[WFRP 2e] The Troubles in Altdorf [IC]

[Sir Dancealot]

There's few places in this world that can make a pie quite as delightful as Frau Gertrude. Well, except for maybe a halfling chef, but everyone is pretty sure that that is indeed where Frau Gertrude learned her art. There's a few rumors about the happy woman, but none of them could be true. After all, how could a woman with such delicious pies that she gives to Watchmen for free be the head of the thieves guild? Ridiculous!


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At her side in the City's Rest is her 'daughter'. A young girl she adopted a few years back, Maggie has now grown in a beautiful young lady. Many people whisper that Maggie is indeed Gertrude's daughter, and that Gertrude got her back by having the young woman's father assassinated. Such drivel is common about these parts, most likely said by those that dislike Gertrude and her glorious building. And there are more than a few business owners that wish the woman was gone. Who else has an Inn, a Restaurant, and a Tavern all in the same massive building? Not to mention that all three of them are the most successful in the city!

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As such, Gertrude's place is always busy, the only one of her employees that has stayed around more than a year is Maggie and the large woman herself. Yet, even as busy as it is, it is probably one of the safest places in the city. Due to no small part the fact that it always has at least two off duty watchman sitting around eating their daily allotment of Free Pie and Ale.

Whether through a series of happenstance and luck, you all find yourself around the same table, a large group of men had just left, clearing room for yourselves. Some of you know the others, some of you don't, but all of you eagerly await to be served, by none other than Maggie herself! A petite woman, with a shock of red hair and bright green eyes, along with a plethora of freckles dusting her pale skin, and a bright, happy smile. It's easy to see why she's so loved by the local population.

"Evenin' all! You're a motley bunch ain't yeh? The name's Maggie as yeh well should know. What'll yeh be havin'?" Her voice is soft and melodic, surpassed only by elves, yet it cuts straight through the din of the crowded building, none of you doubt that she could be heard across the whole place if she so desired. Those of you that have been here more than thrice have no doubt heard it before.

[Hazuki]

Smirking Sable

Sable smirks at the lesser-matron of the fine establishment as she comes to their table with an all too banter-laden greeting, her fingers folded loosely together as her hands rest on the table. The pretty young woman looks at the other gathered at the table before meeting Maggie's eyes and hmming for a moment.

"Good evening. Do you have anything exciting for today? I'm certain the watchmen adore your pies, and the patrons your ale, but have you anything to sate the fancies of a naive servant from a foreign land? Preferably not poison. It would be a terrible blow to the world, if it were to lose my beauty." Her smirk twitches, voice laced with mirth and a teasing tone.

[Xsesiv]

Astrid, looking, as usual, like she's just got out of bed, sits cross-legged on the bench leaning over the table, a slim leather wallet hanging from around her neck. When Maggie approaches, struck by her bright red hair, Astrid shifts so that she's squatting on the bench, visibly struggles with herself, and finally relents, putting out a hand to touch it. Just normal hair. Oh well. She sits, and her boots, which were in her lap, roll off and flop onto the floor.

Astrid's men's black tunic and breeches are rolled halfway up, leaving her limbs, only as thick as ship's ropes but looking just as strong, bare to her elbows and knees. Her torso is absolutely swamped in black flannel. This, and the skinniness and pallor of her legs and inkstained arms, would be enough for anyone intelligentto say that she could probably do with a feed. Nonetheless, she looks briefly at the barrels behind the bar and almost instantaneously orders "An ale, please."

At Sable's comment, she gives a quiet coughing noise in her throat which turns into a laugh like a little bark. She adds, almost as an afterthought, "and a pie. I don't mind what kind. As much gravy as you can possibly give me. Ahem. Um, would you like a map?"

[Sir Dancealot]

The red-headed woman stares blankly at Sble for a moment and then nods, "Righ' then, the Foreigner's Special. Easy enough. Probably not poisoned this week. Along with one apple pie slathered in gravy with some extra gravy and a side of gravy with a nice, cream ale." She responded, the inflection in her voice not changing a bit. She seemed completely unfazed by Astrid's reaction to her hair. She either got that a lot (probably form children) or she just didn't care as long as your hands weren't grubby and grabby. Possibly a bit of both. "An' I don' think we'll be needin' any maps hun, unless they lead straight teh a pile o' gold."

[Hazuki]

Smirking Sable

"I scarcely think you'd need a pile of gold." Sable chimes in, though swiftly abandons the line of thought she'd been considering as she shifts a little in her chair and brushes back a few of her own flaming locks. Instead, she perches her pretty little chin on her upturned palm and waits for the orders to be collected and delivered, eyes flickering over the other patrons at the table while her slender fingers impatiently drum on it. "Lovely weather we're having." She muses out loud, hoping for any conversation to come up.

[ArcturusV]

Katariga and Calvin

Katariga points out to a somewhat empty table, nudging her companion to draw his attention. With a smile he nods, "Oi, so it seems! Luck favors us!" the man said jovially as the Dorf and the Watchman sauntered up to Astrid and Sable's table.

Katariga seemed to be relatively clean and presentable, a rare "Day off" for the Dwarf today, no smell of fire and iron clinging to her body from working the forge. She clamored up on the chair, sitting down with a heavy thunk at the table. Nodding once to Sable, recognizing her from that strange job offer, she folded her hands and waited for her taller, stranger companion.

Calvin weaved through the crowd easily enough, but he was taking his time. Trading a few quite words with people as he walked past them, a few handshakes, a few smiles and a couple that he waved to from across the room. People seemed to recognize him, and at least to some measure respect him if not like him. He sat down next to Katariga, between her and Astrid, very casual, rolling his head over to Maggie, "Oi Maggie, good ta see ya. Growin' up right and purdy, betcha breakin' hearts left 'n' right," he said with a smile. "Need me ta thump any that get o' bit grabby?" The man did, after all, carry a nice, heavy looking cudgel at his side that judging from its worn, but not shabby, appearance had been used to "thump" quite a bit.

Katariga poked at Calvin's shoulder to draw his attention and affixed him with a look.

"Ah yea, I didnae ferget... don't be gettin' all twisted," Calvin waved it off and turned back towards Maggie, "Dorf thinger," he explained to her, jabbing his thumb at Katariga, "Gal can't talk fer o' bit. Some sitch about words er somethin'. I dunno. Anyway... tell yer Mom I said Hello. And bring us two of my usual, kay?" He flashed Maggie a big grin.

Katariga seemed to roll her eyes. But gave Maggie a little nod to signal that yes, she did want a pie and a drink as well.

[Croly]

Telis Strongtower

"Sure you don't want to reconsider the offer though? Astrid's maps are quite impressive, even if you only hang them up on the wall." Telis smiled slightly and fixed his stare on Maggie. Leaning back in his chair, legs crossed and hands folded, the elf stopped a moment to think about his order. "Do you offer water? Drinkable water, to be sure? And some of that sweet bread of yours, please."

His eyes jumped to the newcomer shortly afterwards, switching from one to the other, the smile widening a bit. "Well, good evening," Telis greeted them, after the watchman had finished. "Any chance that you could elaborate on that case of apparently temporary muteness? My name is Telis by the way." He knew Astrid and recognized Calvin and Katariga, but the young, smirking woman with a dislike for poison next to Astrid was new to him.

[Sir Dancealot]

"Everyone needs a pile o' gold dear." Maggie replied as she waited for the others to order, which they did in fairly short order.

She nods at Calvin, "Break 'earts? 'Ats too easy. Ah stomp on 'em. An' aye, I'll tell 'er yeh said hi. Couple o' meat pies and a couple o' cream ales for yeh two then." She turned to Telis as he spoke, and she blinked slowly at him. Twice. "Ah'm sorry, is the ale too much fer yer poor elvish constitution? An' we've go' eigh' differen' kinds o' sweet bread. If yeh want a specific one, yeh should let me know."

[Hazuki]

Smirking Sable

Sable restrains her smirk from bursting into a giggle as the delightfully droll waitress gives the stranger of an elf something of a verbal smack upside the head. "As much as I'm loathe to gossip," The young woman drawls, as she looks to Maggie again. "Might I trouble you for rumors of work? I hadn't expected free time to be so dreadfully dull, yet here I am..."

[ArcturusV]

Katariga tugged a bit on Calvin's cloak, drawing his attention to some facial expressions and gestures. He nodded a bit, his eyes seeming to glaze over which just made Katariga's gestures more pointed.

"Yea, yea, yea..." Calvin brushed off dismissively, "Somethin' ta da with 'er dorf magics. So quiet. Weight o' tha words, er somethin'. Meere fer those dorfy Fancy Hats tha' me."

Katariga seemed... somewhat miffed at Calvin's words. But judging from her expression she was at the very least used to it and settled back in her chair with a bit of a grumpy expression, arms crossed over her chest.

"Dull eh? Ya shud join tha watch!" Calvin offered Sable a grin, almost too wide, too toothy, "Not ta long ago I was a thumpin' some skivvy lookin' dead gal an' 'er mates. Always somethin' tha. An' free pie from the loveliest ladies in all Altdorf!" Calvin offered that last one up as a raccous shout to rile up the nearby people, giving a chorus of "Ayes!" and toasts to Maggie and Gertrude.

Katariga let out a sigh and rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.

[Hazuki]

Smirking Sable

"Indeed?" Sable replied to the obnoxious guardsman, perching her chin on her palm again and smirking a little wider. "A generous offer, but one I'm afraid I'll have to decline. Health concerns, you understand. The stench of the barracks would make my nose flee my face, I'd have to become about two hundred times uglier just to fit in, and my ears would bleed if I had to listen to those atrocious accents all day." All perfectly childish insults, said with a smile, is normally enough to subvert any true offense. "That's why I'm so fond of Katariga. Silent, beautiful, and she doesn't smell too bad, either." She gives a sly wink to the Dwarven woman to emphasize her jests.

[Sir Dancealot]

"Right, I'll head off to grab some food then." Maggie says, right before Sable cuts in with her question, smiling, the fiery young woman turns, "Oh, aye. I've 'ear of a few jobs round'a'bouts. We don' 'ave much in the way 'ere. Mostly just the washin' position at the moments. I 'eard that there's a lady lookin' for any women tha' can swing a blade if yeh can do that. She's up Arthorias's Way. Got to go get pies though, be back shortly lovelies." With that, she bobs off, her hair bouncing merrily in time with her step.

[Hazuki]

Smirking Sable

Sable gives a nod of her head. "Thank you, Maggie." She says with a pleasant smile, leaning back in her seat and resting her hands together on her lap. "A job that requires swinging a sword, in the common vernacular, means 'Leap on my enemies' blades in defense of my prized apple tree'' , does it not?" She muses to the people at the table.

[Xsesiv]

Astrid pulls out her sword and swishes it about inexpertly. Not at anything in particular, just off away from the bench. Then she puts in her two pfennigs' worth on the conversation.

"You hung my map on the wall, Telis? Why does she just want women, though? Ahem. Maybe it's not common vernacular. Maybe it's some kind of euphemism. As in 'why not come around to my place and swing my sword?'"

She glances at the sword still clutched in her hand, flushes a little, and carefully, laboriously, puts it away. Then she twitches up into a squat on the bench, facing Calvin, and cuddles her knees.

"Dead girl? What was all this?"

[ArcturusV]

Calvin stares blankly at Sable, "Wot accint?" he asks with a straight face.

Katariga just smiled quietly and shook her heat at it, silently laughing to herself over the exchange.

Calvin seems broken out of his moment as Astrid asks him about a Dead Girl. "'ead girl? Dead girl? Oh yea, yea, yea... tha' one. Yea. Bit o' go. Seem gal goin' arund doin' in blokes. Got da spooky eye..." Calvin leaned in waggling his fingers at the ghost story aspect of it. "Thump 'er gud 'n' hard, bop!" he slammed his hands down on the table, there was little doubt that whatever else the guy was, he wasn't capable of thumping someone. "Dragged 'er ta da fancy hats. Morr Fancy Hats show up and somethin' 'bout things and such. Bit above me. Big deal tho'. Gots a shiny bitz fer it," he said proudly as he settled back. "... 'bout fiver summers o' go. Wunda' wha' happen ta her..." Calvin shrugs and looks off to the ceiling as he ponders something.

Katariga looks exasperated at the others, as if she had heard this story a few times too many. Or at least was used to his odd mood when this story came up. She did however catch sight of Sable... frowning for a moment she reached into one of her pouches and pulled out a small iron spike, about 4 inches long, with a flattened end and a pointy end, and pushed it across the table at Sable. Seems she remembered something.

[Hazuki]

Smirking Sable

It's all Sable can do not to roll her eyes hard enough to send her flying out of the door, as Calvin replies, and she thanks her stars that he's swiftly distracted by the peculiar reactions of the woman sitting beside her. She decides to ignore that, only to hear the sound of metal gently tapping against the wooden table, and flicks her copper eyes in the direction of Katariga. She looks at the woman, then follows her arm, then at the thin shard of metal that's been placed before her. She picks it up between two delicate fingers, examining it for a moment, before she looks at the Dwarf.

"...nailing?" She asks, her tone a mixture of confusion, recognition, and proposition all at once.

[Xsesiv]

"Oh, this was the, ah, vampire thing? Ahem. Yeah, I didn't think you meant you were... I was, um, hoping for a story that was a bit more... I haven't heard you could just kill a dead girl with a club."

Astrid's translucent eyebrows come down a mite further over her eyes. She doesn't look convinced. "Gods, I'm thirsty." She leans forward and hops off the bench to land in a similar crouched position on the floor, whence she glances at Calvin's cudgel and gives it a prod to set it swinging from its loop. She looks up and around at everyone. "Hey, Telis, want to know what I did today?"

[Sir Dancealot]

Telis, who had up until this point been silently annoyed looked over at Astrid poking other people's stuff. "It's probably a good idea not to do that." He said, motioning the fact that she was poking a Watchman's cudgel. "ut what did you do today Astrid?"

[ArcturusV]

Calvin watched as the strange blond girl went and poked his Thumpin' tool. It was an odd, curious look on his face as most people didn't really go up and mess with him in such a way. Oh, not because he was known as any particular sort of hardass or grim guy. Nope, he put a smile on his face, watching as she poked it, and then got easily distracted by the only other person at the table not able to pee standing up. He leaned back in his chair, content to relax since things seemed to be going along fine.

Katariga shrugged at the strange amalgamation of tones that Sable used. Her head tilted to the side as she stared at Sable, studying her as if it were a strange Runic problem. Part of her training, the importance of words and how people use them, a deeper understanding of the ideas and concepts behind even the mundane. It was worth considering for later, no telling when something might prove useful.

[Xsesiv]

"Talabheim," says Astrid, eyes following the swinging cudgel like a cat's. "In case you fancied going there. Do you want to buy it? I'll give it to you cheap. What do they say in Middenheim? Mates' rates. Oh, and I took the ferry too with some big fat fellow who kept laughing like a horse-pig. Ahem. It was alright. I don't think he liked me very much, though."

She clambers back into her place at the bench, sits down properly, puts her hand on Sable's shoulder and then removes it. "Anyway, Talabheim looked like a dump to me."

[Hazuki]

Sable stares back at Katariga as the Dwarf seems to examine her, only slipping out of it when Astrid touches her. Then lets go again. She shifts slightly in her seat and arches an eyebrow at the woman.

[Sir Dancealot]

Shortly thereafter, Maggie comes back, a fistful of mugs in one hand, and a plate full of pies in the other.

To Sable, she hands off a cream ale and a wonderfully smelling lamb pie.

Astrid also gets a cream pie, along with and crisp apple pie that has been slathered in a caramel sauce, an extra helping of the sauce set off to the side of the plate.

In front of Calvin and Katariga, she sets a cream ale and pork pie.

Telis get a mug full of, probably, milk and a single roll that someone took a bite out of.

Maggie also somewhat clumsily palms a letter of to Calvin. It's sealed in a rather expensive looking envelope.

You notice the seal on the envelope is a raven in flight clutching a sword. Underneath the raven it reads 'Sylvia'. If you can read that is!


Calvin was oddly quiet, and after just a few bites and a single pull from his mug, Calvin excuses himself, apologizing to Katariga. He gives no indication as to why he's leaving, not even to his good friend. He seems rather worried though as he shuffles off, muttering about Watch business if anyone asks.

Maggie shuffles back up a moment after he leaves, frowning as she hovers her hand near his plate and mug, "Wonder where 'e's off teh? No' like 'im to no' ea' 'is food like tha'! Ah well. Any of yeh wan't i' or should I scurry off wit it? And is there anything else yeh lot needs?" She finishes with the classic servers question.

[Sir Dancealot]

Deiter Wergner walks through a particularly slummy part of town. He's Not exactly sure why, but he felt that he should be here. Most men would be bothered by the surrounding darkness in perhaps one of the worst parts of the city.

But Deiter had Faith, and the uneasyness was up to him.

His legs stop moving after a while, placing him in front of a building. A rather dilapidated one in fact. But, to be fair, all of the buildings around here were such. There was nothing particulalry exceptional about the building, except that the door might have hung just a bit straighter than the other other doors, and the worn, faded paint almost looked like it had been worn and faded on purpose.

[Hazuki]

Sable doesn't finish off much of her meal after having spotted the details of the watchman's envelope, largely peeling off the crust and nibbling on it as she avoids further attempts at socialization with the people at the table. A woman who touched her fo no reason and a mute dwarf, though probably lovely in their own ways, aren't quite enough to keep the young woman interested. She drinks a few more sips of her cream ale before paying Maggie and thanking her. With that, she departs for Arthorias's Way, and the woman who was mentioned as having a job.

[ArcturusV]

Katariga Kazabinasdotr seemed alone at the table in not noticing Maggie's very clumsy attempt to slip something to Calvin, just that his buddy was running off muttering something. She had a concerned look on her face, tugging at his shirt as he got up, but was promptly ignored because Calvin was in such a rush over... something. She had no idea what. Such are the benefits of DORF VISION... or more likely because she was sitting next to Calvin and his body was blocking her Line of Sight to it. Much more plausible explanation, huzzah!

With Calvin gone, and Maggie speaking up, Katariga leaned over towards the chair that Calvin just vacated. She patted it, then gestured towards Calvin's food and drink, offering Maggie a chance to sit down, get a bite, take a break, a smile on her dorfy face, even as Sable herself got up and went off without so much as a word.

It seemed to be a fashion trend that was catching on. All Katariga could do was shrug as she went back to her own meal, taking her time to savor Gertrude's cooking and fine drink. There was a reason this place had the reputation it did, and it wasn't just because of the buxom beautiful ladies who worked here.

[Thragka]

Dieter eyeballed the door before which his wandering had brought him. Was this the place that Sigmar's will must be done? He knew not why he had been drawn to this part of the city, but his gut and his heart were directing him, and if that was not a sure sign that Fate wanted him to be here, then what was?

He rolled his shoulders balancing the flail and bag a bit better across his back, and then went through the door.

[Sir Dancealot]

Sable:
It takes you longer than expected to find the house at the end of the road, but that was mostly because the road is oddly out of place and it took some asking to find it's exact location. It's fairly obvious that whoever is doing the hiring is making sure that whoever comes looking is willing to go to some lengths. The building is a simple one, a small house really. Odd to think that a woman would be hiring swords out of it.

If you decide to look around a bit before knocking, it's pretty much just a standard cottage in the city. Expensive for the space, but nice.

Assuming you knock on the door, a tall man answers it shortly. A very, very tall man. In fact, he has to stoop a little to see you as his eyes rise past the door.

"Good evening Herr. How might I be of assistance this evening?" He asks politely in an oddly normal pitched voice. His clothes are well tailored, and expensive. Probably a butler of some sort. And you suspect muscle with the set of his feet.

The Bar:
Sighing, Maggie looks around quickly, then plops down on the stool and picks off the nibbled on pieces of the pie, "Ack, yeh ha' no idea 'ow 'ungry I am. Ma' works me near teh death." She said through mumbled bites, "Why's can't yehs talks?" She asks the dwarf, deftly dodging any attempts at being touched by the young woman nearby. "Wait, yeh can't tell meh... Could yeh write it down?"

Deiter:
The door opened easily to your touch. Quietly even, as if on well oiled hinges. Yet when you look at them, you see a thick coating of rust.

It's darker in the first room, but your eyes adjust rapidly, always having been good in the dark. The room is rather plain, with no furniture to be found. A small box here and there, but otherwise empty. Every time you turn your head, you feel like you could see something just out of the corner of your eye. But nothing is ever there. There's a layer of dust over everything, which itself is odd, as normally people would be squatting here. As the door swings shut behind you, the room turns completely silent, only your breath and the beating of your heart to be heard.

Across from you is another door, and to your right is a cellar door tucked away in the corner.

[ArcturusV]

Katariga arched her eyebrow at Maggie's suggestion. Surprised to think that a scullery maid or the ilk actually was learned in her Letters. As she finished her meal, she took the cloth napkin, spreading it out and laying it before her on the table like it was a piece of parchment. Taking her fingernail she scrawled out a little note on the napkin, it wasn't written, just a bit where her nail running over the cloth changed the color a bit, a simple marking of letters in Reikspiel, saying only:

"Yes, I can."

Katariga smiled at Maggie as she sat down and started eating, watching the young girl as she sipped her ale slowly. She savored rather than gulped. Her ears were pricked up, listening to the chatter of the inn, picking up small bits of rumors being mongered, interesting bits of conversation about long days, early nights, and so on.

She scrawled back down for Maggie:

"Silence is to focus on the importance of words. Until Midnight, I am silent."

She smiled and nodded back towards the kitchen, adding:

"Demanding Masters."

Perhaps in reference to Gertrude, or her own Master who had decreed her period of silence as a point of lesson.

[Hazuki]

"Good evening. I was informed that there may be opportunities for work at this residence, by Maggie of City's Rest." Sable greets the man courteously, a slight smirk on her lips. "Are these rumors true, or have I been led on a goose chase? Considering all the activities of certain figures of legend, I wouldn't be surprised to find myself screwed by a pheasant." Her smirk twitches. A lewd joke, to be certain, but one that at least represents her knowledge of the high life, and one that she's heard numerous times around any gathering of tipsy nobility.

[Thragka]

Dieter

Dieter narrowed his eyes. Something was amiss here. He took the flail out, holding it across his chest in both hands.

He cleared his throat. When he spoke, his voice was unusually strong and confident.

"I bid you good day ... in Sigmar's name."

[Sir Dancealot]

The Bar:

Maggie chuckles at that last bit, "Demandin' indeed. Ah well. Bes' be gettin' on wit the show eh?" She smiled down at the dwarf as she rose, grabbing the now empty plate and not-at-all touched mug. How exactly she had gone through the pie that fast was something of a mystery. "Anythin' ye'll be needin' afore I head back loves?"

Sable:

The Tall Man frowned slightly at the comment, as if trying to place which story had a pheasant doing anything phallic. From behind him however came a cacophony of laughter and what sounded like somebody falling out of a chair.

His frown replaced by a worried look, the man took a quick step back out of your reach and glanced behind him. "Yes, we are currently searching for workers. It seems the lady is indisposed at the moment. If you might wait here? I shall be back momentarily." With two quick steps, the man had gone around a corner, leaving you alone in the now vacant doorway. After a brief moment of alone time in the rather bare, and quite short, hallway, the man returns after a brief stint of murmuring. "Apologies. Would you mind following me? The Lady would like to speak with oh. Oh, my name is Bertram by the way. It is a pleasure to meet you Herr ...? He trails off, waiting for a response as he hold out one of his enormous hands.

After your introduction, he leads you down the short hallway and around the corner to another short hallway ending in a door. The house is much more spacious than it appears from the outside, no doubt it was quite expensive. The man opens the door and steps through, holding the door as you step into the room. Directly across from the door is a rather small, petite woman in a black dress. She smiles at you as you walk in, her lips a dark red against the perfect white of her teeth and pale alabaster of her skin. Short white hair frames her almost perfectly aligned face as brilliant, icy blue eyes seem to bore into you. "Good evening Mademoiselle. I am ze Lady Glace. It is a pleasure to meet you. So few are villing to come to an interview and start with ze dirty joke. It is refreshing!" Her smile grew into a grin as she spoke, her silky voice showing her Brettonian (It's France Yo!) origins.

Dieter:
The silence swallows your greeting, leaving nothing more than more silence. Somewhere, in the back of your mind, you think you hear laughter.

[Thragka]

Dieter

Leaning the base of the flail's stave on the ground and using it like a walking-stick, Dieter crossed the room and opened the second door.

[ArcturusV]

Katariga dug through her coin purse, and set down two silver shillings for the Pie and Drink, and to help cover Calvin's "Tab"... even though Watchmen ate for free here. Or maybe it was just a generous tip? Who knows?! She just smiled as she put out the two silver shillings and set them down for Maggie. Once that was done she scooted off the chair, and gave Maggie a short little dorfy bow. Her friend was gone, her belly was full of ale and pie. She gave a small tip of her head to the others at the table, and set herself out on a nice walk through the night, sliding between the crowds and around the tables as best she could as she left the city's rest.

Concern for her friend and whatever made him leave uncharacteristically quickly ran through her mind as she hit the street. Not that she really knew where he went. Calvin would show up later, probably with a new story. It happened. Still, it worried her.

She looked up at the sky, letting her mind wander along with her feet, taking her away from the City's Rest, and wandering down a path that would loosely take her back home. Wandering the streets, going down places she wasn't entirely familiar with.

[Hazuki]

Smirking Sable

"Sable. Likewise." The well-dressed young woman answers, having peeked into the house as the large man had slipped away, to catch a peek at the fancy furniture that the patron has surely decorated it with. The diminutive hallway is not something she'd expect, especially not with such a large gatekeeper for the hiring woman. Perhaps she got the measurements mixed up when she was ordering both of them, and it was too much of a hassle to get them re-organized. Then she's allowed to enter the domain, and she checks her Estoc to make certain that it's well-sheathed as she follows Herman along the hall to what is likely to be a lady with a bruised behind.

"Good evening, Lady Glace." She responds, giving a bow to the woman as she first enters the room and examining her for but a moment before meeting her eyes. "They call me Smirking Sable, and I am glad I could impress you so swiftly. It normally takes far more wine and far fewer clothes before that happens." She smirks at the lady, just testing her boundaries for the moment.

[Sir Dancealot]

Dieter:
YOu open the door to the other half of the building, a room somewhat larger than the one you are currently in. It's rather full of barrels a man poking through one in the corner. You can't really tell what is in the barrels as they are all rather sealed. Nothing really notable about this room at all. Somehow, this roomer is even plainer than the one you just walked through. With the mild exception of barrels.

Katariga:
As you wander the streets, a man walks up to you. He's rather nondescript, perhaps a bit tan, but otherwise a normal man. Average height, weight, clothes. So average he almost sticks out in fact. The man smiles at you as he approaches. "Greetings Dwarf." He greets you, "I am Ickbald. Would you happen to have time for a story?" He asks before continuing one before you could possibly answer, "Or, perhaps stories aren't your thing?" He pauses, almost expecting your silence, "I know! A deal! If you answer my question with absolute truth, I will tell you something with absolute truth. I'll even make it easy on you! A yes or no answer. What say you Dwarf?"

Sable:
The sitting room down the other end of the hall did indeed have fine furniture. But not quite as fancy as expected. It seemed rather plain really, if particularly well made.

The woman's smile stays in place as she responds, her eyes glittering with amusement, "'Smirking' Sable eh? Vell, vith a smile like zat, I can see vhy! Her smile grew as she laughed a smooth, easy laugh, "Come now, come, sit." She waves her hand at the chair her footman is currently setting down. It looks quite comfortable, even if it was made entirely out of wood. Where exactly the footman had aquired the chair was hard to tell. It was probably there the whole time, you were just a tad distracted by the way the dress drapes just so over Glace's chest. "If nothing else, I see no reason as to vhy we can not at least start vith ze vine. She nods slightly to Bertram and he steps smoothly from the room. Probably to grab some wine.

"So," She begins as you seat yourself, "You are avare of vhy I am searching for retainers correct?" The sultry woman asks.

[Thragka]

Dieter

Deciding it might be best to look slightly less threatening, Dieter once again set down the end of his flail, using it as if it were a - rather aggressive - walking stick.

"Good day, brother," he said.

[Sir Dancealot]

Dieter

Deciding it might be best to look slightly less threatening, Dieter once again set down the end of his flail, using it as if it were a - rather aggressive - walking stick.

"Good day, brother," he said.

The man pauses in his rifling and blinks, looking up at you. He's youngish, and rather brown. In fact, he blends in quite well with the wood surrounding him. Clothes, hair, skin, even his eyes are all the same color. A little odd perhaps, but such are the quirks of the world. "Wait." He says blinking at you. "You can see me?" He asks, rather bewildered. "How the hell can you see me?"

[Hazuki]

Smirking Sable

Sable gives a lighthearted heh as Lady Glace starts to laugh, one hand placed over the sheathe of her blade so it doesn't scrape along the ground as she takes her place in the seat Herman has brought her. She gives him a brief nod of thanks before turning her eyes back to the lady and her curious accent, her legs together like a proper lady, but leaning back to show that she's quite comfortable. When the question comes, she gives a shake of her red head.

"I'm afraid not. I was told you were looking for women who can swing blades."

[Thragka]

Dieter

Dieter took a sharp breath. "What foulness is this ... Are you a spirit, brother, barred from Morr's realm?" He put out his hand towards the young man, but then snapped it back fearfully. "You are not a servant of the Enemy, are you? Sigmar shall preserve me if you are!" He raised the flail and waved it threateningly.

[ArcturusV]

Down in the Corner, Out in the Street

Katariga was brought out of her own thoughts by this man who seemed to have latched onto her... for some reason... as she wandered the streets. A bit odd, she considered. The streets didn't seem that busy otherwise. The man offering her so many things in rapid succession, chattering away like a madman.

She reached down to her coin purse, pulling out a silver shilling and tossing it gently towards him. Valaya's Charity and all, he was probably half mad and desperate, trying to get some coin out of her anyway to afford a place to sleep for the night or a bit of ale to keep him warm. She didn't seem to pay him too much heed other than that, considering their business concluded, at least until he continued on, if he did.

There was something about the bit tonight in the Tavern, "talking" to Maggie and Calvin, which had her mind focused elsewhere, and she was eager to put those thoughts into form back at the Workshop before turning in for the night.

[Sir Dancealot]

Sable:

The lady frowns prettily, a pout forming on her lips, "Hmmmm. Zat is most unfortunate. I am looking for zose zat can swing a blade, but also zose vith a proper form of... Elegance. I require someone to be able to deal vith ze nobility vith grace. Such as my large companion." She smiles again, "Unfortunately my large companion is... Large and Imposing. I require someone zat is just a bit less imposing. You seem to fit ze requirements so far. Ze few ladies zat I have met zat can swing a blade well have been razher... Boorish." At this, the large man enters the room with a slightly dusty, but opened bottle of wine. Setting it on Lady Glace's desk, he once more leaves. Smiling, she pulls two crystal glasses out from a small drawer and sets them next to the wine, "It is a Brettonian Red. One of my favorites. Ve must let it breath before ve can partake."

Dieter:
The man blinks at the last statement, "A... Servant? Of Chaos?" The very idea seems to amuse him and he begins laughing, taking a few moments to right himself. "Oh, gods no! Why would I ever want to deal with those *******s." Chuckling, he shoves his hand into the barrel again, looking for something. "You're one of those Sigmarites aren't you? I never understood why those that actually follow Sigmar can see me. I think it's Sigmar playing a joke on me. He was fond of those you know. Or maybe it's a way to tell me who I can trust?" He shrugged just as his face lit up, "Aha!" he exclaimed as he pulled his hand out of the barrel, a small bag in his hand. "Found you!" He glanced up again at Dieter, seeing him still holding the flail. "Put that thing down before you break something."

Katariga:
Deftly catching the coin, the man spins it around in his hand, throwing it back at the dwarf. Instead of silver, the coin glinted gold, "Come now, your money means nothing to me Katariga. Surely even your work can pause for the truest words you will ever hear?"

[Thragka]

Dieter

"Do not persume to speak so casually of the Heldenhammer, spectre. Whatever you are, you are not yet beyond His reach." Dieter lowered the flail. "Explain your presence here."

[Sir Dancealot]

Dieter:

The man chuckled as he untied the string closing the bag, "Ah, that phrase takes on a whole new meaning if you think the word Hammer is a euphemism for penis. Heh. Ah, but why am I here?" He paused, looking at you, then at the bag, then back at you. "Obviously I am stealing something. And before you blather on about stealing being bad and such, I might ask you why exactly there are barrels on top of barrels, literally, of rice in a rundown house in the middle of the slums."

[Thragka]

Dieter

The zealot narrowed his eyes. That was a good point, but it hadn't really answered the question he was trying to ask. "And why are you surprised that I can see you?" He thought about adding a halfhearted "fiend!" to the end of that question, but the thief was coming across as pretty unflappable and he doubted it would do much for the conversation.

[Sir Dancealot]

Dieter:

THe man snorted, opening up the sack, a slight golden light reflecting onto his face. Odd considering that the only lighting in the room was the moonlight through the cracks, "Because, I'm Invisible. Except to priests of Ranald and apparently overzealous Sigmarites." He smiled as he looked down into the bag, "Ah, fantastic." Closing it up he looked back up at Dieter, "Waiiit. You're actually a priest of Ranald aren't you? That's why you're here! You knew about the gems too!"

[Thragka]

Dieter

"So this is not foul sorcery, then?" The question was not so much asked as thrust aggressively into the empty space between them. Dieter was getting confused, and more than a little impatient. "What gems? Why the rice? Stop speaking in riddles and explain what is going on, in simple Reikspiel, or else -" the zealot raised the flail again "- by whatever gods you hold, you'll wish you had!"

Trying to Intimidate. Strength 30: [roll0]

[ArcturusV]

Katariga deftly caught the gold coin. Never let good coins go to spoil, after all, quickly putting it back with her purse. She quirked up an eyebrow at the odd man. Not a beggar then, at least, not one that she recognized. Beggars didn't throw coins back at people. It didn't negate the possible status as a madman however, touched in the head by some foul sorcery or misfortune. She turned slowly towards the man, hands across her chest, leaning heavily on her left leg. She said nothing but gave an inquisitive look to the madman, her right hand coming up to gesture, "Well, go on," rolling her wrist to wave the man on.

[Hazuki]

"I can certainly do that. I've been trained to work with nobility since I was but a child. Perhaps you've heard of my tutor; Rupert."

[Sir Dancealot]

Dieter:

"Well. I'll take that as a no." He said as he edged slightly away from you, keeping his eyes on your flail, "I'll clue you in. Just... Stay over there yeah?" He waggled the bag he was holding in your direction, "These are gems. There's three of them in here, there are five more somewhere else. Look, all I really know about them is that they are really old, magical, and worth a lot of clink. As for the barrels of rice?" He shrugged. "That one is pretty easy. They're used to smuggle stuff in. You pour some rice in the bottom of the barrel, drop whatever it is you're smuggling down in it, then fill the barrel up. Guards don't generally check through them that thoroughly." He began retying the bag, "So yeah, everything in here is probably stolen. A veritable treasure trove. And look, since I like living, and you have a large hammer thing on a chain, let me give you a bit of advice yeah? Thieves aren't going to leave their horde unguarded. Me? I can walk right out and people won't pay me no mind. You? You might get a stabbin' or two." He paused, thinking for a second, "Why are you here anyway?"

Katagira:
The man smiled at your response, then rubbed his chin for a second in thought. "Tonight, a man lies in the streets, the blade in his hand bloody, around him lay three dead men, their blades wet with red as well. There is nothing you can do for this man, his breathing is shallow as he calls you over, asking if you can read, and if you can if you could read to him the message in his hands. The envelope is splattered in blood and capped with a seal. He hold out the envelope to you, wishing to know why he died this night. Would you grant this man's final request knowing that to do so you would break your vow of silence and destroy the sanctity of the message?"

Hazuki:
"Rrrupert. Rrrupert. Hmmm." She leaned on the desk, her head slightly tilted and showing the soft curves of her neck as it rested in her hand. "Do you mean Rupert ze old Witch Huntair? I have heard zat he has been training wards for a small price, but I did not know zat ze rumairs were true! How wondairful! Ve vill give you a... Hmm. Test run? Is zat ze right phrase?" She smiled as she reached for the bottle, "But, I did promise vine did I not?"

[Hazuki]

Smirking Sable

"Indeed you did. And I'd welcome a trial, if that is your will." Sable asked and leaned back a little more in her own seat, as her eyes trailed over the curves of the Lady's ivory neck. "What did you have in mind? Something exciting, I hope." She flashed her prettiest smile at the woman. Sparring was, in all likelihood, what the lady had in mind...but she didn't necessarily have the spare funds or equipment to prevent the nicks and bruises that would likely arise from it. And if her possible-patron was already along her wavelength, well...there were worse ways to complete an interview.

[Sir Dancealot]

Sable:
"Oh! Vould hope so!" She says, leaning slightly forward to hand you a glass of freshly poured wine, either not caring or not remembering that her dress was cut fairly low. "Ze trial is fairly simple. Tomorrow morning, ve vill have you fitted for a dress, zen, you vill be attending a ball zat night. Ze goal of ze ball is simple, to make yourself stand out in some vay that does not cause chaos. You vill be going as a lady, and you are capable of taking vith you one guest of your choice. Just as long it is not me or my butler. I vant ze court to be speaking of you ven you are done." She smiled again and took a sip of wine from her glass, closing her eyes as she tasted it. "Ahh. Delicious."

[Hazuki]

Smirking Sable

"Rest assured, my Lady, I'll soon be the rumor on everyone's lips." Sable smirked and took a sip of the Brettonian wine, savoring it for a few moments as she pondered what she would do. "Even if not my guest, will you be attending? It will be difficult to keep the attention of all the lords and ladies when you're attending..." She said, letting her eyes glance over to Lace Glace's. "Your beautiful little smile playing on your lips while you slink around wearing a very lucky dress, taunting the other ladies with every swing of your hips, sending blood pulsing hot through their veins with every iota of the sheer eroticism that you seem to emanate..."She continued, her voice getting a little quieter as she went on, a little breathier, like just describing the Lady was enough to make her loins burn.

"I'm having difficulty not getting distracted just sitting here." She finished, with a sly little smile and another sip of the wine.

[ArcturusV]

Katariga arched up a single eyebrow at the man asking a strange hypothetical. How did he necessarily know about her silence this day? Watched her at the bar? She didn't really remember him from the bar. A test from someone, perhaps put up by one of the fellow apprentices or the Master? It all seemed a pointless exercise in any case, asking something that wasn't coming up, and wasn't likely to come up unless she ran into it in the next couple of hours or so before tucking into bed.

Her disconcerting thoughts were plain on her face. Her right foot was tapping slowly, her patience with the man running thing, pondering if she should grab her mace and crack him on the nose for wasting her time, or possibly being an agent of her rival apprentices... or if this was some elaborate set up by thieves. Had Calvin mentioned a story about thieves that operated in such a weird way? Or maybe strange Cultists?

[Xsesiv]

Astrid gulps down a few mouthfuls of ale and attacks the pie. That woman had a very good wrinkle in her head when she did the eyebrow thing, she thinks. Looked like a peninsula I did once.

She looks over at Katariga and a man playing with a coin.

"Frffmrphlfmph," she says, spraying crumbs all over the place and swallows. She shakes out her boots and puts them on and puts a shilling or two down on the table.

"How do you do that?"

[Sir Dancealot]

Seeing as how I want to keep things moving a bit, I'll assume that Astrid followed the Dwarf. Which, interestingly enough, changes nothing really.

Katariga (& Astrid?):
The man doesn't answer Astrid's question as he's a bit distracted by the voice behind him. "Nicodemus, are you assaulting the poor cityfolk with your mind games again?" A woman steps from an alleyway, smiling as she does so. "You know how distressing you can be sometimes."

http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2012/053/2/1/knight_girl_by_hbdesign-d32oqdm.jpg

The man turn, looking back at the woman, "Ah, my lady! I was not expecting you to be out so late! And no, no mind games today my lady. Only truth."

The woman frowned as he said that, looking past him at the two women standing in the oddly empty street. "Indeed? Well, I require your presence my friend. Surely you can bother them later?"

"Ah... I cannot my lady. I promised a truth for a truth, and she has yet to answer the question." The man, Nicodemus, replied.

Sighing, the woman looked back at the two of you. "He's a stubborn man and he won't leave until he has his question answered. Would you mind much? I need his assistance."

Sable:
Somehow, Glace's smile grew, "Vell, I suppose I'll just have to stay here then, so as not to distract all of ze guests zen won't I?" The woman says as she stands, a pout forming on her lips as she begins walking around the table. Standing, she isn't much taller than when she was sitting, and walking, well, she does indeed swing her hips. Her bare feet make a light shuffling sound as stops just a few feet from Sable's chair, pout still on her pale, beautiful face, her black clinging to every curve of her petite hourglass frame. "But zen, I vould be here all alone. It vould be so boring vith only my manservahnt here to keep me company. Vat ever vould I think about?" She asks, shuffling slightly closer as she sets her now empty wineglass on the desk.

[Hazuki]

Smirking Sable

"Ever so many things." Sable smirks up at the woman, her gaze traveling from the ground and all the way along her curves, up to the pretty little smile that adorns the Lady's lips. "I expect I'll be demonstrating etiquette tomorrow..." She says, as she holds out a hand to the shorter woman and gets to her feet after one final sip of her wine before pushing it to the side. "So let's fill tonight with impropriety."

[Thragka]

Dieter

"Trafficking in magickal items is an offence against Sigmar's justice," Dieter said simply. "Maybe that's why I'm here. I think you should leave, before I get the Watch."

OOC: We don't negotiate with terrorists invisible Ranaldites.

[ArcturusV]

Katariga arched an eyebrow up at the "Lady". A knight of some sort? Or perhaps one of those Warrior-Priests of the Empire? Sigmar or Ulric perhaps? She didn't really know, or care so much, beyond recognizing that this lady was "in charge" and apparently had the coin to spend on a decent set of armor and weaponry.

She pulled out her chisel, gesturing to the lady's sword with it, then to the center of the sky above her head and a nod. The meaning? Do you want to come in to have your weapon Runified tomorrow at noon? Bringing it customers was always a good way to help out her Training and get in the Master's good graces for a day.

Putting the chisel away she looked back at the weird chaos cultist beggar touched by the Nerd Madman and frowned. She pointed to her chest, and hold her arms wide, cocking her head a bit and staring at the man as if it was a blatantly obvious answer.

She was a Dorf. And no Dorf broke their word. At least as far as she was concerned and most others. Grudges existed for a reason. She wouldn't break her word for such a petty reason as the fate of a single man in an empire teeming with men, or his simple curiosity that would do him no good.

That settled she pointed off towards The Lady, suggesting the so named Nicodemus be gone with a finality to her stance.

[Sir Dancealot]

Sable:
Lady Glace smiled, "Ah. Zat is indeed something I can do." In a quick, simple motion, she had Sable pressed against the wood of the desk, red lips pressed against less red lips.

—————————————————————

The morning finds Sable draped across a large, very fluffy, very comfortable bed. She's not Entirely sure how she got there, but no doubt she could come up with a few guesses. She feels a bit lightheaded, but not woozy. Perhaps a bit too much wine?

Going with the theme of the rest of the house, the room is fairly simple, with well made equipment. Gass lamps, dressers, all the things a room should have, and all of it in white with hints of gold here and there. Sunlight filters through the curtains and onto the lone woman in the bed. There is a lack of any of your belongings nearby.

Dieter: The man's eyebrows raise a bit, "Here I was, trying to help a fellow out and he just blather on about getting the Watch." He shakes his head, "Ah well. You want to deal with them on your lonesome, no problem. I'll just head out." he took a step forward and paused, "You uh, could you move please? You're blocking the door."

Katariga & Astrid?:
The woman, well, she just simply looked confused at the dwarf's antics. The man however smiled, shaking his head, "Ah, so the dwarf will honor her oath. When we next meet, I will answer a question for you, with absolute truth. Until then friend dwarf. Until then." Smiling, he turned towards his lady, motioning for her to lead the way. The two of you can hear them begin speaking before the turn a corner.

[Hazuki]

Smirking Sable

"Aww." Sable whines as she pulls herself into a sitting position. "I hate it when that happens." Despite her apparently diminished state in the world, as of the morning, she certainly can't deny the value of the fluffy blanket, and most of her gold is waiting for her at home regardless. She slips out of the bed with a jolly smile on her lips, wrapping the blanket around herself and tucking it up tightly so it won't slip away at the slightest provocation. She picks up a nearby gas lamp, for use as a weapon if anything happens to get in her way, then listens at the door for anything that might be beyond.

I forgot my stats!

[roll0]

[Thragka]

Dieter

The zealot did not get out of the way. "The gems," he said. "Leave them."

[Sir Dancealot]

Sable:
With your astounding ears pressed against the door, you hear a something familiar. It is the sound of eggs and some sort of meat sizzling. Judging by your nose, it's probably bacon. You also hear soft footsteps of bare feet moving towards your door, along with a light humming.

Dieter:
"Fine. Fine." He says, untying the pouch from his waist and dropping it back on the rice barrel. "There they are. Good luck finding whoever they belonged to. And good luck finding anyone in the Watch to come out here. If you'll excuse me now?" He made a little wavey motion with his hand.

[Hazuki]

Smirking Sable

With little time to prepare, at least for whatever kind of doomy doom is headed her way, Sable glances about for something that she could use to turn her unarmored flesh and mildly inconvenient weapon into advantages. Or, at least, non-disadvantages. There isn't much, sadly, thanks to the simple but elegant decorations of the room. At least in needlessly extravagant houses, there's normally some kind of bludgeoning instrument, or needlessly pointy thing, to shove in somebody's general direction.

With her lantern still the best option, there's just the matter of taking advantage of it. A pendulous motion would be enough to smack somebody's hand hard enough to disarm them, probably, and the element of surprise given by her standing just outside the door will do well enough. So, she hides her hands behind her back, lantern firmly in hand, and waits just outside of the door's reach, quite prepared to slam it into her assailant's face...assuming they are an assailant. And having her hands tucked behind her back means, if they by some twist of fate not an assailant, there'll be little suspicion.

[Sir Dancealot]

Sable:
Humming happily, Lacy Glace opens the door, your clothes cleaned and folded under one of her arms. You can more clearly hear the sounds of cooking from down the hall. Her manservant must be cooking breakfast. The thin, almost sheer robe draped over her body gives off the impression of tantalizing curves. "Ah, I see zat you are avake! You vere very tired, and I did not vish to disturb you. I had ze clothes you left in ze office cleaned." Blinking prettily she smiled up at you, "Vould you like breakfast?"

[Hazuki]

Smirking Sable

"Sounds fantastic." Sable says, smoothly stepping aside to let Lady Glace walk in and placing the gas lantern on the table as subtly as the most subtle thing. "But, ah, where did I leave my sword? I normally keep it close at hand..." She asks with a smirk on her lips, meeting the pretty Lady's eyes. Even if she can't remember a damned thing about last night, the Lady probably does, and the estoc at least ended up in a somewhat humorous position somewhere in the house.

[Thragka]

Dieter

Dieter stepped aside to let the man leave. When the other had departed, the disciple waited a few moments to make sure he was truly alone. If so, he stepped over to retrieve the jewels. Dieter fully intended to make good on his threats to this invisible petty thief, and the first step was to present these supposed magical gems to the proper authorities.

[Sir Dancealot]

Sable:
"Ah. ze sword is in ze dining room. I found it under my desk." She shrugged, obviously not really sure how it got there. Smiling, she handed sable her clothes, then leaned in the doorway, waiting for her to get dressed. She made no motion to close the door.

Once Sable finished dressing, Lady Glace led the way to the small dining room; which was also decorated in the same way as the rest of the house. "My manservaunt makes ze best breakfast. After zis, ve vill go see my Tailor! I believe you vill like him. He is... Eccentreec." She said, smiling as she sat down at the small table, motioning for Sable to do the same.

Dieter:
As you pick up the sack of gems and take a peek, you can see that the gems are actually a few dull rocks. Either he switched them out, or there were no gems to begin with.

[Hazuki]

Smirking Sable

"I'm not particularly comfortable with male tailors, Lady Glace." Sable comments as she finishes getting dressed, making sure that her earring is back in her ear before she looks to her host. "Wandering eyes are bad enough when you're fully dressed."

[Sir Dancealot]

Sable:

"Oh! It is not to vorry! You are not nearly man enough to catch Taylor's eye. As I said, eccentric." She smiled at Sable as her handyman laid out breakfast before them. Ham, eggs, fruit. It was a rather lovely and delicious smelling ensemble.

[Hazuki]

Smirking Sable

"Ah." Sable sat down at the table, looking down at the meal and then to Lady Glace. "I didn't quite expect such coyness, considering..."

[Sir Dancealot]

Sable:
"Coyness? I vas unavare zat I had been being coy!" She said happily as she began to dig into her meal.