"Yes sir." Persephone returns to Gorm's original desk, fetches the envelope, and brings it to Gorm. "Here you are sir."
She steps out of the room and closes the door. She sits down at her desk. Only to notice that she probably should still sit at Gorm's desk when Mr. Vanderbuilt comes out again. she changes seats.
What are they doing in there?
"I'm looking forward to a long profitable business partnership." Gorm tells as he shakes Vanderbuilt's hand.
The door stays closed for quite some time and nothing can be heard outside.
As the door opens Vanderbuilt comes out of the office followed by Gorm.
Vanderbuilt's face is red and drops of sweat form on his forehead. He dabs them off with his silken handkerchief. "Yes, yes. Thank you." His hand clenches around the envelope.
He stows the handkerchief in his coat's pocket, turns and leaves the office.
Gorm looks after him, until he is gone. Then he returns to the door of his managerial office, closes it and locks it. Then he approaches Persephone his facial expression reading Shoo!
"No." Gorm counts out the ten silver and puts the stack on his desk for Persephone to take.
Persephone gets up and changes to the other side of the desk. "Any other work for today."
At the temple of Abadar.
As Menan leaves the library in the temple of Abadar he notices Campbell Vanderbuilt, the husband of Lady Eleanor, approaching a clerk and putting an envelope on the counter.
The clerk invites Mr. Vanderbuilt into a closed office.
As it is still early in the day, around noon, there is not much going on in The Pig's Whistle.
Isabella is lying on the counter, right foot on the counter knee n the air. As Menan and Arawyn enter she announces without opening her eyes "I'm meditating. No service, and stay quiet."
Persephone takes the coins, leaves the office and looks if she can catch up with Mr. Vanderbuilt. But even though there are only a few options where he could have gone, she doesn't find him. This damned stiff leg. she curses herself.
As he is nowhere in sight on the way from the harbor she moves straight on to The Pig's Whistle.
On entering she call out in surprise "That's new. Is she dead and laid in repose?"
Arawyn puts her finder over her lips and approaches Persephone. "Meditation or something like that."
Persephone raises a brow but remains silent. She points with her thumb over her shoulder to the door with a questioning look. Then she leaves The Pig's Whistle.
"What's the point of visiting a tavern if you can't talk and are not served?"
"How did your visit to the watch go? My day was interesting. Again it shows I'm paid best when I'm just decoration."
The couple follow Persephone. "The watch is going to increase their presence at the establishments. They are not doing anything about the ghost. I have been researching ways to accomplish that. Just how interesting was your day?"
"Well, you met Gorm. He played boss and I played personal assistant for him. To impress some Vanderbuilt guy. Looked like they're doing business together. I got the impression they are going to steal him blind."
"Lady Eleanor buys their wine."
"Is it possible this ends at Gorm and not the Marinellis? I mean they have so much money already and more just keeps rolling in. Gorm pretended to be a Marinelli. Just because that kid acts so brutish and has his guards. He might be more stupid than smart."
Menan is surprised at Arawyn's investigative thinking. At first he is entertained and then the wheels begin to spin. He smiles with satisfaction. "The simplest explanation is almost always the correct one. Hmm...Gorm would take the blame for the family if that were the case. The family is not approachable. Seems we have a road block. But, you go around road blocks. I look forward to my next meeting with Lady Eleanor."
"That might be to late for Mr. Vanderbuilt. I believe the contract is already signed. Or not? He left with the envelope."
While the three stand outside of The Pig's whistle, two dockworkers with a cart come along, with the well known boxes of wine.
One stands next to the cart, the other one walks in. "Hey. We still have wine to offer. Are you interested today?" the dock worker asks.
Get lost, and if I ever see you again, I'll make stew of your stinking flesh." Isabella fumes.
This is followed by the noise of shattered glass.
The thug comes back out and tells his companion. "Nope, not interested." before the two move on.
"Wait, I'm coming along." Persephone calls out.
After a short hustle she catches up with them. "Hi guys. You won an extra shift of delivering crates?"
"Yeah. The boss sent us on another tour. I don't get why. But I'm paid the same even if it's just a walk in the fresh air for the wine." the talky guy replies.
"Then I know what I have to book tomorrow. But if you really only take the wine for a walk, maybe I can just scrap the list. If Gorm didn't already book it out."
She chat's a little more with the guys about the work to come, the weather, and what they do in their free time. Just to keep the talk going so it doesn't become awkward that she hangs around while checking on them during the delivery.
The delivery goes to Zokar and the other shop, but both don't open the door and just tell them to go away. Resulting in a fruitless walk.
They turn and walk back towards the docks.
Halfway back to the docks, Persephone parts ways. "I'm calling it a day. See you tomorrow at work."
She walks in direction of her home, but then decides, that it is still too early to go to bed and she still hasn't eaten. Instead she sets course back to Isabella.
Isabella finished her meditation as all those interruptions are ruining it anyway. "Anyone who has no job to do and wants to go grocery shopping and cooking afterwards?"
"Campbell Vanderbuilt placed an envelope on the counter in the Temple of Abadar as I was leaving. A clerk ushered him into a room and closed the door. "
"Do you have a cart? I think your kitchen needs a thorough shopping to be done. You're always out of everything." Faerveren assesses.
"You should have the money for a proper shopping tour too."
"You're aware that some things spoil over time? Don't overdo it. The cart is behind the house in the yard. Isabella hands over 10 gold.
"Yes, yes." Faerveren replies and leaves with the money.
"Oh my. But I'm interested anyway what it is about. I didn't have a chance to look at it."
"What are we going to do with the rest of the day? Waiting here to see if the fart-demon returns?"
"Should I try to make contact with Master Vanderbuilt? It would be awkward but when the iron is hot..."
"The webs we weave. I will be with the animals."
"If your connections are that good already. I'm definitely curious what business they have. But no word about the information only I could be the source of."
"I wish I knew him better. What do you think? Yeah, it would be a giveaway as to our eyes and ears. Maybe we should just keep watching."
"Is Eleanor of the gossipy type? You could mention you saw him at the dock in Marinelli's office and wonder what people might think."
"She may or may not be. I noticed she had Marinelli wine and when I mentioned it, she talked it off as just a normal wine purchase. We do have lunch on Sundays."
The rest of the evening passes uneventful. No demon walk in this day. But there are only half as many patrons as usual. The event seems to have left a lasting impression.
On the way home you notice that you can see at least one pair of guards at all times.
And it is evening and it is morning a new day.
Menan heads back to the library.
There is nothing else in the books about the Duke, but you remember that this noble like was self appointed. They successfully claimed the land back in the days and founded the village.
The Vanderbuilts are also back from that time and got their title from a duke in that line.
Persephone goes to work again, even though there is nothing left from yesterday. She enters the office and approaches Gorm. "Hi. What's there to do today?"
"You can stow away the wine boxes and reenter them into the books. That's all for today."
"Well, that's not even work for half a day. When do you expect the next ship?"
"I don't know. Maybe come back on Toilday."
Persephone raises a brow. "So what will happen on Moonday?"
She makes a pause before she ensues. "I assume you have something going on, where the real money is. I want in. I want the job where the pay doesn't just pay to the food and the rent."
"I'll stow away the boxes and fix the books. If you have anther job for me before Toilday, I'm there."
Gorm looks Persephone into the eye, but doesn't say anything.
She starts with the work at hand. Three boxes of wine, back into the warehouse. That only takes a few minutes. She counts the crates in the warehouse again and returns to the office. She grabs the big book with the inventory and checks the tray for a sheet where they were booked out.
There is none. It's already in the book. So she adds another line, putting them in again. Strike out the old entry with a thin line, adding a reference to the new line and write everything there again. Description of the goods, former stock, change,current stock, shelf ID.
She closes the book and returns it to the shelf.
"Percy?" Gorm calls, as usual without looking up from the papers he's reading. Once she stands at his desk he continues.
"There is a ship, that might already arrive on Moonday. If you see a new ship anchored here, you can come to work."
He counts out the usual 10 silver, even though the work was only a fraction of her usual workday.
Persephone smiles and takes the coin. "I'll be there."
She leaves the office and she feels chipper on her way back into town.