Marti smirks. "Well, don't let anyone know. I've got a reputation to uphold."
She extends a hand to help her to her feet. "It's not much, but it's close. Which is good, because my hooves are tired."
Marti leads Eris out of the tavern and down the street. She turns into a darkened alley along the looming trade house. She climbs a flight of exterior steps to a second floor of an adjacent building.
Marti pauses. "Oh, wait. You can't see in the dark, can you? Hang on." She reaches out and takes Eris' hand and guides her up the stairs and into a small attic space.
Marti sits Eris in a chair while she moves around on the cramped confines. Finally, a candle is lit, shedding a faint light. The apartment is a low-ceilinged affair with a small table and two chairs. "There you go," she says, pulling aside a curtain exposing a small bed. She pulls off a blanket and tosses it to Eris. "There should be enough floor for you to stretch out. Sorry I don't have much, but it's not like I've got the looks to live in the Shady Breeze 'entertaining.' Don't really want to, either."
The tiefling sits on her bed and pulls off her high-soled boots exposing cloven hooves. She watches Eris for a reaction.
Eris grins at the women's comments, and follows her to the adjacent building, allowing the women to lead her up the stairs and into the attic space, her own low light vision being useless in total darkness.
When the tiefling reveals her hooves, Eris doesn't bat an eyelid. She wasn't going to go about revealing her own true form, but she knew a little bit about what it was like not being entirely human, and the appropriate ways to handle it. So she doesn't sneer, or stare at Marti, but simply raises an eyebrow as if it was a minor surprise, but of little consequence.
"For what its worth Marti, I think you look fine, so don't let anyone else's opinion worry you, and certainly don't look at the Shady Breeze if you don't wish to. For me, though I think entertaining might be an option I might have to explore if only to get a decent income - its unfair to rely on someone else's generosity - welcome though it sometimes is - so I should be supporting myself financially."
Marti shrugs away the compliment. "You're pretty enough. And it's your body, if you want to let others use it for money, that's your choice. There's lots of opportunity here for that."
She stands up and pulls off her shirt, then shimmies out of her skin tight breeches. She falls back into her bed and pulls the covers over herself. "I'd get some rest, if I were you. If you want to find work at the tavern, you're going to have to be sharp tomorrow."
Eris strips out of her clothing, since its the only thing she has with her, and she still needs to be presentable in the morning, before huddling under the blanket, swiftly getting rest.
"No. Let her speak. We are very interested in what she has to say. Right, Kage, Alayana?"
Namiko tosses her hair with a shake of her head and glowers at Fiona.
In response, she gives her bare shoulders a bit of a shrug and then snuggles closer to Jon-Wyn. "Well, this isn't anything I know for sure, mind you. But the Guild exists. Thieves and bandits at the start, but lately they've been making a killing supplying drugs to all the artists coming in to town. Word is, Irovetti got his crown by allying with them," Fiona finishes with her voice low.
"People have disappeared for suggesting less," Namiko mutters. Her skin has grown pale.
Fiona suddenly bursts into giggling laughter. "Oh, Nami! Look at your face! I'm just having fun with you, silly! Everyone knows the king wouldn't associate with such scoundrels!" She laughs some more, sounding bubbly and a bit drunk. Namiko starts at first, but quickly chuckles along with her.
During her giggles, Fiona makes a pointed look at Jon, one eyelid closing over her blue eye, leaving the reddish-brown eye exposed.
The morning light wakes Eris, most likely somewhat stiff and sore from sleeping on the floor and from the manual labor last night.
Marti is up and clipping around on her hooves, getting ready for the day. Seeing Eris up, she grabs a pear from a basket and tosses it to her. "Here. Oh, I also found this for you." Going to a small trunk, she pulls out a wadded-up purple sash. "Tie that around your waist and you shouldn't have the same trouble as last night."
Eris yawns, stretches, and nods to Marti in silent thanks. Totally at ease, she slips her clothing on, winding the sash around her waist tightly as directed.
Marti opens the door to the outside, letting in a gust of early-morning cold air which she doesn't appear to notice.
"Hurry up. Miss Dixi is making her morning gruel back at the Tavern for the warehouse workers. She leaves a little bit in the pot for us girls who work the tavern, but it goes quick." She pulls on her boots and makes an urgent motion with her hand.
As they climb down the steps, she says, "Today will be slow, because of the festival. You'll have a chance to get to know the work, unless you really want to get involved in 'entertainment.'" Marti shakes her head.
Eris swiftly follows close behind the waitress. "From a practical point of view - I'm interested in both - but I think either option requires getting into the good graces of that Mistress I met yesterday - she seems a tough one."
Kage nods and waits for her to speak.
Fiona suddenly bursts into giggling laughter. "Oh, Nami! Look at your face! I'm just having fun with you, silly! Everyone knows the king wouldn't associate with such scoundrels!"
Kage laughs with her, but it never quite reaches his eyes. Smiling he tells her with a wink (mostly for Namiko's benefit), "You almost had me there, I found that most entertaining! Fear not Namiko, we have no intention of passing this on." Smiling, he pours them some more wine and asks, "Tell me of this rushlight festival... Is it a heavy affair?" Kage was having visions of a colony of artists blasted on shrooms, staring at the pretty lights... Surely that couldn't be all that was to it though? Folk had traveled for many days to get here, it must be something impressive.
Marti snorts in laughter. "Figure that out all by yourself, did you? Here's the key to Eliste Strocalle's heart: money. Make her money, she'll keep you around."
Marti leads Eris around to a service entrance where the smell of cooked food fills the air. Five other young women loiter around a large kettle and a stout older woman. Eris recognizes two of the girls as the women cozying up to Jon and Kage the night before. Two others look familiar as the other wait staff tending to the rear tables of the tavern.
The conversation abruptly ends as Marti and Eris arrive, but it had apparently been some caustic teasing of the two failing to get into Jon's and Kage's bedchambers. The two, already fuming, glare at Eris.
"Ella, this is Giselle, Uana, Letitia, Geri, and Wynn. Girls, this is Ella. She came in last night looking for work. Ms. Dixi, you think there'll be enough for one more?"
The ladies size Eris up, while the matron raises an eyebrow. "I suppose, but she's lucky there's a festival pulling several of the men away. Otherwise, not a chance." She makes a pointed glance at Giselle and Uana, who continue to glower at Eris and Marti.
Namiko relaxes visibly. She brightens when asked about the festival. "It can be a lot of fun! The main events are major tests of skill, including a full jousting tournament on the last day. Archery, storytelling, woodcutting, and axe throwing..." She pauses, thinking to see if she missed anything. "Um, maybe some others, too. There's a menagerie with exotic beasts. Last year, I saw a hippogriff!"
While Namiko goes on, Fiona turns her attention to Jon, fully trying to seduce him with all her considerable skill.
Namiko continues, ignoring her. "There's lots of food vendors, wandering entertainers, music and shows in the common area. The king invites all the other River Kingdoms to send representatives. He wants to show off how successful Pitax has grown. All us Pitaxans are told to be extra receptive to the visitors."
Kage nods along making encouraging noises here and there as needed.
"All us Pitaxans are told to be extra receptive to the visitors."
Kage glanced at Jon and Fiona and almost tells them to get a room, but through some epic feat of self control simply smiles at Namiko's possibly unintended double entendre. Smiling at her, he asked earnestly, "Interesting. Suppose somebody was to win one of these contests, would they be granted a medal or some other prize by the King?" Not exactly the most subtle method of gaining an audience, and one that depended on the fickle winds of fate, but it might make a viable plan B should things go pear-shaped.
"Absolutely!" Namiko confirms. "There's a full awards ceremony. Plus some sort of grand prize to the kingdom that wins the most competitions. A magical item of some kind. I don't know what it will be this year. Last year Daggermark took home a book with instructions to make a magic stone warrior."
Eris smiles politely, making quick use of a Presdigitation spell to give her hair purple streaks in it before smiling politely at the two women who had failed to make successful inroads, giving them a puzzled look."Dont give me that look, if you want tips on how to pull a guy, you only need to ask" she smirks, trying to make it clear she wouldn't tolerate glaring.
Kage glanced at Alanyna, "Sounds like fun doesn't it? I think we should gatecrash or perhaps even enter one of the contests."
A few eyebrows raise when Eris uses magic to color her hair.
The glares from Uana and Giselle turn hot. The Garundi stalks up to Eris. "You think you can give me tips? I ought to beat your scrawny little--"
"Girls!" shouts Ms. Dixi. She points a heavy ladle at the two. Uana backs off, rejoining her spot beside Giselle. "If the new girl wants to show off how fast she can alienate herself, let her."
The two spurned ladies nod and give her smug smiles. "Yes ma'am." they say in unison.
The gruel is parsed out after the lion's share is sent away to the adjacent warehouse, then the women start their morning duties, sorting and arranging mugs and trays, checking the levels in the kegs, and restocking the wine bottles from the cellar.
Marti calls for Eris to join her as she is about to head downstairs. Once in the darkness of the cellar, the tiefling pulls her aside and starts handing her bottles. "Ella! Why didn't you mention to Eliste that you can do magic? That's something that she'll take notice of!"
"You'll need a kingdom sponsor in order to compete in one of the main events," Namiko says bluntly.
Eris flashes a bit of an embarrassed look. "Because it's not really much magic I can do and I don't want to raise expectations. Basically I can play with colors, like making all my clothes purple like so, I can make perfume smells, and I can subtly change my body shape a little, taller, shorter, updating physical assets a little. It's not a lot and it's pretty minor but with a bit of work I can look like most people's dream girl."
Alenaya let’s the boys lead the talk as she sits back and enjoys the show of their subtleties and the women’s seductions. ”It does indeed! What sort of proof of sponsorship would one need? A letter? Coin?”
"Still seems like something that'll make you more than just a scullery maid," comes Marti's voice out of the darkness. There's the sound of more bottles being pulled, then she guides Eris out of the cellar. "I guess that's why you've been talking about doing the entertaining?" she asks before taking the steps up to the main floor.
=================
Namiko looks helpless. "I don't know, milady. The heralds announce the participants and the kingdom they represent. I don't know how they get the sponsorship."
"More about why I think I would be good at entertaining" Eris replies in a thoughtful tone. "Actually getting into that business though, seems pretty tough, I don't see boss lady being the sort of person to take a chance on someone"
"She's cautious." Marti leads Eris to the bar where she unloads the bottles from the cellar and puts them into the racks. "You really shouldn't have pissed off Giselle and Uana. You know they're two of Eliste's Purple Ladies? That's what she calls her girls trained to 'entertain' important clientele. I suppose you could go to them and beg forgiveness to see if they'll put in a word for you." Marti's tone of voice makes it sound like she's not hopeful.
"Can you find out for us? Also, what can you tell us of the king? What sorts of things impress him?" Jon doubts they will have any more information, but he asks anyway.
Eris makes a dismissive motion as she trails behind Marti. "I saw the looks those two were giving me, they wouldn't have put in a word for me anyway. I'm competition, or worse, maybe I'm just more attractive than them. Besides, how skilled could they be, its not as if they succeeded in pulling in those two men everyone was talking about before. Besides, , I bet I could satisfy those two women so well they would be begging to put in a good word for me - assuming I considered them worth the effort."
Namiko shakes her head. "I'm sorry, that's something I don't even know where to start. As for the king, he loves his art. I haven't had the chance to know what else he likes."
The next morning, the hotel concierge knocks on the door of your suite and announces that the Lady Eliste Strocalle would like to meet with you at your convenience.
===============
Marti laughs. "Where was this confidence last night? Eliste might have thought more of you. Anyway, I gotta get the mugs ready. You could go in the back and see if you can get some better clothes from Giselle or Letitia."
Eris nods in agreement, heading towards the back in search of the two purple ladies. When she finally spots them, she folds her arms carefully, looking directly at them. "Js there any decent clothing lying around here that I could use or wear?" she asks casually.
Eris finds the two ladies she's looking for as well as Geri in a small storage room that's been converted into a dressing room of sorts. Bins of clothing fill the small space, and a tall mirror stands in one corner. A mostly used-up makeup kit rests on a chair next to the mirror.
Giselle is a willowy half-elf, her hair a bright strawberry blond. Letitia is a curvy brunette, pretty of face but with an unfortunate gap in her teeth. Geri has tanned skin and auburn hair tied up in an elaborate braid.
All three are in various states of undress, trying on various pieces to form their ensemble for the day when Eris arrives. Giselle looks thoroughly unimpressed. "Can we help you? I think you're lost. You won't need anything here while you're scrubbing up vomit."
Alenaya stretches and puts on her dress, the same one she wore when treating with the recently deceased “queen,” and waits for the boys to recover from their own night time activities before joining them to meet this Eliste.
Eris raises her eyebrows at the two women as she fully skips out of her clothing, fully naked. No one uncomfortable in their own skin could really expect to serve in an entertainment industry, so she wanders around the room, letting the women look.
"I think Eliste prizes money being made most of all, and if a patron gets a good look at what I look like underneath my clothing they might be inclined to pay a little more. Gee the two of you are wound up tight though this morning, did you need my help to make sure you start off the day relaxed?"
Giselle scoffs. "Please. I get enough of that from the horny drunkards, what makes you think I want anything you can offer?"
Geri steps forward. "I wouldn't mind," she says. At the other two's scoffs, she throws up her hands. "What? It's been a while, and maybe she's not all talk. What do you say?"
As Letitia and Giselle roll their eyes and clear out of the room, Geri gives Eris a "come hither" gesture and moves to the chair, knocking the makeup kit to the floor.
"It's precisely that I'm not a drunkard that I make the offer..,still if that does the job for you, who am I to argue?"
Eris gives a bit of a smirk as the two women leave."You know you two don't need to be shy and stay if you wish, it's nothing you wouldn't have seen before?"
Regardless, Eris heads straight over and locks lips with her opposite, ensuring she would caress the intimate areas as required. Eris happened to have one very large advantage over anyone else in the profession, in that she could read minds, which she fully abuses, learning what she likes, doesn't like, and sneakily adjusting her own body to suit.
Having grown up in the Red Citadel, every vice or drug imaginable had been casually available to Kage. Naturally he'd experimented and for time he'd enjoyed the casual indolence, but after a while the lack of meaning caused the attraction of such things to pale. Any amorous thought for a decade had been squashed like a bug thanks to Master Brinn's teachings. The vicious old man had arranged for several young girls to seduce him and extract secrets, Kage and been forced them to beat the waifs bloody or Brinn promised he'd kill them. The point of this exercise had been primarily to humiliate everyone involved for Brinn's sadistic pleasure but also to teach Kage how the rich and powerful would try to assert their control.
As beautiful as Namiko and Fiona undoubtedly were, Kage wasn't going to do more than flirt. Besides there was only room for one woman in Kage's life, the fact that Astrid might not see it the same way mattered not one iota to him...
Having woken early and feeling refreshed, Kage received the call from the concierge, "Probably best give them at least another half hour. I doubt they'd be presentable otherwise..."
Geri is receptive and vocal, enjoying a variety of gentle teasing. After Eris reduces her to a quivering pile, the shapeshifter has darkened her skin to a shade very close to Uana's. Geri's eyes flutter open and she sees what her thoughts had revealed, which causes her to blush furiously.
"You're very good," she says dreamily. "I might just want to steal you away and keep you for myself."
After a several minutes of post-coital bliss, Geri dresses and exits the dressing room, leaving Eris alone for a time.
=======================
"Very good, sir," the concierge says with a bow, and withdraws from the suite.
When the trio of assassins are ready, they are invited to a nearby building located in the heart of the old district of Pitax. They are led upstairs to the open air roof of the building, giving a brilliant view of the city in the late morning sun. A sumptuous meal is laid out for the assassins to break their fast.
Once the meal is finished, Kullen arrives joined by a young woman with raven-black hair in a short-trimmed style. She pulls up a chair and sits at the table, while Kullen stands behind her. Two other figures in black leather lurk nearby on the rooftop.
"Greetings, members of the Red Mantis. I am Eliste Strocalle. I am grateful you chose to come to me and my establishment upon your arrival here in Pitax. I hope you will forgive the delay in seeing me. It was unexpected. I hope the ladies you requested were to your liking?"
”Could’ve used another. Things were a little unbalanced,” Alenaya says with a smirk.
Jon indulges in Fiona's company for part of the night, but sends her away once he is done. He grew up on the streets of Magnimar and knew well how to indulge his desires, but his Red Mantis training taught him discipline. The group were renegades and he could not allow himself to let down his guard.
He is actually awake, studying his spell book, when he is informed of their meeting. He makes sure to have a splash of purple in his outfit.
"There is nothing to forgive, provided you can do as promised in a timely manner. I'm sure your man Kullen informed you of this, but everyone still asks, no, we are not here to kill him. If we wanted him dead, we would have gone to him directly."
Eris gives the women a sultry smile. "Its a lovely idea, but I think I'd have to pay the bills somehow, and I don't think waitressing will cover it. Still, my housing situation is a little...flexible at present, so who knows, maybe I'll stay the night and find a way to...make up the cost. Its a shame Letitia and Giselle missed out though, or even Uana. We could have had some real fun." she mummers, half amused at Geri's embarrassment.
Eris gives a long lazy stretch as she watches Geri leave, before turning to articles of clothing. She avoids the very high end items, not really wanting to antagonize if possible, but she does go for any clothing that clings to her body, giving any prospective patron's an eyeful. She also uses her magical advantage in being able to select items of clothing that might not contain purple, which she can color with her own magic, giving her slightly better wardrobe flexibility, before heading out into the bar.
Eliste nods her head toward Jon-Wyn. "I'm sure his grace will appreciate hearing that." She then looks at Alenaya with her own playful smile. "I'll see to it that the ratio is corrected."
Getting down to business, she straightens and leans forward slightly. "You have requested an audience with the king, and I shall provide it to you. The question that remains is, how do you wish to proceed? I could have your arrival heralded, so he is properly prepared to receive you. Or, I could see to it that you appear before him unannounced, to better illustrate your vaunted ability to strike when the target least expects it. He is currently at the Rushlight Festival, so you may wait until the festivities are completed or meet with him during the event. Which would you prefer?"
After giving the Mantises time to deliberate and come up with their answer, she then adds, "I would also like to discuss with you the possibility of obtaining your services, if you have the time."
==================
The tavern is about ready for the noontime crowd by the time Eris joins the rest of the staff. Marti is already working a couple tables at the front and Haru has the other patrons at the bar. Geri gives Eris a little wave as she passes her by, but the rest of the ladies are absent.
The tiefling gestures her over. "You missed Eliste, who was just here looking for some ladies for a job. She took Letitia, Wynn, Giselle and Uana with her. If they don't come back, were going to be short handed today. You cover those tables over there," she says, pointing to a section toward the back.
"We would like to offer him our services, so our preference would be a more discreet introduction."[b] Jon says without any deliberation.
Jon looks to Kage and Alayana to see if either objects to Eliste's request. Assuming neither does, [b]"You have been good hosts, so it would be rude not to at least hear what you have to say, but you should know that we are not base assassins. We follow a holy calling given by Mighty Achaechuk and may not be allowed to do as you ask. Know also that our price for any service may not be what you would expect and will be non negotiable. Finally, because we are here to offer our service to the king, anything you ask of us can not be in conflict with what he would have of us. If you can abide by those requirements, then we can possibly help you."
Eris is a little bit pissed she missed out on an opportunity to go to the festival and eventually get closer to the king, but wises up and realizes its unlikely Eliste would have picked her anyway - at least at the moment.
Obediently following Marti's advice, Eris starts handling the section towards the back.
"All right, I understand." Her features grow hard. "I've had some difficulties with the head of the Daggermark Poisoners Guild. Her name is Tragshi the Herbalist, a half-elf of middle age. I'd like for her consort, Pakesh, to meet an untimely end. He's a tall, pale man who hardly ever leaves her side. It would be... symbolic... were he to perish suddenly." She lets a cruel smile touch her face.
"What sort of price would you put on such a deed?"
Kage was amused, "Poison the partner of a poisoner? That has a certain symmetry to it! Sounds difficult though, out of necessity poisoners know better than anyone else how to treat poisoning." Glancing at Alayna he asks, "What do you say, are there any suitable poisons that can't easily be cured by those with magical means?"
Turning back to Eliste, Kage soberly tells her, "While possible, something like that is no simple undertaking... We will have to do some research. I presume Tragshi will be visiting?"
Daggermark was the opposite direction in which Kage was hoping to travel, but their future venture into the north would require significant assistance, assistance that perhaps Eliste could provide.
Eliste smiles in smug satisfaction at the interest in her challenge.
"I presume Tragshi will be visiting?"
The trade house mistress shrugs. "It's entirely possible. I'm not privy to her itinerary."
Alenaya’s demeanor suddenly changes, becoming more direct and focused.
”Possible, yes. Simple even. But like my associate here said, we have a primary objective here. If you would like for proper interventions from those of our Order, you’ll need to go through the proper channels, at which point, we’d love to help. Unless you are making some other implication...”
Eliste gives Alenaya a flat look, her eyes barely narrowing. "I make no implications, other than I have named a task and have asked what price you would demand. What other 'proper channels' are there?"
”Like my friend here said, they are part of a strict order that requires certain protocols be followed. Like remaining focused on the task at hand, only taking orders via religious mandate, so on and so forth,” she says as she leans forward. ”So, we won’t be able to take jobs that would interfere with our current objective.”
”But, if you are implying that you want our help before you help us, that is a different story, as it simply becomes a hurdle to our primary objective,” she says with a wink, ”In such a case, if you were to provide us the materials, supplies, and equipment we need, then I see no reason why we couldn’t scratch your back if you will scratch ours...” she says with a conspiratorial smile.
”Perhaps once we are done with the king’s deal. Unless you boys don’t mind me taking a little side venture on personal business...”
Eliste looks a little disappointed but quickly forces it away. Returning to a businesslike manner, she nods her head. "Understood. If time is pressing, then I presume you wish to meet with the king during the festival then? The travel arrangements are almost complete; it will take only a hour or so before we'll be ready to leave."
Her posture shifts. "I've been told you have shown great interest in the history of our little corner of Golarion. Is there anything else you'd like to learn while we're here? Otherwise, I'll take my leave and meet you at the festival."