The Princes of Duvallis (IC)

[Destro_Yersul]

"That's the idea, aye." The dwarf said. "Only the best for my customers. What's your name, by the way? I'm Antonio."

[Artemis97]

"My name is Alyna." She introduces herself between bites. "Alyna Xar'Cha." The drowess extends a hand. "It's nice to meet you, Antonio."

[Destro_Yersul]

"Likewise. I must say, I've not seen many like you before. Did you only recently come here?"

[Artemis97]

Alyna nods. "Yes, I've only been here a day or two. Do drow really not come up this way often? I know there are travel restrictions, but I found it easy enough to come to the middle city. Of course, I have a legitimate reason to be here, as an entertainer. I imagine it's harder for my kind to get travel documents." She shrugs and then grins at the dwarf. "I be you've been here a long time, though."

[Destro_Yersul]

"Middle city's relatively easy, I'd say, 'specially if you've a trade of some sort. Try getting to the upper levels, though, and you might have a harder time of it. It's hard enough for dwarves." He pointed upwards, towards the part of the city where the high elves lived. "Down here, though, it's fine. I've been around long enough to know who to avoid anyways. Couple of years, I'd say. Moved out from the mountains not long ago."

[Artemis97]

"Who to avoid?" Alyna echoes. "Anything I should know?" Why he left the mountains may have been a politer question, but information about the city was more pressing, in the drowess' eyes.

[Destro_Yersul]

"Mostly the nobility. Except for Count von Bloch, they'll not give us the time of day, no matter how much money they've borrowed from the banking clans. The Count's alright, he comes down here fairly often. Once you've been in the city for long enough, you'll recognise him on sight. Damn huge, even for a human."

[Artemis97]

"I think I may have run into him earlier today, quite literally." She'd even tried to pick his pocket, but Alyna wasn't about to tell Antonio that. "Don't the nobility like you dwarves? You bring enough gold and trade with you into the city. What brought you to the city, by the way?"

[Destro_Yersul]

"Well, you'd think they would, but no. They borrow our gold, they tax our commerce, but that doesn't mean they have to like us. It's not that it's bad here, it's just..." he shrugged. "In the mountains, for the clans, family is everything. Everyone out here is so much more concerned with the individual, with themselves. All the scheming and backstabbing, within families even, it doesn't make sense to me. I came here to improve my trade, learn a little more about the world beyond my home. I'm trying to earn enough to upgrade my business, move beyond one stall in one market, you know?"

[Artemis97]

"Hmm... sounds like home to me. Plenty of scheming and backstabbing in my family. Part of the reason I left. Thought I could make my fortune without them. So far, I'm doing alright. And thanks to your kindness, I won't starve today." Alyna grins, showing she's joking. Mostly. "I do wish you luck, and if you ever need a musician, look me up. I play most nights at an inn in the undercity, but I spend my days up here, if I can. Better opportunity for tips." She wouldn't be hard to find. There couldn't be that many drow flutists in the city.

[Destro_Yersul]

"Well, I can't say I'm especially likely to need one in the near future, but if I do I'll remember you. For now, though, I should get back to my customers." He looked over his shoulder, where one or two people were waiting near his stall, and quickly bustled off, shouting that he'd be with them in a moment.

Once again, Alyna was free for the moment, though there was that matter of the courier that she'd have to go deal with later.

[Artemis97]

Alyna will play for a little while longer, before collecting her tips for the afternoon. She'll grab her things and head back to the dress shop before it gets too late in the day. Hopefully her dress would be finished by now.

[Destro_Yersul]

Alyna found Mrs. Brodeur in her shop, pincushion in hand, removing a number of pins from the green dress she's picked out earlier.

"Right on time, dearie," the woman said, sticking a pin into the cushion. "I've just finished up your adjustments. Would you like to try it on? Come over here, by the mirrors."

[Artemis97]

Alyna sets her things down by the door and steps over to the mirrors. Still with her chainmail on, she'll try on the dress and see how well it looked. Mostly, she wanted to make sure it covered the chainmail.

[Destro_Yersul]

The dressmaker flitted about Alynna, checking to make sure everything fit right. The dress looked good - perhaps a little larger than usual, but then, it was concealing her armour. It might not stand up to heavy scrutiny, but at a passing glance nobody would even know the chainmail was there.

"That looks alright. What do you think?"

[Artemis97]

"It will do nicely, I think." It wasn't exactly spider silk like she could get in the Underdark, but it was nice enough. Also, it concealed her chainmail, which was the ultimate goal, though it made her look a bit bigger than she would have liked. Almost human proportions instead of a lithe elven figure. That made Alyna frown for a moment as she turned, looking in the mirror. Ah well, nothing to do about it now. "I'll take it." She decides.

She'll hash out the price with Mrs. Brodeur, possibly trying to haggle a bit, before leaving and heading for the upper city.

[Destro_Yersul]

Alyna managed to get the price down a little, saying she'd mention the shop to her friends and if anyone asked and so on, resulting in the dressmaker knocking a couple gold coins off the final price. After paying her the twenty-three remaining, the drow left the shop.

As she approached the streets leading to the upper city, she noticed an increased guard presence. The higher up you went, it seemed, the more of them there were. The dress might have made her proportions more human, but it wouldn't do anything for the colour of her skin. Before she could go to the upper city, she'd have to get past the gate.

[Artemis97]

Alyna moved through the streets with confidence, certain her new facade would protect her from most scrutiny. As she approached the gate, she readied her papers for inspection, expecting to be questioned most thoroughly.

[Destro_Yersul]

Alyna was not to be disappointed. The guard at the gates took her papers, looked at them, back at her, and then started asking questions. What was she going to upper city for? Did she have business there? Family? Some other reason for travelling? A few others passed by while she was being questioned, and she got the impression that part of the reason they were being so thorough was that she was Drow. Most of those who were going up top were human, at least as far as she could see, and none of them recieved anywhere near as much scrutiny.

[Artemis97]

Alyna replies that she has business in the upper city, to play the flute. "I can give you a preview of the show if you like." She offers, but doesn't yet reach for her flute in her bag. No need to make the guards nervous. Hopefuly a quick song would cement her identity.

[Destro_Yersul]

"Oh, entertainer." The guard sighed, as if that explained everything. "And me on duty and everything. Suppose you'd best get going, then. I wouldn't want to be the one to answer to them as hired you."

He was of course, correct, though perhaps not in the manner he thought he was.

[Artemis97]

"No, you would not," Alyna agrees, stepping past the gate and into the upper city. From there she'll search out where the council chambers were.