Aether Uncovered

[KevLar]

Myriam

Myriam gets down to business. She keeps her voice low, avoids gesturing like she usually does when she tells a tale, and keeps looking for eavesdroppers.

"Alright, listen up. When I got there, she was desperately trying to get away from a fellow named Craze - you know him? He had pulled a knife and was threatening to cut her up. So I stepped in, helped her bring the fellow down. Thing is, despite the beating he took he got up again and came after us. No bloodshed, but we came close. We ran the hell out of there, and I reckoned she needed a place to lay low, so I took her to the cellar. Later she told me that he wanted to take her straight to her... "

Myriam pauses, looking for words. Even in this relative safety, she doesn't want to utter anything incriminating.

"...family, and he wasn't gonna be gentle about it either. So, here's the situation. She's still in the cellar, and asks for your help. If she's really a friend of yours, we'd better move fast and we'd better be cautious. Craze is on the loose, I almost bumped into him on my way here, and... other people are looking for her."

That would all she had to say, but she suddenly thinks of something and pops up a question that only now sprang to her mind. And she whispers it so softly, that Serge may have to read her lips to understand her.

"Um, Serge... is she Touched?"

[AmberVael]

-Jadyn-

"Well you're pretty friendly."
The thief looks down at her, matching her sarcasm perfectly as he sits back down on one of the barrels.
"Look, we're probably both going to be down here for a while. You can sit and sulk if you want, but the time will pass better if we talk."

-Myriam-

Serge frowns as he listens, pressing his hands together, thinking about the situation as it is presented to him. Dark thoughts are obviously passing through his mind, but as Myriam asks her last question, he laughs darkly.
"Think she'd be'n this if she was?"
He taps his fingers together, then smiles in a way that reminds Myriam that helping people isn't something he does just so he can feel good about himself.
"Don' worry abou' tha girl. You get to yer meetin' with Payne."
The cut throat rolls a coin through his fingers and tosses it to her. It feels and looks strange- perhaps it is a bit light, and instead of the head of one of the various nobility on it, there is a thin circle with a hand inside, and on the opposite side of the coin is an eye.
"Give tha' to him. He's stayin' at tha Gray Horse."
The Gray Horse is a small inn Myriam knows of it, not too far from here.

-All the Rest-

"I see you've finally made it here." Captain Morris begins, his voice long suffering and hopelessly drowned in noble whining.
"I was beginning to think you had forgotten what day we scheduled this for."
A few of his officers give quiet laughs, as if mocking those from House Vesper.
Captain Hawkins is completely unimpressed, and just raises an eyebrow at Captain Morris, while Lady Aery narrows her eyes and frowns at Morris, placing her hands in front of her.
"For future reference, I'll keep in mind that you can't wait more than a quarter of a candle mark without your humours unbalancing. Now, to more important matters..."
She draws a scroll from a pouch, then hands it to Hawkins, who stands and passes it to Morris.
"That is the list of supplies Lord Vesper is willing to commit. A fair contingent of explorers and soldiers, a few scholars, and quite a few supplies, I daresay."
Morris looks it over, and those who are very keen eyed and observant will note Gail discretely reading it over his shoulder. After a moment, Morris passes it to one of his officers, then is about to say something when Aery interrupts him.
"Now, have you gathered more information, or are we to be left with vague hints once again?"
The Captain of the Order looks quite put out to be scolded and treated so roughly by the Lady, and finally takes his chance to speak.
"Gathering information is not easy. We've mobilized as many of the Order near Fringe as possible, but infrequent and delayed reports have continued setting us back...
Gail quietly speaks up.
"If I may...
"Last I was in the Fringe, I noted the high injury and casualty rate- even among our most skilled. It is not lack of effort preventing us from gaining information, but significant risk and danger."
Morris nods in agreement, taking her words as if they were his.
"We're putting a lot on the line to get what we have. I should hope you appreciate our efforts...
"We have gained an impressive amount of information considering the difficulty."
Lady Aery rolls her eyes.
"Lets have a summary of it all again."
"Well, as we have told you before, we discovered a strange well-like fissure within the Blackness. Every method we have discovered so far of finding Aether has pointed to this area containing a far quantity of it- though we've only found small traces of inert Aether as of yet. However, it seems to attract monsters, and the way down is treacherous."
Morris sighs, irritated.
"What is more, we have now determined that there is indeed some aetheric source of interference to our scouts- which is what we are counting on Lord Proxus to deal with."
...
The meeting goes on, with a lot of arguing, formality, and discussion and speculation about what what might be in this strange place, and how best to divide it. It seems that Lord Proxus, while supplying lots of manual labor, is mostly lending the experience of Aery and his Keepers in order to try and counter the aether's influence on those nearby, while the Order will bring in a larger force to deal with whatever monsters may be encountered.

Spoiler

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Of course, there is a lot that can be learned by reading the undertone or focusing on specific subjects and the like, so everyone can roll three sense motive checks to try and focus on a specific person or faction, a specific discussion topic, or anything else they might observe during the meeting. You can be as vague as you like, but the more detail in what you're studying, the more detail you'll receive about it. IE- if you say you study the Order faction during the negotiations, you'll receive a paragraph about how they present themselves and what their focus is- if you say you study Morris, you'll get a paragraph or more just on him.
The people to watch for are Hawkins, Gail, Aery, and Morris. Subjects can be like things opinions of specific parties, speculation on what is in the 'well,' who seems to be in control, etc. If you have confusion about this, please bring it to me via PM or the OOC thread.

Also, if you want to interject about anything, just stick it in your next post.

[KevLar]

Myriam

Myriam looks carefully at the coin and asks "What's this?"

With or without an answer, she'll leave Serge to his business and head for the Gray Horse. She's not in a hurry, she tries to keep her eyes open and avoid any undesirable encounters. But she has a lot on her mind. Most of it, she tries not to think about, because it makes her uneasy and perhaps a bit guilty. What Serge is really up to, for example.

She wishes everything could be sorted out quickly, so she could go home. She misses being around people she can trust.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Willow

Willow is barely concerned with the Order, although she does try to pick up more on what the Captain is going on about in regards to the source of Aether out there. She pays more attention to the Lady Aery and her escort-- unfamiliar though she is with Hawkins-- than she does to the members of the order, trying to figure out as much as she can as to what they and Proxus might be up to.

(Sense motive checks for Aery, Hawkins, and what Morris is saying about the Aether, in that order:
_: 1D20+3 = [12]+3 = 15
1D20+3 = [3]+3 = 6
1D20+3 = [13]+3 = 16
)

[wxdruid]

Jadyn

Jadyn looks back up, Her voice is a mixture of sarcasm and wry humor at what he said. I suppose...

What do your friends call you? She isn't asking for his name, merely what name he's known by on the streets.

[insecure]

Derrack

Derrack will focus on Gail during the meeting.

[AmberVael]

-Jadyn-

"Sly. Not a fancy name, but it works."
He stretches out his hands, grinning a little with pride.
"There was this noble, you see, and he was looking to gamble and play some games of chance and skill. I lured him in with a few nice wins, then kept to low bids and pretended to be a drunk and bad gambler. Eventually I brought out a game of skill and offered to play for huge stakes- all the money I had lost to them, and then quite a bit more- and by that time he thought I was a drunken fool and so he jumped on the offer.
"He went home with his purse empty."
He shrugs, smiling a little bit to himself.
The trapdoor creaks a bit, the false lock on it clunking as if someone was about to remove it and open it. Sly glances up at it warily, backing off just in case. It was unlikely that it was anything other than someone else in the thieves guild, but that wasn't overly comforting anyways.

-Myriam-

Serge grins as he stands up, an unpleasant smile that was a little distant- obviously focused on something other than her.
"Jest summin ta tell him yer a costumer. Now go."
He waves her off as he and heads out himself, whistling cheerily. The man was up to something...
Myriam, however, manages to get to the Gray Horse with no trouble, and there she sees a small crowd of people gathered around a man who seems to be posing as some kind of fortune teller. One by one he quietly leads them off to a private side room, then brings them out, receiving a small amount of coin from each. However... Myriam notices that he is wearing a symbol of an eye about his neck that is identical to the one on the coin she is given. He's certainly not Old Payne though... maybe he's just a servant to the man.
It wouldn't be difficult to ask him or present him the coin, though she could also quietly ask at the small bar area if Payne was around, if she didn't want to make her way through the crowd. Granted, it might draw less attention, but they also might not know.

-You Other Peoples-

Willow

Spoiler

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Lady Aery seems to be the most in control of the meeting, having the full authority of Lord Proxus behind her, and a personality that wasn't nearly as foppish and cowering as Morris's. She seems to have used her influence to draw quite a few benefits from the mission, and it is easy to imagine how Proxus got involved in this in the first place- a bit of spying, with a few threats and bribes tossed in- would have been easily performed by Aery, and Morris wouldn't have had the guts to resist. Still, the Order has retained some control over the expedition, and Aery seems to be trying to extract that from them as much as she can, using cunning and wheedling as necessary.

Hawkins is much harder to read, not in the least because the man so rarely says anything. He seems to be an observant protector, more guard than Captain, sent along with Aery to make sure nothing bad happened to her. He interjects once or twice about his men, but very little more than that, excepting Aery's protection. There might be more to him, but Willow gets the impression that he isn't thinking too hard about the situation or the expedition.

Morris- or rather the Order of the Hunt- seems to have made an extraordinary find, what seems to be a large cache of Aether, which could very well unbalance all the politics and schemes of Crevice, if not the world. However, he is lacking in resources- or perhaps the cunning- to extract it (or at least that is what he seems to believe, though this may be more due to Aery's influence). As such, he has employed the help of Lord Proxus, and though he is willing to grant some of it to House Aether, he obviously believes a large portion will go directly to himself. However, the monsters in the Blackness appear to be quite dangerous, and there is some strange interference of Aether that prevents anyone from using divination or the like to discover exactly what is within the well, so there is still a great deal of caution and speculation around it all.

Derrack

Spoiler

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Gail acts as quite an exceptional bodyguard to Morris, attending to his safety quite adequately both in the planning of the expedition, and during the meeting. However, Derrack's long observation of her proves that this is not all she does- and indeed does not seem to be her primary focus. She acts as if she were nothing else, but each action she takes seems to manipulate the plans, tugging at them by the few methods she has until they are changed discretely but thoroughly. For instance, Morris and Aery pushed to have a large contingent of bodyguards surrounding Morris at all times (in a rather overcompensating manner), but Gail used her expertise to change that into a more spread out protection- there were men guarding Morris at all times, but there were also more "proactive" guards that would patrol for monsters at a fairly long range. The explanation she gave made sense, but Derrack couldn't help but notice that she took a little more satisfaction in her success in that area than might be explained by her 'devotion' to Morris.

And that is another thing he distinctly noticed- despite her protection and position in respect to Morris, she doesn't seem overly fond of the man. It doesn't show obviously, but in the nuances of her actions and words he can see an almost contemptuous disregard of his plans and desires. Rather than modifying or editing his plans, she sweeps them aside and replaces them with her own. Perhaps it isn't so much a lack of respect as it is assuming too much authority herself, which would be unseemly if she did it more openly.

There is clearly far more to Gail than meets the eye, and Derrack is sure that his original analysis is correct- she just pretends to be what she is. In truth, she doesn't seem to be a simple, slow bodyguard at all, but is in fact a cunning and hidden manipulator. Now he just has to wonder how many people know that... after all, he managed to figure it out fairly quickly. Was he just lucky, or was there more to it?

The meeting slowly wraps up, and Morris and his contingent stand, bowing to Aery and her group after they haggle out the last details and speak a few pleasantries. Aery and Hawkins begin leading the way out of the Order building, with Aery giving Willow a curious glance as she passes her...
Gail motions for her "guards" to move outside and into the hall.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Willow

As the group leaves, Willow tags along as close behind Lady Aery as she can manage, hoping to overhear something further, and to perhaps speak with her, if opportunity arises.

[wxdruid]

Jadyn

Sly, no, not fancy and easy to get away with. When the trapdoor creaks, she also warily looks up at it, waiting to see if it opens. In a quieter voice, she asks, Planning to stay here a few days huh, I think I would go stir crazy down here in this hole if I had to stay that long.

[insecure]

Derrack

Derrack follows Willow's example, following the group. He takes on an almost sluggish pose as he tags along, hoping to remain pseudo-unnoticed.


((Also, I apologise for the belated responses lately))

[KevLar]

Myriam

Myriam heads to the bar slowly, watching the scene carefully and a bit annoyed. Who is that fellow, now? She doesn't want a sidekick, and she doesn't want a "deal" like the others. She wants to talk to Payne himself.

Any thought of Serge and his schemes has been pushed back. Not only because she has other things on her mind, but because she really doesn't want to think about it. Myriam knows very well that she might as well put a blindfold over her eyes, but, at least for now, she can live with that. It's not like she didn't know where she was getting into.

She greets the barkeeper with a smile and a nod, and points discreetly at the man with the symbol.
"Say, isn't Old Payne here today? Do you know if he's coming?"

[AmberVael]

-Jadyn-

Sly just nods, while down the ladders comes a rather thuggish looking guy. He steps to one side, while another man comes down as well. Serge.
Serge smirks and moves forwards towards Jadyn.
"Got away from tha Fist, didja? Didn' think they'd have their greasy paws on ya too long."
Serge sits down on a barrel, putting his hands in front of him.
"Bu I'm in a bi' of a pickle, see? 'Cause the high an' migh'y Lor Vesper has a pretty little reward on your head- 'nough for me to ge' out of this business fo'ever, see?"
The cut throat flicks out a knife and neatly pins it in the barrel he's sitting on with only the barest whisper of pressure.
"Yer a good girl, bu' a man can' jes pass up on tha' kinda rewar' so eaz'ly. Bu' since ye've jes been so nice, I'm gonna let ya have a chance to say why I should'n jes turn you in and collec'."
The thug is waiting for any sign of threatening movement, while Sly is obviously just staying out of it at the moment.

-Myriam-

"Payne? You mean the guy posing as some kind of crazy psychic? He's in that room over there- he's got a man charging for admittance- see him?"
The bartender says, pointing to the room that people are being lead into, then nodding towards the man wearing the eye symbol.
"I don't know why they fall for that crap. I guess people are willing to believe anything if it means good for them."
He looks down at her skeptically.
"You're not going to get a telling from him, are you?"

-Willow-

Willow follows after the delegation from House Vesper, but if Lady Aery has an opinions, she's keeping silent. Likewise, the captain merely rides at her side stoically. The rest of the party is watching Willow with a bit of curiosity now, marking her presence.

-Others-

Gail leads the group away from the hall and towards a smaller, more private sort of meeting room which is currently unused. She glances this way and that, then shuts the door.
"Interesting stuff, mmm."
She slouches over to a chair and slides into it, kicking her feet up on top of the table, shoving her hands in her pockets as she stares down towards her legs.
"Lord Vesper's got too much influence for my liking. Always pushes his way into things."
The bodyguard glances towards the others.
"Any questions?"

[KevLar]

Myriam

A... a psychic? Now that was odd. Myriam was looking for an expert in aether, not a fortune teller. So either Payne was so damn discreet that even the barkeep of his own place didn't know what he was doing, or Serge had played her for a fool. Had he sent her to someone with the same name, perhaps? Unless, of course, her information was wrong all along. Well, either way, she would have to find out. A good starting point would be to learn if this Payne looked like the one she had heard about.

Myriam hides her concern, looks at the bartender with dreamy eyes and asks innocently.

"Why? You don't believe in that sort of thing? Why, it doesn't hurt to get some... insight, does it? Hey, I wonder, do you know how old Payne is? I heard he has gray hair but his beard is white like snow. That true?"

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Willow

Willow has to hurry a little to keep up with the riding woman, but manages to do so. She speaks to Lady Aery without preamble or introduction. "This is not likely to end well, you realize. Too many people are going to die."

[wxdruid]

Jadyn

Jadyn opens her mouth and then closes it. What can she say. She knows her place in the world and it isn't a valuable one. It seems that no one really cares about her and no one ever will. She doesn't expect help from Sly or anyone at this point. It would be to hard to get past him. At least he doesn't seem inclined to add scars to her flesh. She watches the knife... well, maybe not as many as Craze had in mind and not for the same reasons. She hides a sigh and a frown. I don't know of anything that would convince you, not if they're offering that much money. I'm only a outcast girl. If you are bent on turning me in for staggering amounts of money, then let's get it over with. So I can work on escaping again and going somewhere far from here...

[AmberVael]

-Jadyn-

"Well... is a siz'ble sum. Qui'e a bi' more than I migh' spec' a lil girl like you ta have on her."
Serge says, watching her carefully as he picks up his knife and turns it this way and that, watching it glimmer in what light there was in the cellar. He seems to be thinking a fair bit about the situation, more than someone might guess he'd think about going after a fair bit of money.
"Few reasons you migh' be so wanned. One's tha' ya piss'd 'em off. Doub' tha- doesn' seem like yer style. Mebbe he's got some plan for ya- if he does, mebbe we can work a deal if he does. 'course..."
The cut throat waggles his knife at Jadyn, not so much threatening as he is just emphasizing his point.
"There's tha chance he doesn' intend ta pay at all. Be jes' like the ol' devil ta skin tha low society ta keep 'is pocke' lined. Bu' even so, issa risk. So why are ya so wanted, little girl? Whatcha got that Vesper's so interested in?"

-Myriam-

(Working on the assumption that she just described Payne...)

The bartender shakes his head, but otherwise keeps his comments and skepticism to himself.
"It's true- and I don't know how old he is. Old enough to have white hair. All I know is that he's getting good money and some of it is going to the bar for the use of the space. Keeps a few customers for us too. That's all that matters really, you see? It's all about money in the end. Doesn't matter that I don't believe what he does, doesn't matter to him what he predicts- all about the money."

-Willow-

Lady Aery turns and raises an eyebrow, looking at Willow with a bit of curiosity and surprise. After a moment she smiles politely and distantly in recognition, though the emotions behind that expression seem a bit condescending.
"Ah... Willow, was it? One of the touched..."
From the top of her horse, dressed finely but sensibly, Aery definitely seems to be rather haughty and definitely considering herself of a "higher" class- which is a strange reverse of the usual order of things. Typically anyone with magic finds themselves elevated, as Willow has found out multiple times, but Aery seems to retain some kind of lofty status despite her lack of power.
"There will be some deaths in this endeavor, no doubt, but that is a fact of life where we live. To gain, blood must be spilled out in payment to the land and the shades.
"Of course, Lord Vesper shares your concerns, and has taken suitable precautions to prevent any significant losses of life. Any notable losses we sustain should be the byproduct of a typical exploration mission, nothing more."
Aery smiles a bit more and leans down to address Willow more quietly.
"Now some might let you run about as you please because you can flash a little aether at them, but you'll find that I'm not so lenient. You don't have any authority- you're not even yet a Vesper. From now on, I advise you keep your nose out of important business."
She straightens up, turning her gaze away from Willow as she prepares to move on.

[insecure]

Derrack

Yeah, like Lord Vesper is the one pushing things. Derrack assumes once more his absent-minded look, but this time actually paying attention to the situation at hand, analyzing Gail again. She has far too much influence, he thinks, before he begins calling himself a hypocrite. Taking a firm hold on the thought with his force of will, he pushes it away into the depths of his consciousness, still keeping his facade up.

Nah, can't think of anything.

There was something to this woman, and he still wasn't sure of what it was. But he wouldn't show any signs of weakness. Not before he had control over the situation.

[wxdruid]

Jadyn

I don't know why he wants me. I don't know if he'd actually pay up or just ignore whomever took me back. I can't stop you, not here. She stands, stares at him for a moment, and then paces away. Her actions are not threatening, more of frustration and because she doesn't want to sit still. She wraps her arms around herself and talks to him and herself, I'm not touched, I ran away, to get away from their demands. All I want is to stay away.

She turns back, mind made up, So, just make up your mind. Either do it, or let me leave and find a different place.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Willow

Willow shrugs off Aery's quiet remonstrances. She doesn't particularly care what anyone in House Vesper thinks of her. "No, I'm not. But I am from Fringe, and I know better than you what you're getting into. It's madness." In a fit of pique, and perhaps an unrealized desire to 'flash a little aether' at the woman, Willow's shape blurs into that of a leopard-cat, and she slips around Aery's horse, through the legs of the crowd, running away into the town. Once distanced somewhat from the Vesper contingent, she slows to a walk, and pads through the streets, wandering idly and thinking about what's occurred thus far.

[KevLar]

Myriam

"Yes, money has its uses..."
admits Myriam as she watches the people in the queue. She wonders if a fee is as unavoidable for admission as it seems at first glance, and how she could get around that. She also counts mentally her coins. Even if she can afford it, the more broke she's left, the more dependent she'll be on Serge, and everything his company entails. She turns to the bartender again.

"How much does he charge, anyway?"

((OOC : How well-off do the people waiting for admission seem? (judging from clothes, demeanor etc) )))

[AmberVael]

-Derrack-

"I see."
Gail says simply, adding nothing more. Her appearance is still lazy, but Derrack gets the feeling that there is more going on in her mind that she reveals. In any event, she seems content to wait and let the silence fill out awkwardly until someone else says something.

-Jadyn-

"Hmm."
Serge sticks his knife back into his sheath.
"Then I have a proposal for you."
The cut throat stands.
"You dunno why he wants ya- I dun either. But if ya don't know why, but he's offerin' all tha' money... too bigga chance he gives us a blade instead.
"Bu' one way or t'other, he wants ya for some reason. So I say we hand ya over, figger out what's goin' on, how we kin profit from it, then sneak ya back out. Might be that ya'd find a way ta keep 'im from comin' after ya again, too."
Serge smiles darkly at her and spreads his arms.
"We kin put this little encoun'er behind us, yes? I jes' needed ta see tha situation, an a blade is good at bringin' out tha truth."

-Myriam-

Those entering seem to be quite a varied lot- like the crowd you might see at a circus. Well born, low born, beggars and merchants.
"Not much. He seems to charge varying amounts. You know, I saw some people get in with only a single coin."
The bartender shrugs.

-Willow-

Willow notices that the flow of the streets seems to be drawn towards a small tavern, moving there quickly until they gather in front, inside, and around it in general. The name of the place appears to be the "Gray Horse."

[wxdruid]

Jadyn

Craze had a knife as well, he just wasn't interested in showing it to me.... She turns towards him, arms still wrapped around herself. Yes...money, I doubt they'll will be willing to part with it or take any unnecessary risks.

Any particular way you want to do this? I want to be able to escape from them as soon as possible. Tie me up in something that I can escape easily from? Arrange a point off Vesper's lands? I don't enjoy this, and I never wanted to go back. No, she doesn't like this, it shows in the tension in her body. She irritably looks to one side, her hair flips in front of her face.

[KevLar]

Myriam

"Well, I think I'll try my luck."
Myriam winks at the bartender and moves to the queue, with the strange coin still in her purse. She tries to listen to any comments of those waiting, and what the man with the symbol says to each customer, but remains silent for her part.

For some odd reason, she doesn't think at all of what exactly she should say to Payne once she's in. For some odd reason, she thinks of Serge. How long would it take from accepting simple errands for him to accepting any order from him? And could she split if she felt like it?

If she wasn't too scared to push her luck, and if she wasn't so desperate for income at this point, she would disappear just to see if anyone will come looking for her. She's all for going with the flow. It's when the flow turns into a current you can't possibly get out of that she begins to worry.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Willow

Her curiosity piqued, Willow takes advantage of the smallness and agility of her borrowed shape to slip through the worst of the crowd, returning to her natural form once inside and in a more or less secluded corner, looking to see what the hubbub is about and if it relates to the goings-on between House Vesper and the Order.

[AmberVael]

-Jadyn-

"Tough deal, girl. Ya got ta do a lotta things ya dun wanna do."
Serge says, dropping his little 'nice guy' routine.
"Vesper's up ta summin, and tha boys and I like knowin' what's goin' on, see? Can't have tha most powe'ful dog runnin' aroun' unchecked. You dun like em? Neither do we- but tha don't mean we're just gonna run away like lil cowards."
The cut throat crosses his arms.
"We gonna give ya to Vesper. Yer gonna stick with 'em 'til we getcha out. Saavy?"

-Myriam-

Those waiting seem to be talking excitedly about their fortunes. One woman is talking about Payne's abilities at palm reading, and whether he'd say the same thing as some other fortune teller had told her. Another is skeptical, but wants to try and prove Payne wrong by getting their fortune told. It's mostly unremarkable stuff- if he's really Old Payne, he's doing a nice job at staying undercover right now.

Myriam's turn comes up, and the assistant moves over to her.
"Good day, madam. You wish to have your fortune told? What sort of telling do you want?"
He holds out his hand, smiling in a greasy sort of fashion that implies the more money she gives, the better she will be rewarded.

-Willow-

Listening to the crowd, and noting a sign outside, Willow deduces that the crowd is completely unrelated to the other matters. It advertises that they are currently playing host to one Master Payne, a fortune teller and oracle of most astounding powers! For a small price he can give away a few secrets, but for more he can tell your entire future!
It looks rather hyped up, but considering the crowd, there had to be something more to it than just plain faked divination. It might not be genuine powers, or even accurate predictions, but something was attracting a larger crowd than normal.

[KevLar]

Myriam

Myriam takes the strange coin out of her pouch and shows it to the assistant.

"An unusual one", she says calmly, and stares at the man's amulet for a moment before looking at him in the eyes. All she can do at this point is hope that presenting the coin is the sign that she's not here to learn her fortune, and that any other fee will be negotiated later and in private.

[wxdruid]

Jadyn

Jadyn looks at him, now it comes...

Really...and what will you give me to ensure I actually stay there, hm? I don't see why I should spy for you. Once you hand me over, it's out of your hands and in his. Give me a reason.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Willow

Her curiosity piqued for the moment, she worms her way through the crowd to try to get in line for the fortune-teller. She feels confident at being able to tell if he's for real or not, and hopes that if he is, perhaps he can tell her something about what lies ahead for the expedition.

[AmberVael]

-Jadyn-

"Sweet, ya know how tha city works. Its only shades protection tha keeps a lone man safe. Ya need friends, gotta have summin you kin coun' on. Vesper ain't yer friend- they gotta price on yer head. Fist ain't yer friend, they got men lookin' ta hurt ya. Us? We jes wanna make a lil deal. You do tha job, ya get our gratitude, see?"

Serge smiles smugly and darkly at her, quite certain that his position can't be argued with.

"If ya turn our frien'ship away, who ya gonna turn to? Ya got no one. Ya lost a lot, little girl. Ya lose anymore, an its a slippery slope to a slit throat. You know tha'."

-Myriam-

The man smiles smirkily, his fingers closing around the coin and slipping it away.
"Ah, very good, very good. Come along then..."
He brushes her along with shooing gestures, taking her into the room that everyone else had been entering.

The room is fairly large and dimly light, only a couple of flickering candles illuminating its many recesses; it seems strangely eerie, and the cloth covered table and dark eyes of the man sitting at it only add to the feeling. The man, presumably old Payne, is indeed an older man, with long, flowing white hair, and a body that is almost unnaturally slender, with an angular face that focuses his expression inwards, making him appear disturbingly serious and knowledgable.

"Master Payne."
The assistant addresses him, placing the coin Myriam gave to him on the table before him.

Payne reaches forwards with one hand and draws the coin to him, not looking down at it, already knowing what it was.

"So..."

Says Payne, in a deep voice that almost sounds like stones rolling against each other; gravel that was being crushed and reduced to powder. It was powerful and strange.

"Why have you sought me out? What information can I provide to you?"

-Willow-

Willow manages to get in line, but it seems to be moving slowly, even though it is relatively short. Most people are just discussing him and patronizing the tavern at the same time... they seem focused on what he said about their particular fortunes, though some are discussing the validity of his words.
If only she could get ahead a little in line though... that would let her figure things out faster.

[wxdruid]

Jadyn

There ain't nothin' that says he won't kill me either. I won't stay unless you give me some options... The tone of her voice turns dark and vehement. I hate them, so if you won't give me a reason, you might as well slit my throat now so you don't have to do it later. Then you can drag my dead carcass there and fling it in front of him 'cause I won't care anymore.