Temple of the Divine Dwarf, part 2

[Graybeard]

Layla nodded. "Let's make sure we have our stories straight, and let's also make sure they set something up that we can use to our advantage. The last thing we want is for the rumors to lead to a full-blown magical attack on your place or ours."

She yawned. "It's late, and I've got a hungry baby to feed at home. We've learned a lot tonight. Let's not push our luck."

[OOC: In other words, fast forward to morning?]

[Jack Rothwell]

OOC Sounds good./OOC

[Graybeard]

The next day, the rumor campaign began.

Joe made the day's first stop, at the liquor store where a clandestine tunnel now existed. A quick word with the proprietor confirmed the business arrangement that he and Layla had negotiated on behalf of Bad Ass Wines. It also showed that the place was doing business as usual, with no indications that the tunnel had been discovered. That was good. Joe hung around, talking shop with the owner, while waiting for interesting Tsuirakuans to wander in.

Ace and Oskar started the bar-hopping early. Layla had been careful not to put Oskar totally in the picture; he was going to be the one who did most of the drinking, and although the huge man's capacity for alcohol was on a par with his size, accidents might still happen. Layla, for her part, was going to join Galina at the laboratory, there to have some "friendly" conversations with the novices that Galina was spending most of her time teaching, as soon as she was done caring for her son. That left Faye ...

... And that part didn't start so well.

"Dammit, I am not going to go to the Temple of the Divine Dwarf and pretend I'm interested," she told her daughter heatedly. "And that's final."

[Jack Rothwell]

"...as sure as I'm standing here." Leo replied. "Blown up. Gone without a trace."

The mercenary had them, he knew he did, Leo might not have been the best with a blade or the most accurate with a gun in The Silver Hands but the one thing he did better than any of them was talk. The group of men had been listening to him for ten minutes, many too intrigued to even sip their drinks as he'd laid out a tale worthy of a day off work and a bucket of popcorn.

"But this is strictly between you and me, you understand? If rumours got out some enterprising people might be tempted to break in and steal the blueprints." Leo said, and the men nodded immediately, vigoriously, the sure sign of a blantant lie. He stood up from his stool and put his hat back on. "I need to get back, there's a deal with my people going on later that I really should attend."

The door swung shut behind him. The heightened buzz of conversation began seconds later.

[Graybeard]

"... So come fall, we'll start to have enough inventory to keep your customers happy," Joe finished, as the Tsuirakuan shop proprietor nodded. Yes, they had a deal, and they shook on it as two Tsuirakuan-looking men walked into the liquor store ... and then the real transaction began.

"We look forward to doing business with a nice, secure operation like this," Joe added, looking around the store. "Not all the establishments in Rinkaiel are like that. Don't tell anybody ..." His voice dropped a notch, although he made sure to pitch it high enough that the "customers" could still hear it.

"We picked up a rumor that a bunch of the Veracian god nuts managed to hijack a shipment of those weapons your army uses, I think they're called Yikki staffs or something like that. Word is, they're going to go on a rampage against places in Rinkaiel that serve the demon liquor." He chuckled. "Ironic, isn't it, that they'd use weaponry stolen from their godless sometimes-enemies on a holy crusade? Well, here in Tsuiraku-town, I don't think you have to worry about that."

The store owner simply nodded politely, but Joe could see out of the corner of his eye that the two customers were reacting a bit more ... strongly.

------------

"Mom, we really need for you to help on this one," Layla pleaded with Faye. "We need at least a little surveillance on the temple, and they have a make on the rest of us. They don't know you."

Faye facepalmed. The thing was: her daughter was right, and she knew it. But she didn't want to think about the hit that her reputation would take if people saw her hanging around with that crowd and weren't in on the deal. If Gabriel knew about this... "Well, if you insist, but I don't like it," she grumped. "And there are limits to how much time I'm willing to spend there."

"Naturally," Layla beamed. "Love you, mom." She planted a peck on her mother's forehead, then left with her son, heading for the laboratory.

[Jack Rothwell]

Eve was inwardly seething, but no trace of it showed on her face as she continued her tale to the gentlemen in The Mead and Drum, a tavern Jade had directed her to only an hour before.

"Rumour has it they're planning to launch an all out assault on Rinkaiel very soon." She finished. "They're a power hungry organisation."

The men the young merc had been talking to paled and set down their drinks in a manner that suggested the alcohol had suddenly become too expensive to buy. The bar was now clearing out in a fairly rapid fashion thanks to the woman's tale spinning. She reached up self-consciously and scratched her scalp under the crown of blonde curls she' disguised herself with and tried not to sigh; this wasn't what she'd signed up for. Eve had grown sick of galavanting around in a dress and wig days before and the fact that she'd been made to do it again when there was a sorcerer who'd tried to murder her running free around town didn't sit too well with the mercenary.

However, as much as the idea of running away from her responsibilities and dealing with the situation herself appealed, Eve was forced to consider her near-death experience at the brothel yesterday. The young woman gritted her teeth, fluffed her tresses, and continued spreading lies.

[Graybeard]

The two beginners were already at work when Layla arrived at the magic lab. Judging from Galina's facial expression, their initial orientation wasn't going well. As soon as Zachary was secured (and already giggling happily at Galina's daughter Oxana), Layla sat down at the beginner's boxes to see if she could help -- and also to see if she might have an audience. She tucked her hair up under her bandanna -- she hadn't had time this morning to change its color or otherwise disguise herself -- and smiled at the young men.

"Hi, I'm -- Laura." I don't think I ever used that one before. "I started here a month or so ago, using these things. From what they told me, these boxes sort of work like those magic gun-like things the Tsuirakuans have, kind of being a focus for magic to make it easier to use. I think the Tsuirakuans call their gadgets 'Yuuki staffs.'"

One of the young men made generally polite but disinterested noises at this bit of information, while the other had a flare of interest on his face. I can work with this one for rumor development, Layla thought, as she began to pour it on.

------------

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Faye muttered to herself as she entered the main door to the Temple of the Divine Dwarf. Well, the die was cast. It wasn't more than a minute later that a ridiculously garbed novice popped out of the door back to the office area, and bowed to her. "Good morning, The Dwarves Love You," he recited. "How may I be of service?"

Well, at least I'm through the door without getting shot, barbecued or worse...

------------

Ace and Oskar's bar-hopping expedition, however, wasn't going so well.

[Jack Rothwell]

"Honestly Dandelo, would I lie to you?"

The bartender warily shook his head at Jade's question. He'd been holding a slight 'rabbit at the rifle range' expression on his face ever since the blacksmith had walked through the door of her old lodgings. The place was much as she left it; numerous stains decorating the floor, surly patrons slumped over their beers, dim light filtering through the grubby windows illuminating what no-one wanted to see.

'Thank the Gods I got out of this dump.' She thought. 'Bad enough I was living here without having to play 'bouncer' with drunken morons as well.'

A short, boring morning of putting the final touches on cleaning up the Barker Lane guild's forge had led her here. Jade wasn't much of a talker, but one thing she did know was that the bartender of the Mead and Drum was the biggest gossip she'd seen in her life. Even if he didn't entirely believe everything she was relaying to him, she knew he was lapping it up word for word and would pass it on to dozens of other sources before the sun was even down.

"Where did you find this out about these weapons?"

Jade arched an eyebrow in what she hoped looked like surprise. "You mean you hadn't heard already? Words spreading all over town. I thought you'd be able to tell ME more about these guys."

That got his back up. Fantastic, now she had a gossip who was going to shamelessly elaborate as soon as she walked out the door. The job was done.

"Well, never mind. I can't afford to buy anything that high tech anyway. See you later, tell the owner I said-"

A tap came at her shoulder and interrupted her sentence. Jade frowned and turned around.

The left side of the blacksmith's face burst into immediate and shocking pain as it met the fist the tapper had thrown. Jade was so surprised by the unexpected attack that she fell sideways before she could try to right herself. She struck the floor awkwardly, unable to bite back the cry of pain from escaping her mouth.

She squinted up with a pulsing head at her attacker and recognised him immediately. Even if she hadn't, the eyepatch on the face glaring down at her told her what the man's grudge was. It was the last man she'd had a 'disagreement' with in her old job prior to leaving the bar, he was one of Gault's crew, and this time he was stone cold sober.

"You owe me an eye, bitch." He said flatly.

[Graybeard]

OOC: Before continuing with this, any suggestions on how to work Jin-Liu back in?

[Jack Rothwell]

OOC I vote we sacrifice a child to the Great God Imhotep! Umm...and by that I mean I could get the Silver Hands asking after the golems so Jade can put those blue golem remains to some work. Maybe?/OOC