"Yes, please."
The man seats Menan on a table where he got a view over all the restaurant. He serves him some coffee and pastries. "Enjoy your meal."
Persephone kicks her heels outside.
Menan sits there for quite a while. Other patrons come and fill the tables. Most are there only for a quick breakfast and then leave again. A few sit there like him and take their time, reading a book on the side or playing chess together.
After two hours two men that look nothing like the patrons enter.
They carry a wooden crate that they drop on the counter. "Your fine wine, as ordered." One of them tells.
"Here is your pay." Branston replies and hands over a stack of coins.
"Always a pleasure to do busyness with ya. See ya next week." Teh men leave the restaurant again.
"Have a nice day." Burston calls after the men. He opens the crate, and takes out a bottle.
He walks over to Menan. "Here is the bottle of wine you ordered. It is 10 gold."
"So, you are okay with this?"
The man lowers his voice. "What kind of stupid question is that. As I asked before: What are you offering? Or to be more precise, what do you want?"
"I suggest you try the poulard for a main course. It goes well with your wine."
Menan stands and says "I offered to help you out of this situation. What do I owe you for the coffee and pastries? The wine belongs to you. You just wasted two hours of my time."
"Would you quiet down? If you want to help, you're welcome. Make them stop coming to my establishment."
"That would be three silver."
Menan places three silver on the table. "That is my inclination. What can you tell me of the family and the boy? Do you have any ideas on how to stop this? I am going to work out a plan that poses no threat to any of you. It will take time. I will need to get with the others that are being extorted. You are the first I have approached."
"Come with me."
Branston leads Menan into a side room. "What makes you think I know anything?"
"Marinelli is the head of a big trading company. He has warehouses at the docks and has a large number of those thugs on his paylist. Dockworkers. And to increase profit he sells overpriced wine. That's what everyone knows. Even you as a stranger obviously know it."
"I know nothing else about his family. Neither how many kids he has, or if he's married. He doesn't socialize much. At least not in circles I get to."
"Thank you for that. I will return should we devise a good plan."
Menan steps outside and says to Persephone "Not a pleasant job we have. Please lead the way."
To no one's surprise, Persephone isn't still standing outside the restaurant after over two hours. She goes window shopping in the vincinity and disappears into a bakery. Looking through what is on display she decides for a loaf of bread. After chatting a bit about the weather she moves on to the butcher. Discussing for a while about the shelf life of the wares she takes some dried and smoked sausage. Visiting more shops she buys oil, vinegar, cheese and finds that she still needs to go to the market.
As the wine delivery wagon still comes with a staff of four, no opportunity arises there.
Once Menan finally comes out of the restaurant again, she leads the way to the general store where the last intervention happened. Standing in the alley she ponders "This shop probably has a front door too."
"Certainly. So just three businesses that we know of at this time?"
Menan enters the store front.
"Welcome to Zokar's Shop. I'm Zokar, how can I help you?"
The shop is stuffed from the floor to the ceiling with all kinds of stuff. Pots, pans, lamps, cloth, clothes. Probably you'd have a hard time naming something the shop doesn't have. Zokar stands behind the counter at the entrance.
"Good day Zokar. I am Menan." He looks around to make sure no one is in ear shot. "I am here to learn about those who sell overpriced wine with impunity. It is my wish to find a remedy to this operation."
Zokar's face darkens. "Those insufferable bastards. Someone should shove the bottles up their arse until they puke cork!"
"I have no dog in this fight but do wish to correct this repugnance. It is my wish to come up with a good plan of action. Have you any information to share that might help in in this endeavor. The more I know about the perpetrators the better."
"They come every Wednesday in the morning and deliver a box of wine. See, the bottles there, prominently placed on the shelf. Want to buy one? For you only 8 gold."
"The first time they came for a visit, they 'offered' the wine. They suggested, it might be better to buy it, or things could drop to the floor and break. And one of them toppled a piece of china over."
"There were two that delivered the wine, but since last week there are four of them. Something must have happened. Last week I got my delivery, but the thug got distracted by some noise while I was fetching the coin and was gone when I came looking for him."
"The next day four guys came and wanted to repeat the delivery, but I showed them that I got mine already and they moved on."
"Interesting. Do you know of any other businesses they frequent?"
"Sorry, they don't talk about their business relations, but from what is on their cart, I'd expect two more 'customers'"
"Father Grimburrow might know more. He brought some guy here last week who was interested in doing something about this scam too. But I haven't heard of him since."
"Thank you for that lead. If we devise a plan, you shall hear about it. Have a good day sir." Menan exits the store and tells Persephone "It does appear they only supply the three businesses that we are aware of. Zokar believes Father Grimburrow may have some insight into this. Do you wish to join me?"
"How do you come to that conclusion?" Persephone inquires.
"I'm not sure I want Father Grimburrow to know that I'm meddling with that."
Menan smiles at Persephone. "Probably best. See you around." Menan works his way to the chapel of Pharasma. He enters.
There is silence in the chapel. Nothing is going on there on this Wealday noon. Father Grimburrow is sitting on the front pew reading. He looks up, greeting Menan with a nod, then turns to his book again.
Menan moves to the cleric. Still standing he says "I hate to interrupt a good read. Would another time be better?"
"I'm here for those who seek guidance, either through life, or through death. Books can wait. They are patient." He puts the book aside.
"It is guidance I seek but in more of a layman sense. I have become aware that the Marinelli of the docks is extorting gold from three businesses in town. They use threats to bully them into buying wine on a weekly basis at an exorbitant price. I would like to devise a manner of correcting this but I need more information. Zokar indicated you may have some knowledge of this or know someone interested in stopping the practice."
"It's a novelty that someone who wants to solve this issue comes to me. I've made several attempts to muster a group to stand up against that, but so far I've failed."
"I know some of those who are paying this weekly price. But none of them is willing to stick their head out to make it better. Understandably so. It is to be expected, that the first one to stand up volunteers to be set as an example to all."
"There was a brave young man who got into a quarrel with Marinelli's son by accident. I thought I could win him over for that fight, but he had a temper and wasn't very patient. I haven't seen him in a while."
Menan paces with chin in hand looking down. "Such a relief to find a kindred spirit in this matter. What you say is true. We need a plan. A good plan that cannot fail. I just do not have enough information to form one. Marinelli's son. So Andrea is not the owner of the business? What can you tell me of this family?"
"Basically what is written on the sign naming his company. He came here with money, bought the business from a merchant retiring and went from there. His business grew, and now he is the one who owns the majority of the buildings at the docks."
"On the outside he has just a trading company. Having goods brought here from the big harbors in the north and the same from the south. Then the goods change hands and travel further with the ships going back."
"Now he expands with his business into town. With the kind of business he does, it brings up the question, if his other business is also of the shady kind. But I simply don't know."
"That it does. I have wondered that myself. Thank you for your time, father. I believe I shall do some sleuthing based on that. So, you are of the opinion the father is equally as brutish as the boy?"
"You met the son of Marinelli?" Grimnburrow asks. "I haven't met his old man. I can't tell."
"I have met neither." Menan nods his head in respect and ventures back into town. He makes his way to the market and finds a place to sit and think.
Still at Zolkar's
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As they part ways Persephone walks to the docks to find Finn. "Hi. I'm back. What's there to do today?"
"You're late." Finn replies. "See the boat there? It needs to be unloaded til high tide. Just follow the others and carry stuff. The easy job with the list you're too late to."
Persephone shrugs. "Then carrying boxes it is."
She walks over to the boat and helps unloading it.
Menan spends his day at the market. When not in thought he greets those passing by.
Arawyn locates him and passes the time. She insists they go to the Pig's Whistle after feeding the team.
Faerveren lies down on the roof to enjoy the autumn sun. When the cart with the wine delivery comes her interest i piqued. As the thugs leave the restaurant and Persephone and Menan are not in sight she follows the cart over the roof-tops.
The thugs push the cart to Zokar's General store next. A box of wine goes in, a stack of coins comes out that goes into the reinforced metal box.
From there they move on to one of the manors in uptown. There they behave properly by approaching the servants entry, ringing the bell, and carrying the box in once a maid opens the door. Here no money changes hands, but only a slip is signed.
This repeats again at another manor house. Then the thugs walk their cart back to the docks. But not to the big warehouse, but a smaller one. A three story building housing the offices of the Marinelli Inc. The business sign reads Marinelli Inc. but by the shape of it and the flaking paint you can tell it read something different before that. It also has a walled in yard and a storage building attached.
The cart goes into the yard. A clerk is noticed of the return and opens the box to retrieves the money and the signed slips.
Arawyn and Menan enter the Pig and head to bar shortly after sunset.
Having lost Persephone, Faerveren moves to The Pig's Whistle. The place is boring at this time, but it might offer something to fill her stomach. With Persephone working all day, there is too little cooking happening and even the apples ran out. At least there will be ale, so worst case it'll be a liquid meal.
Faerveren sits at a corner table when Menan and Arawyn enter the tavern.
"Work, or ale, or both?" Isabella greets the two elves.
"Let's begin with a couple ales, thank you."
"Here you are." Isabella puts two mugs of ale on the counter for Arawyn and Menan.
Arawyn walks over to Faeveren. "Good evening. Would you care for some company or remaining here by yourself?"