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The Field Marshal puts her hands out. "I'm not trying to recruit you for the Guard. What I have in mind is more along the lines of independent contractors." She looks at Shrike. "I have a multitude of real problems. And just as many constraints in how I deal with them, or even if I am allowed to deal with them." She pauses for a moment, letting her words sink in.
Shrike is silent and still for a few moments. Then the mask dips in a cautious nod and she sits again, this time perching herself on the arm of the chair. If Kroft is sensible, and knows that the robins should be doing more but thinks her hands are tied somehow, she can't fault the Field Marshal for trying to do something about it unofficially, rather than doing nothing.
Inclining her head to Dal as to concede a point, Cressida Kroft sighs. "I am... aware. Believe me, it is something that I have spent most of my career attempting to rectify. I have not been as successful as I would have liked." She bites her lip before continuing. "Perhaps my choice of words was poor. I meant 'permanent' as in me having a means to contact you if there is a need for your skills, as well as some perks and allowances, should you get into trouble. I am beyond grateful that you solved last night's situation without bloodshed, and I fervently hope that the trend can continue, but if you ever seriously hurt or even kill someone in pursuit of your mission, I will do my best to defend you." She raises a finger. "That doesn't mean you get license to kill indiscriminately, which I am sure is something you don't need to be told."
She folds her hands together, leaning forward on her desk. "If these terms are more agreeable to you, there is a matter that an old friend has brought to my attention and which I am powerless to solve... officially."
"Field Marshal Kroft, I can't speak for anyone else, but if you want my help, then I'm happy to offer it. I had hoped that we could have brought Verik and his men in without any violence, but--" Her voice trails off as the still raw emotions come back to her.
Shrike cocks her head curiously. There was blood shed last night, but to her way of thinking, not enough. Not while the four Cow Hammer Boys still breathe. "What we did wasn't enough. Those four need to die. Vancaskerkin doesn't." The mask turns to regard Kroft again. "Will they?"
Her voice is its normal harsh croak, not particularly angry or accusatory. But she watches Kroft closely for a response. She had taken a gamble on the usefulness of the law, dragging the butchers back to the Citadel like a cat dropping a half-dead rat on its favored human's doorstep. She won't do it again if there's even a chance the rat might get away. Or if she's also dragged a man — one who should be exiled at most, perhaps — to a noose.
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"What we did wasn't enough. Those four need to die. Vancaskerkin doesn't." The mask turns to regard Kroft again. "Will they?"
The Field Marshal takes a deep breath. Nods. "They will be tried for desertion, robbery, aggravated assault, and murder. We have the confession of some of them and material evidence, so I am confident that they will be sentenced to death." Her gaze flicks away for a moment. "The part about selling or giving away human flesh - the morale of both the Guard and the city is very shaky right now. I hope you understand that some truths need to be withheld for the moment." She gives the impression that this doesn't exactly sit right with her, but has long practice in doing what is needed rather than what she would like.
"Verik will be tried for desertion and gross negligence. He claims ignorance of the others' actions and I am inclined to believe him, but will still need to get a priest in to verify his claims under a truth-telling spell. I hear he has family in Magnimar."
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Audria shrinks down as Shrike says they didn't do enough. Maybe those men did need to die, but how is she to know if they would ever have a change of heart. Shelyn may not be Sarenrae, but that doesn't mean that the Eternal Rose doesn't share the Dawnflower's desire to see all people turn from evil or that she doesn't find redemption beautiful. Everyone has some beauty in them, right?
Her mind goes back to the assassin she had rescued from certain death, and she finds that she can't meet anyone's eyes after she considers what the man said and how he acted. Was Karralo the same? Just someone that said what they thought would save his skin without really regretting what he did? Was this task that Field Marshal Kroft has for them going to lead to yet another incident that weighs on her conscious?
"Aw, are you realizing how stupid and naive you really are, my little rat," Halvara whispers in her mind. "My my, How the righteous and virtuous have fallen. Maybe all those sweet words are, well, you know."
Shrike's posture relaxes, just a little bit, and she nods to Cressida Kroft with something approaching respect. "He's selfish. Not vicious. Don't know about 'M.'"
But she does not discount the warnings in the Field Marshal's words. Withholding information from the public about the Cow Hammer crimes is the least of it, and not something she cares about in particular. Word will get about by rumor anyway.
No, the lesson is that the law will probably do here what should be done, exactly and only because they were able to bring it other offerings as well. Confession. Material evidence. Not just the bodies of the guilty and their knowledge of the crime. They can't count on the robins unless overwhelming proof is dropped in their laps.
"What's the unofficial problem?"
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"M. is a mystery, for now. Verik refuses to speak about them, whoever they are." The Field Marshal pauses, glances away, clears her throat. Bringing her gaze back to Shrike, and taking in Audria, Dal and Abella as well, she continues in a softer voice.
"I have an old friend in Old Korvosa who has alerted me to some... unusual movements in the real estate market - there and elsewhere in the city. He's done some digging, and it turns out that the Cheliax ambassador, Darvayne Gios Amprei, is behind it. Now, there is nothing illegal in someone buying property in Korvosa, even a foreign citizen, but this goes much deeper and I fear for what it will ultimately mean for the city." She pauses, nibbling on her lower lip as she considers her next words. "The ambassador's disdain for Korvosa is well known, though he's taken great pleasure in what our city has to offer. Even before the king's death he was threatening us with trade sanctions over imagined transgressions and insults. Now he has escalated those threats. Embargo. The Queen has attempted to negotiate, but he is proving very stubborn." Cressida Kroft lowers her voice further. "My friend has learned through his own considerable sources that Ambassador Amprei's actual goals are to undermine Korvosa's economy to the point where he can buy up large portions of the city from desperate landholders - and he has already started doing that in Old Korvosa, where houses are cheap. He plans to establish himself in a position of power here before advising the end of the sanctions with his allies in Cheliax. You understand that his plan cannot be allowed to progress, but he is a foreign diplomat so my hands are tied."
A corner of the Field Marshal's mouth lifts in a humourless smile. "Fortunately, the ambassador has his foibles. My friend tells me that Ambassador Amprei has been making fairly regular visits to a place called Eel's End, in Old Korvosa. That den of vice is run by a dangerous man named Devargo Barvasi, better known in Korvosa's alleys as the King of Spiders. I'd love to put Devargo out of business, but he pays his vice taxes regularly and is careful to never cause any problems that would give my people cause to raid his place. Truth be told, I can’t decide whether Devargo is a stirge or a kraken. He seems like a bloodsucking pest most days, but sometimes I fear just how far his tentacles have wormed their way into the heart of our city. In this case though, his insidious web stretching across Korvosa's underworld might be to our advantage." She drums the fingers of one hand on the desk. "V- my friend thinks that Devargo holds something that might make Ambassador Amprei back down. And with what's at stake, I'm not afraid to play dirty." The tight smile stretches a little. "That's where you come in, if you are willing."
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Audria listens to the Field Marshal explain the situation, trying to ignore the thoughts that were swirling around in her head. The mention of Eel's End causes her to look up, which lets everyone see the color drain from her face when Devargo Bravasi is mentioned.
Him?! We're going to have to deal with him?! The thought chases away everything else. She can feel Tally shivering against her neck as her own memories and the spike of terror lancing through Audria feed into her own fear. It has been two years since the two of them had run into Devargo Bravasi in a shop called the Dockside Doxies. She's only met him once and in passing at that, but even then she could tell the man was dangerous. The fear she had of Gaedren Lamm and still has of Halvara is one born of experience, of knowing what they can do. The fear she has of Devargo Bravasi, the King of Spiders, is the kind of fear one has for a very dangerous predator that passed them by without so much as second thought. What few things she has learned from Jessica since then has only heightened and sharpened that terror. The normally talkative and flirtatious woman would go quiet and somber, even fearful, whenever Devargo Bravasi's name came up or when she'd dealt with him before coming over after Audria or Eliana had an incident related to their hair. Audria never learned why, and she never could work up the courage to ask her.
"W-w-we're g-g-going to meet w-with the King of Spiders," she asks in a small, terrified voice.
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Cressida Kroft's gaze sharpens on Audria, noticing her reaction. "If you are willing to attempt this, yes." There is a slight stress on 'if' - the Field Marshal is offering her an out.
She clears her throat. "You wouldn't be alone. As part of a cooperation program between the Guard and the Sable Company, I'd like to send a marine with you to serve as aid and liaison. He is experienced and has a proven track record. And my friend has a protégé who knows the area well and can also help."
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Audria shrinks under Kroft's gaze. She feels more like a child than a capable young woman as she listens. She's terrified, but...
There's that but, isn't there. She can't take the Field Marshal's out, not if she can help. She swallows her fear and takes in a deep breath as her mind reaches out to Tally and soothes her fears as well. No, she can't take the Field Marshal's out, not if she can be useful.
"Sorry, Ma'am," she says quietly while meeting Kroft's gaze. "I was taken off guard." She closes her eyes and takes in a deeper breath before speaking again, seeming more herself.
"Does your friend know his way around Eel's End? If not, I know a couple of people that can help us. They may even enable us to do this without the ambassador even knowing a group of us came to see Devargo Bravasi." The tremolo in her voice gives away the fear she still feels, but at least she seems to be in control now.
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Shrike is silent throughout the Field Marshal's explanation of the problem of the Chelish ambassador, but at the words King of Spiders, her stillness is broken by the subtle stiffening in her neck and shoulders, like a hawk that has spotted a ripple in the grass. Kroft now has her focused and complete attention.
"I'm in." The deadly intent in just two harsh syllables is unmistakable.
"Does your friend know his way around Eel's End? If not, I know a couple of people that can help us. They may even enable us to do this without the ambassador even knowing a group of us came to see Devargo Bravasi."
"He has guards. Lots." Shrike does not mention how she might know this. Her mask turns to Audria, then Kroft again. "Can your contacts fight if they need to?"
The girl is clearly terrified of the King of Spiders — as she should be, and as any girl who grew up on the streets would be. But she also seems to find her courage quickly. That is good. She'll need it. A Sable Company marine is obviously a capable combatant, but Audria's social circle does not seem overly martial, and Kroft's unknown friend's 'protege' might not be either.
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Dal held up a finger, “Uh, can we even get these contacts inside? Devargo’s people might not be keen on letting one of the illustrious marines walk into his establishment.”
Whatever Dal had expected Kroft to mention, it had not been Eel’s End. It was not the sort of place Dal made a habit of visiting. Sure, he had gone a few times in his younger days. Chances were, if you pointed at a Korvosan who claimed to have never visited the King of Spiders’ “business,” you’d also be pointing at someone who would lose at one of the card tables.
“Then again,” Dal slowly lowered his finger, “I suppose if you’re willing to ‘play dirty’ then you’ve thought of that already.”
He chewed on his lip for a few moments as he mulled over the offer. Finally, Pockets slicked his tail back and forth in Dal’s face.
Impatient
“Fine. Yeah, I’m in. Devargo is a parasite but he’s one we know. If someone is actively trying to displace Korvosans for profit, I’m - and I can’t believe I’m saying this - I’m willing to try to make contact with Devargo. Ugh, I feel slimy just saying it.”
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Audria feels cold as she hears Shrike say she's in.
It didn't seem like she was going to accept this until she heard that involved Devargo Bravasi. She doesn't sound like she's going to settle for just talking to the King of Spiders. She sounds like she wants to kill him! Oh, Merula, what else has happened to you?
Tally rubs her head against Audria's cheek as she tries to process this new-found, at least to her, facet of her friend. Did she really know Merula? For that matter, did she really know Abella or Dal all that well? Pip? Well, Pip always seemed a rather open, if scatterbrained fellow, but he is gone now.
"Not that you have any right to judge, my little rat," Halvara's voice hisses in her ear. She reaches up and pets Tally's head as she feels the anxiety building in their link. She pushes the thought away, but it hovers at the edge of her consciousness like the others telling her all of the lies she'd been told before she and Eliana joined the church two years ago, No, it's closer to two and a half now. They circle around like jigsaw sharks in the Jeggare River around chummed waters. For a moment, fear adn doubt threaten to sweep her under again.
"Stop," Merula tells her as she breathes in. The growing storm begins to quiet.
"Breath, Kiddo. You're alright," Bartholomew adds. She can feel his steady hands guiding her through the forms as she learned to defend herself, and to defend others she realizes.
"You're a good person, Audria. I wish I was more like you," Dal says as he picks her up off the ground.
"You do enough, more than enough," Trinia whispers as she hugs the young paladin.
"You're wanted. You're braver, stronger, and tougher than you know,"Tally tells her as she puts her forehead to hers.
"You're Shelyn's Champion, Audria. Shelyn chose you," Eliana tells her as she holds her hands and smiles.
For the first time since she found Zellara's card, The Survivor, in her sketchbook, Audria feels truly calm. She feels the doubts fading away instead of simply being pushed back.
She takes in a deep breath and lets the fear go along with it as she lets it out. One thing at a time. One step at a time. It is a mantra that Bartholomew, Olga, Brother Theolan, Sister Jenelyn, and Trinia had all drilled into her as she learned from them. First thing, she needs to let the Field Marshal know she is willing to do this.
She looks to Dal and Shrike before glancing at Abella and wondering if she would join in.
Maybe if she thinks it'll help her. Then again, Audria thinks back over her interactions with the mage, she always does something if we ask her to, even if it didn't help her directly. I wonder if the arrogance is a mask for something else.
She pushes the distracting thought away.
"If you want me, Field Marshal, I'll help in anyway I can," she says, making her acceptance of this mission explicit.
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"Does your friend know his way around Eel's End? If not, I know a couple of people that can help us. They may even enable us to do this without the ambassador even knowing a group of us came to see Devargo Barvasi."
The Field Marshal's eyes widen a little in surprise at Audria's offer, but she quickly lets go of any shock she might feel at a priestess of Shelyn having underworld ties to focus on the matter at hand. "That would be ideal. My friend's contact is a local, so I presume they know something of Eel's End."
"He has guards. Lots." Shrike does not mention how she might know this. Her mask turns to Audria, then Kroft again. "Can your contacts fight if they need to?"
Dal held up a finger, “Uh, can we even get these contacts inside? Devargo’s people might not be keen on letting one of the illustrious marines walk into his establishment.”
Cressida Kroft nods. "They can. And to your point, Master Imperiosus, this particular marine is very well suited for such a mission, as he just returned from a tour of duty and before that he hadn't been in Korvosa that long. I believe he grew up in Magnimar. In any case, his face would not be known to the Spi- to Barvasi's men."
As most of the group voices their acceptance, the Field Marshal blows out a relieved breath. "Good. Excellent. Now, let me introduce you to your new Sable Company friend and sort out a few other tidbits." She rings a small bell on her desk, which summons an aide. "Please tell Sergeant Rivers to come see me."
While they wait, Cressida Kroft rises to her feet and moves to an ornately tooled leather case that had been sitting in a corner, from which she lifts an iron-bound box with apparent ease. She sets the box on the desk, and by the thudding noise it makes it must be quite heavy. A moment later, the aide opens the door again, ushering in a tall young man bearing the Sable Company insignia.
"Sergeant Rivers, thank you for coming. I would like to introduce you to the group you will be liaising with." She lets everyone introduce themselves however they like, or not at all.
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"Does your friend know his way around Eel's End? If not, I know a couple of people that can help us. They may even enable us to do this without the ambassador even knowing a group of us came to see Devargo Barvasi."The Field Marshal's eyes widen a little in surprise at Audria's offer, but she quickly lets go of any shock she might feel at a priestess of Shelyn having underworld ties to focus on the matter at hand. "That would be ideal. My friend's contact is a local, so I presume they know something of Eel's End."
Audria squirms a little under the Field Marshal's scrutiny. She would really rather not have to explain how she came to know Jessica and Madame Ioana, especially since she is certain that Abella's going to tease her about it once she learns of it. She'd rather not have more people learn about what happens when she gets flustered than already do. It's already going to be bad enough just going to the Dockside Doxies to see if either of them could help.
As most of the group voices their acceptance, the Field Marshal blows out a relieved breath. "Good. Excellent. Now, let me introduce you to your new Sable Company friend and sort out a few other tidbits." She rings a small bell on her desk, which summons an aide. "Please tell Sergeant Rivers to come see me."
While they wait, Cressida Kroft rises to her feet and moves to an ornately tooled leather case that had been sitting in a corner, from which she lifts an iron-bound box with apparent ease. She sets the box on the desk, and by the thudding noise it makes it must be quite heavy. A moment later, the aide opens the door again, ushering in a tall young man bearing the Sable Company insignia.
"Sergeant Rivers, thank you for coming. I would like to introduce you to the group you will be liaising with." She lets everyone introduce themselves however they like, or not at all.
Other tidbits? Audria wonders what the Field Marshal is talking about when she sees her go to an ornate leather case and pulls out the heavy looking box. After hearing it thud on her desk, the young paladin thinks it would be a very wise idea to stay on her good side. Thankfully, before she can start imagining the ways the Field Marshal could tie her into knots, Sergeant Rivers arrives and she gets her first good look at him. If he's only been in the Sable Company for a short time, then Bartholomew probably doesn't know him at all. She stands and gives him a curtsey.
"I am Audria Lumina, Sister in the service of The Eternal Rose, and this is Talanaliel, my guide and companion," she says, gesturing to the thrush on her shoulder. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Sergeant Rivers."
The young paladin is all of five feet tall and slightly built. Her braided, strawberry-blonde hair ends just a little past her waist. Freckles dust her cheeks and petite, upturned nose. Her large, blue eyes are clear and clearly show her curiosity. She's wearing a blue robe trimmed with golden-yellow and belted with a sash that is all seven colors of the rainbow. Around her neck is a silver holy symbol.
The thrush, Talanaliel, is covered in dappled brown, black, and cream colored feathers with large, brown eyes that show far more intelligence than any mere animal. She watches Sergeant Rivers intently, trying to take a measure of his character in this first meeting.
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As soon as he is summoned, Elric steps into the room and stands briefly at attention before easing into a more relaxed stance.
The answer to Shrike's question about his combat abilities is obvious to any trained warrior from the way he moves in his armor and from the impeccable condition of his weapons and gear. He's more slender than you might expect from a marine, but every bit of visible muscle is wiry and toned.
"Pleasure, I'm sure. Please, call me Elric - after all, this is not a military operation. I take it everyone have agreed to visit Devargo Bravasi like you explained earlier, Commander Kroft?" he says, his tone all business.
While waiting for a response, he surveys the gathered group, quietly forming a first impression.
What a collection of characters...but if what the Commander told me is true, they are more capable than they look.
Shrike stands when the aide comes into the room and remains standing as Kroft produces an iron box and the aide returns with the man introduced to them as Sergeant Rivers, then Elric.
By the shape and length of the ears poking through its pale hair, the masked figure whose head turns slightly to regard Elric as he enters is clearly an elf. This is less notable than the bizarre grey mask it wears, which reinforces the impression of an elf with its large, slanted, solid black eyes, but otherwise depicts a stylized bird with a small, hooked beak. Its face is fully concealed by the mask, though the beak must be open on the bottom to allow breathing.
"Shrike." Before she introduces herself, it is hard to tell if the person under the mask, her tall figure swathed in layers of forgettable, many-pocketed dark gray clothing over oil-blackened chain armor, is a male or female elf — her height and frame would not be out of place on either, and elven men often wear their hair long. But her voice is clearly female in pitch despite its oddly hoarse, croaking quality. "We have."
She remains perfectly still, studying Elric carefully. Her next words are addressed to everyone. "I'd rather 'visit' after midnight. If it's all the same."
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Not one to waste words, this one…and I’ll wager she knows how to use that elf-spear she’s carrying.” Elric thinks to himself as he responds to Shrike’s introduction with a curt nod.
”Works for me. It will give me time to stop by the quatermaster at the Great Tower and exchange my uniform and armor for one of the unmarked sets used for covert operations. While we are best known for our airborne patrols, Sable Company frequently dispatches agents to keep tabs on potential threats like smugglers or pirates.” he says, then adds:
”Speaking of airborne patrols, I suppose Galewing had better remain at the Great Tower during this excursion. A trained hippogriff mount is bound to attract the wrong kind of attention in Eel’s End.”
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A hippogriff?
Audria's curiosity is piqued, but as much as she would love to have the chance to do some studies drawing and painting a real, live hippogriff, she knows there are far more pressing matters to deal with than her desire to further her artistic skills. She puts her foot down rather firmly on the temptation to ask Sergeant Rivers-- no no, he said call him Elric-- to introduce her to Galewing and have a them sit for a session. She glances over at him, and her cheeks pinken as she realizes that she might be more vain than she thought. Elric Rivers is a rather handsome man.
Audria, this isn't the time. The city is hurting. You've got your duties at the Sanctuary to worry about, not to mention getting the children you helped rescue back to their homes or to new homes, getting word back to Captain Merrin about Tayce and Brienna Soldado, getting Eliana her things from our room, and dealing with this whole Bravasi-Ambassador mess! You do not have time to be mooning over handsome men.
Then another thought hits her.
Is this what Merula deals with all the time? How does she not go mad from having her attention pulled in a dozen different directions at once. I'd think she'd be too busy with tutoring, rehearsing, performing, and trying to spend time with her family. How does she do this Shrike act on top of all of that?
Though she manages to not let her thoughts show on her face, she glances at Shrike as she wonders how she manages to keep from going mad.
She turns to the Field Marshal. "It seems like we have some errands to take care of before we can start on this, ma'am. Do you know when and where your friend and their protege will be meeting us, or do you need time to arrange that?"
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The Field Marshal taps a finger on the iron box, still standing. "The plan was for you to meet them in Old Korvosa, but I can make other arrangements. I didn't want to bring them here because it might have tipped off any watchers, and my friend prefers to not be publicly associated with the Guard." She thinks for a moment, the finger continuing its rhythmical tapping. "The Sanctuary is a rather inconspicuous location, for now. I can send them word to meet you there, then you can go on your errands. Sergeant Rivers, we can provide you unmarked clothing and armour as well." She gives a half-smile. "The Sable Company are not the only ones doing covert operations."
Her finger stops tapping, and she places her hand on the box. "One more thing. I imagine that Devargo Barvasi will not help you out of the kindness of his black, shriveled heart. You will likely need to sweeten the deal for him." She unlocks and opens the box, revealing stacks of platinum crowns on a bed of faded and moth-eaten velvet. "This is from my personal funds, since using city money for this seems... wrong. I hope it will be enough. Secure an audience with him and find out what he knows about the ambassador. Getting proof is absolutely vital, if there are any illicit goings-on that Amprei might be involved in, that can be used to undermine his schemes." She pushes the box away from her. "Remember that Devargo is dangerous, but so are you - if things turn sour, I wouldn't mourn his passing."
She reaches into a pocket and adds a few more coins to what's in the box - these ones silver shields. "And you should all go see the play the Farrago's putting on tonight, on me. Should make for a nice bonding experience, and none of you would be out of place there."
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One nice thing about cultivating concealment and stillness like a religious practice is that it's harder for other people to notice when your heart almost stops.
Shrike's eyes dart to the Field Marshal without any movement of her head. None of us would be out of place—? She must be telling me—
After a moment she croaks, more or less normally, "A play. In this? Not happening."
Which it won't be. "Bribery and blackmail preferred to violence. Noted."
But she makes no promises. That the boss robin even proposes this is baffling — but perhaps it has something to do with what Kroft sees as her role here. Plausible deniability. It can't be her conscience. The man is a murderer many times over, a drug kingpin, a seller of flesh and trader in human misery no less than the Cow Hammer Boys or Lamm. A habitual predator. And Kroft clearly knows it, no matter how she dresses up the law's toothlessness. He pays his "vice taxes," so they've never gone looking. He can do whatever he wants to the desperate girls that fall into his web. Fury, then calm settles on her like a cool shroud. Barvasi will give her a reason.
She'll drop these coins in the Jeggare before giving him a single crown.
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"I will send word to my friend to meet you at the Sanctuary, then. Sergeant Rivers, report to our quartermaster on your way out, she will outfit you with what you need. Good luck out there."
It is a warm and sunny Fireday, and Bartholomew is sitting on the steps outside the temple entrance with an old chain shirt in his lap, doing something complicated to it with a pair of pliers. His brow is furrowed in concentration, and his tongue sticks out a bit. The pliers slip and a chain link goes ping off the stones. He curses softly, then raises his eyes to spot the approaching group.
"Audria! Good morning. There's someone here to see you and your friends." Audria can hear the note of disapproval in his voice as he lowers it a notch. "I'm glad that you're taking more martial training, but I don't hold with the fancy swordplay. That's for nobles, not for real combat situations, especially not out on the streets. A thug or an assassin is not going to ask which bits of you they're allowed to hit and would you please take your guard position before we begin." He holds up a calloused and battered hand. "But, I hear this fellow is actually rather good, so perhaps there is something he can teach you." He shifts his hand to point backwards with his thumb, through the entrance. "I think he's currently charming my wife inside."
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After the group with their newfound liaison is a few blocks from the Citadel, Audria turns to the others. and ushers them into an alley.
"There's something I need to take care of on the way back to the Sanctuary," she says. "It shouldn't take long if Shrike comes with me. Tally can show you the way until I catch back up, and it's probably better if Elric finds out about her little trick now rather than later."
The little songbird hops off Audria's shoulder and in a swirl of fabric and feathers changes into a half-elf version of Audria with brunette hair and brown eyes instead of strawberry-blonde and blue.
"Ta-da," she says as she holds her arms out wide and beams at the others.
Before Audria and Shrike split off, Talanaliel takes off the silver holy symbol she is wearing and loops it around Audria's neck.
"It's yours, and I know how precious it is to you," she explains when Audria gives her a questioning look.
"Thanks, Tally," Audria says softly as she clasps the holy symbol to her breast for a moment before hiding the much fancier one she has been wearing openly since yesterday down the neck of her robes.
"What are friends for if not to help each other?" Talanaliel beams before leading the others to the Sanctuary.
Once they are alone, Audria leads Shrike down another alley before climbing up into the Shingles. It has been close to two and a half years since she'd needed to run around in the dangerous environ above Korvosa's streets, but she still remembers her way around for the most part. Without the weight and bulk of her armor, she proves to be fairly capable at navigating around, but it doesn't take a mind reader or Tally's connection with her to tell she's nervous about being up here. After a few minutes, she finds what she is looking for and once she's sure that nothing and no one has made the hide-away their home, she opens up the entrance and slips inside before waving Shrike to follow. The small alcove made of boards, abandoned crates, and layers of canvas tarps is large enough that it can hold the two young women comfortably, but any more than that would feel crowded.
Once they are both inside and settled, Audria looks at Shrike and tries to find the best way to broach the concerns and questions she started to have while meeting with the Field Marshal. After a moment, she sighs and decides there isn't really a tactful way to approach this.
"Shrike, do you trust me," she asks quietly as she looks into eyes of the mask.
If Shrike finds it strange when Audria requests her presence for some kind of errand, she does not show it. The shrike mask turns to regard Audria silently for a second, but she says nothing. She only nods and stays behind with the girl.
She cocks her head in response to Audria's question. "I'm here, aren't I."
Just coming with the girl on an undisclosed errand to a secluded location is a measure of trust in her intentions that few others in the world have earned. But more importantly, she's still here, with the group. She hadn't had much choice in Audria recognizing Merula's face after her own stupid error, but Audria hasn't given her any reason to think she will betray that information to anyone else. She seemed to take it seriously enough after her own brush with the dangers of celebrity. If she hadn't, Shrike would have had to disappear.
Audria blinks at Shrike's answer, then groans. Shrike sees her fighting off the recriminations going through her head, and can probably guess the content of them.
That was such a stupid question. She wouldn't have followed me if she didn't trust me, but-- She sighs as she looks at that thought and examines it. It was how Shrike acted when The King of Spiders came up. That cold, bleak hatred she heard in Shrike's voice was too real to be acting, and it scares her.
"I know we don't have the time for you to tell me everything, but after this is over, can you promise me that you will do that? I want to call you a friend, but I'm starting to think I don't really know who you are. Friends aren't strangers, and-- and I want to be your friend, Merula. I want to help you, but I can't do that if I don't know why you seem to hate Devargo Bravasi even more than you hated Gaedren Lamm. Lamm had your-- Isi's your brother, right?" Audria stops and closes her eyes as she shakes her head. How she and Isi are related doesn't matter right now, she tells herself. "That's not important right now. What is important is what The King of Spiders has done to you to make you hate him so much. It feels personal."
Audria looks into the shrike mask's eyes and wishes she could see Merula's face. She understands why Merula wears the mask, but that doesn't mean she likes it. At times like this, it makes it so much harder to tell what the other woman is thinking or feeling.
"Please, Merula, I am your friend, aren't I?"
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Abella tilts her head in amusement at the introduction of this Elric. ”Sable Company? Oh, we are all very official now, aren’t we? We have a professional here. I am Abella Tribastarion. A name that will be spoken of far and wide before long.”
Abella offers no objection to their next contracted mission. Cainabeth had said this Cressida seemed a canny yet principled sort, and she can appreciate that. She was worked out many of the details already it seems, and a play? For free? ”This sounds like quite the exciting adventure. A free play, and I get to ruin a landlord’s day? Sign me up, darling.”
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"...Sure. I guess we have time now." Remembering the last time Audria had cornered her to demand answers only to shrink into a ball when she got them, Shrike keeps her voice even and as gentle as she can. "Do you know how many girls and young women turn up dead or just vanish in this city every year? You don't. No one does. Because no one keeps count.
"Pretty girls. Talented girls. Your age, or a bit older. Or younger." Her voice hardens for a moment but she flattens it out again with an effort. "Girls just like you. But with no temple. No family. No gang to look out for them." Their oddball group isn't exactly a gang, but it's close enough to what Aylos says the Lofties did for Sorcia.
"People drift away when you're a performer. That's how it goes. Everyone's always changing jobs. Moving. Falling down a bottle. Seeing someone new. Sometimes the someone new gets a girl in debt with the King of Spiders. Sometimes that was why he targeted her. But there's always only one way for her to work it off."
That on its own would be enough for her to want to kill Barvasi, along with the procuring 'lover' and drug pusher she only knows by sight, and that half-elf Halvara who runs the brothel for him to boot. It takes a chilling sort of evil for a woman to participate in such a scheme. But she wants Audria to understand fully, so after a measured breath she continues.
"Whenever one of us dies — a performer or a prostitute — they say it was shiver. Sometimes it is. But I turned over a lot of wrong rocks in Old Korvosa looking for the rat that would lead me back to Lamm. I saw Tira's body. Left on Wave Street outside Eel's End and that House of Clouds he owns. Like trash." Her hands clench. There is so much more to say about Tira, and she doesn't have the words for any of it. She shakes her head and continues ruthlessly.
"She was an addict. Even when I knew her. But shiver didn't leave those bruises on her neck. I know what a strangling looks like. Guards would too. But Barvasi pays his vice taxes. For his legitimate businesses." Her harsh voice scrapes under the pressure of something molten, white-hot. "So they didn't look."
Kroft might say it was more complicated than that. She doesn't care. It isn't more complicated. Human laws made it more complicated when they shouldn't. "I hate him for the same reason you fear him. Same reason as Lamm. Same reason as old Pilts Swastel. Tira wasn't the first. She won't be the last. Everyone knows what he is. And no one does anything."
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It's not just hatred, Audria thinks as she listens. She's in a lot of pain, too. Before last night, she never would have thought of herself as sheltered, but as Shrike lays it out her reasons for wanting Devargo Bravasi, and from the sounds of it, other monsters masquerading as men dead, she can hear Halvara's and Lamm's voices just on the other side of the walls she's built to keep them back. The city is broken, she realizes in that moment. It was broken long before Queen Illeosa took the Crimson Throne.
When Shrike tells her about Tira, memories of other children, those Lambs that were not so lucky, the ones who's names Audria has forgotten over the years as she did whatever she could to keep herself and Eliana alive, come to her. Their faces are indistinct, as if someone had put a haze over her mind's eye. She might have even called some of them friends, but while she can feel the pain and guilt of having survived, she can't find the hatred Shrike displays.
For a long moment, Audria sits and goes over Shrike's words over and over again. She's right, no one bothers to count how many girls and young women go missing or wind up dead in Korvosa, just as no one counts the children or men. No one cares. She can feel her doubts and the lies and hurtful things both Halvara and Lamm told her trying to worm though the walls she has put up, the walls made from the words and truths she's been told over the years and even since that night she first met Shrike. She pushes the self-recriminations aside, those won't do any good now.
Audria watches Shrike and notices her posture, the body language, the tension in her shoulders, the anger in her voice, the hatred she keeps burying under the surface, possibly to keep from frightening her. Was Shrike flagellating herself the way Audria tended to do? Was she also angry at herself, and if so, why? A moment later, Audria thinks she has an good idea.
"You're beating yourself up for not seeing it sooner, aren't you," she asks before she gives into impulse and hugs Shrike tight, knocking the mask askew in the process. "I think I understand, now. I think I know why this is so personal and you hate them so much. It's not just the people they hurt, nor the friends you lost, but that you never thought that the world could be this ugly."
She tightens her embrace, pouring every bit of love and understanding she can into it. After a moment, she lets go and holds Merula by her shoulders.
"Misses Olga once told me that hatred turns us into monsters. When I heard you talking in the Field Marshal's office after accepting this, I was worried. I didn't know where it came from. Now I do," she says before letting go and sitting back.
"And, unfortunately, I think I have an idea of how bad Devargo Bravasi can be," she says bleakly. "Ellie and I ran into him the same night that we met Jessica. We could tell he was dangerous, and we had nightmares about him afterwards. We asked Jessica about him once, and she went real quiet with this look of terror I've never seen on her face before or since. I told Dal last night that I thought the worst I'd ever see is Lamm and Halvara, but I guess I didn't want to remember Devargo Bravasi."
She takes in a deep breath and rubs her left arm where a woman called Embercat had gashed it. She knows they should be going, but she feels like she owes Merula something more than that.
"I think my mother was like Tira. I remember her working for a half-elf named Halvara, and she died from Shiver. I found out later that the place was a brothel. Halvara asked me why she'd want to keep someone even her own mother didn't want when I asked her why she was kicking me out. She's the reason Lamm found me, and it was winter."
Her hand moves from her arm to her heart as the remembered feeling of cold water filling her lungs while hands wrapped around her throat came to her. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath to banish the nightmare.
"Sorry, Merula, I guess you didn't need to hear all that. Just... Please, don't let hatred burn you up. Sister Jenelyn told me it's like poison, and it only hurts yourself."
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When Audria releases her she says flatly, "I'm not beating myself up. We weren't friends." She doesn't want the girl getting the wrong impression. Long before that night, she'd had no illusions about how cruel the world could be. This isn't some grief-stricken or guilt-ridden quest for vengeance. They'd been colleagues for a few months, no more. This is about removing a predator, and how she had known what he was.
Of course she had liked Tira well enough. She brought light and life to any room she entered, and had a natural ear for music and a nightingale's spun-silver voice. She was also a shiver addict who habitually missed rehearsals and performances, and seemed careless of how it made life harder for everyone around her. Cherie had warned her over and over that one day Zamfi would decide her talent and her pretty face weren't worth the tradeoff. And she had been right.
But they hadn't been friends. "She—"
She cuts off the word, unnerved by the way her throat tries to close in on it. This hesitation isn't like her. Is the girl's self-doubt catching? She shakes herself impatiently. "Not the point." And she just listens for a while.
"I think my mother was like Tira. I remember her working for a half-elf named Halvara, and she died from Shiver. I found out later that the place was a brothel. Halvara asked me why she'd want to keep someone even her own mother didn't want when I asked her why she was kicking me out. She's the reason Lamm found me, and it was winter."
Her hand moves from her arm to her heart as the remembered feeling of cold water filling her lungs while hands wrapped around her throat came to her. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath to banish the nightmare.
"Sorry, Merula, I guess you didn't need to hear all that. Just... Please, don't let hatred burn you up. Sister Jenelyn told me it's like poison, and it only hurts yourself."
Shrike is silent and still for a long time. Then slowly, giving Audria a chance to duck away if she wants, she lifts one hand and curls it around the back of the girl's head, leans all the way down and touches just their foreheads together. The thin painted wood of the shrike mask is cool on Audria's skin for the space of two long breaths.
Just as slowly, she withdraws to her ordinary distance, shifting her weight in small restless motions quite unlike her usual stillness, as though to settle something on her shoulders.
When she speaks again, the clenched-teeth croak of her voice has eased into something merely hoarse, something more like Merula. "With all due respect to Sister Jenelyn and the Eternal Rose, your god is not my god. And the Hunter teaches that the only difference between medicine and poison is the dose."
There is the barest hesitation. "You... know you don't have to call me that for me to listen."
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Audria wonders if she had misread what she saw in Shrike for a moment, but then the masked woman hesitates. Maybe she wasn't friends with Tira, but it does seem like Audria isn't the only one telling herself lies. Whatever it is, Audria decides that now wasn't the time to press on it.
When she finishes her piece and Merula reaches out to comfort her, moving almost exactly like a cat, the young paladin realizes with a spark of mirth, she accepts it gratefully. She's glad to hear Merula and not Shrike when she speaks again, but blinks in confusion at Merula's last statement before grimacing in frustration.
"Isn't that your name," she asks, her voice soft as it has been the whole conversation. "I knew you as Merula long before I knew you as Shrike, and to be honest, it's not easy being friends with a mask." She sighs as brushes a stray lock of her hair out of her face.
"I don't know what kind of god the Hunter is, but I can't imagine any god that's good telling their followers that hatred is like medicine," she says. "But--" She hesitates, wondering if this is the right thing to do. Bartholomew had warned her when she started down this path that she might find herself torn between doing the right thing and doing the legally correct thing. Now here she is trying to grapple with that very situation.
"If want it," she says, her voice still quiet but with the same steel that had come out when she'd faced down Verik Vancaskerkin, "I'll help you make sure that Devargo Bravasi, Pilts Swastel, or anyone else like them never harms anyone again. You have my word." She looks up at Shrike, her eyes flashing with iridescent light as she makes her vow. After a moment, her expression softens and she looks to the entry for the small hideout.
"I think we should go." She turns back to Shrike and manages a smile. "Thank you for hearing me out. You may not see me as one, but I do consider you a friend. Aren't friends supposed to help each other?"
With that, she turns to lead the way out and back to the others.
Audria and Shrike catch up to the others shortly before the group reaches the Sanctuary of Shelyn. She smiles as she starts to return Bartholomew's greeting, only to hesitate as confusion comes over her face.
"Um, M-mister Bartholomew," she begins, "I didn't ask anyone to help train me. You said he's inside?"
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"Isn't that your name," she asks, her voice soft as it has been the whole conversation. "I knew you as Merula long before I knew you as Shrike, and to be honest, it's not easy being friends with a mask."
"No. But suit yourself."
"I'll help you make sure that Devargo Barvasi, Pilts Swastel, or anyone else like them never harms anyone again. You have my word."
Shrike nods slowly. An oath like that, given freely, is a heavy thing. "I will not hold it lightly." Break it, and she is forsworn, which Shrike understands is a matter of some importance to the gods' chosen like paladins. Keep it, and it could put her on the wrong side of the law, her temple, or even her goddess.
Well, if that odd light in her eyes means anything, maybe not her goddess.
Shrike considers Audria's final question. "Usually not like this." The flat rasp is back in her voice, which makes it hard to tell if she is responding in seriousness. She stays behind for a moment, her head tilted away toward the ground, and then follows Audria down from the Shingles.
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"No. But suit yourself."
Audria starts and gives Merula a curious look before sighing. She wants to ask what she meant by that, but figures that now's not the time to be prying.
At Shrike's last answer, Audria smiles.
"Oh sure, but we aren't your usual pair of young women are we?" she laughs softly.
“So, uh, Sergeant Rivers,” Dal said. It was an attempt to fill the silence during the walk to the Sanctuary. Audria and Shrike had been kind enough to leave Dal and Abella with their new friend and Dal had found himself suddenly reviewing everything he had done in the last ten years. Surely, the Marine assigned to be their liaison would not take Dal in for some blankets he took from a clothesline in east Shore six years ago. Right? Dal cleared his throat and started again.
“Elric, what, uh, made you want to join up with our merry band?”
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"Um, M-mister Bartholomew," she begins, "I didn't ask anyone to help train me. You said he's inside?"
"You haven't? I thought perhaps that's why he was here and asking after you. He's inside with another person, head on in."
Bartholomew goes back to twisting chain links into something that vaguely resembles the beginnings of a bracelet.
Inside the Sanctuary, leaning on one of the kitchen counters and casually chatting with Olga, is a man whose white hair belies the strength and agility evident in his muscular build and in how he carries himself. The hair is gathered in a ponytail away from the tanned face with strong lines and powerful features. He is sporting a white shirt with billowing sleeves and a deep V-neck that strategically exposes his pectorals and a fine dusting of greying chest hair. Over the shirt he is wearing a loose black leather vest, to match his trousers that are tucked into high leather boots, also black. A rapier is belted at his left hip, and a dagger at the other. Currently, whatever he is saying to Olga is causing the woman to shake with laughter, tears squeezing out of her crinkled eyes.
The other new presence in the room is a rangy Shoanti youth carrying a strange bone weapon.
Audria's mind fills with questions as she hears Bartholomew's answer, but as much as curiosity eats at her, she figures she's going to be short enough on time as it is.
"No, I haven't, but if you think I need more training and teaching, then I suppose I should make time to learn, shouldn't I? Perhaps Elric could join us," she says, gesturing to the incognito Marine, before saying farewell and heading inside.
I wonder if the bracelet is for Misses Olga, she wonders as Bartholomew returns to his work.
Once they've found the person Bartholomew mentions, Audria can see why he was being a little jealous. Bartholomew's not an ugly man by any means, but he's no debonair rogue, and this man looks like he models for paintings used to promote romance novels starring cunning rakes wooing noble ladies. She takes in a deep breath and decides that Olga probably needs a moment to catch her breath, so she turns to the man.
"E-excuse me, sir? Are you the one I was told was looking for me," she asks when there's a pause in the conversation. Her eyes flick to rangy Shoanti and wonders if this is the friend and his protégé that Field Marshal Kroft was talking about.
And why are you looking for me specifically if you're the Field Marshal's friend?
Shrike, who has so far managed to purposefully avoid meeting Audria's ex-Sable Company mentor, does not realize at first that the barrel-chested greybeard sitting outside and working on a chain shirt was none other than Bartholomew.
But she catches on quickly, as he speaks to her in the familiar tones of a teacher and then Audria greets him by name. From things Audria and Talanaliel have said, she has the impression that Bartholomew disapproves of masks, or would of her in particular. So she keeps her silence at the back of the group and follows Audria casually into the Sanctuary at the first opportunity. The ex-marine looks busy with his task, anyway. Likely he won't even notice her.
Inside, Shrike hangs back and examines the two strangers in the Sanctuary's kitchen. The older man is closer to Kroft in age, so is likely her friend who has been sent to meet them. Something about his appearance itches at her, though she can't quite place what it is. Possibly just the strategically revealed chest hair. A handsome fellow. And he knows it too. Always a dangerous combination. The blade's not for show either. The younger one is obviously Shoanti, which is a surprise. It makes sense that there must be a handful of them passing through the city at any given time, but Gaekhen and his — grandfather? Great-uncle? She still isn't sure — are the only full-blooded Shoanti she knows of who actually live here.
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The Shoanti youth keeps their balance loose, but they instinctively take in the group sideface on, accentuating the leanness of their form.
Like their companion, they're dressed straightforwardly. Snug trousers, boots, a vest over a top, though theirs billows not at all, and instead of showing off their chest, dispenses with sleeves. Quite differently though, instead of being garbed all in blacks and whites, their clothes are in an array of warm colors, mostly clustering between reds, oranges, and tawny yellows.
Not a bit of them looks like they're not ready for a fight, from the outlines of armor beneath their vest and tight tunic, to the odd bony bludgeon that guards one of their forearms - the best they seem prepared to do is make their violence loosely deniable.
Their eyes flicker across the party, and both brow and lip curl up as they shoot a glance to the older man. "Ven, just how much backup do you expect me to need? Imps and armor aside, 've never met a well-off Chelly who wouldn't rather run than fight with nothing more than sails and crowns at stake."
Without more than the briefest pause they direct themselves back to the newcomers "Not that you don't look proper hard. Just there's things in life that get easier with extra hands, and there's the things that get riskier with extra eyes and tongues wagging about." They shrug and gesture to themselves with their cut-down klar in introduction. "Pava, in any case. My Nan's not here of course, as this is a clandestine occasion, but she'd still pull my ear off if I forgot all of my manners."
Audria looks from the man, Ven, to Pava as she decides that these two must be the ones that the Field Marshal was talking about.
"Well met, Pava. I am Audria Lumina, Sister in the service of The Eternal Rose," she says with a smile and a curtsey. "May I presume that you and your companion here are the ones we were told would be meeting us here by a certain mutual acquaintance and that is why he was asking after myself?"
At the sound of Audria's voice, the older man turns. His eyes flicker quickly over everyone, observant and assessing, but the easy smile stays. "Ah, Sister Audria, a good morning to you and your companions." He folds into a sweeping bow with the grace of a courtier. "Forgive me the little subterfuge, I was asking after you as this is a temple of Shelyn and you are in the service of the Eternal Rose, but in truth the matter concerns all of you. And yes, you are correct in your assumption. Is there perhaps a place where we can speak more privately?"
He turns to treat Olga with the same sweeping bow. "Madam, it has been a true pleasure to make your acquaintance. I wish you every happiness if I won't see you again." Olga laughs in response, swatting the air in his direction with a hand white with flour. "You are a rogue and a scoundrel, sir. I know what you're really after, but they won't be ready for another hour."
Oh, that's why he's trying to charm her, Audria realizes as Olga waves the charming rogue off. Hard to blame him, really. Misses Olga's one of the best bakers in Korvosa.
"Of course, sir. If you'd follow me. Misses Olga's work is not to be rushed," Audria says before leading the group into one of the studios that's been turned to storage with the arrival of all of the children they'd rescued from Gaedren Lamm and the streets. With six people, her room would be cramped at best, and she really doesn't want to imagine what kinds of rumors inviting so many strangers to it would start.
Once she's sure the place is clear of eavesdroppers and will have enough room for all of them, she gestures for everyone to proceed her before she follows and closes the door.
"My apologies, Pava, Mister Ven. The Sanctuary has been a little crowded of late. It was either here or my room, and I'd rather not give Abella any more reason to tease me than I already have," she says before the smile disappears and her expression turns more serious.
"I'm guessing that introductions might be a bit unnecessary, since you appear to know who we are, but I would hate to be rude." Audria waves at Tally standing beside her. "This is Talanaliel, my friend. The others are Abella, Shrike, Dal, and Elric."
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With introductions out of the way and no further questions for Commander Kroft, Elric heads to the armory to exchange his Sable Company uniform and armor for something a bit more discreet. Soon, he's wearing a worn, but expertly crafted agile breastplate and looks like a mercenary or hired thug rather than a soldier.
When Dal asks him about his reasons to join, he replies:"I only recently got back to the city after completing a tour on a naval vessel. As such, I did not take part in quelling the riots alongside the rest of Sable Company and the Guard. From what I understand, both the marines and the guardsmen tried to show restraint, but the Hellknights took a much more forceful approach."
Elric looks visibly troubled at the mention of the Hellknights and their brutal behavior.
"Anyway, rather than have me join a new unit, Marcus Endrin, the Commander of Sable Company, assigned me to help your group with the work you are doing for the good of the city on behalf of Commander Kroft. I must admit, I'm happy to do this kind of work rather than being asked to suppress the mob. The main purpose of Sable Company has always been to protect Korvosa from external threats like pirates, smugglers or Shoanti raiders. We are not a police force."
He looks like he migth have more to say on the topic, but then he is distracted by Talanaliel's transformation.
"Woah - guess you're not a regular songbird. Tally, is it? Pleased to meet you too, I suppose." he says, while giving Talanaliel a curious look.
Elric keeps to the back of the group as the move through the city. He keeps a careful eye on their surroundings during his conversation with Dal and Talanaliel.
When Audria and Shrike rejoin the group, he does not ask questions, merely assumes that they had their reasons for their little detour.
Upon arrival, he's still focused on keeping an eye on the surroundings, but a familiar voice directs his attention to the man sitting by the entrance to the temple.
"Mauler! I knew you had left the Corps, but I did not expect to find you here. Don't tell me you have taken up religion and become a man of the cloth."
As Audria makes her way inside, he lingers a moment to exchange a few words with Bartholomew.
As soon as the young Shoanti she had at first mistaken for a youth, Pava, says Ven, something clicks. Shrike wonders idly how Cressida Kroft came to be friends with retired swordmaster Vencarlo Orsini as she follows the group to the storage-studio. He doesn't look very retired. Pava seems to be referring to confronting someone other than Barvasi — maybe the ambassador directly — or else she believes their job will be to infiltrate Eel's End and simply steal blackmail material without getting caught. They would be a poor choice for that indeed. She says nothing, but nods slightly when Audria introduces her and waits for Orsini to explain his understanding of what the job actually entails.
Audria listens as Elric explains himself and she leads the others into the alley that would give Tally a little privacy to transform. She finds herself agreeing with him and his apparent feelings on what has happened so far.
He seems like a good person, unlike Vancaskerkin's crew.
The thought clouds her expression for a moment before she chases the memories away. Now isn't the time to be turning morose, she reminds herself as Tally hops off her shoulder and transforms.
"Woah - guess you're not a regular songbird. Tally, is it? Pleased to meet you too, I suppose." he says, while giving Talanaliel a curious look.
"No, she's not. Tally's been special for as long as I've known her. I might not be here if not for her," Audria says while Tally nods with a smile on her face.
"It's nice to meet you too, Mister Elric-- Wait! Whaddya mean you suppose?!" Tally's grin disappears into a pouty frown as she gives Elric an indignant look that is about as effective as death glare from a kitten. The song-bird turned half-elf continues to be unamused as Audria laughs as tells everyone that she and Shrike will catch up in a little bit.
Mauler? Is he talking about Mister Bartholomew?
Audria looks from Elric to Bartholomew with a confused expression on her face.
"You two know each other," she asks the both of them.
"Well met, Pava. I am Audria Lumina, Sister in the service of The Eternal Rose," she says with a smile and a curtsey. "May I presume that you and your companion here are the ones we were told would be meeting us here by a certain mutual acquaintance and that is why he was asking after myself?"
"...Couldn't possibly be that clandestine, chit."
***
Pava perks up at Audria's introductions. "Oh hang on a drip - you're the wolves who Lamm thought were lambs." They turn with exasperation on Orsini. "Was that necessary to keep secret until the meet? You've already got the little one tripping over herself like she's an act 3 plot twist in Last Night in Isarn. Not that I read Dreadfuls like that of course."
"...Couldn't possibly be that clandestine, chit."
I'm sorry! I thought the less said about the Field Marshal being involved, the better, Audria thinks at Pava's comment, but she manages to mostly hide her irritation.
Pava perks up at Audria's introductions. "Oh hang on a drip - you're the wolves who Lamm thought were lambs." They turn with exasperation on Orsini. "Was that necessary to keep secret until the meet? You've already got the little one tripping over herself like she's an act 3 plot twist in Last Night in Isarn. Not that I read Dreadfuls like that of course."
Audria feels a shock of embarrassed recognition at the title of the novel crash through her link to Tally. She turns to see her half-elf doppelganger blushing furiously and pointedly looking away from everyone.
Don't tell me, Audria thinks as her look of surprise fades into one of resignation. That's one of the books Abella brought with her. When did Tally have time to read it though? Her shoulders slump as she sighs and turns back to Pava.
"Yes, Abella, Shrike, and I were some of the ones that did Lamm and his cronies in," Audria admits. "And I'm not sure what you mean by your friend here having me do anything. This is the first time I've meet either of you."
I've got a feeling that Pava and I are not going to get along. Audria's mood darkens as she begins to suspect the borderline backhanded comments aren't being directed her way by coincidence.
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”Last Night in Isarn…gods, I’m certainly glad I did not pay a penny for that Dreadful. I naturally predicted the double twist, which naturally made everything else fall into place. Hack writers love to act like identical twins are some ridiculous plot twist nobody could ever guess on their own.” She rolls her eyes.
She waves at Pava. ”Yes, Abella. A pleasure, dear. And thank you, I learned it’s always better to be a wolf than a lamb. Naturally, I am succeeding.”
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Bartholomew raises his head, surprised to hear his Sable Company nickname, then he narrows his eyes on Elric, scrutinizing. "Ah, lad. Didn't recognize you out of uniform." The scrutinizing gaze turns to Audria, but the older man makes no further comment. "Let's catch up once you finish your business here. Didn't take you for a Shelynite, but when you're around certain people for long enough some things... rub off." He glances between Audria and Elric again, a twinkle of teasing in his eyes.
The cramped quarters hardly leave room for extravagant bows, so the older man simply inclines his head in greeting as Audria introduces the others. "How do you do. I am Vencarlo Orsini, head of the Orsini Academy of Fencing and Swordplay. Semi-retired." He winks. "Before we dive into the matter at hand though, I would like to thank you for helping Grau. He once was one of my most promising students and I would have hated to see him fall down a bottle."
He fidgets a little with his black leather gloves as the conversation turns to literature, then clears his throat. "Many know me as an outspoken critic of the government, so you may be wondering about my friendship with the Field Marshal. The truth is that we share the common goal of trying to do what's best for Korvosa, although our methods and the details of 'best' may differ. I understand that she already shared the gist of the issue with you. I am here to act as a guide in Old Korovsa, should you need it, and to connect you with Pava here, who will be a great help where you're going." He runs a thumb alongside the line of his jaw. "Now, I wasn't there when the Field Marshal gave you the mission, but I imagine she wanted to keep it on the down low, perhaps have you try to bribe Barvasi? You are of course free to approach the situation however you think best, since it's your lives on the line, as long as we get that proof against Amprei. But, if I may be so bold as if to make a suggestion..."
A large spider is crawling on the pottery table that Vencarlo is leaning against, and he reaches out a gloved hand to squish it under his thumb.
"I had the distinct pleasure to be among the last recruits trained by Marine Holdt here before he retired from Sable Company. I can still feel the bruises from some of those lessons deep in my bones." Elric says and grins at Bartholomew.
"I may be out of uniform, but not out of service. And I still adress my prayers to the Inheritor, not the Eternal Rose. We'll talk later, both about old times and the latest events." he says before folloing the others into the Sanctuary.
Keeping mostly quiet, Elric only nods when introduced.
This fencing master touches on a sore spot. Looks like there might be different views and opinions on the objective of our mission and how we achieve them. We'd better get that ironed out before going in, or this will turn ugly and bloody real fast.
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"...Couldn't possibly be that clandestine, chit."
The shrike mask turns slowly to face Pava, tilting on its axis. Whatever Shrike thinks, however, she says nothing to fill the slight awkward silence before Vencarlo Orsini acknowledges Audria's greeting.
The cramped quarters hardly leave room for extravagant bows, so the older man simply inclines his head in greeting as Audria introduces the others. "How do you do. I am Vencarlo Orsini, head of the Orsini Academy of Fencing and Swordplay. Semi-retired." He winks. "Before we dive into the matter at hand though, I would like to thank you for helping Grau. He once was one of my most promising students and I would have hated to see him fall down a bottle."
"He was lucky Abella and Audria were passing. Just needed a push." What she really wants to ask is if he knows why Grau cringed like a kicked dog at every reminder of Sabina Merrin's existence, but Shrike has no reason to be curious about that. Wait... Her scars. Could she have been a fencing student under Orsini once too? And maybe Soldado... Bullied her? Drove her away? No, bullies hardly ever learn regret for their actions. And I thought they were both common-born, while he mostly teaches noble scions.
He fidgets a little with his black leather gloves as the conversation turns to literature, then clears his throat. "Many know me as an outspoken critic of the government, so you may be wondering about my friendship with the Field Marshal. The truth is that we share the common goal of trying to do what's best for Korvosa, although our methods and the details of 'best' may differ. I understand that she already shared the gist of the issue with you. I am here to act as a guide in Old Korovsa, should you need it, and to connect you with Pava here, who will be a great help where you're going." He runs a thumb alongside the line of his jaw. "Now, I wasn't there when the Field Marshal gave you the mission, but I imagine she wanted to keep it on the down low, perhaps have you try to bribe Barvasi? You are of course free to approach the situation however you think best, since it's your lives on the line, as long as we get that proof against Amprei. But, if I may be so bold as to make a suggestion..."
A large spider is crawling on the pottery table that Vencarlo is leaning against, and he reaches out a gloved hand to squish it under his thumb.
Shrike gives the barest nod of understanding. She couldn't agree more about what to do with unwanted spiders. But it is not entirely up to her. Not this time. "What kind of 'proof' are we looking for?"
What Amprei is doing isn't illegal, as Kroft has described it and as she told them already. Although his masters back in Cheliax might not be impressed to learn that he is sabotaging their interests in the free flow of goods to further his own wealth and power, that is a hard accusation to prove. In fact, she doesn't know how the boss robin could be so sure of it in the first place. Regardless, he must be doing something actually illegal or at least embarrassing in Eel's End, for it to give Kroft and Orsini any leverage. But Kroft did not say what. Knowing what form the proof of it might take will be important in finding it quickly, regardless of what happens with Barvasi. A ledger of unpayable gambling debts, a promise of official favors, or even some identifiable personal article left in the shiver den. Anything like that would do, but without knowing what to look for, they might still be sorting through papers and pocketwatches a week hence.
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"I had the distinct pleasure to be among the last recruits trained by Marine Holdt here before he retired from Sable Company. I can still feel the bruises from some of those lessons deep in my bones." Elric says and grins at Bartholomew.
"He may have retired from the Sable Company, but Mister Bartholomew still teaches. He's the one that taught me how to defend myself and others," she says with warm smile.
The scrutinizing gaze turns to Audria, but the older man makes no further comment. "Let's catch up once you finish your business here. Didn't take you for a Shelynite, but when you're around certain people for long enough some things... rub off." He glances between Audria and Elric again, a twinkle of teasing in his eyes.
Huh? We just met. I barely know anything about him. I wonder-- wait. Does he think? Oh no! Surely not! Audria's thoughts run through her head as she glances from Bartholomew to Elric and her cheeks begin to color with the first signs of a blush. I mean he's handsome and he seems like a good man, but...
She nods at Bartholomew before she heads inside and tries not to think about what that twinkle in his eyes meant even as her cheeks turn bright pink.
"How do you do. I am Vencarlo Orsini, head of the Orsini Academy of Fencing and Swordplay. Semi-retired." He winks. "Before we dive into the matter at hand though, I would like to thank you for helping Grau. He once was one of my most promising students and I would have hated to see him fall down a bottle."
"He was lucky Abella and Audria were passing. Just needed a push."
"Oh, um, It was just as lucky for us that we ran into him. Captain Merrin had asked us to check in on Tayce and Brienna, his sister and niece. He made finding them a lot easier," Audria says. "Still, I'm glad we were able to help him."
Vencarlo Orsini, wasn't that the man whose delivery Pip said Dendren was checking in on before King Eodred's Remembrance? The question is soon pushed back as Pava realizes they were the ones that had gone after Lamm.
He fidgets a little with his black leather gloves as the conversation turns to literature, then clears his throat. "Many know me as an outspoken critic of the government, so you may be wondering about my friendship with the Field Marshal. The truth is that we share the common goal of trying to do what's best for Korvosa, although our methods and the details of 'best' may differ. I understand that she already shared the gist of the issue with you. I am here to act as a guide in Old Korovsa, should you need it, and to connect you with Pava here, who will be a great help where you're going." He runs a thumb alongside the line of his jaw. "Now, I wasn't there when the Field Marshal gave you the mission, but I imagine she wanted to keep it on the down low, perhaps have you try to bribe Barvasi? You are of course free to approach the situation however you think best, since it's your lives on the line, as long as we get that proof against Amprei. But, if I may be so bold as if to make a suggestion..." A large spider is crawling on the pottery table that Vencarlo is leaning against, and he reaches out a gloved hand to squish it under his thumb.
Audria and Tally shudder as Vencarlo makes his suggestion. All temptation towards levity is gone from the pair as the weight of their task returns. For a long moment, Audria wonders if her willingness to do as Vencarlo suggests comes from knowing how wicked the man is or if there's something else. She's already promised Merula that she'll do what she can to make sure he never harms anyone again, but a part of her, a very much terrified and terrifying part of her, worries that perhaps with her hands already stained with blood, she is more willing to see violence as an option. She's already killed Giggles and a would-be assassin. She almost killed another man when she was ambushed on Hell Night.
And if I am more willing to fight, to kill if need be, when do I start becoming one of the monsters I swore to fight?
Audria stumbles a step as she feels Tally wrap her up in a hug and looks over at the brown-haired and eyed half elf as she feels her friend trying to comfort her through their link. She reaches up and returns the embrace as best she can as Tally rubs her head against Audria's cheek. Right, she's hardly alone in this, she remembers. Tally will tell her if she starts to walk down that darker path.
Audria looks up at Vencarlo and Pava and waits for them to answer Shrike's question before asking one of her own.
"If he is the King of Spiders, then what about those under him? Wouldn't they try to claim his throne if something, ah, unfortunate were to happen to Mister Bravasi? Do either of you, Mister Orsini or-- um-- Pava, know much about him, his organization, or Eel's End," she asks.
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Pava bows low over Abella's hand, kissing the air above her knuckles. "Always a delight to work with a woman of truly dreadful taste."
Pava shifts their balance uneasily, but doesn't comment on Orsini's dirty laundry for now. There is no uneasiness when Orsini squashes the spider. "If he were a vampire, I'd stake him. Can't see any particulars on why a beating heart lets a murderous leech off the hook." They shrug. "But Barvasi's the means not the end. Means can be a lot more squiggly at need."