Rogue Trader Chyril 23rd ET

[Morg]

"That's for sure," Albo replied. "Any number of Councilors are in search of good men. Guarding warehouses, bodyguard duties, that sort of thing - and they'll pay well. You could even enlist in one of the Legions, although it's a tough place to be if you're not a local. If you can fight, you'll be welcome in the Mouth, one way or another."

"Pity it's so dull," mused the fourth man, the only one whose name had not yet emerged in the course of the conversation, and who, along with Xaveria, had recognised the name of Liham. "Comfortable enough, since no one with any sense would try anything on anything belonging to a Councilor. But if you're a man who's travelled the Sands and seen dragons close up... it may not be enough. I know I'd never go back to being stuck on land now that I've experienced being in the air. I'd be bored out of my skull."

The lieutenant nodded in agreement. "If you've been on an airship," he added, "you'll be a valuable commodity, amico. Precious few people have who don't belong to this legion have ever set foot on one, so the private buyers don't know where to recruit. Two air frigates are about to be decommissioned for the Aveas Exports Company, and a smaller vessel's in the works for the Constanza concern."

"Although after last night," grunted Tito, "they may want to convert it into a houseboat."

[Jack Farrell]

Jack paused for a moment. He would almost certainly find work on an independent Airship, but there was a certain charm, an appeal to working for the Condotierre. They would give him training, access to facilities and equipment he would otherwise never obtain. He might even take to learning a little at the Nashorn whilst they were stationed there, figure out how the machines actually operated. No, better to take chances than rely on dead certainties.

"Well you are right about that." Jack added, gazing wistfully up to the ceiling. "Don't think I could ever stay grounded for long now. Last three months all I have wanted was to get flying." Jack had hoped to work his way round to this more naturally but now was as good a time as any.

"Think the Condotierre would have me?" Jack grinned as he asked the question and took another sip of his wine to try and disguise the earnest desire in his eyes.

lthough it's a tough place to be if you're not a local

That was fine, Jack had grown up the hard way.[/i]

[Morg]

Tito and Albo glanced at Xaveria, who frowned.

"You'll never get into the officer corps," the lieutenant stated eventually. "If you were a local, or even a Westerner, you might have been able to pay your way in... but even that's hardly a possibility these days. The legion's back up to strength after the War, and they almost never take an officer who isn't a full Castigus graduate. In fact, I don't think there's been one since Corodin joined as an ensign back in Samheen." He sipped his wine thoughtfully.

"You could try joining up as an enlisted man," he expanded. "Course, they'll still suspect you as some sort of spy... but if you can convince Sergeant Medici that you can really talk the talk and walk the walk, he might let you in. In case you hadn't noticed, the Mouth's a hard place for those who weren't born to it."

Albo chuckled. "I was born a mark's ride away, out in the March Lands," he added, "and even I sometimes get treated like an outsider."

"Once you're in, though," Xaveria continued, "it's merit all the way. So if you get in and you're good, you can be sure it'll be recognised."

[Jack Farrell]

Jack nodded sagely. Inside he couldn't stop himself from grinning inane.

"Ah I wouldn't mind working through the ranks." Jack grinned, If his shipments of coffee came in he would probably have enough to buy his way up the ranks if he could earn his first commission. Hmm, this was pretty good news...

"Medici a bit of a ball breaker then is he?" Jack voiced, any info he could get on him would be useful. Jack knew he could handle himself, and he knew which end of a sword was the sharp bit but he was not exactly the finest swordsman ever to grace the tether and he guessed that the Condotierre would require more than just potential.

[Morg]

"You could say that," replied Albo, scratching his chin, "but he's also a fair man with a good sense of humour. And experience by the bucketload. He's been in the Condotierre longer than all of us put together. Nah, the reason it's tough to get in is that there's so much competition. Heck, we had an ex-Libritairre sergeanto applying to enlist as a private the other week. Half the men in the Mouth want to join this legion." He spoke with the pride of one who knew his words would be echoed by others. "And not just 'cause all the women in the Mouth want Condotierre men."

Xaveria sighed. "It's good that you're so interested in our organisation," he said heavily, "because the thing is... you'll be seeing the inside of our facility very shortly. We're going to have to take you in for questioning, signore Farrell. What happened aboard the Scillus is important national business." The word 'national' was said with a little relish, but the general tone of his words was uncomfortable, despite the wine they were washed down with.

[Jack Farrell]

"Yes. That is fortunate."

Jack's glass made a delicate clink as it was placed back on the table. His eyes, devoid of that drunken glaze, now fixed Xaveria in a cool stare. He did not move, not one muscle save for the flicker of his eyes as they regarded the other officers at the table. His eyes resting again on Xaveria he nodded, the vestige of a smile creeping onto his lips. Still, something in his reaction, a wariness perhaps that permeated the air. Suddenly, Jack seemed about as amicable and drunk as a cornered wolf.

"Very well. I suppose I should get my coat."

His clipped tone belied the rapid beating of his heart. He wanted to get into the nashorn, but under arrest had not figured in his plan. He convinced himself that this was just a formality, he would be asked to repeat his fabrication for the record that was all. But "Questioning" sounded ominous, and Jack hated the prospect of a cell. Far too many bad memories.

[Morg]

"Bloody Nether," grumbled Albo. "You could at least have waited until we'd finished our wine, tenente."

Xaveria looked extremely uncomfortable. "Signore," he addressed Jack, although without meeting his gaze. "I'm sorry. It's nothing serious... I hope. But the Captain would have our heads if we didn't take the opportunity to find out how much you knew. Not interrogation, just... questioning." The lieutenant sounded genuinely apologetic. Either he was a very gifted dissembler, or he had taken at least something of a liking to Jack. "Either way, you're welcome to finish up before we go. I was just mentioning it."

But the jocular atmosphere had been irretrievably lost. Gaunt Tito was the first to realise this, rising to his feet and gulping down the rest of his Kislovani red wine. "Damn it," he muttered. "Let's go then. 'Least we've still got some wine stored away in the officers' common room in the Institute. And everyone else will be out babysitting at the Arsenale."

[Jack Farrell]

"Yeah... questioning." Jack knew he should have kept the Scillus under wraps. Now everything seemed to be spinning down the pan.

"Look," he offered, standing and donning his red leather duster. "I know orders are orders. If this plays out as you tell it... I'll get you that round back in." Jack grinned bitterly. In his head he was recapping his story, fixing the details into his head. He was going to have to repeat it verbatim to carry through this. He just hoped the wine had not dulled his memory nor his flourishes been too many. Run close to the truth and it was easier to keep course. Or at least, that was the plan. He hoped this wasn't going to be an over-night stay. He couldn't much afford another night's stabling at this place.

Well, he could, but it felt wrong to be parting with that much money.

[Morg]

Slowly the small group made to depart. Xaveria seemed little affected by what he'd drunk, pulling on his black leather greatcoat with ease, but Albo swayed very slightly as he made his way to the door. The four officers didn't seem much happier with the situation than Jack did.

After Tito had left a few coin on the table, Jack was led back out into the street. Xaveria hung back with him, but the other three forged ahead down the dark road to the Institute. They certainly weren't expecting the young man to make a break for it, or else they weren't overly bothered by the prospect that he might.

They didn't enter the Nashorn through the door that Jack had first approached, instead turning off down an alley hemmed in between the Institute complex and a slanting warehouse. After a few paces, Albo rapped on a metal door. A hatch slid open, revealing light and a pair of wary eyes, then the door itself swung outward, opened by a bored-looking Condotierre private. Behind the door was a narrow, steep staircase which the three ensigns disappeared up, Xaveria indicating that Jack should follow.

The room at the top was typical of the Nashorn. It boasted a pristinely polished parquet floor, which contrasted sharply with the bare brick walls. The light in this room was also strange: it was dull and bright blue in hue, and flickered gently. Its source was a lantern of sorts hanging from the ceiling, although this device emitted no heat. Xaveria brushed past the others and ducked out through a doorway, and Albo pulled up a chair at a low table. "Take a seat," he suggested to Jack. "I guess Tommy's gone to find someone who's a) important, b) on duty and c) not at the Arsenale, so we might have a long wait." He himself settled on a barrel and drew out a pack of playing cards, shuffling through them absently.

[Jack Farrell]

Jack stood idly, running his own story through his mind over and over again, recounting any detail he might have uttered without thinking. His story shouldn't match perfectly perhaps, a carbon copy would scream rote delivery. Enough truth to carry the day with a few obvious embellishments perhaps. Jack pinched the bridge of his nose and stifled a yawn. He had been awake for a long time now and the wine was fuzzing up the edges of his vision. He should have been a-bed near a tide ago. Still, he had endured worse and no-doubt would again. He slipped out of the heavy red duster and draped it over a chair before he himself sat.

"What games do you play this side of the mountains then?" Jack asked with a hint of a smile. Forced duty, however onerous was still forced, no need to take it out on the lad. He could still be civil and such might stand him in good stead.

"I have terrible luck with cards." Jack rolled his eyes and picked a rough edge to his nail. Lies came so easily to him, play the player - never the cards.

[Morg]

"Yeah? Well, maybe you'd like to play," Albo replied with a smile. "Tito, you in?"

"Course I am," the gaunt-faced man replied.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea..." the third man chipped in.

Albo waved the objection away. "Just 'cause you can't play to save your life." He rippled the cards out in front of Jack. "Fifty-two cards, four suits. Wands, cups, coins and swords, although sometimes they call them Merchants, Nobles, Mages and Churchmen." The card deck and the suits were the same as used in Sabata, and similar to those used in King's Court, where they were known as swords, hearts, spades and arrows. "The game we normally play is called hold 'em... it's a type of poker, if you're familiar with that. Each player has two cards, and the rest come from the flop - three shared cards. We play for money, of course." He fished out his own, not meagre coin purse and fondled it. "Pointless otherwise. D'you want me to deal you in?"

If he so chose, Jack would have one big advantage: he was noticeably the least inebriated of those present.

(OOC: The game's the same as Texas hold 'em, 'cept it ain't called Texas, because there's, like, no Texas in Tazlure, man.)

[Jack Farrell]

"Yeah it sounds familiar." Jack nodded, looking at the cards like they would burst into flame at any moment. Poker had its forms in many cultures, each with there own bent, but the gist was the same and Jack figured he could make a little coin here if the cards came right.

"Sure why not? I have nothing better to do." Jack smiled and opened the strings to his own coin purse. He didn't put it on the table though, in Sabata anything on the table was a legitimate chip.

Jack had a hundred faces, a thousand expressions for this game he chose deep concentration. Make it look as if he was thinking very hard about what he did. To play this right he had to gauge the other players. Bleed a few chips, win a small hand if you could, see how the others took it then, when it looked like he was on a full tilt gushing chips, then deliver the coup de grace... if he had one.

[Morg]

"Great. Prepare to lose." Albo slapped the shuffled pack down onto the table and handed it to Tito to cut. "Walther?" he asked.

The hithertofore unnamed third man nodded reluctantly. "Si. I suppose so." He seated himself to Albo's left, and Tito moved a barrel into place to sit between him and Jack.

The monobrowed man dealt the cards deftly but slowly, probably due to the quantity he'd drunk. Jack was left with a queen of wands and a jack of swords.

"Pre-flop round," announced Albo. "We usually play two lance as small blind and a circlet as big blind," he added as an aside to Jack. Walther obediently slid a lance and four banner into the centre of the table, and the gaunt Tito followed with a circlet. It was Jack's turn to bet.

(OOC: For the uninitiated reader, the rules are here.)

[Jack Farrell]

Jack dipped into his bag and pulled out a circlet, he twirled it in his fingers before placing it on the table with a self-assuring nod to the head. If they played by the same rules as Sabata he had a pretty good opening hand, it was a shame they were not en suite, but depending on the flop he was in with a chance of winning just on high cards. He had to feign ignorance, take his time to "remember the rules." Jack was no proffessional gambler, but he was good with people and he knew what he was doing.

He glanced around, trying to gauge the reaction of the others as the bets hit the table. The big one would be the flop - watch the players as the cards go down, then regard the cards as neutrally as possible.

[Morg]

Tito had been grinning as he laid down his blind. Walther, however, did nothing of the kind... although that was possibly because he'd disapproved of the game in the first place, so his face still held the same frown. Albo himself rolled his eyes and surrendered his hand to the table. "I fold."

The three community cards were dealt out. The four of cups was followed by the nine of cups and the king of swords. A small smile crossed Tito's lips as the king was revealed, but Walther didn't seem to react at all.

"I'll raise two lance." Tito kept on grinning as he placed a circlet onto the table. Walther sighed, still seeming a little disgruntled... and then placed down two circlets of his own. "I'll see the two lance, and raise six lance."

Tito looked slightly incredulous, and Albo raised his monobrow, but no one said anything.

[Jack Farrell]

Jack placed his cards on the table, he had nothing but a potential straight and potential was a lot to bet on. Walther seemed sure of himself, and, whilst there was every chance this was a bluff - Jack did not have the cards to call him on it. If he had had any hand at all, it would have been a possibility but not today. The way Jack counted it one in 12 cards was a 10, there were 6 cards held by the other players making the odds of one of them having a 10 better than halves. With only 3 in the deck, betting on less than one in ten was not a good idea if he wanted to stay in the game. He had nothing to bluff with.

"Fold." Jack smiled, watching Walther keenly. Was he just slapping it out there trying to intimidate Tito or did he have a good hand. There was a flush out there, possibly three of a kind since it was a given that Tito had at least one king. Jack sat back and watched.

ooc: you can assume Jack will always meet the blind unless he has a 3 - 7 split.

[Maeve]

OOC: apologies for the wait. Arranging coverage atm! Feel free to be in more than one thread.

[Danomel]

Albo had gathered up and shuffled the cards, and started to deal, when a noise at the door arrested his actions with three cards already down. Glancing up, his hand froze as a frown touched his mouth. “Uhh!?” He suddenly seemed to take on the look of someone caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Tito had an equally perturbed, if somewhat annoyed expression on his face.

Xaveria had just returned, and passing close behind him was a warrant by his insignia.

The man was slightly shorter than Jack, and somewhat on the thin side. Dark hair and dark brown penetrating eyes stared out from under shaggy brows, above a flattened noise and a mouth obviously more comfortable frowning than smiling.

The man glanced around the room briefly, before fixing his gaze on Jack. Reaching for a chair, the man suggested in a surprisingly soft voice, “Gentlemen, would you do me the service of some time alone with your new acquaintance here?” His eyes never wavered from Jack.

It was obvious to Jack that this man made the officers nervous. Albo fumbled to pick up the cards as the officers beat a hasty retreat from the room, closing the door behind them.

The man seated himself across from Jack, and in the same soft voce identified himself. “I am Warrant Taegit, assigned to the special investigations. I have been lead to believe you have some knowledge of the Scillus? Tell me about yourself and the Scillus!”

Taegit’s gaze never wavered, and his face remained almost completely expressionless as he spoke.

[Jack Farrell]

Jack watched carefully as his companions left in great haste. Their reaction told him all he needed to know, Taegit was a character to pay close attention to. Jack grinned amicably as the officer took a seat, once again assuming the glaze of the happily inebriated. If he seemed as drunk as the other officers had it would put him at the advantage again.

"Which would you like first sir?" Jack smiled and returned his blind to his coin-purse, after a second's thought he decided not to take the other's money as well, no need to foul the waters.

"Of myself I could wax inane I am sure, perhaps if you were more specific in your questions?" Jack smiled, trying to keep the patronising tone out of his voice, the officer had been kind enough to address him in a soft tone and Jack could at least reciprocate the courtesy.

"I travelled aboard the Scillus on its final journey If that helps matters. If you have been told the tale already I have no wish to waste your time, what do you want to know?" Jack knew he was being cocky, pushing his luck - but hell, the officer had been as subtle as a blunt axe.

[Danomel]

Mentally Warrant Taegit heaved a sigh of frustration. Of course, having been garnering information from others for most of his life, he did not allow his inner thoughts to reflect outwardly, unless of course it would further his aims. He did allow his jaw to clench the tiniest bit, almost imperceptibly. If this Jack Farrell noticed, then he would know him to be far more observant than the average person and far less drunk that he was acting.

There were basically two kinds of people Taegit ran into while investigating incidents. Those that could speak volumes in a few words, and those who spoke volumes yet conveyed little information. Being good at sifting through peoples words was what had landed Taegit in this job in the first place. And he suspected that Jack probably fell into the latter category.

It did not really matter one way or the other to Taegit, who had been collecting information on this character since he had been informed of Jacks arrival. There would be additional interviews with the officers who brought him in of course, but that would be later and mostly to confirm his initial impressions.

In the same soft level voice, Taegit responded to Jack. “Then please confine your tale to the last few days of the Scillus.” So the game begins Taegit thought to himself.

[Jack Farrell]

"Ah," spoke Jack lazily. "The requiem."

Jack knew he had irritated the officer. Maybe it was something in the body language, he wasn't sure, but he was frustrated and impatient. There was something important to be learned here, something the officer wanted to unearth and he seemed to think Jack knew. He let his smile fall, it was not much of an act, there was little happy about the last flight of the Scillus.

He had always been perceptive, always understood people and how to handle them. This officer was versed in such arts, a blank canvas unless he chose to make it otherwise, Jack felt himself reach out extend his perception to encompass the officer sat across the table. He listened to his breathing, the rustle of clothing as he shifted position fractionally. Jack himself idly fingered a loose thread on his cuff and did not meet the officer's eyes. Did he sigh with impatience, smirk at the realisation of two players at an ancient game?

What do you want me to tell you, officer Taegit?

Jack spoke, his voice cracking as he formed his words.

"I was a... passenger... of sorts. Aboard the Scillus. I had been hired in Sabata to watch over certain effects, to ensure they arrived at their destination safely." Jack permitted himself a wry smile as he thought of Badar's salt now littering the desert floor. That had cost him more than a pretty penny. But more closely did he watch Taegit, he had not specified the destination and, from the conversation he had had earlier with the junior officers - that was a matter of some contention.

[Danomel]

As Jack began to talk, Taegit allowed himself to lean forward ever so slightly. A slight narrowing of the eyes, a little bit of a frown.

Show interest, but don’t overdue it, Taegit thought to himself.

Interest was not a problem. Information about the Scillus had to date been scarce. This was unfortunate, considering the high profile and priority of the investigation. Taegit had, to date, been hampered by a lack of any reliable witnesses. So, yes, he was very interested, and had to exercise a great deal of control feigning only slight interest.

While Taegit was beginning to develop a mental feel for the man before him, it was far from complete, thus limiting his options in eliciting information. A small part of his mind idly wondered if Jack had considered that the officers who bright him in were being questioned, and some of his people were out backtracking where and what he had been doing since entering the city.

He also wondered if Jack considered the possibility that there might be more known about the Scillus than had been publicly revealed.

“Yes, please continue,” Taegit responded. “and be as detailed as possible. Who hired you? To watch over what?”

His unblinking eyes kept focused on Jacks, or at least Jack had not seen him blink yet.

[Morg]

Archived without skilling due to player inactivity.