"Fine. Why."
"I can feel Audria's emotions, and when you two went off alone, I could feel her worry. She's worried about you, a lot," Tally answers.
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After surveying the tower, Elric settles in with Shrike and Tally on the top floor.
While Shrike makes the inital observations through the spyglass, he gathers up some paper for taking notes and makes himself comfortable against the battlement.
If the abandoned meal is still edible, he helps himself to the leftovers. After eating, he passes time by sharpening his bladed weapons with the whetstone he keeps in his belt pouch.
"So...what's your deal, if you don't mind me asking? Commander Kroft and Bartholomew both told me a little about your group's exploits, how you rescued those kids from Lamm and your actions to help the city. Mauler hinted something about making grizzly example of Lamm and his cronies and you seem keen to rid the city of the Spider King as well." he asks Shrike after a while.
"She shouldn't. I'm fine. Need more hours in the day maybe."
Shrike reports what she sees of the ten guards and their movements so that Elric can note them on his paper. Left to her own devices, she would rely on memory, but writing it down has obvious benefits. She had been skeptical of the distant watch-post too, but it also seems to be working, and is certainly a safe vantage point. Elric is patient and full of ideas for using equipment to best advantage. Maybe that's what they teach you as a soldier, but it's good practice for a hunter too. She makes a mental note to get some paper and a grease pencil for herself later.
When he asks a question in a lull, she remains still and takes a moment to consider before answering it, as is her habit. When she does move or speak, it is usually swift and always deliberate.
"Lamm stole my brother. I got him back." She pauses and then adds fairly, "With help. But they weren't involved with the rest."
Quietly, almost to herself, she continues. "Six months of masks. I thought about putting it away. After. But in the end it was so easy. Could have been done years ago. Saved so much hurt. And there are so many Lamms left in this city. He's one."
"Is that because she really shouldn't be or because you don't want her to be," Tally asks.
Tally listens to Shrike and Elric as they talk, but something keeps bugging her.
"Who's Mauler," she asks Elric after Shrike answers him.
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"Is that because she really shouldn't be or because you don't want her to be," Tally asks.
There is a medium-length pause. "Yes."
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Tally gives Shrike a deadpan stare at her answer. If the vigilante weren't covered up, she might be finding out how much the nip on Audria's nose the night they all met and took care of Lamm and his cronies actually hurt.
"Well?! Which one is it," she demands.
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"Both."
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Tally slumps on her perch and lets out a surprisingly human sounding sigh.
"You know that she's not going to stop worrying about you just because you tell her to, right," the thrush asks in a much more normal tone.
Audria emerges from the back room after perhaps twenty minutes, her hair its regular length again. Jessica is shepherding her, picking up a large, dark blue cloak from a peg by the door and throwing it over the paladin. The hem drags on the floor and the smell is somewhere between musty and a perfumed punch to the nose.
"Thank you for choosing Dockside Doxies, have a pleasant rest of your evening!" Her voice is a little too loud than strictly necessary, and the couple of patrons browsing the store glace over before returning their attention to the items in front of them.
"Alright, you were not here. Good luck with whatever you're doing, although I still think it's a terrible idea. Tomorrow evening at the temple, after the eighth bell."
"I know." For a moment the croak sounds almost gentle. Shrike repositions herself in the shadows beside Tally's lintel, and resumes watching the street for Elric's return.
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Audria thanks Jessica as she leaves. She wishes she could reassure Jessica, but she doesn't know how. As for Abella and Pava, well, if they were just strangers doing a good deed, she should probably thank them as well.
"And thank you both for seeing me here safely. I should be alright getting home," she tells them.
The cloak is too large on her, which is not much of a surprise given her stature, so she does her best by gathering up the excess length as she wraps it tightly around herself. She takes a circuitous route back to High Point, hoping to fool anyone following her into thinking she was going somewhere in Old Korvosa.
Tally flies out to meet her after she crosses the bridge and wonders where to go. The thrush leads her to the watchtower that Elric and Shrike are in. The songbird flies up as Audria knocks on the door to be let in.
"Well, I did learn some things, and I think we may have someone willing to help us," she tells Elric and Shrike. "Jessica said to meet him at the temple of Aroden tomorrow evening after the eighth bell. As for Devargo, the spiders are more than just a motif. He has an Ettercap under his control, and he apparently feeds his victims to it. There's a trapdoor in his, Jessica called it his throne room, that drops people he wants to be rid of into its lair. He likes to be entertained, so if we deal with him, the worst thing we can do is bore him. We'd also better watch out for Halvara, she's rumored to be his lover, and Jessica said she's almost as bad as he is. I don't think we're going to be able to pull a fast one on him either. His guards are loyal and very good at their jobs, from what Jessica said."
She looks at Shrike and the vigilante can see a flicker of fear cross her face. "This isn't going to be like when we faced Lamm. We're going to have to plan this out and know what we're doing before we set foot in there."
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Audria sleeps on one of the cots in the watchtower, figuring that it's better to not go back to the Sanctuary until she knows how this business with Devargo Barvasi will play out. She does send Tally to give Brother Theolan and Sister Jenelyn a message so they wouldn't worry about her the next morning. She does her part in helping keep watch on Eel's End until a couple of hours before the meeting with Jessica's friend has been scheduled for. She dons her armor and carries her halberd in case she runs into trouble on her way to or from the moldering Temple of Aroden. Tally had also made it clear she was coming with her after getting the details of what happened at the Dockside Doxies, just in case Audria decides that she needs to do something foolish to protect someone else.
Once again the young paladin takes a circuitous route back into Old Korvosa and to the Temple of Aroden. Before leaving the main part of the city, she ducks into an alley and puts on the oversized cloak which has fortunately had some time to air out. The perfume had almost knocked her out cold when she had first put it on. Now both it and the musty smell were much duller after a while spread out over the railing around the top of the watchtower. Jessica's fear and concern last night had driven home how dangerous this task is, especially since neither she nor Merula could leave Devargo free to do as he pleases. She needs to be careful. Unfortunately, she has a feeling she sticks out like a sore thumb, even with the dark cloak pulled tight over her armor and the pair of holy symbols she wears hidden under her armor and gambeson.
She arrives at the temple shortly before the eighth bell of the evening, and hopes that things will go more smoothly than they had last night.
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Listening in earnest as Shrike shares her motivations, Elric takes a long moment to contemplate her words. Rising, he moves to lean against the battlement, letting his gaze wander over the troubled city.
"I get it. I really do. Sometimes, it takes a change of perspective to make us realize that we've been headed down the wrong path."
He pauses, looking at the numerous signs of the riots that are still visible across the different districts. Agritated Guard patrols, roadblocks and scorched ruins.
"Before I was even old enough to lift a longsword, all I wanted to do was protect this city. That's why I joined the marines. And every drop of blood and sweat I have lost since has been worth it, because I knew it helped keep Korvosa safe."
"But here we are...in a city so troubled it is tearing itself apart. The riots have done more damage than any pirate or Shoanti raid in living memory. And still, we have miscreants like Barvasi and Lamm sucking the life out out the city while our new queen hosts banquets. So yeah...Perhaps I have been defending Korvosa from the wrong enemies. That's why I volunteered for this assignment."
Elric falls silent, still gazing over the streets and rooftops. Then he turns to Talanaliel.
"Mauler is Bartholomew's nickname among the marines of Sable Company. Rumor has it that he didn't get it from any combat, but rather from beating the living daylights out of three fellow marines he caught abusing a young prostitute. Don't know if it is true, but he certainly seems to have a thing for helping young girls that have been dealt a rough hand by life." he says, giving the talking songbird a pointed look.
"And I guess he's not Audria's only protector...you're some kind of guardian angel, sent by Shelyn herself to guide her, is that right?"
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The Temple of Aroden appears nearly as dead as its god. It is a shadow of former glory, an echo of a once triumphant hymn. Now, only a handful of aged, even venerable priests tend to services, to a paltry congregation and a few of the morbidly curious. The building is now in war with decay, and rot and irrelevance.
As there is no service ongoing right now, it is possible any entering will find a surprising sight in a temple dedicated to the dead god of humanity.
Two Tieflings...
One of the tieflings is as ancient as the clerics who run things here, but he looks anything but frail. As the younger, much younger, tiefling talks to him, this fellow moves about tending and cleaning. He must be the custodian of this place.
The younger Tiefling has a hooded cloak meant to conceal his features somewhat, but currently that hood is off his head. In truth, even then the keen eyed would likely catch glimpses of the pale skin which is a mix of whites and very pale blues. This must be Shane, judging by Jessica's comment of him. His horns spike out of the sides of his forehead and he has inhuman ears; making the need for a cowl or hood obvious if he hopes to blend in. Shane's features aren't entirely unappealing, but his face is a bit gaunt, and sometimes he looks as if he doesn't get enough sleep. He does have gloves of dark leather over his hands, which he currently waves emphatically.
"I tell you, Old Broom," Shane declares, "I know it's inconsiderate, even narcissistic, but King Eodred is dead, the populace goes mad, and I cannot help but pontificate on how this will affect the prices of housing. The only place I MIGHT be able to afford to purchase is an apartment in Bridgefront, and the walls there are so thin with so many crowds about it that I'm pretty sure we'll be able to smell each other through the material. If the fellow agrees to sell it at all. I'd maim for a nice house to own at a reasonable price..." He catches himself, "Well, not maim just anyone. They'd have to be very bad."
Old Broom raises a brow at Shane.
Shane winces at the look, "I said it was selfish of me. But it vexes me. Scoundrels like Barvasi, may he rot in the hell he enjoys the least, are thriving. If I can't do anything about him, could I at least be upset about it in some place of my own? I had no idea how expensive things had gotten in the city while I was attending the Acadamae."
Old Broom's eyes drift towards the newcomers who are slipping in, and he jerks a thumb towards them where Shane can see it before the old custodian slips a bit away from all to start his next round of cleaning elsewhere.
Shane turns to see the incoming folks , pulls his hood up to cover his horns at least, and says "My apologies. Please, come in. The priests here would be most distraught if I discouraged anyone in this place via my grousing. I'll get out of your way so you can pray in silence or the like if you wish."
"In a sense," Tally answers. "I'm more of a guide that gives her a push when she needs it than any kind of guardian, especially now." The thrush looks out across the water to the landward end of the pier where Devargo Barvasi had built is pocket empire. "I know you've only just met her, but she's not exactly a delicate flower that needs protecting, physically at least. Do you remember the night the Order of the Nail came in and put down the riots raging through the city," she asks. She waits for Elric's answer before continuing.
"Earlier that day, she ran into a woman that knew Yargin, one of Lamm's cronies. She attacked Audria, and Audria knocked her out. I think we were both too shocked to think about telling the guards. I know I was. It was so sudden, and the woman didn't even hesitate. She snuck behind the barricades the Sanctuary and the people in the neighborhood had put up with two thugs. They nearly killed a young acolyte, Zacharias, and setup an ambush for Audria. She didn't explain much about the fight, but she did tell me enough for me to know that she managed to fight off three dangerous people who were there to kill her, nearly killing one of the thugs, almost downing the other, and spooking the woman badly enough to send her running with her lackey."
Tally flits over to the battlements next to the mounted spyglass and turns to face Elric.
"That is how Bartholomew protects her, by teaching her how to fight if she needs it. What I fear for her are not the physical threats but the moral and emotional ones. Audria is capable. She's strong, intelligent, and graceful, but she is also naive and doubts her own judgement. When we were asked to go after Vancaskerkin and his lackeys, the Cow Hammer Boys, she wanted to try talking them into returning to the guard peacefully, and when she realized that she'd not only failed but raised their suspicions, she thought she'd put everyone in danger. She isn't afraid of being hurt. I first saw her after she'd been beaten nearly to death by Lamm and his cronies when she'd saved Ellie, but she is terrified of making a mistake that will cause others harm."
The thrush looks down and seems to grow much more weary in the span of a few heartbeats.
"I don't know what to do. I don't know how to protect her from her own doubts. She thinks so little of herself. She has gotten a little better since the night she met Shrike and Abella, but I still worry that if something does go wrong, she'll blame herself and might do something drastic. As much as Shelyn chose her to be one of her champions, Audria had already chosen to walk that path herself, at least to some extent. She focuses so much on being worthy and worrying if there might have been some mistake somewhere that lead to her and not someone better in her mind being chosen, without realizing that her actions are why she was chosen. I can tell her time and time again, but she seems incapable of seeing what I and others see, at least not fully."
The thrush hops off the battlements and transforms into the young, half-elven form she'd gained the night they'd been in Castle Korvosa. She looks up at Shrike and Elric with eyes that are far, far older than she appears.
"To be honest, I wonder myself if someone wiser or smarter might succeed where I have so far failed. I don't know what happened, but I know that part of myself was stripped away when I came to Golarion. I can try to guide her, but there is so much I don't know and so much I can't do. If I am Audria's guardian angel, then I am a poor one at best. I cannot protect her from the storm that Zellara sees coming. Will you two help me," she begs Shrike and Elric, hoping that she is right about where their hearts lie.
Audria takes in a deep breath and steels her nerves when the younger of the two tieflings addresses her. He had mentioned the Academae before he noticed her, and Jessica had said that she'd studied with the person she is supposed to meet here. His appearance certainly fit Jessica's description.
"W-wait," Audria says as she moves closer. "You mentioned attending the Academae. Do you know Jessica L'morie?"
Well this is great. Mention your friend's name to someone that sounds like they'll join in on this fool's errand. What if it gets back to Devargo Barvasi? If we survive this, get Merula to teach you how to do this kind of thing properly, or better yet, let her do it! She's better at it than you are.
"W-wait," Audria says as she moves closer. "You mentioned attending the Academae. Do you know Jessica L'morie?"
Well this is great. Mention your friend's name to someone that sounds like they'll join in on this fool's errand. What if it gets back to Devargo Barvasi? If we survive this, get Merula to teach you how to do this kind of thing properly, or better yet, let her do it! She's better at it than you are.
Shane had prepared himself to step out, but here, he pauses. The Tiefling's eyes search the shorter woman's gaze. A part of him is tempted to clam up, in case this is actually some threat against a friend, but then, few know he's returned. Jessica is one of those few. So the odds are... She must know Jessica herself or she'd not likely know to find me here.
The logic is ...comforting. He hopes he's right. "Jessica L'Morie is one of the reasons I survived the Academae. My name is Shane Driscoll. Is Jessica in distress? I've not so many friends that I can afford to lose one."| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Audria meets Shane's eyes and holds his gaze. She's young, and her freckles make her look younger. Her blue eyes are like pages on an open book. There are a great many things Shane could find in them, but malice isn't one of them.
"A pleasure Mister Driscoll," she says with a nod of her head. "I am-- I--" she hesitates, wondering if she should use her real name. After a moment, she settles on a nickname she'd been given by some of the older Lambs when she was a little girl. "J-just call me Odd," she mutters just loud enough for Shane to hear.
"Jessica's fine. I think," she reassures Shane, though her attempt is likely undermined by her last sentence. "I-- She t-told me you might be able to help me with something. C-could we talk somewhere private," she asks.
She can feel her cheeks heating, and Shane can see the color of her fair skin brightening as her face flushes with embarrassment.
Well, maybe Devargo will be amused with how inept I'm proving at this skullduggery business, she thinks just before Tally, hidden in the hood of her too-large cloak, nips her ear, causing her to wince.
"Odd?" A touch of trepidation, or at least caution, strikes him. She had said to 'call' her that, meaning it wasn't her name. And that made him wary given all that was going on plus a request to follow her some place more secluded. Oh the latter could be quite prudent on her part, but in some parts of Old Korvoso, that sort of talk was also a good way to get your head caved in by a gang of muggers. Still, if she is practicing Skullduggery, she either wasn't very adept at it, or... contrary wise, she was a thespian of true layers.
Either way, "At the risk of being lead into some sort of avaricious ambush... I'll go. If that's what you want. Please, guide on." His own features are still guarded, but he'll take the risk.
Audria blinks when he asks her to guide him. She had expected him to lead her somewhere, not the other way around.
"Oh, um? N-no! I won't do anything l-like that. Ambushing you, I mean," she mumbles, her blush deepening and the prickles on her scalp warning her that she might have something else to worry about in a moment if she doesn't calm down. She takes in a deep breath, closes her eyes, and counts to twenty in her head, slowly and steadily.
"Th-this way, please," she asks after opening her eyes again. She feels calmer and hopes that she can find someplace away from prying eyes and listening ears.
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Abella’s ears perk up at the mention of the Acadamae by the tiefling and she slowly works her way over to get the measure of this newcomer. ”Ah, a student the of the famous Acadamae. Tell me, are those half-wits still as backwards in their understanding of necromancy? Still on the fad of summoning little devils to do all their work? I don’t see any fluttering about around you, so perhaps there is hope for them yet.” Abella has interpreted her failed applications as proof that clearly the Acadamae just does not understand or appreciate work on her level.
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Realization kicks in, and he fights the urge to facepalm. Facepalming is an unwizardly thing to do when the mistake is made by oneself, "Let's try over here then..." He starts to lead them towards where Old Broom keeps cleaning supplies and gear, "This is mostly used for storage."
Abella’s ears perk up at the mention of the Acadamae by the tiefling and she slowly works her way over to get the measure of this newcomer. ”Ah, a student the of the famous Acadamae. Tell me, are those half-wits still as backwards in their understanding of necromancy? Still on the fad of summoning little devils to do all their work? I don’t see any fluttering about around you, so perhaps there is hope for them yet.” Abella has interpreted her failed applications as proof that clearly the Acadamae just does not understand or appreciate work on her level.
For a moment, the tiefling gapes at Abella's comment, clearly caught off guard by the question, and then something resembling a smile crosses his features, "I hope you never meet Callibrie, or maybe I do. The conversation would be quite the spectator sport. In truth, I did not wear the purple of necromancy, and reluctantly I confess it is not my forte. I regret to inform you, the over reliance on Imps and Diabolism in general still dominates much of the school. I learned much there, many secrets of great worth, but I would be prevaricating to pretend the Acadamae had any form of respectful morality. Ethics, perhaps, but not morality. There are exceptions in individuals, but the institution itself is so firmly affixed to aping Cheliax it is positively conjoined. Make of that what you will. Though, any graduate of the school IS dangerous." He does not mean the last as a threat, merely a statement of fact.
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Abella lightens her mood as the newcomer answers honestly and earnestly. ”Oh I don’t care about moral or ethics or whatever you call it. I just think it is stupid and ridiculous to focus so much attention on minions when you could be increasing your personal abilities. Whether it’s diabolists summoning their little imps or necromancers puffing up with pride because they can arrange bones and make them move, it’s all just nobles dilettantes trying to find new ways to come up with servants. Real power isn’t contracts and puppet shows. Imagine having control over the raw energies of life and death and thinking the best use is making corpses shuffle about. It’s laughable!” She then, proving her point, laughs. ”I appreciate you know when you are out of your element. What do you do then? Explosions? Have a thing for turning yourself into animals? Making little dioramas with shadow stuff? You don’t strike me as an abjurer as you haven’t shrunk into a corner at the first sign of conflict.” She folds an arm over her chest as she places a finger on her chin, cocking her head to one side. ”Too comfortable admitting to not knowing something to be a diviner. I doubt you would so readily disparage diabolism as an Acadamaean if you went there for conjuration. Not slutty enough for enchantment. Which is it then?”
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At this point, Shane is worried he has been too honest and earnest , but the audacity, admirable though it might be from a certain point of view, had disarmed him at first. Now he's wondering if he was too forthcoming Knowledge is power and you're handing out knowledge of yourself as if you were getting paid for it. Really, Shane. It's amazing you survived this long. He mentally chides himself.
"Conjuration has its uses as long as one doesn't snare themself with it. However, before I confide in you my areas of expertise and vulnerabilities in full, might I have the pleasure of, at least, your name? " Shane inquires a bit dryly, "Were it not for the fact you folks know a dear friend, I'd be quite paranoid by now. Paranoia is a trait I thought I'd be free to ease up after I graduated, now I fear I've neglected it prematurely."
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Audria follows Shane into the supply closet as he and Abella talk about the Academae. She does her best to hide her growing concern with Abella as she learns some more about how the mage views herself and the world. She pushes the thoughts aside. She has other matters she needs to attend to.
"Sorry," she apologizes quietly to Shane as she closes the door behind her. As she turns around, she lowers the hood of her cloak and reveals her long, strawberry-blonde braid and the thrush hiding by her neck. a red mark on her ear in the shape of the small songbird's beak helps explain her earlier wince.
"I'm Audria Lumina, Sister in the service of the Eternal Rose, Shelyn. Jessica told me to meet you here, and I wasn't smart enough to think of a way to make sure you were the right person before hand. She said you might help us in dealing with Devargo Barvasi. Was she correct?" Her voice is quiet and soft. She is a pretty young woman with soft, delicate features, but from the way she moves in her armor, a breastplate that peeks out from under the cloak when she raises her arms to lower the hood, and carries her halberd, she's clearly not a helpless young woman.
"And I am Talanaliel, Audria's guide and mentor," the songbird perched on the paladin's shoulder says. "You said Jessica is a dear friend? How did you two meet?"
Abella is about to speak again when Audria shuffles Shane off to the closet. She stands in stunned silence, a touch of indignance on her face, but finally shrugs and laughs. Strolling with a casual cadence, she makes her way to the side of the door and leans up on the wall nearby. She is not trying to listen in, but rather just waiting patiently for a chance to embarrass Canary.
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The closet is actually more like a small room, more than two could fit in here along with the mops and such. A fact Shane is tempted to point out when ...
"Sorry," she apologizes quietly to Shane as she closes the door behind her. As she turns around, she lowers the hood of her cloak and reveals her long, strawberry-blonde braid and the thrush hiding by her neck. a red mark on her ear in the shape of the small songbird's beak helps explain her earlier wince.
"I'm Audria Lumina, Sister in the service of the Eternal Rose, Shelyn. Jessica told me to meet you here, and I wasn't smart enough to think of a way to make sure you were the right person before hand. She said you might help us in dealing with Devargo Barvasi. Was she correct?" Her voice is quiet and soft. She is a pretty young woman with soft, delicate features, but from the way she moves in her armor, a breastplate that peeks out from under the cloak when she raises her arms to lower the hood, and carries her halberd, she's clearly not a helpless young woman.
Shane's gaunt face shows visible relief. He is not a follower of the goddess in question, but as a rule, those professing service to Shelyn, were not, if he recalled his few lessons related to Theology, malefic, "The trust is appreciated, as is your real name and position. And Jessica told you rightly. Devargo Barvasi has wronged me in a way that likely means little to him, but very much to me. I intend to hinder him if I can. More than hinder." His eyes grow a bit dark, as if he were trying to choose between a multitude of possible ends for the so called 'King of Spiders' "If you work against him in some form or another, it may indeed help me to help you. In truth, impeding him helps this whole city. The man is a slow poison to the community we've been partaking far too long."
"And I am Talanaliel, Audria's guide and mentor," the songbird perched on the paladin's shoulder says. "You said Jessica is a dear friend? How did you two meet?"
It is a testament to how many odd things he's seen at the Acadamae that Shane does not blink at a talking thrush allied with a non wizard, "We were both students at the Acadamae, and unlike many there, she did not embrace the backbiting intrigues to ruin others hoping to advance oneself. When you're in an environment that encourages that as par for the course, you hold onto the few friends who defy it with an iron grip. Of course, Jessica being Jessica, she flirted outrageously with me. It was actually one of the reasons I grew to like her. My tiefling heritage never had her treat me differently than the others she titillated." He confides to the odd bird.
"I have more questions for both of you, but... perhaps so more of us are on the same page... excuse me." He opens the door, peeks out, and nods to Abella and anyone else with her, "Squeeze on in if you wish. It would appear we're allies." He opens it to let her in as well.
Audria is about to reply when she realizes that she shut Abella out.
"Oh. Oh! I am so sorry," she apologizes to the mage when Shane opens the door.
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Shrike listens to Elric and then Talanaliel in silence. Her flat reply is discouragingly elven in sensibility. "Can't just tell her to feel different. Failure's the only way to learn anything. Including resilience. Can't touch the fire for her."
I cannot touch the fire for her. It is exactly what Malaniethar had once told an incensed Papa, when they thought Lania was still sleeping off the goose egg and bruises of a hard fall when she was twelve.
Shrike realizes that she said it in Elven and rephrases in Taldane: "Just try to keep her alive. I've no grand ambitions. My goals are smaller than protecting a city. But that's one."
When Audria brings the information she gathered from Jessica, Shrike absorbs it and nods in agreement with the necessity of having a good plan. She doesn't want to be the one to come up with it, since she sees no good options yet, but she does want to have a plan. She knows that the eighth bell is probably a little sooner than she will be able to make it to the old Temple of Aroden tomorrow even considering the short distance, so arranges to meet at the watchtower again later for another night of stakeout.
Soon after Audria arrives, she goes back down into the tower and returns after a few minutes in her 'normal' Shrike apparel. She leaves most of the explaining of what they have observed of the five ships, ten guards and their patrol patterns to Elric and his notes. Shrike trades off watches with the others and naps to get at least some sleep during the night, though because of the mask it is always hard to know if she is truly asleep.
She spends the morning with her family, and is amused to find that their reactions to the show align almost exactly with her expectations. Mamma confesses, "The way you described it, it sounded so violent I did not expect to like it above half — except for your part, of course — but it was so dreadfully tragic one could not help but feel for poor Brekka and Hommel. I declare I was quite in floods by the end. Your shamaness was a frightful creature, though you gave her pathos too. And the music was so original. I should like to learn some of those songs for the pianoforte, if they will sell a book of the sheet music. But I cannot like that it seemed half the city was there. I do hope no one recognized you, darling, but in all that coarse paint I cannot think they would."
"It was well done," Junie allows grudgingly. "You know my opinion of the stage, but I'll own this was a deal grander than some beer-hall vulgarity. But the plot was worse than pointless. Everyone would have been better off if they'd only stuck to their own kind. Too much sensibility, not enough sense!"
"Can we go again? Will you show me how to do that backward flip?" is all Isi wants to know. Lania is so relieved to see him enthusiastic about something for the first time since his rescue that she spends almost the entire morning doing just that, along with a little fighting practice, combining tumbling and sparring the way Papa used to do with her. She notes that he is quicker than he was, lighter on his feet — and warier of being hurt. He never returned her dagger after that night, but takes the still-oversized blade everywhere with him on his belt. She does not ask for it back.
When both are tired, they go inside and work on reading aloud from one of the books of Elven-language historical tales that made the journey with them from the library of the old house. As a favor, Lania had asked Mamma to make some repairs to any fraying hems, worn places or loose seams on the costumes she brought home from the theatre, so they join her in her sitting room and take turns reading to her while she stitches. For the first brief time in the three years she has lived here, the shabby, cramped row house feels like a home.
That satisfaction evaporates the instant she steps across the threshold of the dressing room. Lennick is there, grim-faced as he puts on Hommel's make-up. Aloysius is sobbing into his hands, comforted by a couple of the other dancers. His hands are scratched and bruised, and a fresh bandage is wrapped around his head. Saratha is talking sternly to a guardsman who looks very uncomfortable.
Merula goes to Aylos immediately, seriously alarmed when he accepts being held without even a whisper of ironical posturing. It takes her a while to piece together the story.
A riot had erupted last night in the area where All The World's Meat used to be. Apparently some of the locals did not appreciate their supply of free meat being suddenly cut. A few attacked the guards who had come to collect evidence, and things escalated from there. Aylos and Gaekhen were in the area when it started, walking from the Three Rings tavern after its last call to a smaller late-night establishment near North Bridge. The riot had gotten much worse when one of the guards let slip that some of the meat had been human. Someone spotted Gaekhen and before they could react, the frenzied mob decided to make the Shoanti man the target of all their frustration and anger. They got separated in the fight, but Aylos clearly saw one of them club Gaekhen in the head and heard a sickening crunch before he went down. Then the rioters descended with their clubs and makeshift weapons. The last Aylos saw of him was the mob dragging his body away.
Sound and motion move around and over her in eddies without touching her. People are arguing, whispering, gesturing, crying, pacing, hugging. Sitting with Aylos in the center of it, Merula feels like a pillar of ice. If she had been there—
"Twenty minutes," Saratha calls raggedly, and it is a testament to the respect she has earned from the company that it doesn't spark another riot in miniature. It is out of the question for Aloysius to perform today, of course, but the show must go on. One of the swings will step in for him. Lennick has clearly had expensive healing magic to hasten his recovery enough to play Hommel, though he still doesn't look fully well.
Merula wavers. If she's going to get into costume in time, she has to do it now. Aylos looks at her with red-rimmed eyes and says with a ghost of his usual carelessness, "What are you waiting for, an invitation? Can't let the bastards win."
Thirty seconds after she steps off the stage following the final curtain, Merula isn't sure what happened in the show. It might have been an unmitigated disaster for all she cares. She strips out of costume and back into her street clothes in record time and then all but drags Aylos to Cherie's. He lives with his sister in a West Dock tenement, but Sorcia's schedule is erratic at best, and Merula doesn't want him to be alone.
Cherie will know what to do when she gets home from her own show in an hour or two. Until then, Merula lets them both in with the secret key under the griffin-shaped plant pot, makes him tea, and distracts him with a game of Towers and chatter about nothing. She stays a little while after Cherie arrives, having already somehow heard what happened, until their friend's motherly clucking drives Aylos to an early bedtime on her couch, with a cold cloth over his aching head. It will be nearly midnight before she can make it to the watchtower, but that can't be helped.
Shrike is hours later even than she said she would be, and offers no explanation for the discrepancy. She greets Elric with a clipped, "Evening. What's the plan?"
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Tally looks glumly at Shrike and nods. It's clear she doesn't like the notion, but she doesn't see any other way.
"If only the wounds emotions and memories leave were as easy to heal as the ones fire does," she says. "She's-- She's my friend, Me-- Shrike. She's my friend, and I don't want to see her hurt."
The songbird's head pops up as she looks out towards the sea.
"I think Audria's on her way back. Should I go get her," Tally asks the others.
Abella waves to the closeted Shane and Audria as the door opens. ”If you needed some alone time with your new boyfriend to snog, Audria, you only needed to say so. I will never linger about when there is snogging between men and women going on. Blech. Unnatural.”
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Abella waves to the closeted Shane and Audria as the door opens. ”If you needed some alone time with your new boyfriend to snog, Audria, you only needed to say so. I will never linger about when there is snogging between men and women going on. Blech. Unnatural.”
Shane coughs into his hand, then says "I assure you, that is not the kind of alliance we were deliberating. We had not meant to shut you out at all, in fact. It was a mishap. We thought you might want to come in here with us to discuss things privately as Audria was concerned about eavesdroppers. I can understand her trepidation. Suffice to say the three of us and your friends are allies now regarding a certain mutual foe. Did you wish to join us in here, it really is more of a storage ROOM than a Storage closet, or should we all go to wherever the rest of your friends are and converse there?" He asks both, then adds to Abella, "And what IS your name?"
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Perhaps it is a sign Audria getting used to Abella's sense of humor or that she is gaining some maturity or even that the situation is serious enough to push other thoughts and concerns to the side, but Audria's cheek don't even color further at the mage's comment. She decides that Abella's feeling fine and turns her attention to Shane.
"If you want us to all be on the same page, then we should meet the others," Audria suggests. "Only have to explain things once, then."
Abella raises an eyebrow as Audria does not even react to her teasing. ”Hah, I was just trying to tease Canary. I had hoped to at least redden her cheek a shade, but alas, it appears I am becoming predictable.”
She bows to Shane. ”Abella Tribastarion. Necromancer extraordinaire and foremost expert in the field of thanergy, known by laypeople as negative energy.”
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"If you want us to all be on the same page, then we should meet the others," Audria suggests. "Only have to explain things once, then."
"Lead on when you're ready." he says stepping out
Abella raises an eyebrow as Audria does not even react to her teasing. ”Hah, I was just trying to tease Canary. I had hoped to at least redden her cheek a shade, but alas, it appears I am becoming predictable.”
Shane smiles just a bit at that.
She bows to Shane. ”Abella Tribastarion. Necromancer extraordinaire and foremost expert in the field of thanergy, known by laypeople as negative energy.”
Under his hooded cloak, a brow raises at the thanergy expertise announcement, "That's a formidable field of study," He concedes with a bow of his own, "An honor to be working with you, Abella. To answer your earlier question as to my expertise, I make MEDIUM sized dioramas with shadow AND light. I don't advertise it too often, for obvious strategic reasons. I think this alliance insinuates that between us, we'll have quite the breadth of eldritch expertise."
Then to both he says, "Lead on, ladies and I shall follow."
Abella raises an eyebrow as Audria does not even react to her teasing. ”Hah, I was just trying to tease Canary. I had hoped to at least redden her cheek a shade, but alas, it appears I am becoming predictable.”
"Perhaps a bit," Audria says with a small smile.
When Shane says for them to lead on, Audria pulls up her hood and does her best to obfuscate their destination.
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It seems that not many people take an interest in the decrepit temple, so the streets around it are relatively empty; thus, if anyone was tailing them, they'd have a hard job of it.
Abella, Audria and Shane make their way across Jeggare Bridge - now no longer blockaded by the guard - to the north-eastern part of North Point, second watchtower from the bridge where Elric, Pava and Shrike await.
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"Well. Far as I can discern our plan's still to gulp down an antitoxin apiece chaser optional, particularly for the young at heart, go in by night when there will be more shadows and noise. I can't say as I believe that a night swim and a bit of a climb will be what each of us desires, so perhaps those of us without a tonsorial-tell and not inclined to a soggy ascent should close the distance with a bit of gab? Probably keep eyes and ears off any suspicious squelches too, eh?"
Shrike decodes this speech only with some effort. "Talk to the guards. Make a distraction. Then sneak in yourself." The idea of swimming to the Eel's End must be a bad joke. Either that, or Pava is very new to the city indeed, to not know about the jigsaw sharks that infest the Jeggare. One had almost made a meal of Audria for falling into the river for only a few breaths. The ones around Barvasi's pier are probably even more likely to be looking out for a human supper. Better make the danger clear to the others before it gets taken seriously. "Not bad. But we'd need a boat. Swimmers are shark bait."
'Swimmer' was the cant term for all bodies pulled out of the Jeggare, which were always put there by malice or misadventure and generally mangled past recognition.
"Slow swimmers are shark bait."
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Audria walks up the stairs with Abella and Shane and sighs when she hears that Pava's planning on swimming.
"Please tell me the plan isn't to swim over to the pier," she says as she climbs the last few stairs. "I'm not sure everyone here knows how to swim, and I'm not great at it."
She looks at Pava for a moment before turning to the newcomer.
"Anyway, this is Shane. He's a friend of Jessica's and not at all a friend of Devargo Barvasi. From what he told Abella, I think he does illusions." Turning her attention to Shane, she gives him a sheepish smile. "I heard something about a boat on the way up. Do you think that you could disguise something large enough to fit us? Oh, and we should probably make sure we're on the same page about what our goals are. Kroft wants whatever he has on Ambassador Amprei, but I think some of use are looking at killing two imps with one stone."
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Shane has his hood up, but the keen eyed might still notice, even with his gloves on, marks of 'not quite human' heritage.
As he is introduced, he inclines his head, "Salutations. I am told we have a common foe, and to cut to the meat of it, I have cause against Devargo Barvasi. I hope you do to, or at least mean to frustrate him."
His eyes go over each person there, taking them in. It is times like this he wishes his one attempt to conjure a familiar didn't end in tragedy. His mother's ring is useful, but sometimes he does envy wizards who have an extra set of friendly eyes to catch details.
"I heard something about a boat on the way up. Do you think that you could disguise something large enough to fit us? Oh, and we should probably make sure we're on the same page about what our goals are. Kroft wants whatever he has on Ambassador Amprei, but I think some of use are looking at killing two imps with one stone."
"It depends on the volume of the boat, to large part. I've a silent illusion I can project, not my most advanced spell. I could make one that comes with ambient sounds if I had time to memorize arcane options anew, but that may not be timely for you. If it is of interest, I can render one of us invisible, though that will end with any violent interaction or until the duration expires." What have you gotten me into, Jessica. I feel like I'm at an audition for a troubadour recital and I have no idea if they prefer folk or opera. Then he adds, "I too, would like to find some... evidence. In my case, of Barvasi's crimes. The evidence I seek would be very old."
Audria's eyes flash with iridescent light as she hears that Shane's looking for evidence of Barvasi's crimes. Her smile fades and in its place is a look of determination. She has been hoping that there might be a way to get at the King of Spiders legally. Broken as Korvosa may be, Audria still didn't want to end up on the wrong side of the law.
"If we could find that and get it to the Field Marshal, I think she would see to it that he pays for his crimes," she says. "I don't think we can count on him handing it over, though, and it seems like he's not the only one we have to worry about. There's a half-elven woman, Halvara, that's supposed to be his lover, and she's probably petty enough to come after us if we don't get her at the same time."
"Sky and stone why do I bother... The notion was for only for those who could swim, climb, and do so discreetly to go in the drink. If that's no one but yours truly, then fibs and figments are fine as well.
"Now, I'm all for dumping whatsoever evidence we find out into the public square as well, or even giving it to your pet constable if you must. Just so long as we aren't expecting that to stir the rest of the guard who are perfectly aware of how exactly it is that Barvasi profits them so reliably. If he's posthumous it might help some though I suppose.
"Much easier to distance yourself from a dead man without a pinch in his pocket."
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"If we decide that the best plan is to go in from the waterside using stealth, the idea is definitly to use a boat big enough to carry us all. We go at the most quiet hour, when most of the guests are gone and the thugs asleep. We don't go in the water if we can avoid it, but I can climb up the ship side and lower a knotted rope for the rest of you. That should make the climb manageable, even in armor."
"Ideally, we're in and out without anyone even noticing us. More likely, we have to take out a few guards and likely Barvasi himself. But violence should be a last resort, too many things can go wrong in a fight. As for what happens after, let's deal with that when we know what we have and how much Barvasi knows about our little visit."[/b]
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Audria tries not to let her irritation with Pava show, but she's almost certain she failed. Almost from when they first met, Pava has been getting under her skin and now it was hard not to snap at the gangly Shoanti. She's grateful that Elric's interjection gives her a moment to regain control of her tongue.
Not that she doesn't have a point about you, Duckling Canary, Halvara's voice chortles in her head.
"I agree ideally, that would be the best, but we don't know what it's like in that ship of his," the paladin says. "Fighting is dicey, too. He controls an ettercap, and other than being creepy-looking with spindly arms and legs and eyes like a spiders, I don't know what its capable of. He's a skilled knife fighter. His guards are loyal and disciplined, and Jessica said that there's a trap door in his 'throne room' that drops people into the ettercap's lair." Audria thinks for a moment before turning to Shane and Abella. "Do you two know anything about ettercaps? I just ran into the one when I was looking for some of the children than ran from Lamm's old hideout. I barely managed to scare it off and only then after I struck it across the face."
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Shane takes each bit said in.
"Well, as for swimming and climbing, it is true. I suppose it is no surprise that athleticism wasn't prized at the Academae so the idea of aid is appreciated if it comes to that. The movement of the boat and the progression of the illusion will require exacting coordination to achieve perfection. Hopefully perfection won't be required. However, the specificity of the illusion will also be a factor. It isn't a mass invisibility spell so much as a layer of falsehood over an area."
"Ideally, we're in and out without anyone even noticing us. More likely, we have to take out a few guards and likely Barvasi himself. But violence should be a last resort, too many things can go wrong in a fight. As for what happens after, let's deal with that when we know what we have and how much Barvasi knows about our little visit."
Shane frowns "My desire for justice wars with pragmatism there, but you're right, of course, that we'll need to synchronize our final plan with the facts we discover. That said, I hope we can do him a bad turn or three."
"Do you two know anything about ettercaps? I just ran into the one when I was looking for some of the children than ran from Lamm's old hideout. I barely managed to scare it off and only then after I struck it across the face."
"Ettercaps? Mmm.."
"As a matter of fact, I might know a few things about them." And he will share what he recalls
Pava's voice has perhaps a drip too much patience in it as they respond. "Yes, and knowing about the trap door is a good way of defanging it, innit? Perhaps by not standing in the center of the room in a tight little knot? Or hopping up on some furniture? The whole villainous visage is really undone by having your expensive office chaise go tumbling down the pit - likely squashing your spidery minions in the bargain.
"As for his guards - this is a series of unfair fights we're proposing. Drop the ones on the deck quiet enough and the ones below don't even get a warning. Even if they do, they're the ones off duty. Might not have their armor on, certainly won't be sitting around with weapons bared and snarls affixed. If by the time we get to him we're in some sort of one-to-one duel, then by all rights we should have already been put to flight."
They let out a breath that holds more irritation than their voice had and with an effort spread their hands in a conciliatory gesture.
"Now look, anyone doesn't actually want to do this? Kindly be on your merry, trap firmly shut, and then it's all no harm no foul, eh? But if you are committed to this, you can't let his spooky tricks beat you before we get going. This is a man who uses fear and secrets better than he uses his knives. Let's stop shadowboxing and scheming and trying to beat him at his own game and kick the bloody board into his face!"
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Pava isn't going to settle for anything less than killing him, Audria realizes.
"So we just sneak onto the Eel's End and kill them all," she asks, her voice taking on the same tone it had when confronting the Cow Hammer Boys and Vancaskerkin, a dangerously flat and cold one. "What makes us any better than common murderers at that point?"