Noticing a man with a scar trying to get his attention, Azaghal forces his way through the crowd in a beeline straight to him, addressing him when within easy vocal range. "Oy, Thames...I saw you waving. What is it I can be help you with?"
Though she can tell that things are secondss away from mayhem, Corynne gets the feeling that whatever Thames is about to tell them is vital. Seeing Az moving toward him she joins him, converging on the veteran. "What's going on? Things here are seconds from going south."
Coulton's surprisingly quick, and he's holding a dagger before Alice's hand touches her rapier hilt. "Easy there, copper. That looks sharp, and we wouldn't want you to get cut now, would we?" To the side, you see Iscalio take a drunken swing at Jebediah.
"I've spilled more blood in the war than you have in your body, you idiot!" she shouts in rage. Then, seeing Jebediah attacked by Iscalio, she draws her rapier and punches Coulton's face with her guard-protected hand.
"Assault to public officer! Tabbit, help Jeb!"
Eyes slowly widening as things go progressively farther south, Ellena's entire brain is blank save for "Oh, bloody titans..." Drawing Fabian at Alice's command as she steps into line with Alice and Jeb, she doesn't move to strike but rather waits for the Dockers to move.
"Merde." With a sigh Miselle drew an arrow from the quiver on her hip and raised it to the longbow. Alice seemed to have her victim in hand for now, so she swung the bow across to the one attacking Jeb.
"Too late now, the only hope is to keep this from getting out of hand." Corynne says shaking he head. Her eyes emanate a wan glow as she voice rings out with a eerie echoing quality, as she points towards the man attacking Jeb an unnatural drop in temperature emanates from where she stand as the veil thins, everyone within 20ft in all directions suddenly able to see their breath amid the sudden chill.
"Stand down!!!" she shouts pointing at the man as one of her unseen aids, the spirit of a fallen guard reaches out to bestow the touch of the grave.
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Azaghal grimaces when he realizes this is coming to blows...granted, it seemed like it was headed that way no matter what, but even so, that didn't mean that was ideal.
"I am loving it when they pick hard way!" the dwarf says aloud, then brings his fist into the melee!
As Alice swings at Coulton, he's quick to slash at her , but the Constable's reflexes are quicker than he'd anticipated. He and his buddies clearly have no formal martial training, so the attack wasn't particularly accurate in the first place. His followup swing is placed better, though, and cuts a slash across Alice's arm.
Iscalio takes Jebediah's punch and responds with one of his own. Apparently, he's either too drunk or too distracted to notice Corynne's ghostly ally .
Charging in, Azaghal finds himself in a suboptimal position but still manages to graze Mercliffe. Perhaps the man was distracted by the sudden loss of his dagger - courtesy of Fabian.
Behind Corynne, Grimsley watches in growing horror as the likelihood of someone becoming seriously injured continues to increase.
Your Turns
Muttering to herself, Miselle aims once again at Iscalio and fires an arrow. Hopefully more accurately than the last time.
A short thrust cuts a lock of hair from Coulton before Fabian slaps sideways into the side of his head. No thoughts for Ellena now, just motion.
The stinging pain somehow clears Alice's head. Don't kill him, Alice. You are bound to a higher standard.
"Nice hit, princess!" She barely looks at the docker falling like a potato sack as she moves quickly, stepping over him to swing at Mercliffe with the flat of the blade.
"Oy! Do not be forgetting about your friend Azaghal!" the dwarf shouts, taking another swing at Mercliffe!
Ellena smacks Coulton hard enough to drop a much larger man. He won't be getting up for quite a while. Finding himself the new target of the screamy cop, Mercliffe is quick to surrender, and Iscalio does the same a moment later. Even in their inebriated state, they realize the odds have drastically turned against them. Dafton (the only uninjured troublemaker) has yet to move. Obviously more intelligent than his comrades, he calmly looks at Azaghal. "I have no part in - whatever this is. May I go?"
Coulton: 2pts damage, 15pts NL damage
Iscalio: 7pts NL damage
Mercliffe: 9pt NL damage, disarmed
The fight over, Ellena relaxes back from the balls of her feat and sheathes Fabian with a soft rasp. At least that ended this quickly; the king is almost here. Stepping up next to Az, "Do we take the time to properly arrest them? We're short on time." she whispers.
Huffing, Alice sheates her rapier, then checks her arm. "Son of a thousand dogs, he ruined my coat." Clutching the wound, she quickly assesses the situation. Coulton looks knocked out but alive, the two flunkies are under control, no one else has a weapon out. Dafton... he looks reasonable. Goodness, I hope he's reasonable, or we might have a riot on our hands tomorrow. She then addresses the docker, carefully weighing her words and looking him in the eyes.
"Just one word, if you please, Mister Dafton. I regret that this has come to violence, but you may well understand that today's royal visit had us heighten the security, and it was not us who threw the first punch. I swear on my honor that these three will be treated fairly, and their rights will not be violated. We are not here to oppress the people of Flint, we are here to uphold the law and I hope that this incident won't damage our relations with the citizens. Let me assure you, as I shed my blood today to avoid chaos, so I would shed it in defense of any Risuri. If you know me, you know I already have."
Miselle was not sure she trusted a man who simply stood, watched his friends get arrested and asked to leave. Something about it seemed off...
But he seemed honest and sincere, so she didn't bother raising the possibility to the others.
Dafton nods amiably at Alice. "Don't worry, madam Constable. You were simply doing your job, and I have no intention of causing a ruckus. I'll let you get back to work." With that, he slips away into the crowd as the police finally arrive. After hearing what happened, they cuff the trio of troublemakers and escort them out of the area. Overall, the crowd doesn't seem particularly riled up. The brief combat was quite entertaining, after all, with fancy swordplay, eerie magic, and good old-fashioned fisticuffs. Besides, it's now time to let the crowd through, as the ceremony is about to begin. The regular police can handle things from here, so it would probably be a good time to report to your superior for further instructions.
After the drunken dockers are escorted elsewhere, Ellena looks to the others. "We should get back quickly, so we don't get caught in the crowd." She starts walking.
Ouch, he cut deeper than it looked. Alice grimaces as she wraps a bandage on her arm. Not bad enough to use a potion, though, and luckily it's not my sword arm. Her eyes sweep the crowd. Is that.. Oh, he is.
"Good job back there," she tells Ellena "you handled yourself well. You go on to Delft, I'll catch you in a moment."
She then quickly reaches Thames and slaps his shoulder with half a smile. "Grimsley, you old scoundrel, nice to see you in one piece. I guess... Uhm, I guess that you are somehow acquainted with those dockers. Sorry it came to blows. Tell you what, today is a busy day, but if you pass by the RHC tomorrow we can talk about them. Now, unless you have something urgent to tell me, I should be on my way to my superiors. Catch ya."
Turning to head back to meet their C.O., Corynne runs what she saw of the exchange through her mind. Once things came down to it, everyone had responded much in the well trained manner one would expect but Alice still seemed like she wanted to solve everything with a blade and fist approach.
That might work on a battle field full of enemies, but in the streets, surrounded by the public you're supposed to be protecting.....it could get someone killed, most likely someone who wasn't asking for it.
"Yes, is good idea for us to report back to the bosses. They should know that there was nearly trouble..but then, Coaltongue has not been launched yet either, and that is whole reason we are here!"
Grimsley gives you an appreciative grin. "Thanks for not going too hard on them. I woulda liked a peaceful resolution, of course, but maybe you managed to knock some sense into Coulton's thick skull. Listen, if you get the chance, can ya talk to the governor for me? He won't listen to us working-class folks, but an RHC constable has more clout. Life's tough for us dockers. Hard work, low pay, sixteen hour shifts, and it's only getting worse. The beat cops've been harassing us just because some of those snooty nobles got their undergarments in a wad over a couple tavern songs. They're arrestin' people who ask for decent working conditions and a livin' wage. We're getting tired of it, and I'm worried that there'll be more riots unless somethin' changes. I been tryin' to get people organized all official-like - with representatives and such - so we can do things properly, but it's a long slow road, and I don't know how much more patience the average worker has. If you can convince the governor to lighten our load a little, things'll get better. I truly believe that."
At the mention of nobles, Alice's mouth twisted in a sneer. "Hmph! What good were ever nobles, while we were under Danoran fire? I'll do all that is in my power, Grimsley, but it may not be much. Anyway, my door is always open for you, so please keep me posted. Now I really have to go, good luck with everything!"
She salutes him, then hurries back to the others.
Grimsley returns your salute and bids you farewell.
------------------------------------
The first of the noble carriages have begun to approach the royal shipyard, and already the crowd on the bridge is doing its job: cheering, throwing flowers, and performing folk songs and dances to show their support. Before things get too busy, your receive word that Assistant Chief Inspector Delft wants to see you. You find him chewing a bit of tobacco and eyeing a halfling chef who is carrying a tray of chocolate confections toward the docked Coaltongue.
His attention turns to you, and he smiles. "Only the finest for our king, right? Now then. We're about to earn our pay. Lots of nobles about, so first, don't make a scene, and definitely don't talk to any of the nobility unless they address you first. Second, if something does go wrong, try to handle it yourselves, would you? I'm going to be busy applying my not-inconsiderable charm to very important people. The Constabulary doesn't get by with just good will and pretty faces, you know. And third, you did good work, so I've got a surprise for you."
He grabs his cane and leads you to the gangplank of the Coaltongue. But he's not pursuing the halfling chef. Rather, ahead of you waits Principal Minister Harkover Lee, the king's chief advisor and personal bodyguard.
"These are the ones? Excellent."
"Good day, Constables. I will be needing your services this evening. While I'm confident the security on-board is in order (I just finished personally overseeing the sweep), His Majesty is planning a major announcement after the fireworks and banquet. You will be my extra eyes and ears, as I'd like to see how certain individuals react.
"Plus, there are a few recalcitrant guests who might need corralling." As he says this, he looks in the direction of one of the checkpoints, where Duchess Ethelyn of Shale and her handmaiden are disembarking from a horse-drawn carriage.
"Now, I must prepare for His Majesty's arrival. Please refer any questions to the Assistant Chief Inspector. Thank you for your service." With a nod, he departs.
Watching the Duchess exit the carriage, Miselle pursed her lips. Somehow she doubted that 'corralling' the king's own sister would be a simple matter, if that was what the Principal Minister truly meant. She could imagine that whatever the King was to announce would be unpopular with some - since when was any royal proclamation but 'I am giving away money!' met with anything but a mix - but it was hard to imagine what they would be announcing that the Principal Minister wanted them to keep an eye out for.
Miselle looked around. Perhaps the gathering of people here would give some clue as to what the King wished to announce, and why the people here might be less than thrilled with it.
Well, he certainly doesn't waste time. Turning to watch him go, she looked to Delft after Lee was out of earshot and asked, "Who are we looking out for, then? 'Certain individuals' isn't much to go on."
"Corraling, eh? Well, is job to do what we are told, so corral we shall. I am seconding Ellena's question, though. You seem to have certain people in mind when you are mentioning those to look out for...if you could tell us who they are, it would make our job more likely to go well."
Alice blinks, her gaze fixed in the direction where Lee disappeared. Principal Minister Harkover Lee, one of the most powerful mages in the country, just gave me orders. Sweet mother of responsibility, Delft was right saying that I'd put myself on the line.
She listens as her colleagues question Delft, pensively considering Lee's words. "An important announcement, which could probably upset Duchess Ethelyn... Is His Majesty perhaps planning to nominate his successor?"
Delft shrugs. "I'm afraid I haven't been given the text of His Majesty's speech. There's a rumor that it involves Danor somehow, but that's all I know. As such, you'll need to keep an eye on everyone. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have duties of my own to attend to. Patch yourselves up, and get on board."
"Perhaps the announcement will instead make the Duchess the focus of unwanted attention or animosity. Either way any information on potential sources of trouble would be helpful." Corynne adds quietly.
Saluting softly at the dismissal, Ellena turned and walked up the gangplank - running her fingers over the rivets and marveling at the smokestacks where the sails would be.
Miselle considered. "The Duchess and the King and Danor? I cannot see what would involve all three. If the Duchess becomes heir it will be a first, but it might mean renewed hostilities with Danor. She fought heavily in the last war, and they nearly took her city. I imagine she has no love for my former countrymen." Miselle shrugged one slim shoulder.
She looked around the party goes once more, seeing if any of them could reveal any potential clues as to what could be happening.
Alice downs a potion, wincing as the magic courses over her skin, healing the cut. No scarring is nice, but they should improve the taste.
At the mention of Danor and Miselle's words, she snarls. "Gee, I wonder what it's like to bear a grudge against the people you saw killing your friends." Her hands runs to the scar on her cheek. "She fought like a lioness to defend Shale against overwhelming odds. I'm not sure that her policy of focusing only on arcane prowess and ignoring technology would be effective, but she would make a fine queen."
She stretches, her expression plain, then wipes the dried blood from her sleeve. "Shall we be on our way?"
Looking at Alice, Miselle shrugged and smiled slightly. "Two hundred years ago she would have been perfect. Now, Risur needs the edge of both technology and magic if Danor is to be kept out of the borders. No one can doubt her Highness' devotion and loyalty to the nation, only her wisdom in refusing the aid of the newer, more advanced weapons the King has seen developed." Miselle was proud of her families role in developing those weapons, too. "I do not think she will be announced heir, although I admit I see no other choice. But if it is so, we shall follow her."
Over the next half-hour, more people arrive until there are 100 people present. Approximately one-quarter are various dignitaries (nobles, wealthy merchants, and prestigious military folks), one-half are retinues and personal servants, and one-quarter are local staff (including yourselves and a few plainclothes police officers). They mingle freely and converse with one another as they wait for the king to arrive.
You recognize quite a few of the assorted guests, including Geoff Massarde , Captain Rutger Smith , and Duchess Ethelyn of Shale .
A little intimidated, Ellena just did her best to stay out of everyone's way - sneaking a snack or two when she thought no-one was looking.
Az is not in the least dissuaded by the crowd, making his way through them to the spread of finger-foods laid out for those in attendance. He does notice that a few people give him a lingering look, but assumes it is more because of the rarity of his race amongst the people in Risur.
He makes no special effort to be sociable, but if he is approached by someone, he will talk to them.
Alice avoids the crowds, standing on the sidelines and taking note of any detail about the environment. Massarde. A Danoran and a fiendspawn, I can like his work but please don't make me talk to him. Captain Smith, he never got himself in a fight. I've heard he calls himself a philosopher, there were not many philosophers in Yerasol. Duchess Ethelyn... She's a strong woman, but I've been told not to approach nobles and I most definitely don't want to.
She grabs a handful of shortbreads, munching on them while she checks the docks for dangers. Soldiers, officers, Principal Minister Lee. There is no shortage of resources, but there are just so many people that the risk is high.
Once more, she checks that her weapons are ready and looks upon the crowd.
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In hindsight, it probably wasn't the best idea to whip out a knife, snap it open, and wave it around to test the balance before stowing it away. Fortunately, nobody seems to mind, as several people are wearing ceremonial swords, and Massarde even has some sort of cold-producing wand that he's using to chill people's drinks. You do notice that the Duchess' handmaiden is actually a disguised high elf - although there's nothing suspicious about that fact. Members of that race (especially women) often pose as wood elves to avoid hassle.
As it turns out, you're not the only dwarf in attendance. A elderly, cigar-smoking fellow is busily debating philosophy with Captain Smith.
From her years as a police office, Corynne is quite familiar with those chosen for plainclothes duty, some of the best and brightest. Even then, mingling was never really her strong point. Those sensitive to other energies were....unsettled in her presence though they might have no idea why, to others they were at once drawn to her and felt a primal sense of warning.
The supernatural detective drifts through the crowd, exchanging smiles and pleasantries here and there while keeping an eye out for anything unusual.