Rinkaiel

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AdamZero
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Re: Rinkaiel

Post by AdamZero »

I spun around at Jamie's screech, then at her look of terror, spun back to look at Jasmine, who was now holding some odd looking bracelet. It was glowing pink and had little ducks carved along the edges.

"Oh lords..." I couldn't restrain a smile. Well, that explains where Jasmine had been... As the mother pursued the daughter, I noticed Aiyee and decided to get back at Jamie for her faults at me, minor though they were, and help Jasmine out a bit. I intercepter the woman, for just a moment, long enough for Boris to reach under my arms and take her bags. I stepped aside I headed toward the Hotel's wide porch where Aiyee was sunbathing. I drew close and shuffled through the crowd, earning a few grumbles from some of the onlookers.

"Aiyee?" I asked, and the woman looked at me, she waved her dark stone hand, which was now four digits, missing her pinky. "You have the key to a room or suite?" She nodded, lazily tossing the keys, which I caught and turned to enter the Hotel, Boris leering at Aiyee from my back.

I found the room, and deposited Jasmines belongings and purchases beside a large bed and on a table near the door. I looked around, realizing I was the only one there, and decided to take a bath, letting Boris down and stripping before checking out the washroom.
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Blackmail
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Re: Rinkaiel

Post by Blackmail »

Zander narrowed his eyes. The woman, apparently Jamie's mother, had located Jamie and was now in hot pursuit with some kind of bracelet. He almost slid one of his long daggers from its sheath, keeping a close eye on the two Gewehr below him, but decided against it. The glint of his blade might give him away. He doubted they were really that attentive but all it took was a random freak accident to blow his cover. They would make their move soon, if not right this second if they were impatient enough. He had to be ready to stop them.

Crouched on the roof overhead, he kept out of sight and checked the area once more for any hidden adversaries. One of the lessons he'd learned early in his career was that the moments before a kill are always the most dangerous. You become so focused on the target that it's possible to lose sight of everything else around you. Unfortunately he'd learned that one the hard way. The coast seemed to be clear this time though, and if there was anyone hidden nearby he couldn't spot them. He also had to keep himself from getting excited or anxious. His tic only got worse if he did.

Now he almost wished the Gewehr would hurry up so that he could kill them. He was growing tired of listening to their inane chatter.
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Graybeard
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Re: Rinkaiel

Post by Graybeard »

His reconnaissance of the rooftops completed, Zander was now so fixated on the Gewehr thugs that he didn't detect cat-quiet footfalls on the roof behind him until a voice spoke -- the voice of a very young, and rather innocent-sounding, girl.

"Hey, mister, whatcha doin'?"

--------

Fritz and Weed, down below, didn't hear the girl's voice; they were too busy laying their own plans to notice that they were being watched.

"Now kin we hit 'er?" Fritz said, impatience in his words; he and his brother Louie had been close.

"Shut up," Weed hissed. "We can't hit 'er out here where the fish can see. Now we know where they're stayin'. That means we kin come back tonight and hit 'em when everthin' is good an' quiet. Looks like a nice place; they won't even be on guard, prob'ly. Let's go check th' place out and figure out how to do this."

--------

"The owners have -- authorized me to negotiate a deal for them," Vikor said, something in his voice that Layla and Faye weren't sure about.

Faye nodded. "That's better. I'm glad to hear that they have seen reason. We'd like to see your business records before final arrangements are made. I believe the offer that Joe mentioned is fair, but perhaps we can do better." She didn't say from whose standpoint a "better" offer might be possible; she really didn't need to.

"I was just -- working on those," the man said. "Let me fetch them." He turned to Kalin, his voice neutral, but malice in his face. "Why don't you go and get the wine presses ready to show your -- new employers?"
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Blackmail
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Re: Rinkaiel

Post by Blackmail »

Zander's entire body tensed at the sound of the voice behind him and he almost lost his balance. His hand blurred to his belt and was suddenly holding a knife. He managed to keep silent, but his muscles twitched every few seconds in his agitation, a slightly less-problematic side effect of his tic. He glared at the girl who had the audacity to sneak up on him, keeping some attention on the Gewehr thugs. He overheard their plan and figured he should probably follow them to see which approach they would take. But he couldn't without dealing with this girl first. Good thing the men hadn't heard her speak.

Zander put a finger to his masked lips and frowned, looking the girl up and down. Here he was attempting not to zone out too much and yet he had let a girl sneak up on him. If that had been an enemy he might have been captured or incurred injury, or worse. "Go away," he whispered harshly. "This is no place for girls. I'm working." How the hell had the girl gotten on the roof anyway? This could blow his cover wide open.
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4uk4ata
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Re: Rinkaiel

Post by 4uk4ata »

"Why don't you go and get the wine presses ready to show your -- new employers?"

If I had been told that yesterday, the look in his eyes would still have made me hesitate. I have had people hate me before enough to intend to kill me, but even they did not have eyes like this. And today... well, a lot of things happened so far that made me want to tell that man to take a jump in the nearest swamp and drown there. I don't know if he has prepared some kind of a trap there, wants to do something with these people behind my back, or just considers me an eyesore, but I do not intend to give him the satisfaction. Let him squirm.

"We haven't used them since the day before yesterday, and I had already cleaned'em since. 'sides, I was shown only how to clean the little wheels, I don't know how they actually work." I say with a shrug.

His face reddens and I see his hand clench. He reaches for something on the desk, but takes a sideways look at the other man - Joe? - and stops in midway. He takes a deep, exasperated breath, but the look he shoots me makes the one from before look tame in comparison - his eyes almost sparkle with malice.

"We have to talk business. Leave us" he says heavily and slowly. I think of telling him off, but then I hear Sharo let out a low, almost inaudible growl. I curse that man under my breath and turn towards the door. As I pass by Layla, I tell her "I'll be out by the shack if you need me, ma'am," and whisper out of the side of my mouth. "Careful with this man".

As I close the door behind me, I hear Vikor's voice faintly "Now that he's gone, let us get down to the particulars." I don't really want to leave them be, but I can see Sharo feeling rather... anxious. "What's the matter, pal?" I ask him, and he tells me his nose is playing tricks with him. He smelled a woman, then it smelled like a bear, then the smell disappeared. I look at him incredulously, them motion him to come with me as I head to the shack. Maybe I should actually check the presses... but the last time I did what vikor said, it didn't go very well.
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Graybeard
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Re: Rinkaiel

Post by Graybeard »

The little girl wouldn't be put off that easily. "What kind of work, mister? Do you work with the fish? Daddy used to work with the fish ... but then he went away and we don't see him any more."

----------

"We haven't used them since the day before yesterday, and I had already cleaned'em since. 'sides, I was shown only how to clean the little wheels, I don't know how they actually work."

"Little wheels"? Layla thought. Wine presses don't have little wheels -- or at least ours in Kiyoka didn't, and I'm pretty sure it was at least as modern as the one this place has, maybe more. This guy must not know how a wine press works, so why's he throwing this out there? ... Ah.

"I'll let you legal beagles work out the details," she said. "I'd like to see just what kind of operation I'm going to be taking charge of here. Maybe Kalin can use some help. Mom, can you Zachary-sit again for a few minutes?"

Vikor looked like he was about to say something, or maybe do some nasty spellcasting, but he was no fool. He'd clearly understood the two veiled threats, and Joe's body language was equally clearly projecting a "three strikes and you're out" message. He muttered something profane under his breath as Layla stepped outside, and returned to his ledger.

All the physical work to get back in shape after childbirth had paid off; Layla could still move just as quickly and silently as when she was a full field Wraith. It only took her a few seconds to catch up with Kalin as he headed for the shack.

"Okay, I got the message. I'm here to give you 'help', but first, will you please tell me what the hell is going on here?"
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Blackmail
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Re: Rinkaiel

Post by Blackmail »

Zander twitched and put his knife away. This is why he hated children. But apparently she knew of the Seeadlers. She could have just been referring to fishing, but in this town Zander doubted it. Maybe her dad had screwed something up and angered them. Or perhaps the Seeadlers were running a shady business... Well, obviously, but shady even by shady standards, perhaps. He'd have to remember that in case they tried something later. But for now the Gewehr were his biggest concern.

"No, I don't work with the fish, but I know someone who does," he said, attempting to keep his impatience in check and put on a child-friendly facade. "My work is protecting people. There are bad men down in the road right now, which is why we have to be quiet so they don't notice us. I'm going to stop the bad men from hurting people." He glanced down to confirm the thugs' position. He really needed to hurry up and get rid of her. He could have just left her and jumped over to another rooftop, but kids being kids, she would likely yell something at him and blow his cover. If his own agitation didn't do that first. He was finding it increasingly difficult to stop himself from yelling expletives uncontrollably. Stupid tic. "You should go inside before the bad men see you. It's safer inside."
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Graybeard
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Re: Rinkaiel

Post by Graybeard »

"You should go inside before the bad men see you. It's safer inside."

The girl considered, nodded. "'Kay," she said. "I don't like bad men. Mommy doesn't like them either. Blow their asses away." On that last, jarring note, she skipped across the roof, down a fire-escape ladder, and out of sight.

--------

Meanwhile, the "bad men" were reaching a decision.

"Kin we stop followin' the mark an' check out the inn, d'ya think?" Weed said.

"Damn if I know," Fritz said. "But yeah, let's. My feet are hurtin'." Jamie was a master of evasion, darting in the front door of a shop and out the back, then through a window at the next shop, out a side entrance. Fritz would have sworn he saw Jamie emerge from a chimney once. It wasn't helping; Jasmine was just as good at tracking her daughter as Jamie was at evading pursuit. She wasn't gaining, either; they were perfectly paired. And they'd run their Gewehr trackers ragged.

"Ya gotta feel sorry for that guy," Weed smirked, as he watched Marcus trying to keep up; Marcus was having about as much trouble following Jamie as the two hoods were. No, he was giving up and heading for the hotel. (Maybe he had more sense than they did.) "Well, she'll get still soon enough. Let's see what the inn is like and figger out what to set up for tonight." They broke off the surveillance and headed for the inn themselves, still completely oblivious to their own watcher.

[EDIT: Retconned following Adam's clarification. Nothing important changes.]
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Blackmail
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Re: Rinkaiel

Post by Blackmail »

Finally! Zander would have breathed a sigh of relief but for fear of being discovered. Not that he had to worry too much; the two Gewehr really didn't seem all that competent. Damn fire escapes. Children really shouldn't be on the roof. He would have to be sure to be even more alert now. A child had gotten the jump on him. Some experienced assassin he was.

Now that that was over with he resumed trailing the thugs. With any luck he'd be able to catch them in a secluded area and do away with them both right now. If not, he could figure out where they were going to strike and lie in wait for them until nightfall, or he could even follow them back to where they were staying and be done with them there. That was slightly risky, as there could be more Gewehr there. Zander figured he would at least see where they were staying and assess the situation. If it was too risky he could go back to wait at the inn. But as long as he played his cards right, taking them down shouldn't be much of a challenge.
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4uk4ata
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Re: Rinkaiel

Post by 4uk4ata »

"Okay, I got the message. I'm here to give you 'help', but first, will you please tell me what the hell is going on here?"


I raise an eyebrow before turning towards her. That woman could move as silently as a mountain cat, even walking as briskly as she was. I say "Here we go, ma'am, mind the steps" fairly loudly - though I don't expect anyone to listen, but you never know. I beckon Sharo to stay around, then wait for Layla to enter and close the door after I go in as well. It is cooler in there, and the large presses are covered with deep shadows. I look at them for a second. Can I actually trust that woman? All matter of strange occurences have been going on around here, and it has certainly picked up after she showed up. On the other hand, I was asked to mind this place as a favor, and when I say I do something I try to do it right. It looks like I might really need some help with that... I mutter for a moment, as low as I can "Luminosita, please let me be right about this woman" before addressing her.

"I don't know about help, but there is a mouthful I think I should tell you. There's an awful lot of hush-hush about this place, it's just... not right." I say with a helpless grimace. "When I came here I was told I would pretty much only mind the yard from the occasional small animal or unruly child. Well, Sharo has a sharp nose, and my eyes and ears aren't that bad either - and we can tell you there's been someone coming and going late at night, too quiet-like ot be a local kid. Nothing's been missing, Vikor and Sarya didn't say anything... the first time I thought I was hearing things. Owners haven't been here since my first week, and those folk aren't here half the time either," I frown; I am not completely certain about that myself. They don't show up often openly, sure enough.

"Then you come, Vikor shows up, and when I told him someone wanted to buy this place he looked like I told him St. Bernub the Angry was asking about him. Next thing - I go to mend a fence and some vile witchcraft" I spit on the floor" - sorry - almost killed me.Turns out there was a strange stone underneath - I gave to your mother to take a look at, dunno if she told you about it. A lot's been happening today, since you came here. I don't know if you're actually only planning to buy this place, but I guess you'll be getting more than a half-abandoned winery."

What I did not add, but I can't help thinking, was "and I think you might have known that before you came here."
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