Fate - First Reply An acquirement that requires two

[Efelion Berrendow]

The night was dark and the moon was out, if it wasn't for the lit hearth and the small lanterns that lit the tavern Efelion might have actually been able to see the moonlight flood in. He was sitting in the corner of the Tavern on the waterfront of the grand trade city of Alliria. It was not a Tavern of the rich traders but instead one of the dock workers, Mercenaries, and the more common folk of the large city. He had a tankard in hand and his pipe was laying by him on the table he occupied. in the center was the deck of cards of a man he had just beaten in a game, He was in need of quick funding as his last job had not paid enough and had been sweeping the tavern for all the coin they had to help pay for his drinks for the night.

"You are a bloody cheat I know it!" The man sitting across from Efelion yelled angrily as he stood up taking his cards with him "Someone will catch you tonight and when they do prove it, I'll be back for my coin." with that the older man walked off in a huff, now a few more coins shorter than he had been earlier. It was always going to be that way with every tavern Efelion would streak through but he was never caught. He was never stupid enough to try and con a thief or a roguish type, his marks were always normal folk that had ego enough to think they'd beat him.

Efelion sighed and picked up his pipe as he finished his Tankard, he left his seat and walked over towards the bar counter, dodging stumbling drinks and waitresses that were carrying as many pints as possible. The air smelt of tobacco and cooked meat, it was almost peak hour for a tavern like this. As Efelion stopped at the bar he pulled up a stool and sat down, throwing some coin to the man behind who was clearly the innkeeper, "Just another tankard my good man, still have a long night ahead of me."

Efelion relaxed a little, although he wore the clothes of a commoner his boot had a dagger in it, he had just picked up another job and was worried that other hunters would be looking for competition. Normally Efelion would travel and work alone however at the moment he was looking for an extra hand, he had been warned that the travel would be dangerous and the ruins could be just as deadly. It's why he was in this tavern, a commonplace of mercenaries and hunters like himself, He needed to find someone before he could travel to the location of the item.

 

[Myrra]

Myrra took another drag from the hookah in the corner of Allirian tavern. It was good to be home. Or at least, this felt like home compared to the dark elven underground she’d sought out.

“So, you’re looking for work?” Celias asked. He was decent when compared to the other scum she had worked with back in the Shallows. Those days of roughing up shopkeeps or pilfering from merchants were behind her.

Honest work lay ahead.

A plume of smoke was exhaled as she kept a scarlet eye on the other patrons. ”No. You’ll be the first to know if I change my mind though.”

She took in another breath of the apricot-flavored smoke before standing and exhaling once more. Myrra had found her mark and approached the bar top where the halfie stood awaiting more alcohol.

”You had good cards?” The drow pointed towards the exiting elder who’d just accused Efelion of being a cheat.

Whether he was a cheat or not mattered little to her. The half-human seemed interesting than the rest of the rabble that crowded around stale beer and awfully sour wine.

 

[Efelion Berrendow]

Efelion looked over at the drow who was pointing at the man he had just rung dry and smirked a little "Good cards, good luck, who knows" He spoke with a hint of banter on his words "It could just be that this person thought that they could beat a young man as he thought he had more experience, no matter the case, it has paid for my drinks for the night."

As Efelion finished speaking he turned around to find the Innkeep bringing him his tankard and he took it, thanking the man for bringing it so hastily with so many patrons around. Efelion swiveled on his stool to face the Drow and analyze her properly. He had not run into many of her kind before and although it was a rare type to find, a place like this, a place full of every type of person excluding those too rich to be seen with the rabble it was not impossible for one to be here.

"Why do you ask? wish to learn a trick or two?" Efelion asked playfully before having a drink of his tankard "Or are you already aware of how to play and are here to challenge me?"

Efelion wondered what her intentions were, he wasn't normally approached at bars, he normally did the approaching and for that matter, it was often towards people he knew he could sleight of hand. He wondered though, maybe she was like him, seeking to swindle, if she was and if she could show she was good at deception, maybe he might meet his match. He wasn't sure what she wanted but he was interested in finding out.

 

[Myrra]

"Good luck must be the culprit," she chimed in with a glint in her eye as the barkeep plopped down the tankard of ale.

A broad grin overtook her face as the half-breed continued to speak. She tapped a knuckle against the bartop and gave the man working the tavern a nod. In a quick motion he scooped up a lowball glass and a bottle of a clear liquor. He filled the glass halfway up before squeezing a drop of a strange concoction that stained the clear drink a shade of light violet. Just before setting it before the drow he dropped a blackberry into the mixture and gave her a smile.

"Thanks Finn." Myrra took a sip of the mixture, savoring the warming sensation it brought to her cheeks.

She gave it another second or two after his questions before answering. "I've played once or twice before," a lie but she wasn't half bad at bluffing, "I suppose the real question is if you're trying to take the last coin off a helpless girl stuck in Alliria."

Honest work could wait another day. Swindling was far too fun.

 

[Efelion Berrendow]

"Nay las. Not here to take all of your coin." Efelion emphasized, "Besides I think if we play we might both be very lucky, seems to me that it will come down to who the luckiest of the two of us is."

Efelion took note that the drow knew the bartender, she must come to this location often. He was still sure that she was here to try and separate him from his coin but he wondered whether she was trying to sweeten him up before the attempt or whether she was just being genuine. Efelion kept a close hand on his coins, making sure the sack was still tied to his belt as he looked back over at the bartender and thought for a moment.

Efelion took another sip from his tankard and enjoyed the flavor of what was essentially free alcohol seeing as the man earlier had paid for it in his coin. Efelion had taken him for everything he was worth after he strutted in here so high and mighty. He came out of the place a lot poorer than he came in, all because of the attitude he had brought with him, else Efelion might have left him enough coin for a drink.

"Besides, don't you want to show off your skills? thy seem like the type that enjoys a bit of chance" Efelion asked as he looked back over to the drow with a charming roguish grin "If ye prove thy self, might even have an offer if you be as good as I think ye be."

 

[Myrra]

Myrra kicked back another portion of her drink. Taking in the wafting smoke and the murmurs of the various patrons in the bar. She produced a single bronze coin and plopped it on the bartop for Finnigan before hopping off the stool. "Maybe luck will be on my side this time."

White hair billowed as she turned towards a card table in the middle of the action.

"How about there? We can play a few hands?" She'd let him win the first, build up his confidence, maybe even cause him to try and raise his bet. "I'll deal if you don't object."

Before she began walking over to the card table she returned the man's grin with one of her own. "We can discuss your offer while you'll losing your coin to me." Nothing better than discussing business while gambling. Especially if it distracted the half-man into a blunder.

"I'm Myrra," she offered while waltzing through the sea of people and towards the empty table.

 

[Efelion Berrendow]

Efelion hopped up as she motioned to a card table, he kept his drink in his hand and his pipe tucked into his belt and nodded "Aye, we can play there if thy wish and ye can deal but we both get to shuffle" Efelion spoke as she began to walk over.

Efelion followed closely behind the drow, almost bumping into her when patrons would knock or bump into him drunkenly. seemed to be a common theme at this tavern, he wondered if they were going to be this rowdy all night, he had purchased a room above as he had no home, a nomad. His work was going to happen the next night and he needed a place in the city to rest before then. Now he was worried that the crowd would keep him up with noise all night.

"My name is Efelion," He said as he reached the table and sat down on one of the seats as he plopped his drink down his hair was down due to not being outside the walls of a settlement, a slight scruff with some bad blooded hunters wouldn't require all his focus. "What brings you to this tavern in the first place?" Efelion asked the drow.

He studied her a bit more now that they were in the light, he had to admit she wasn't bad on the eyes, her skin like his had no blemishes, elven blood it seemed even in sub-species did its job well. He was always cautious though and wasn't going to let his guard down, A beautiful lady is often the most dangerous and she looked extremely dangerous. Efelion could smell a rogue when he sensed one and this Las was certainly one.

 

[Myrra]

Myrra kicked out one of the chairs, took her seat, and grabbed the deck of cards off the table. A quick cursory shuffle to ensure they were in order was all it took before she passed the deck over to her opponent.

”Of course you get to shuffle.” A patron wobbled the table, and her cocktail, as he drunkenly stumbled around the tavern.

Efelion is what he called himself. ”Nice to meet you Efelion. I’m here for the music.” She gestured towards a particularly raucous group of patrons near the bar top.

There wasn’t much to say about her past in Alliria. Her shady workings with the gangs that ruled The Shallows. Wasn’t much reason to bring up her foray into the Undercity as she fruitlessly tried to learn about her dark elven ancestry. She was best suited for a life of barely scraping by. It felt familiar, felt comfortable.

”Truthfully, I was looking for work,” she said without any deception on her eyes, ”these places tend to attract merchants who are desperate to hire anyone.”

 

[Efelion Berrendow]

Efelion opted to take the cards from Myrra and chuckled a little at her joke, she had a comedic bone on her which was good, far better than some of the people he had looked into hiring in the past. Efelion began to shuffle the cards frequently as he looked around him at the patrons making sure no one he knew was in the tavern. he had chosen it because hunters like him tended to go to places closer to the stables, easier to ride out on a moment's notice but his quarry was in the city, not very common to poach an item from within the walls of a settlement but it had come up from time to time.

"Work aye isn't it what we all need" Efelion spoke with a smirk knowing the feeling, spending all his money on his own work, almost everything he had ever made had been put back into his job, never saved enough for land or a home. "Coin to continue our ways, Currency to pay for our vices, funding to survive."

Efelion did a few more flicks of the cards, he wasn't sure whether he wanted to rig the deck, palm some cards or play honestly. He questioned himself on whether she was actually wanting to take his coin or whether she indeed was just being friendly, had he judged her too quickly? He decided to not do any rigging, nor palm the cards to hide a good hand, instead, he offered the deck to the drow in front of him.

"You can cut if you want, split it in two." Efelion offered as he looked back to her with a smile on his face, the tankard was starting to do its job, he could feel it flushing his cheeks a tad. "In case you are worried about a ploy or some misdeed, I think this time, I will play fairly. I just hope you play just as fair."

Efelion moved to his pipe and slowly filled it with tobacco before lighting it with the flame of a candle that had been sitting on the table. He was unsure of whether or not this drow was trustful but either way, this game would let him get to know her a little better. Maybe she might be the right fit to hire if she was indeed looking for work.

 

[Myrra]

A small chortle escaped her lungs. "Always carry just enough coin to survive."

It was mostly true. She hadn't gone hungry since she was a teenager although having enough wealth to afford decent lodging every night was still a struggle from time-to-time. In a pinch she found that barns and stables made due and if you snuck out at first light you would rarely be caught.

At least in Alliria she knew where most of the abandoned homes were. They always served as free housing.

"I always play fair," she said with a degree of joviality. It wasn't strictly true but in this case she'd give the half-elf a fair shake. Whoever won or lost would be decided by pure skill... and the ever present element of luck that was associated with all card games.

She split the deck as he bid and dealt both Efelion and herself their respective hands before three cards face-down on the table. Myrra didn't bother to check her own hand before placing three coins on the table. "My wager."

There was still enough left for a room at the quieter inn across the street and plenty of coin for a few more rounds of alcohol. She just wanted to measure how this man assessed risks and rewards.

 

[Efelion Berrendow]

Efelion trusted her words, for some reason he could tell that she was being honest. He started to feel as if he had gotten this drow wrong, maybe she wasn't here to attempt to steal his coins out from under him. Efelion looked at the cards that were dealt to him and then back up to the table with the three cards turned face down. He kept his cards on the table face down only slightly raising them to peak at them.

"I'll follow up with the same amount" Efelion spoke as he rummaged through his coins for 3 gold himself "Do you have enough coin to survive more than tonight?"

Efelion wanted to start probing to see whether this drow would be interested in a job offer, the work he had required two and he wanted to find someone that was both reliable and also good at what they do. The honesty the drow was showing him at the moment proved that she could indeed be honest and reliable if she wanted, now he just needed to know what her skills were before offering. He wanted to see whether she was up for the task.

"What work do you often pick up to survive?" He asked looking back up at her with a smile "You don't seem like a dock worker or a normal mercenary hired to travel to their death like most of the folk in here"

Efelion took another sip of his Tankard only lowering his walls a little more. He was not here to fight nor here to lie, it was nice to be playing a completely legitimate game with someone, even if they barely knew one another. The ruckus the crowd was making was driving him mad though he was lucky he hadn't paid for a room here yet else he might have gotten no sleep at all. Efelion had not expected a place to be open so late on a work day.

 

[Myrra]

”I’ve got plenty of coin.”

The last thing she needed was anyone’s pity. Though his concern for her well-being was noted. It was a positive trait if he really was offering work.

He bet the same amount. A calculated wager and a good sign that he was cautious. She flipped over one of the cards to reveal a seven before considering the rest of his words.

A smile broached her lips. ”I used to work protection rackets.”

The, ‘for the mob,’ likely didn’t need to be said. There was truly only one sort of protection racket in Alliria and it was never of the legal variety.

Myrra finally checked her hand before adding, ”but I’ve branched out and done some honest bodyguard work.”

Clearing her throat she continued, though in a hushed voice, ”I may not look very threatening but I’m a talented enough hydromancer.” She didn’t fully understand the nature of her magic but it’d served her well both in terms of self defense and in… dispatching… potential threats.

 

[Efelion Berrendow]

"A protection racket..." Efelion said to himself looking at the 7 on the table before looking back at his hand "Well, far be it for me to worry about the safety of a random drow who I'm playing cards against, but it's a good thing you moved to more...Legal work".

Efelion looked up from his cards and smiled "Talented it good, it means you can handle yourself, If it was not for my skills in my line of work I doubt I'd find anything to pay for my time in these taverns" he stated before taking a swig of his tankard.

He was hesitant to mention anything of the job just yet, be he could tell she was being honest. A good sign to him as he wasn't going to trust someone who would lie to him, cheat in a game of cards is one thing but lying to his face would have been an opt-out. Efelion sighed and he thought for a moment, that maybe her skills could be helpful in his venture, it was a quick grab and return, Efelion had been hired to get something back, something that was stolen from a client.

"If I were to offer a job in reclaiming an item, an item that was stolen" Efelion spoke as he knocked on the table showing he wouldn't be throwing anymore coin in just yet "Something above board that I needed assistance in, would that sound like something you might be interested in? Granted it's a bit different than bodyguard work..."

Efelion looked to see if he could gauge her thoughts on him bringing up even a hint of a possible job, she looked far more capable than most of the people in the room. Efelion was looking for someone with Guile, not a brute like the mercenaries that lined the tavern walls. He needed someone agile and silent.

 

[Myrra]

"Legality is more of an opinion than a fact in certain parts of Alliria," she muttered while sitting back in her chair, "but I agree, I prefer honest work."

Before she knew it the conversation was drifting into something of a job interview. She flipped over the middle card as Efelion continued to speak, never once breaking eye contact with the man who sat across from her. The next card revealed a "Jack" and a sly smile took over Myrra's face as her potential employer spoke of reclaiming an item.

Crimson eyes bore into the half-elf before she finally spoke up. "How different is it from bodyguard work?" If someone had taken an item from this man it wasn't out of the question that violence might be necessary.

Still, Myrra had talents outside of violence. "I might be interested. Dependin' upon what it is. And what it pays." She flipped the third card to reveal another seven before taking a sip of her drink once more.

 

[Efelion Berrendow]

Efelion looked at his cards as the second card was flipped a jack, so far Efelion only had two jacks. He wasn’t sure what the drow had but a pair of jacks wasn’t too bad for a starting hand. He agreed with her, Legality was an odd thing. He knew exactly what she meant of those words as he too had found instances of himself breaking the law.

“Just because something is legal doesn’t make it ethical, and just because something is illegal doesn’t make it ethical” Efelion spoke with a smile “Law and ethics do not intertwine as often as people think, I understand that myself.”

Efelion had always lived by doing what he believed was ethical over what was lawful, he had seen many cases where someone hadn’t been doing anything wrong ethically however they were still dragged away by guards. He saw it is grotesque and never trusted the law any more than he trusted a criminal, to him the two were often interchangeable.

“Well… We wouldn’t be guarding anything, more sneaking into a party and finding something that was stolen” Efelion started “I’d prefer to keep it done quietly, sneak into the party, find the tome and sneak out with it, the party is in a manor. Turns out the people who stole this prize sold it on a black market auction, the buyer is a rather wealthy collector who throughs masked parties quite often.”

Efelion looked around to make sure no one was paying them any real attention. Though the job was re-requiring an item that was stolen, there was a good chance that the collector who had bought it might have the guards bribed to count it as a crime if they were caught. Efelion never trusted nobles, not even those who paid for his services.

“We… Re-Aquire the item, bring it back to the original owner, and then we split the profit.” Efelion looked the drow in her red eyes and smiled

Efelion was in no short supply of jobs at the moment, he had been contacted by quite a few people, cities were always good for business as it was often the wealthiest who wanted him to get things for them. Although he hated the rich for ignoring the needs of the poor, he knew they were a good source of income for him and to fund his personal studies in the history of the land.

“The pay is good, even split it would cover at least a whole week of spending, it’s the only upside of working for those who are wealthy, they have no concept of currency” Efelion stated before he took another sip as the third card was flipped “Besides if you prove yourself to be useful, I have plenty of other jobs on offer at the moment, I’d be more than happy to have a hand, assuming you can prove to me that you can actually prove yourself.”

Efelion wondered whether the drow had somehow rigged the deck, two sevens and there was a chance she had one as well. Was he about to lose his coins? He pondered the thought, she was charming but the charm hadn’t kept him from keeping an eye on her hands, surely she would have seen her if she had tried a trick.

 

[Myrra]

Legality and ethics were something she'd usually paid little mind to. Or at least, Myrra knew right from wrong and she never engaged in such dubious behavior as to cause serious harm to an innocent person. But theft and less-than-legal work had kept her belly filled for much of her life. And, truly, what could be more ethical than survival?

"I can be sneaky," she said in a hushed tone as Efelion glanced around the bar to ensure there were no prying ears to their conversation.

She remained silent as he kept explaining the details of their job. Re-acquiring what had been stolen was, almost by definition, honest work. And a week's wages for what she assumed was a day's work wasn't a half bad deal either. Her face perked up as he made the offer and hinted at possible future work.

In a resigned sigh she flipped over her two cards. "Well, I lost at cards," a two and a queen was all she had making the pair of sevens her only saving grace as she slid the three coins on the table over towards Efelion. "So I suppose now I'll have to take you up on this offer. Make back my losses and more."

Myrra downed the last of her cocktail before leaning in close and whispering, "do you know who the mark is?"

Alliria could be a dangerous place. There were certain cartels and gangs you didn't cross paths with unless you were seeking an early grave. A part of her wondered if that was why he had put so much emphasis on stealth...

 

[Efelion Berrendow]

Efelion chuckled a bit when she said she would join to make up for her losses and more. She sounded like him when he had first started off without his family, He wasn't used to having as much coin as he did now either and the concept of having spare coin was something of a rarity for him even to this day as he spent it too often at taverns.

"No need," Efelion said moving the coins back towards the drow "I have enough for my drinks and for me to find a place to stay, if you are in need of coins as much as you say, best you keep it"

Efelion didn't mind taking the coin of a merchant who sold goods at a higher price but he wasn't about to take the last few coins of someone in hardship, it was not in his nature. As a barmaid walked by Efelion stopped her as he finished his tankard, he grabbed his drink and the cocktail from Myrra's side of the table and ask for two of the same to be brought over while dropping some coins to the waitress. As the barmaid walked away Efelion turned to face the drow before speaking softly so it was the only two of them who could hear.

"A nobleman named Eliques Vonderil" Efelion said softly "Live in the richer part of town, tomorrow night he Is throwing a party, whilst the party is happening, we sneak in on the top floor and try to take it."

Efelion nodded to her with a smile it would hopefully be a quick and easy job as far as he had determined, most of the guards if not all would be downstairs at the party making sure nothing bad happens to the nobleman. if they enter on the top floor and work from there they should be able to get in and out undetected. Efelion was not used to sneaking, most of his jobs were in ruins or caves, fighting bandits or monsters. He was not used to sneaking around.

"If we get that item, we can be paid, it's all that matters." Efelion spoke looking at the drow in the eyes "We wait till nightfall and then we strike quick and fast."

Efelion smirked at the drow he could tell she would be a useful companion to have, maybe even a good friend to have if she was trustworthy. She was clearly in the same mindset as him about things and she wasn't hard on the eyes either, to a normal elf maybe she was nothing special but it must have been the human in him that saw the beauty. smart and capable, the perfect traveling companion, men may even fail to fight her just from being awestruck.

 

[Myrra]

”Thanks.”

It was more than charitable to return her gold. He’d won it fair and square after all. Going above and beyond he’d even just paid for another round. Quite generous.

She listened intently as he described the details of their heist. Or, perhaps more appropriately, their re-acquisition of stolen goods.

Eliques Vonderil? She wasn’t familiar with that name but Myrra also didn’t bother rubbing shoulders with the upper crust of Allirian society. She’d made an attempt with the nobility of the Underrealm and realized fanciful folks had problems that she wasn’t equipped to handle.

”The whole thing sounds like an in and out job.” If they could swiftly locate whatever trinket it was that was considered so valuable, she supposed. ”A party should create more than enough noise throughout the manor to disguise our entry.”

Myrra returned the half-elf’s smirk. He had kind eyes and a welcoming face. A dangerous combination. Interrupting their stares the bar maiden returned, dropping off another tankard and her cocktail. The ashen skinned elf held her glass up and joyous said, ”cheers.”

 

[Efelion Berrendow]

Efelion agreed with her words, it would indeed make it far easier to be in and out of the location without anyone knowing until it was too late. If there were any guards above the party they shouldn't be a problem, they could probably knock out a couple of them without any trouble. He knew that he would need time in the day to gather some extra things as his supplies were running low but he would easily have enough time for that.

"Cheers!" Efelion mimicked Myrra whilst he double-checked around him again to make sure no one he had seen before was around "To better coin and new ventures!"

Efelion sculled half of his drink and started to feel the buzz turned into a bit more than a little. Efelion smiled a bit as his head begin to feel a bit more of the alcohol, it had been a while since he had drunk heavily and he could feel that catching up to him a tad. Luckily they had a whole day before the heist to recover regardless, as long as they were prepared for the night.

"If you have anything you might need before the hunt then fetch it during the day" Efelion asserted, " and also make sure to get rest, I still need to find an inn room as I wasn't sure where I'd end up tonight, This Tavern just seemed like a good place to be headhunting."

 

[Myrra]

"To better coin and new ventures," she repeated in an equally cheery voice.

Myrra nodded along as he mentioned fetching anything else that was necessary. She had her dagger and two knives. Along with her magic it was all she usually needed to keep herself safe from the common threats found around Alliria. Beyond that they'd just need rope to ascend to the upper floors of the manor. An easy enough thing to acquire in the morning.

He brought up the issue of accommodations and offered a few suggestions. "This place stays loud but they have rooms for cheap if you can handle the noise. I'll often crash at an abandoned farmstead not far from here, it's free afterall." She rifled through the coin she had on hand and added, "but just across the street is a larger inn. Small bar on the first floor. The rooms aren't very large but it's much quieter. I'll likely grab a room myself there."

The drow kicked back a bit more of her cocktail and kept her eyes trained on the bar folk. "I'm going to call it a night soon. We're going to likely be pulling an all-nighter tomorrow."