Redemption: The Preludes (IC post)

[PixCO]

Yopine Quietclock

---

The use of her own line washed over Yopine without notice. She either didn't recognize it as banter or naturally accepted it for what it was. Either way she didn't appear to take offense. The Svrif did, however, pull back quickly at the mention of fire.

"No. I don't think you'll be doing that." Yopine covered the backs of her hands almost unconsciously. She spoke with determination and well-restrained fear, but still not with anger. Her next words were stiff and formal, as if quoting from memory.

"Besides. We're taught that magic is a crutch, though less so than divine intervention. A keen mind and well practiced skills are far more valuable tools when employed over a lifetime of use." Recitation now over, she returned to a more conspiratorial whisper. "Though personally I think he's underestimating the ability to reduce a grown dragon to ash. Or even more usefully, sedate an entire room full of guards quietly and with no bloodshed. But he's a little too 'modern' for that kind of thinking."

Yopine thought for a moment and reached for one of her throwing knives, holding it up for Rillik to see. The blade, of course, was pointing towards Yopine. It appeared to have started life as a conventional dagger, only to have everything from the cross-guard down stripped away to a modest tang. Engineering took over from there and refined the model to better suit its purpose. The end result was a thin blade with a leaden disk inset to provide both balance and replacement mass. A spur extended past that to form what passed for a grip, though it would never be used in melee.

"Runesmith?" She said, as if only now catching that fact. "Do you think you could etch something useful on a couple of these?"

There was a general harrumph from the direction of Basil's desk.

"As single-shot, emergency-use only tools. Not weapons, of course." Her irritation came from that fact that, once again, Dillworthy was going to assume she was trying to up her arsenal again. She'd learned that lesson well, though. Yopine knew that fighting smarter rather than more explosively was her path forward. But that didn't mean all magic was inherently cheating. Just during finals. Anything went once an agent was in the field. That included morally ambiguous decisions which inevitably had to be made.

She knew the right ones to make, now. And she had someone to hold her accountable if she ever forgot those lessons.

[Rumrunner]

Rillik d'Sivis

---

Wringing her own hands together, tracing the lines of fire she couldn't help feel a pang of sympathy for the Svirf. Why couldn't she keep things like that in mind, what might bother someone, she'd even mentally cordoned it off, then just ran neck first into the rope. The further evidence came when Yopine's words came stiffly. A twitching of anger tugged the top of her lip and narrowed her eyes, her mouth opened to issue a viper's response, but the cloaked whispers of how powerful the arcane arts could be, eased her tension some. It was an old refrain of those who were old and could not do a thing. Magic was a crutch to those without it, surely there were aesthetics that would say the same of a blade. Shrugging it off, it still lingered at the nap of her neck, a tension that would not soon go away.

"To each their own, one doesn't promote what they cannot offer I suppose." The words came absently, but a sidelong glare was flash at the Harengon. A practiced and careful communique. He was the commanding officer here, and he wouldn't be the first or the last that had opinions she disagreed with, but she would hold her tongue.

The blade was then a welcome distraction and change of subject. Funny how such a skeletal device for murder was being used a warm gesture and sharing of a craft. "Oh if I could I would. I've tried, but I don't really have the knack for engraving or etching runes in object. The small bit I can do only works for me. I prefer ink, I find the magic makes more sense to me when it's adding to a thing, the cutting away while imbuing is a more difficult process than one might expect. I understand it well enough, but there's a very large gulf between understanding a thing and doing it. Did you make these yourself? I don't think I've seen their like."

Fixing her eyes on the small blade she closed her eyes and focused as she slid back the silk that covered her tattooed sleeve. Beneath it, a long sinuous line slithered up the underside of her arm. Rillik touched it gently, sliding a finger across with eyes close, the line trembled, then twisted into the shape of the gnome artist's will. A moment later Rillik drew a duplicate of Yopine's blade into existence. The replica radiated with a soft luminescence, betraying its magical nature, but otherwise seemed identical. She handed it to the would have been assassin. "Here, what do you think, did I get it right?"

 

[PixCO]

Yopine Quietclock

---

"I'd say you did, yeah." She said while spinning the knife through the fingers of one hand. The scarring was only faintly visible, after all. Magical healing had been responsible for that, so clearly it had its demonstrable uses.

"They came from one of Mr. Dillworthy's workshops. If I'm being honest, though, he only let me keep them as part of a compromise. I'd already spent... well... let's just say there was a lot of wasted time learning how to put sharp things into people without their consent. That's how he put it, anyway." She nodded to the Hare while handing the knife back to its summoner.

"The first lesson of his that really stuck with me was about that. My head was all wrapped up in fighting harder when what I needed was to start fighting smarter. 'Took more than a couple of bruises to teach me that, and it's put me behind on learning more useful skills. The same goes for magic. I've got a bit of it myself from my blood. Apparently I've been relying on it too much. Mr. Dillworthy says I'm not half as sneaky as I should be without it."

There was another brief interruption from the Harengon as he corrected her. The word he'd used was 'subtle', not 'sneaky', but the distinction seemed to be lost on the girl.

Instead, she seemed to be considering her hand after returning the knife. It slowly closed into a dainty and ineffectual fist to make the subtle scarring stand out a little more. A deliberate shift of the cloak exposed the blades at her wrist and the combined images told a story of both victim and aggressor.

"I always like it when people see the knives. Makes 'em think I'm dangerous. Someone to be feared. Respected." Dillworthy had paused in his reading here to listen and make notes on whatever she had to say next.

"Someone stupid, in other words. I'm not sure that's how I want people to see me anymore. Not even the ones trying to kill me. So if magic can give me a way to stop being a walking bag of knives? I'd say that's not cheating. That's just smart."

[Varen Tai]

Basil nodded gravely. "While you know My Preference about magic and its use, me picking you for this Important Business is also an acknowledgement that you need to Make Your Own Choices. The End Result is the Important Thing here, not getting stuck in the Path to the Result. I in no way am proposing that the End Justifies the Means, but to ignore the Result Over the Means is also foolish."

He stood, strode over to the two girls, and pointed at Rillik. "You, girl, are proof of this. I trust Major Ferranti. He and I have been... compatriots for a long time. He sent you, a mage, for our... Important Business. So I can claim to trust my friend or I can be angry that he sent a wizard because I Don't Like Magic, but not both. Because he trusts you, I trust you, and the two of you will need to Make Your Own Choices."

Pausing for a moment, a rare smile crossed his mouth briefly before vanishing again into his typical down-to-business expression. "Well, at any rate, I am glad the two of you are getting along, at least so far. My friend chose well." Turning to Yopine, he said, "Quietclock, get packed. If there is any shopping that needs to get done to prepare, then the two of you can get to the market today, though I suspect that Rillik here-" he gestured at the solider "-has Everything She Needs, but perhaps not Everything She Wants. Come back this evening at 7 to discuss next steps."

He reached into a pocket and tossed a pouch of coins to Yopine, who caught it deftly. "I have allocated some of My Own Funds to helping you both prepare, though I expect you to be wise and return to me anything you do not use."

He flicked his ears towards the door, a clear dismissal, though it seemed to Rillik that it wasn't a sharp one.

"I will see you both tonight at 7. Sharp. Here in This Room." He sat down at his desk and began writing furiously, ignoring them both.

 

Edited January 16 by Varen Tai (see edit history)

[PixCO]

Yopine Quietclock

---

"Sure thing. I'll spend it wisely." Some level of concern had entered her voice now as the Capital Letter Count continued to Climb. She motioned to Rillik that now was the time to leave and tossed a parting of "Say hey to Azrael for me." in the direction of her mentor.

Azrael currently held the record for the longest probationary period of anyone Dillworthy had worked with. In fact, he'd been around for so long that he'd become the personal assistant to the Hare without even realizing it. A con-artist and schemer, the Tiefling had been tricked into an almost-law-abiding life through nothing more than Basil's sheer patience.

The fact that he wasn't here now meant that Azrael had more important tasks to complete. Combining that with Dillworthy's Decreasing Mood, and Yopine was starting to understand that things might be more serious than she'd thought.

[Rumrunner]

Rillik d'Sivis

---

The silver haired gnome stiffened again when spoken to by Mr. Dillworthy, a reflexive snap to attention from being spoken by someone in a position of authority and given he was friends with Ferranti, she assumed he was of a similar rank. Internally she was flinching at "I Don't Like Magic" and the other similar refrains, but she'd begun to tune it out. So many commanding officers liked to hear themselves talk, and the best defense was a façade of undivided attention and the mental capacity to listen for useful bits while letting your mind otherwise wander. She wondered what mage had hurt him, possibly they tried to bind him as a familiar, maybe stuffed him into a hat? A ogre witch's stew perhaps? She considered the market, what she would buy if she could and what allowance he was giving. She also considered what this mission was, but given his disposition of reluctant trust, she'd not dare ask for details or deposits. When he'd finished she gave a loud and clear: "Yes Sir, Mr. Dillworthy Sir."

Then with a snap of her heels she was marching to the door, expecting Yopine to fall with her pace as she headed towards the market. After they were out of sight of the apartment Rillik said abruptly snapped. "Is he always That Intense? I know commanders like that, but his words seemed to particularly gnaw to the bone. I bet that works well though, I mean for rehabilitation. Anyone would cave to it eventually... but I am Not one of His Projects." She said in a tone that mimicked the Harengon's.

At this point, she was glad she'd taken the detour to the market earlier, so now was confident in her direction without too much focus. "So, anything you need in particular? I could shop here for days!"

 

Edited January 15 by Nighteyes5678
Fixed some dropped color (see edit history)

[PixCO]

Yopine Quietclock

---

"No, he's actually not." She seemed a little distracted in her answer, though not because of Rillik's tone. It was a better imitation than Yopine had ever managed. Under other circumstances she'd have found it hilarious.

"Well, okay, yeah he is. The guy's got a lot of passion. He's always pretty intense. But for him to go off on magic like that? There must be something big going on, and magic's going to be responsible for whatever it is. I'd put money on that if I had any..."

She took a moment to jingle the sack of coins theatrically, as if having forgotten it was there. "Oh wait. I do have money! Of course, it belongs to someone who just dropped rabbit pellets all over your chosen career and probably owes you an apology that you're never going to hear. So I say we buy provisions for the road and the rest can be a way of him saying not to take it personally." She jingled the coins once more for emphasis. It sounded like enough to cover the basics along with a nice bonus. "Sound like a plan? If nothing else, the hare owes you a nice dinner for dragging you all the way here."

One of the benefits of her training was that of skillful self-reliance. There was no need for expensive materials or exotic components, just a few tools and her wits. That didn't cost her much as long as both were applied properly.

Internally she decided not to brood over whatever had Basil on edge. It could just be her imagination, after all. Maybe he was upset over a particularly disappointing piece of lettuce from this morning. The Hare had depths she'd likely never understand, or want to investigate to begin with. She already had enough demons of her own. Why would she want to start taking on someone else's?

[Rumrunner]

Rillik d'Sivis

---

"Yes! It does. I did see a stall with some kababs slathered with Maztican fruit and mingari sauce... I think they call it Ketjap? I ran out of time, so didn't get any earlier." She gave Yopine's should a squeeze and smiled at the Svirf. "But don't get upset on my behalf, thank you, but I've dealt with much worse. Imagine being a mage assigned to an infantry troop who's just been blasted with fireballs, when the most useful thing you're going to do is write some words in the clouds. I felt like just drawing a giant well... let's say it represented well what I thought of him. Anyway, you just bear it, you never know what's going through someone's head. Mr Basil wasn't shouting so, that I expect would certainly be something to be avoided."

She made an impression using her fingers for large teeth. "If he's really out of sorts maybe we should pick him up a bite while we're out... I don't really need much myself. I want all the things. Everything we get back home comes from here, it's like eating only left overs forever and finally being at the table. There are so many dyes, and inks, and books, and trinkets and Ooo! there it is!" Rillik squeezed Yopine's hand and pointed through the throngs towards a stall with red sauced skewers of deliciousness basking in the heat of simmering coals. Their scent wafted towards the duo, the grip of her new friend's hand the only thing stopping the soldier gnome from raising to her tippy-toes and flutter towards the heavenly delights.

 

[PixCO]

Yopine Quietclock

---

Dillworthy's relationship with both magic and the divine were complicated. More so than she could reasonably explain in just seven hours. Both powers were always useful until they weren't. Then they too often became menaces. Mortals weren't meant to play at being gods any more than gods still had a place determine the fates of mortals.

"I think he'd approve of the skywriting. That's a very clever use of power that can be applied to more than just adding to the death toll. So yeah, I think you're entitled just compensation..."

They drew nearer to the stall and Yopine wrinkled her nose. "Not this one, though. He's got a reputation. Tends to use sauces heavy with tomato and sugar to cover up the fact that nobody knows where his meat comes from. He tends to get a lot of business, just not repeat business. I know better places. C'mon!"

Yopine had flinched at first with the unexpected contact, her shoulder dipping almost imperceptibly before accepting the touch. It'd been a long time since something like that would happen and not be an attack. It was a peaceful part of her life that she thought was gone forever. More and more, she was finding out that the old Hare, despite his demanding nature, actually knew what he was talking about. She'd had friends when she was a child. Other kids that she could actually trust and confide in even while they conspired together for some mischief.

For the first time since it all went to Hades, she could see a future free of flames and blood and fear. So she had no hesitation in accepting the grip of Rillik's hand in her own. This seemed to be the start of a new friendship, but also one that somehow felt too familiar to be new. But of course that was just nostalgia from her childhood impacting her perceptions. Yopine didn't believe in anything as indecipherable as fate.

[Rumrunner]

Rillik d'Sivis

---

Large silver-jade eyes blinked. "Better?" She said, tilting her head in curious incredulity. "Mission accepted." The declaration came with an affirmative nod, and soon they were dashing around the long legged market goers on their way to food that apparently tasted as good as it smelled. The girl reminded Rillik of her sister, back before things went sideways, now she didn't really have a sister, not in all the ways that counted. A co-conspirator and a companion, at least for now, maybe... for a while. She smiled a genuine smile as she followed her under a stall, a "short cut" and through a series of colored bolts of linens and silk. Each sheet was smooth against the skin of her face and hands as she pushed through and passed, the fabric filling her nostrils with the scents lye, dye as well as mysterious, spicy and elusive perfumes. If she could she'd name them... saffron, carmine and violet, sandlewood, vanilla and jasmine, until they finally burst out at the other end of the bazaar.

Spinning around the place was like a circus, as the vendors shouting, people bartering, and multitude of street entertainers performing a cacophony of instrumentation, and echoing laughter that was feeling more and more like a symphony. Her eyes were wide as she took it all in. There was the scent of oil and fire, her head turned to see a man exhaling a bout of flames, before snuffing the torch in his mouth. A giant leg swayed past them, as a performer on stilts juggled overhead, her head followed them until it landed on a set of pipers playing for dancing women and snakes. Her head on a swivel as her body was frozen, unable to decide which stall, which attraction, which direction to go it, she stalled, awestruck.

[PixCO]

Yopine Quietclock

---

"Thought you might like this better. After all, it's not often we get guests. Took me forever to set is all up." Her tone indicated a joke, of course. They were deeper into the market district where the experienced travelers always knew to visit. The earlier stalls were just to weed out the casual vacationer. Here, the food was better and all of the fun stuff was even well maintained.

"Let's see... over that way we have food. Over there is the garment district in case you needed new traveling clothes. Smithies and mechanics are mostly over there, but I know this one guy who has his own place over..." Her voice caught as the memory of her father's workshop in flames intruded on her mind.

"Anyway, more food there." She did her best to brush off the momentary loss of composure. Her extended finger kept track of all the regions being identified. "Armor specialists there. We'll stop by and see if Jimothy is working today. He has a side hustle selling some of the best smoked meat in the city. We'll want some of that for the road. Over there are some rides that haven't injured anyone in months, and there's no way I'm letting you leave without hitting the baker's quarter for some taunth. If you've never had it before, I swear it's the second best thing to ever come out of this city."

 

[Rumrunner]

Rillik d'Sivis

---

She laugh a musical and cheerful series of snorts and chortles. If she could take in half of what Yopine was on about, it would have been a wonder. Bits were caught however, the important bits, the bits to bite and then... "Taunth?" An eyebrow was raised in challenge and disbelief. "The best? Girl, I'm from Ulgarth, we were raised on Taunth. But First I want some of this meat you promised. Our time isn't unlimited so, we need to set priorities. Meat, dyes, rides, then tea and taunth... we'll bring some back for Mr. Dillworthy? ...and if we have time maybe a dress?" The asserted procedural certainty waned after the mention of taunth, and her upward inflection of uncertainty regarding the Harengon was almost as prominent as that around the procurement of clothes that was not of the particularly pragmatic sort. "Unless you need something else? Nothing's set in stone"

[Varen Tai]

The afternoon went quickly. They had time to get the good meat, taste some of the local taunth (which had a slightly different flavor than what Rillik was used to - Yopine informed her that the locals added a little caramelized honey to make it a little sweeter), get stocked up on some practicalities for the road, and they even had time for a delicious dinner at a little run-down place that Yopine promised was the best in the area. It did not disappoint, and she seemed to know everyone there, so Rillik guessed she was a regular.

They had enough time to find some dresses that they both loved, though they stowed them away instead of wearing them immediately. Neither were sure how Basil would handle seeing his money spent in that way, but when they arrived and sat in the same room, he didn't ask for receipts or even a description of what they purchased. The svirf handed him back his pouch with the remainder of the coins, and he didn't even glance at it, which was unlike him. She had suspected earlier that something was up, but now she knew. He sat in silence for a few minutes deep in thought, his ears twitching, before finally standing and pacing forward again.

"Quietclock, d'Sivis, you are going to meet another mutual friend of ours. He is the one who requested that certain members of our group, specifically myself and Major Ferranti, send someone to him in order to help with whatever issue he is currently seeing as needful enough to ask. He..." The Hare paused for a moment, speech and body language still muted despite his pacing. "He... has never asked anything of us before and is frequently assisting us with our own requests. In his letter to myself and the Major, he said that he wanted us to send to him the agent they trusted the most. He mentioned he couldn't give details because we were all being watched, and so it was wiser to keep some info to himself." He stopped pacing next to his desk long enough to drum his fingers on it before pacing again, his ears twitching more frenetically.

"I don't like it. I trust him, but I smell something going on that is much larger than he is telling, and I Don't Like It. Quietclock, you know that there are others that I have worked with longer and trust more than you, but at the same time, I have seen the kind of progress in you that I had already been thinking it might be time to send you out, and so this seemed to fit you perfectly. Too Perfectly." As he paced, the muted tone began dropping a bit, and he gained some of his more familiar speech patterns. "So perfectly that if I didn't trust him as much as I do (and I should mention we all trust each other - we are a Company of Peers in these matters), I would refuse the request, ignore it, or send someone that didn't fit the specifications. However, I do not think that is Wise in this case." He turned and nodded towards Yopine, his ears following suit and pointing at her as well. "So I am sending you, despite my misgivings, not about you, but about whatever is going on."

Turning towards Rillik, he continued, "d'Sivis, I imagine the Major had some of the same misgivings as I did, but he's not a talker like I am, so I doubt he expressed what I am expressing. However, here you are. So now we trust our choices and hope for the best with whatever is coming."

He sat back down at his desk and produced an envelope, then waved at the two girls to approach. He handed the envelope to Yopine (who had gotten there first), and said, "Travel to Orpher, then wait for instructions. Someone will meet you there. In that envelope are the tickets for your travel and information on the safest inns along the way. Once you get to Orpher, stay at the inn listed in there and be patient. My friend is very reliable, but not always the quickest. He'll find you or send word on where to go from there, but it may not be as soon as you like." He nodded again at the envelope. "I've written everything down there so you can refer to it again if needs be."

Turning to Yopine, he added, "I've made arrangements for the two of you to stay at the Cockleburr Inn tonight before you head out by coach in the morning, Havesh said he'd take care of the both of you."

After a long moment, looking at them both, he added, quietly, "Go and be safe." Then he gestured at them, saying, "If you have any questions, I'll do my best to answer. Otherwise, get your stuff together and head to the Cockleburr."

Edited January 21 by Varen Tai (see edit history)

[PixCO]

Yopine Quietclock

---

Trust was like a net... Yopine was thinking to herself. Each knot in a net could only connect to the knots closest to it. But each of those knots then connected to others, and so on. Together all of those connections created strength by supporting each other. It was a good system right up until the knots started to fray.

"So your saying this guy asked for me in all but name? Must be fate, then, because no student of yours would be fool enough to walk straight into a trap like this."

She felt better knowing what had been eating at Basil. Obviously it was a trap, but who set it? Given the reach that The Guild itself had, that could be just about anyone. Maybe someone coming after Yopine herself, or someone just trying to take one of Dillworthy's assets away. Regardless, she was too curious to walk away even if she could.

"To be Forewarned is to be Forearmed." She intoned from memory. "We know something is up, now. We'll be careful. Any way for us to verify the contact? Secret phrase, maybe? Expecting the first person to find us to be the right person seems like good chance for things to go wrong from the start."

[Varen Tai]

Basil shakes his head. "No, my friend knows nothing about you in particular. He just asked me to send someone I trusted, and I had already been thinking about sending you out in the world a little more anyhow. Not A Trap, just something Else. I can feel larger wheels spinning and that's what I Don't Trust. I don't like the gods or anyone else messing with things beyond what I can see, even though my friend is a priest himself. He tends to... Know Things, which is one reason why I do trust him."

He thinks a little. "For this reason, it's not odd that he didn't give any phrases or any way to verify a contact with him or an agent. He didn't tell me to not tell you his name, but didn't specifically tell me to, either, and for him, that could mean any number of things. Going around asking for him by name would raise more suspicion than I think he wants attached to him. He's holding his cards very close to his chest on this one, almost as if giving away too much too soon would cause more issues."

He straightens up. "No, don't be worried about a trap from him. If he wanted to do damage to our little group, he's had ample opportunity to do far more damage than he would now by doing this now. I think he's being careful about others outside. Let me think on this a little more. If I have an idea about how to assist in the identifying process that doesn't put anyone at risk, I'll send word to Havesh tonight."