Garrett decided it was fitting for him to seat himself across from the nameless woman as he was holding her until the entirety of the Alliance can come to an agreement within a very nice meeting in the morning.
"Miss. I implore you first of all to divulge at least what your name is. I tire of being creative with what to call you as you would mostly not appreciate anything other than your name. "
He sat straight against the chair beneath him, his right claw resting peaceably against the table top, the sharp index digit rapping against the wood beneath it. He was staring her down, analyzing her and her... familiar, if that were the proper term for the creature she caressed.
" This will be a long night and I wish for a nice, lighthearted interrogation, one without conflict, just you answering what you can."
Shye continued to absentmindedly, pet Nix while she would talk to Garrett. She didn't like the open atmosphere of the bar, especially not with more patrons filing in by the minute. "My name is Shye," she said plainly, however, even so, her voiice carried a lovely tone to it. Her eyess were locked with Garrets, analyzing his facial expressions, eye movements, looking to see what she could identify of him, find some hint as to what he was getting at. She did break eye contact from him for a momnet though, pulling out something from a pouch. She waved it in front of Nix, who Chiped at her a gently snagged it with her beak, then started to nibble at what seemed to be a treat.
With a sigh, Mason approached the inn receptionist "A single, please." After a short exchange of coin for key the young knight shuffled his way over to the heavily intoxicated Lynn. "All right Lynn~" Mason said as he began to help the small Lassa girl to her feet, "Time to get you in bed."
"But I'm not even tired yet," she said like a child, even though she was saying she was but only a moment ago. Probably to Mason's surprise, Lynn put her arms around his shoulders and held on as he carried her, the last thing anyone probably heard as they left the room was Lynn quietly saying, "seeeee, I can give a hug..." Before leaving the main area of the inn, Mason paused for a moment; making direct eye contact with Shye, mouthing the words "I'll be right back". The last thing he wanted that poor woman to think was that he was abandoning her. "Lynn, you're drunk..... You need to get some rest." Mason responded as he unlocked the door to Lynn's room for the night. Walking Lynn over to the Bed, Mason pulled back the covers before trying to set the drunken mess on the bed.
Lynn leaned in as he was about to set her down and pecked him on the cheek, giggling as he set her down. "G'night.....sleeptight." she said slurring slightly. She then pulled the covers up and shimmied a little to snuggle down, she would be out in a matter of moments. "Yeah.... you too Lynn." Mason sighed as he wiped his cheek. Heading back down to the main area of the inn, Mason confidently strutted over to the table where Shye and Garrett were, casually pulling up a seat to join the conversation. "Y'know Blight," he began after a few moments of silence, "Maybe our friend here would be more comfortable with talking if we weren't in such a public place. I suggest that we rent a room and question her where there won't be any prying eyes or ears."
Garrett knew how to not show any emotion or give away anything with how his face was presented. He constantly had a blank, neutral expression, one of contemplation and thought at everything he would or could say to someone.
Garrett's claw stopped tapping on the table as soon as a new member would join the round table meeting between Garrett and Shye. Like a dog making sure it's owner wasn't hanging from the ceiling. His very presence was a nuisance, especially in conducting the very investigation he would be a suspect of. Such a casual tone the runaway slave took with him, it was funny, to say the last, especially the way he seems to think he knows what he is talking about.
"Oh, it is simply too bad the shadows have such a keen sense of hearing, as well as seeing. I think a conversation would be harder heard in a crowd with enough noise to drown out any hushed tone. No. Mason. Not right now. Perhaps you'd like to also order a masseuse and the tea service as well? Purchasing a bed for a suspect seems awfully too friendly for what could or couldn't be a downfall for the alliance."
He turned his attention back to Shye, observing how she conducted herself, and the treatment she gave to her pet.
"Where are you from, Shye? Surely that isn't constrained due to your occupation."
Shye looked around at all the faces in that came into the inn, studying them to see if she recognized any. When Garrett asked where she was from, there was a bit of hesitation, but she saw no reason she couldn't say where. "I'm from Fotia..." she said, her eyes a bit downcast as she now focused on petting Nix.
Ah, there it was. The untrustworthy bastard yet again began to weave the threads of his next move... How to respond? In the last way Garrett would expect-- "Well Garrett, unless I severely underestimated your intelligence, you would understand that I was talking about a room. As in a three dimensional area that is secluded from the rest of the inn and any potential informants or what have you. Why you thought I was trying to offer this woman lodging is beyond me..... In fact, have you ever been to Nero? " pausing for a moment, a look of realization flashed across Mason's face "Wait! My apologies sir Blight, clearly you know much more than I; a lowly slave, could ever hope to. Please forgive this transgression and allow this one to 'watch and learn' as they say." he sarcastically pleaded.
Hopefully Garrett; spy or not, would pick up on the fact that by having the interrogation publicly, he was carelessly putting everyone at risk for the sake of stroking his own ego.
Garrett smiled, giving Mason a nod, finally some words that weren't boring or drab to the point that he was reading someone dictating a character in a storybook that just happened to be in a spiral of questions and action. He sounded like his balls could interpret what it meant to have any kindling of social banter, it was amusing to see how he made an attempt to push himself into a corner of provocation.
" We are in a room. With a crowd. With more people around us, the less we will stand out if we are seated. Good work. Watch someone with training do this, and maybe you can do it too, young squire."
He turned his head back towards Shye, who has been living to her name, everything was in place, he had observed her enough to place a few pins onto her true identity. Or to get her to divulge any corrections to his accusations. It would only be pertinent towards her innocence for her to be let go or put to good use within the alliance as a fresh conscript, maybe even volunteer if the cards were played correctly.
"You. Shye from Fotia. You are a mother are you not? You treat your familiar in such a gentile manner, akin to the soft touches one would give to emulate their own progeny. You are an assassin, which means you are either doing it for your child, or your child is involved with your employers. Or both, or you are doing it against your will, or you are against your will because of your child, which may be why you are so reluctant to divulge any information to me. You need not ask how I know, identifying these has been ingrained in me, either through my occupation, or from my past. Now. Your employers. I am not a part of them if that is another factor of your reluctance, say I were, you would be dead as you are currently a liability to their reputation. If that gives you any notion that I might understand who is doing this to you. "
He watched her after he said what he did, his eyes turning to Mason as if he were to see his expectations or emotions turn on a dime before he continued.
"Now. You are either pegged, or will feign this information as merely a baseless accusation, but everything in your mannerisms have given you away. Maybe why they make sure they don't leave a trace of who their assassins may be. I have a plan, however, for your benefit, no less. You were not sent here to kill a large sum of individuals, no, that would be too risky to your identity. Now, let's say you unofficially, officially join the Alliance and put your talents to use in aid of us, then we may be able to do something about your.. Say.. Situation. The plan would be, as they usually expedite these murders, to ask for an extension on time, to become an ambitious little assassin who loves murdering their targets, and offer more heads to their.. Fervent platter. We would then use this time to secure your safety, and your child's, then deal with the repercussions with the might of the raw power and talents of the Alliance, rather you take on such a large, shadowy group alone, or with a... Tactless drone. "
He sat back in his seat, dragging his claw back on the table to leave a mark, enjoying the feeling of doing so, as he dropped an incantation to bring in devastation and mental apocalypse from how far he planned and thought this entire situation through.
"Now, Miss Shye from Fotia.. Do we have a bargain? "
There wern't many things that left shye shocked. She had opened her mouth to protest, but astonishingly, he was right on every account. She looked over to Mason, wondering if he may have consulted Garrett of their proir meeting. It was just...nerbewraking how someone could even put anything like that together. She was too obvious. That must have been it. The situations she had been in this day made her lose her edge and she had spent too much time here, and now she could be read like a book. She fidgeted in her seat a bit, feeling anxious. "His name is Bidzil..." she said with a distant look, picturing her son in her mind. "I couldn't raise him. Not then....certainly not now. My...employer, of sorts, found him. He is their bargaining chip. She was quiet for a moment as she thought about his plan. "That would work if they were interested in more heads. They are very percise, however, only wanting to destroy what they find to be necessary to their goals. No more, no less." she said as she looked back to Garrett.
Nailah couldn't help but to giggle a bit as she saw his reaction after being charmed. Despite his size and musculous body, it sure was a cute reaction. After she heard his words though, she realized that Garrett, Mason and the woman whom she had chased away earlier, the same one that was on the forest with Garrett and Mason was with them. Were they going to welcome in the group too? She was a complete stranger... They indeed trusted people too fast... Well... Nailah herself wasn't someone who could talk that since she was in basically the same situation, but at least she didn't try to fight the other members like the girl did... With the corner of her eyes, she saw as Garrett sat down across her, mentioning something about a 'lighthearted interrogation'.
"Just be sure to be delicate with me, won't you?" Nailah said, with a giggle after she heard Allard cracking his knuckles, as she turned away from Garrett and the others, looking to Allard once more.
As Allard bought a room for him, going in ahead, Nailah looked back one more time, seeing Mason helping Lynn, who was still down on the ground. Even though Nailah wanted to go help her and was feeling bad for not doing it, the earlier talk left her in a rather sour mood. She was happy that Mason was being so careful and kind to her as he took her to a room.
Allard was already holding the door open for Nailah when she got nearby it. As she passed through him, she let out a kind smile.
"Thank you, Allard. I really needed to be away from the others for a while... Not in a very good mood..." She said as she gently caressed his cheek with her tail, calmly walking by him.
The moment her tail touched Allard though, she lessened her charm magic, not much, but enough for him to be able to think a bit more clearly. He would still feel attraction for her though.
After Allard closed the door, Nailah turned away from him, slowly undressing herself while discreetly, but carefuly analyzing his reaction as the silk pieces Nailah used as a "dress" gently fell on the ground.
Laying on the bed with her stomach down, she rested her head on her arms, looking to Allard.
"Won't you come?" she asked with a giggle.
Allard nodded to her as she thanked him, "No problem at all, not tha best introduction ta some of tha others I'd say." when her tail brushed by his face, it became a little flushed. When she started stripping however, he had to clear his throat before speaking. "Ahem, m-most certainly." he said, mentally facepalminng. What was this nearvousness? He had been with a woman before, seen people's bare skin manny times, what was there to be nearvous about? "Just relax, and we don't have ta worry about tha others tonight." He said as he removed his harness and what was left of his shirt. Lit by the candle light, he made his way over to her, and began rubbing her back, messaging it from the top and then down her spine to the small of her back, then repeating. Every now and then he would give her back a rest and message her shoulers. He was good at his work, however, he was a man, and he couldn't help but take in her body as he worked, after all, it was kinda there in front of him, being workd over by his heavy hands. It was't a far fetched to assume that he was starting to enjoy the view, both in mind and body, though he fought looking to much to avoid much embarassment. whoever made his trousers though, had done so with an insanely durable cloth.
It was incredibly amusing to see such a big man blushing like that. Sure, it didn't help that Nailah had charmed him, but those reactions were genuinely his. As he started massaging his back, she couldn't help but to be surprised. He indeed knew how to be delicate and how to give a good back massage.
"Mmmmh~" Nailah moaned as he massaged her back. He was delicate, his hands, albeit big and heavy were surprisingly delicate. His hands were passing through all her back, from her shoulders to the very end of her spine, firm, yet careful and delicate.
"I am surprised! You really know how to- aah~ give a good back massage." Nailah said, interrupting herself with a moan and a giggle afterwards.
When she discreetly turned her head to see how was he doing though, she caught his eyes stuck to her body, appreciating it as he continued the massage. Even though he was trying his best to hide his stares, he wasn't doing a very good job... Besides that, there were other parts of his body that were being much, much more honest than his eyes...
"Hey... I have no problems with being looked at you know... There's no need to try to hide your stares... Besides..." Nailah said, waving her tail in front of him, teasing him.
"You are terrible at trying to hide them..." she said, with a mischievous smirk and a giggle as she turned her head, looking to him.
"It looks that there are some parts of your body that are much more honest than your eyes though..." Nailah said, teasing him as the tip of her tail gently touched his lips.
A low rumbling chuckle seemed to come from Allard as Nailah mentions his interest in her body. "To lie about your beauty is beyond my capabilities. With either words...or otherwise, it would seem." he held on lightly to her tail as it seemed to wrap around his hand, continuing the massage with the other hand. "As for the the massage, I guess I've had some practice in days gone by". He then leaned in close, continuing in a low tone, speaking into her neck, "Though is it only a back massage you crave?"
Nailah couldn't help but to chuckle when she heard Allard telling her about her beauty. She Him being so forward was indeed surprising, she didn't expect that from him. Not that it was something bad though.
"Mmmmh~ Is that so?" Nailah asked, completely stopping the charm on him as he gently grabbed her tail.
As he leaned in, whispering on her neck, Nailah couldn't help but to close her eyes for a second, a wave of pleasure running down her spine.
"Who could have thought... That the same man who was blushing so heavily a second ago could be so bold!" Nailah said, arching her back and throwing her head backwards as she looked directly towards Allard's eyes in an impressive display of flexibility.
"Hm... Although you do have a point... The back massage was incredible but..." Nailah asked, licking her lips as she rolled herself on the bed, laying on her back and looking to Allard, showing her entire body to him.
"Maybe you would like to massage the rest of my body too?" she asked, with a fox like expression.
"By the way, I am being a bit unfair with you... It must be hot in here. You can get a bit more comfortable if you want..." Nailah said, with a teasing grin on her face.
Tali had since decided to go up to the bar and grab a meal. Well, three meals of food. She stacked them up on her arms with practised ease, walking carefully to an empty table and setting the huge feast, for anyone else at least, in front of her. As she walked, occasional cooled ashes fell off her feet and scattered about the floor, letting everyone know just where she had been resting them.
She dug in immediately, almost choking on a bite as the jaws around her dropped and the eyes stared. It took most of her willpower to not laugh and make a snarky remark to snap them out of it.
Nailah turned around underneath him, his body now hovering just over hers. "I guess I will then," Allard replied, his tone still low, however, he didn't jump right to it, He first leaned in close seeing the prime opprotunity to go in for a kiss, embracing her as he did so. His heavy muscled arms pulling her bare body against his own barrel of a chest. When he would seperate from her, she may notice that she was no longer in the bed, but he had he lifted in the air. He gently laid her back onto the bed as he reach to his trousers, romoving them and his loincloth, His entire body, muscles scars and all, were on full display. Last time he was like this he was fighting in the arena, but this was a battle he hadn't fought in quite some time. A battle of hearts and endurance. "Well then," he said with a playful smile, "Where did I leave off..."
Nailah's muscles tensed and her back arched as Allard embraced her. Her skin getting warmer as he kissed her, her muscles tensing up and her back arching as he lifted her off the bed, pulling her to him.
As he laid her on the bed again to take off his clothes with a playful smile, Nailah simply let out a mischievous smile as she kneeled on the bed, slowly crawling towards him.
"If I remember correctly, I was letting you play around a bit before the real fun begins..." she said, with an almost predatory stare to him as she pounced on Allard, pulling him to the bed and ending up on top of him.
"My turn..." She said to him with a giggle.
"Let's see if you have the stamina to keep up with a half dragon..." Nailah said, waving her tail with a mischievous smirk.
"Oh and you should be careful... I might bite and scratch a bit..." Nailah said with a smile, showing her sharp teeth and claws.
Allard smirked, "Oh, I think they will make fine additions to the collection," he mused as they proceeded with their eventful night of......'massages'.
A slight chuckle slipped from Mason lips the moment he heard Blight call him a squire. NO. WAIT! HE HAD TO STAY SERIOUS!!!! Quickly, Mason's expression snapped to a cold, serious look; mirroring the expression Garrett had made earlier. Honestly, as the man went on, Mason wasn't sure if he should be impressed at his perceptive nature, or even more suspicious. Could Garrett have already known the details of her situation? It was a possibility seeing as how he could possibly be a double agent. Regardless, he would respond seriously this time, "Despite how good your plan is-- this 'Tactless Drone', has but one thing to say.... Yes, an extension may be allowed-- but for how long? At what cost? Regardless of the prospect of creating a far more effective and usable killer; the people we're dealing with may require something more.... up front, if i may be so bold to say so. Of course they may not kill the child, but who's to say they won't take something; say an arm, or leg. It might even be just a few fingers...... At the beginning. " he protested in a grave manner, "Then, we have to consider how perceptive such a sensitive organization may be to our own efforts to rescue their only leverage; and no doubt double down on their surveillance. Though it may lack the tactical aptitude, or finesse of a queen, the tactless drone has one thing that a mastermind fundamentally lacks; a different perspective. For what reason must we combat such a dangerous presence directly? Going even so far as to require the enemy's cooperation to be exactly as we hope it to be leaves a bit too much up to chance doesn't it? Would it not be wiser to sidestep their system entirely? "
Lacing his fingers as he leaned back in his chair, Mason cast his line; perhaps not as masterfully as sir Blight, but it was a start. "Though I would indeed go on, it would be cruel to have you listen to the half-baked machinations of a 'squire'....." Carefully, Mason scanned the man; his eyes narrowing slightly as he attempted to use slippery bastard's own technique against him.
Garrett started drawing spirals onto the table beneath his claw, carving and defacing the pristine wood that was capable of holding food and drinks unparalleled to any other medium. He smiled at Shye, her worries were completely and perfectly warranted. It was to be expected. He sat relaxed, seeming to ponder the words coming out of her mouth.
Then, Mason would speak up, as expected he would. His eyes trained on the individual who presumes he was playing the same game Garrett was, it was evident he was not, seeing as he kept stepping into every verbal pitfall he would set forth, and how he would repeat himself as if such a thing carried any more effect to what he was saying. It was something to smile at, which Garrett would do, beaming a smile at how Mason would presume to talk to him.
"You assume yourself as the position of the tactless drone with no warrant than you know it applies to you without the words spoken of it being as such. It would be a crime to not tell you how you have incriminated yourself to collusion with an assassin. "
He started to etch his name into the table, relishing in the scraping feeling his claws felt as he did so, allowing the noise to aide him in properly saying what he needed to in this situation.
He changed his tone.
" Any input is welcome. It even helps me address exactly what I need to, dearest Mason. Time is the best weapon against any force, creed, or movement. With enough time, an entire army can prepare itself for an oncoming battle to the point of unconditional victory. Luck is an integral part to any plan, most plans are devoted to the right pieces falling into place at the right time."
He smiled, quirking an eyebrow at Mason as he finished his sentence, his facial language of him declaring a checkmate as the opposing player moves their first piece, as if the game was already won by how he would play it. He shifted his conversational attentions once again;
"With the fact that she is an assassin, meant to blend in with crowds, environments, and even factions, it would be expected that she would take the tactic of being unseen as an assassin by the very people she has orders to kill. "
He looked over at Shye, readdressing concerns as best needed.
"To ensure your cooperation, they would not harm your dearest Bidzil. They know your undying devotion to his wellbeing, they would not wish their assassins to turn against them, or go public with information concerning them. Which is exactly why this plan will work. They expect you to do their bidding to ensure his safety. We will use that against them. We only need a week. You will be convincing them of the fact that if any members of the alliance would to be killed off, the rest would go hunting for the true culprits behind their death. You will convince them we all need to die, and request a fitting extension for such. That time, allows us to finish our mission, and save your son from wherever he may be, with whomever is holding him. They would not expect such a bold move. It would be a message to your current employers that there are spiders out there with bigger, more ambitious webs than theirs."
Shye listened to the two speak to each other. She wasn't sure if it was arguing, showboating, or something in between. Mason's depiction of what could happen should things go wrong didn't do anything but make her worry more. When Gareett directed his attention back to her, she listened to the rest of his explanation, which put her a bit more at ease.... should it work. It definately made sense. Convince the dolofon that killing one of them would send the others after them, and suggest that the others needed to die, so she needed a time extension. "I may convince them to extend the time. But unless I am actively huning you, I don't believe they will buy it. I can't join you, as I have already been spotted, fought with one of my targets, and now captured. I worry that they may already know I am defeated..." She thought for a moment. "You do not trust me enough on my own. Letting me go may be too obvious. I could sneek out a letter with Nix. It will inform them that I have been captured, but caught the sympothyzing eye of one of your members. Ensure them of the trouble of allowing anyone in the alliance to live, and make my plea for the extention of my time limit so I may eleminate the alliance group. Meanwhile....I am to act as your prisoner. My time is extended, I'm left in your sight, and my son is safe....is that your plan?
Finishing her meal, Tali let out a huff, releasing a puff of ash from her mouth and streams from her nose for a moment. The people around her tried to look unperturbed, but as they hadn't seen her before, they couldn't help it. Tali, not wanting to spend more money and having a servitor to keep watch all night, decided camping out would work. She left the inn and searched for a good, sturdy shade tree.
Finding a suitable one to protect from rain, she then set up a fire pit, gathered some firewood, and lit up a campfire, more for comfort than need. Her servitor lurked in the shadows nearby, so she ordered it to come to camp and set up the bedroll and tent. She also ordered it to give her an ocarina to play.
It did so immediately and Tali spent her time by the fire playing at her ocarina, choosing a rather upbeat dancing tune to whittle away the time before she needed to sleep. Knowing her pet would keep watch, she let herself drift along rivulets of thought, her eyes closed, lips, lungs, and fingers working the instrument in her hands. She pondered the reasoning for having her here given warriors seemed most needed. She mulled over the possibility of new spell ideas. Mostly, she just thought about the people she saw and met, trying to figure them out.
Her notes floated about the nearby area, piercing the relatively quiet night. Anyone who walked outside the inn or meandered around the nearby forest would hear her clearly within a couple hundred yards.
The sounds of her instrument gave a gentle spirit to the town. The cool breeze from the mountains danced around the body of those who stayed outside. The beasts of every rider chewing on fresh vegetation could feel this as well. The winds of a spirit silently whirled around the fire. Letting it grow into a harmless spiral before forming into a head. The form of a flaming helmet could be made out by the flames contour. A blue flame imitating an eye. A Magoi high councilman, one of their leaders, Maeliche . His voice echoed in the rumbling of the flame. "I expected you to be asleep by now. Something keeping up?" He asked with an amused tone. Perhaps knowing he ran the risk of taking her by surprise. "I will be personally overseeing your progress on this venture... We Magoi are VERY interested in the relics in those mountains. This is a perfect opportunity for us." Though appearing suddenly as if delivering a message his visage remained cackling in the flame.
The sudden intrusion was enough to snap Tali's attention back to reality. She looked at the effigy, listening to its words. Her ocarina was still at her lips, but she noticed it would be prudent to actually respond as the head stayed in the flames. "I am simply thinking and relaxing before going to sleep. As for the mission, I imagine you are very vested in this. If I find anything of value, I will be sure to send it your way. However, I was promised at least one artifact or relevant object, so my standard rule applies. I will take an object if it furthers my studies into my servitor. If it is not related to that, I will quite happily give you the rest." She laid the instrument on her thigh and tapped her other one rhythmically with her fingers. "So, other than that, is there anything else I can do for you, Councilman Maeliche?"
"I will be sending an item to you. It will contain a scroll. If you feel the need to, for whatever perilous situation you may be in. Use it. It may save your life." He said with a distorted yet coherent elegant low rumble. The fires trying to mimic his voice. "That is all." The flames and the winds began to die down until it was a normal fire, perhaps in need of more fuel.
Tali let out a sigh before placing her ocarina back into her servitor's bag. She added some more fuel to the fire, then settled in for the night, making sure to order her servitor to keep watch and wake her if any danger happened. She had a good amount to tell her current allies in the morning.
@Lotrix Molick@Jollan@Rai@Guy0fV4lor@drewccapp@13org@RumikoOhara
