Fable - Ask A Fool's Errand

[Livia Quinnick]

"Do you know how to read a compass?"

Livia narrowed her eyes and not bother hiding her look of disappointment. Finally, she was tasked with a mission that would have her be lead for the first half; deemed worthy enough to track down a suspected spy within Vel Anir. The only problem was that those handling the briefs on those selected for the mission had not read through it properly.

"Something to say, Initiate?" The Dreadlord, a Third Rank, as revealed in their introduction, raised his brow down at Livia.

"If you had read the files properly, you would know I do not need a compass when I am one." She peered at the others gathered in the room before turning back to address the Dreadlord giving them the brief for the mission. "It is why they chose me. They said the first group failed and came up short on information and leads..." Her brows deepened in their furrow. The way the Dreadlord stared down at her made Liv want to roll her eyes, but for the sake of getting out of here on time, she held off from anything further than a flat stare.

"Whatever you are, we need this traitor to be brought in alive for questioning. Sources say he has not left Vel Anir and is staying with friends that are still loyal to him. The longer he is in the air, well, let's just say it is preferable this is not a failed mission. The name he goes by is Zaco Mavros. The Songbird, as he is also known. A washed up bard that frequents places good little girls like you would not be caught dead in." This comment was aimed at Livia, who scowled. "He would not expect Initiates to follow him, but there is another decoy group of Dreadlords he has encountered in the past." Here, he gazed at the rest gathered for the selected task. "Blend. Try not to look like Initiates trained at the Academy or else this may go wrong."

Even if it were to go wrong, Livia had no doubt she could track him down and as a team, bring him in.

"Sounds easy enough." Someone commented lowly.

"Easy?" The Dreadlord raised his voice, staring at the one who spoke. "Remember you said that after you come into contact with his ability to paralyze anyone with his spit."

Livia and several others made faces of discomfort. She certainly did not want to be in close proximity of being spat on.

---

The next hour had the group huddled in the corner of a tavern, deep in discussion of how to go about this mission. It was one thing for Livia to track them down initially, but they needed to create a plan on how to approach their target. Plan after plan was made, comments flying between those gathered as Livia's coin bought another round of drinks and food, selling the look of a group of friends getting together. They all had the information between them, but it was also a challenge for this group to succeed. Others failed before them, but now they had all the key information and the right players.

"Alright. Let us think of something else... a time frame. How long should we take to pull this off? What is to stop him from finding his way out from the city and the search goes beyond Vel Anir? My magic weakens with distance, unless we come into possession of something that is his." Livia said, setting down the bowl of warmed nuts. She almost groaned when she realised they were still on the same topic, but thought such a reaction would be counterintuitive.

"Unless that becomes a back up plan, then we need a plan to acquire something that belongs to him. Any ideas?"

 

[Fennec]

She was here.

She was not happy about it, but she was here.

It is imperative that you maintain some form of public facade among your peers, Proctor Harkenov said, you will go on this mission and you will make an effort to actively engage, she'd insisted.

Honestly, it felt like the last year of her life had been lived at the whim of this new Republic's urge to show that Initiates weren't just monsters made for war. It was decided approximately three seconds after she'd arrived to the preordained meeting location that she would not stay nary a second longer than this mission had ended. How it ended, in her mind, changed by the minute and her ever shifting levels of irritation at the inane lack of progress had by the group as a whole to solidify a plan.

There existed a perfect recipe for success, and of its ingredients included there was not a single other Initiate she could think of. If graduation hinged on the ability to play well with others, then Proctor Harkenov was going to be exceptionally disappointed in her.

Fennec had not touched a single drop of drink, nor had she partaken in the food shared.

She'd made very little effort to get a word in edgewise, allowing the others to blather their half-brained ideas in a circle for hours. By the time Livia Quinnick offered the possibility of getting a belonging she'd rather spent the last of her wick of patience on Garick's idiotic plan to start a band and try to get a gig on the same stage as the bard.

Garick would be the first to die. That he'd survived this long at the Academy was a testament only to the fact that he could regrow limbs.

The smallest at the table toppled her full mug of ale and watched as those sitting nearest her flinched back in fear of getting wet. Even Soleil would muster better control of herself then that. Now that she had their attention, Fennec lifted her gloved hands and sliced through the air with a pointed advisement for them all.

[We are wasting time.]

[You should already be tracking him.] She indicated Livia.

[You should be finding information on his stages and schedule,] she indicated another initiate who at the very least had a solid sense of street smarts to them.

[You should go home, you are useless.] Garick.

 

[Thraah]

"Already done Bonesie."
Thraah, mouth half full of roasted pork slices and parsnip, spoke through her food and from her skirt pocket produced a small flyer and slammed it on the table triumphantly.
"Turns out our man is not as subtle as he should be." Her mouth widened at Fennec and she winked at Liv.
Two of her favourite people...
To tease.
The slip of paper was a wood print of a man on stage, thin and wearing a mask in checkered garb. It read *The Songbird. The Yeoman's Court. Appearing till Republic Day.*
She wiped her mouth then took a deep drink of ale. Her recon had caused her to miss the first round so Thraah felt it fair she caught up.
"I figured we could go when you're done giving out Skull-face. Unless you want to brood a little hole in the floor and crawl in. There's just oooooooone problem."
Holding up her finger she looked at the others.
"The Yeoman's is blokes only. Can you believe that? Bet they just sit about in the buff all day, scratching themselves."
Her laugh was deliberately harsh.
"So you can go home Liv. I found him., with my regular ass eyes."
She threw Livia Quinnick, part time friend and full time arse the kind of smile a shark gave a guppie.

Livia Quinnick Fennec

 

[Zinnia]

The proctors really never failed to put Zinnia on investigative missions these days. At the very least it wasn't a murder mystery this time, but a much more straightforward tracking mission. Capturing fugitives was usually something left up to the Guard, especially within city limits, but a spy (especially one with dangerous magic)...well, clearly he wasn't so important as to garner the attention of the adults, but initiates were still more capable in a pinch than Guardsmen usually were.

Cut off the leash and under the apparent leadership of their chief tracker, Livia, Zinnia sat among the other initiates snacking at the table. Until Fennec knocked over a mug, anyways.

Fennec, frankly, scared Zinnia. They were in the same year, yes, but Zinnia had hardly interacted with Fennec, mostly on account of the deathly paint she wore on her face and the bad attitude she wore on her sleeve. The last initiate she'd met with a social disposition quite as...eccentric as Fennec's was Soleil Verdane and, well...that had all ended rather poorly.

Plus, as the skull-faced girl waggled her hands in the air, Zinnia was reminded that she never quite picked up the sign language lessons the proctors had taught. Basic hand signals, sure, those were a necessity, but wholly communicating that way? Zinnia was rather bad at it, she couldn't understand Fennec, and the whole thing was embarrassing enough that the gold-eyed girl preferred to just avoid her entirely.

Thraah piped in and Zinnia startled again. Thraah was nice-ish, if abrasive...Zinnia didn't much know what to think of her. She was certainly confident and loud, the dead opposite of herself. Perhaps that was what the group needed? Someone to firmly put their foot down and guide everyone on to the next step? A little tact never hurt, though...

"Um...if the Y-Yeoman's Court is for m-men only, that might be a bit of a problem, s-seeing as we're, um...light on boys," Zinnia chimed in for the first time, aware that the others had likely forgotten she was even there. "Also...f-for a spy, this seems kind of...brash? Why would he advert-tise himself like this?"

 

[Silas Artesto]

"What am I, chopped liver?"

Silas slid his way into the tavern a tad later than the rest of them, rather uncharacteristically. He'd been held back to get a nice, stern talking too over his "Easy enough" quip at briefing, and all it amounted to was about fifty reminders to stay in his lane and a slap on his wrist. Please, Artesto would like to see this 'Songbird' try and spit on him. He'd have a better chance of hitting a bird with a tossed stone.

Scooping up a handful of the nuts Quill had just placed on the table, he slides into the last empty seat beside the Quinnick girl, and pops one into his mouth with a hum. They told them to act like they weren't Initiates, and Silas didn't need to be asked twice. "Smart move, holing up in the Yeoman's. Technically you four could go in on official Dreadlord business, but that'd be giving up the whole 'not Initiates' thing we're supposed to be doing." Artesto dashed his thumb across his lips, wiping the salt from them as his amber gaze turned teasingly toward Fennec. "Not that the ray of sunshine here isn't a dead giveaway already."

Poor Fen. What the hell did she do to get lumped into a job where she was supposed to act like a people person? Silas had never spent more than a few minutes at a time with her and even he knew that was like asking a whale to grow legs and take a hike.

Silas leaned back in his seat, tilting his head towards Zinnia with a little smile. She was right in the brashness that Zaco displayed, and there was some part of him that wondered if maybe there was something more to it. However, there was a much simpler explanation. "Mavros is a Bard. They all think they're the gift of the Gods. Advertising himself when he knows he's wanted? Totally on brand, if you ask me."

He slid his eyes shut and let out a thoughtful hum.

"Zin's right though. Probably not the best move to just barge into the place, much as Thraah would probably be down for that. And I don't know if me going in alone is going to end well, not if he's as slippery as they say. We need to come up with a plan, preferably one that doesn't involve waiting until after Republic Day."

 

[Livia Quinnick]

[You should already be tracking him.]

Fennec got a roll of Livia's olive eyes in response, but the Initiate sighed heavily nonetheless. "I am. I just need to decipher the different pulls being in the city." Everyone was looking for something, even this group of eight had underlying things on their mind. Livia needed a moment to sit and concentrate.

"So you can go home Liv. I found him., with my regular ass eyes."

"How fortuitous for us all." Liv sank into a seat and cradled her head into her hands, fingers pressing at her temples. While everyone else discussed the plan moving forward, Livia did her best to relieve the pain throbbing at her head. She no longer lost control and enter a fugue state, not since she started working with Maseno on controlling her emotions. With so much noise around her, it was difficult to block out the noise.

And I don't know if me going in alone is going to end well

"wHaT aM i ChOpPeD lIvEr?!" Garrick mocked Silas.

Livia lifted her head and met his gaze, a cold look on her expression. "Maybe if you had a prick, we would not have overlooked you."

"You wanna see it, Quinnick? I bet you can feel it in your tight arse."

Liv arched a brow at him. "There are some things you cannot regrow, bitch boy."

Garrick opened his mouth but Livia rapped her fingers against the table top, energy crackling beneath the fingertips. His eyes watched her hand warily. "Alright... Yeoman's Court is out of the question. We are going to need to lure him out..." Liv reached for the advertisement Thraah had found, peering over it once more.

"We should not let a spy be free for too long. Either we lure him out or we split up and stakeout his daily movements, where hopefully we can learn something to maybe aide us in this mission." Like how will they evade his paralysis ability. Liv grabbed the files from in front of Garrick, glaring at him as she did so.

"Bards like money, do they not?" She pondered aloud, looking to Fennec, then Thraah. "We could lure him with the promise of payment if he could sing... for a party?" She peered at Zinnia, shrugging as she started throwing ideas out there. "The boys could get into Yeoman's and boast about it. Make Mavros hear them." Finally she set her eyes onto Silas. "I think we are open to other ideas if anyone has them."

 

[Fennec]

Fennec's eyes narrowed as she witnessed what amounted to the greatest gesture of savage boorishness the evening had to offer, and it was only 6pm. Distaste settled firmly in her gut, reflecting not in her muted expression as specks of potato flew through the air, launched by starch-laden consonants.

One of her hands reached forward to pick up the flyer, middle finger flicking potato spittle from it for the lack of pointer, unamused but otherwise unbothered by the aberrant attempt at teasing. This would have been so much more useful an entire hour ago.

The ray of sunshine comment received a look.

Zinnia was ignored. It was far too late to be asking those questions and their mission did not constitute investigating any version of why.

"wHaT aM i ChOpPeD lIvEr?!"

Mockery. Her eyes narrowed upon Garick who was sitting dangerously close to her right. The steak knife was within reach and it would slide readily into his ear canal with just a little oomph.

"There are some things you cannot regrow, bitch boy."

Fennec was willing to help Livia test that theory out, and she offered a sideways glance that said as much. Her plan wasn't terrible either but there was no guarantee it would work. They were not people of renown and a Bard had little drive to leave an establishment under contract if the money was right. Judging by the fine lines of blocked letters on the flyer and knowing the locale's clientele, the Yeoman paid top coin for a bard of his notoriety.

She folded the flyer neatly and shifted it into a pocket within her cloak, then looked to Livia, [You require one of his items to lock on to him. I will get one.]

 

[Thraah]

"Maybe this Songbird is a dumbass, like Shit-features here."
Thraah answered Zin while also flipping Garrick the bird and wanted him to try and say something to her she'd have an excuse to kick him down the nearest flight of stairs but since Liv was handling it well enough she didn't reply to his threats of rape and just promised herself at the nearest opportunity she would check if he'd regrow his head.
Far as she was concerned Liv was hers to torment.
She mulled over Liv's ideas while chewing. The ham here was pretty good.
"We could always just, flush him out." Thraah gave Fennec another flirting wink.
"Some of those older buildings, the wood is real dry. Goes up like kindling."
Flipping Garrick the finger again she added.
"We'll still need eyes on the inside and since Shit-features here wants to show off what a biggie dicko he is he can go to confirm Songbird is there."
Who knows, maybe, in all the chaos Garrick will be found dead having been trampled or burned or come down with a serious case of having his heart removed from his body.
Then Bonesie made her suggestion.
"What are you just gonna barge in like an angel of fucking death or something? I love you moxxie Bonesie but you don't know who might be in there and please,"
She clapped her hands together dramatically in appeasement.
"Take as much offence as humanly possible from this, you are as subtle as a slap on the tits. No way you can do it unnoticed. I say smoke him out, boys clubs are dumb anyway it's for snot nosed jerks who think like Shit-features here."
Thrice now Thraah had flipped Garrick the bird.

Livia Quinnick Zinnia

 

[Zinnia]

Oh right, Silas was here. It had been some time since their date, and that little look her gave Zinnia caused her to blush and lock eyes with the floor, a little smile creeping over her lips. As quickly as the moment had come, it passed in favor of childish insults and gestures being tossed around by the others.

It was always an odd day when Zinnia was not the target of everyone's bullying. That wasn't to say that Garrick didn't actually kind of deserve it. He was a jerk who'd done his fair share of picking on Zinnia in the past. It was about time karma came back around for him, all things considered.

"I d-don't think lighting Anirian p-property on fire is a good idea, Thraah..." Zinnia chimed in again. She really shouldn't have had to mention this. "Besides innocent people getting h-hurt, the Songb-bird could just slip away in the chaos p-pretty easily."

Zinnia noticed Fennec's more determined gesturing and cocked her head.
"D-does she have a plan? She s-seems like she has a plan."

 

[Silas Artesto]

Garrick's presence was so completely unremarkable that Silas hadn't even noticed he was here until he spoke up to mock him. Even then, he didn't pay him much mind, snorting at his childish behavior, and dismissing him with the most condescending of glances."You don't know a tight arse from your left hand anyways." And if he kept up that attitude with everyone, he never would.

Silas may have had a reputation for being easygoing and flirtatious, but he couldn't be accused of such things when assigned a task. For all his faults, Artesto took his work quite seriously, and it was for that reason he hadn't become an arrogant prick who didn't know when to shut his mouth like Garrick. There was work to do, and he'd tell the idiot boy exactly what he thought about him later when it wouldn't distract from the task at hand.

"I don't hate Quill's plan, but it's a bit of a stretch. If this guy has been wily enough to keep out of custody so far, I doubt he'll be dumb enough to agree to some mystery gig for an exorbitant amount of money without proof of payment." Or worse, insurance. "It underestimates him a little bit, is what I'm saying."

If there's one thing he'd learned investigating the Falwood serial murders, it was not to underestimate anybody. That includes your own allies, so when Fennec signed that she would rather obtain an item for Livia to track their mark with, he was all ears. Er... eyes, rather. Silas nods to Zin, gesturing towards Fen's hands. "It's sign, Zin. They taught us last year, remember?" Artesto looked back to the mute girl across from him and leaned forward on an elbow.

"I disagree, Thraah." Silas clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "Fen's as dangerous as an Ox with plate armor, but she's as sneaky as they come, I've heard. Somebody as small and quick as her would be able to dip in, grab something, and get out without needing much time."

He leaned back again, crossing his arms over his chest as he seemed to take in everyone's faces at once for his next suggestion.

"Garrick and I could go in, make a little distraction while Fennec slips in and grabs what we need. We all get out and we have a twenty-four seven tracker on this Songbird guy. From there, we can find out whatever he's doing, and figure out when he's most vulnerable."

 

[Livia Quinnick]

"Garrick and I could go in, make a little distraction while Fennec slips in and grabs what we need. We all get out and we have a twenty-four seven tracker on this Songbird guy. From there, we can find out whatever he's doing, and figure out when he's most vulnerable."

Livia rewarded him with a smile. "If there are no objections, this will do to begin with." Her olive eyes flicked to the painted face of Fennec, shuffling in her seat so that she now sat upright and had her hands free to sign as she spoke. She knew Fennec could understand them all without it, but Livia always prided herself in her ability of learning multiple languages.

"What is a Songbird without his instrument? If we could disrupt his performance, that may give the boys a chance to follow him as Mavros looks for a replacement instrument. It is a start..."

Now she turned her body to face Thraah and Zinnia where they sat towards the other end of the large table. "I think you two and I will stay close outside Yeoman's... be ready to either follow or incapicate him. You two," Livia nodded to the two other Initiates that sat either side of Garrick, "Best you find somewhere we can rendezvous. Take Mavros once we get him."

"I think I have some ideas..." One of them answered, turning to look at the other.

"Lovely." Quinnick drummed her fingers against the table. "Then I think Fennec, Garrick, and Silas should make their way over. He is not due to perform for another hour, but that will give you time to come up with a plan should you need to leave..."

Livia pulled up her day bag, fishing around for one of her coin purses. "A gentleman's only place would have an admission fee, would it not? Here," She offered her fist full of coins to Silas. "Thraah, Zinnia, and I will walk ahead of your group and find the closest place to get a drink while we wait."

"Then we should get going and find somewhere to haul the Songbird to." And with that, the two other female Initiates downed their drinks and pretended to give the group a friendly farewell. Liv almost forgot they needed to look like any other Anirian, and not trained killers.

 

[Fennec]

There were certainly better plans than this, but Fennec did not have the wherewithall to argue against it when Harkenov had emphasized she work with the team. Needs be, she could always improvise. Her eyes glanced the other two girls taking their leave, and after only a beat she pulled the large hood of her black cloak over her head and took her own through another exit at the opposite end of the building.

Out into the mild crowds of the street, her small form caught no more attention than a child might - and in places like these, a child did not garner much attention at all. Pausing shortly by a stall vendor selling fresh bread, she tapped at the counter and presented the person with the unfolded flyer. The vendor bent forward with squinted eyes, donned a set of spectacles and nodded with a smile. She seemed not at all put-off by what should have been an otherwise ghastly face within the hood, and pointed down the street, advising to follow the footbridge to the right at the end.

Look for the big oak tree circle, she said, and when she looked back there was a coin on the counter and one less sweetroll in a basket.

 

[Thraah]

"Now you're talking. Day drinking. Let's party!"
She thumped the table with a strong fist and stood to go. Snatching a bowel of roasted chestnuts and tipping them into the cup of her hand to take with her.
"Bye Bonesie, bye boys. Don't have too much fun. Except you Shit-features, you can fucking fall in a hole."
She tossed two nuts into her mouth and chewed them deliberately loud as she cast her eyes on Zin and Liv. Not her favourite people but okay.
"Come on guys, settle the bill and let's boogey."

 

[Zinnia]

"...Okay."

 

[Silas Artesto]

Silas slipped the coins into his pocket with a wink to Quill, happy enough with the plan they'd put together. Not that he was counting on Garrick to actually pull his weight or anything like that, but some small part of him had always wanted to see what Fennec could do, as they'd never been on a mission together before, and Silas had heard some stories.

Yes, as the three of them exited the tavern back out into the waning hours of the afternoon, things were looking to go smoothly. They made it almost a dozen steps before Silas turned around and realized that Fennec had almost immediately bailed on them.

"Shit." He hissed through gritted teeth, nudging Garrick to look behind them to where she'd been following. "She bolted." Garrick scowled, quickly looking between Artesto himself and the remarkably still vacant spot behind them, as if he expected her to just poof back into being. "Where the hell did she go?" He asked, not bothering to lower his tone the way Silas was, as they were still among a fairly dense crowd of pedestrians headed out to the night spot of their choice.

"How the fuck should I know? And, for Kress' sake keep your goddamn voice down!" Silas seethed, bringing a finger to his lips. The idiot was going to get them in trouble before they even got into the Yeoman's. "She's probably just getting herself ready. Not like she was going in with us anyways, just wish she'd let us know." The plan hadn't changed, and that's all that mattered.

Unlike many of the more upscale and popular clubs in the city, the Yeoman's Club was discreet and easy to miss if you weren't looking for it. Only a single sign illuminated by oil lamps hung from the front of the tall, brick building; a marquee listing the entertainment for the evening. On top of the club sat a clock, not tall enough to be called a tower, with the time lit up in magelight and a small chimney billowing smoke.

It would have been a quaint little place, if not for the heavy set man in decommissioned Guard armor standing out front and discouraging any curious minds without the balls or the coin to earn their way inside. Made sense enough why a wanted man would pick a place like this, especially if this was going to cost as much as Silas suspected.

"Let me do the talking. Gods know I'm more of a people person than you." Silas slid in front of Garrick and straightened his posture a bit, dusting off his clothes and rolling his neck as he stepped forward towards the doorman. "Two. Here for the show."

The large fellow looked down at the pair of them with his eyebrows raising almost all the way to his hairline. His thick jaw clicked into place as he chuckled and uncrossed his arms. "This isn't a place for kids. Come back when you're a grown up, and maybe I'll let you in, blondie."

Yeah, he'd pretty much figured that's how that was gonna go. Reaching into his suit, Artesto retrieves the heavy bag of coins Quill lent him, holding it out to the man with a coy smile. "That's a shame. This big sack of gold says we snuck past you while you were takin' a piss and you promise it won't happen again."

Silas watched the man bite his tongue, and flitter his eyes between the boys and the money. It didn't take long for the fellow's greed to overcome his sense of duty to whatever rotten salary he was getting paid by the Yeoman's owner. Reaching out, he snatches the bag and turns to wander off.

"Well gee, I guess I drank too much water on my last break..."

 

[Livia Quinnick]

Livia turned to Thraah, brows knitting together as her lips curved into something... unpleasant.

"One drink for you. We are on mission. I need your utmost focus." Her words were stern, serious. This was important, and not because she was detrimental to retrieving what may be the most elusive wanted spy, but because Livia had a perfect record in finding whoever or whatever she was tasked with locating.

She lead the trio out the door, the bill paid for already at the start of the post brief discussion to ensure their story was kept to a group of Anirian youths hanging out. Details, for one, was a specialty Livia liked paying attention to.

As they reached the street, it was already bustling with activity despite the chill to the air. It was nearing the weekend, and entertainment was not rare to find out on these streets. Livia loosed a sigh, pointing to where she could sense Silas and company headed. "Alright. Let us find somewhere we could sit in or pretend to shop."

The further they went, the thicker the crowd. Livia would be able to find Zinnia and Thraah, but if either got lost, they may be hard pressed to navigate back to the group. Against better judgment, Livia linked her arms with each of those in her group, glaring down anyone that came their way and thought of breaking them up. They stayed like this for a good few moments before reaching the end of the dense crowd, and her arms promptly relieving the other Initiates.

"Well... there's a pub that looks busy... one drink Thraah." Livia turned to Zinnia, quirking a brow at the girl she had not really had time to get to know beyond sharing classes and seeing her around the Academy. "How about you, St. Kolbe? Some liquid courage to help or shall I order us a pot of tea?" It was a pub. If they did not have a pot of tea, Livia was the type of person to make them fulfill her order.

Fennec | Thraah Zinnia | Silas Artesto

 

[Fennec]

Wasn't quite time for a performance just yet, but Zaco Mavros, otherwise known as The Songbird, wasn't one to be shy with an adoring crowd. He'd stepped down from off-stage to meet the men of the Yeoman's, rub some elbows, shine their eyes. Getting chummy with his fans always meant better tips and better tips kept a Songbird a-singin'.

When Silas and Garrick stepped inside it would be to the loud din of chatter. Yeoman's may have been a selective club, but it was rather a lively one. Its patrons were men of various calls of life, all with the coin to pay the fee for membership and some investment in the local city. Merchants of all types, men of career paths that might some day make them small nobles if fate played them a good hand, and a few one might not expect to see such as higher ranking statesmen, military men, and even men of the faith.

What happened in Yeoman's stayed in Yeoman's.

In the crowd now animatedly listening to a tale weaved by the Songbird himself there were many men of various ages, their faces alight with interest and humor while he spoke and their hands sporting their chosen swill for the evening. The tale ended on a high note of bright laughter as the punchline to a long-winded joke finally landed. Their voices danced like the shadows across the stage where the silhouettes of stage workers passed to and fro, one stopping to peer at the group from behind the curtains.

"I say you know you look nothing like your posters, Songbird," one of the men in a long black solicitor's coat spoke up, "which I find to be rather lucky considering my eldest daughter fancies you for a suitor."

"It's the nose," Zaco mocked a frown and pulled a stance as if posing for a portrait, "they never get it right, but do go on about your daughter."

"She rather begged me to smuggle her in here," the man laughed, pausing at a sudden loud crash from the stage above. He muddled a curious look, "Something to be concerned about?"

Zaco looked back to the ruckus with a bit of a wild eye to him that most would simply mistaken for the wily nature of a bard, "Ah heh heh - I'm certain it's nothing."

"Ah well, I promised I'd return with a gift of your likeness so that she can daydream whilst I hammer out a betrothal to the Frankport son - homely boy," the man produced a rolled up poster he'd found around the city, "- perhaps you might put your ink to it, hm? She'd be ever so keen."

Several stagehands hurried off to one side to right a setpiece that had curiously toppled over and knocked down a display of instruments.

"Oh do take care of those!" the Songbird called back to them, "If my lute's scratched there'll be a summoner to pay - my ink? Oh yes, I have my quill just here..." he bent over a nearby table and scrawled a small note and signature across the bottom half of the poster, "there you are old boy. I hope that keeps her out of your ear for at least a fortnight ... good golly, are they letting youngin's in the Yeoman's now?"

Several men turned to follow Zaco's gaze to the two rather young men that had wandered in.

 

[Thraah]

"Alright, one drink. Thank you *Mom*!"
Thraah pulled a face at Liv. She didn't know what her current problem was (besides still being Liv).
"You know Bonesie is on it right? She's probably feeding bird arse his own balls by now."
Not impossible to her considering half the rumours she'd heard about Fennec.
Thraah put her arms around each girls shoulders as she half dragged, half lead them towards the pub entrance.
"This is in the bag, relax. Have some fun with this one guys. You know how to have fun right Zin?"
She still had some of the roast chestnuts in the hand closest Zin's face.
"Want any?"
She offered them as if mere moments ago she did not mention ingesting testicles. Which, of course, she was very aware of.

Livia Quinnick Zinnia Silas Artesto Fennec

 

[Zinnia]

Zinnia nodded a goodbye to those that were splitting off before being ushered away by their project lead. Both Livia and Thraah were a fair bit...more than Zinnia preferred to keep company with, but she reminded herself that practicing her social skills had to involve putting herself in situations she was uncomfortable in. Besides, it was all for the sake of the mission, right?

"Alright. Let us find somewhere we could sit in or pretend to shop."

"S-sure, uh--" Zinnia had started to reply when Livia hooked an arm around her own, as well as Thraah's. "...Huh."

A bit unexpected, but it didn't last long. By now Zinnia had made something of a realization:
"We just went f-from one bar to a d-different bar," she stated flatly and to no one in particular. Oh well. Now drinks were being offered again. "I...d-don't know if I should, you guys, I'm k-kind of a lightweight. Kress knows what happ-pened at Friendsgiving l-last year..."

The gold-eyed girl regretfully reminisced and absentmindedly plucked a chestnut from Thraah's hand and munched on it. The comparison between goody and gonad didn't cross her mind.
"P-plus if something goes s-sour with Fennec I'd like to be at my b-best, you know?" she paused, realizing that she might've been coming off like a wet blanket. "B-but if you two want to drink I won't s-stop you!"

 

[Silas Artesto]

"Keep discreet." Silas spoke in a hushed tone to Garrick, who followed close behind him. "We're here to distract him, but we don't want to make so much of a scene the Guard gets called, yeah?" The city didn't want anything to do with this job aside from the result. If Guardsmen showed up, they wouldn't be bailing them out of trouble, and Artesto was sure the Dreadlords would pretend they had authorized no such kidnapping of an entertainer.

"I don't see why we don't just take him now." Garrick mumbled back. "Not like he could stop us, right?"

"Normally I'd agree, but apparently this clown has gotten through entire teams before. I don't know how, but I'm not taking chances." Silas turned his head and jabbed Garrick with his elbow, narrowing his amber gaze. "Maybe stop questioning everything I say, yeah? You're starting to piss me off."
"Piss you off?" Garrick scoffed back, reaching out and grabbing Silas' arm as he turned away to pull him back and look into his eyes again. "You come in late like you're hot shit, then start giving Quinnick and Zinnia the goo-goo eyes before you even know what we're doing!" Garrick was seething, barely holding back his voice. "Who the hell put you in charge, Artesto?"

"Goo-goo eyes?!" Silas felt his mouth go agape as he stepped closer to the boy who he was supposed to be working together with. "I did not-- What the fuck does that even mean? Are you jealous or something? Maybe if you didn't have your entire, tumefied noggin shoved so far up your arse you can eat your lunch a second time, a girl would actually give you the time of day, you miserable cun--"

"Good golly, are they letting youngin's in the Yeoman's now?"

Fuck.

Silas dropped the argument and snapped back to attention. Of all the people to take notice of them, it had to be Zaco Mavros himself. He'd really been hoping they could pick their spot with this little distraction of theirs, but it was looking like it was now or never. Artesto knew how to sweet-talk pretty girls, but wanted criminals? Well, there was only one way to know if his trademark charm stretched that far or not.

"Songbird!" Silas broke out into a bright grin, strolling towards Zaco as though he hadn't just been about to rip Garrick a new hole to bitch from. He extended his hand to the bard, putting the best twinkle in his eye that he could manage. "I'm a huge fan! My old man likes to sing your songs at home, but I've been wanting to see the genuine article perform for ages now."

Raising a hand to his mouth as though he was telling a secret, he leaned forward.

"Even if that means greasing the hinges to get the door open, if you know what I mean."

From what he'd been told, this man was a criminal in his own right, and one with a big ego at that. How could he resist a young, bright-eyed fan exhibiting the beginnings of illegal behavior in his own right? No, this would inflate his head so large he might float right out of the building.

Livia Quinnick Fennec Zinnia Thraah

 

[Livia Quinnick]

"Alright, one drink. Thank you *Mom*!"

Livia cut her a cold look, rolling her eyes as she moved the trio into the pub. It was one of those establishments that had an array of beverages for sale, and to her relief, a shelve displaying the different containers of teas on the menu.

"I...d-don't know if I should, you guys, I'm k-kind of a lightweight. Kress knows what happ-pened at Friendsgiving l-last year..."

"Then do not fret, St. Kolbe. As awful as it was that I had to spend a month at sea tracking some sea serpent for a mission, I had to miss out on Friendsgiving? Ugh. I feel so left out!" She whined lightly, shooing a two men from the booth by the window. To her credit, they took their drinks and gave up their seats, which Livia paid them with a sickly smile. It was one she would not use unless she planned on being horrible after.

"We need to keep an eye out. All of us. I can keep a tracking spell on that door and the one other exit I think they may use, but any sign of action, we need to be fast and move to help." She was not going to fail this mission, not when so much of it rested on her ability to track. Livia did not like having so much hands ready to help, not when she could not be the one calling the shots and managing every one. "Does anyone know what the fuck Fennec can do? I... did not want to question her directly." She admitted.

A server came to their table, a smile worn in greeting. "What can I get you pretty ladies?"

"Rose tea for two. Unless Thraah, you would like to change your mind?" Liv quirked a challenging brow at the fire wielder.

Fennec Silas Artesto | Thraah Zinnia

 

[doonaday]

The Songbird sized up the boy, but a slow grin stretched his lips as he became surprised at hearing the potential of th young man. "Well! At some point in our lives, we men too have tried to sneak into this club! How many of our father's brought us here to teach us what it meant to be real men?" The Songbird casted the question to all, receiving jovial laughs and 'here, here!' from other patrons in the back.

The Songbird leaned down to address only Silas. "You're alright mate. Truly... just keep your friend quiet if you can. Must say, his voice really grates on the ears of you know what I mean. Go on then. Find a seat and get comfortable for the next performance." He clapped a hand to the boy's back and whirled him around, gently nudging Silas back to Garrick.

"I am afraid I broke a cardinal rule here in Yeoman's. You see, how could I resist their beauty? I would like to introduce Jasmine and Rose!" From both sides of the lounge area, two identical girls slinked in and began to dance around the tables and the men sat in private chairs. A low cheer rippled through the floor, and the girls smiled and slowly made their way to the Songbird.

"The next song is a sinful one, but I thought my girls would assist in driving home the message. What happens in these walls of Yeoman's is to remain our collective secret. Are we understood, gentleman?" He asked the crowd as he swaggered over to the piano to the side, stepping over the stool and situating himself before the ivories.

He began playing a tune, something more gritty and dark in comparison to his last few performances. The vocals were haunting, hiding the tone of the lyrics, but it was one the Songbird enjoyed.

The girls danced around again, making a point to not visit where Silas and Garrick were seated, and occasionally accompanied the Songbird in the bridge of the song. The men were enraptured, pulling out their coin and leaving it on the table for the girls to collect.

The Songbird kept his eyes on them the whole time, possibly to watch for any greedy hands trying to disturb their performance, but unknown to the crowd, the Songbird was a master in illusion.

The girls were a figment of his imagination, but they were so real, one could touch them and be convinced.

 

[Thraah]

"Fine, three teas."
Thraah had plopped herself down and slung her arm over the back of the chair. Looking out the window she kept an eye on the entrance to the Yeoman's.
Her nuts had been eaten and she was thinking, waiting for the server to leave before speaking her voice became conspiratorial.
"Fennec can make squid arms come out her butt and they totally fuck shit up. It's scary as shit."


Livia Quinnick
Zinnia

 

[Zinnia]

The ordering of tea was quite the relief. She could've just not had anything to drink, of course, but the social pressure wasn't something she was certain she could handle if both of the other girls were partaking. She pressed her palms together in a silent "thank you" to Livia.

"I had to miss out on Friendsgiving? Ugh. I feel so left out!"

"Oh, you sh-shouldn't. Like most of the Academy's att-tempts at letting us do normal, f-fun things, it was mostly a disast-ter," Zinnia assured Livia, taking special care not to mention how several students referred to her solely as "potato girl" for weeks afterwards. It was sort of the moment of ignition for her though, wasn't it? Despite everything, Zinnia owed much of her future to Lumen's invitation all that time ago.

She turned her gold-hued eyes towards the point Livia had marked, wanting to at least pretend like their group was dong something resembling productive. Zinnia immediately had to double take when Thraah explained Fennec's powers.
"Wh--huh?? N-no, that can't be...can it?"

Zinnia had never actually seen what Fennec could do either. She was too afraid of Fennec to interact with her, really.

 

[Fennec]

A feather quill flip-twirled down from the rafters of the new tavern Livia Quinnick had chosen for their stakeout. It landed with a gentle clatter on the table between the three, followed shortly by the creased poster upon which the Songbird's signature was clear as day.

Should one of them look up, they'd spy the silhouette of Fennec's form among the shadows cast against the vaulted ceiling, the whites of her eyes flashing at Livia before she turned and, quiet and graceful as a cat, slunk back out through an open vent window near the peak of the roof.