Post by Joliette Thorne on Jan 20, 2009 20:35:43 GMT -5
-- The Rynvale Pub--
Tenebrae had one elbow on the bar where she was seated, the opposite hand combing through her hair idly while she spoke to the keep. "Lawrence who? Never heard of him. How long has he been…?" Simon stared at her hard a moment, then replied to the woman a low tone. The necromancer blinked. "Oh-- you mean Sam! Yes, I left with him the other evening. He got rather handsy, as I recall. And quite pissy, when I set him straight. Then he said something about seeing a man about a dog, stalked off into the night, and that was that." She shrugged. "Pity he'd dead. But I can't say the world is at a loss for it." Whatever Simon may have thought of her opinion of "Sam", who'd been a regular customer, he was a businessman and would pour the next rum with a nod and a smile.
The Inn was, all things considered, a good place to do business of the rougher kind. It carried a constant loud buzz, the effect of many voices all talking at once and music being played above it all. Beneath that was the clink of glasses, the rustling of coins changed and people moving about, and then swallowing as food and drink alike was consumed. Beneath all of it, though, was the silence. It was maintained by those looking for trouble and, those who'd found trouble; the goal of course being that none of the involved actually got into trouble. Iarei was looking for trouble. She entered carefully, holding the door for a young boy who followed her with the willing sullenness of one who had been ordered to. They both carried bulky satchel's, though the woman's was the bigger. Summarily, they were ignored. She moved up to the bar, where she'd sit a few stools down from Tenebrae, and heave her bag and the lad's onto the counter. "Heave ho." She'd grin. "Keep, pour me something strong. I've got delivery for one of your customers."
Tenebrae's eyes automatically slid sideways at the sound of the word 'delivery' and the thud of bags on the counter. Tene was, as far as any of the usual suspects present knew, pretty much in retirement now her immortality was a thing of the past, content to play barfly and keep her eye on their comings and goings. She'd become something of a dealer in silence and shadow also, and had already gained a reputation for being the one to come to when a deal went bad, the heat was on, or other troubles struck. The woman and her lad were not glanced at, directly. She waited until they'd settled, before she found a tangle in her hair that hid most of her face while she finger-combed it out, providing a handy veil through which to peer at them. On sight of Iarei, she drew that black swathe to one side of her neck, smoothing it into place, and gave her a smile. "Ello, pet. Fancy seeing you here."
Tenebrae canted her head toward the woman and her helpmeet, her eyes flickering Simon's way.
Iarei had sucked down half a foul smelling tonic before Tenebrae spoke, and when she did Iarei would look the other over with raised eyebrows. Simon checked the bags and took them behind the bar, and slid away with the smooth efficiency of an experienced barkeep. "Eh?" She wouldn't know that Tenebrae was the one who'd almost scared the piss out of her not so long ago, and wouldn't particularly remember the voice being so normal when it was amplified with darkness in her memory. That memory, too, was floating in the seas of drunkenness, and was comfortably dim.
Tenebrae doubletook, and narrowed her eyes near-imperceptibly. "I recall you from my pub, is all." She took a slow sip from her drink, her gaze levelled on Iarei. That she seemed to have forgotten the help she'd given Tene... or just Tene herself, possibly... was not something the necromancer was worried about. One less witness to her private business. Perhaps her currently sleek appearance was too at odds with the ragged, bloodied being she'd lowered into the bath. Tene mentally shrugged. "Quite the ways from Vailkrin here. But come to think of it, you didn't seem all that much... at home, in my place."
Iarei slapped the boy's hand away from her drink with a growl, and he turned away in a huff. "Order yerself somethin' easy, gods damn, boy." He'd skulk off to grab the bartender's attention, and she watched him go as a means to collect herself. She steeled her features. "Been in that pub a total of one time, Lady." An icy chill descended about her, but if the game was about bluffing she wasn't about to get herself stabbed. "I don't appreciate being threatened, thank you."
Tenebrae hid her smirk behind her glass, another long sip taken, and when she lowered the vessel her features dripped compassion. "My apologies, miss. Gets ten kinds of rowdy, some nights. You a local, then?" Once she might have pegged the female, and especially her lad, as a quick meal. Now, she was just curious about this 'delivery'.
Iarei still felt echoes of fear dancing about her, but she hid it will the serene skill of a bard. "Local here? Nah. Not one of these cities is home. If you're talking about home I'm far from it, but I've found an easy enough place to make a nest." The boy returned with a glass of something dark, so Iarei cuffed him behind the head. He glared at her, and she let him be as he retook his stool.
Leoxander managed to stop the music, the laughter, as he appeared in an open doorway. Not an intimidating sight necessarily, not in this more compact and acceptable form, but a familiar one. The Rynvale community knew its criminals, its pirates, and the only thing that had altered about his armored appearance over the years was the color of that leather - from black to white. Heavy tread boots left a few muddy footprints on his way inside, and he wouldn’t bother to take that long range weapon from his back. Beneath the concealing edge of his hood, mismatched eyes skipped from table to table, coming to land upon the pair occupied with their drinks and conversation.
Tenebrae didn't need to turn her eyes toward the door to know what the sudden silence meant. Nobody but her Cap'n ever caused the bagpipes to wheeze to a slow halt, the voices to dribble off into quiet like that. A single clink of a glass against glass by one of the wenches as she collected empties from a table would set the whole din in motion again, the patrons and staff satisfied there'd be no carnage ensuing from the rogue's presence. Not right away, anyhow. In that pause, Tene had eyed the position of the packs behind the counter, made a fast appraisal of what actions might be needed to get a look inside them, and had formulated a plan to do just that. The back of her neck prickled, and her stomach tightened, as if she needed any more evidence of Leoxander's presence. Her mien was oblivious as she addressed a reply to Iarei, though. "Is that your son, there? Seems a bright boy. And .. uh. What's your line of business, if it's not rude of me to ask? Just that I know a lot of folks, might be able to hook you up with some contacts." Her smile was easy, the whole of it not overly eager, not too nonchalant.
Iarei was not too keen on sudden silences, and unlike Tenebrae she unconsciously hunched. Just another joe. No one to worry about. No one special. She slid around a bit to look behind, and she knew the one who'd entered was Big News. Only the ones with reputations could afford to gather that kind of attention. Iarei sighed and went to turn back around, but noticed Leoxander's direction. She snapped her head back around. She hadn't slipped in on someone's take, had she? She'd sweat a little bit. "Ah. Um. No, a gutter rat I picked up. There's lots of 'em in Cenril, like some club o' whores keep gettin' knocked up and poppin' 'em out and then go 'poof'. Bad business in the alleyways, I tell ya. Business, yeah, I specialize with that. I'm a bit of a merchant, you could say. I take special orders and secure safe passage ways. I haven't been at it long here, but I have plenty of experience." And her grin, if a little queasy, would convey just that.
Leoxander managed an appropriate nod of respect to Redbeard’s Maiden alone. Ironic that his only friendly gesture might go to the only lifeless face in the room, but he, like all pirates, could be superstitious. Who knew that the statue didn’t harbor the soul of creature that controlled the seas? For every silent step taken inside, patrons reluctantly resumed their business, wariness draining, and confidence blossoming as they discovered the bottom of their tankards, once more. Lycan ears disguised in rounded, human shape picked up the conversation before he was even at the bar, taking a seat on the opposite side of Iarei, several stools down so it wasn’t too obvious the he knew the Necromancer, if that’s how she preferred the situation. He’d hover, to eavesdrop, to help - if necessary. And naturally… to have a few drinks in the process. Just the unshaven, lower half of his face revealed from their profile view.
Tenebrae was still sore from the night before. Sore, in the sense of mildly annoyed that the rogue'd fallen asleep on her. Literally, and mid-conversation. Still, it was good to be back on the ship, where he could relax a bit, and hopefully recover his strength in full. He'd be needing it. She still had polite fix on Iarei's face while these thoughts ran at a low hum behind that woman's words, of which Tene missed nothing. So.. they had a new rival, by the sound. Tene was finally getting the gist of 'keep your enemies closer' and so was making a sincere effort to seem.. sincere. "Safe passage, eh? Always a good market for ..maps.. in these parts. And too, to know someone with a knack for procuring the rare and unusual. Matter of fact, I might require such a service, in times not too far from now." Her voice rose an octave then, a faint smile curving her lips as she glanced over Iarei's shoulder. "Ello, again, Cap'n." The greeting was cordial, nothing in it to give away the nature of their relationship. If the trader.. if that's what she was.. looked that way, there would ensue hasty and silent conversation involving Tenebrae tilting her head at Leo to indicate the rear of the bar, the bags there, and a purse of lips that formed her request. Her eyes then flitted a swift glance toward a crowd of rather foppish tourists playing cards by the window. Clearly, the necromancer wanted a distraction.
Iarei was being spooked a lot. She didn't like it, but it came with the locale. She turned to politely offer her own nod to the man in white, grateful that his business had not been with her. Then, she'd use the movement to bend and whisper in the boy's ear, and on the upswing she'd rumple his hair with careless affection, which he'd take with a sore look and a grumble. He'd hop off the stool and trot towards the door. She turned back around to face Tenebrae. "Maps? I'm afraid I have no need of those. I arrange for passage; I have no ship and no crew of my own." Her expression read 'not yet,' "To be honest, though, I wouldn't mind securing myself some land routes, but I do not know the temperament of the local, ah...merchants. But if you need help I'm sure we could find an arrangement that would be mutually beneficial." Inwardly, the woman was furiously searching her memory for any hint of a man clad in white and a short vibrantly green-eyed woman. She was coming up blank. It was her first job to Rynvale, normally she handled items at Cenril's port and moved them appropriately. But, there'd been no time for that earlier in the day, when she'd received a missive from G that the highly illegal books and scrolls needed to be gone pronto. A quick trip to see the Captain of the Lagoon and she'd secured herself passage. She smiled easy at Tenebrae.
Leoxander was getting the gist of things, as time went by, and as he got further into the pirate’s brew he’d been offered free of charge, to keep the peace. And sure, he’d consume it quietly, but the moment Tenebrae subtly indicated toward those mysterious belongings, noticed after a fairly cordial nod in return to her greeting, he knew that mellow atmosphere would be severely short lived. Because he didn’t have a lot of options, and he wanted to return to the Broken Barrel from time to time for information, he opted to use her new friend for that distraction she was after. Once the child was out of range, one boot planted, the other pressed to the rung on the bar stool, and he stood. Iarei might not have recognize him, but apparently. “Hey, lass.” Suddenly, she had a man leaning over the bar uncomfortably close, his body heat and that fur and liquor scent only concealed so much by his leather attire. He went right on with interrupting their important discussion. “Don’t I know you? Clearwater Isle, Borgan’s port. You’re that frisky wench that had that trick with the bottle!” Beneath that hood, a sly white smile pulled a little lopsided onto his expression, appropriate gestures to crowd her space and take her attention made.
That was one down.. Tene’s eyes narrowed minutely at the easy way he flirted with the trader, the recent drama still a tad tender in her mind. But business was business, and she had Simon to see to. While Leo laid his charm on thick, she'd be craning as if to see out the window, an alarmed look on her face, whilst beckoning the keep over with a crook of her finger. "Simon!" It was a hiss. "Look out there.." When the man approached, likewise peering for sight of a potential curiosity out of the window, she continued, "Feller I know, told me he was casing your place. Your stuff out back. Can’t see him, now. Might suit you to go check your locks, pet. I'll keep an eye out here." Tene was given a look of sheer alarm and gratitude both, before Simon threw his apron at her and bolted for the door, several burly men in tow, shortly after. The former vampiress perched a little smile on her lips, slipped the stained garment over her clothes, and took a casual stroll behind the bar. A couple of rums were poured, and set on the timber before Leo and Iarei. "On the house." Tene winked, then pretended to rummage about for something, as soon as eyes were off her again. The bags were unclasped, flipped open.. and full of parchment. Ledgers, journals, receipts... "Holy f..." It was like El Dorado, in paper form. Just the little she glimpsed in her haste was enough information to sink a blackmailing hook or two into a few profitable people. There were names listed next to names that should never be associated, letters of treachery and shame... it was a bloody goldmine. Hands trembling, she resisted the urge to simply bolt with the lot and closed the bags again, doing her best to seem calm when she popped back up with a little cup full of paper umbrellas, a lot like the ones set in the gaudy coconut-based cocktails those tourists were enjoying.
Iarei 's back straightened like an iron rod. The fearful respect of the man in white leather was replaced with disgust as she turned to face the unwelcome advances. "Ahn..nnn. Kindly remove yourself from my presence." The faint street patter she'd adopted for the bar faded immediately upon her disquiet. Her speech was clipped and fairly oozed business like a sore oozes puss. "I do not know you. I never went to Clearwater. Even the straight merchants have crotch rot there and pimples on their backsides. 'Swhat I been told." She was nearly snarling, upper lip peeled off her teeth. Temper always had been the downside to the sweet bardic act that was her primary legitimate 'business'. Simon's disappearance and the woman's sweet distraction were barely noticed even on peripheral, and Iarei couldn't help but hope the boy would return soon with Orsillo in tow. Tenebrae's reappearance was enough for Iarei to move off the stool as she addressed the woman. "Think it's time to go somewhere quieter iffn you have business in mind, Lady."
Leoxander slid into the warm seat the moment she vacated it, arms rested back on the edge of the counter, a finger shaken in Iarei’s direction. “Aha, don’t be modest, Bird. I’d know those legs anywhere…” but the charade faded, then, as he cast a glance over his shoulder. Tenebrae was on her feet, and Simon and his cronies returning with disappointed and confused looks through the back. That was his cue to become involved quickly, and leave the stranger to realize his business wasn’t with her, after all. A hand flat to the bartop, he leapt over it beside Tenebrae and stalked back toward the door they were about to open to get in the way. With a suggestion to the Necromancer, through grit teeth. “She’s right. Time to go.” From the front of the bar they’d hear it, a few questions concerning Leo’s presence, then the smack of a fist on someone’s jaw, and the sounds of a quick burning brawl to follow. Barrels of garbage and crates of pots and pans hardly distinguished beyond the ongoing chorus from the band… a white blur glimpsed passed the barely open door, now and then.
Tenebrae's eyes darted toward those bags and back to the ruckus starting up, and then to Iarei. "Meet you out front miss, just gotta..." Her head tilted toward Simon and co, who were rapidly approaching Leo and the other brawlers too close to the bar for comfort, making the invisible nabbing of those bags a less likely option by the second. The apron was slung off, and she'd eyeball the throng on tiptoe, wincing. "This is bad, pet. Real bad. I'll get your things. Run!" Tene would pray, as she grabbed for the satchels, that the nervous female was nervous enough to do as she was told, in this instance. And quickly, before things got out of hand, as they were looking to be in the burgeoning fray.
Iarei was really quite confused. It was understandable, considering she'd just been swindled herself. She had an inkling that something was amiss -- why she'd sent the boy away -- but really nothing to plant a finger upon and say 'aha! Here, this is it!'. That was the problem with working alone, when your only really good partner was just a kid in training to be as good as you. She'd take in the events with a sort of befuddled air. "Hey, wait! I've done nothin' -- No! Those need to stay -- " She'd cut off with a squawk as she realized her head would be on the line if she didn't simply move. Cursing, she'd take to her heels at Tenebrae's kind suggestion. From the way she ran, it was obvious she was skilled in the matter. Call it a dog's instincts. She skidded out the door singing like a cat caught in a mouse trap.
Tenebrae was on the heels of Iarei’s heels, darting out as best she could under the weight of the packs, still praying the fight proved a means for Simon to keep his eyes off of her, long enough to... "Whew!" The exclamation was given with a grin as the women thudded out the door and into salty, fish-scented air. Tene didn't give Iarei time to complain about the 'mistake' with the packs. "That coulda been... oh wait, there's something in your.. stand still, pet?" Her hand snaked up toward the woman's hair, eyes fixed on an imaginary -something- nasty stuck in there. Bit of that flying garbage, maybe. Fingers flexed, straightened, formed a hard edge. The short, sharp blow to the back of her neck to follow, unless Iarei was stronger than she looked, might be lights out for the trader. Or, even better, render her groggy enough to pass for the not-so-unusual sight of yet another drunk, in the company of Tenebrae.
Leoxander remerged from the back rumpled, with his hood fallen back and his messy hair further askew, but relatively whole. He seemed to be fighting a smile that caused his busted lower lip to throb. A calm approach toward the bar, while curiously enough, the group of people behind him seemed to keep fighting each other, despite that they all started on the same side. The thief stole enough time to pick up one rum, intended for Iarei, and toss it back. The other was taken to-go as he continued on through the door, trailing after the two. He tugged the exaggerated collar of his jacket up over his face to conceal it, and slipped a few snitched coins into a pocket near his hip, leaving the chaos in his wake.
Iarei took her legitimate profession seriously. So seriously that she utterly refused to learn to fight in any shape or fashion, and in that manner when Tenebrae hit her she'd fall with a fluttering of eyelids. She'd be out cold.
Leoxander drank his rum as he approached Tenebrae and her ‘kill’. Oh wait, she was still breathing. The bottle casually tossed to one side, shattering further down an empty cobblestone street, he spoke through the fabric that concealed half his face. “S’pose I’m carryin’ that.” And he didn’t sound all that thrilled about it.
Tenebrae nodded, and her lifted her face to the wind. "Ooh arrr, Maisie, yer a terrible ol' lush! I dun tole ye ter lay off'n that rum! Let us git ye safe 'ome, then." She'd make it look like Iarei was staggering, and pile her into Leo's arms. All this was for the benefit of a group of tavern customers passing by. Then she'd hear a small voice piping up from somewhere behind them all-- the bloody brat. Tene threw Leo a dark look not intended for his benefit. Always the complications.. "Here-- yer mistress has had one too many. Best you come with us, eh?"
The boy had arrived, yes, as he was told -- with him was Orsillo. The rangy first mate tilted his head at the scene, but didn't seem overly concerned. "We talkin' bus'ness 'ere or som'in' else?" He asked affably, fixing his large hand on the boy's head as the runt let out an outraged cry. He had no more profits to gain from Iarei at the moment. Their business was concluded for the day. He would leave with the boy if the situation turned into 'something else'.
Leoxander grudgingly complied, collecting the Necromancer’s baggage, with one of the girl’s limp arms slung over his shoulder. Mismatched eyes lifted through his overgrown hair, and he retorted lowly before offering a dark look of his own. For -her- benefit. “I only got one Mistress…” Just about to turn and find a way to drag the body along without looking suspicious, the boy’s yell caused his attention to graze back over his shoulder. “Company..” he mentioned, through grit teeth, before twisting Iarei in his grip so that she faced him. Her other arm flung over his shoulder, hood drawn low, and Leo leaned in so that it appeared the two were locked in a lusty embrace, making out through the mindless haze of alcohol. He held his breath near her ear, listening. Hoping the boy and sailor would realize nothing, and pass right by. The only mistake was him not realizing the child could recognize Tenebrae.
Tenebrae gave Orsillo the once-over, the man looking capable enough. She’d shift that look to the 'happy couple', rolling her eyes a bit, a knowing smile on her face. "Looks like it's bit o'the other, dunnit?" But the kid was tugging on the first mate's shirt, hissing urgent words, as he eyed the packs slung to the necromancer's shoulders. The look in the mate's own eyes as they settled on Tenebrae told her honesty might be the best policy. "It's business, alright. Risky, though. Might need an extra hand, if you get my drift." She'd pat the pouch on her belt, which clinked dully-- gold under thickly lined linen. "And if you're coming with us, bring the boy." She'd move away then, her step brisk, tapping Leo on the shoulder as she passed. "Shipside, loverboy. Hasty."
Orsillo would shake his head with a finger slid alongside his nose. "Ain't none o'mine. Go wit' 'eh woman. If t'e girlie makes it mine t'en we'll sit." He shoved the boy forward and would turn to go back to his ship, whistling a shanty and walking careless. He treaded a thin line by taking risks helping Iarei, but his shallow loyalty only extended so far.
Leoxander tossed his head to shake off the strong smell of human in his nose, a gruff growl heard skipping through his throat. The ‘kiss’ was abruptly disconnected, with a sharp glance back that caught a warning glint of feral eyes in the direction of the two, yet it never revealed his face. An arm trapped their prize and she was lifted off her feet, half slung over his shoulder in effort to be hasty, as the Necromancer did suggest. A muttered remark offered as he passed. “You’re babysittin’ that one.” With a nudge of his jaw back in the direction of the abandoned kid.
-- At The Docks--
Tenebrae's version of 'babysitting' consisted of a series of graphic descriptions of what she did to kids who were not quick and quiet to do her bidding, muttered to Iarei's servant as the rogue and his 'Mistress' slipped like a pair of spring trout through the course of the streets, avoiding crowds as best they could until they reached the bustling docks, and could no longer. Eternity was moored in the most obscure corner of the place, denuded of her usual black sails-- not wise, advertising what kind of woman she really was here. Instead, the ship was in the process of being clad in a lighter, more demure shade of canvas, while various hired hands carried and rolled boxes and barrels up her stout gangplank. Tene finally paused a short distance way, to speak a word to Leo over the probably still limp bulk of the woman he carried, her voice low enough that only lycan ears might hear it over the rumble of the busy crew around them. "Hit paydirt with this one, Cap'n." One look at the gleam of lust in those peridot eyes, and he'd know she meant it.
Iarei wasn't particularly awake enough to track her surroundings. She was limp and cold, her body sprawling every which way. Sort of like a puppet might. The boy, however, kept pace with the two older rogues with an ease -- he'd already been trained by Iarei in some things, most of all the duties of a valet which was his cover back in the Warrior's Guild. He'd learned to be nonplussed by most things, and so the changing surroundings didn't faze him too badly. But, Iarei's condition did. She was his ticket out of the gutters, and he didn't much like the idea of going back. "Like 'er more'n you." He'd mutter at Tenebrae's heels as he trotted along. "She di'n't do nothin' ta you." He was still innocent in the ways of things, even if he was a little bit worldly.
Leoxander didn’t give away a sound in his movement, even when hard tread boots dropped down along the aged planks of the dock. Either he was that good, or he’d learned to match his pace to the busy click of familiar heels. Finally they paused, and he unceremonious dropped the weight of the woman against a large crate that might prop her up, one hand going to his achy ribs. “The hell am I carryin’ her around for? I’d assume a snack but I figure this ain’t your taste, anymore.” Straightening his spine stiffly, he cast a glance back toward the boy and his mutterings. “Quiet, or I’ll fit you with anchors for water walking…” that last syllable melted into a growl. A savage look hesitantly pulled away to scan the harbor for the Dock Master. He didn’t want to be questioned in this predicament, boarding a sail-less ship bearing a few subtle scars from warfare.
Tenebrae, too, scowled at the boy, a predatory threat not entirely lost to her human form, though he’d already fallen into a sullen silence. After Leo set his burden down, she gave her Cap'n an apologetic look, when heterochromatic eyes would turn from their surveillance and back her way. She too, seemed nervous out here in the open and --considering the nature of their contribution to the cargo being loaded --it was likely best they were not out there much longer. "Just a little further, we gotta get her aboard." She'd glance over her shoulder to the packs. "Like I said, paydirt. Plus, I'd like a word in private with our guest there."
The boy was cowed, though he did his best to not show it. The result was that his face looked like a mixture between quizzical and nauseous, which was quite an interesting mix indeed. "She's not dead, right?" His voice was registering pretty high, and his face was grandly pale as he looked over his savior's form anxiously. He'd crowd at the two adults' heels like a worried puppy, lower lip extended.
Leoxander offered no sympathy for the boy. If Tenebrae snapped his neck, so be it. A dull look cast back at his unconscious charge. “You think we’d be going through all this for a body?“ A grim way of reassurance, before he spoke to his mate. “I’ll get her aboard. You bring some rope.” With unloaded supplies scattered about the dock, that shouldn’t be too difficult. And Damonn had used his last convenient piece not meant for sails and rigging. One last look around the area to make certain those laborers were well occupied, and he collected Iarei a little closer to his chest this time. His next move was… inhuman, possible because that’s exactly what he was. A step from dock, to crate, and he leapt up a good fifteen feet to the rail of the nearest ship, his one free hand catching hold of a taut, tied line for balance. He’d stalk across the empty decks of ships like he walked the branches of trees, finding his way from one to the other until they were aboard the ship called Eternity.
-- Aboard The Eternity--
Iarei’s lad was centered in the youthful belief that while there might be a whole hell of a lot of pain...death was an impossibility that simply wouldn't happen. He was so young. "Nn...nno. She won't let you kill me." His words were bunched close together, almost imperceptible from one another. "Sh'said she'd keep me safe." The words would nearly be lost amidst the bustle of the dock, as he watched his mistress go flying through the air at the tenuous grip of Leoxander. He wasn't quite sure the man wouldn't just drop Iarei and be done with it.
Tenebre wasn't... inhuman. So she took the long way round with the increasingly distressed lad. "Oh gods, shut it, shorty...." Her third sideways glance of dire annoyance left her eyes roll skyward as they embarked Eternity's gangplank at last. "No she -isn't- dead." Tene spoke briskly. "Nor is she likely to be. But keep that sulkin' up, you on the other hand..." Leoxander's tattooed arm rose above the heads of his men, hand waving a signal that the cargo was safely stowed in the hold. Moments later, he was high in the rigging, peering out to sea the way an unwalked dog stares out a window. He might want to hear this.. but she could alwys fill him in, later. Slipping through a throng of bustling sailors, with the boy in tow, the necromancer wasn't long to the hatch and its downward stairwell.
While Iarei had learned how to clamp down on the boy's chattering mouth, it would be quite the trick to calm him out of it. The more nervous he got, the more he had to speak. Counter productive, quite certainly. As they neared the slot where the Eternity was docked, the boy would be fit to bursting with questions, comments and more whining. When they passed the hatch's threshold, the flood broke free. "Y'won't kill 'er then? Right? She said she'd protect me." He was waxing miserable. "I can't protect 'er, I'm not...I'm not..." Stress won out, and though there was no bursting, tears did run silently down his cheeks, to drip off his jaw. He seemed surprised by it himself, and his lips quivered as he fought to contain it.
-- In The Belly of The Ship--
Leo had hardly made Iarei a guest of honour-- half a sack of dried beans doing the woman for a rough mattress on the floor in a dim corner of the lower deck where she lay, bound with rough cordage. Tene winced. Delicate, Leo was not. But then, she'd not be the other half any kind of delicate man. A black-bladed dagger snicked from its sheath, and she'd stalk up to the bard, nudging her servant. "Out the way, Snotface." Since he hadn't provided her a name, yet. The boy paled and gibbered, while Tene sliced the ropes -- knowing she could never undo any knot Leo tied, now her strength was failing her-- and tapped Iarei's cheek lightly. "Run upstairs, ask for Cook in the Mess. Tell him Tene would like three mugs of strong, sweet tea, below."
"Y--y-yes marm -- " he'd dash off before he could think about the fact he was obeying her. Iarei's constant drilling of him to listen to orders had finally won over, and his state of unrest contributed in no small way.
Iarei was still stirring and groaning, her own tenacity winning over. Her eyes slivered open, but the pupils were yet glazed over. She groaned. Sat up. Went back to an inert position. "He doesn't have one." She muttered.
Tenebrae made a show of checking the woman over in a cursory way for ill-effects. "Thank the gods you're alright." Another of those smiles, just a flicker of one. "Can you get up? And how can he not..." But he was an urchin, and she'd know too well how it's possible to live a life without a name on the streets. "Can't just call 'im 'boy' or 'snotface' all of 'is life."
Iarei was rather grumpy, and as she figured it she had a right to be. "D'you...want me to get up?" She ignored the other question. She was really too busy glaring at Tenebrae from behind the blurriness of her eyesight.
"Of course I want you to get up, why would I not want you get up?" Tene narrowed her eyes. "Ah, perhps the blow was harder that it looked. Poor lass. But never fear, the good Cap'n chased the blighters off." She nodded emphatically. "Not a moment too soon."
Iarei stared hard at Tenebrae. Rather, as hard as she was capable considering she had to keep blinking. There were no stars in the area. It was enclosed. Besides, it wasn't night yet. She snorted. "I ain't his mum. He'll earn hisself a name or go without as he has. You have a nasty manner. Whatcha want?" She rubbed at her head and pushed herself up, keeping a hand on whatever was nearest for support.
Tenebrae dropped all facade, and herself to the boards with a 'plop', crossing her legs. "Dun want anything, pet. I got what I wanted." She pursed her lips. "Which might prove trouble to you, mightn't it?" Her eyes swivelled toward the hold for moment, as a shadow passed over the light from the stairwell. "I've a sense you and I could be rivals for business. And that you'll probably not enjoy that position. On the other hand..." Pause, for a breath, "We're always lookin' to employ them with a good head on their shoulders. Freelance, your business is not our business." The eyes that rested on Iarei then were sharp, and lacked nothing of a hunter's gleam for the necromancer's new mortality. "Unless it is our business."
Iarei sighed. She wasn't stupid. "If I'd met you in two-span or more, this might look different." She rubbed the back of her neck, and prodded a blooming bruise with gentle fingers. "I'm not looking to compete. Not yet. I still have yet to dig into my own niche." She'd dropped the faint street patter in favor of a crisper tone. "I'm doing some work under G, the Innkeeper, in Cenril right now. If I haven't heard of you until now then I must not be interrupting your business." Her lips quirked a little in dislike.
Tenebrae's features features stilled, and her tone dropped to a low murmur. "I know you're not competing yet. If you were, you'd have a knife in your ribs by now." Her smile was warm, eyes softer moment later. "And you'd know exactly who put it there. So, here's what you'll do. You'll be eyes and ears. Run your goods, and arrange your passages-- on our ship, might be a good idea." She gave Eternity's boards a fond pat. "And any.. interesting.. cargo, like what you had today, you let us have a lookit, before you pass it on." Sounded reasonable, to Tene. "We'll ensure nobody'll have a finger to point to you. We'll catch any decent loot at one end or the other. And of course, we'd split the profit."
Iarei straightened, and ignored the pounding in the back of her skull. Her eyes focused with clarity upon Tenebrae. "My services are for sale, but I am not. Put a collar on me and you'll find a knife in your back. Start dictating terms to me and you'll find your information sold to the highest bidder. If you want mutual benefits, and an equal stake partnership, then you'll have both me and my services. I'll include loyalty at no extra charge."
Tene leant her back against the barrel behind her, her breath becoming choppy; it was soon evident she was laughing. The knuckle of one thumb swiped to the corner of each eye. "Oh dear, lass. You're rum 'un. But you've gumption, I'll give y'that. Let's call it a deal. We'll throw in a dozen men ready to rip apart any who'd give you trouble." Her chuckle died softly on her lips. "At minimum rate. And I suppose I ought to know your name, if we're to be.. partners." Tenebrae shifted her gaze to a clatter on the stairs.
Iarei didn't let her attention waver from Tenebrae. "One last thing. You could ruin me with a snap from your pretty fingers. Return those documents to Simon as a sign of faith. I've my head riding on them."
Tenebrae gave Iarei a beatific smile. "Best your boy claim credit for saving those from ruination in the brawl, eh? Once..." Said boy arrived with three large mugs held precariously in the cusp of his gawky-fingered hands. "...my man has done making note of the juicy bits. And I didn't quite catch your name."
Iarei grunted and nodded. She touseled the hair of the boy, taking note of his runny nose and reddened cheeks. She acknowledged him with the barest of approving smiles, and he stood a little straighter. "Iarei. And I may not use your ship if its been tied to nefarious deeds. I'm running an honest front, and I don't want that ruined. The papers were a special case. I was only supposed to hold them, not move them. Certain events changed that. In any case, if you need a clean front to hide behind you have it. Your name and ship's name?"
Tenebrae rocked forward to relieve the nameless lad of one of the mugs. Blowing faint steam off the top of the liquid within, she sipped, her eyes on Iarei while she drank. Tene lowered her mug. "No need for the ship's name. Mine's Tene." A light glimmer shone in her eyes. "Pleasure to meet you, Iarei."
Iarei frowned at Tenebrae, and waved away the niceties. She instead opted to take a mug from the boy, still tense. "Is the ship's real name not painted on the bow? If there's a fake name, I'll settle for it."
Tenebrae had taken pains to sand the white curlicue of 'Eternity' off the ship's timber before the schooner was brought to the docks under new sails. "She's 'The Seawolf', until we put to sea." Iarei was studied quietly. "Won't do you much good to remember it. My face is well-known in these lands, though, and my pub serves for a front. Though its name is surely not as clean as yours. Word can always be left there, if you want to contact me."
Iarei was thinking as she stared at Tenebrae, eyebrows beetled together. Ship, plus pub, plus well-known equals.... she groaned. "Eldritch Cabal? That's you?" She looked away from Tenebrae, turning partway, taking a sip. She was harboring many emotions -- most of them conflicting in the name of greed, caution and aspiration -- and she was having a difficult time hiding it.
Tene only smiled, before she took another sip of the sweet tea, rather gratefully-- she'd not gotten a lot of sleep, these past few nights. "You do your homework. Good lass." A long, low whistle sounded from above. Unfurling her legs, the supple leather they wore making no sound, the necromancer brought herself to her feet. "Send your boy up to find the Cap'n. Your bags'll be returned to him."
Iarei grimaced and waved the boy away. "I had it drilled into me. Look, if I'm partnering with you then I'll need some help recovering an item from Kinnan. You know the Crows?" She didn't wait for affirmation, "Well, they know you. Kinnan has a thing for you in a bad way. Says you're bad for business, and you know what that means. If word gets out -- shit, already has..." how many eyes had seen her sitting next to Tenebrae? Running out with her? "shit. shit. He's going to close on me like a virgin on her wedding night. We need to return to Cenril. Kinnan has something of mine. It's important."
"There's a mate of ours on the Dolly Dupree, big four master at the other end of the dock. Leaving for Cenril in few hours." Tene sidled her gaze to Irei. "This ship's not welcome in those ports. and they know us by her shape, in any guise. Bastards. But McLellan will see you right, if you drop my name.. and.." A scrap of parchment labelling the barrel she leant on was torn free. Glancing about, she strode toward a lamp, unlit, hanging by a pile covered by a large tapestry. She dipped a thumbnail in the soot clung to the glass, and made a rough mark, a ragged thorn-like sigil on the scrap. Returning to Iarei, Tene handed her the parchment. "Give 'im this. He'll be in Cenril a day or so. If there's trouble, send your boy to him and we'll know."
Iarei smiled at Tenebrae, though it could perhaps be known as sardonic. "Already knew that much. Most of the groups in Cenril bemoan you for something or other. G don't mind you though. He wouldn't mind helping some of your jobs for part of the take. He deals information like a mother deals pie." She took the scrap of paper and eyed it dubiously. "I can nearly guarantee you there will be trouble. You might as well keep the papers; no point saving face now. Ah. I might as well have a thief steal it back for me." She'd shake her head, and her gaze would turn mournful.
Tenebrae blew a strand of black from her eyes, and took another long sip of tea. "Flighty little thing, aren't you? Listen, a deal's a deal. Take those bags to Simon. Tell him you were almost taken down, but a couple of Rynvale's finest got in the way of us. We have two or three of 'em on our payroll on duty last night, they'll back you up. And we both know Simon's loyal to one side as another, news'll travel fast you made a slim escape from our clutches." Tene smirked, setting her mug down on the barrel again. "Feel free to run Cabal's name to dirt, in Kinnan's company. He'll rather enjoy that, bein' his favourite pastime and all." Her humour faded, then. "Unless you think you're safer on our side of the shore."
Iarei looked at Tenebrae, and when the boy returned she took a look at the bags. She let go another sigh. "I'll finish the job, but I'm not returning to Kinnan. He's not pleasant company." Her look at Tenebrae proclaimed that she wasn't yet sure if the woman was pleasant company, herself, "Not to mention you're the one offering protection. I'll keep my name clean enough in the wider circles. I'm moving a lot of clean goods fairly regularly; it'll be hard for the merchants to ignore that when they're making money. They'll keep their yaps shut." She held out her hand. "Partners?"
Tenebrae’s handshake was cool, and firm. "Kinnan knows not to poke a wolf in its den. But aye, trouble's brewing there." It's all she'd say on that topic. "Partners." She nodded toward the small paper, with the mark on it. "Remember that sign. You'll know us by it." Iarei's lad returned to her side, groaning about the weight of the packs slung across his shoulders. "Y'alright, snotface?" The boy gave Tene poisonous look, but made no reply. To Iarei, the necromancer said, "Be seein' you about then." A pair of rough cloaks were snatched from their hook on the wall, and tossed toward the bard. "Best you're not seen leaving."
Tene was certain Leo would’ve done a good job of forging a few of those documents--- minus several essential and useful details.
Iarei nodded. "I've got another job coming soon. I'll contact you." She'd leave.
Tenebrae had one elbow on the bar where she was seated, the opposite hand combing through her hair idly while she spoke to the keep. "Lawrence who? Never heard of him. How long has he been…?" Simon stared at her hard a moment, then replied to the woman a low tone. The necromancer blinked. "Oh-- you mean Sam! Yes, I left with him the other evening. He got rather handsy, as I recall. And quite pissy, when I set him straight. Then he said something about seeing a man about a dog, stalked off into the night, and that was that." She shrugged. "Pity he'd dead. But I can't say the world is at a loss for it." Whatever Simon may have thought of her opinion of "Sam", who'd been a regular customer, he was a businessman and would pour the next rum with a nod and a smile.
The Inn was, all things considered, a good place to do business of the rougher kind. It carried a constant loud buzz, the effect of many voices all talking at once and music being played above it all. Beneath that was the clink of glasses, the rustling of coins changed and people moving about, and then swallowing as food and drink alike was consumed. Beneath all of it, though, was the silence. It was maintained by those looking for trouble and, those who'd found trouble; the goal of course being that none of the involved actually got into trouble. Iarei was looking for trouble. She entered carefully, holding the door for a young boy who followed her with the willing sullenness of one who had been ordered to. They both carried bulky satchel's, though the woman's was the bigger. Summarily, they were ignored. She moved up to the bar, where she'd sit a few stools down from Tenebrae, and heave her bag and the lad's onto the counter. "Heave ho." She'd grin. "Keep, pour me something strong. I've got delivery for one of your customers."
Tenebrae's eyes automatically slid sideways at the sound of the word 'delivery' and the thud of bags on the counter. Tene was, as far as any of the usual suspects present knew, pretty much in retirement now her immortality was a thing of the past, content to play barfly and keep her eye on their comings and goings. She'd become something of a dealer in silence and shadow also, and had already gained a reputation for being the one to come to when a deal went bad, the heat was on, or other troubles struck. The woman and her lad were not glanced at, directly. She waited until they'd settled, before she found a tangle in her hair that hid most of her face while she finger-combed it out, providing a handy veil through which to peer at them. On sight of Iarei, she drew that black swathe to one side of her neck, smoothing it into place, and gave her a smile. "Ello, pet. Fancy seeing you here."
Tenebrae canted her head toward the woman and her helpmeet, her eyes flickering Simon's way.
Iarei had sucked down half a foul smelling tonic before Tenebrae spoke, and when she did Iarei would look the other over with raised eyebrows. Simon checked the bags and took them behind the bar, and slid away with the smooth efficiency of an experienced barkeep. "Eh?" She wouldn't know that Tenebrae was the one who'd almost scared the piss out of her not so long ago, and wouldn't particularly remember the voice being so normal when it was amplified with darkness in her memory. That memory, too, was floating in the seas of drunkenness, and was comfortably dim.
Tenebrae doubletook, and narrowed her eyes near-imperceptibly. "I recall you from my pub, is all." She took a slow sip from her drink, her gaze levelled on Iarei. That she seemed to have forgotten the help she'd given Tene... or just Tene herself, possibly... was not something the necromancer was worried about. One less witness to her private business. Perhaps her currently sleek appearance was too at odds with the ragged, bloodied being she'd lowered into the bath. Tene mentally shrugged. "Quite the ways from Vailkrin here. But come to think of it, you didn't seem all that much... at home, in my place."
Iarei slapped the boy's hand away from her drink with a growl, and he turned away in a huff. "Order yerself somethin' easy, gods damn, boy." He'd skulk off to grab the bartender's attention, and she watched him go as a means to collect herself. She steeled her features. "Been in that pub a total of one time, Lady." An icy chill descended about her, but if the game was about bluffing she wasn't about to get herself stabbed. "I don't appreciate being threatened, thank you."
Tenebrae hid her smirk behind her glass, another long sip taken, and when she lowered the vessel her features dripped compassion. "My apologies, miss. Gets ten kinds of rowdy, some nights. You a local, then?" Once she might have pegged the female, and especially her lad, as a quick meal. Now, she was just curious about this 'delivery'.
Iarei still felt echoes of fear dancing about her, but she hid it will the serene skill of a bard. "Local here? Nah. Not one of these cities is home. If you're talking about home I'm far from it, but I've found an easy enough place to make a nest." The boy returned with a glass of something dark, so Iarei cuffed him behind the head. He glared at her, and she let him be as he retook his stool.
Leoxander managed to stop the music, the laughter, as he appeared in an open doorway. Not an intimidating sight necessarily, not in this more compact and acceptable form, but a familiar one. The Rynvale community knew its criminals, its pirates, and the only thing that had altered about his armored appearance over the years was the color of that leather - from black to white. Heavy tread boots left a few muddy footprints on his way inside, and he wouldn’t bother to take that long range weapon from his back. Beneath the concealing edge of his hood, mismatched eyes skipped from table to table, coming to land upon the pair occupied with their drinks and conversation.
Tenebrae didn't need to turn her eyes toward the door to know what the sudden silence meant. Nobody but her Cap'n ever caused the bagpipes to wheeze to a slow halt, the voices to dribble off into quiet like that. A single clink of a glass against glass by one of the wenches as she collected empties from a table would set the whole din in motion again, the patrons and staff satisfied there'd be no carnage ensuing from the rogue's presence. Not right away, anyhow. In that pause, Tene had eyed the position of the packs behind the counter, made a fast appraisal of what actions might be needed to get a look inside them, and had formulated a plan to do just that. The back of her neck prickled, and her stomach tightened, as if she needed any more evidence of Leoxander's presence. Her mien was oblivious as she addressed a reply to Iarei, though. "Is that your son, there? Seems a bright boy. And .. uh. What's your line of business, if it's not rude of me to ask? Just that I know a lot of folks, might be able to hook you up with some contacts." Her smile was easy, the whole of it not overly eager, not too nonchalant.
Iarei was not too keen on sudden silences, and unlike Tenebrae she unconsciously hunched. Just another joe. No one to worry about. No one special. She slid around a bit to look behind, and she knew the one who'd entered was Big News. Only the ones with reputations could afford to gather that kind of attention. Iarei sighed and went to turn back around, but noticed Leoxander's direction. She snapped her head back around. She hadn't slipped in on someone's take, had she? She'd sweat a little bit. "Ah. Um. No, a gutter rat I picked up. There's lots of 'em in Cenril, like some club o' whores keep gettin' knocked up and poppin' 'em out and then go 'poof'. Bad business in the alleyways, I tell ya. Business, yeah, I specialize with that. I'm a bit of a merchant, you could say. I take special orders and secure safe passage ways. I haven't been at it long here, but I have plenty of experience." And her grin, if a little queasy, would convey just that.
Leoxander managed an appropriate nod of respect to Redbeard’s Maiden alone. Ironic that his only friendly gesture might go to the only lifeless face in the room, but he, like all pirates, could be superstitious. Who knew that the statue didn’t harbor the soul of creature that controlled the seas? For every silent step taken inside, patrons reluctantly resumed their business, wariness draining, and confidence blossoming as they discovered the bottom of their tankards, once more. Lycan ears disguised in rounded, human shape picked up the conversation before he was even at the bar, taking a seat on the opposite side of Iarei, several stools down so it wasn’t too obvious the he knew the Necromancer, if that’s how she preferred the situation. He’d hover, to eavesdrop, to help - if necessary. And naturally… to have a few drinks in the process. Just the unshaven, lower half of his face revealed from their profile view.
Tenebrae was still sore from the night before. Sore, in the sense of mildly annoyed that the rogue'd fallen asleep on her. Literally, and mid-conversation. Still, it was good to be back on the ship, where he could relax a bit, and hopefully recover his strength in full. He'd be needing it. She still had polite fix on Iarei's face while these thoughts ran at a low hum behind that woman's words, of which Tene missed nothing. So.. they had a new rival, by the sound. Tene was finally getting the gist of 'keep your enemies closer' and so was making a sincere effort to seem.. sincere. "Safe passage, eh? Always a good market for ..maps.. in these parts. And too, to know someone with a knack for procuring the rare and unusual. Matter of fact, I might require such a service, in times not too far from now." Her voice rose an octave then, a faint smile curving her lips as she glanced over Iarei's shoulder. "Ello, again, Cap'n." The greeting was cordial, nothing in it to give away the nature of their relationship. If the trader.. if that's what she was.. looked that way, there would ensue hasty and silent conversation involving Tenebrae tilting her head at Leo to indicate the rear of the bar, the bags there, and a purse of lips that formed her request. Her eyes then flitted a swift glance toward a crowd of rather foppish tourists playing cards by the window. Clearly, the necromancer wanted a distraction.
Iarei was being spooked a lot. She didn't like it, but it came with the locale. She turned to politely offer her own nod to the man in white, grateful that his business had not been with her. Then, she'd use the movement to bend and whisper in the boy's ear, and on the upswing she'd rumple his hair with careless affection, which he'd take with a sore look and a grumble. He'd hop off the stool and trot towards the door. She turned back around to face Tenebrae. "Maps? I'm afraid I have no need of those. I arrange for passage; I have no ship and no crew of my own." Her expression read 'not yet,' "To be honest, though, I wouldn't mind securing myself some land routes, but I do not know the temperament of the local, ah...merchants. But if you need help I'm sure we could find an arrangement that would be mutually beneficial." Inwardly, the woman was furiously searching her memory for any hint of a man clad in white and a short vibrantly green-eyed woman. She was coming up blank. It was her first job to Rynvale, normally she handled items at Cenril's port and moved them appropriately. But, there'd been no time for that earlier in the day, when she'd received a missive from G that the highly illegal books and scrolls needed to be gone pronto. A quick trip to see the Captain of the Lagoon and she'd secured herself passage. She smiled easy at Tenebrae.
Leoxander was getting the gist of things, as time went by, and as he got further into the pirate’s brew he’d been offered free of charge, to keep the peace. And sure, he’d consume it quietly, but the moment Tenebrae subtly indicated toward those mysterious belongings, noticed after a fairly cordial nod in return to her greeting, he knew that mellow atmosphere would be severely short lived. Because he didn’t have a lot of options, and he wanted to return to the Broken Barrel from time to time for information, he opted to use her new friend for that distraction she was after. Once the child was out of range, one boot planted, the other pressed to the rung on the bar stool, and he stood. Iarei might not have recognize him, but apparently. “Hey, lass.” Suddenly, she had a man leaning over the bar uncomfortably close, his body heat and that fur and liquor scent only concealed so much by his leather attire. He went right on with interrupting their important discussion. “Don’t I know you? Clearwater Isle, Borgan’s port. You’re that frisky wench that had that trick with the bottle!” Beneath that hood, a sly white smile pulled a little lopsided onto his expression, appropriate gestures to crowd her space and take her attention made.
That was one down.. Tene’s eyes narrowed minutely at the easy way he flirted with the trader, the recent drama still a tad tender in her mind. But business was business, and she had Simon to see to. While Leo laid his charm on thick, she'd be craning as if to see out the window, an alarmed look on her face, whilst beckoning the keep over with a crook of her finger. "Simon!" It was a hiss. "Look out there.." When the man approached, likewise peering for sight of a potential curiosity out of the window, she continued, "Feller I know, told me he was casing your place. Your stuff out back. Can’t see him, now. Might suit you to go check your locks, pet. I'll keep an eye out here." Tene was given a look of sheer alarm and gratitude both, before Simon threw his apron at her and bolted for the door, several burly men in tow, shortly after. The former vampiress perched a little smile on her lips, slipped the stained garment over her clothes, and took a casual stroll behind the bar. A couple of rums were poured, and set on the timber before Leo and Iarei. "On the house." Tene winked, then pretended to rummage about for something, as soon as eyes were off her again. The bags were unclasped, flipped open.. and full of parchment. Ledgers, journals, receipts... "Holy f..." It was like El Dorado, in paper form. Just the little she glimpsed in her haste was enough information to sink a blackmailing hook or two into a few profitable people. There were names listed next to names that should never be associated, letters of treachery and shame... it was a bloody goldmine. Hands trembling, she resisted the urge to simply bolt with the lot and closed the bags again, doing her best to seem calm when she popped back up with a little cup full of paper umbrellas, a lot like the ones set in the gaudy coconut-based cocktails those tourists were enjoying.
Iarei 's back straightened like an iron rod. The fearful respect of the man in white leather was replaced with disgust as she turned to face the unwelcome advances. "Ahn..nnn. Kindly remove yourself from my presence." The faint street patter she'd adopted for the bar faded immediately upon her disquiet. Her speech was clipped and fairly oozed business like a sore oozes puss. "I do not know you. I never went to Clearwater. Even the straight merchants have crotch rot there and pimples on their backsides. 'Swhat I been told." She was nearly snarling, upper lip peeled off her teeth. Temper always had been the downside to the sweet bardic act that was her primary legitimate 'business'. Simon's disappearance and the woman's sweet distraction were barely noticed even on peripheral, and Iarei couldn't help but hope the boy would return soon with Orsillo in tow. Tenebrae's reappearance was enough for Iarei to move off the stool as she addressed the woman. "Think it's time to go somewhere quieter iffn you have business in mind, Lady."
Leoxander slid into the warm seat the moment she vacated it, arms rested back on the edge of the counter, a finger shaken in Iarei’s direction. “Aha, don’t be modest, Bird. I’d know those legs anywhere…” but the charade faded, then, as he cast a glance over his shoulder. Tenebrae was on her feet, and Simon and his cronies returning with disappointed and confused looks through the back. That was his cue to become involved quickly, and leave the stranger to realize his business wasn’t with her, after all. A hand flat to the bartop, he leapt over it beside Tenebrae and stalked back toward the door they were about to open to get in the way. With a suggestion to the Necromancer, through grit teeth. “She’s right. Time to go.” From the front of the bar they’d hear it, a few questions concerning Leo’s presence, then the smack of a fist on someone’s jaw, and the sounds of a quick burning brawl to follow. Barrels of garbage and crates of pots and pans hardly distinguished beyond the ongoing chorus from the band… a white blur glimpsed passed the barely open door, now and then.
Tenebrae's eyes darted toward those bags and back to the ruckus starting up, and then to Iarei. "Meet you out front miss, just gotta..." Her head tilted toward Simon and co, who were rapidly approaching Leo and the other brawlers too close to the bar for comfort, making the invisible nabbing of those bags a less likely option by the second. The apron was slung off, and she'd eyeball the throng on tiptoe, wincing. "This is bad, pet. Real bad. I'll get your things. Run!" Tene would pray, as she grabbed for the satchels, that the nervous female was nervous enough to do as she was told, in this instance. And quickly, before things got out of hand, as they were looking to be in the burgeoning fray.
Iarei was really quite confused. It was understandable, considering she'd just been swindled herself. She had an inkling that something was amiss -- why she'd sent the boy away -- but really nothing to plant a finger upon and say 'aha! Here, this is it!'. That was the problem with working alone, when your only really good partner was just a kid in training to be as good as you. She'd take in the events with a sort of befuddled air. "Hey, wait! I've done nothin' -- No! Those need to stay -- " She'd cut off with a squawk as she realized her head would be on the line if she didn't simply move. Cursing, she'd take to her heels at Tenebrae's kind suggestion. From the way she ran, it was obvious she was skilled in the matter. Call it a dog's instincts. She skidded out the door singing like a cat caught in a mouse trap.
Tenebrae was on the heels of Iarei’s heels, darting out as best she could under the weight of the packs, still praying the fight proved a means for Simon to keep his eyes off of her, long enough to... "Whew!" The exclamation was given with a grin as the women thudded out the door and into salty, fish-scented air. Tene didn't give Iarei time to complain about the 'mistake' with the packs. "That coulda been... oh wait, there's something in your.. stand still, pet?" Her hand snaked up toward the woman's hair, eyes fixed on an imaginary -something- nasty stuck in there. Bit of that flying garbage, maybe. Fingers flexed, straightened, formed a hard edge. The short, sharp blow to the back of her neck to follow, unless Iarei was stronger than she looked, might be lights out for the trader. Or, even better, render her groggy enough to pass for the not-so-unusual sight of yet another drunk, in the company of Tenebrae.
Leoxander remerged from the back rumpled, with his hood fallen back and his messy hair further askew, but relatively whole. He seemed to be fighting a smile that caused his busted lower lip to throb. A calm approach toward the bar, while curiously enough, the group of people behind him seemed to keep fighting each other, despite that they all started on the same side. The thief stole enough time to pick up one rum, intended for Iarei, and toss it back. The other was taken to-go as he continued on through the door, trailing after the two. He tugged the exaggerated collar of his jacket up over his face to conceal it, and slipped a few snitched coins into a pocket near his hip, leaving the chaos in his wake.
Iarei took her legitimate profession seriously. So seriously that she utterly refused to learn to fight in any shape or fashion, and in that manner when Tenebrae hit her she'd fall with a fluttering of eyelids. She'd be out cold.
Leoxander drank his rum as he approached Tenebrae and her ‘kill’. Oh wait, she was still breathing. The bottle casually tossed to one side, shattering further down an empty cobblestone street, he spoke through the fabric that concealed half his face. “S’pose I’m carryin’ that.” And he didn’t sound all that thrilled about it.
Tenebrae nodded, and her lifted her face to the wind. "Ooh arrr, Maisie, yer a terrible ol' lush! I dun tole ye ter lay off'n that rum! Let us git ye safe 'ome, then." She'd make it look like Iarei was staggering, and pile her into Leo's arms. All this was for the benefit of a group of tavern customers passing by. Then she'd hear a small voice piping up from somewhere behind them all-- the bloody brat. Tene threw Leo a dark look not intended for his benefit. Always the complications.. "Here-- yer mistress has had one too many. Best you come with us, eh?"
The boy had arrived, yes, as he was told -- with him was Orsillo. The rangy first mate tilted his head at the scene, but didn't seem overly concerned. "We talkin' bus'ness 'ere or som'in' else?" He asked affably, fixing his large hand on the boy's head as the runt let out an outraged cry. He had no more profits to gain from Iarei at the moment. Their business was concluded for the day. He would leave with the boy if the situation turned into 'something else'.
Leoxander grudgingly complied, collecting the Necromancer’s baggage, with one of the girl’s limp arms slung over his shoulder. Mismatched eyes lifted through his overgrown hair, and he retorted lowly before offering a dark look of his own. For -her- benefit. “I only got one Mistress…” Just about to turn and find a way to drag the body along without looking suspicious, the boy’s yell caused his attention to graze back over his shoulder. “Company..” he mentioned, through grit teeth, before twisting Iarei in his grip so that she faced him. Her other arm flung over his shoulder, hood drawn low, and Leo leaned in so that it appeared the two were locked in a lusty embrace, making out through the mindless haze of alcohol. He held his breath near her ear, listening. Hoping the boy and sailor would realize nothing, and pass right by. The only mistake was him not realizing the child could recognize Tenebrae.
Tenebrae gave Orsillo the once-over, the man looking capable enough. She’d shift that look to the 'happy couple', rolling her eyes a bit, a knowing smile on her face. "Looks like it's bit o'the other, dunnit?" But the kid was tugging on the first mate's shirt, hissing urgent words, as he eyed the packs slung to the necromancer's shoulders. The look in the mate's own eyes as they settled on Tenebrae told her honesty might be the best policy. "It's business, alright. Risky, though. Might need an extra hand, if you get my drift." She'd pat the pouch on her belt, which clinked dully-- gold under thickly lined linen. "And if you're coming with us, bring the boy." She'd move away then, her step brisk, tapping Leo on the shoulder as she passed. "Shipside, loverboy. Hasty."
Orsillo would shake his head with a finger slid alongside his nose. "Ain't none o'mine. Go wit' 'eh woman. If t'e girlie makes it mine t'en we'll sit." He shoved the boy forward and would turn to go back to his ship, whistling a shanty and walking careless. He treaded a thin line by taking risks helping Iarei, but his shallow loyalty only extended so far.
Leoxander tossed his head to shake off the strong smell of human in his nose, a gruff growl heard skipping through his throat. The ‘kiss’ was abruptly disconnected, with a sharp glance back that caught a warning glint of feral eyes in the direction of the two, yet it never revealed his face. An arm trapped their prize and she was lifted off her feet, half slung over his shoulder in effort to be hasty, as the Necromancer did suggest. A muttered remark offered as he passed. “You’re babysittin’ that one.” With a nudge of his jaw back in the direction of the abandoned kid.
-- At The Docks--
Tenebrae's version of 'babysitting' consisted of a series of graphic descriptions of what she did to kids who were not quick and quiet to do her bidding, muttered to Iarei's servant as the rogue and his 'Mistress' slipped like a pair of spring trout through the course of the streets, avoiding crowds as best they could until they reached the bustling docks, and could no longer. Eternity was moored in the most obscure corner of the place, denuded of her usual black sails-- not wise, advertising what kind of woman she really was here. Instead, the ship was in the process of being clad in a lighter, more demure shade of canvas, while various hired hands carried and rolled boxes and barrels up her stout gangplank. Tene finally paused a short distance way, to speak a word to Leo over the probably still limp bulk of the woman he carried, her voice low enough that only lycan ears might hear it over the rumble of the busy crew around them. "Hit paydirt with this one, Cap'n." One look at the gleam of lust in those peridot eyes, and he'd know she meant it.
Iarei wasn't particularly awake enough to track her surroundings. She was limp and cold, her body sprawling every which way. Sort of like a puppet might. The boy, however, kept pace with the two older rogues with an ease -- he'd already been trained by Iarei in some things, most of all the duties of a valet which was his cover back in the Warrior's Guild. He'd learned to be nonplussed by most things, and so the changing surroundings didn't faze him too badly. But, Iarei's condition did. She was his ticket out of the gutters, and he didn't much like the idea of going back. "Like 'er more'n you." He'd mutter at Tenebrae's heels as he trotted along. "She di'n't do nothin' ta you." He was still innocent in the ways of things, even if he was a little bit worldly.
Leoxander didn’t give away a sound in his movement, even when hard tread boots dropped down along the aged planks of the dock. Either he was that good, or he’d learned to match his pace to the busy click of familiar heels. Finally they paused, and he unceremonious dropped the weight of the woman against a large crate that might prop her up, one hand going to his achy ribs. “The hell am I carryin’ her around for? I’d assume a snack but I figure this ain’t your taste, anymore.” Straightening his spine stiffly, he cast a glance back toward the boy and his mutterings. “Quiet, or I’ll fit you with anchors for water walking…” that last syllable melted into a growl. A savage look hesitantly pulled away to scan the harbor for the Dock Master. He didn’t want to be questioned in this predicament, boarding a sail-less ship bearing a few subtle scars from warfare.
Tenebrae, too, scowled at the boy, a predatory threat not entirely lost to her human form, though he’d already fallen into a sullen silence. After Leo set his burden down, she gave her Cap'n an apologetic look, when heterochromatic eyes would turn from their surveillance and back her way. She too, seemed nervous out here in the open and --considering the nature of their contribution to the cargo being loaded --it was likely best they were not out there much longer. "Just a little further, we gotta get her aboard." She'd glance over her shoulder to the packs. "Like I said, paydirt. Plus, I'd like a word in private with our guest there."
The boy was cowed, though he did his best to not show it. The result was that his face looked like a mixture between quizzical and nauseous, which was quite an interesting mix indeed. "She's not dead, right?" His voice was registering pretty high, and his face was grandly pale as he looked over his savior's form anxiously. He'd crowd at the two adults' heels like a worried puppy, lower lip extended.
Leoxander offered no sympathy for the boy. If Tenebrae snapped his neck, so be it. A dull look cast back at his unconscious charge. “You think we’d be going through all this for a body?“ A grim way of reassurance, before he spoke to his mate. “I’ll get her aboard. You bring some rope.” With unloaded supplies scattered about the dock, that shouldn’t be too difficult. And Damonn had used his last convenient piece not meant for sails and rigging. One last look around the area to make certain those laborers were well occupied, and he collected Iarei a little closer to his chest this time. His next move was… inhuman, possible because that’s exactly what he was. A step from dock, to crate, and he leapt up a good fifteen feet to the rail of the nearest ship, his one free hand catching hold of a taut, tied line for balance. He’d stalk across the empty decks of ships like he walked the branches of trees, finding his way from one to the other until they were aboard the ship called Eternity.
-- Aboard The Eternity--
Iarei’s lad was centered in the youthful belief that while there might be a whole hell of a lot of pain...death was an impossibility that simply wouldn't happen. He was so young. "Nn...nno. She won't let you kill me." His words were bunched close together, almost imperceptible from one another. "Sh'said she'd keep me safe." The words would nearly be lost amidst the bustle of the dock, as he watched his mistress go flying through the air at the tenuous grip of Leoxander. He wasn't quite sure the man wouldn't just drop Iarei and be done with it.
Tenebre wasn't... inhuman. So she took the long way round with the increasingly distressed lad. "Oh gods, shut it, shorty...." Her third sideways glance of dire annoyance left her eyes roll skyward as they embarked Eternity's gangplank at last. "No she -isn't- dead." Tene spoke briskly. "Nor is she likely to be. But keep that sulkin' up, you on the other hand..." Leoxander's tattooed arm rose above the heads of his men, hand waving a signal that the cargo was safely stowed in the hold. Moments later, he was high in the rigging, peering out to sea the way an unwalked dog stares out a window. He might want to hear this.. but she could alwys fill him in, later. Slipping through a throng of bustling sailors, with the boy in tow, the necromancer wasn't long to the hatch and its downward stairwell.
While Iarei had learned how to clamp down on the boy's chattering mouth, it would be quite the trick to calm him out of it. The more nervous he got, the more he had to speak. Counter productive, quite certainly. As they neared the slot where the Eternity was docked, the boy would be fit to bursting with questions, comments and more whining. When they passed the hatch's threshold, the flood broke free. "Y'won't kill 'er then? Right? She said she'd protect me." He was waxing miserable. "I can't protect 'er, I'm not...I'm not..." Stress won out, and though there was no bursting, tears did run silently down his cheeks, to drip off his jaw. He seemed surprised by it himself, and his lips quivered as he fought to contain it.
-- In The Belly of The Ship--
Leo had hardly made Iarei a guest of honour-- half a sack of dried beans doing the woman for a rough mattress on the floor in a dim corner of the lower deck where she lay, bound with rough cordage. Tene winced. Delicate, Leo was not. But then, she'd not be the other half any kind of delicate man. A black-bladed dagger snicked from its sheath, and she'd stalk up to the bard, nudging her servant. "Out the way, Snotface." Since he hadn't provided her a name, yet. The boy paled and gibbered, while Tene sliced the ropes -- knowing she could never undo any knot Leo tied, now her strength was failing her-- and tapped Iarei's cheek lightly. "Run upstairs, ask for Cook in the Mess. Tell him Tene would like three mugs of strong, sweet tea, below."
"Y--y-yes marm -- " he'd dash off before he could think about the fact he was obeying her. Iarei's constant drilling of him to listen to orders had finally won over, and his state of unrest contributed in no small way.
Iarei was still stirring and groaning, her own tenacity winning over. Her eyes slivered open, but the pupils were yet glazed over. She groaned. Sat up. Went back to an inert position. "He doesn't have one." She muttered.
Tenebrae made a show of checking the woman over in a cursory way for ill-effects. "Thank the gods you're alright." Another of those smiles, just a flicker of one. "Can you get up? And how can he not..." But he was an urchin, and she'd know too well how it's possible to live a life without a name on the streets. "Can't just call 'im 'boy' or 'snotface' all of 'is life."
Iarei was rather grumpy, and as she figured it she had a right to be. "D'you...want me to get up?" She ignored the other question. She was really too busy glaring at Tenebrae from behind the blurriness of her eyesight.
"Of course I want you to get up, why would I not want you get up?" Tene narrowed her eyes. "Ah, perhps the blow was harder that it looked. Poor lass. But never fear, the good Cap'n chased the blighters off." She nodded emphatically. "Not a moment too soon."
Iarei stared hard at Tenebrae. Rather, as hard as she was capable considering she had to keep blinking. There were no stars in the area. It was enclosed. Besides, it wasn't night yet. She snorted. "I ain't his mum. He'll earn hisself a name or go without as he has. You have a nasty manner. Whatcha want?" She rubbed at her head and pushed herself up, keeping a hand on whatever was nearest for support.
Tenebrae dropped all facade, and herself to the boards with a 'plop', crossing her legs. "Dun want anything, pet. I got what I wanted." She pursed her lips. "Which might prove trouble to you, mightn't it?" Her eyes swivelled toward the hold for moment, as a shadow passed over the light from the stairwell. "I've a sense you and I could be rivals for business. And that you'll probably not enjoy that position. On the other hand..." Pause, for a breath, "We're always lookin' to employ them with a good head on their shoulders. Freelance, your business is not our business." The eyes that rested on Iarei then were sharp, and lacked nothing of a hunter's gleam for the necromancer's new mortality. "Unless it is our business."
Iarei sighed. She wasn't stupid. "If I'd met you in two-span or more, this might look different." She rubbed the back of her neck, and prodded a blooming bruise with gentle fingers. "I'm not looking to compete. Not yet. I still have yet to dig into my own niche." She'd dropped the faint street patter in favor of a crisper tone. "I'm doing some work under G, the Innkeeper, in Cenril right now. If I haven't heard of you until now then I must not be interrupting your business." Her lips quirked a little in dislike.
Tenebrae's features features stilled, and her tone dropped to a low murmur. "I know you're not competing yet. If you were, you'd have a knife in your ribs by now." Her smile was warm, eyes softer moment later. "And you'd know exactly who put it there. So, here's what you'll do. You'll be eyes and ears. Run your goods, and arrange your passages-- on our ship, might be a good idea." She gave Eternity's boards a fond pat. "And any.. interesting.. cargo, like what you had today, you let us have a lookit, before you pass it on." Sounded reasonable, to Tene. "We'll ensure nobody'll have a finger to point to you. We'll catch any decent loot at one end or the other. And of course, we'd split the profit."
Iarei straightened, and ignored the pounding in the back of her skull. Her eyes focused with clarity upon Tenebrae. "My services are for sale, but I am not. Put a collar on me and you'll find a knife in your back. Start dictating terms to me and you'll find your information sold to the highest bidder. If you want mutual benefits, and an equal stake partnership, then you'll have both me and my services. I'll include loyalty at no extra charge."
Tene leant her back against the barrel behind her, her breath becoming choppy; it was soon evident she was laughing. The knuckle of one thumb swiped to the corner of each eye. "Oh dear, lass. You're rum 'un. But you've gumption, I'll give y'that. Let's call it a deal. We'll throw in a dozen men ready to rip apart any who'd give you trouble." Her chuckle died softly on her lips. "At minimum rate. And I suppose I ought to know your name, if we're to be.. partners." Tenebrae shifted her gaze to a clatter on the stairs.
Iarei didn't let her attention waver from Tenebrae. "One last thing. You could ruin me with a snap from your pretty fingers. Return those documents to Simon as a sign of faith. I've my head riding on them."
Tenebrae gave Iarei a beatific smile. "Best your boy claim credit for saving those from ruination in the brawl, eh? Once..." Said boy arrived with three large mugs held precariously in the cusp of his gawky-fingered hands. "...my man has done making note of the juicy bits. And I didn't quite catch your name."
Iarei grunted and nodded. She touseled the hair of the boy, taking note of his runny nose and reddened cheeks. She acknowledged him with the barest of approving smiles, and he stood a little straighter. "Iarei. And I may not use your ship if its been tied to nefarious deeds. I'm running an honest front, and I don't want that ruined. The papers were a special case. I was only supposed to hold them, not move them. Certain events changed that. In any case, if you need a clean front to hide behind you have it. Your name and ship's name?"
Tenebrae rocked forward to relieve the nameless lad of one of the mugs. Blowing faint steam off the top of the liquid within, she sipped, her eyes on Iarei while she drank. Tene lowered her mug. "No need for the ship's name. Mine's Tene." A light glimmer shone in her eyes. "Pleasure to meet you, Iarei."
Iarei frowned at Tenebrae, and waved away the niceties. She instead opted to take a mug from the boy, still tense. "Is the ship's real name not painted on the bow? If there's a fake name, I'll settle for it."
Tenebrae had taken pains to sand the white curlicue of 'Eternity' off the ship's timber before the schooner was brought to the docks under new sails. "She's 'The Seawolf', until we put to sea." Iarei was studied quietly. "Won't do you much good to remember it. My face is well-known in these lands, though, and my pub serves for a front. Though its name is surely not as clean as yours. Word can always be left there, if you want to contact me."
Iarei was thinking as she stared at Tenebrae, eyebrows beetled together. Ship, plus pub, plus well-known equals.... she groaned. "Eldritch Cabal? That's you?" She looked away from Tenebrae, turning partway, taking a sip. She was harboring many emotions -- most of them conflicting in the name of greed, caution and aspiration -- and she was having a difficult time hiding it.
Tene only smiled, before she took another sip of the sweet tea, rather gratefully-- she'd not gotten a lot of sleep, these past few nights. "You do your homework. Good lass." A long, low whistle sounded from above. Unfurling her legs, the supple leather they wore making no sound, the necromancer brought herself to her feet. "Send your boy up to find the Cap'n. Your bags'll be returned to him."
Iarei grimaced and waved the boy away. "I had it drilled into me. Look, if I'm partnering with you then I'll need some help recovering an item from Kinnan. You know the Crows?" She didn't wait for affirmation, "Well, they know you. Kinnan has a thing for you in a bad way. Says you're bad for business, and you know what that means. If word gets out -- shit, already has..." how many eyes had seen her sitting next to Tenebrae? Running out with her? "shit. shit. He's going to close on me like a virgin on her wedding night. We need to return to Cenril. Kinnan has something of mine. It's important."
"There's a mate of ours on the Dolly Dupree, big four master at the other end of the dock. Leaving for Cenril in few hours." Tene sidled her gaze to Irei. "This ship's not welcome in those ports. and they know us by her shape, in any guise. Bastards. But McLellan will see you right, if you drop my name.. and.." A scrap of parchment labelling the barrel she leant on was torn free. Glancing about, she strode toward a lamp, unlit, hanging by a pile covered by a large tapestry. She dipped a thumbnail in the soot clung to the glass, and made a rough mark, a ragged thorn-like sigil on the scrap. Returning to Iarei, Tene handed her the parchment. "Give 'im this. He'll be in Cenril a day or so. If there's trouble, send your boy to him and we'll know."
Iarei smiled at Tenebrae, though it could perhaps be known as sardonic. "Already knew that much. Most of the groups in Cenril bemoan you for something or other. G don't mind you though. He wouldn't mind helping some of your jobs for part of the take. He deals information like a mother deals pie." She took the scrap of paper and eyed it dubiously. "I can nearly guarantee you there will be trouble. You might as well keep the papers; no point saving face now. Ah. I might as well have a thief steal it back for me." She'd shake her head, and her gaze would turn mournful.
Tenebrae blew a strand of black from her eyes, and took another long sip of tea. "Flighty little thing, aren't you? Listen, a deal's a deal. Take those bags to Simon. Tell him you were almost taken down, but a couple of Rynvale's finest got in the way of us. We have two or three of 'em on our payroll on duty last night, they'll back you up. And we both know Simon's loyal to one side as another, news'll travel fast you made a slim escape from our clutches." Tene smirked, setting her mug down on the barrel again. "Feel free to run Cabal's name to dirt, in Kinnan's company. He'll rather enjoy that, bein' his favourite pastime and all." Her humour faded, then. "Unless you think you're safer on our side of the shore."
Iarei looked at Tenebrae, and when the boy returned she took a look at the bags. She let go another sigh. "I'll finish the job, but I'm not returning to Kinnan. He's not pleasant company." Her look at Tenebrae proclaimed that she wasn't yet sure if the woman was pleasant company, herself, "Not to mention you're the one offering protection. I'll keep my name clean enough in the wider circles. I'm moving a lot of clean goods fairly regularly; it'll be hard for the merchants to ignore that when they're making money. They'll keep their yaps shut." She held out her hand. "Partners?"
Tenebrae’s handshake was cool, and firm. "Kinnan knows not to poke a wolf in its den. But aye, trouble's brewing there." It's all she'd say on that topic. "Partners." She nodded toward the small paper, with the mark on it. "Remember that sign. You'll know us by it." Iarei's lad returned to her side, groaning about the weight of the packs slung across his shoulders. "Y'alright, snotface?" The boy gave Tene poisonous look, but made no reply. To Iarei, the necromancer said, "Be seein' you about then." A pair of rough cloaks were snatched from their hook on the wall, and tossed toward the bard. "Best you're not seen leaving."
Tene was certain Leo would’ve done a good job of forging a few of those documents--- minus several essential and useful details.
Iarei nodded. "I've got another job coming soon. I'll contact you." She'd leave.