The Red Door is a very small tavern. Smokey and reeking, it occupies a space that once was the workshop of the blacksmith next door, until he added on and sold his cousin the property. It is filled with a very few patrons all of whom seem engrossed in their own business. This place contrasts greatly with the raucous, social atmosphere the constables experienced in the Crooked Furrough.
"Word travels fast in this town," the barkeeper says as the constables file in. "Now I'd hate to deny anyone a drink, but if you came here looking for another place to come to blows, I'll do just that. Keep in mind, though that I don't give one shit if you fight in your rooms, or Oloster's place, or even the street in front of my place. Now what'll you have?"
Grakul responds swiftly as he strolls into the bar with Loraethal at his side, "Just water if you please sir," hoping to convey that he's not here for any trouble. The bartender nods and dunks a mug into a bucket behind the bar while the pale man gives the small tavern a cursory glance.
"And I a tea, if you would be so kind, preferably of the orange spice variety," Loreathal adds amiably with curt bow (to which he recieves an almost imperceptible snorting laugh from the barkeep), as he too scans the room taking in every detail. "I myself would prefer to take my pleasures at the far table next to the hearth." He pauses to extend a hand to the bar keep, who takes it in his crushing grip, an incredulous look on his face. "I am constable Loreathal Qualinasti," the elf continues, "You have my personal assurance that civility will be maintained. I believe we have resolved our previous problems." He pats Grakul on the shoulder gently and smiles. His face lights up, "In fact, why not buy a round of drinks for everyone as a show of goodwill. We are here as servants of peace, it would be quite amiss to lead the townspeople to garner the impression we are ruffians. I will pay the bill with my own funds as this is a purely personal gesture."
The two men at the bar raise their mugs at this gesture and a general shout of approval fills the bar. A small table near the hearth is noticeably quiet however. The table is occupied by woman with ebony hair and in a rather revealing lacy garment who sits with a woman of fairer hair and complexion who's dress is torn and hangs at an odd angle beneath the sweater and man's shirt that she's wearing. It is at that moment that Grakul approaches the women slowly and interrupts them in their quiet conversation.
"Ladies, most humble apologies for interrupting but I couldn't help but notice that you look distraught. I am Grakul, a constable with sheriff Graeys. If there is anything that you need, please, do not hesitate to ask, I am at your service. I'll be just over there." He points to a seat at the table by the fire.
The women avoid eye contact with the constable, and the dark haired woman nods slightly. They then continue their hushed conversation as Yuri steps to the bar to take Loraethal up on his offer.
"Free drinks! Make mine a lager, as dark as it comes." He then ads slyly, "Quite a nice room you got here, governor. Everything roses?" The thin man is now surprisingly congenial as he attempts to seem as if on his best behaviour and also in hopes of getting any impressions of the activity of the establishment.
"Water for me as well." Eryna says as she evaluates the scene and noticeably relaxes. She unfolds her arms and lets down her amber braids of hair. She then makes her way across the room as the waitress gathers the various mugs onto a tray to carry them to the table.
The bartender, having gathered drinks for the constables and the men at the bar finally levels his gaze on Yuri to respond. "Roses?" He flares his nostrils and breathes deep. "Is everything okay with your sniffer my friend? all I smell is the fart stink of sulphur and horse sweat." He looks good-naturedly to the man in the smith's apron as he says this before continuing, "But I do thank you for your kind words, and I hope you enjoy your drinks. Mind that we close at the end of the next Canto so drink up."
Meanwhile the waitress begins moving across the room bearing a tray of drinks as she heads for the table in the corner where Loraethal sits. She bears a couple mugs of water, and what appear to be two ales, one for Yuri and the other, presumably, for Loraethal. The bartender grins at the elf, "Orange tea, comin' up."
As soon as his lager hits the table at which he's sitting with Loraethal and Grakul, Yuri raises his mug and himself slightly in congeniality to the two women Grakul was addressing mere moments earlier. As froth splashes here and there, mostly down his red beard and shirt front, he gives a leering wink in their general direction. Then with surprising efficiency, he gulps the whole tanker down in three swallows. This slovenly behaviour is punctuated by his bulbous Adam's Apple bobbing up and down in three staccato beats. "AHHHH! I needed that.", Yuri lets out a long sigh and lets his eyes play across the bar, as a wisp of foam bubbles away in his beard. To accentuate this moment of pleasure, a faint glow peeks through the right breast pocket of his tunic. Soon after, the warm feeling starts in his gut, and begins to radiate outward in every direction, as the hops and wheat are turned into energy, and in turn that energy is stored for future crass, abhorrent behaviour.
Loreathal, while raising one hand and nodding at the bartender with a barely feigned courteousness, slides his tankard towards Yuri with the back of his hand. "I grow wearisome of enduring these disparities of culture", his muttering is nearly inaudible as he stares sullenly at the table for a few seconds before casually propping his elbow on the table and perching his head upon it, looking at Yuri, "I find it quite curious, the coincidence involving our meeting with Zelenia and you speaking of your planned rendezvous with a halfing of remarkable similarity to the one she described. I would care to hear your opinion on the matter." He stifles a yawn and appears to be none to comfortable with sitting on his roughly hewn wooden chair.
"You want my opinion, I think we're in for a surprise from Zelania. I don't trust people who have nameless employers, if you catch my meaning. When I fell upon this Kiro, it was immediately after my outburst in the previous tavern. I was awash in a sea of conflicting motivations and desires, entirely clouded I might add, by cowardice, and therefore vulnerable to a certain tinge of emotion. Let's just hypothetically call it empathy. As this wee creature entreated me to help protect him, to hide him from a gang of thugs out for his blood, I felt that we shared a moment; he was truly in danger. The law states we step in at this juncture. There is no other question. Whether or not he stole what he stole is of no consequence right now. We should meet him at the last bell, take him into our custody, "for his protection", thereby possibly drawing out Zelania and her crew, and revealing their true purpose, and if nothing else comes of it, we could still bag him for the robbery, given evidence and all other petty formalities…", Yuri trails off as his mind, somewhat buzzing, wanders back to the ladies. Yuri stretches his arms out wide to the sides and lets out a long, hissing exhalation. Lapsing into and out of psionic focus, like a wick slowly dipping and collecting more and more wax, he sits inert, his consciousness alive and infinite. Present, but very subtle. Attentive, yet miles away.
Idly tapping his lips with a finger Loreathal ponders Yuri's words briefly before responding, "Yes, given the circumstances, yours is the most sound conclusion. I would venture to guess that the halfling will not introduce himself with a loaded crossbow. He may be a thief, but it is usually any good thief's last recourse to resort to violence… Far too sloppy for most." He sighs, shifting in his seat, "I find Zelania's methods very disturbing thus far. She obviously believes in her own power enough to threaten a constable with death as her intial act of parlay. That does connote a certain apathy concerning our position here— and a supreme confidence in her backers. If we allow her to conduct her affairs regarding us in this way, we become pawns to her will." He looks Yuri in the eye and that dastardly snake smile consumes him again, "I am no pawn, my friend. We must be delicate with this. Very delicate… We need more information about this woman. That is certain. Her intentions I would say, given that she is in the employ of a noble, are to spirit Kiro away, back to the Twin cities, and have him quietly stabbed in a sewer. I have never had the pleasure of visiting the human cities but have read that human politics seem to be a great deal more brutal than the elven intrigue to which I am accustomed. She will have her bauble, but the halfing is a different matter entirely."
Being drawn back from the ether of his meditation, Yuri looks with bushy, furrowed brows at Loreathal, and as he begins twisting and untwisting the end of his long red beard, "Yeah…I know, this time I'll behave. OK!?", Yuri whispers, with a heavy sigh. Concerned about keeping is opinions at the table, *he quickly and quietly continues, with one eye on Grakul the whole time,* "You hit the nail on the head, Loreathal. She had awful manners, and the cockiness didn't get very far with me either. She clearly has no respect for the unwavering authority of the law. That's humans, though! Short lifespans, horrible diets, and worse habits to take their puny minds off of the problems that they themselves created. I am glad we see eye to eye, Loreathal. Like you, I am also against the idea of becoming her tool. Her moral predisposition towards us Constables was clear. She did point a weapon at one of us. She has the backing of someone powerful, and feels as though she is above the law. I agree, let's be careful and cautious. The minute she makes an illegal mistake, we take her down, and send a clear cut message to her powerful friends."
Loreathal responds to this almost immediately, "Ha! Your enthusiasm does not go unappreciated, but you would take the Hydra with your sword when you could put it to sleep? Her powerful friends do happen to be close acquaintances with Curtis X, the King. You were conscious during that part of her little speech, were you not? By delicate, I meant that we should not make any move(overt or otherwise) to frustrate her affairs unless she pushes us to it. Something tells me we will not have to wait for her to make a mistake such as you speak— She will force our hand in the matter. If we do manage to take Kiro into custody, she will want him desperately— that jewel is only one half of the prize in her mind, and most likely in the minds of her employers. Not only that, but now that she has caught on to the fact that you know Kiro, she will likely have eyes on us the moment we leave this tavern. Our most urgent priority is to find Kiro and keep him." he pauses to take a very small sip of the lager he slid to Yuri in order to wet his throat and grimaces, setting the mug back down in front of his companion, "That is simply wretched! In my homeland the primary libation is wine, and since all alcohol is distributed through— That's it!" This last, sudden revelation he almost hisses in an effort to keep his excitement inaudible to the rest of the tavern.
Loreathal continues more briskly, tapping his finger on the table to further indicate the weight of his key points, "As I said, in my homeland wine is distributed through the distillers guild. In turn the guild supplies local establishments with their pre-ordered shipments. In any case, since the guild obviously keeps in close communication with local tavern keepers and the like, they are often used by the aristocracy as a conduit for slander and the spreading of rumors. I'm sure you can imagine the process." he shakes his finger to emphasize his next point, "The important part is the rumors. Zelenia is looking for two things: a jewel, and a halfing. The trick of the situation is, my dear boy, that the halfing is rendered useless to her if she has the jewel and he has, as they say, departed the mortal realm."
"Well said, Loreathal, but all Hydras deserve to die.", Yuri retorts. "What are you suggesting? Do you mean to suggest that we fake Kiro's death?! Or should we spirit him away under the cover of night?" This elf is one clever chap. I wonder though if this passive approach suggests he lacks the stones for a good brawl. I mean, if I'm going to have all of this responsibility and authority thrust upon me, I should get to brutalize and repress someone, right?, Yuri's inner monologue rants. Totally perplexed he entreats his partner, "So let me get this straight, Loreathal, you wish us to avoid confrontation in this matter?! Where the fun in that?"
Eryna pulls a seat up to the table at which the rest of the constables are seated. "Are you suggesting some sort of trickery, Loreathal?" She seats herself gracefully. Her eyes are locked with Loreathal's as she sips water from her mug.
Loreathal reacts to his companions' questions immediately, "Yes. Trickery? I am suggesting such. You would question this? For me to not resort to barbarism as instantly as they have? All hydras do deserve to die, in that, Yuri, you are correct. However, they can be killed through many differing courses of action. And what the natural course of my assumption amounts to is that we can accomplish our goals while allowing ourselves to hold the moral high ground.
"It is given that a confrontation is inevitable, my friends, this is what I'm saying. You said yourself, Yuri, that she is 'out for blood' this part of the equation is obvious. We know what she wants. We could resort to a stand off of physical strength immediately, but does that behoove us? Fighting this 'Zelania' and her cohorts is one matter. Angering a king is quite another. Let us use stealth, common sense, and intelligence before resorting to a brawl. We could have Zelania and her camp in the palm of our collective hand before ever she knew it. Is taking her at that point any less admirable than fighting her fist and tooth the whole way along?".
"Fine. Sounds good to me. You just tell me when that time comes, as I'm horrible with that kinda stuff. You give me the sign, and I'll scramble her pretty little mind like an egg.", Yuri assents after a deep breath in consternation. "So often I find my life being clouded by passion, you must excuse my ambition and desire. They sometimes push me to the point of overwhelming.", he states resigned, and a little drunk. With those words he falls silent, continuing to twirl the end of his ragged, red beard.
Grakul looks at both of them, stone faced after listening silently sipping his water as their plans unfolded. Letting out a sigh he puts in his two cents, "In preparing for battle, I have always found that plans are useless. You are both assuming that your assumptions are correct and hoping that a long string of 'ifs' plays out in your favor. Perhaps we should deal with this situation as it unfolds. Do not forget that there are other issues in this town to be dealt with besides Zelania and her band of hoodlums. Excuse me." He stands from his chair leaving his water and once again approaches the two women.
"Apologies if I my advances are unwanted but I feel that they are not unwarranted. May I join you for a moment?" he asks in a voice as calm as still water.
The dark haired woman looks across the table to her companion who stares back with pleading eyes. The woman nods her ascent, "If you must constable, but know that my services are not for sale on this night."
"I'm afraid that you've misunderstood me milady. I'm not looking for your services but am offering my own," he points at his badge as he takes a seat. Turning his attention to the fair haired woman he continues, "Something is clearly troubling you this night. Can you fill me in as succinctly as possible? What is his name? How and why has he wronged you? Where can he be found? and can you lodge a formal complaint in the morning?"
The woman stares past him as he speaks, her eyes welling with tears. Her companion chimes in, "We appreciate your concern but he is far away now. She is safe now."
"While I do appreciate your brevity milady, you have effectively answered none of my questions, nor was I speaking to you in the first place." He turns his attention back to the fair haired woman, "Milady, what if he should return? This week, next week, I am offering help now. Consider this and help yourself; please answer my questions."
The woman looks back and forth between her companion and the constable. In a high voice that is full of swallowed tears she blurts "What Danya says is true. I'm safe. He's back in the twin cities," her tears flow freely now and she buries her face in her hands, still speaking though now unintelligibly.
"Who is back in the twin cities? Bishop what? My dear, I can't understand a word that you are saying into your hands," Grakul says just a bit distraught that he has again upset the young woman. "Please, let me help you!"
The dark haired woman places a her hand delicately on his arm. "Thank you for your concern constable, but I am already helping her. She is safe. Although, if we have any further trouble I will certainly come to you first." She stands and offers her friend a hand and the the two make thier way out of The Red Door.
After sitting quietly at the table and listening intently to Yuri, Loraethal, and Grakul's suggestions, Eryna responds to Loreathal in her usual quiet masculine voice, "I do indeed question the path of trickery, Loreathal. It is considered a nefarious practice by those who have taught me all I know of order and good in this world." For a moment Eryna's unblinking green eyes unlock from Loreathal's. She glances at Grakul and then locks eyes again. "I agree with Grakul. I've made no assumptions about our ability to manipulate this situation. A clear and centered mind, unfettered by presumption will win this day."
"Or maybe scrambling some brains like eggs?!", Yuri snidely adds; clearly the perfect solution to disharmony and resistance in his book
"Well, fine then." Loreathal concedes, "It does sound a bit extravagant for this setting, I suppose. But I do not like the idea of rushing into a situation such as this unprepared, blind. I enjoy having the upper hand as most people do, and I feel that it is quite the opposite at this point. We know very little and can trust nothing of what we do know at this point."
Eryna nods in agreement. Realizing how long she has been gazing into the eyes of the charming Loreathal she blinks and turns away. She clears her throat, scowls, and then seems to fall into her thoughts.
NEEDED: Players to edit down the conversation, please. Exit Poses
The Road Weary's Rest is silent when the adventurers arrive. The wicks of the lanters are drawn down low and the desk is clear of all but the bell. The only well light area of the inn is the hallway on the second floor, from which light spills down the hardwood stairs that will take the constables up and into thier rooms. The sound of a broom being pulled across the floor at regular intervals can also be heard coming from above.
