Dirty Deeds Done Cheap

[Tio Silver]

Almund
24th Ymiden, 717
Morning

Tents were all little shits.

This was the conclusion Tio had arrived at early on this morning after he'd been woken up by the uncomfortable sensation of his tent falling on top of him. He'd set it up rather hastily when he'd first arrived on Scalvoris with Zavious, not expecting that he'd be staying on the island for long, but then one thing had led to another and he'd ended up making his campsite on the outskirts of Scalvoris Town his temporary home, forgetting that he hadn't set up his tent to last.

He was well used to camping what with all the traveling he did, and rather enjoyed the fantastic view of the stars at night before he went to sleep. But over time the thin bedroll separating him from the ground, the noise of the wind and rain on stormy nights, and the terrifying insects he occasionally woke up to find crawling on top of him had worn down his eagerness. The tent was the last straw, he was getting a proper room.

Which was why he was now roaming the streets of Almund clutching a thin scrap of paper with a list of scribbled names written upon it. He'd heard a lot about Almund, a cultural melting pot of a city built on the skeletons of ships and with a large underworld presence, and had immediately pegged it as his kind of place. A few of his acquaintances had told him where he could find a good inn with a comfy bed to stay and recommended a few other must-see shops as well, so after dropping his horse Ben off at the stables and tipping the stable-hand a little extra to keep it safe from horse thieves Tio had set off into the backstreets to explore.

He was impressed by all the ships-turned-buildings throughout the city; the quality of their craftsmanship was undeniable and really rather beautiful, and gave the city a very interesting shape. The first location on his list was a bit hard to find as it had no sign to identify it and was an unassuming building tucked away in one of the back alleys, so unassuming that he walked past it twice without even noticing, but on the third time he finally spotted the telltale skulls embedded in the lintel and pushed his way into the shop the locals called 'The Bones.'

There was only one other person in the shop, a blonde haired lady sat by a table covered in bones who he figured must be the renown Efah Chazon. Without looking up from her table she waved him over, and Tio look a seat on the chair on the other side of the table.

"Welcome, you are here for a reading." Efah said, a statement rather than a question. There can't have been too many other reasons why someone would come in so that was probably fairly obvious, but even so the way she said it suggested that there was some deeper, stranger meaning to her certainty.

"If you'd please." He replied.

Efah smiled. "Very well. What is your name young man?"

"Tio."

"You don't sound like you're from around here Tio. Where are you from?"

He shrugged. "Here and there. I travel around."

"Ah, a life on the road! I can see the appeal, nothing to tie you down."

"Oho, is that envy I hear?" Tio raised a curious eyebrow. "Thinking of doing some traveling yourself eh?"

Efah shot him a small smile. "Perhaps another day, for now I'm happy where I am. But enough about me, what part of your future would you like to know?"

Tio leaned in closer, a mischievous light sparking to life in his eyes. "Will I ever be rich? You know, by finding treasure or something like that? The bones can tell you that right?"

Efah gave a small, knowing smirk. "If I had a nel for every time I heard that request. Very well, fortune it is."

She gathered the bones in her hand, gave them a gentle shake, and then cast them onto the table. She was silent for a few seconds as she studied them, her eyes flicking back and forth minutely as she took in every small detail in the runes, and then she frowned.

"The bones don't like you. They say you lack respect."

"Yeah, I get that a lot. But do they still say what my future holds?"

Her eyes narrowed as she focused in on one of the runes. "There is wealth in your future yes, a great wealth in fact. But not one of gold and silver, no... something much rawer. And when you find this prize of yours, you may find that it isn't what you wanted after all." She looked over to another rune and raised her eyebrows in a mildly surprised manner. "Oh, and then you die."

There was a seconds pause as Tio processed what he'd heard, and then suddenly he did a double take. "Wait, what!"

"I said that you'll die, right after you find your great fortune."

Tio frowned skeptically. "You sound awfully casual for someone predicting a guys death. Are you sure?"

Efah nodded calmly, as if merely taking note of the weather. "Oh yes. Normally death omens tend to be fairly vague and shrouded in doubt, but yours is remarkably clear. Of course this death is only in your future because you chase a treasure you were never meant to have, if you abandon your course you should be fine. What exactly are you searching for if you don't mind me asking?"

"Me? Oh everything really; money, fame, power. You know, the usual."

"Oh yes, I get it all the time. A word of advice to you if you want it; those who want for everything often end up with more than they can handle."

Tio smiled and leaned back in his chair. "Good advice, but not the kind I'm inclined to take I'm afraid." He fished a pair of gold nel out of his pocket and put them down on the table as he stood up. "Thank you for the reading. I hope you wont take offence when I say that I hope your reading doesn't turn out to be true."

Efah waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it, were it not my job and something I take professional pride in being truthful at I would have spared you the knowledge. Come back again sometime if you'd like another reading, hopefully I'll have a better future for you next time."

With that Tio gave a small wave of goodbye and stepped out onto the streets again, picking a random direction to head off in. Though the ill omen was something to be concerned about Tio found he wasn't really bothered by it, after all reading bones was just mere superstition anyway. He didn't believe he was going to die; death happened to other people, and he'd find a way to cheat his way around it just like he did everything else. For now there were other things to think about.

Such as...

"O'Rourkes." He muttered to himself as he read the next name on his list. "Warning; be nice to the cat?"

[Veyre]

“You should take a break, Veyre. You shouldn’t even be here yet,” the Biqaj doctor said firmly as she carried over their bloodied tools to the cleaning station. The other nurses and assistants had mostly dispersed, probably finding a place to crash for the moment.

It had been a long night. Veyre had been returning home from her shift at the Siren’s when she passed by the medical facility and noticed there was quite a ruckus inside. Tempted with curiosity, the young woman entered the building and asked what was going on. Apparently, a quite a brawl had broken out by the beach and brought quite a lot of men with bloody head and broken bones. Unsurprisingly, Veyre was sucked into the madness for every available hand was needed. Just like that, her night was gone.

Veyre simply waved away Eboryl’s concern, dumping everything on the tray into a bucket of water. “I can manage, besides Dukahrn might just have my head if I don’t show up on time.”

“I’ll deal with the old man. You’ve done more than your part,” he assured. With that, the head doctor glanced pointedly at her wrist. At some point, her sleeves had ridden up, exposing the bruises from a particularly rough client last night. “You get some rest and you can come back later.”

Pressing her lips tightly, Veyre tugged at her clothing to conceal it once again. She glanced around the room, noting the slumbering patients on their respective beds. They all were stable. “Alright, I suppose there is nothing wrong with getting a bit of fresh air.” Taking off her apron, she checked her dress, making sure that there was no blood splatters – not visible ones, at least.

“If I may say, you also look like you might need a drink.”

The young woman grinned as she slipped out the door. “Don’t we all?”

Truth be told, Veyre was not in the mood for some rest. Her body had long adjusted to the harshness of sleepless nights. That did not mean she should wander around the city doing nothing. Then, as if on cue, her stomach roared with hunger.

There goes her answer. Food it is. The thought was enough to speed up her walk.

Veyre wasn’t sure what time it was really, but the streets had started to be filled by pedestrians going about their businesses. It had taken her back at first, the chaos that was always present in Almund. All sorts of people seemed to come and go inside the pirate city. Her head had pounded when she took it the madness of it, the loud noises, the bright colors.

One of the things she liked most was the chance to observe the people. For no particular reason, her attention was snagged by a lone figure pausing in the streets. It was a light-haired young man, probably only a few arcs older than her. As she walked pass him, Veyre couldn’t help hear him mumbling to himself.

Perhaps she could make this break a bit more interesting.

“You must be new around here if you don’t know about the cat,” the young woman commented as she stepped in front of the stranger. “Need some help?”

[Tio Silver]

Tio looked up from his notes at the sound of talking, and turned to face a pretty red-haired woman around about his age. She was human, or at least seemed like she was, and dressed in the kind of practical clothing people wore at sensible jobs. Immediately Tio felt his mood brighten; barely a few breaks in this city and already he'd come across a beauty, clearly his luck was turning back in his favour.

"If you're offering, thanks. As you've probably guessed I'm looking for O'Rourke's." He replied with a grin. "A friend of mine recommended it to me, said the food there is-... what was the word again-... ah yes! Poignant! Not entirely sure what that's supposed to mean for a pie, but I'm willing to find out."

He offered her a hand. "I'm Tio. Tio Silver. Soon-to-be resident if things go as planned. I take it you're a local?"

He allowed her to lead on, following her down whichever streets she led him through and making a note of the names of the buildings they passed. In his mind he was starting to build up a mental map of the place, trying to memorize all the small alleys and paths so that he could get wherever he needed to go in a hurry if the situation called for it, but all the boat shaped structures meant that many of the streets curved around their hulls and rarely offered him a straight view of what lay along them.

"So tell me, it's true what they say about this city being a paradise for crooks? Know where I can find any of those types?" He held his hands up defensively, though his smirk showed that he wasn't being serious. "Ah, not that I have any business with those types of course! I'm the definition of an honest man. It's just-... you know, can't hurt to know where to find them can it? Specifically I'm looking for two places; a medicine shoppe called Berlwin's Brews and The Scalvoris Sapphire Inn. Heard of them?"

[Veyre]

“Lucky for you, I haven’t had any breakfast and more than glad to take you to the tavern.” Again, on cue, her stomach rumbled indiscreetly. Rather than being embarrassed, the young woman simply laughed lightly. “Poignant? That’s one way to put it. But I do actually like the food there. There are much worse places to eat.”

Veyre had always found newcomers quite interesting and this one was particularly charming so far. She wondered what sort of life he lived and what brought him to place like Almund – most outstanding citizens would probably prefer to be elsewhere. Tio, he said his name was. The young woman shook his hand firmly. “My name is Veyre and I suppose I am a local, sort of. I came here a few arcs ago.”

As they traveled down the streets, Veyre made sure to point out several things she often used as street markers – like a door painted with a horrifying green, a makeshift stall that she suspected was selling rat meat. Finding your way wasn’t too complicated once you got used to it and knew what to look for.

She glanced back at Tio and grinned. “What makes you think you’re not looking at one?” A paradise of crooks, huh? Veyre supposed that was true enough. All sorts of men had called Almund home, the mad and the malicious. Countless times she had seen people carried into Dukahrn’s decorated with knife wounds over some the pettiest things. “Jokings aside, it isn’t too that lot around here. They are practically hovering in every back alleys.”

“Fortunately for you, I know of them,” she admitted. One of the few things that was taught to her about the city was which places to avoid. “I used to stay at the inn before I bought a house and Berlwin’s… well, I have been there on some errands. I can take you there if you’d like, after I got some food to go at least.”

Before she knew it, they were already standing in front of the sign that said Mad O’Rourke’s. Unsurprisingly, Veyre could already hear a rowdy crowd inside the tavern, even before she stepped in.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what’s an honest man doing in the wonderful city of Almund?”

[Tio Silver]

The walk to the pie shop was made a lot more interesting as Veyre pointed out various landmarks along the way, landmarks that Tio did his best to commit to memory for his own uses. The suspicious looking stall that Veyre believed may be selling rat meat especially caught his attention, namely because despite being worn and covered in dirt there weren't any scratch marks or dropping on it that suggested rats had been nearby like they had for some of the other stalls. It was almost as if they were afraid to come near it...

No, best not to think about that.

When Veyre mentioned that she knew where the locations he mentioned were, and that she'd be willing to take him to them, Tio shot her a suggestive smirk. "Oh, keen to spend more time in my company are you? A pretty woman like you leading a handsome lad like me to an inn... why, people might make assumptions." He held a straight face for about a second for breaking into a light chuckle. "Kidding, I'm kidding. Honestly it's very kind of you to offer, I'll take you up on it if you don't mind. At the rate it's taken me so far I probably wont find the inn before sunrise tomorrow otherwise."

It was about then that they finally reached their destination, and Tio took in the sight of the strange sign swinging above the door and the sounds of the large crowd inside with an impressed expression. Considering the description he'd been given of the place he'd been expecting something a bit mangier, but although it wasn't the cleanest place around a lot of love and effort had clearly gone into keeping O'Rourke's well maintained and the place had a cheerful, hearty atmosphere that appealed to him. Tio pushed the door open but didn't step inside, instead holding it and giving a highly exaggerated bow to Veyre.

"After you my lady." He said in his silliest mockery of a rich person accent.

When he finally did come inside there was a brief struggle as the tavern was quite crowded, and Tio had to muscles his way through the crowd over to one of the few tables that were free. When they finally had a place to sit Tio flopped down into his seat and leaned his chair back against the wall. "Well since you're being so kind as to show me around I suppose I aught to show my appreciation. I'll buy you a drink, any one you want. Think I'll go for a rum myself, should go well with a meat pie."

He gave another sharp grin as Veyre ask what he was doing in Almund. "Why, I'm on a heroic quest of course! It's hard to tell without my shining armor and noble white steed by I'm actually a valiant knight from a far off land, here to slay a dragon and rescue a princess." It was easy to tell he was lying, and after a second he broke into laugher again. "Nah, I guess you could say I'm something of a treasure hunter," a half-truth, it just happened that the treasure he sought after usually already belonged to someone else, "and when I heard that the Pirate Lords had up and disappeared I couldn't resist coming to see it for myself. I mean if I can't find anything worthwhile in a city once run by pirates I clearly made the wrong career choice."

"What about you? What do you do, and why'd you move to Almund to do it?"

[Veyre]

The young woman laughed lightly at his joke. “You’re a cocky one, aren’t you?”

At Tio’s offer, the woman simply waved it away. “I’ll just take water with my pie.” Veyre never had the taste for alcohol, truth be told. Not to mention its tendency to make her thoughts go sluggish. As someone who might have return to work later that day, the doctor would prefer being entirely sober.

After one of the waiters approached them, Veyre rattled off their order. As they waited, the young woman took the chance to observe Tio, not really caring if he noticed. His comely face seemed to settle to that of mild amusement. Confidence was obvious enough in the way her moved. He would probably fit well enough in the city.

Fortunately for her, it didn’t take long for their food to be served. The smell immediately invaded her senses, making her mouth water. O’Rourke’s pies never disappoint and despite her general dislike of cats, Veyre would bear it if only to eat here.

“Can’t say I haven’t heard that before,” Veyre noted as she picked up a spoon. Half of her clients often boasted about the treasure they had yet to find and unsurprisingly, half of them also ended up as her patient. “Your lot had been flooding the city these days. Not that it’s bad thing.” In fact, it was a great thing. With the constant visitors, businesses in Almund flourished.

“I am a doctor. A doctor’s assistant, for now at least. Most of the time you can find me in Dukahrn’s.” The young woman left out the details of her other job for now. Experience taught her that most men reacted rather predictably when she told them she was a prostitute. “I was traveling actually and I didn’t expect to get hooked by Almund’s charms. In the end, I decided to settle here.”

Slipping a loose strand of hair behind her ear, Veyre tilted her head slightly. “Any particular treasure you seek to find here, Tio?”

[Tio Silver]

As the pie promptly arrived Tio was immediately hit by the rich smell of meat and gravy, and immediately understood what his friend had meant by the word poignant. It was delicious in a thick, almost overpowering way, and he was suddenly very glad that he had the rum to wash it down with. Fortunately his races biology made him immune to getting drunk, so he was able to enjoy the taste of his rum as much as he liked without worrying about it dulling his senses.

"A doctor? That's always a handy profession to be in. There's not too many skills more useful than those that save lives." He said with a smile, raising his rum glass in a saluting gesture. Ever since his initiation into necromancy he'd discovered that a strange fascination with life, or more specifically the body and how it moved and controlled itself, had been growing within him, and with it had come a newfound respect for those with medical knowledge. "Well you can be sure that if I get stabbed or shredded or otherwise torn to pieces I'll come to you to get myself patched up." His smile turned to a smirk. "Well, just so long as you don't ask to many questions about how I got said injuries of course."

At Veyre's question about what treasure he was seeking Tio frowned. "Well not really. I've heard a lot of rumours, but I've yet to find any good solid leads. Although... there is a guy I'm looking for; really old and grumpy and wears tattered grey robes, answers to the name of Zavious. Give me a shout if you see him around will you, he and I have a score to settle."

A purring sound came from behind him, and Tio looked around in time to see a white cat leap up from the ground and onto their table. Its mismatched eyes stared at their pies, and its tongue flicked out and licked its lips hungrily.

"Oh no you don't. Shoo cat! Shoo!" Tio hissed, trying to wave the cat away. The cat however did not leave, and instead turned its gaze to Tio in what could only be described as the cat version of a threatening glare. Tio replied with a glare of his own, and after a quick glance to check none of the staff were watching leaned in closer to it. "Don't test me cat! I swear to the spirits I will end you nine times over after if I have to!"

[Veyre]

The cat thankfully did not stay long and slinked away as quickly as it came. The young woman finally let herself relax and reached for her cool glass of water. Admittedly, Veyre had been puzzled at how reverent these people were to a mere animal. It had been annoying, but over time she learned that ignoring it was less trouble than to pick a fight with the cat.

Veyre merely shrugged and laughed lightly. At least her roaring stomach had quiet down. “It’s fine honestly. I’ve witnessed too many people get kicked simply because they looked at her the wrong way. You should count yourself lucky.” No one seemed to notice the way the feline regarded her newly made acquaintance.

“It hadn’t been a choice, to be honest,” the young woman replied, settling into a well-rehearsed lie. It was the standard story Veyre had given most people who inquired about her past. “My mother was a doctor and so she taught me. Fortunately, I happen to like it and continue my studies. I try to save lives if I can, but I can’t say I am an entirely selfless saint either.”

“Maybe, but I think most died because they got lost in the wilderness.” It was one of the more logical explanation in her opinion. Of course a lot of people had claimed otherwise, whether it was one of her delirious patients or drunk clients. Every story she heard was more incredulous than the last. “They say there are ghosts, creatures, and whatnots. I lost track of their stories at some point, but I have no doubt there must be something valuable hidden in this island somewhere. ”

The young woman rested her elbow on the table, propping her chin with one hand. “What makes you want to be a treasure hunter? Doesn’t seem like a very stable job.”

When Tio had finished eating, Veyre would smile and say, “Want to continue our grand tour?”

[Tio Silver]

Tio did not like the cat.

It was not that he had anything against cats; he was fine with pretty much any animal, besides dogs, as long as they behaved well. But this one seemed to be under the impression that it was quite literally the king of the place or something! If a human had walked around like they owned the place demanding a share of the pies paying customers had bought he was sure he would have disliked them too. But for a cat of all things to be so conceited was ridiculous! Why would anyone allow a cat of all creatures to get so cocky!

Evidently the cat did not like him very much either, as during their staredown it raised its head to look down through its nose at him in an incredibly human-like impression of a condescending snob. Fortunately their conflict was broken before any of the staff could notice it when Veyre opted to willing surrender the remains of her pie to the foul beast. Whilst it was distracted Tio took the opportunity to finish his own pie, and glared at the cat as it hopped back of the table and strolled away.

"You shouldn't have surrendered to it. I'm fairly certain that cat is all things evil incarnate." He grumbled, downing the last of his rum as the waitress came to clear their table. "Now that you've fed it once it knows that you'll fold again in the future."

Returning to the conversation before the cat arrived, Tio raised an eyebrow. "So what exactly made you want to get into medicine? I mean as career paths go its not exactly a pleasant one is it; you've got to do a heck of a lot of sitting around studying before they let you near the operating table, and then once you're done you're stuck cutting people open and getting covered in blood day-in day-out. Are you one of those noble spirits who just wants to help others, or is there another reason for choosing such a job."

"I don't suppose you know where exactly these people fail to return from? If they aren't coming back there must be something guarding the area, and if there's a guard then there must be something worth guarding."

[Veyre]

The cat thankfully did not stay long and slinked away as quickly as it came. The young woman finally let herself relax and reached for her cool glass of water. Admittedly, Veyre had been puzzled at how reverent these people were to a mere animal. It had been annoying, but over time she learned that ignoring it was less trouble than to pick a fight with the cat.

Veyre merely shrugged and laughed lightly. At least her roaring stomach had quiet down. “It’s fine honestly. I’ve witnessed too many people get kicked simply because they looked at her the wrong way. You should count yourself lucky.” No one seemed to notice the way the feline regarded her newly made acquaintance.

“It hadn’t been a choice, to be honest,” the young woman replied, settling into a well-rehearsed lie. It was the standard story Veyre had given most people who inquired about her past. “My mother was a doctor and so she taught me. Fortunately, I happen to like it and continue my studies. I try to save lives if I can, but I can’t say I am an entirely selfless saint either.”

“Maybe, but I think most died because they got lost in the wilderness.” It was one of the more logical explanation in her opinion. Of course a lot of people had claimed otherwise, whether it was one of her delirious patients or drunk clients. Every story she heard was more incredulous than the last. “They say there are ghosts, creatures, and whatnots. I lost track of their stories at some point, but I have no doubt there must be something valuable hidden in this island somewhere. ”

The young woman rested her elbow on the table, propping her chin with one hand. “What makes you want to be a treasure hunter? Doesn’t seem like a very stable job.”

When Tio had finished eating, Veyre would smile and say, “Want to continue our grand tour?”

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