Ignacio's Gallery (Samheen 16th, Eveningtide) ~ Ord

[Grant]

"Your...your purse?" responded the suddenly defensive man, his eyes instantly shooting around the building's floors in hopes of catching sight of the lost article. "Why, I knew of no such thing...how very tragic...perhaps we could make some inquiries...some discreet inquiries..." he muttered, his words swift, low, and precise, clearly designed such that only the two before him might hear.

But the damage had already been done. All at once, every other guest in the building could be seen to check their own purses, a half-dozen hands raising to hopefully find a half-dozen purses. As Ord had expected, one hand did not find her purse, and in response Myalana turned her picturesque face towards the trio in conversation with frustrated, almost annoyed interest.

Ignacio was clearly rattled by Ord's act of cool rage, and with Myalana approaching, he knew his day was about to become considerably worse. "Perhaps we might summon the guards immediately, such that we might catch the thief responsible for this?" he offered, his hands clasped together in a gesture of hopeless supplication.

[Guest]

“The guards?” scoffed Ord. Ord knew this moment would come; the guards could not be called. The oblivious nobles and the fatheaded Ignacio he might be able to fool. But the city guard would be much less susceptible to his ruse. Fortunately, though, his mind was quick and his tongue had a penchant for untruths.

“I assume you mean the city guards, Master Ignacio. Are you trying to tell me that your private security force needs the help of mere city guards to do their job? What do you pay them for? To guard cattle? This is preposterous.” Ord spat. His voice was raising slightly, but not at the volume of a shout . . .yet.

“No, I think if anyone will contact the guards, it will be me. Perhaps,” Ord lowered his voice but the venom in his tone increased, “if your guards hadn’t spent all your time doting over your special customers, the ones with the real money might be willing to spend it.” Ord stopped and turned toward the other customers. “How many others were hit by this mysterious thief, sir? Surely, I am not the only one. Or . . .perhaps I was.” Ord smiled to himself. An insidious idea was growing in his mind.

“Or rather, perhaps I was not the target, but my beautiful wife. Is this what you think of your guests from the Isles? Do you think the color of my lady’s skin makes her less worthy? This would not be the first time we have seen condescension from the residents of the Western Kingdom. Tell me, do you have something against us?” questioned Ord. His eyes narrowed as he leveled his gaze toward the quivering artist.

He waved his had to dismiss the accusation and continued. “No Ignacio, I will handle this myself. I will make my own inquiries and my own staff will investigate. And,” Ord paused and placed his arm protectively around Kaileann, “they will mete out the punishment I see fit.” Ord thoroughly enjoyed playing with Master Ignacio and hoped again that he had not pushed too far. He waited to see if Myalana would join in his harangue. He needed her to side with him and then trust him with her need for justice. Once he had her trust, he would get her money.

[Grant]

Strangely enough, Ignacio's anxious, frustrated shuffling seemed perhaps relieved by Ord's offer to manage the affair himself. "Why, yes yes! I should be pleased to know you might manage a more...private investigation of the matter! I assure you, sir, I routinely deal with customers from all parts of the world, presenting their material here with some pride, and..."

"Why, the little man seems perfectly flustered, Lord de Moir," injected Myalana, having crossed the room slowly to join the discussion. She threw an amused glance at the art dealer before she turned it upon Ord, her smile large and almost radiant. "But alas, you're not alone in your suffering. It seems someone took liberties with my purse as well. Sadly, I would have little recourse but to trust in the local authorities were I alone in my suffering, but I should like nothing better than to see this matter managed...properly."

Ignacio nodded vigorously, his hands clasped together in a very sincere display of supplication. "Yes yes. I should be pleased to report anything I might learn...anything my own attendants might have seen...to you, Lord de Moir. I shall inquire with each of them at once. So long as we might settle this tragedy privately..."

"I'm sure Lord de Moire would do well in that regard, Master Ignacio. He'll question all involved personally and privately to learn what he can. Won't you, sir?" added Myalana, a remark that earned an amused smile from the Lady de Moire standing just at hand.

[Guest]

Ord immediately calmed his phony anger. He lowered his voice again and even took on a conciliatory tone as he addressed the shaken art dealer.

“My dear man,’’ started Ord, and placed his arm around Ignacio’s shoulder. He drew him closer, using his size for intimidation. Another conspiracy was forming in the young con artist’s mind. He had pushed the man one way and would now pull him another. Though he never became the fisherman his father was, he knew his father would be proud. Slowly, he reeled the art dealer in. “I agree to settle this matter privately, Ignacio. I will never mention this . . .security lapse. I will use my own resources to recover my purse and punish those responsible. We in Dort have a penchant for revenge. You will not have to worry about your gallery or your skin. I will even . . .take care of . . .the lady Myalana’s situation as well.” His eyes flashed mischievously as he finished absolving Ignacio of responsibility for justice.

Ord removed his arm from the smaller man and tugged thoughtfully at his beard. In mock contemplation, he addressed the air. “Ignacio, you are a businessman. Someday, and that day may never come, Ignacio, I will call upon you to do a service for me. But until that day, accept this justice as a gift; a celebration of my marriage to the unrivalled beauty, Lady Vesper.” Ord squeezed Kaileann’s hand and smiled softly at his wife.

At this point, Ord’s musing halted somewhat. He had actually reached a point in the scheme where he did not have an answer. He could not pretend to be Lord Ord every time he needed to deal with people, but he could not use the name “Ord” again either. He was stuck. The real Ord could never resurface in King’s Court as himself. He would need an alias. He felt shamed. Uncle Gulzar would disapprove completely. He’d fallen victim to his own plot. Though, it could be worse. I’d rather vanish than die. For now, he needed a solution.

“I have a man in King’s Court who represents my legal interests when I am not here. His name is Villanen. Should he ever approach you, consider him my equal.” Ord declared.

“I will leave and pursue the matter further. Lady Myalana, are you available tomorrow evening? If my schedule permits, I would meet you to discuss this unfortunate encounter. If I cannot make it, my man Villanen may visit you as well. Though not as experienced as some,” the edge of Ord’s mouth rose in a sly grin,” youth does have its advantages.”

Ord bowed formally to Ignacio and Lady Myalana. “I bid you farewell. Expect to hear from me soon.” Adrenaline surged through Ord like a tidal wave. He was on the verge of securing a favor from a noted lackey of the nobles. This could definitely come in handy. And Lady Myalana will definitely be interested in working with me now. I’m sure she’d be willing to help fund my efforts at recovering her purse and delivering justice. Ord stood, turned on his heels and headed toward the door.

OOC: Couldn’t resist the Godfather quote. It just seemed to fit .

[Grant]

While Ord's carefully-crafted delivery earned no vocal response from his audience, he was certain his ruse was complete. The smile upon Myalana's mouth grew almost imperceptively and Ignacio bowed repeatedly, his hands still clasped together before him as if his palms had been joined. Turning with her escort, the Lady de Moir paced out beside her husband, saying nothing as well until they were clear of the building and perhaps ten paces away.

"That went well, my Lord," offered Kaileann, her voice delivering an electric sense of excitement despite it's low, almost inaudible tone. "And it should be a pleasure to make the acquaintance of this...Villanen? I wonder if I might know him from...some similar association," she jested, poking Ord in the ribs as they walked.

"And now the Lady will expect to hear from...someone...on the morrow. Did you catch sight of her husband? I think he may suffer from some...jealousies. He'll undoubtedly make a nuisance of himself tomorrow if he can manage it at all. So do you have some scheme in mind already, or were you simply opening doors?"

[Guest]

Despite the cold and rain, a giddiness filled Ord. They had escaped again, when they probably should have been caught. Thinking over it now, Ord saw so many pitfalls he narrowly and luckily avoided. Had Ignacio been a stronger man, the real Ord might be in jail right now. But he wasn’t in jail, he was walking in the rain with a beautiful elven sorceress. My day could have been worse. He was still concerned though, that he might have to give up his name due to poor planning. Maybe it will only be temporary.

Ord allowed himself a small grin in reply to Kaileann’s teasing. “I should think you would very much enjoy meeting this Villanen fellow. I hear he’s quite quick on his feet with a mind for the details.” Ord shook his head in denial and continued, “I’m not quite sure what I’ve done, to be honest. I’ve always been a little rash and I think my ideas got ahead of me this time.” He was thinking out loud and his hands sliced through the rain, emphasizing his points.

“I don’t have a specific plan, but I have a hunch Myalana could be taken for more. Her purse is a prize, but it’s only the appetizer, I’m sure. You saw the way she took to me. There’s something there we could use if we want. I saw the opportunity and I took it. She’s ours if we want her, but I don’t know for what yet.

“As to Ignacio,” Ord smiled broadly despite himself, “he owes Lord Ord one and he knows it. That favor might be worth more than we realize. I bet he runs with a lot of people in high places. I may have to visit him as Master Villanen before too long though. Lady Myalana too. Even if it doesn’t pan out, it might get suspicious.” For a moment, Ord started to worry about how his tale would be received by Thala back at the Stars. He could see where she might think he had been too brash and brazen with their trust. Hopefully, she would see the value in what he’d achieved.

“But, my friend,” he addressed Kaileann familiarly, unconscious that he’d done so, “I have made a grave mistake. There are now two of me in this city. How many Ord’s can there be? Certainly not two who know each other intimately. I fear I may have to use a name other than Ord for a while. Either that or live a hidden life. Neither seem too appealing, but if I had to choose, the alter-ego is the preferred.”

Ord picked up his pace as he thought of his dilemma. Too much thinking and too much talking had moved him no closer to the room he coveted. The thought of the fire and the bed, however, inspired his legs to push through the cold.

“You know, I wonder if Johnathan realized we went back inside. I hope he wasn’t too worried.”

OOC: Woohoo! Post 100! Sorry for the long wait.

[Guest]

OOC: So sorry for the delay Ord! Although I've been following this thread, I haven't really been as close as I need to. I need a day or two to catch up and I'll be stepping in for a while.

See you soon

[Guest]

Kaileann giddy with their success, took Ord's arm nearly subconsciously, as they strolled down the rain-devoured streets.

'I'd say you were not at all rash, Ord. Quite to the contrary you had impeccible timing. If you were to look at that woman's chest longer, I would have suspected your intentions, however," she said with a laugh, "there will be use for that one yet, I'm sure of it. You should keep the name Ord only for her in time of need."

She glanced up with rolled eyes upon Ord's last comment, "I would not be concerned with Johnathan, he's never worried about a thing in his life."

After a pause she added, "Tonight, we drink wine. Tomorrow we dine. Thala will surely have a place for you."

OOC: When you've wrapped up, go ahead and continue your story here

[Guest]

OOC: Hello Ord, you've improved on the following skills:

Diguise: Basic*
Conversation: Basic***
Con Artist: Basic**
Etiquette: Basic*