Collecting gossip ((OPEN))

[Alȇstor Tarag Ennistar]

After many councils and meetings, Alestor was ready to head to the town and collect gossip, as he usually did since the war had begun. His place was not in the army front, but rather in the courtyards, in the castle and in town. They all knew who he was, the grand counselor for the queen Rowan Tarag and for the Tarag family, honorable and faithful to his duty. Behind his back, the talk among the commoners was that he was a drunken man who, thanks to his noble blood, had managed to seat next to the queen, whisper in her ears, and hopefully shed some wisdom in her decisions.

Most inhabitants of humeyen believed that, albeit he was a drunkard, he had sense and he was wise, for the humans had still not to pronounce their siding. They were still neutral in the war, and they all hoped that it remained that way. They had already received, countless times, solicitations for alliances. The guis and the lennecks were relentless in their tries. The pressure seemed like too much these days.

Alestor knew too that there were shadows surrounding the queen. There had been many close calls in the past or, as people called them, “assassination attempts”. It was not a secret that Rowan was disliked among the commoners. Why? He did not know. To him, his cousin was just and true to her word. But if anything was bound to happen, if anything at all happened to the queen, who would be the next leader, he wondered?

His mind seemed to amuse that thought lately. He decided to focus on his task at hand: collecting news and gossip form the sailors, the travelers, the women and the children. Anything that could shed some light in the war and the recent events at the desert, that fatidic battle in which the fauns were greatly diminished.

[Sephia Vitaliën]

As soon as Sephia heard that Alestor was in the pub, she rushed in. Who did he think he was, this ale loving high-born idiot? Did he think he could simply come here, walking in all glory, after all he had done? And if he didn't remember it, Sephia was sure to remind him.

She stormed in, placed her arrows in the table in front of him and throwing his ale to the side in the process, the looks of the peasants and workers turning quickly towards her. The old man who owned the place moved closer to her, respectfully, and she replied with a calm "Don't worry, Caster, all is good. I just have to show this man how things are around the village".

She turned towards Alestor now, his smug face and his piercing blue eyes looking at her in confusion. Of course he knew who she was; they had seen each other before, he knew she was the chief of the thieves guild... and he had tried MANY times to get hold of her, to no use. She had decided to present herself to him, knowing full well that his guard wasn't too far away. Still, she knew all the escapes, all the tunnels, all the secret passages in this lice infested city.

"I know you don't like me, Lord or Sir or whatever they call you when they sniff your ass. I know you most defintely despise me, and I despise you as well, in all honesty. But if you come here again without the food, medicines, and armament we have kindly asked of you, my people will starve. And next time, if you are dim-witted enough to come without what werespectfully ask for, this will not be a happy chat. I will put an arrow through your throat, believe me, I will." She despised this arrogant bastard and, mostly, the look on his face more than she could explain.

[Alȇstor Tarag Ennistar]

Everything had happened very, very suddenly. The thief had come rushing in, her arrows thrown in the table, his glass falling and breaking all over the floor. A pity; that was very good ale. The best of it's kind, even, and pretty expensive. Now he would have to order another one from the old Caster, which was always a drag since he had been half deaf for more than 30 years.

He looked around, realizing that every single person in the pub was watching the two of them now, and he turned back to her, a plan on his mind. Of course he knew who she was: Sephia Vitalien, leader of the thieves guild since god knows when, an orphan, a rebel, and an incredibly beautiful woman. Too bad she was an arrogant, indecent, proud and vengeful harpy. And who did she think she was, coming in here demanding provisions, screaming like a madwoman and cursing him in front of everyone?

He looked calmly at her, so as to not stir the situation any more, and he whispered so that only she could hear. "Sit, Sephia. I was half expecting you to arrive. Do I have to remind you that you have a price over your head, a very high price, and that my guards are just outside those doors?" he sneered, signaling to a chair. "Why don't we chat, like two normal humes?" Reclining forward, his arms crossed over the table, he waited patiently for her to reply.

"Oh, and Caster, give this woman whatever she would like to drink. And another ale for me, sir." Better to have her on his good side. After all, the commoners would no doubtly side with her if anything unfortunate were to happen. He grinned calmly, and observed the woman's next move with caution.

[Sephia Vitaliën]

Sephia looked around the room and sat down reluctantly. His penetrating blue eyes were observing every single step she took, and she tried to scrutinize the door as he was talking. Were his guards really there? She wanted to find out, to cut her throats and… was she making the crazy face again? She looked at him and smiled half-heartedly.

As she thought about how much she despised every single word that was coming out of his pouty mouth, and as she examined all the possible escape routes, Caster approached their tables with the ale. She took a sip, realizing it was very good ale indeed, and looked around disinterestedly. He remained in the same position, observing her, waiting for her to say something.

The pub had gone back to normal. The commoners were used to displays of force, and encounters between the nobles and the peasants. In this case, a thief woman and a duke. After an awkward moment of silence, she finally started.

“What would you like to talk about, Duke? The fact that everyone here despises you? What could you possibly say that would not make everyone in here cut your throat at my signal?” she whispered. She took a sip of ale, and continued. “As I see it, your guards are outside, but the commoners are all on my side. Your call, Duke”. She pronounced the title in a mocking way, slurring each letter. Anything that helped Sephia to piss him off, the better. He might lose his senses, try to strike her, and see his demise. Caster would only have to hide the body, and that’d be that.

[Alȇstor Tarag Ennistar]

The duke chortled. “Believe me, that will be most unnecessary. I have no need to have my throat sliced any time soon.” He took a sip of ale, moving forward. His cunning eyes were observing every single move of Sephia keenly. The duke was bound to get something out of this situation, at any cost.

“I have something you and the commoners need. Desperately, by the sounds of it. Food, wine, rags and what not. As I have told the people numerous times, we live in times of crisis. Everything is scarce, not only in the realm and for the commoners, but in the palace as well.” He looked around, hoping nobody was watching. He fixed the collar of his suit, which was tight as usual, and loosened up one button. It was too warm in here, too bloody warm for his taste. He finished the ale, expecting to be refreshed, and turned back to Sephia.

“The truth is, we both despise this situation. Perhaps we can work together to assure the welfare of commoners and nobles alike? What say you if I hire you, in the name of her Majesty the Queen, to do a little business for the empire?”, he smiled, hoping his words sounded intriguing and tempting. “What would you say about assaulting foreign vessels, with the support of our royal fleet and your own associates? You would be retrieving all kinds of goods… some of which, if not essential, your guild could keep without penalty.”

[Sephia Vitaliën]

His offer felt… dangerous at best. It all sounded too good to be true. What, she will simply take her men to these so-called “foreign vessels”, raid them and then flee, unscathed? Only the dwarves with their invisibility could do such a mission. There would be too many casualties, it was all too perilous, and the lives of her men would be greatly at stake.

“Your offer is absurd to say the least, milord”. She was mocking him… after all, who did she think she was? Sephia would not be sold to be one of her pawns, not in a thousand years. She took a sip of ale, enjoying every bit. “But I do commend you for trying… tell me, does the Queen know of this plan of yours? She will not like it, not in the least”.

Sephia moved forward, her curls blocking her eyes for a bit before she adjusted the loose strands behind her ears. She could not help but peek when he loosened his button, the duke’s pale skin clearly evidencing that he had not really been outside the palace walls much. His hands were firm and seemed strong, but they did not have the ragged ridges of a man who had fought in a war, or worked the earth, for that matter.

“But with all this idiocy you have piqued my attention”, she sighed, looking around and then locking eyes with him once more, “what do you gain from this? Some loafs of bread and ale? Impossible. There must be more…”

Sephia knew that noble men were used to gain something in every truce, in every accord and in every single endeavor they undertook. It couldn’t be just food he was after. It all seemed too… decent. Alestor Tarag was everything but decent.

[Alȇstor Tarag Ennistar]

He could not help but smiling. The woman was cunning, he gave it to her. Nonetheless, she was foolish if she thought that it would be so easy to ignore this errand. And of course that there was more than getting provisions from the vessels… he wanted the thief guild to do the dirty work, as they usually did. This time, however, Alestor’s aim was to gather the thieves to work against the enemy, the dwarves and the fauns and all the other races, instead of raiding their own kin and the noblemen of their kind. It would be a kind of distraction for the guild, he thought, and one less problem for him and the other royals.

He smirked at her, shaking his head. “I think you have not understood what I am saying. I am not asking you, this is not a choice for you to make. I am telling you what will happen, my dear Sephia”. He was being condescending, and he planned to make it clear with his tone. “As I’ve said, my sentry is just outside those doors over there”, he pointed to the far end of the pub, his arms still resting in the table. “You are one of the most looked for women in the realm. The palace dungeon and our guards will have no clemency for you. You have no choice but to obey my orders, in the name of the Queen”.

Of course, the Queen Rowan Tarag knew nothing of this plan, and Alestor hoped it stayed that way. For the last few months, he had learnt that it was better to make decisions without consulting her. All this conniving tactics ended positively, and he was pleased with himself.

[Sephia Vitaliën]

Sephia gradually became furious as she heard Alestor speak, but she realized that outwitting this man would take more than engaging in a discussion, and thus she simply smiled sardonically. The disdain in her face was palpable and obvious… but she remained calm. If this had happened some years before, she would not have doubted swiftly grabbing an arrow and sticking it straight to the man’s throat… but now she was somewhat older, and somewhat wiser.

She sat there, a million thoughts running through her head, and all she could think about were ways for getting out of these unscathed. And, hopefully, leaving him with a mark that he would not forget for the rest of his life. How could she possibly outwit him? Seduction, perhaps? Yes. Sephia knew that Alestor was a womanizer, and it was well known that women and ale were his two main downfalls.

Perhaps she could persuade him to be with her alone, hopefully in an intimate setting? There, she could strike him when he was most vulnerable, no one even knowing or caring who had left him for dead.

Still smiling, she moved closer to to him, resting on the table. Sephia was cunning, and she could be very seductive when she wanted to: she knew her breasts were resting over the table… she knew her plunging neckline would get the duke’s attention. She whispered, hoping he would come even closer, “seeing as I don’t have an option, I surrender. And anyhow, I believe this plan of yours will be a good diversion for the members of my guild… and we greatly do need the provisions. But I believe these matters must be discussed privately. We are being watched”.


She was not sure if they were, but she looked around, acting as well as she could, observing the other tables of the pub suspiciously. “I know of a place where we could talk about this more… intimately”, she added, licking her lips. “Follow me”.

She stood up, heading outside of the pub, rain starting to pour over the streets. She hoped he was following, and headed to the busy streets of Kalas.

OOC: the plot continues in the inn, as discussed. your turn!