Getsemiel, part 2

[Drannin]

Harker followed Desiree. Eli was nuts, the boss was focused on another gal... who did that leave? Not that Harker really thought the half-elf would notice him, or much of anyone, really. He just thought it would be a good idea to keep an idea on her. One kidnapping in a day was more than enough, in any case.

[Jack Rothwell]

OOC I'm doing a little skip to about ten minutes ahead. Just enough time for Eli and whoever decided to come with him get to the Rose.

viewtopic.php?f=33&t=1926&start=90
viewtopic.php?f=33&t=1926&start=110 <---the last word on the location./OOC


Upon arrival at the waterfront brothel it became clear that Telan's note about it being 'out of business' was an understatement.

The building, of grand and gaudy design, had doubtless been a shining example of the many locations of vice in the Port. And although the tinted windows and swirling, suggestive architecture were unmarked by violence, it was the dead silence emanating from within the building and the dust beginning to gather in its nooks that declared the Rose wouldn't be taking any business today. Or any time soon.

The two militiamen standing outside told them everything else.

Eli had stopped momentarily at the sight of them, but his stubborn nature didn't let him hang back for long. To the half-elf's credit, he managed to approach them and ask his questions in a relatively calm manner.

"It looks like a dead end." He said, as he returned to the people who'd accompanied him. "Literally. Someone went berserk in there several days ago and killed everyone who was inside. Barmen, hookers, the owner... the militia haven't turned up any suspects, but there's a rumor floating around that it was one of Fredriel's ex-employee's who did the deed. No-one knows where he is... there's a reward for finding him." Eli shrugged, if there was anything to do except wait for the meeting in the morning, he couldn't think of it.

[Alberich]

[OOC: Tim's going wherever Rose says to go, whether that's here or after Desiree; but I think Udo and Tamina would come with Eli, 'specially if they're the ones showing the way.]

Udo snapped his fingers in disappointment at the news. If someone else had already blasted through this place like a monsoon of murderous mindless mayhem - what did that leave for him and Tamina to do?

Oh, there was an answer. Reward. "Did they leave a description of this employee, or a name?" Tamina might've seen this character, if she'd been here before, and a little hunt with some coins at the end would do them both some good.

[Jack Rothwell]

Eli wordlessly handed Udo the bounty notice (OOC insert Red Dead Redemption music here/OOC) that the militiamen had given him. It showed a picture of a grim faced man with a strong jawline and an utterly flat look to this eyes.

It was picture the kobold recognized.

"Oh! I... umm... need to... just need to... kefav jukki*... Udo? Need you! Please? Kay!"

The kobold clamped a hand around Udo's arm and led the, far from unwilling, highwayman to the nearest alley and, more importantly, away from the gaze of the irate half-elf.

"Know him." Tamina said in a low whisper once they were out of earshot. She tapped on the bounty notice with a stubby finger. "Followed us to the Southern continent, tried to kill Jaime and me. Ralkin. Bad wizards. Did something to him. Twisted him." The kobold paused to make a sound like running water, hissing through her teeth for reasons not immediately apparent before continuing. "Didn't want to say in front of blonde man. Think the Ralkin got to him too. Fucilious, the leader, survived the fight with the Killikah**, escaped."

Tamina stuck her head momentarily out the alley to make sure the half-elf wasn't nearby.

"Thought I felt the energy on him. Killikah studied it, Ralkin our enemies, had to learn it. Could be bad... very, very bad."


*- use the bathroom

**-sisterhood-

[Graybeard]

Sister Rose groaned as she realized that Desiree had fled the scene. Evidently she wasn't as much under control as I thought...

In fact, things seemed to be going badly at the moment -- very badly. The party was close to disintegrating. Most of the members were off doing Luminosita alone knew what, but it clearly had little to do with Blaise. They were doing it in a city that they did not know, in a culture that they had no experience with, and in a particularly seedy part of town, from the looks of it, where there were abundant ways to get robbed, or get dead, or worse. And what in Luminosita's Name had gotten into Eli? Ever since Getsemiel, the man had been ... different. His temper had become so touchy that Rose was almost afraid to talk to him. His reaction to the death of his uncle had been -- disturbing. And the magic ...

A thought so unsettling that it made her stop in her tracks wafted through her mind. What if he's becoming an Errant?

She looked at Argus and Tim. "I guess we'd better go find Desiree," she said. "This isn't the kind of place for her to be wandering alone."

And if it gives me a little more time to follow that thought about Eli, all the better, she thought, as they put the warehouse behind them.

[Alberich]

Tim followed along dutifully. He could sense Rose's frustration, and even if he hadn't been able to, it would be easy to infer. The militia had choice and pungent terms for days like this, when you couldn't get half the platoon into the same place at the same time. He didn't want to add to her concern. However, he felt he had to. Eli was gone. This was the time.

"Sister, ah, ma'am," he said. "There's something been worrying me. It's the way Desiree was acting before she left. Any man got near her, she was, well, like a nervous deer. Skittish. Opposite from the way she was. Maybe that's being kidnapped. But when I was studying in town, I volunteered at the hospital...and I saw something like that from the girls who'd been, well, ravished. Like by force. I don't know if those slavers did that. But she acted like it. Didn't want to say it in front of Eli. He'd go even crazier. And I didn't see how we could do anything about it. But, well, I wanted to say."

* * *

"Know him." Tamina said in a low whisper once they were out of earshot. She tapped on the bounty notice with a stubby finger. "Followed us to the Southern continent, tried to kill Jaime and me. Ralkin. Bad wizards. Did something to him. Twisted him." The kobold paused to make a sound like running water, hissing through her teeth for reasons not immediately apparent before continuing. "Didn't want to say in front of blonde man. Think the Ralkin got to him too. Fucilious, the leader, survived the fight with the Killikah**, escaped. Thought I felt the energy on him. Killikah studied it, Ralkin our enemies, had to learn it. Could be bad... very, very bad."

Udo grinned fiercely, and whispered back. "These men, they will give us money, silver, shiny things, if we can find him and bring him back. Even dead!" [OOC: Insert For a Few Dollars More music here] "Can you feel that energy and use it to follow him? If he tried to kill you, I'd like to kick his, you know" -- he gestured to a body part, not knowing the kobold word -- "heinie."

[Graybeard]

Tim's words made it all click into focus for Sister Rose.

She moved away from Argus, with a quick mental word -- <"Any idea where Harker is? I think he took off after Desiree, it would be good to keep track of him"> -- and moved close to the young priest, dropping her voice so the conversation wouldn't be overheard. "When we find her, I'll have a quiet word. That's the kind of thing where it might be best for another woman to bring it up." Not that I'm sure I want to, but the alternatives ... no, I'd better. And now comes the hard part ... but I'm just sure I'm right about this.

"I don't think that's what she's running from, though," Rose continued. "More than anything else, she's scared." She shook her head. "I don't blame her. She's had more than enough to be scared of since she left Sn-- her home. But the thing is ..."

She lowered her voice another notch.

"I think what she's most scared of is -- Eli."

[Drusia]

So. I need a plan.

Going home is a plan.

Great. How about something more specific? Like... money?

I'm a sacred prostitute.

Because there are lots of temples to Anilis around here. At best I'd end up working at a brothel, getting 10% of my take. At worst, I'd end up getting beaten up by a pimp, or stabbed by another prostitute for encroaching on her turf.

Ten percent isn't that bad. So it takes me a little longer to get home. Big deal.

It will be a big deal if a Peregin finds me. Without the others I'm easy pickings.

Who am I kidding? I'm easy pickings even with the others. Hell, the way Eli's behaving, he'll probably attract a peregin!

Okay then - any delay means that it's more likely that Eli will find me.

I blink.

Do I really think that Eli would chase me down and... hurt me?

Yeah. I kinda do.

But... he was protecting me!

With murder. And when he finds out that I ran away from him after he did that, he'll probably be kinda pissed off.

... okay, new plan. Find a merchant or... or a soldier or someone heading back in the general direction of home. Offer them money and sex in exchange for transport.

Because that's isn't a good way to end up with my throat slit in a ditch somewhere.

I don't have to be so sarcastic about it.

Um, yeah, I kinda do.

Bitch.

Naive twit.

Do I have a better idea then?

....

Yeah. I didn't think so.

Now who's being sarcastic?

I'm still waiting on that better plan.

Well... I could use my priestessly powers to beguile the person from the previous plan to make sure they don't murder me in my sleep.

See, I told you it wasn't a bad plan!

It was before I added the beguilement part.

Like that wasn't implied.

Oh hush.

So... where do we find this person who happens to be traveling towards home?

Um... near the gate?

Oh good. At least that part is easy.

....

I sigh and keep walking. Maybe next I'll start talking to myself. Just the company I need.

-- Desiree

Edit: Spelling Error, corrected.

[Alberich]

"Seems strange to me," said Tim. "But I guess you could be right." He himself didn't see anything so disturbing about Eli's actions. If someone came around kidnapping and ravishing the good wives of Umbertiel, their husbands wouldn't rest until the malefactor was twisting in the wind. And Tim himself would help them do it without a qualm.

By reputation, the kind of men who kept "wenches" without marrying them were a lot less responsible - the moment they got pregnant, or lost their good looks, or were just more trouble than they were worth - they threw them over. Eli wasn't like that. If anything, this raised him in Tim's esteem. It also tended to confirm Tim's theory, that the human blood ran much stronger in Eli than in Desiree.

That made the future Eli wanted unlikely. And maybe Eli saw that himself but didn't want to see it, which would naturally raise his temper, which was already high. Which with his magic made him dangerous - but understandable. Dangerous and understandable men, he could work with. Treat them right and they were loyal. But not always the right way - a shadow of dislike for Bryce passed over him. He put that thought away.

"Do you want me to ask if anyone's seen her?" - this wasn't his town but he could still talk to people. He didn't know that Harker was trailing her.

[Graybeard]

"Do you want me to ask if anyone's seen her?"

Sister Rose winced, then was immediately slightly ashamed of herself, not so much for having the reaction, but rather for failing to conceal it. He means well, Luminosita knows, and I owed him a more positive reaction than that. Well, maybe he didn't see it. Anyway...

"I think it might be better," she started, "if instead, you took on the job of working with the airship crew and the temple to get us ready to go north tomorrow morning, bright and early. That has to be done, it's important."

Seeing the young man's disappointment (he wasn't hard to read), she continued. "The problem, simply put, is that if you go around asking questions, you're going to attract the wrong kind of attention. It's obvious that you're not from Farrel. We foreigners are easy to pick out in a crowd. I'm not exactly sure how, but we just are." Most of us, anyway. If he could do some shape-shifting ... but he can't. Or if I could do it for him ... but I can't, either. "Being on your own could make you a target, and all we need is for another person to get kidnapped for ransom or mugged or just killed for the hell of it. Argus and I can avoid that, working as a pair." Particularly after I make a couple of little alterations to my appearance to look more like a Farrelite. She waited for Tim's reaction.