Finding the Revealing-(Jygust 31st, MT)

Haikan · Post by **Haikan** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 6:25 pm

The current bartender was an older gentleman, who was actually just tending to the place while the owner was out. His hair was black, and very thin, and a scruffy red beard and long sideburns hung from his face. As Thalia looked over he was cleaning a mug with a rag while humming an old folk song. Mostly because of the hour, this bar wasn't very busy, and there were five stools unused and all next to one another in the middle, and two other empty stools at the far end near the walls.

Shea Artrien · Post by **Shea Artrien** » Fri Dec 26, 2008 4:38 pm

Shea gathered his mug and rose, pushing his wooden chair away from him with the back of his boots. "Shall we away, then, to the bar, dear Thalia, where in tales the true source of all knowledge is found? Food is fine and all that, but I believe what this situation needs is some liquid satisfaction."

Smiling, the roguish vagabond offered her, for the second time in the evening, his arm.

Thalia Maelstrom · Post by **Thalia Maelstrom** » Fri Dec 26, 2008 10:58 pm

She nodded in agreement, yet left her own mug behind. If wine in Roque was potent enough to make her look wanting and openmouthed after one glass, then she would avoid it for the time being.

Thalia rose and this time took Shea's arm, her fingers lightly laying over his wrist as he led the way to the bar. She let him lead them both to the stools as she watched the bartender wiping the mug down, inwardly going over possible conversation starters with the man that might get them the information they needed.

[/i]Excuse me good sir, we're top secret investigators from the Dockmaster, and we're breaking that oath of secrecy for you because we were wondering if out of the perhaps thousands of citizens and visitors of Roque, if you knew of three men who we only know by name....sure...that will work...

Maybe she would let Shea do the talking.

Shea Artrien · Post by **Shea Artrien** » Sun Dec 28, 2008 4:54 am

Hand held out in his most gentlemanly manner, Shea escorts the comely young woman to the bar, pausing a moment to brush off her stool before gently guiding Thalia to it.

Confident, the swordsman props himself halfway onto a stool of his own, leaning one elbow nonchalantly on the bartop and waving the bartender over with a small motion.

When noticed, Shea says to the bartender, "The tables are nice, but I find that sitting at the bar is usually a far more...informative arena. I'll have another ale, if you will, and the Lady...?"

Thalia Maelstrom · Post by **Thalia Maelstrom** » Sun Dec 28, 2008 3:41 pm

Perching easily on the edge of the barstool, she drew her legs underneath the smaller seat and nodded with poised grace, yet dancing eyes at her nonchalant escort.

"I'm still enjoying the lingering taste of the wine I just finished, thank you though."

Aswell as the taste of my foot in my mouth that seems to go with it.

Thalia still inwardly chided herself for revealing so much to Shea. There was time for that in another place, however, she reminded herself and turned all her attention to the bartender. She wondered how one managed to have color in their beard, and not on their head. The impetuous woman caught herself before she asked it out loud and cleared her throat softly instead.

Taking note of Shea's easy tactics and manner she decided to just be the looks of this operation and gave the man cleaning cups a sweet smile. A winning, respectful, yet boarding on the edge of a flirty inviting smile. She had been trained will for society by her tutors and knew how to look the part...most of the time

Shea Artrien · Post by **Shea Artrien** » Thu Jan 01, 2009 4:43 pm

Appreciating the lady's smile himself, Shea said, "A glass of water for the lass, just in case then. Can't have folk who aren't drinking at the bar, now can we?"

The dark-haired swordsman then added, a bit more quietly and conspiritorially, "And while you're saving our parched throats from eternal thirst, perhaps you could aid us in another matter as well."

"We're looking for three men, who may or may not be hanging about together...dockworkers, for the most part, going by the names Frank Poundwright, Damon Ryot, and Sorihn ...somethingorother..." Shea's eyebrow arched up as he chuckled.

When in doubt, stick as much to the truth as you can without giving yourself completely away. Fewer lies to remember that way. Granted, lie in a pinch if need be...but I don't think that's necessary just yet.

"I was told that they might be willing to give me a shot at some work out on the docks...the lady and I have been doing the rounds looking for them, and for the life o' me, we haven't been able to find any of them. I'm starting to think they might not exist at all. Any chance you might know them? 'Could be a small finders fee involved..."

Haikan · Post by **Haikan** » Fri Jan 02, 2009 4:47 pm

"'Ight, I cen do thut." The man was missing a few teeth, and he had an extremely thick accent that implied immigration from a faraway place. He set down the mug, filled their drinks and then leaned against the bar, for ease of conversation.

"Well, I 'ere thut Damun kid got a vendetta o' sorts on 'im. Sum people wants 'im dead. O' course, I can't out an' tell you who-" He raised his hand apparently in refusal. "-I dun care 'ow many crowns you offer, 'else they'd uh want me dead too, y'know? ... And.... That Frank feller, he works with a friend o' mine who goes by the name o' James Vassaille. He's a dockworker, so yuh, you'd get a job if ya found 'im probly." The bartender paused.

"I'm gonna need some compensatin' to jog my mem'ry if I's guna tell you 'bout Sorihn." His hand went from refusal, to an open palm face up on the counter.

Thalia Maelstrom · Post by **Thalia Maelstrom** » Sat Jan 03, 2009 3:56 pm

One fine eyebrow rose along with the corner of her mouth at the older man's easy transition from informative to trader. Sometimes she thought the best merchants her father ever dealt with were the bartenders he talked to. She straightened on the stool and turned her attention momentarily to Shea.

"Let me get the tip, darling, since you got the meal" She grinned at the simple endearment that rolled off her lips, her eyes giving him a almost sarcastic mock of a doe eyed look. She figured she should show some sign of them being close since they had basically given the idea that they were together looking for these men. A couple was less suspicious.

Reaching down to the edge of her finally dry bodice and slipped two fingers underneath the edge of the material to seek out a few coins she had in the hem of her bodice. A small goodbye present she had given herself when she left home. Pulling out a shining circlet with a slight ocean smell to it, she slipped it into the palm of their waiting informer. She tried not to openly cringe at the loss of the coin, she didnt have that much.

Maybe if we solve this case, there will be a reward...

"Perhaps this will help, and you can use half of it to maybe remember where we might find that Damon character aswell as Sorihn, since you didnt mention where he might be...dont worry, we dont want to know the people after him...just him." Her fingers slid slowly out of the man's palm where she had laid them for the moment, smiling prettily to the older man once more trying to lay on some charm. "Of course, only tell us what you can remember."

Shea Artrien · Post by **Shea Artrien** » Mon Jan 05, 2009 3:35 am

Shea simply smiled back adoringly at Thalia, surprised at the ease to which she had entered the bartering arena.

She's a natural at this. Perhaps my luck has indeed turned...

"As you wish, my dear." The swordsman leaned slightly forward on his stool, towards his female companion, his hand rising to rest on the small of her back in a familiar, yet hardly lewd manner.

Haikan · Post by **Haikan** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 5:56 am

"Well, the last thing I remember hearing about Damon - there's been rumors buzzin' about the kid, y'know - was that he was walking through a grungy part of town alongside a monk of the One. Don't know where they were headed, but you could probably find out if you looked around. There ain't too monstrous a number o' places for a monk to hang his hat, y'know." He stroked his beard and thought for a minute.

"Okay, yer goin' ta get yer money's werth. I'll tell ye all I know about Sorihn, but I'll say flatout, I ain't gots a damned clue where he may be, and noone probl'y does, save Navirez the dock-captain. I got reason to believe he's the only one who knows where to find im' when there's trouble in the seas." He turned to fill a cup with ale and he slid it down the bar to a thirsty mongrel at the far end. "Sorry 'bout that, runnin' a business, y'know."

"Anyway, Sorihn is a super hero. Word has it he's the best sword in Tazlure, noone can beat 'im. Nobody really knows what he looks like, cause he's a master of disguise too. He's appeared looking gruff and dark one day, and the next time ye see him, he's fair an' all diplomatic lookin'. Nobody knows his real looks as I said. It's better that way, 'cause plenty o' people want him dead. Y'see, Navirez has some enemies, and the harbor and the Mer have been threatened by plenty o' bad folk over the yahren. I ain't got the right to tell ye who if I mind to keep my head, but I'll just say that when they hear the name Sorihn, they turn tail and flee like swine from an Isle Cat." He snorted and spit in a black pot that rested under the counter.

"Aye, he's ne'er been beat, and if ye find him, ye better have a reason to speak to him cause he's a well sought-after feller, and none too many are lucky enough to know 'im."

Thalia Maelstrom · Post by **Thalia Maelstrom** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 7:47 pm

Thalia tried not to jump as she felt Shea's fingers rest lightly on her lower back and smiled coyly in response, barely managing to keep from blushing. The blush was easy to dispel, however, as she listened to the older gentleman retail his information.

"Roque's ever face changing super hero? I think I might have wasted a circlet..."

She made her eyebrows rest back down from the climb they had made as the bartender relayed his facts. Apparently out of all the people in Roque, they had been assigned to find the three most unlikely. A legend, a possibly to be recruited monk, and a dock worker that the dock master couldnt find when they were asked to find him.

"Thank you, sir, for telling us what you know...Im sure we'll find a use for the information, I know it cost you alot to remember all that. What do you think, darling?" Thalia turned to Shea brushing an escaped tendril of hair from her face and hoping the sarcasm that was trying to escape her mouth right now could be as easily swallowed as the wine she had earlier.

Shea Artrien · Post by **Shea Artrien** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 7:55 pm

Shea nodded diplomatically as the bartender ran through the names and his bartered knowledge of their whereabouts, though he arched an eyebrow with interest at the description of Master Sorihn.

I like that. It rings of style and class...Sounds like my kind of fellow. He's definitely someone I need to meet.

"Why I believe this gentleman has been more than fair with us, my dear." he said with a small smirk, slowly turning his gaze to Thalia's long neck. His stare moved slowly up past her full lips and high cheekbones to her eyes with the caress of a lover, then casually flickered over to the bartender, as if slightly disinterested.

"I'll add only this. If you would be so kind, sir, should you happen upon any of these men, to inform them that we would be delighted to make their aquaintance? Perhaps, you could toss them toward this Navirez fellow's office?"

Quietly, Shea murmured to Thalia that they should be leaving, leaning in so his lips were near her ear, and the pleasant smell of her hair graced his nostrils. Another glance to the barman and he added, "As for names, tell them...the Griffin and the Mermaid were looking for them, eh?

Thalia Maelstrom · Post by **Thalia Maelstrom** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 11:18 pm

Thalia froze as she felt the light tickling of Shea's breath on her ear and nodded dumbly in response to his comment of leaving. She didnt think she could keep up the pretense of them being a couple much longer. Even as an act, Thalia wasnt used to so much personal attention, and hadnt she just left that option behind her in King's Court? If she blushed, shivered, or reacted to this charming man one more time today she was going to have to slap herself. Thankfully, she blinked out of the stupor his intimate move had placed her in at the sound of the nicknames Shea had given them.

" I'll never live down this whole mermaid thing...."

She turned, nodding farewell to the barman and thanking him again for his efforts, as she slid off the stool to leave. straightening away from the bartender's direction, she raised an eyebrow at Shea giving him a small smirk and questioning gaze. She stood close to him in what would look like an intimate move as she whispered her own thoughts on the matter. Though she herself pointedly ignored how handsome he was looking from this close an angle.

"I think our best bet is to head back for the docks....Griffin?" She put an edge to the last word, raising it to an obvious question.

Shea Artrien · Post by **Shea Artrien** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 5:38 am

He reached for Thalia's elbow, seeking to guide her away from the bar and towards the door. An all-is-right-with-the-world-because-I'm-in-it-grin was etched across his face as they moved and he quietly mused, "Aye, the Griffin. Though more importantly, you're the Mermaid for now."

Shea's tone was far from the passionate companion his body language portrayed. His words were matter of fact and offered in a manner that considered the beauty at his side an equal partner in this venture.

"One, if we're to interest this Sorihn fellow enough for him to meet with us, then as he is obviously a man of overly dramatic tastes, then necessity states that we need be dramatic as well. Shea and Thalia are simple names and hardly ones to raise a 'hero's' brow." Shea's hazel eyes wandered slightly more into the green range than the usual brown, a sure sign of his full concentration on the matters at hand.

When they reached the door, Shea held the portal open wide for the coppery-haired lady beside him, still maintaining the close positioning that would endow an image of a couple of lovers to anyone watching the duo within the tavern.

"Two," he continued calmly, "You have already expressed the desire to keep your identity to yourself...I thought perhaps you might prefer to add yet another layer of camoflage to your path, rather than to toss your own title about yet again."

Stepping outside, a bit more smugly he added, "And besides, this way, its more...fun."

Thalia Maelstrom · Post by **Thalia Maelstrom** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 6:25 pm

Thalia almost shook her head at the amazing transformation Shea was able to make from the act for the bartender to the easy manner with which he relayed their plan of action.

"There's a much sharper mind under that demeanor then he lets on...how can you not admire that...though I wonder why he hasnt used that to his advantage...almost anyone else would have pushed their way through the masses to the top by now, right? Maybe there's something wrong with him?" In a world usually based on getting the best by any means, it was hard to believe that there might be those like him, that were actually more good then greedy. Somewhere there was a temple she should probably thank the gods for pairing her up with someone like him at the most confusing moment, so far, in her new life. She pondered on that, half listening to him as she let him lead her easily to the door and escort her out in a gentlemanly fashion and waited till they stood outside the door of the informative inn before replying.

"Tis a smart plan, I agree, but from the sounds of it, we're not going to find this hero Sorihn easily, even without the so called ability to change his features." She turned in the hold Shea had on her elbow, looking back towards the closing door of the inn and the bartender fading in the shadows of the shutting edge. "Perhaps the keeper there had been sampling his wares...." Her questioning gaze turned back up to knightly rogue before her, turning to face him more, her arm slipping out of his grasp.

She left the thought unanswered and turned her attention back to the matter at hand, her head tilting to one side as she grinned up to her former fake lover and now partner in mystery. " Unless you know of any other place we could find what we need, it sounds as if our best bet it back at the docks. If that's where that Frank fellow works, someone is bound to know him enough to lead us to him, right? Shall we pretend to be dreams from the Aether realms to get the information this time?"

Shea Artrien · Post by **Shea Artrien** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 9:06 pm

"Aye, finding Sorihn will likely be no easy task, which is why we'll be leaving our names about, so that hopefully he will be end up seeking us out." Shea explained quietly, moving slowly away from the tavern door, obviously enamored with his plan.

"The barkeep may have indeed been imbibing his own goods, but he's at least explained a bit of the mystery of our mysterious Quinlan Corodin. You remember that James told us to refer to him solely as Sorihn? He's obviously working hard at building up this dual identity, and simply letting rumor and gossip take care of the rest." the swordsman chuckled, "Master of disguise, indeed."

The dark-haired sailor gave a small sigh of satisfaction, liking the thrill of the chase, insignificant as it was in this instance. "You've a good idea about the Docks, my dear. Like as not, we may find clues to at least one if not all of these men, there. Besides, it beats trying to seek out a single undescribed Monk in the temple district."

Shea gave Thalia a quick wink, gestured in the general direction of the docks and said, "Shall we?"

(OOC: Perhaps we should head over to the Dock thread that Frank has set up?)

Thalia Maelstrom · Post by **Thalia Maelstrom** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 12:43 am

Smokey dark green eyes watched with amusement as Shea's attention slipped deeper and deeper into his own musings of achievement and Thalia smiled to see the cogs in his head that happy to work hard. She didnt ever answer anything he said, just grabbed his lower arm so he wouldnt get lost as they threaded through the crowds and tugged him lightly towards the Waterwork's direction.

Haikan · Post by **Haikan** » Thu Jan 15, 2009 3:52 pm

Locked for skilling.