Meeting the Handler: Burpin' Dragon [Chyril 26th, TT]

[Reise Silverskye]

The short note that would eventually make its way to Marco Smataggio, secretary of the Mouthie Ambassador, would be rather innocuous at first glance, but relatively cryptic, should one try to study it further. Hopefully, Marco Smataggio himself would be able to understand exactly what it meant. Reise Silverskye had never done this sort of thing before, so she the best she could do was whatever she came up with on her own. The note read as follows:

"Mister Smataggio,

I apologize for not contacting you sooner, but my path in reaching this great city was delayed due to an unexpected meeting with our friend. He sends you his greeting, and expressed his wish for me to share his news with you, and any that I have come across, with you as soon as possible. I'm afraid I don't know you well myself, but I am assured we will be good friends. And so, in order to make your acquaintence with you better, I would like to meet you, perhaps someplace casual. I suggest the Burpin' Dragon Inn, where I will be tomorrow afternoon, should you wish to talk. I look forward to sharing news of our friend with you. I will catch your eyes when I see you.

Sincerely,
R.S."

And so, Reise was sitting quietly at a table to the side, waiting for the Secretary to arrive. She didn't know what he looked like, nor did he know what she looked like, she suspected. Thus, her referrence to catching his "eyes" in her note. The normal phrase was, "to catch someone's eye", singular, while she had put plura. She hoped it would be passed off as a simple spelling error (since her spelling was attrocious anyway, as she was as yet unskilled at writing and needed someone's help), that is, until the Secretary saw her eyes. Since they were so unusual, she hoped it would trigger his memory of the note, and let him know that she was the one who had sent it.

She had already reported to the Western Kingdom's embassy the previous day, where she was to be working, and she needed to be back there soon. So she hoped that the Secretary would arrive shortly. She needed to find out what her operating orders would be, and then continue on her way... hopefully to a new and better start at life.

[Grey Wolf]

Whether Smataggio received Reise's note or not was very much open for debate, and the mark of their meeting had come and gone, flickers and soon the burns passing by. As her drink was threatening to vanish a man stumbled by her, his mug of ale spilling, the cold liquid landing in her lap. The culprit was easily over forty yahren, somewhat portly and with a peculiar haircut that made a pitiful effort to cover his balding pate. Perhaps a dozen, two dozen if he was real lucky, strings of hair were combed over a shiny spot above his forehead, making him look comedic. Seeing the beer land in Reise lap, he almost leered quickly pulling a rather dirty handkerchief and made to wipe her lap with it. "'Ere, I'm sorry for that, miss. Let me wipe it off and then get you a drink to apologize."

[Reise Silverskye]

Reise sighed quietly to herself as she waited. She would not be able to stay here too much long without starting to look suspicious. She would have to leave soon.

But before she could put action to that thought, someone spilled cold ale right into her lap. She gasped in a mixture of surprise and discomfort as the liquid quickly soaked through her clothing and reached the skin beneath. "Uh, no, no," she said, trying to fend the man off. "Just keep your hands off me. I can take care of it."

[Grey Wolf]

The man was very insistent, going down on his knee, the mug left upon the table as he reached one hand to put it on her knee, the other pushing the handkerchief towards Reise lap, rather deftly evading her hands. "I insist. I was clumsy and I should help you clean off. Don't you worry about a thing. Giovanni is going to take care of everything. He had been unable to reach the spot where cold liquid was soaking through the girl's clothes, but had managed to nearly grope her thighs rather nicely, though truth be told he was mostly touching with the handkerchief, maybe even genuinely trying to help and not just get his hands on her.

[Reise Silverskye]

"No, no, seriously, it's all right, I can handle it," Reise returned as he went down on one knee next to her. She gasped again as he started touching her, sliding back in her chair as far as she could, until she realized she couldn't go any further, and was rather stuck now, with this man leaning over her lap. She really didn't want to make a scene and draw attention to herself, but that's what was starting to happen. So, with an unhappy sigh, she relented and let the man do his best to clean her up.

She wondered briefly at the mention of his name, quickly searching her memory for it. She'd heard the name before, but it was a common name in some parts of the world. She didn't recall anyone that she knew named Giovanni. "All right, fine," she murmured, "but watch where your hands go."

[Grey Wolf]

The man was true to his word, not groping the girl before him, as became evident after a few flickers, his handkerchief dabbing away the liquid he had spilled and touching nothing else. There was no way he could have collected it all, but he did his best, Reise's lap still wet and with a visible stain upon her breeches. His task done, the man looked at the handkerchief in his hand for a flicker and then took Reise's hand and pushed it into her palm. "Here take this. I'm not sure I caught it all, and you told to watch where my hands go." There was a crackle against her skin, something other than the cloth pressed into her palm, as the man's eyes met Reise's for a moment. "I am sorry I did this, but it was bond to happen." Then he was up, and moving away, leaving the girl with a piece of paper in her palm. Upon it was a simple note.

Out. Right. Third alley left. Turn left at first corner.

[Reise Silverskye]

Reise gave a small sigh of relief when the man left. It had been a rather uncomfortable episode. It was only when she started to try to dry herself off some more that she realized she was also holding a piece of paper in her hand. She pretended that it wasn't there for a few more moments, then, when both of her hands were beneath the table, she unfolded it and read it quickly. Only someone standing directly behind her would have been able to read it at that angle, and she glanced over her shoulder to make sure no one was there.

She was no professional at this sort of thing - yet - but she knew better then to head out immediately. It would have appeared suspicious. So, she sat for a few more minutes, before getting up, stretching casually, and heading back out the door.

Once she was outside, she took a right, moving at a casual pace. She counted three allies, took a left at the third on, and then another left at the first corner in the alley...

[Grey Wolf]

The man was paid Reise no more heed once he had left her side, joining two other men and chatting as if nothing had happened, even pointedly ignoring the girl whose lap he had just groped. Not much happened in the next couple of burns, and as far as Reise could tell the precautions taken were quite unnecessary, though she was new to the whole subterfuge game.

As she left, it turned out that third alley she was told to enter was not quite so close, the left side of the street presenting an unbroken row of houses and stores for almost half a mile, her path leading her to the very edge of Outer Ring. Had she not turned into the alley at that very moment, she would have missed the shadow as it passed over the clear sky above, someone or something jumping from one roof to another above her, moving towards her right, gone as soon as it appeared.

OOC: Please continue here

[Vanadius]

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