The Crimson Echo IC

[PiccadillyPi]

Silas

With the door firmly locked behind him, and key in hand, he made haste, moving right past the laughing man while waving the three friendly folk over his way.

'If you touch my house, expect a bill!'

He knew his neighbourhood well, having had to duck and dodge nasty fellows and overly-attached clients in the past. The plan was to turn down several streets in an irregular pattern. Until he could be certain they lost the thugs, Silas kept moving, slowing his pace only for Trinia. The thugs were in heavy armor, so the chase was unlikely to last long in his mind.

He only hoped Dalen stayed close (and his house remained untouched).

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Double move action heading north of his position, going though alleyways to lose the thugs. He'll break into a run from this point.

[Steveodore]

Miz frowned at the laughing man's ominous words. It seemed like this wasn't run-of-the-mill guard business after all. It would have been nice if Silas was just helping a criminal with a pretty face.

Unfortunate there was no time to ruminate about unknowns, it was time to run. Maybe Silas would share some details later when guards weren't on their heels.

Spoiler

Show

Double move to follow along with Silas.

[Inspectre]

Trinia nods, accepting Dalen's gift in one hand but not making use of it just yet.
It's clear that the girl did not want to get separated from your group, whether that was by riding ahead on a mount nor falling behind in a foot chase.
Fortunately, Trinia was not weighed down by armor like the guards, and she seemed quite light on her feet as she spun and followed Silas down another side alley past Malder's laughing form.
Miz follows the two of them, and an invisible Dalen at a distance, ready to summon an illusion to mislead any pursuit.
That part turns out to be unnecessary - Malder is still down, and by the time the guard who shot at Dalen reaches him the party was already past the next intersection and out of sight.

Meanwhile on the other side of Silas's house, Aliani continues to confront the two angry guards while backpedaling away.
The guard who had been enthralled with his words a moment ago scowls at his threat, growling a threat of his own in reply.

"Oh, I know *exactly who you are - and don't think your name won't figure prominently in my report, Mr. Rose!"

Something about the way the man said report suggests that this won't be for the benefit of the guard, either.
Whatever was going on here, Aliani had made yet another powerful enemy.
And possibly a new friend as well, as Silas's neighbor waves after him while calling "I'm a huge fan!"

With the woman as a witness and more guards on the way, however, that threat was the only thing hurled in Aliani's direction as the resilient guard drags his previously enthralled and now very angry comrade back towards the wagon. Aliani sees them, the third guard, and Malder pile back onto the wagon and take off before he disappears down a side alley, just before no less than half a dozen men in heavy polished armor come stomping into sight around the corner of the next street down. Hopefully Silas's neighbor was willing to explain what had happened here, as at this point none of the people directly involved in the conflict were anywhere nearby to be found now.

The next hour was nerve-wracking, as any patrol of guards carried the threat of being part of this conspiracy and so needed to be avoided. And at one point, Dalen thought he saw the city guard wagon rolling past a couple streets further down, but they seemed more in a hurry to get out of South Shore than hunt for the group so again his talents were not required. Eventually though, the group found themselves back out in front of the Kendall Ampitheater, all of them unharmed but everyone a bit winded from running down back alleys and watching over one shoulder for the past hour. The stone structure is completely dark now, although there are likely a couple of guards inside to make sure no one sneaks inside and endangers themselves climbing around on the stage. In another handful of hours it would be dawn, although that was hardly a comforting thought given what the following night would bring. And while the chaos that was about to engulf the city might make it easier to hide Trinia, you still needed a safe place for her to stay. And evidently, whoever wanted her gone had both criminals and corrupt guardsmen at their beck and call, and who knows what else. The burning question was - what had this young woman done to piss this powerful person off so badly!?

[PiccadillyPi]

Silas

Panting, Silas chuffed at their escape.

'I think we are well away from pursuit. For now, at least.'

Although their time was short for celebrations, the tiger turned to Trinia and charged her with open arms. He lifted her up for a moment with his embrace. Afterward, he placed a hand on his hip and looked at her.

'It's good that you're safe, child.'

Pausing...

Sighing...

'Miz, I do hope you did not sully my bathroom ... again.'

There were other things to be concerned about, but this horned fellow couldn't see the forest for the trees. His prophetic dream had lead him to this point, surrounded by otherwise unfamiliar faces. Having others to depend upon through this experience allowed him to relax more than he would have alone. On top of that, his three successful escapes in a single day really perked up his mood. It was like its own sort of high - one that he could get used to. Silas looked around at the two he had met at the after-party, Aliani Rose and Dalen Rittle. Having the moment to collect his thoughts, he nodded to them in appreciation for their assistance. It would have been a very different encounter without them, that he was certain.

[Darvin]

Dalen crosses his hands between his back and closes his eyes in the moment of calm, then proceeds to speak, "so then, it seems each of us has some piece of a larger puzzle. I doubt we have a complete picture between us, but perhaps we have enough to at least make sense of this. So, first things first: Miss Sabor, do you know, or have any inkling, of why you seem to be so sought after?"

[Steveodore]

Miz was crouched down and periodically peered around for signs of trouble. She wasn't expecting their pursuers to find them but best not to get to comfortable until she could take shelter indoors. At Silas' words Miz quirked a lip.

"Well then what else is a bathroom good for?"

She was content to keep quiet for the moment while this group sorted out the deal with this Trinia girl. She would need a moment with Silas soon though to query him about anything he knew about Dandelion.

[Inspectre]

Trinia squeaked in surprise as Silas picked her up off the ground, but she laughed a moment later after the shock faded.

"Thank you for keeping me safe - again - all of you!"

She said, looking at each member of the group in turn.
Her grin falters at Dalen's question however, as she shakes her head.

"No, I'm just a painter, and a part-time comedian to pay the bills. I don't know why anyone would - oh."

Trinia's faltering smile changes to an outright frown as she clearly thinks of something. After a moment, she sighs.

"I'm not supposed to talk about this, but well . . . I got hired to do a painting a couple of months ago. By the king himself. I was instructed not to tell anyone about it - I guess because with his reputation, they thought it would cause a scandal as everyone thought I was there for something else besides painting."

Trinia shakes her head as she blushes a bit, and then she continues.

"Anyway, painting is all that I really did at the castle. I'm not sure why King Eodred wanted me to do this painting though - I mean, he wanted me to make him a painting of some stone bench in his castle garden. It was kind of embarrassing being asked to do such a simple painting, and I thought maybe I really was there for that something else . . . but no, he was really insistent that I paint this garden stone bench for him. Really important to him that it was just right too, as he kept asking me to start over - brighter, more shade over there, no that bench is not grey enough! There was a point when I was going to tell him he could just paint the damn bench himself, but then I thought, well, y'know . . . king and all, could have me locked up in some hole where nobody would ever see me again. And he *was* paying me a lot for this simple painting."

Trinia closes her eyes and shakes her head at the memory of this bizarre and frustrating commission.

"Anyway, I was finally getting to the point of making progress, and I was almost done when Eodred . . . well, he got sick. And since he was there watching me paint every time I was in the castle, I couldn't finish it. I hate leaving work unfinished, but . . ."

Trinia gives a helpless shrug.

"That was several weeks ago, though, when the king first got sick. So even if they were wanting to kidnap me to somehow use me to gain access to the castle, they'd be out of luck because I'm not going there anymore. I honestly can't think of any other reason why anyone would come after me besides that though, it's the only thing that makes sense. You don't think . . . maybe the King did complete my painting after all, and now wants me gone so nobody knows I painted it instead of him!?"

That idea was completely absurd, no matter how excited Trinia briefly became about it, but it seemed likely her trouble had something to do with this commission King Eodred had hired her for. What this conspiracy hoped to gain from kidnapping her, however, was very much unclear. It does lend more credence to the idea that King Eodred had not fallen to illness, however, but an assassination attempt - that would succeed in a matter of hours.

[Stelio Kontos]

Four wardrobe changes and three disguise changes later (seriously, who writes this stuff?), Aliani arrived on scene, as himself, just as Trinia began speaking. He listened, hands doubled over on his knees, trying to catch his breath. It wasn't entirely clear if he was nodding along to what she was saying, or merely trying to avoid passing out.

"Right.... I think introductions are in order -- Dalen? Miss Sabor, you probably don't remember me but we used to be neighbors a few years ago." He extended both arms in what evolved into an offer of ab overly formal two-handed handshake.

"At any rate... there's no other way to say this, I don't think. I believe you're wanted for the king's murder."

[Darvin]

Dalen sits back, trying to piece things together. Most of it is wild conjecture that he pushes out of his mind. There were plenty of parables of diviners who jumped to conclusions based on stronger information than this, only to be proven ruinously wrong. That Trinia will be accused of the King's murder seems a forgone conclusion at this point. However, much is left uncertain. For instance, whether the king has yet died is an open question. That would cast the attempts to apprehend Trinia in a very different light. Dalen is broken from his thoughts by Aliani's move for introductions.

"Quite right," Dalen responds, "my name is Dalen Rittle, purveyor of arcane services. And, like at least half the people here tonight," he pulls the harrow card out from his pocket, carefully observing for reactions of Trinia and Miz, "connected by some unseen thread of fate to the criminal Gaedren Lamm and his own impending karmic retribution. Lamm is in possession of a precious brooch that was stolen from the Queen, which we will recover, and in doing so tie our own fates to this growing knot surrounding the death of the king,"

Dalen closes his eyes and shakes his head; any more than this would be far too speculative, "we need a better vantage on this, I think everyone present will agree,"

[PiccadillyPi]

Silas

'Quite.'

Silas folded his arms behind himself and looked up at the sky. The moon was not even at a quarter full, and the stars were heavily obscured by clouds. With the king dead, there'd be rioting in the streets likely. Chaos before order et al. He hoped for rain if it might help calm the people of this city. It'd be easier to avoid detection, too.

Turning his attention back to the group, he motioned a thumb toward the rat amoung them.

'This is Miz. She's a pest, but she's well-off as company. By now, my name should be known city-wide. Unfortunately.'

The tiefling scratched his brow before resting a hand on his hip. He worried of Gaedren's involvement as it meant Vjala might be targeted by his new comrades. He had to come clean by the time they found shelter.

'For now, we should find a place to lay low. Know any good spots, Miz?'

[Inspectre]

"Of course I remember you - who could forget living right next to Aliani Rose!?"

Trinia gushes, although when Aliani explains what she was about to be accused of, the comedian-painter simply stares at him as if he had just confessed *he* had killed Eodred, with his bare hands, because he was in fact the product of a union between Jakthion Korvosa, the city's founder, and a dragon, and wanted to take over ruling the city.

"Wait, what!? WHY!? The king's not even dead yet, he's just sick! Why would anyone think he's been murdered, let alone by me! I haven't seen him in weeks!"

As Dalen considers, the king may or may not be dead yet at this very moment. But certainly the news of it wouldn't become public knowledge until tomorrow night. Which in turn suggests that the guards showing up to "arrest" her were not acting in official capacity but instead as part of some sort of conspiracy related to Eodred's murder. Why they wanted to make Trinia disappear was still unclear, although there is clearly more to this. Either the conspirators want to silence her because they fear she knows something, or they want to be able to produce her at a later date, possibly as a scapegoat to draw attention away from them. Their actions are also a clear divergence from the past timeline, as Trinia was left alone until the queen publicly outed her as Eodred's murder - but what prompted that divergence?

Introductions had to come first, though, and so Dalen produced his Harrow card, which Trinia peered at in confusion.

"Is . . . that a Harrow card? I've seen some Varisian fortune tellers use them - went to one once with a couple friends about a year ago . . . Zerrala's . . . Zerella . . . Zellara, maybe? Told me I was going to get a spot of good luck soon - I guess that was true, after a fashion. Haven't seen one of those cards since though."

Silas asks Miz if she knew of any good hiding places to lie low. There were plenty of such places beneath the city, but they required a willingness to abandon pretty much all creature comforts. And be quite willing to gouge the eyes out of any critter that looking to evict you from your chosen spot - or, depending on said critter, fast legs and a willingness to run away as fast as possible. While the Shingles were not a particularly pleasant place to live, they were a haven of sanctuary by comparison to Underside. Someone like Trinia might be able to survive down there with a little guidance and a lot of luck, but she would definitely stick out.

While pondering the problem from his end, and if anyone else he knew could be trusted, a dim memory bubbles up in Silas's mind, of being asked to go to Trinia's apartment in the first place. Who was it who had asked him to do that? . . . Vencarlo Orsini, that's who had asked him to go ensure that the poor girl didn't get lynched during the chaos of the riots - or was it just after that, when the city was settling down only to explode in violence again as the fact Eodred was murdered was revealed? Either way, perhaps it was time to return the favor this time around, and ask Vencarlo for a favor . . .

[Darvin]

"Yes, this card is from Zellaria Esmerelda. I see you're acquainted, although perhaps not in the same way that Aliani and I are," Dalen isn't particularly surprised to find another connection at this point, but it's not the one he was looking for so he stows the card, "in any case, suffice to say I have good reason to believe that you will stand accused of the king's murder. Whether he's dead or dying at this particular moment hardly matters from where we're standing,"

Dalen stops, his quickened mind racing against the possibilities, looking for a reason for the divergence. The differences he's observed so far: both he and Aliani seem to be in much better fortune. Zellaria has chosen at least one person differently. Trinia is being harassed in the days before the riots rather than after. And these were just the differences he'd observed in the span of a single day. Though he was loath to jump to conclusions, one possibility kept coming to his mind and eventually crossed his lips, just under his breath, "someone else remembers,"

[Steveodore]

Whe the one calling himself Dalen flashed the harrow card, it reminded her of the one she received, she'd nearly forgot about the thing. From the way he was talking it seemed that the lot had also received the same invitation she had, what were the chances they would all meet together as they had?

Miz narrowed her eyes at Silas' words. Pest was she?

"Maybe I've been too generous in the rates I've been chargin' you Silas."

When asked about possible places to hide and lay low, she supplied them with the best answer that came to mind. Living below in the vaults wasn't too dangerous provided you were familiar with said dangers. Maybe she was upselling the vaults too much though, having grown up there, she supposed topsiders would have difficulties adjusting to sewer living.

"Any case I've a "potion" here that can disguise your appearance for a short while. Might be useful for gettin' to where-ever you'll be hiding out."

She patted one of her pouches as she spoke.

[Darvin]

"Fair warning," Dalen raises his hand as the 'potion' is procured, "you'll light up like an incendiary to anyone looking for magic if you drink that. It could serve to attract the worst kind of scrutiny, if you're not careful,"

[Stelio Kontos]

"Miss Sabor, I'm certain I had the better end of the living arrangement, getting to live next to you" Aliani replied demurely, without a hint of patronization in his voice.

He nodded along at the mention of the cards, murmuring "yes, I got one of those too of course", mainly for the benefit of the new members of the group.

The mention of living arrangements brought a internal cringe. Yes, of course he was supposed to host these people. That much was clear, obvious even -- even without the not-so subtle hints of the memory-dream-visions. But did it have to be tonight? If the alternative was sleeping in the sewers, then it probably did. Maybe.

"You can stay at my place" he said, his lips making the initial decision for him, before his brain (and other parts) could overrule them. "I, um, kind of make it a point to maintain some secrecy about my daily living arrangements. If I didn't, I'd have people knocking on my door all day and peeking through the windows at night, I'd never get anything done." He took a deep breath, trying unsuccessfully to resolve the internal conflict. "I'd really prefer if we could do that starting tomorrow evening, I'm sure you'll all need time to pack and gather a few things, and besides I've got a couple of people waiting for me this evening" he said with a bit of a blush, "but... if there isn't any other option..."

[Darvin]

"Your residence isn't an option, Aliani," Dalen turns to him, looking him straight in the eye, "those guards know that Aliani Rose was present and interfering with the apprehension of Trinia Sabor. Your home is literally the first place they'll come looking,"

[Stelio Kontos]

"No, really. I mean, I never go in our out looking like me. I get all my important mail here, care of the production company. Landlady doesn't even know she's leasing it to me specifically. There's no reason to trace anything to me. Just about the only people that know I live there would number one, never ever tell anyone, and number two, they're leaving town tomorrow anyway. I guess there's that one other fellow from the guard that came tod-- oh."

That thought sobered him up quite quickly. "I'm going to have to move, aren't I?"

[PiccadillyPi]

Silas

He casually watched and listened to the group, ignoring Miz's lack of humour. He followed Aliani's word on moving with a chuckle.

'Why not move in with me?'

Suddenly, an uncomfortable ping rang through Silas' mind. It felt like an approaching hangover - familiar, yet always unwelcome. In the darkness of ideas was a dim light, like that of a candle. Silas didn't chase it, but instead it slowly approached. With each second the pain of its presence increased. Brighter and brighter it shone until it became so overwhelming that his mind burned.

Silas braced himself against a nearby wall and blinked more than a little to regain his senses. Recalling the previous morning, he realised the meaning of this feeling, and so he dug into the light, embracing it. From it he saw again another vision of a different life - a prelude to the start of this adventure.

'Vencarlo Orsini'

He spoke aloud for just those around him, interrupting their thoughts and conversations. From there he recalled the man properly. Without getting into too much detail, they knew one another personally. The tiefling readjusted himself upright.

'I remember... I have a few favours around this city I could call in, but Vencarlo, specifically, hired me before. I was to rescue a girl in a similar situation as the darling Ms. Sabor here, and to bring her to him. Perhaps he may be willing to help us here and now - even if it is a bit late in the night.'

[Steveodore]

Miz scratched her ears as the halfelf and the human talked back and forth. Alfani Rose.. she heard the name before, read it too come to think of it. That's right! He's that actor in all the pamphlets. The other one seemed to be a bit on the paranoid side but then apparently they had stumbled into possibly the biggest conspiracy Korvosa had seen in ages, which was no small thing.

She stood up from her crouched position and cleared her throat.

"Sorry to interrupt but I've got me own preoccupations if the Miss Saber isn't too keen on findin' a cozy hole in the vaults. So you know I've no doubt we'll be meeting tonight at this fortuneteller's place."

She said this while flashing her own harrow card before turning to look at Silas with a sigh.

"Sorry about being prickly but I've been a little short on good feelings since the start of my day. Didn't exactly want to share this with strangers but it seems like we'll be seeing more of each other regardless."

"Silas, I've been hunting for a dealer going by Dandy Leon but everyone calls em Dandelion. I know you're not to close with his sort these days but it's pretty important I get my hands on the worm. There's a new drug hittin' the city and got worder he's got the last batch for the next few days."

[PiccadillyPi]

Silas

The whore with a sword couldn't help but laugh at the mention of Dandy Leon.

'Mr. Rittle, you have wonderful fortune. We must go gambling together some time.'

[Inspectre]

Trinia looks back and forth helplessly from one member of the group to the next as multiple possible places to hide her are suggested.

"I'm sorry for putting you in danger, Mr. Rose. For putting all of you in danger. I'll trust your judgement on where I will be safe, but um, no offense to Miz but aren't there otyughs down in the Vaults? And . . . and derro and other dangerous things!?"

That was a typical topsider attitude to the sewers and "the Vaults", the network of ancient tunnels that stretched under Korvosa further below even the sewer network - an attitude that nobody down below minded much because it kept the topsiders out most of the time. Otyughs were admittedly sometimes a nuisance, but generally so long as they weren't starving and you didn't piss them off you weren't in much danger from them. Much more dangerous were the vermin like giant spiders and reefclaws who sometimes found their way into the sewer system and would attack anything that got too close. The wererats usually took care of those as a public service, although that didn't mean much for whoever was the first victim of the creatures before they were discovered. The derro though - that was good for a laugh. Miz had no idea who started the rumor of the Derro living down in the sewers, but it was a topsider myth. Maybe there really was a race of perpetually insane blue-skinned humanoids living deep down in the Vaults, that had a penchant for sneaking topside and kidnapping people, or maybe those people had just fallen afoul of Lord Korvosa's ghost or some other mythical figure. Either way, nobody except topsiders believed the derro were real, having never seen one or heard of anyone who had seen such things.

As for Vencarlo Orsini, Silas knew that he would be most likely found at his fencing school in Old Korvosa . . . which was the common name for the small island to the immediate north of the city that had been developed first before Korvosa expanded south and outward across the mainland. It was part of the city now, with numerous bridges and such across the narrow straight, but it was the north side of the city. You were still in the southern half of Korvosa, which would mean another several nerve wracking hours of travel through back alleys to get there, likely around dawn.

Mr. Rose's house, for all of its newly discovered drawbacks, might be the best place to hole up for the rest of the night as it was close-by. Of course, only Dalen knew about his own house, which had not been brought up yet but would probably be as safe as Aliani's, perhaps even a bit more as the guards don't seem to know about his yet. And there was also Zellara's, who was probably dead and a ghost by this point, although how she would feel about you all showing up a day early and with a friend in tow was hard to predict.

[Darvin]

"You mentioned Vencarlo Orsini, Silas?" Dalen raises his eyebrow, "I'm aware of him and his reputation. In the coming days I am unsure of our ability to look after Miss Sabor, and he has the resources to hide her better than we could anyways. It's a bit of journey, but this will be our last opportunity to make the trip under cover of night before chaos breaks loose on the streets,"

[Stelio Kontos]

"Listen, everyone... if you think my place is in danger, that's all the more reason I need to be there. It's late, I'm really tired, I have to do something else before I even GET home, and I have a really busy day tomorrow before we even ... well, you know. I'd rather not go skulking across town; I would like to meet Mr. Orisini but I'm sure showing up at his home at some ungodly hour is not the best introduction. I need to go home. If you think it's best you come along, you're welcome to."

He tried to fake his best smile, asking wistfully "I mean, I'm sure it'll work out whatever we decide... right? What's the worst that can happen, before tomorrow night?"

You could get killed by gangs delivering a note to Sergeant Saldado before you even get home. The sisters could be lying dead in your house from any number of violent people, or outside it, after they left because you didn't go home like you said you would. You could get thrown in jail for enspelling a member of the guard while on official duties, if he was somehow the real thing. A random thug could jam a knife in your gut. You could forget any of the million different meetings you set up tomorrow. They could all get killed because you weren't there to do anything about it. The whole city can burn down. Have I covered it, Milani?

[PiccadillyPi]

Silas

The dandy crossed arms in thought.

'Miz. You accompany Mr. Rose to his abode. If there's danger, you can help him. He might even give you a kiss.'

A wink to Aliani.

'Mr. Rittle, Ms. Sabor: We can make our way to Vencarlo's. You two should be able to rest there so long as I explain our situation.'

And to Miz specifically:

'Mr. Rittle sent little Leon elsewhere. We'll need that address. You may be able to catch him, but we haven't much for time. Important as it is, this may have to wait until the morn.

We can discuss this all night, but a new day is approaching. Shall we meet again at the call of the cards, or elsewhere and sooner?'

[Darvin]

"Yes, of course," Dalen pulls off another strip of paper and writes down the same address he sent Leon to, though frankly he's loath to show up there. He'd hoped it would be the last he'd see of the man at the time, but he had a growing suspicion that this was not to be his luck.

[Inspectre]

Steveodore

With Dalen’s address in hand, you escort Aliani back to his home and once he is safely inside (and there doesn’t seem to be anyone besides two pretty but angry girls waiting for him) you go your separate ways again. You really hope this Dandelion is still where Dalen sent him, and that he can provide you with a vial of Shudder, because this whole chase was starting to get *really* old.

Drawing near to the warehouse where Dalen sent you, you start sticking to the shadows more and cautiously circle the area looking for a man dressed in a bright red foppish suit as Silas described him. The sound of voices speaking quietly but urgently to each other catches your ear, and you move to the mouth of a nearby alley to investigate.

You find yourself at one end of an alleyway that stretches over to the next street. Near the middle of the alleyway is a small cul-de-sac that allows a back door to be set back a few feet from the alleyway proper. A man in a cheap red suit, presumably Dandelion, is cowering within that cul-de-sac up against the door. Standing in the middle of the alleyway right in front of the cul-de-sac and blocking Dandelion’s escape is a tall figure that towers over the pathetic drug dealer. Between the darkness and the man menacing Dandelion having his back to you, you can’t make out much details about the attacker save that he is wearing a tattered cloak and has a greatsword slung across his back, the hilt of which he has one hand resting on, ready to draw the weapon at a moment’s notice. As you arrive, Dandelion makes another plea for his miserable life.

“C-come on! There must be something I can give you! Money? Drugs? I’ve got a lot of really good drugs!”

“I’m not interested in your drugs. Your life, though . . . that interests me.”

Seeing his negotiation tactic isn’t working, Dandelion produces a vial full of a sickly yellow substance that glows faintly with its own inner light – even from here you can guess what it is, which Dandelion confirms a moment later.

“S-stay back! I have a vial of S-Shudder! Do you have any idea what I could do to you if I drink this!?”

“Yeah. I’m petrified. And this is exactly why you have to go, Dandelion. You’re supposed to sell the merchandise, not sample it.”

It seems pretty clear at this point that you’re about to be a witness to a murder, possibly Dandelion’s or possibly the swordsman’s if Dandelion manages to drink that vial before he can be cut down. You could just sit here and wait and hope that it’s the latter, leaving the vial of Shudder maybe (hopefully?) intact for you to salvage off of Dandelion after the swordsman leaves. You could also try to interfere, either to scare the swordsman off or just run past and nick the vial of Shudder before leaving Dandelion to his fate. Or you could break the lock on the nearby window that leads into the warehouse, run through it, and get that door open behind Dandelion, allowing you to maybe save his life and/or nick the vial of Shudder before leaving him to his fate. Any attempt at interfering, however, is likely to draw the swordsman’s attention to you, and he doesn’t seem like the type to scare easily.

Stelio Kontos

For once, things seem to go your way a bit as you and Miz arrive at your house without further incident. There is a moment of brief concern when you discover your front door is unlocked - had you remembered to lock it on your way out? (OOC: You can decide that, this is not the DM trying to screw you with a “well you didn’t explicitly say you weren’t doing something stupid, so . . .” moment)

But inside were Nadine and Beautrice, sitting in your foyer with only the dim light of a candle to illuminate the room, so it didn’t appear that you were going to be assassinated tonight. As such, Miz said her farewell at this point, leaving you with the two ladies. The two unhappy ladies, given that Nadine refuses to look at you while sipping from a bottle of wine she is cradling, a bag holding another bottle – and what appears to be a coil of silk rope!? – sitting at her feet. Beautrice, on the other hand, is as usual rather more direct, slamming shut the lid of one of your two chests to draw your attention to them – oh god, you hadn’t hidden them away in a less conspicuous location before leaving today (now that I am going to bust you for ). She loosely brandishes one of your purchased crossbows with one hand – loaded, you note – in your general direction, and then points a quivering finger at it with her other hand.

“What. In the HELLS. IS THIS ALIANI!?”

Darvin & PiccadillyPi

It takes you most of what remains of the night to reach Old Korvosa, but you manage to escort Trinia there safely without running afoul of any more corrupt guardsmen, kidnappers-for-hire, or martial artist Shoanti. Predictably, Vencarlo’s school is dark, although it will not be so for long as the horizon is starting to brighten as a warning that dawn would soon be upon you. Not that the school technically is your destination – as Silas knows from experience, Vencarlo does not live at the school itself, but instead in a small house on one corner of the school grounds.

Silas knows that Vencarlo is somewhat of a night owl, but the crack of dawn is likely pushing it. And indeed, the windows of Vencarlo’s abode are dark as well, so he is likely asleep. The question now was whether you would wait another couple hours until morning and someone was awake to speak to, you would pound on Vencarlo’s door and hope he wasn’t too annoyed at you waking him up to drop a soon-to-be-wanted kingslayer in his lap . . . or just use the hidden key to his front door that Silas knew about to let yourselves in (even less likely to draw unwanted attention, at least until Vencarlo woke up to find you all sitting in his living room).

[Stelio Kontos]

Just outside

Aliani turned to Miz. "Assuming they're home, I need you to do me a favor, if you don't mind, Miss... why does he always call you Miss and not use your name? Anyway, please, it's important. I need you to take a note to the main guard station, it's not too far a walk, and see that they know to give it to a Sergeant Saldado. I'm to meet with him tomorrow afternoon on a personal matter, and he doesn't know it yet. Do you mind?"

He pulled out a sheet of paper, scribbling the note quickly and folding it in half.

Spoiler: Note

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To: Sgt. Saldado

I would appreciate the favor of your company at approximately 2:00 PM tomorrow. I shall be in an office at Kendall Ampitheater. I'll bring a copy of my notes on the case; there is also another matter I am hoping that you can assist with.

Sincerely yours,

Aliani Rose

Inside

Perhaps I should be more careful to whom I lend my spare key he thought whilst opening the door, as he appraised the situation. This was the sort of thing he'd prepared for, of course -- though he really did hate to lie.

"That is a box of crossbows and clubs, and I think a few daggers if they packed it correctly" he said evenly as he could, buying just the slightest bit of time by stating the obvious while thinking of just the right way to continue. "It's for a new production I'm planning on putting on -- you remember Mr. Rittle that you were talking to at the Crested Falcon, right? It's sort of his idea brought to life. It should be quite spectacular if it comes off. Unfortunately there's no dancing in it so your talents would be wasted, so I didn't bring it up to you. I wanted the weaponry to look and feel as authentic as possible, not our usual stage props, so I just bought the real thing. And, um, it is quite real, so I'd much appreciate it if you'd point it at not-me, all right?"

All of that's true enough, technically he mused to himself, satisfied enough for the moment.

Spoiler: OOC

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I'll, uh, take 10 on a Bluff check, if allowed (otherwise go ahead and roll it). Here's to hoping drunken ballerinas who are into three-ways don't tend to put their points in high Wisdom scores and Sense Motive.

[PiccadillyPi]

Silas

Where was it again?

'Right. Here.'

He kept his voice low as he didn't want to wake the old man. Silas placed his hand on the side of the door frame and loosened a sliver from it. Inside a rather small slot was a spare key for the door. With the door unlocked and the spare replaced, the sneak hushed his companions as he stepped through the doorway, guiding them to the living room.

'Leave your boots at the door.'

There wasn't much else to do in this short span of time. They all needed a rest after the day they've had, and it was always easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. Well, usually. Sometimes. On occasion.

If anyone protests to sneaking in: 'He'll forgive the intrusion, I think.'

[Steveodore]

Miz thumbed the note open to read it once she was some distance away from the Aliani Rose and his two simmering friends. Satisfied that the note at least wouldn't pose her any danger, Miz passed it along to a resident guard at the station with a request to send it along to it's recipient. She didn't particularly care if the man received the note or not but keeping on the actor's good side would be beneficial if they were going to be working together.

She hurried off to the address that Dalen man wrote down with the faint hope that the dealer would still be there. She moved more carefully the closer she drew to the location. It was hardly the nicest part of the city, she supposed that was the point when Dalen sent him here. Luck seemed to be with her today as not only had she found Dandilion, he had a friend with him! And from listening in it seemed these very good friends about to grow even closer unless she could do something about it.

Looking at this situation, Fighting the swordsman seemed like a poor choice and Miz was lacking a good deal of her magical resources right now. Running around a man with a sword that long was also unappealing. Perhaps an unexpected angle would be best..

Miz quickly turned back around the corner to find suitable window she had passed by before. Without delaying she snapped up her mutagen and downed it in a go, imeadiately feeling a euphoric rush as distilled strength coursed through her body. Her fingers grew into claws and her fangs grew even more pronounced. She worked quickly to get through the window, using her claws to pry it open.

Once inside she moves quietly over the door, doing whats needed to open it. She keeps an ear tuned while she works, hoping to hear the dealer's begging and not get a nasty surprise from the otherside of the door. Once she opens the door she quickly urges Dandelion to escape inside while trying to keep her face mostly out of the light. If possible Miz would attempt to resecure the door once the Dealer got through safely.

Spoiler: Rolling Rolling Rolling

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I'm not actually certain what rolls are required.

Rolling to be stealthy (1d20+5)[6]
Rolling strength check for window I think (1d20+5)[14]
Rolling Perception to hear if Dandelion is still alive while I'm going at the door (1d20+8)[27]
Rolling to pick lock on door if I have to(1d20+10)[23]


Edit: Well heres hoping the whiling and begging cover up some of my antics.

[Darvin]

Though not entirely comfortable with dropping in by surprise on a master swordsman, Dalen's exhaustion overcame his better judgment, "fine, I need to rest anyways," he sought the first seat with which to collapse after a day that had gone on for much too long.