, Mapmaker."
The interior of the shop is quite cluttered, with rolls of parchment, bottles of ink, and quills in a variety of different colours stuffed almost haphazardly onto the shelves. Standing behind the counter in ruffled & wrinkled silk clothes of otherwise fine make is a sandy-haired, bespectacled halfling, furiously scratching away at a piece of parchment with a quill. He only spares the barest of glances at the two of you before turning back to his work.
"Good-day-ladies-name's-Chauncey-may-I-help-you?" He asks, the words spilling out of his mouth in a torrent.
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"Must've been a rather open-ended geas, then. Wonder if it also covers why your friend there's trying to duck back into the kitchen."
With a crack of air filling a vacuum, Valeria suddenly appeared behind Tosti, blocking their way back to the kitchen. She hadn't had a chance to practice that particular trick so was glad she'd estimated the distance correctly.
Tosti lets out an undignified shriek of surprise as Valeria suddenly teleports behind him.
"Wha--?! By Gorum's spikes!" The man leaps back towards Cillian. "I-I-I've never heard of this sort of magic before! I swear!"
Cillian flinches.
"Good day." Kasha says, looking around in awe at the vast collection. "We're looking for maps of the surrounding area of the city, perhaps going further north if you have them. And would you happen to carry star maps as well?"
Chauncey looks up from the parchment he's scribbling on. "Certainly. Made-several-maps-of-Kalsgard's-environs."
"You-seek-to-go..." The halfling pauses for a deep breath. "...where-exactly?"
"Well the available maps might help us with that. Make it easier to decide." Kasha replies, wary of providing more information than absolutely necessary.
Chauncey shrugs. "Peruse-if-you-wish. I-expect-that-if-I-have-not-mapped-it-it's-not-worth-travelling-to."
Lia walks over to the shelves and starts picking through them.
Friday arches a brow as the Tiefling interjects herself further into the conversation, now keeping an eye on both Cillian and Tosti.
"Thank you," Kasha says looking through the shelve and trying to figure out some kind of order to how things were arranged.
Poking through the shelves reveals a staggering amount & variety of maps. Most of them are for routes of trails through the Grungir Forest, and several more map out trails leading north from Kalsgard.
It takes a few minutes of searching, but you find a wrinkled map of the environs north of Kalsgard. Specifically, one of the trail leading into the mountains of the Crown of the World.
The shamaness smiles triumphantly, refolding the map as she turns toward the counter."I think this is what I'm looking for, is there a special section with things like star maps?"
Chauncey wordlessly points to a shelf in the far corner without looking up from his desk.
The shelf he pointed to is considerably better organized than the honest-to-goodness mess of things his other shelves are.
"You dont have to tell me that. Is there something the matter with that fish then? You dont have to answer. if there is nothing wrong with it, take a bite, if you dont I will have my answer. When our friends return you may go, though be warned we will follow."
He began crossing his arms, he let his evil seeking gaze turn to the owner of the inn. He didnt want to think the man was also implicit in all the evils going on... but that didnt mean he wasnt either.
You get the impression that Tosti is being entirely truthful.
Cillian shakes his head before plucking a piece of Friday's fish and popping it in his mouth.
"I do not believe our host is a part of the conspiricy miss Valeria... just merely afraid of the goings on."
He paused offering the man a slight bow.
"Please take a seat Cillian, this may take a while. Friday would you be so kind as to make sure he isnt armed."
He began watching the young man carefully.
"You will not be harmed by those of us hear, so long as you dont make a move to harm us. Let Friday check your pockets and things for weapons and lets just have a little chat okay?"
He said simply enough, calmly.
"Do you know where the other workers are? If you cant speak on it, I understand but I want you to try."
He started calmly motiong for miss Valeria, she was their magic expert after all and he had a few questions for her about the possible ways to remove the geas... or temporarily disable it if he could.
He asked her quietly.
Chauncey wordlessly points to a shelf in the far corner without looking up from his desk.
The shelf he pointed to is considerably better organized than the honest-to-goodness mess of things his other shelves are.
Flashing Lia a grin, she moves over to the indicated shelf, looking through the well organized maps.
Friday will move over to Cillian, waiting to see if he consents to the search.
"Apologies sir," Valeria said to the owner, "we've some cause for paranoia at the moment, I'm afraid."
When Kavell asked about the geas, she shook her head as she replied.
She went over what she knew of geas spells, using her abilities to scan the geas spell on Cillian to see if she could work something out.
It's easy enough to find a star map that's suitable for Koya.
"50-gold-for-the-land-map; 15-for-the-star-map." Chauncey speaks swiftly, his eyes darting up and staring straight at you.
-----------------
Cillian shows no resistance to being frisked by Friday. The only sharp implement on him is a stick of charcoal that he uses to take down orders.
The 'waiter' shakes his head in response to Kavell's question.
"Koya still upstairs?" she asked Ameiko.
Ameiko nods. "Spivey is, too."
"Bloody hell; how do I keep forgetting she's a priestess of Desna as well? Swear I've got a mental block about her sometimes."
Valeria quickly made her way up to Koya's room and knocked on her door.
"Miss Mvashti; are you and Spivey free? Got a bit of a curse problem downstairs, was hoping I could get a consultation."
Noting the mapmaker's unusually direct gaze, Kasha nods in response, walking over to the counter, she takes out the money, placing it on the counter. "Thank you!"
There's a pause as Valeria knocks on the door, followed by the *click* of the door opening. Koya looks out, leaning on the door.
"A curse, eh? What sort of curse problem?"
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Chauncey snatches up the money you offer him. "Thank-you-thank-you. Come-again."
"A geas same as the one on those guys who attacked us outside the city. Don't suppose you can lift it, or at least know of a way we can weaken it enough to question him?"
Koya cringes as Spivey flits into view. "Well, there is a curse-breaking spell that I could ask Desna for... how strong a geas are we talking here?"