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  1. - Top - End - #61
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    LeSwordfish's Avatar

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    Default Re: [DH] A Wretched Hive (IC)

    "The Blind Bishop," Carys said carefully, writing it down. "And the magistratum... did you feel like they were blanking you specifically darling? Or were they not investigating at all?"

    "Just your intuition, of course. Did you know who the investigating officer was?"
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  2. - Top - End - #62
    Ettin in the Playground
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    Default Re: [DH] A Wretched Hive (IC)

    Nuala will thank the man and leave. Maybe the cook didn't have a reason to care about her explanation one way or the other.

    After they're at a safe distance from any eavesdroppers outside, 'Do we need to get our story straight? Just in case.' She looks rueful, 'I'm sorry if either of you had any better ideas there. I don't think telling the truth is going to help somehow.'

  3. - Top - End - #63
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    SamuraiGuy

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    Default Re: [DH] A Wretched Hive (IC)

    Titia heard about the free food, and got visibly excited when there was a mention of free food, and stood in line at the ready while she listened to her companions try to lie, and immediatly tensed a little as she listened to them. “By the throne,” she said, preparing for any confrontation, placing her hand on her hand cannon beneath her parka so as to hide the motion.” Yeah, we felt the fervor of the man, and I had heard of the passion a similar priest would bring to the masses of Shrivdays.“
    Lyra could feel the group digging themselves deeper and deeper into a hole, and so she quickly says, "Many thanks my brother. We would appreciate the... introduction." She smiles at him coyly, then gives him the two handed sign of the Aquila, before turning and following the others away from the canteen.

    After they're at a safe distance from any eavesdroppers outside, 'Do we need to get our story straight? Just in case.' She looks rueful, 'I'm sorry if either of you had any better ideas there. I don't think telling the truth is going to help somehow.'
    Lyra shakes her head in the negative, "No, it was good improvisation. But yes, let's make sure we have a story straight... and lets maybe take a walk around, see if there isn't anything more we can't discern through observation."

    Spoiler: OOC and Rolls
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    Oh well, looks like the dice might be falling out of our favor, though I really did like the improvisation. I'm going to throw in one last Awareness/Scrutiny roll for good measure, to see if Lyra can't gather anything more by essentially walking around and "casing the joint"

    (1d100)[3]

    and apologies for the delays in posting. Packing up this weekend is taking a major priority right now!

    EDIT: Now that's what I'm talking about!
    Last edited by Bennosuke; 2020-06-20 at 07:43 PM.
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  4. - Top - End - #64
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    Default Re: [DH] A Wretched Hive (IC)

    Carys

    “I don’t think it was anything specifically about me,” Timon replied. “I don’t know who was in charge of it. I asked a fellow called Cecum, Sergeant Cecum. He knows how the world works – he does me a favour, I do him a favour, you know the sort of thing. Not like him to shut me down so abruptly, he's normally good for a scoop. So I’d guess the Ibn Rasheeds were putting a lot of pressure on the greencoats to keep the whole thing quiet.” He shrugged. “Whether the Magistratum are still silently looking into it or not, it’s definitely the Ibn Rasheeds pulling the strings.”

    ~

    Nuala, Titia, Lyra

    The cook didn't spend any time watching Lyra and the others exit. Almost as soon as the conversation ended, he was heading back into the kitchen and yelling instructions to the boys helping.

    Outside, the pilgrims already gathered watched the trio leave the canteen. A small number looked wryly amused at how the newcomers had got the system wrong – one or two seemed vehemently annoyed at this arrogant attempt to skip the queue – but most simply glanced over and then returned to quietly waiting.

    The paving rockrete of this hive corridor looked like it had originally had a detailed mould, but whatever design had once existed had long been worn smooth by the impact of feet over the years. As the three wandered a little route across and along, not straying too far from the canteen, Lyra kept a wary eye out. The clump of people outside the door was shaping into more of a queue as the minutes passed, and it probably would be a good idea to join it before too many more tired and hungry people beat them to it. The new arrivals came in ones and twos. Some looked more worn and less healthy than others, in labourer's gear or filthy, ragged clothing. Others were like the offworlder crowds of the lower levels, dressed in simple pilgrim's tunics, with traveller's cloaks or backpacks slung across their shoulders. There were none of the wealthier pilgrims that were obviously visiting the atmosphere of the pilgrim queues and crowds rather than staking a place in it: this was for the poorer sort, visitors and locals alike. Beyond those details, Lyra saw nothing that told of obvious fundamentalism among any of the people gathering outside the canteen. The only thing that distracted her from watching the crowd was, fifteen minutes or so after they'd spoken to the cook, one of the boys rushing out a back door of the canteen. The youth deftly navigated around adults in the street, clutching something in his hand and jogging away with the single-minded purpose of a child on an errand.
    Avatar by LCP

  5. - Top - End - #65
    Ettin in the Playground
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    Default Re: [DH] A Wretched Hive (IC)

    Nuala will lean against a wall and try to look inconspicuous. In her shabby factory workers coveralls at least she looked like she belonged here.

    'Right then. My sister is the one who usually does the talking but I pay attention.' She wondered if she was admitting too much to people that she'd just met. 'She would say keep things simple so you don't have to adapt as much on the fly. People can usually tell and will start to wonder what you aren't telling them. Anyone who doesn't have anything to hide might just tell you to **** off. Anyone who does might jump to conclusions and want to know what why we're really here. For all they know we're working for the Enforcers.' Before her recent troubles with the Magistratum she would have found that funny. 'So I'd say we're mostly exactly what we look like, poor people that are in need of some religion that we're not getting anywhere else. I live up near the Hiveskin, so it's not much of a stretch to say that I know a lot of people that the Redemptionists might have a problem with. It'd barely be a lie.'

  6. - Top - End - #66
    Barbarian in the Playground
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    Default Re: [DH] A Wretched Hive (IC)

    Quote Originally Posted by Haval View Post
    Nuala will lean against a wall and try to look inconspicuous. In her shabby factory workers coveralls at least she looked like she belonged here.

    'Right then. My sister is the one who usually does the talking but I pay attention.' She wondered if she was admitting too much to people that she'd just met. 'She would say keep things simple so you don't have to adapt as much on the fly. People can usually tell and will start to wonder what you aren't telling them. Anyone who doesn't have anything to hide might just tell you to **** off. Anyone who does might jump to conclusions and want to know what why we're really here. For all they know we're working for the Enforcers.' Before her recent troubles with the Magistratum she would have found that funny. 'So I'd say we're mostly exactly what we look like, poor people that are in need of some religion that we're not getting anywhere else. I live up near the Hiveskin, so it's not much of a stretch to say that I know a lot of people that the Redemptionists might have a problem with. It'd barely be a lie.'
    And I mostly help pilgrims and tourists through the city routes and hidden passages ways, so me having been witness to a sermon or two isn’t to out of the ordinary.” Titia said, happy she herself fit in well thanks to her rags and likely some people even recognizing her if they bothered to pay attention beyond the line and food.

  7. - Top - End - #67
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    LeSwordfish's Avatar

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    Default Re: [DH] A Wretched Hive (IC)

    "I'll bear that in mind, thank you," Carys said, making a final note of the magistrate's name and tucking her notebook away. "That should definitely be enough to go on, but I shall give you a call if I need anything else."

    She stood. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an appointment to make."

    OOC
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    Nothing more here - going to meet Nathias at the appointed place.
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  8. - Top - End - #68
    Ettin in the Playground
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    Default Re: [DH] A Wretched Hive (IC)

    Quote Originally Posted by Burden King View Post
    And I mostly help pilgrims and tourists through the city routes and hidden passages ways, so me having been witness to a sermon or two isn’t to out of the ordinary.” Titia said, happy she herself fit in well thanks to her rags and likely some people even recognizing her if they bothered to pay attention beyond the line and food.
    Nuala looks at Titia quizzically, 'And who did you upset to end up on this job? Assuming you're serious.'

    Spoiler: ooc
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    I have no reason to think that boy leaving the kitchen was important, so I'm just going to wait for the place to open up.



  9. - Top - End - #69
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    -Sentinel-'s Avatar

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    Default Re: [DH] A Wretched Hive (IC)

    Nathias and Carys


    A cab in the burgundy-and-white colors of the Northwind Transportation Guild was parked in front of the Inquirer's door when Carys came out. Sitting at the wheel, Nathias slid the window open to let the journalist know it was him. He waited until she was seated and the cab was in motion before he spoke of the investigation.

    "I got us some ID," he said, handing Carys the card of one Livia Aventine, an Administratum bureaucrat with a low-level security clearance. "It should pass muster, as long as you're a good talker. And in your line of work, I assume you are. Where am I driving us?"


    OOC
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    The card provides +20 to appropriate Deceive and Blather tests.

    Edit: Just noticed Carys doesn't actually have either skill trained, so that bonus will certainly be welcome.
    Last edited by -Sentinel-; 2020-06-25 at 10:04 AM.
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    The Bloody Crown (WFRP) as Elsabeth Holt, rogue pyromancer and court wizard

    Quote Originally Posted by TheSummoner View Post
    Oh wow. I will never again underestimate [our characters'] ability to turn friendly conversation into a possible life or death situation.
    Quote Originally Posted by LeSwordfish View Post
    Ludo has a crowbar, if that helps.

  10. - Top - End - #70
    Barbarian in the Playground
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    Default Re: [DH] A Wretched Hive (IC)

    Quote Originally Posted by Haval View Post
    Nuala looks at Titia quizzically, 'And who did you upset to end up on this job? Assuming you're serious.'

    Spoiler: ooc
    Show

    I have no reason to think that boy leaving the kitchen was important, so I'm just going to wait for the place to open up.


    Titia stood a little more proudly, thinking she had actually done well to get this work "I think I helped the right pilgrim or priest one day. I don't charge members of the ecclesiarchy for my services, and one time I was handed a piece of paper with a ornate "I" printed on it. I must have helped out a servant of the throne, and they remembered me." She said, feeling happy she was doing some good "Maybe, not that I need a reward, but if they do... Maybe they can help me to enter the great Cathedral, maybe even help me live a little better." She said hopefully, fantasizing about sleeping somewhere without having to keep her pistol trained on a choke-point.

  11. - Top - End - #71
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    LeSwordfish's Avatar

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    Default Re: [DH] A Wretched Hive (IC)

    "Did you have any specific clerics you wanted us to talk to?" Carys asked, inspecting the card. "Is this... is this real, mister Falkner?"

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    I think talking to the clerics as taxmen was Nathias' idea? So I'm happy to let him take the lead on the specifics - if not, we can go looking for one of Timon's contacts.
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  12. - Top - End - #72
    Ettin in the Playground
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    Quote Originally Posted by Burden King View Post
    Titia stood a little more proudly, thinking she had actually done well to get this work "I think I helped the right pilgrim or priest one day. I don't charge members of the ecclesiarchy for my services, and one time I was handed a piece of paper with a ornate "I" printed on it. I must have helped out a servant of the throne, and they remembered me." She said, feeling happy she was doing some good "Maybe, not that I need a reward, but if they do... Maybe they can help me to enter the great Cathedral, maybe even help me live a little better." She said hopefully, fantasizing about sleeping somewhere without having to keep her pistol trained on a choke-point.
    'Huh. I would have said we were all here because someone was holding a gun to our heads. Someone must think you do good work, but if someone in the Ecclesiarchy likes you why hide it?' Nuala isn't sure what to believe.

  13. - Top - End - #73
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    Default Re: [DH] A Wretched Hive (IC)

    "Did you have any specific clerics you wanted us to talk to?" Carys asked, inspecting the card. "Is this... is this real, mister Falkner?"

    "No and no," said Nathias. "And my plan is a bit fuzzy, if I'm being honest. Anyway, consider this—members of clergy are exempted from taxation, but only as long as they live off the Ecclesiarchy's generous allowance. They may keep other sources of income on the side, but if so, they must pay taxes on them. As tax officials, we could claim we have reason to suspect our man of running secret businesses or accepting undisclosed donations. Just throw legalese at their faces and hope they give you the information you want about Rigg's whereabouts or personal character, just to get rid of you faster."

    He shrugged. "Just a suggestion. If you have a better idea or some sort of lead, I'm all ears."


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    Quote Originally Posted by LeSwordfish View Post
    I think talking to the clerics as taxmen was Nathias' idea? So I'm happy to let him take the lead on the specifics - if not, we can go looking for one of Timon's contacts.
    Correct, it was Nathias' idea; taxmen have all sorts of excuses to be asking questions, and I'm not willing to take the risk of trying to impersonate law enforcement or fellow clergy. (Note that Carys has not yet mentioned Timon's contact to Nathias.)

    Sorry for taking so long to respond, I missed your post somehow.
    Last edited by -Sentinel-; 2020-06-27 at 11:13 AM.
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    Running:
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    The Bloody Crown (WFRP) as Elsabeth Holt, rogue pyromancer and court wizard

    Quote Originally Posted by TheSummoner View Post
    Oh wow. I will never again underestimate [our characters'] ability to turn friendly conversation into a possible life or death situation.
    Quote Originally Posted by LeSwordfish View Post
    Ludo has a crowbar, if that helps.

  14. - Top - End - #74
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    SamuraiGuy

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    Default Re: [DH] A Wretched Hive (IC)

    Lyra listens intently finally adding in, "I think your covers sound good. I'm just gonna tell them I don't want to talk about my past. That way I don't have to lie, and won't put my foot in my mouth later. I'm sure there are plenty of people who did bad things they don't want to talk about who are now looking for a little extreme religion."

    She shrugs and says, "But I'm ready to move on if you two are."

    (OOC: Sorry everyone for the delays! Glad to be back)
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  15. - Top - End - #75
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    Default Re: [DH] A Wretched Hive (IC)

    At the canteen

    Nuala, Lyra and Titia completed their loop of the local streets and joined the back of the queue for the canteen. It was remarkably orderly, relative to the usual buzz of this neighbourhood; there was none of the jostling and manoeuvring in which the three of them had been immersed in the crowds a few levels below. The patrons seemed content to mind their own business as they all waited for the time to pass. A few talked in low voices in huddled pairs, while most were silent. Others joined the queue behind them, the end of the line starting to pick up acceleration as it grew. As Nuala looked back every few minutes to watch it grow, she guessed it was quickly getting to the point where the hungry indigents outnumbered the seating space at the tables inside. It was a good thing they’d slotted in when they had.

    A small number of the folks turning up didn’t join the end of the queue, but wandered up along it, occasionally greeting some of the waiting individuals and stopping to exchange a few words, before turning and disappearing down the alley that led to the back entrance to the kitchens. Nuala overheard part of a conversation one queuer had with a middle-aged man thick woolen jumper who was making his way up the line. He, and presumably the others by extension, were volunteers, arriving to work their shift, familiar to the regulars. After some time, the kitchen boy returned in the company of one such volunteer.

    It was the best part of an hour of waiting in line until the double doors to the canteen opened, each pulled and then jammed with a doorstop by one of the two young lads, the hearty smell of some warm stew being released to the crowd. An eagerness rippled back along the line as it started moving. It took only a little over five minutes from then until the three suddenly-invested investigators were through the doors and into the canteen hall. They followed the people ahead of them, who clearly knew what they were doing, hugging one of the long walls of the dining room as they approached the counter at the end opposite the doors.

    A plastic bowl and plastic plate on a plastic tray were handed out to each person at one end of the counter. Sliding it along the stainless steel rack, patrons received a hunk of hard, dark bread, with a scraping of oily margarine spread optional, before coming to the bubbling vats of thick, dark brown liquid. A generous ladling of the stew was slopped into the bowl. It seemed to consist mostly of squat beans, layers of their skin disintegrating in the mixture, and chunks of root vegetable, but the sauce smelled rich and a little peppery. On top of this was deposited another spoonful of boiled green legumes from a trough slick with the same margarine. The cook was manning this trough. He nodded to them in recognition as he dolloped the vegetables into their bowls, but said nothing else.

    After receiving their food, the patrons began filling the long plastic tables, taking seats in order from the end closest the doors. Lyra, Nuala and Titia ended up sitting near the serving counters at the end of the first table. They ate and watched others getting their portions. The bread was tough and grainy, and the green veg was completely tasteless, but the stew, despite its simplicity, was warm and nourishing. The atmosphere in the hall picked up as the tables filled, a convivial buzz growing as people chatted while they ate. When the tables were full up, patrons carried their trays back out into the street to eat. Some of the volunteers who weren’t serving behind the counter paced along the lines, quickly collecting trays and empty bowls and plates, and politely but firmly encouraging people to get up from their seats and leave the hall once their food was finished. The elder of the cook’s young helpers was bussing the table the three women sat at, and he avoided asking them to leave, despite a few looks they were getting from folks carrying full trays away from the counter.

    Fifteen or twenty minutes after getting their meal, Titia saw the cook looking over at them and nodding in their direction. The man he was serving turned away from the food counter and also looked towards them. He was a large, shaven-headed fellow, his work clothes still covered by a thick, industrial leather apron. He paused and looked them over, emotionlessly, for a long moment, before turning and carrying his food to a different table. The cook waved a hand over to Titia in a “stay put” gesture.

    After another five minutes, the cook handed over his ladle to another volunteer. He locked eyes with Lyra and nodded to the door through to the kitchen. At the other table, the big bald man, as well as a man and a woman beside him, also stood, and started walking towards the kitchens.

    Spoiler: OOC
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    This is written to say what will happen assuming that you don’t try to talk to the big fellow before the cook invites you to the back, but of course you’re welcome to interact with them or do something else in between.
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  16. - Top - End - #76
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    LeSwordfish's Avatar

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    Default Re: [DH] A Wretched Hive (IC)

    "Best I have is the contacts from the Ibn Rasheed death," Carys said. "Which could be illuminating but is going off on a tangent a bit, and I'm not especially hopeful - one poor dear is incommunicado, the other's apparently a magistratum officer who's usually good for a few facts but is refusing to answer about this case."

    "You've gone to all the bother of these... well, I suspect we've all been recruited for our unusual talents, haven't we? Let's try the clergy. Lay on, Macragge."
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  17. - Top - End - #77
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    SamuraiGuy

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    Default Re: [DH] A Wretched Hive (IC)

    (OOC: assuming the other players are okay with letting things play out as Thrag posted)

    Upon locking eyes with the big cook, and getting his signal, Lyra rises from her seat and says to the others, "Let's go," indicating with a nod the big bald man, his companions and the direction of the kitchen.

    She had been happy for the meager food, though she had found it relatively unpalatable. She had only finished about half of it, and before leaving, she finds a hungry looking urchin sitting near her, and hands the girl her left overs.

    With that, Lyra heads towards the kitchen, trying her best not to look like she is studying everything that is happening around her.
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  18. - Top - End - #78
    Ettin in the Playground
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    Default Re: [DH] A Wretched Hive (IC)

    Outside, from habit Nuala will continue to watch the crowd just in case anyone was a little too interested in them.

    Inside, she'll be distracted for a moment by the food. She's not eaten since before she came down to this level of the hive and will eat it with obvious enjoyment. After, she'll try to look as impassive as possible as if she was doing this for real and will follow Lyra with a nod.

  19. - Top - End - #79
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    Default Re: [DH] A Wretched Hive (IC)

    Nathias and Carys

    "Let's try the diocese that Grand Urbis Plaza is in," offered Nathias, setting a course in that direction. "Remember to smile and be obsequious. 'Pardon me, do you have any knowledge of Father Leonor Rigg's activities or associates? There are discrepancies in his revenue stream that have raised some red flags, but the man himself is hard to get a hold of.' If there is any dislike for him among the local priests... and there likely is, since he is a rabble-rouser disturbing the peace of their diocese and herding the flock to strange new doctrines... they'll volunteer any possibly damning information they have on him. But we'll likely have to go through a few underlings before we get to someone who can't easily pass the buck to someone higher up."


    OOC
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    Grand Urbis Plaza is the place near which Rigg preaches.

    I'll be honest, now that it's time to enact my plan, I'm having serious doubts it leads anywhere useful. But let's try it all the same.
    Last edited by -Sentinel-; 2020-06-29 at 07:33 PM.
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    Running:
    Voyages of the Ghostlight (Risus)

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    The Bloody Crown (WFRP) as Elsabeth Holt, rogue pyromancer and court wizard

    Quote Originally Posted by TheSummoner View Post
    Oh wow. I will never again underestimate [our characters'] ability to turn friendly conversation into a possible life or death situation.
    Quote Originally Posted by LeSwordfish View Post
    Ludo has a crowbar, if that helps.

  20. - Top - End - #80
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    Default Re: [DH] A Wretched Hive (IC)

    Nuala, Lyra, Titia

    The tiny girl Lyra gave her leftovers to was frozen in surprise for a moment – then she dragged the bowl towards her with both hands and began shovelling forkfuls of stew into her mouth. She glanced up and made a noise that might have been thanks.

    The cook waved the three women of them past the volunteers manning the counter and through the double-hinged doorway. The kitchen was relatively small, for the size of the canteen, divided into two aisles by an island of oven units, surmounted by tall pans of the green legumes boiling. The vegetable smell was intense, making Lyra wrinkle her nose. Too long in here would have it tickling the back of her throat.

    Racks and counters lined three of the four walls, interrupted only by two doorways. To the left, the exit that presumably led to the alley they’d looked down earlier, while at the back of the right aisle, a door to a storeroom was open.

    Two volunteers stood by a sink, washing and drying a stack of empty bowls. At a look from the head cook, they made themselves scarce. They returned to the canteen hall just as the others were joining them. The man in the apron and his two companions entered confidently, filling the space between the door to the canteen and the side exit. Titia noticed with some discomfort that Nuala, Lyra and her were almost being forced into the aisle leading to the storeroom, with both exits now blocked.

    The cook nodded to the newcomers, and nodded towards Nuala. “She said a preacher in the Bell sent them our way,” he said. The woman in a drab tunic scowled, eyeing Nuala intensely. The shorter of the two men blinked and pursed his lips.

    The bald man was silent for a moment, taking a good look at the three informants. His eyes rested on Lyra in particular. Then he cleared his throat. “Tell me about this preacher,” he said. His voice was deep and slow. “When did you meet them?”

    Carys and Nathias

    The diocesan house for Arnest Cauldron was to the east of the safehouse, almost within Nathias’s regular cab territory. It was deep enough in the middle-class residential levels to chill exposed skin when they stepped out of the cab. An iron fence badly in need of a new coat of paint enclosed a small yard of mostly fake shrubbery, with one or two actual thin trees given pride of place beneath the beampipe running parallel to the front gate. The facade of the house appeared to be constructed between tall columns a foot in diameter. Carys strongly suspected they were simply plaster affectations.

    In the black-and-white tiled hallway through the wooden front door, a middle-aged adept sat at a desk. Exoskeletal supports were grafted to the back of every finger, trailing thin wires up his forearms which converged into cables and dived beneath the skin in the bend of his elbows. He looked up at Carys and Nathias as they entered. “Can I assist you?” he drawled emotionlessly. It didn't sound like he had much faith in the possibility.
    Last edited by Thragka; 2020-07-01 at 03:55 PM.
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  21. - Top - End - #81
    Barbarian in the Playground
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    Default Re: [DH] A Wretched Hive (IC)

    Titita felt bad taking up space in the canteen when all was said and done, she had been one of those people stuck waiting for a seat to open up, and she could tell from how filling the food was here that it was made even worse. When the cooked motioned for her to stay put, Titia's shame made her shrink a little bit as she waited patiently, and tried not to look at the glares. When they were finally called back, she was relieved and left her seat as soon as possible, though looking in surprise when one of he companions had given her left overs to a nearby child. She smiled at them, and felt a bit more comfortable walking around with the member of her party that was slightly better off than most.

  22. - Top - End - #82
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    Default Re: [DH] A Wretched Hive (IC)

    'Met him last week sometime, maybe on Laxday? He looked a little ragged but he was enthusiastic. Never heard anything like it. He said he was a brother of St. Thor.' Nuala hoped it would be hard to find a single missionary in all Tarsus.

  23. - Top - End - #83
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    At the Canteen

    The cook moved around into the aisle that the dishwashers had vacated, his hands hidden under the countertop.

    "Strange," said the bald man. "What with the Bell having been closed for the past eightweek, and all." The shorter man smirked. The woman kept up her intense stare.

    The bald man put his hands together in front of his chest. Thick knuckle-dusters adorned each. "Why don't you tell us who you really are, before things get unpleasant."

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    Default Re: [DH] A Wretched Hive (IC)

    Sigh. To the Cook, 'No need for that. Assuming you have a gun under there.'

    Nuala will turn back to the bald man and speak carefully, 'I'm from the hiveskin. In my experience they tend to arrest my sort just for being down this far. People are usually nicer to me if I keep that to myself, so I apologise for the lie.' Nuala tries to look contrite, 'I heard that your lot have been going upstairs lately to clean up the place. If that's true I was wondering if you needed more people?'

  25. - Top - End - #85
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    The Canteen Kitchen

    There was indeed a gun under there – a big rifle, with a prominent lever action built into the trigger guard. "I'll decide what there's a need for," the cook said as he pulled it out. He held it across his chest with both hands – for the moment. The short man sneered again, one hand dangling by his hip. The woman glanced to Nuala, then fixed her gaze on Lyra. "That one's no skinner," she said softly.

    "I don't have a 'lot'," the bald man said. "I'll ask again: who are you?"
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    Default Re: [DH] A Wretched Hive (IC)

    Quote Originally Posted by Thragka View Post
    Carys and Nathias

    The diocesan house for Arnest Cauldron was to the east of the safehouse, almost within Nathias’s regular cab territory. It was deep enough in the middle-class residential levels to chill exposed skin when they stepped out of the cab. An iron fence badly in need of a new coat of paint enclosed a small yard of mostly fake shrubbery, with one or two actual thin trees given pride of place beneath the beampipe running parallel to the front gate. The facade of the house appeared to be constructed between tall columns a foot in diameter. Carys strongly suspected they were simply plaster affectations.

    In the black-and-white tiled hallway through the wooden front door, a middle-aged adept sat at a desk. Exoskeletal supports were grafted to the back of every finger, trailing thin wires up his forearms which converged into cables and dived beneath the skin in the bend of his elbows. He looked up at Carys and Nathias as they entered. “Can I assist you?” he drawled emotionlessly. It didn't sound like he had much faith in the possibility.
    Carys broadened her face into a smile. "Good afternoon! My name is-" whoops whoops what was it "-Livia. I'm from the Administratum: we're hoping to discuss some discrepancies in the reported revenue stream. Who is it we can speak to about that?"
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    Arnest Cauldron Diocesan House

    Quote Originally Posted by LeSwordfish View Post
    Carys broadened her face into a smile. "Good afternoon! My name is-" whoops whoops what was it "-Livia. I'm from the Administratum: we're hoping to discuss some discrepancies in the reported revenue stream. Who is it we can speak to about that?"
    The adept cocked a bushy salt-and-pepper eyebrow. "Some discrepancies? Of what nature?" He slid his chair sideways, away from the ledger he'd been poring over, and gave the pair an inquisitive look.
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  28. - Top - End - #88
    Ettin in the Playground
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    'Nuala Sayed, if that's what you're asking.' Was the man being cagey or did they genuinely have the wrong place. 'If you aren't who people say you are we can leave you in peace. I'll help you with the dishes if you want as payment. Haven't eaten so well in a while.'

  29. - Top - End - #89
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    Default Re: [DH] A Wretched Hive (IC)

    Lyra grins, putting both hands up to show she meant no harm (of course if she needed to she could have her side arm out as fast as the cook could pull the trigger). She steps forward, next to Nuala and says, "My dear companions, I think you mistake our precautions for malicious subterfuge. While not locals per say, we are an admittedly motley group of individuals who believe in the righteous fury of the Emperor, and who were told we might be able to learn more if we found Father Leonor Rigg." She pauses for a moment before adding, "My name is Lyra, if that matters to you, and a kabab vendor told us we might be best served by coming to this tavern. I did not catch her name, but she was kind enough to direct us here."
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    The Canteen Kitchen

    "Liars," the scrawny woman whispered. The bald man seemed to take Nuala and Lyra's words into consideration for a few moments, before sending a glance to the cook.

    "A mistake, maybe," the cook said carefully. "Well, we wouldn't want that to happen. But since you understand the need for caution – hand over your packs and empty your pockets. Then we'll see if you are who you say you are. And if this is all a misunderstanding, I'm sure we can put it to rights."
    Last edited by Thragka; 2020-07-03 at 09:42 AM.
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