Rinkaiel

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AdamZero
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Re: Rinkaiel

Post by AdamZero »

(Marcus isn't following the girls everybody, just FYI)

I sighed as I exited the bath, drawing the towel tighter around my waist as I dried my shoulders off. My hair was better off air-dried, and I headed over to a pair of large glass paned doors leading to a narrow balcony. The doors slide to the sides and I stepped into the fresh sea air. I took a long breath as I looked out over the port. I was almost in a sort of calming trance when a black envelope appeared in front on me. I snatched it, read it, and smiled, turning back into the room and closing the doors behind me.

I had a job to do.

---

A few minutes later I was dressed with my staff out, I tossed Aiyee the keys as I exited the building, turning down a road, then an alley way, heading deeper into the city, heading for the seedier, lower income districts. I wasn't too surprised to find I had a job here. Ports are full of strife and conflict, much like any gathering place. But the convenience of a large body of water to dispose bodies into leads to a few more deaths than in landlocked areas.
"Now he's gone too far. NOONE ATTACKS AMERICA'S FOOD COURTS!" -Deadpool.
"Don't be so naive. I've got ulterior motives. MANY. Two, maybe three. Probably Four. I am one BIG ulterior motive." The Great Teacher, Onizuka Eikichi.
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Graybeard
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Re: Rinkaiel

Post by Graybeard »

The inn looked standard enough. Security didn't seem too tight; at least Fritz and Weed had no trouble stealing a couple of bellhop uniforms. Those would come in handy later. As the Gewehr hoods left the building and headed back for the flat, they noticed Marcus going off on whatever errand he was doing. Fritz guffawed to Weed, "Damn, is he gonna get a surprise tonight...," not realizing that they were being overheard.

---------

St. Bernub the Angry? Layla thought. I'll be the first to admit that I didn't pay much attention the few times I went to church as a kid, but I'd think I'd remember that one. Well, best to play along. "Thanks for the warning," she said neutrally, albeit flashing a smile that she'd been told (quite accurately) was enough to get a typical male's undivided attention. "We'll be sure to give the place a good going-over before taking possession. Now let's take a look at the winepress."

Truthfully, there wasn't much to look at. It was a typical old-style press, of the ancient and still common "basket" design. She'd seen many like it. She clucked disapprovingly at the mechanism; it hadn't been kept clean at all, it was a wonder that anything remotely potable could come of the grapes processed here. She'd have to teach Kalin the importance of keeping the thing clean and in top operating condition. If idiots like Amos and Lefty had been able to run and maintain a press back in Kiyoka, as part of their cover, this itinerant Veracian really shouldn't have trouble picking it up.

She was about to go back to the house when something caught her eye. "What's that?"

There, in the bottom of the basket, was another stone, of exactly the same size and shape as Kalin had shown Faye earlier.
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Blackmail
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Re: Rinkaiel

Post by Blackmail »

Zander wondered what the thug meant by that comment. Perhaps they were going to go after Jamie's comrade (he didn't know his name). He didn't get any concrete details but at least he'd seen them steal uniforms. He'd be able to identify them more easily. But he didn't know their exact plan. He contemplated following them back to wherever they were going, but it probably wouldn't help him in the long run. At this point, it would probably be a good idea to contact Jamie herself and alert her to the threat. Sure he was protecting her, but it would be stupid to allow her and her comrades to go about their business unawares. They'd be more able to defend themselves if they knew what was going on. As far as he knew the Eisenfaust agent hadn't specified that he couldn't reveal himself to Jamie, so he would make that his next priority.

But he would wait here for her. Judging from what he'd seen earlier, she wasn't the easiest person to catch up to. She was probably trying to lead the other woman in circles, so he would wait until they'd finished running around and go down to them then. Slipping over the rooftops, he headed for a high perch within the area that he could watch her from.
Signatures are overrated.
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Sareth
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Re: Rinkaiel

Post by Sareth »

I dusted ash from myself, swearing as i kept running. I was sure that climbing a chimney from the inside would have thrown mother off, but somehow it hadn't worked one bit. Damn that woman was persistent!

Still, I figured I had a good trick up my sleeve. If I could make it back down to the dock areas I could dive into the water and swim for it. I was pretty good at holding my breath, so I could come up in tons of hidden places, sneak up an anchor chain or piling, all sorts of options. There was no way she could ever

*CLICK!*

I felt a bracelet suddenly lock around my ankle, magically adjusting to fit.

"MOTHER! HOW DID YOU..."

"We ran through here earlier. That alley makes three right turns, but has no side branches. So when you ran in, I just cut the corner on the main street."

"Take it off!"

"And have you disappear on me again?" Mother smiled beatifically at me. "Not a chance. Now, come on back to the inn I saw Marcus entering back about five miles ago. It's probably feeding time for Nera."

"Moooooooooooom!"

"Don't make me put you over my knee, young lady."

"Yes mom..."
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4uk4ata
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Re: Rinkaiel

Post by 4uk4ata »

I raise an eyebrow as the woman thanks me calmly. I think I just told her that her supposed purchase is a hotbed of the unknown, dangerous, and probably illegal, and she basically told me she'd have that in mind. Did I miss something, or did she?

Well, it is her skin - and so far she is proving to be more than meets the eye. I show Layla around and explain as much as I can from the mechanisms. She appears to know quite a bit about them already - heck, more than I do. She seems unimpressed, and I can't say I am surprised - from what little I have seen, the machinery can be in a better shape. I wonder when was the last time this place has seen some real maintenance.

When she asks me about something I look around calmly, but as I see the familiar symbols I can feel my heart go in my throat. "Luminosita preserve" I exclaim as I instinctively jump back and pull her. Her muscles tense as my hand catches her shoulder, then her other hand catches mine... and it is only by force of will that she refrains from doing something, probably "something" I would not appreciate. The look she gives me is one of confusion and anger, and I answer the unspoken question with a raspy voice. "This thing is the same as the one that I found near that witch-trap!"

Unlike it, however, this one hasn't done anything to us for now. After a few tense moments, I look at it again, not yet going any closer. "Eh... do you know what this is, exactly?"
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Graybeard
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Re: Rinkaiel

Post by Graybeard »

"Eh... do you know what this is, exactly?"

Am I getting old and slow, is motherhood making me soft, or did I just give the guy a break? Layla wondered to herself. The strange little man didn't know how close he'd come to losing the hand he'd put on her shoulder. You just did not make surprising, uninvited contact with a Wraith. She wasn't traveling as tooled up on this trip as if she'd been on an actual "job," but there was still a very sharp edge plenty close at hand, so to speak, for her to have made sure he never made that mistake again.

On reflection, however, she decided she'd sensed a real concern in the man -- a rare enough thing for a Wraith interacting outside the very limited brotherhood (and sisterhood) of the Gewehr -- and instinctively held back. Good. It wouldn't do to maim the hired help, and besides, both Kalin's fear and his concern for her well-being were palpable enough. It looked best to take the gesture as genuine and meet it half way, but he could still use a warning.

"Just a tip: be a little more careful about your hands," she said, more calmly than she felt. "People in my line of work get ... jumpy, particularly when they're short on sleep from being up in the middle of the night with a baby." (Zachary, of course, had slept peacefully through the airship ride as usual, but Kalin didn't need to know that.) "Anyway, no, I don't know what this is. I've seen something similar recently, and I didn't know what that was either, except that the man who owned it really didn't want me messing with the thing, and I wasn't going to push it. They both look Tsuirakuan to me, but I'm not an expert on Tsuirakuan gadgetry. Do you have any idea how it got there?"

----------

Jasmine smiled beatifically again. "Now that we've got that all worked out, let's have some lunch." She'd noticed a cart along the beachfront that promised "interesting" cuisine. She wasn't quite sure what that meant, but neither of the people she'd seen getting something there had instantly expired in agony, which put it a step ahead of some other "interesting" food she'd had. She started to steer Jamie (and Nera) toward the stand, a smug look on her face.

And stopped short just before she got to the cart. "By the way, did you realize you're being watched?"
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AdamZero
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Re: Rinkaiel

Post by AdamZero »

The men were standing in front of a cellar door, in an alley between two older building, a black envelope sticking out of the clenched fist of one of them. He was younger and a talisman with the mark of Luminesita(sp) was hanging from his neck. He wasn't wearing any sort of religious garb but his clothes were humble. The other man was much older, but greatly resembled the younger. A father or grandfather most likely.

"...but this isn't right!" He said, as the older tried to reclaim the letter. "Calling on... devil summoners and witch whores!" I rolled my eyes as I walked up to them.

"The Nine employ no devils or demons, and prostitutes are not limited to female spell crafters." My cloak's hood was raised over my head. A little Grey in my voice gave my voice a wicked rasp. "Mr. Deitrix, I presume?" He nodded, not asking for my name. "Anything you withheld from the letter? There will be a increase in payment due if I enter into dark without the proper mindset."

The older man paused, the younger looking at me with shock, trying to find the words to say to me.

"The man used a silver dagger. It made the wounds that killed her, and she used it to kill him." I nodded.

"Do you bear any scars from it?" I asked, and the old man nodded, unbuttoning his shirt and exposing an old scar near his abdomen. The sort that would take a long time to kill, unless it was a child. I touched the scar and felt a pulse. Then a second, then a thir-fourth? Ah, the fourth was cutting the third short.

"Thank you sir. She shall find peace. He shall know judgement." I stated simply and walked over to the cellar doors. With my staff I knocked one of the doors open. I turned to the men addressing both. "Close the doors behind me and see they stay shut. Twice, thrice, and once again shall be the code for my release." The old man nodded and I observed the threshold. It had been a while since I ventured between the folds and into the deeper grey. I inhaled and exhaled, breathing deeply and steading myself.

"Stop." The young man had found his voice. Good, I was hoping to deal with him now, not in there. "This is blasphemy."
"Against a god that has existed for hundreds of years?" I laughed.
"Against the god of all time!" The usual response.
"There is no god of time, and yours is no god of death. He may receive the souls of the devout and the baptized, but death carries all to him and others. I serve a force beyond gods." The man laughed.
"There is nothing beyond my God." I shook my head at this.

"I'll have no more words with you. Interfere and your life is forfeit." Both men seemed shocked at this. I turned to older man and from the shadows of my cloak Boris's skull glared at him. "Such is the contract you have entered. Now heed my command and do not interfere. More than lives are at stake here.

I stepped down and as soon as my head was clear, the square of light I stood in vanished. The slam of the door shook through the darkness, and I slid into the grey.

----
(Making a New thread for 'Grey Ventures' I'm still in Rinkaiel, but I'm on a sort of between places. Not like a Runner, but not in tangible space.)
"Now he's gone too far. NOONE ATTACKS AMERICA'S FOOD COURTS!" -Deadpool.
"Don't be so naive. I've got ulterior motives. MANY. Two, maybe three. Probably Four. I am one BIG ulterior motive." The Great Teacher, Onizuka Eikichi.
4uk4ata
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Re: Rinkaiel

Post by 4uk4ata »

Her line of work, eh? A wine merchant who has recently become a mother can be jumpy, alright, but not that dangerous - and I could sense something from that woman that I definitely hadn't felt in a while. Could she be the "bear" Sharo was talking about? It was a bit dark in here, but now that I come to think of it there were some angles around her clothing that were rather... strange. Was she security of some sort?

I didn't bother hiding my momentary confusion. Well, she does not look like just an ordinary wine merchant, that is for sure. She appears knowledgeable enough about it, though. I am pretty sure she was planning to run this place, but she most likely had some other purpose in mind as well... I wonder just what it is. This whole thing was almost like a riddle of some sort. How do you call it when Luminosita presents such things before you? A sign.

"I... apologize. I told you what happened the last time I saw such a thing, so I was...startled." Scared, more like, but she probably knew. Or did not have to know, anyway. I wonder how close the one she saw was to this - I did not touch the one under the fence... or did I? Maybe you just have to be close enough. Maybe not. Tsuirakuan. Figures, I guess. I doubt even those b.....ds would sell such... charms so lightly, at least above the counter. It could be this place was used for smuggling, but these kill-charms seemed to work only once and were probably quite expensive. Setting several around the place would be a very costly thing to do. Now that I think about it, I heard rumors that someone working here had died mysteriously a few months back; people in the village said it could be the ghost of... whoever it was, Koulle or some such. It might be due to something such as this. In that case, it appeared whoever was doing something such was willing to pay a lot for their privacy.

"Tsuirakuan? Luminosita preserve. I've seen some things of their make around, but small things. This one, 'm fairly sure it wasn't here the day before yesterday. I didn't put it, it was probably Vikor. I doubt someone else could walk around without either of us noticing." Actually, I was starting to get paranoid. Normally people don't walk around without me noticing, and the last few days had been a significant exception to this rule. "Maybe Sarya."

I stood up, hearing footsteps. Soon after, I heard Sharo's shuffle to somewhere. No barking - so someone he knows. "Wonder if that's her now"
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AdamZero
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Re: Rinkaiel

Post by AdamZero »

I picked up the skull and examined the spirit. It was hollow, totally hollow. I sighed and hid it in the folds of my cloak, moving toward the stairs and ascending them. Striking twice, thrice, and once again. There was a pause then the sound of chains. Daylight struck me and I walked back up into the alley.

"That's it?" The young man asked, while the old man simply said. "She's free?"

"Aye." I answered them both. "It was as you said, a mordicant, a killer's form revealed." The old man blinked in confusion and I smiled. "There will be no additional fees beyond those preset." The old man nodded, running into his home to fetch the fee. The young man looked me over. My hood was down and I wasn't much younger than he was, as far as time went.

"What happened down there?" The man asked, not thinking of anything else to say.

"I aided you grandmother in defeating her killer. I freed the phantoms of his victims. I removed the stain of his actions from your dwelling's foundation." All true, and all more than he really needed to know. 'my job' was the standard answer for this particular question. The older man returned and I was already walking toward him. I took the pouch and tested it's weight. Exactly as it should be. "We have fulfilled our terms. Business is concluded. Live well and die in peace." I stated as I began walking through the streets back toward the inn. Boris held onto my pay pouch, his fingers forming a cage around it.

I came out near a vendor of sorts, and smiled as I walked toward it, feeling famished. I bumped into someone, and turned to apologize when I saw a familar face, then two, then three. Jamie, holding Nera, was standing behind Jasmine, whom I bumped into.

"Oh... hey gals? Have a good chase?" I asked.
"Now he's gone too far. NOONE ATTACKS AMERICA'S FOOD COURTS!" -Deadpool.
"Don't be so naive. I've got ulterior motives. MANY. Two, maybe three. Probably Four. I am one BIG ulterior motive." The Great Teacher, Onizuka Eikichi.
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Graybeard
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Re: Rinkaiel

Post by Graybeard »

[OOC: Adam, if Sareth doesn't respond on JJ's behalf soon (I know he's both busy and under the weather), I will, but there are other things happening in game time before Marcus makes it back to them, so let's let Zander and the food-wagon operator have their chance to say something. So back to Layla:]

One thing sure, Layla thought: the man might be "eccentric" (to put it mildly), but his fear of the innocuous-looking Tsuirakuan artifact was genuine enough. He'd also been around here a lot longer than she had, knew his way around the decaying vineyard. That meant that he might also be right.

She went over to the wall where a long-handled net was hanging on a hook. Presumably it was used for skimming debris out of the press. "Okay, let's see what we can do with this thing." She took the net, reached into the basket of the press, caught the stone-like object with a deft flip of a wrist.

Like many girls of Kugelheim, Layla had played a great deal of lacrosse during her childhood. It was good exercise, the townsfolk didn't have the hangups about letting girls compete that existed in some less -- enlightened corners of Farrel, and of course, it helped develop hand/eye coordination that was useful for some ... other ... activities. Now she took the net and stone through the door, passing the dog and a middle-aged woman coming in -- Sarya? -- without a word; there'd be time to talk later (unless, as a result of what happened next, the woman's time had run out...). A flick of the net, and she sent the stone flying into one of the fields of grapevines, where it landed at the base of a vine.

A vine that, before her very eyes, withered from a healthy, grape-bearing specimen to a dry, dead stick.

"You've made your point," she said to Kalin (and Sharo), who'd come up behind her. "Now what?"
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Because old is wise, does good, and above all, kicks ass.
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