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RESPITE MARKETPLACE - MORNING
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Bracvar stretches as he steps out of the alley behind his rented market stall, though he doesn't approach the empty table, instead scuttling up to his covered cart and hanging his apron from the front push bar. He stretches his arm again and looks out over the rest of the merchants as they prepare for the day, nodding to his nearest neighbor with a grin.
Gareth strides along through the marketplace, having nothing better to do at the moment, what with Fiora off at her cousin's place and with no real bounties to speak of, especially with one of the town's guard captains off in the mountains. As he walks, he doesn't really take notice of the merchants that gawk after him as he passes by, accustomed to such already after so many years of it.
Bracvar is about to strike up a conversation with his fellow merchant that would surely cause both of them to be late at their respective goals, but he's interrupted by the sight of a familiar face heading in his direction. With a low chuckle, he rises up slightly and waves to the wolf. "Hoy, Gareth! Rare to see you about here, and awake at this hour to boot!"
Gareth looks over towards the source of the familiar, booming voice and waves in turn. He adjusts his path a bit and begins tracing around the various merchants still cleaning up. "And there's the crab I've been searchin' for! I find meself with a bit more energy than usual this early in the morn, so what better way to work with it than with a nice walk, eh?"
Bracvar laughs, his tendrils shaking. "I suppose you're not doin' enough, then! Plenty of things I can think of I'd rather be doin' than going for a leisurely stroll, though I suppose you want to avoid the sun with that coat, eh?"
Gareth grunts in an affirmative. "Mmh... Ye've got the right o' it, I'd say. Just need to wait for me summer coat to come in, though, if I'm stayin' here for a while more." He looks Bracvar up and down for a moment, "What about yerself? Can't imagine it's at all comfortable bein' up in the heat, the crustacean ye be."
Bracvar nods, grinning. "Not in the least, friend, but there's a few places for an old crab to soak around here. You've probably wandered by the bathhouse, there's also an impressive set o'falls just North. It's favored by the Old Ones now, apparently, so you know. Be on yer best there."
Gareth 's easygoing demeanor vanishes in an instant at the mention of the Old Ones, replaced by a look of incredulity. "The Old Ones...? Ye can't mean... wait, wait, wait..." He glances around a bit and steps closer to the crab, lowering his voice, "Yer sayin' the Old Ones laid claim to a waterfall on land... in the middle of a desert continent?"
Bracvar chuckles at the expected reaction, nodding as he also glances about. "Well, perhaps not with much purpose, and only one. But I could feel it, y'know, looking at her. She wasn' boastful, no demands on my soul or nothing, but..." He shrugs. "Besides, since when are they obedient to the logic of you land dwellers?"
Gareth shrugs. "They rightfully aren't, since seafarers are at their mercy while sailing on the surface. I'm more worried at the fact that there are Old Ones here in Aephix."
Bracvar shrugs again, chuckling. "There's just the one, from what I gathered when we spoke, but that's more than enough for most. Yer afraid for little I think, Gareth. What's to fear?"
Gareth gets an uncharacteristically squeamish look about him at the question, his ears angling back a little as he digs back into some of the stories he remembers. "If even half of those stories are true, I value me life and sanity, fer one."
Bracvar nods, his grin falling a bit. "Oh aye, I see where yer coming from. Still, naught to be done if'n she decides whatever she decides. Shame, I haven't run into the lass since, was hoping for another bit of enlightenment before heading back to the... Family."
Gareth blinks as he looks at Bracvar again. "Ye've... actually spoken with an Old One? How're ye still... y'know..." He raises a hand to his head and gestures towards his brain, "Still all there?"
Bracvar raises his palms, grinning. "Don't ask me! Perhaps I'm not and just haven't figured out what's scrambled? I've heard the stories from yer fellow sailors before, but I don't think us sea folk get that treatment. Either that, or she's very good at keepin' it in check"
Gareth sighs a bit and rubs his muzzle for a moment. "Well... yer either lucky, or maybe it's just to us surface folk... Either way, I'll have to watch me step a little more carefully, in case I run into... her, ye said? In case I run into her."
Bracvar nods, thinking on the meeting with Sammi. "Trust me, friend, you'll recognize her immediately, no problem there. You say you're got some energy t'spare, aye? I've got a load of crates to pick up on my way out, could use a hand loading them." He turns toward the cart, pulling the cover back to reveal the nearly iceless back, a large cold generator sitting dead center with the last of the ice packed tightly around it as one large, slowly melting blob. "Could use a hand negotiating with the er... Friendly gentlemen that're providing them, too."
Gareth takes a moment to gather himself, then nods and leans in to look at the cart. "Sure, sure. Just tell me what ye need me to do, Bracvar. I've got energy to burn and nothin' to really expend it all on, anyway."
Bracvar nods, giving him a sidelong look, which extends beyond the wolf towards the market for a moment. "Entirely on the up and up, of course. And you'll get a little coin for yer trouble."
Gareth chuckles a bit as he takes a moment to roll up the sleeves of his outfit. "Heh, of course it's on the up and up. My friend, ye have never dipped into anything shady in yer entire life."
Bracvar nods firmly, a stout tilt to his voice. "You've got that right, and it'll never change. There's not much to be had here in that vein anyways, 'less you know where to look." He scuttles to the front of his cart, ducking under the bar and preparing to push it along to the rendezvous. "Which I personally wouldn't."
Gareth hums and nods, as he strides up next to Bracvar, his sleeves still rolled up to provide some relief from the warmth that's starting to soak into him from the sun. At the same time, it also shows the muscles on his arms, borne from years of piracy on the high seas. "Of course not. Ye know better than anyone what's in the cart. If ye know somethin' isn't there that shouldn't be, then yer cart is clean."
Bracvar nods firmly, though chuckling at the same time. "Of course. I know me, and I know what's in the cart, because I put it in the cart, so if something's in the cart that I didn't put in the cart, then I didn't put it in the cart, and thus it is not in the cart, because nothing I didn't put in the cart is in the cart." He gives the bar a firm push, the mostly empty vehicle starting to move with ease.
Gareth grins. "Exactly. Anyone that tries to say otherwise's a fool. They wish they could all be as upstanding as ye, Bracvar."
Bracvar laughs, shaking his head. "A right model citizen, aye. But now, ye've gone and surpassed even me! Upholding the law, if'n the law can't manage it. Deliverin' justice! At least, someone's justice, aye?"
Gareth barks a laugh at that sentiment. "Hah, right. Justice. Fiora and I don't really care about that, so long as the contractor pays us properly. 'Course, if they don't pay, then they'll probably have a bounty on their head sooner or later."
Bracvar laughs, shaking his head. "Suppose there's not mystique to it, then. Probably enough fear or respect to keep people off yer heels most of the time.
Gareth nods. "Kind of hard to argue with a fully-armored giraffe wielding a giant axe and an ex-pirate sportin' pistols and a cutlass. Amazin' what a couple of sharp deterrents can do to dissuade folks."
Bracvar looks down at himself, turning to look at each side of his hips and patting the front of his apron with one hand. "Ah... Is that what I've forgotten all these years?"
Gareth laughs a bit. "Yer plenty frightening already, Bracvar. Wouldn't want to run into ye in a dark alley when ye're angry, that's fer sure. Ye're big enough to flatten most anyone."
Bracvar chuckles, grinning. "Ah go on with yer sweet talk, y'know fightin's rarely found me. Perhaps for a reason or two, but even out of some context..." A door ahead of them partially opens, the lantern light from inside a curious shade of red for a few moments before returning to normal. He nods, glancing towards Gareth. "S'why I like to make particular friends, if I'm bein' honest."
Gareth chuckles again and nods knowingly. "Easier to survive when others do the fightin' for ye, right? At least ye're capable in a scrape if it comes to that, eh?"
Bracvar knocks once on the ajar door, though he continues past it without slowing until the back of his cart is even with the next alley, stopping there. "I mean sure, I can throw a punch, and take a hit." As he ducks under the bar, the varied scarring over his back shell is highlighted by the sun, much of it clearly from natural causes, though plenty of straight, narrow lines cross the rest.
Gareth snorts in amusement, already knowing some of Bracvar's history. He seems pretty unworried by the pair's surroundings, even as they go deeper into the alleyways. "Ever the modest one, aren't ye?"
Bracvar grins, his demeanor getting cheerier, if that was possible, as they enter the alley. "A crab that lets his ego run away winds up food for the shark he thought to challenge."
Gareth nods again. "As good an analogy as there ever was, I'd say. Anyway... what's the method, here? Quiet, or can we talk as we want?"
Bracvar laughs, rapping on one door lightly before moving further down to the next. "Whichever suits your image, friend, but they know mine and if I don't talk, that would be suspect!" The next door opens and a short reptilian steps into the alley, glaring at Bracvar to hush.
Gareth stifles another bark of laughter at the glare Bracvar gets, though he does lower his voice just a touch. "I can see that, now."
Narrator: The reptile is joined by two others, both roughly the same height and shrouded in wide hats and form-hiding clothes. The third pushes the door open wider, showing nine large crates nailed shut and marked as generically as possible with iron-branded 'TRADE GOODS'. "Seven hundred." comes a squeaky voice from under a wide hat.
Bracvar squints his eye at the crates, glancing toward Gareth. "Trade goods?" He looks back to the only unshrouded affiliate. "You said six crates for three hundred. I don't want nine, and wont pay more than the amount we agreed to."
Gareth simply leans against the side of the cart, not even trying to hide the fact that he's here to help Bracvar with moving stuff, along with anything else, if need be. His ears angle about this way and that as he keeps his wits about him.
Narrator: The obscured voice speaks again, though it's owner not capturing the crab's eye. "We have more, and it's worth more than that! You'll take what we have for seven hundred, or none at all."
Bracvar shakes his head, looking to Gareth again. "I don't know, seven hundred for nine. That doesn't sound like a good deal to me. One hundred for eight."
Gareth hums as he scans the boxes, as well as the folks standing in front of them. "Hmm... Ye'd barely be makin' any profit at all, that sort of price. Didn't know ye'd signed up to be a courier, ferryin' things around essentially fer free."
Narrator: The apparent speaker for the trio peeps up again, anger behind his words. "How dare you! Six hundred, then, but not a coin less!"
Bracvar turns to the unhooded one again, shaking his head. "No deal, friend. Two hundred for eight and a half."
Gareth adjusts his stance just a bit, still otherwise looking completely at ease to anyone that doesn't know him well. To those that do, however, he's clearly preparing for a scuffle. "What's yer usual take on these, anyway?"
Bracvar chuckles, turning to Gareth. "These fine goods, barely one hundred a crate, on a good day."
Gareth hmphs. "For a legitimate business, sounds like they're the ones tryin' to rob you, right now."
Narrator: "You lie! I know you'll make three hundred a crate easily! Even that pirate knows as much, even if he wont say so! And look at me when you speak to me, you disrespectful bottom feeding crab!"
Gareth flashes the lizard a toothy grin. "Pirate? Might want to check yer facts, friend. Yer lookin' at Wrath, the bounty hunter, partner of Fury. I'm no pirate."
Bracvar turns in a breath, a roughly knuckled hand gripping the shouter's shoulder at the base of his neck, pushing him back past his compatriots by a few feet, exposing only his shell to the other two as his legs block the rest of the alley. The two make a move towards Bracvar's back as a familiar hat is tossed over his shoulder.
Gareth moves at almost the same moment as Bracvar, only his movement is announced by a couple of sharp clicks as he readies his pistols, aimed straight at the two cloaked figures. "And if you two want to keep yer brains inside yer heads, I suggest standin' still and lettin' the two businessmen talk shop. Understand?"
Narrator: The two halt, turning slowly to look to Gareth, making their empty hands obvious to him as a quiet cough comes from the other side of the crab wall. "We just... Have to get rid of it all, mister Wrath." Mutters a squeaky, female voice from the one who had pushed the door open.
Gareth tilts his head, still grinning in a rather feral manner. "Funny... ye'd think harmin' yer middleman would keep you from doin' exactly that. Let the two talk business."
Bracvar leans lower over the leader, gripping his shoulder tighter. "Three hundred. For nine. And don't speak of my associates with that inflection again, or we're not doing business any longer. I like you, friend. Wouldn't want to put you in the locker."
Narrator: The held leader, now hatless and far more ferret-esque just squeaks, "Locker? What locker?"
Gareth jerks his head to the side of the alley, motioning the two cloaked figures over and away from Bracvar. "Go on. Get nice and comfortable, and wait for yer boss to finish talkin'. Ye'll get yer share, and I'll stop aimin' at ye once yer settled."
Bracvar shakes his head at the ferret, grumbling. "Throwin' around the word name a' pirate and not even knowing... Three hundred, sound good?" He doesn't wait for an answer, instead turning with the leader in his grip, facing him towards the others and blatantly using his free hand to forcibly make him nod.
Gareth flicks his pistols up, taking his fingers off of the triggers as he smiles. "Now, see? Yer boss and my friend came to an agreement. Now we can all just do our jobs, get on with our lives, and be happy ye all still have a business to run."
Narrator: The others do as Gareth says, stepping away from the door and leaning against the far wall, joined shortly by the ferret. The boxes sit in waiting, each roughly sixty pounds and four feet long.
Bracvar looks to Gareth as he slowly lowers himself back to his normal walking height, chuckling lightly. "Apologies, Wrath. Would you mind grabbing their money from the box in the back of the cart? I'll start on these."
Gareth holsters his pistols again and nods as he strides past them. "Of course. Give me a sec, and I'll help with those boxes. I'll be sure to lock the money box up afterwards for our friends here, and everything!"
Bracvar nods, grinning as his attitude lightens up considerably. "Excellent! Each've the middle-sized pouches has twenty gold coins~!" He scuttles into the building, hauling two of the crates onto his shoulders and bringing them to the cart with relative ease.
Gareth goes about gathering the money from the pouches, taking care to act like he's taking more than necessary despite not doing that, before he takes a few moments to lock up the box again. He strides over to the trio sitting at the side of the alley, key in hand, and sets it on the ferret's snout. "There you go, and thank you for your business, my friend."
Bracvar carries the third pair of crates from the room, setting them down with twin thuds into his cart, scuttling past the ferret and his cowed cohorts. "Yes, pleasure doing business with you all, don't be shy about calling on me again. You'll make more money with less deception, just some friendly advice."
Gareth helps Bracvar with the last couple of boxes, still grinning rather easily. "It always helps to be honest in what ye do, after all. One backstab could lead to another, followed by another, followed by another... ye get what I mean, I'm sure."
Bracvar nods to Gareth, grinning as well. "Aye, he's got it. Yer a smart one, Wrath, can't fault you that." He quickly counts the crates in his cart, nodding before pulling the hide cover over everything. "That's that, then. Just need to visit a good friend that loves paperwork as we're all set." He gives a dramatic bow to the three before scuttling to the pushbar of his cart again. "Ale?"
Gareth nods at Bracvar. "Ale sounds good. Nothin' quite like a big mug of it to wrap up a day of good business dealin's." He steps up beside Bracvar's cart and gives the trio a courteous, if obviously slightly mocking bow, "A pleasure doin' business with ye. I trust ye'll all get along from here on out."
Narrator: The three wait for Bracvar's cart to leave the alley before scurrying into their building, noticing the money is slightly short of the three hundred they'd 'agreed' to. The ferret shakes his head, slamming the door shut.
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MEAN PEAK FOOTHILLS - MIDDAY
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Nesseth walks at a rather leisurely pace, now that the group is back on the more gently rolling hills near the base of the mountain range. It's been a couple of days since they found Garwin and Victoria, and the return trip thus far has been pretty uneventful. He idly munches on one of his personal rations, the preserved meat nuggets he'd shown Vix how to make before he left, as he walks amidst the rest of the group.
Kira flutters over next to Nesseth, watching him eat for the moment. Once he's done with his snack, she speaks up a bit. "Might we talk about something, friend?"
Nesseth hums curiously and looks towards Kira, not realizing she'd been fluttering nearby. He smiles. "Hi, Kira. Sure, you've got something on your mind?"
Kira gives a little nod. "Yes... I keep thinking about the other night... so much excitement..."
Nesseth tilts his head. "The other night? You mean when we found Garwin and Victoria?"
Kira nods affirmatively. "Yes. I'm glad you're uninjured, but I wish I could have done more to help, to protect my friends..."
Nesseth hums, nodding a bit as he looks towards Garwin, who currently looks more than a little sad being bound and under guard at the moment. "Honestly, we all did about as well as we could, considering... Garwin showing up like that caught all of us off-guard."
Kira nods. "Yes, I know... but it could have gone much worse and I would have been of little help..."
Nesseth gives Kira a curious look. "But you did help. By making sure Nary and Hansyl got to us fast, they would have been able to back us up had Louma and I not been as lucky as we were."
Kira gives a frustrated little chirp. "Yes, but I then couldn't fight beside them. I wish to learn how to fight..."
Nesseth frowns a little. "You want to learn how to fight? There are better ways than facing down a feral bear..."
Kira blinks. "I have no interest in fighting Garwin now that he is subdued..."
Nesseth blinks as well, realizing after a moment what Kira actually meant. "Oh, sorry, I misunderstood... Well, if you want to learn... once we get back to town, you could maybe speak with some of the guards for pointers and such." He smiles after a moment, "Louma and I could help, too, if you wanted to try whatever we're knowledgeable in."
Kira ponders. "With the new generator running, there are few lamps to light. I want to be useful, and I think becoming a guard could be the way to do so..."
Nesseth hums. "If you're sure you want to give it a shot, we can talk with Louma whenever you want and we can see about figuring out what you can do."
Kira smiles. "I do. As you said before, I think I could be much help in many ways..."
Nesseth chuckles a bit, smiling. "Every bit of help makes things easier, yeah. So... what do you think you'd be suited for, if you become a guard?"
Kira thinks a bit. "Scouting? I'm good at noticing things..."
Nesseth nods. "True, you do have some really sharp senses, and being out on the frontier like this, scouting is a good skill to have."
Kira smiles. "You think it would be a good idea?"
Nesseth: "I don't see the harm in talking with Louma about it. She's one of the ones with the last say in who can and can't become a guard, after all." He smiles again, "We can always use more scouts, though."
Kira gives a happy little noise and twirls up higher before coming down again. "I will, I will! Thank you for your support, friend!"
Nesseth looks up, tracking Kira as she flutters up into the air. "Of course, Kira. I'm happy to help however I can." He pauses for a moment, then grins, "You know, guard duty is actually not that bad, but it can get a little boring once in a while. It's easier to deal with if you've got a hobby or two to do during the off hours."
Kira blinks. "What do you mean?"
Nesseth nods over his shoulder towards Garwin. "Being a guard isn't always scouting or dealing with dangerous threats. Sometimes, we protect by just standing around and being a presence others can see. Unless we've got some way to keep ourselves occupied, boredom can set in during those times we're just standing around."
Kira thinks on this. "So what do you do?"
Nesseth shrugs a bit. "When I'm posted at one of the gates, I tend to pass the time playing word games in my head."
Kira nods a bit. "I'll think on something to do for then, then..." She flutters around a bit. "You've given me much to think on, friend. Thank you." Without another word, she flies up higher, scouting ahead for the group once more.
Nesseth dips his head and waves as Kira flutters back up into the air. As she flies off to continue scouting, he redirects his attention to the rest of the group, noting that everyone seems a bit more chipper now that the group is back out in the plains between Mean Peak and Respite Falls.