Fable - Ask What's in the Box?!

[Lottie Beaufort]

Lottie raised her glass in a toast to that. It might have been the complete opposite to what she wanted but he was seizing the moment just like her sisters had.

"Well if you need the inside scoop let me know. I can guide you through the Oban hierarchy much better than I can this forest and I think I do that pretty well," she flicked her hand through her hair flippantly. It had been her whole world. She had been groomed to become the Princess and then the future Queen of Delradia; she would have been a poor ruler if she hadn't at least known the nobles inside out.

"If you are serious about moving here and climbing the ranks then there are people you need to know, and where you buy a place means everything. Only Merchants or the middle class buy a place in the city. The rich - the creme de la creme which I sense you want to be a part of - they need one place in the city and one outside the city."

 

[Alexios Marxan]

Having someone to give him some advice was actually rather nice. Local intelligence was some of the best you could hope for and he was glad to see that he had lucked into getting some of that as well as assistance on his last heist, stimulating conversation, a breathtaking view and a strong something to drink. Seemed that meeting Lottie was something of a boon for him.

He'd tell her if the threat of her sisters didn't honestly have him a little bit concerned for the safety of his testicles should he decide to make a move.

Maybe once he was in the area on a more permanent basis he might try his hand at actively flirting with her and see how receptive she was. He grinned a little bit.

"I think I can see myself coming to you for advice on all manner of things, Lottie." he agreed with a grin, "Would you require payment for such assistance? Or maybe I'll just have to... owe you something?"

... alright maybe a little bit of flirting right now wouldn't hurt, right?

The information about having a house within and outside of the city was enlightening. In Elbion it was pretty much as case of everyone trying to get a home as close to the college as possible. If you had a house right up close to the college it was almost better than having a mansion on the outskirts.

Each place had it's own quirks he supposed.

"Well now... I might have to look into liberating someone of their property to facilitate my move." he admitted with a thoughtful expression, "I don't suppose you know of any noble houses with outstanding debts?"

For rich and powerful people, debt worked differently. A House could not own a single silver penny but still have assets that exceeded every payment he had ever received in his life so far. But only when the person holding that debt cooperated.

 

[Lottie Beaufort]

Lottie raised both brows and laughed.

"Equal share in the winnings is all I require. I have expensive ta-- OH!" she jumped out of her chair as if suddenly remembering something and jogged back to where she had dumped her bag when they had returned to the camp. Her poor new boots... She tugged them out of her bag and examined them carefully for any damage. They were a brilliant scarlet colour with intricate details on the leather. Thankfully, they didn't seem to be any worse off for their dunk in the Alliria Straight.

She put them near enough to the fire they would dry out but not shrink.

"It took them ages to make these and I would have had to bill you for them if they were ruined," she explained matter-of-factly before returning to her seat and the question he had asked about nobles.

"Oh there are always nobles in trouble. You know, I heard the Maskell's are in dire financial trouble at the moment. They've been on the rocks for a while but they lost a few big shipments to pirates recently and they're selling off their apartments in the upper circle... would be a nice pad."

 

[Alexios Marxan]

Equal share?

Well he was going to have to aim higher if he was going to be hiring her then wasn't he? Alexios' own goals meant that he wasn't going to be able to take just a bare minimum. He needed to get paid if he was going to match and exceed all those who looked down on him. The scepter and tiara were a nice payday... or they would have been had he been planning on selling them.

But he wasn't.

When she came back with some leather boots he just eyed her for a moment to make sure she was being serious. It seemed that she was... very serious about protecting her boots. He eyed them for a moment before nodding slowly.

"Alright I guess I'd probably deserve that bill."

To each their own - if she had such vices as expensive, sensual, clothing then who was he to judge? He killed people for a living and that usually meant his opinion wasn't worth much. He hummed a little bit as he thought of something.

"No... no I think I'll take more than that..." he mused aloud, "What a tragedy it would be if every buyer had sudden changes of heart. What a terrible turn of events it would be in each and every shipment they expected was waylaid. Oh... what trouble for their House be in with debts mounting and no way to write them off... save for some New Money ex-sellsword breezing in to rescue them from their horrors at the low, low, cost of all their earthly possessions."

Oh yes.

He liked the sound of that.

"Want to rob them blind with me? It's been some time since I've played pirate."

 

[Lottie Beaufort]

Lottie's brow rose little by little as he spoke; the kid really wanted to make his mark on the upper crust of society didn't he? Wren would be disgusted if she ever heard him. Her oldest sister was all about robbing from the rich to benefit the poor not to profit; she already frowned upon Lottie's spending but acknowledged her little sister could do as she wished with her earnings.

"Whilst that is sorely tempting, I don't really suit the pirate look," she flicked her hair a little. "It would probably also harm your chances if anyone recognised who I was," which was far more likely with a family like that. Lottie was the missing Princess after all, kidnapped by her sisters and other Bandits. If she was seen with him then he would probably find himself on the end of a sharp sword sooner rather than later.

 

[Alexios Marxan]

Well he supposed that was about as good as he could expect - she wasn't going to try and stop him even if she wasn't about to join him. The idea that her identity being revealed would make things harder for her was a new one on him but something he could accept on faith alone.

It wasn't his place to know everything about her after only one meeting after all.

"You sure? Tight leather and a fetching hat sound like they'd be right up your alley." he joked before waving a hand, "I'm sure I'll struggle to find someone half as useful but such is life sometimes."

Looking at the sky for a moment, Alexios frowned slightly before making a decision. He smiled a little bit as he stood.

"I feel it may be time for me to move along." he admitted with a grin, "You've been incredibly helpful and quite charming - but a man must remember to never outstay his welcome."

He bowed his head slightly.

"Remember that Alexios Marxan owes you a favour, Lottie, and feel free to call upon me to cash it in whatever way you require."