Etzos, ‘The City of Stones’ is a fortress against the encroachment of Immortal domination of Idalos. Founded on the backs of mortals driven to seek their own destiny independent of the Immortals, the city has carved itself out of the very rock of the land. Scourged by terrible wars of extermination, they've begun to grow again, and with an eye toward expansion, optimism is on the rise.
The bar smelled like sweet smoke and fruity liquor as Jame’s face planted on it’s hardwood surface. In truth he wasn’t asleep, but may as well have been. He’d heard very few rumors or leads to follow-up on yet. Only the meager doings of alleyway janitors and clothesline racketeers. Nothing in the way of larger jobs, that would let him put more money for food on the table, which he could then pawn off for a bit of drink.
Jame didn’t really want to be a drunk, he just kind of fell into it. He learned pretty early that the best place to pick up leads and rumors, where people felt free to speak on all matters, however exaggerated their exploits, was the local tavern. Few if anyone who boasted in a tavern was completely on the up-and-up. It was Jame’s job to sort the chaff from the wheat, and figure out what rang true, and which parts of it weren’t utter bullshit.
”I tell ya, the loot will not be…” Said a person farther off in the tavern. Far behind the common area. But Jame heard that part, no mistake.
A snort came out of him as he lifted his head off of the wood of the bar, as if just having awoken. He stumbled a bit, nearly tripping over his stool as he pushed off from the bar. He staggered, the room moved steadily to and fro. He thought he was going to be seasick.
Jame reached into his pouch, and took out a dried slice of lemon. This he bit into, to try and wake himself up. All it did though was squirt into the back of his throat, and induce a coughing fit. Fuckery… He thought as he emptied his stomach’s contents on the floor. He could hear the bartender shouting something unintelligible. Then arms were on his shoulders, carrying him out.
Not before he heard a familiar voice, saying, ”Swamp south of the road, near the fork.” It was a scant lead, but it was a lead nonetheless.
He was cast out of the bar and into the dirt roads outside of it.
In a bit or two, he came to his senses, and rose to his feet. He still had a bit of stagger left in his legs, but was able to make his way to a nearby alley, which he leaned against. His arm leaned against the wall, while the other hand reached for a peice of graphite in his pocket. Once it was out, he started scribbling notes on the inside of his wrist, lest he forget. Once he had his shorthand down, he pushed off, and went on down the road. Damned Cylus nights, who could say which way was really south in this gloom?
Cylus wasn't her most favorite of seasons, but at least she'd managed to snag some warmer clothes than during Zi'da. Miramere was more than happy to make her some provided that Nightshade could get her hands on the pelts. The half-breed hand wanted some thick fur in order to help her stay warm. Her wings were protected due to her feathers and could usually stand colder temperatures than the rest of her. Her legs, in addition, had feathers which could help keep her warm. Unfortunately, the rest of her did not, and catching frostbite right now wasn't a good idea. Not with The Still going around the way it was. Ashbel helped her with hunting the beasts and skinning the pelts for use as long as he got to keep the meat, which she had no problem with. She'd gotten a couple sets of spare clothes, ones she could wear in Lakewatch and some she could wear in Etzos. She had to be careful about not bringing any of The Still into Lakewatch. She'd show the utmost caution until this plague of sorts subsided.
The half-breed was on a typical walk, just keeping an eye out for nonsense when she caught sight of a man stumbling down the road. Drunk, her mind provided for her. The only illumination was the rare torches on the walls and the glow of the building he was walking away from. The half-breed was lucky she didn't typically get lost in the Cylus dark. She had Celarion which was usually enough to cast light for her to read her compass. This man looked like if he kept stumbling around he was going to get lost. Or hurt. Or killed. The city scum tended to pick on those who looked weak or drunk. He looked to be both.
"Excuse me sir," she called out in Ith'ession. If he was a local than hopefully, he'd be a bit more willing to listen to her. Her name was starting to become fairly common in Etzos. There might even be a chance he'd know her if he was born and raised here. Furthermore, some locals tended not to speak common so she'd started to default on speaking Ith'ession on the Etzori streets. She was glad she'd managed to pick up the language well enough. "Are you okay, sir?"
She approached cautiously, slowly. She wanted to try and avoid touching anyone given the situation going on in Etzos. That being said, if he needed help she'd offer it. It was kind of her job around Etzos. She looked him over carefully, trying to gauge his reaction and his current physical state. Was he just drunk or was he drugged? Was he ill? Did he need aid or was he just stumbling along because he had nothing better to be doing right now? She would have to be careful if he turned out to be aggressive. She still had her sword on her. She always had her sword on her, just in case.
Hopefully she was just being over cautious and this might turn out plesant.
Jame had finished scribbling shorthand on his wrist, when he heard a voice behind him. He nearly froze. Not in any shape to run, much less walk away from an encounter, his mind raced. He very nearly sobered up right then and there from sheer panic. He held up a finger behind him, to signal that whoever it was should wait. Ordinarily this would do nothing but prompt them to rush him. When the woman, whoever it was, failed to do so he figured she was after something else.
So that gave him time.
He reached into his belt satchel, taking out another dried slice of lemon, this time popping it into his mouth to chew. The sourness woke him up a bit.
After swallowing the citrus, he rolled on the wall, turning to face her, and hiding the writing on his wrist. ”Fine! I’m fine?”
He squinted at her, trying to get a good look in this darkness. It was then, he realized who she was. It was that helpful lass he’d heard so much about, the winged one. There were few enough of avriel descent around the city, but those that were were well known. Noth was once, a curse upon the lips of many families. Nightshade, though… His mind raced a bit at the opportunity making her acquaintance might provide him.
Still, habit dictated that he be cautious. It was the main reason he didn’t use urchins to carry his messages around, and did most of the legwork himself. Paper trails were easy enough to follow, for one in the know, or whoever knew those in the know.
”Say, aren’t you that winged gal that helps people around town? Yeah, yeah, sorry. I know I’ve heard of you. Don’t think we’ve met.” He tapped his chin, ”I try to keep to myself for the most part, but I wanted to let you know, there are a lot of folks with small voices that appreciate all you do.”
”You aren’t likely to hear about it in the papers, though, with that little fellow running it.” Jame looked from one end of the street to the other, ”Say, do you know which was is south from here?” He wasn’t going to head out tonight, it was too late and curfew would likely see the gates locked at this time. But it’d be good to have a directional reference from the place those men he’d overheard.
He didn't answer any of her questions as he'd ended that second fine with a questioning tone, but he wasn't acting in a way that might prove dangerous. So at least that was something. She knew she was appreciated to a degree, but she also already knew it was the small people who appreciated her. That was the point. She had ties with the Blackguard who reminded her a bit more often that her work was appreciated, but fewer people knew about that. Those ties were linked with Lakewatch, so it was better they stayed buried. It was a secret they'd done absolutely mad work to complete. The workers who opened up a secret passage in the underground never saw where the mutants went. Nightshade only went to meet with them a couple seasons later just to be careful. Even the Captain who'd given her this job as liaison didn't know much. There were no papers. Just spoken deals that had been buried.
"South? Of course, I know south, I work for The Smarter Charts. I wouldn't recommend going too far south in the middle of Cylus though. It's fairly easy to get lost without a navigator. If I wasn't a fairly good navigator myself I likely wouldn't even leave Etzos during Cylus," she said carefully. She didn't really want to give him the direction and send him off to his death or anything. Did he really have the time to be spending though? She quickly realized what time it was.
"Oh damn, I'm late," she hissed under her breath. "Ugh, I'm never going to find a good investigator at this rate and I'm just going to end up going in circles," she muttered as she tried to sort through her thoughts. Her dear friend Alex was supposed to introduce her to an investigator her would help her trudge up some information on Noth. It had become an idea of importance to her. She wanted to know everything about what he'd done behind her back. She wanted to know the full extent of his crimes and who he truly was as a person. That way... that way she could act as the judge when it came time. If she was being honest she never wanted that time to come, but she had to be honest with herself. She was a Taithir. She needed to do what was right for everyone.
She was going to be spending a good amount of her time in Cylus at Lakewatch so she likely wouldn't get another chance to get in touch with Alex after this. It was starting to look like she'd be waiting a while longer.
Although she’d approached Jame in concern for his well-being, or so he supposed, it was clear to see there was something on her mind. He listened and perked up when she confessed to working for a cartography group. A potential resource then. He was about to ask her more about the fork to the south, and if there were any marshes there during the warmer months, when she began muttering something about needing an investigator.
Here, he knew he had to curb his reaction, although he could feel himself thrilling on the inside. This may be his first big break, working for someone of consequence on a case of consequence. It could also lead to his unfortunate demise as he’s drawn into a dangerous web. Either way, he wasn’t about to shirk his determination to expose the villains of the world. And he certainly wouldn’t turn down a chance to partner, however temporary, with this woman. ”You said you needed an investigator? Well let me introduce myself… I’m Jame. I’m an independent detective....”
He probably should have exagerrated his credentials a bit, but didn’t want to get her hopes up only to fail in whatever work fell into his lap here. ”Let’s say, we trade information. Like for like. What is it you need investigated?” He felt the slight inebriation alleviating as he spoke. The lemon had done its work, so it seemed, or maybe he was just getting awoken from all the excitement.
”Maybe we can even partner up for whatever you need, if you like?”
He stuck out his hand for her to shake. On his wrist, was the shorthand he’d written, though it may as well be inscrutable to any that wasn’t Jame. He liked to think he was good at writing cryptic messages on his wrist. He probably was, but he was every bit as bad at decyphering them when he woke the next morning, with a hangover.
”Say, it’s kind of cold out here. Do you have a place nearby? Or maybe I can take you to my building and we can talk there more comfortably in private.” His jaw stiffened as he watched her reaction. Not really wanting to scare her off or come off as a drunken lout. ”We can hash out a deal. If I help you with your issues, you can maybe help me out with a pathfinding job in early Ashan when the thaw may come?”
The half-breed seemingly perked up after Jame had introduced himself, her eyes glinting in curiosity. While he might have had the urge to backtrack and sell up his skills, she could see his honestly in his assessment now and perhaps that was something worth more to a woman like her than an expert who would and could turn traitorous. There was something to be valued in a detective you knew wouldn't sell you out instead. That's why he took Alexander's words so seriously. She'd trusted the Blackguard for a long time, trusted him to pick someone she could trust. That wouldn't be an option anymore though as it would take a while for them to cross paths once more. This man, however, while he might have lacked the skills of some professionals he could be groomed. Not to be her own personal servant or anything, but she could perhaps keep that ambitious, righteous little spark in his eyes from getting destroyed by the citizens of Etzos who would beat and bully anyone who spoke things that they did not agree with.
Watching him with curious eyes she tried to analyze his movements. She couldn't say how good he was as an investigator, but skills could be cultivated. He was quite blatantly terrible with a weapon of any kind just given his movements. "A deal indeed," she said as she took his hand, ignoring the scribbles on his wrist. "I believe we can come up with something mutually beneficially," she continued as she shook the hand. Her handshake was firm while simultaneously cautious not to scratch him on her nails. It was a practiced motion, one that she'd learned at a very young age to make a good impression. The perfect handshake was the perfect first impression according to some.
The half-breed almost laughed when he fumbled over his last couple of sentences. She almost wanted to tell him that he was lucky she didn't scare easy. Lucky that she was fairly certain she'd win in a fight if he tried anything she disagreed with. She could, however, already see the way that his jaw stiffened and figured that telling him such a fact wouldn't be helpful to his state of mind.
"Either works. I do have a business but I believe your place might be closer. Not to mention there are pretty much students all breaks of the trial, even in weather like this with conditions such as The Still going around. Your building might be perhaps... a touch more secure," her eyes darted around for a split second, trying to strain her ears to listen for anything out of the normal. She was used to the malicious sticking around Etzos, but she was about to start poking her nose into some very dangerous situations in Etzos dealings if she could get her new partner to agree. Very. Dangerous. Of course, more dangerous for her than him. Hero or no, she was still and always would be a half-breed.
She nodded at the final statment the man made. "Let's talk deals more inside. Who knows, you might not like what I'm proposing," she said with a shake of her head and a sigh. It was hard trying to find loyal information finders who were willing to do the more dangerous jobs. But... if this man was a true Etzori dedicated to the betterment of the city then she might be able to convince him. Hell, even if he was just some do gooder she might be able to convince him. One could only hope.
