The party arrives in Loch Bien without incident, with plenty of time to spare before the centennial festivities.
After the first day there, spent completing the enchantment for Dima, Fae begins to act particularly cagey.
On the second day, he leaves the inn early, making mention only that he has to see to an errand.
<.>
Dima would like please to ask Faolan if everything's all right, if he can catch him before Fae slips off.
<.>
Faolan is behaving in such a manner that one might believe he's avoiding Dima; if Dima happens along in time, he'll see Fae slip out of his room and hurry to leave before any run-ins occur.
<.>
Fae.
Dima is casting Message.
And asking, [ Faolan, what is it? I'd like to help. ]
<.>
Fae falters in his step, looks back guardedly, and replies, [ There's nothing to help with. I'll be back later. ]
<.>
He doesn't like this caginess. He does take a step forward, extending his hand cautiously. [ Where are you going.
Fae— It is hazardous here. If anything happens, I—
I'd like to know where you are. We need to be able to find you. ]
<.>
Faolan looks almost pityingly at Dima, though it might be more self-directed. [ I lived here half my life. I know the risks. ]
He looks at the hand extended, back up again, and shakes his head. [ It's just something I have to do. It's not anything - ]
He huffs, looking away. [ It's why I'm here. Why I was coming here.
Just wait for me, can't you? ] This last has some frustration in his tone, speaking of an underlying anxiety he isn't showing. Without waiting for a response, he turns and trots off - carefully not looking back.
<.>
Something feels awry, though Dima can't quite tell whether Faolan is uneasy, or whether it's only that Dima doesn't care for being left in the dark. (He doesn't know what to make of the pity in that look; he tries not to think about it.)
He does know that Faolan has - of course he has - the right to tend to his own affairs. That Dima can't claim hold of all of Faolan's endeavors, and he takes one more step, lowering his hand as Faolan disappears. Standing where he is, wanting to follow Faolan—
But that'd be ill-advised. He has to trust the man. He has to trust he'll handle himself— Oh, of course Faolan can handle himself.
Dima does send one last Message after Fae: [ I'll be here.
When you return— Let me know. Please. ]
<.>
Sen strolls up behind Dima with his head cocked at the retreating form of their druid. Before Fae turns a corner, he drawls, "Well, if you aren't going to follow him, I will."
<.>
The look Dima shoots Sen is a mingling of irritation, disdain, and more than a little bit of wariness. "Why in shit's name would I - let alone you - do that?”
<.>
Sen regards Dima for a beat, then replies, "Usually, when someone doesn't want me following them, that's precisely when I find it most informative to do so."
<.>
He understands the sentiment.
Or he would, if the someone in question wasn't Faolan.
There's a slight tick of Dima's lip before he responds, "Fae can take care of himself."
<.>
Sen considers a moment more, then shrugs and turns back to the inn. "Suit yourself. I'm sure tonight's conversation over supper will prove illuminating."
<.>
Dima whirls around, moving toward Sen in a sudden fit of assertion, reaching for his shoulder: "Don't you dare follow him." Oh, Sen looks as though he means to head back to the inn; Dima doesn't trust that for a moment.
And. After silence has almost settled: "Do you know where he's going."
<.>
Sen takes a step back from Dima's reach with a look of perturbation. "Of course I don't. Why would he tell me if he wouldn't tell you?"
<.>
"He wouldn't. I wouldn't expect him to. What wouldn't surprise in the least would be to find you've been rifling through his possessions, or tailing him since we first arrived."
While this is happening, Rin is in fact going to attempt to slip past them and begin following Fae. Since they followed Sen and heard his proposal and it is a little weird that's Faolan's been quiet and where's he even got to go? If nothing else, Rin's curious. And they're going to Message Sen, [ I'm on ittt ] as they attempt to stealth past and stealth-follow Faolan.
<.>
Sen lets this insult pass without reply. Instead, he says, "If you want to know where he's going, perhaps you ought to ask him. Or did you do that already?"
To Rin, he sends an encouraging, [ There's my Pretty Rin. ]
Rin is able to catch up relatively quickly to Faolan's trail; he makes his way through the grey, craggy city as though he knows not only the layout, but precisely where he's going. A turn down a busy street leads toward the wealthier parts of Loch Bien - Cloud Pass and the Castle Ward. He takes no notice of Rin, and eventually he finds his way to a large set of gates; they stand open, and here, he stops, looking both apprehensive and guilty.
Faolan looks down at his shoes, then at his hand as though seeking something important - then breathes and sets his jaw. He attempts to square his shoulders, but there's a faint heaviness to them. He looks like a man trudging towards an unwanted outcome.
He passes through the gates into a public garden, its pathways lined with evergreen topiary and faded flowers. The garden stretches about half a city block, ending abruptly at a low stone wall and ocean overlook.
Nobility strolls here and there; some of them spot Faolan and sneer; one woman looks infuriated and quickens her pace, steering her husband away. Faolan's shoulders bow a little more.
Near the overlook, a finely-dressed man stands talking with a much older woman who, upon spying Faolan, clears her throat and excuses herself - though it appears Faolan's target is the nobleman. The latter grins, steps toward him, and settles a familiar hand on his arm. Faolan doesn't reciprocate the gesture; they speak in tones too low to be heard.
<.>
Back at the inn, Dima looks - is - discomforted by Sen's question. It isn't that he suspects Faolan of ill intent (the thought - perhaps strangely for Dmitri - never crosses his mind); it's that he doubts whether he ought to have allowed the man to slip away. Thinks perhaps he ought to have been more persistent, and however well Faolan knows this city, however well he's navigated it in the past, the fact is that they may all be under a particularly sharp watch by Calabra and his retinue, and opportunists are liable to snipe at a target apart from its group.
Dmitri's begun staring at a point beyond Sen. He's flexing his fingers, again, again, again.
And finally he curses, glares at the inn, at the street, then shakes his head and starts striding off in the direction Fae traveled. "We aren't going to sneak after him.
"He can see us coming. Ward us off if he likes.
"It isn't safe to be wandering alone. Fuck.”
It is also very possible that Faolan's gone too far already to be found, but Dima's going to try, anyway, bringing Liviana - after casting Invisibility on her - as well, and signaling for Sen to follow.
[PERC, d: 20; by the time Dima decides to chase Faolan, his trail has grown too cold. However, Sen, being the stellar poker player we know he is, keeps looking off after Rin, and it's easy enough to get him to admit Rin followed Fae.]
Rin has only visited Loch Bien once or twice. They never could get into the whole atmosphere of the place, and it just hasn't been on their radar very much. Still, navigating cities comes easily to them, and they're able to follow Faolan while taking in some scope of this place. They follow Faolan through the gates. They even manage not to slip their hand into anyone's pocket— Yet. On the way out, all bets are off!
They're going to position themself beside some shrubbery, moving as close to Faolan and this shit-eating man as they can while keeping in cover, and they're going to pick up what they can from the conversation.
[questions for rin! Do they recognize the man at all? What does Fae's body language tell them? Can they hear anything from the convo?
answers! Rin doesn't recognize the man with Faolan, and Fae's body language says only that he's ashamed of something.
Rin can only hear snatches of the conversation: "-don't do that kind of thing anymore -" "-a conversation, somewhere more sec-" "-your conversations go -" "-*said* you wanted my help, Fell -"
q: what does the man look like? a: The man is around Dima's age, maybe a little older, with greying hair. He's gone soft with age, but still retains his good looks. His clothes are typical of the nobility here: warm, fur-trimmed, elegant. He's clearly very familiar with Faolan.]
Dima is both angry with Sen and Rin, and relieved that at least someone will be near him. Given that they have no real way of locating the druid and rogue, Dmitri will suggest returning to the inn, following a path that will take them through areas of Loch Bien likely to be abuzz with travelers and city citizens, on the off chance of hearing anything of interest, and keeping an eye out for anyone Dima might recognize.
He might just be trying to distract himself from a growing sense of unease.
Rin is committing to memory the words they can catch, as well as the stranger's overall appearance (they're not so good with faces, but they can usually keep a solid general idea, and they are very good at recognizing clothing). They do mouth 'Fell?' when the man speaks it, or speaks what sounds like 'Fell.'
For the moment, they're going to keep quiet and keep still, listening for anything further.
If Faolan begins to move, they'll attempt to follow.
<.>
Whatever the nature of the conversation, it appears that Faolan is seeking help for something, and the nobleman is requesting something in return. Faolan clearly says 'no' several times, only to be met with a patronizing smile and, finally, a hand touching his cheek in a way that causes him to jerk his head away.
The nobleman laughs about this.
Rin can clearly hear him say, "Fell. A drink. What harm will it do, hm?" before steering a resigned (defeated) Faolan towards the garden gates.
<.>
Rin, feeling like maybe they really shouldn’t follow, and remember also that they had promised themself some thefting, opts to try picking a few pockets before leaving the area.
[d20 roll, r: 6 Rin managed to pickpocket: 1. A preserved human ear. 2. A small wooden comb. 3. An elven arrowhead. 4. "A small carefully painted lead figurine of a human warrior with sword and shield" a tin rin 5. A Jade brooch 6. A very strange ring that seems to hum with magical energy.
and after one further roll— They managed to pick one more pocket on the way back to the inn, and what they turned up was a glass owl. This too seems to hum with magical energy.]
...Rin is going to tap the skeleton key against the owl and the ring, then give it a turn in the ear.
[dm: nothing happens as neither of these are a lock]
Rin headed back to the inn to share their findings with Sen.
They would have told Dima only that they lost track of Faolan, which isn't noT true, and that he seemed to be sticking within the city anyway.
They would have told Sen precisely what they saw.
[q: Would rin like sen to cast Identify? a: rin would!
The owl is, as it turns out, a Serpentine Owl.]
RIN IS VERY EXCITED. But and. Is going to ask Sen if he would like it, since they have Curio and it seems very unfair that Sen doesn't have some kind of pet-like creature. And they know Sen would put it to good use!
<.>
Sen has Mykola.
…Who would like the jade brooch, in fact, and without Sen realizing it, is going to attempt to steal it. With one of Sen's hands.
[mykola: 25 PERC, r: 25
Rin notices Sen's hand slooooowly palming the jade brooch.]
Sen is in the process of inspecting the ring and takes no notice of this.
<.>
Rin just, "Mykola!! Hey!" Just going to gently try to swat that hand. "You have to ask first!"
"When you steal from friends it is important to ask.”
<.>
Sen looks startled, staring at Rin and then staring at the hand they swatted. He watches as it curls into a slow fist, then turns palm up in silent plea.
"I say this with all the eloquence of my soul: this is fucking weird."
<.>
Rin looks at Sen's hand. Looks at Sen. "Did you feel it move at all?"
And, speaking to Sen's hand: "Myka, this seems an awful lot like joyriding. >:/" They're going to take the brooch and hold it up. "You can have this, but only if Sen says it's okay."
<.>
"Not even a little," he murmurs, flexing his hand and finding it's...under his control, but also under Mykola's. It returns to the palm-up pleading position and he shrugs. It's not the worst thing, really.
"They can have it tomorrow. A sort of penalty for stealing and getting caught."
There's a pause, and then his fingers begin to curl into a fist again - with one exception. He snorts. "Look, they're speaking shithead."
<.>
Rin flicks Sen's hand off in returning, grinning. "That seems very fair to me!
"Mykola, maybe if you work with Sen, you'll have a little more luck. That was a pretty good attempt, but you'll maybe do better if you don't have to hide from Sen and whoever you're stealing from.
"Which, by the way, should not be me. >:c"
Rin puts the brooch into the Bag Of Holding, where it can be retrieved for Mykola tomorrow and no sooner!
<.>
Sen uses his last remaining spell slot to cast Identify on the ring Rin found and starts to laugh hysterically.
<.>
"Sen what IS it?? :o?"
<.>
He hands the ring back and says, "Give that to Dima sometime."
"It'll be worth the not-knowing. I swear."
<.>
Rin doesn't think twice; if Sen says to give it to Dima, they figure they'll find out the meaning soon enough. And they do like a surprise. So they wink at Sen and the ring goes into their pocket. "Slip it onto his finger of just hand it to him very 'Please Dmitri what does this do'?"
<.>
"Put it on him, lie to him, don't let him try to sort out for you what it does or he won't put it on."
<.>
Rin likes this; it's a nice little maybe-challenge, and they nod. "Then so it will be!"
[q: is there anything Rin or maybe Sen if Sen looks would notice about the other items? slash does Sen want to keep any? a: Sen's pretty content just to look and see how much Rin's enjoying. TBH probably went out pickpocketing, as well.]
8) Loch Bien: Complications, Concerns, and— Frogs?
After the first day there, spent completing the enchantment for Dima, Fae begins to act particularly cagey.
On the second day, he leaves the inn early, making mention only that he has to see to an errand.
<.>
Dima would like please to ask Faolan if everything's all right, if he can catch him before Fae slips off.
<.>
Faolan is behaving in such a manner that one might believe he's avoiding Dima; if Dima happens along in time, he'll see Fae slip out of his room and hurry to leave before any run-ins occur.
<.>
Fae.
Dima is casting Message.
And asking, [ Faolan, what is it? I'd like to help. ]
<.>
Fae falters in his step, looks back guardedly, and replies, [ There's nothing to help with. I'll be back later. ]
<.>
He doesn't like this caginess. He does take a step forward, extending his hand cautiously. [ Where are you going.
Fae— It is hazardous here. If anything happens, I—
I'd like to know where you are. We need to be able to find you. ]
<.>
Faolan looks almost pityingly at Dima, though it might be more self-directed. [ I lived here half my life. I know the risks. ]
He looks at the hand extended, back up again, and shakes his head. [ It's just something I have to do. It's not anything - ]
He huffs, looking away. [ It's why I'm here. Why I was coming here.
Just wait for me, can't you? ] This last has some frustration in his tone, speaking of an underlying anxiety he isn't showing. Without waiting for a response, he turns and trots off - carefully not looking back.
<.>
Something feels awry, though Dima can't quite tell whether Faolan is uneasy, or whether it's only that Dima doesn't care for being left in the dark. (He doesn't know what to make of the pity in that look; he tries not to think about it.)
He does know that Faolan has - of course he has - the right to tend to his own affairs. That Dima can't claim hold of all of Faolan's endeavors, and he takes one more step, lowering his hand as Faolan disappears. Standing where he is, wanting to follow Faolan—
But that'd be ill-advised. He has to trust the man. He has to trust he'll handle himself— Oh, of course Faolan can handle himself.
Dima does send one last Message after Fae: [ I'll be here.
When you return— Let me know. Please. ]
<.>
Sen strolls up behind Dima with his head cocked at the retreating form of their druid. Before Fae turns a corner, he drawls, "Well, if you aren't going to follow him, I will."
<.>
The look Dima shoots Sen is a mingling of irritation, disdain, and more than a little bit of wariness. "Why in shit's name would I - let alone you - do that?”
<.>
Sen regards Dima for a beat, then replies, "Usually, when someone doesn't want me following them, that's precisely when I find it most informative to do so."
<.>
He understands the sentiment.
Or he would, if the someone in question wasn't Faolan.
There's a slight tick of Dima's lip before he responds, "Fae can take care of himself."
<.>
Sen considers a moment more, then shrugs and turns back to the inn. "Suit yourself. I'm sure tonight's conversation over supper will prove illuminating."
<.>
Dima whirls around, moving toward Sen in a sudden fit of assertion, reaching for his shoulder: "Don't you dare follow him." Oh, Sen looks as though he means to head back to the inn; Dima doesn't trust that for a moment.
And. After silence has almost settled: "Do you know where he's going."
<.>
Sen takes a step back from Dima's reach with a look of perturbation. "Of course I don't. Why would he tell me if he wouldn't tell you?"
<.>
"He wouldn't. I wouldn't expect him to. What wouldn't surprise in the least would be to find you've been rifling through his possessions, or tailing him since we first arrived."
While this is happening, Rin is in fact going to attempt to slip past them and begin following Fae. Since they followed Sen and heard his proposal and it is a little weird that's Faolan's been quiet and where's he even got to go? If nothing else, Rin's curious. And they're going to Message Sen, [ I'm on ittt ] as they attempt to stealth past and stealth-follow Faolan.
<.>
Sen lets this insult pass without reply. Instead, he says, "If you want to know where he's going, perhaps you ought to ask him. Or did you do that already?"
To Rin, he sends an encouraging, [ There's my Pretty Rin. ]
Rin is able to catch up relatively quickly to Faolan's trail; he makes his way through the grey, craggy city as though he knows not only the layout, but precisely where he's going. A turn down a busy street leads toward the wealthier parts of Loch Bien - Cloud Pass and the Castle Ward. He takes no notice of Rin, and eventually he finds his way to a large set of gates; they stand open, and here, he stops, looking both apprehensive and guilty.
Faolan looks down at his shoes, then at his hand as though seeking something important - then breathes and sets his jaw. He attempts to square his shoulders, but there's a faint heaviness to them. He looks like a man trudging towards an unwanted outcome.
He passes through the gates into a public garden, its pathways lined with evergreen topiary and faded flowers. The garden stretches about half a city block, ending abruptly at a low stone wall and ocean overlook.
Nobility strolls here and there; some of them spot Faolan and sneer; one woman looks infuriated and quickens her pace, steering her husband away. Faolan's shoulders bow a little more.
Near the overlook, a finely-dressed man stands talking with a much older woman who, upon spying Faolan, clears her throat and excuses herself - though it appears Faolan's target is the nobleman. The latter grins, steps toward him, and settles a familiar hand on his arm. Faolan doesn't reciprocate the gesture; they speak in tones too low to be heard.
<.>
Back at the inn, Dima looks - is - discomforted by Sen's question. It isn't that he suspects Faolan of ill intent (the thought - perhaps strangely for Dmitri - never crosses his mind); it's that he doubts whether he ought to have allowed the man to slip away. Thinks perhaps he ought to have been more persistent, and however well Faolan knows this city, however well he's navigated it in the past, the fact is that they may all be under a particularly sharp watch by Calabra and his retinue, and opportunists are liable to snipe at a target apart from its group.
Dmitri's begun staring at a point beyond Sen. He's flexing his fingers, again, again, again.
And finally he curses, glares at the inn, at the street, then shakes his head and starts striding off in the direction Fae traveled. "We aren't going to sneak after him.
"He can see us coming. Ward us off if he likes.
"It isn't safe to be wandering alone. Fuck.”
It is also very possible that Faolan's gone too far already to be found, but Dima's going to try, anyway, bringing Liviana - after casting Invisibility on her - as well, and signaling for Sen to follow.
[PERC, d: 20; by the time Dima decides to chase Faolan, his trail has grown too cold. However, Sen, being the stellar poker player we know he is, keeps looking off after Rin, and it's easy enough to get him to admit Rin followed Fae.]
Rin has only visited Loch Bien once or twice. They never could get into the whole atmosphere of the place, and it just hasn't been on their radar very much. Still, navigating cities comes easily to them, and they're able to follow Faolan while taking in some scope of this place. They follow Faolan through the gates. They even manage not to slip their hand into anyone's pocket— Yet. On the way out, all bets are off!
They're going to position themself beside some shrubbery, moving as close to Faolan and this shit-eating man as they can while keeping in cover, and they're going to pick up what they can from the conversation.
[questions for rin!
Do they recognize the man at all?
What does Fae's body language tell them?
Can they hear anything from the convo?
answers!
Rin doesn't recognize the man with Faolan, and Fae's body language says only that he's ashamed of something.
Rin can only hear snatches of the conversation:
"-don't do that kind of thing anymore -"
"-a conversation, somewhere more sec-"
"-your conversations go -"
"-*said* you wanted my help, Fell -"
q: what does the man look like?
a: The man is around Dima's age, maybe a little older, with greying hair. He's gone soft with age, but still retains his good looks. His clothes are typical of the nobility here: warm, fur-trimmed, elegant. He's clearly very familiar with Faolan.]
Dima is both angry with Sen and Rin, and relieved that at least someone will be near him. Given that they have no real way of locating the druid and rogue, Dmitri will suggest returning to the inn, following a path that will take them through areas of Loch Bien likely to be abuzz with travelers and city citizens, on the off chance of hearing anything of interest, and keeping an eye out for anyone Dima might recognize.
He might just be trying to distract himself from a growing sense of unease.
Rin is committing to memory the words they can catch, as well as the stranger's overall appearance (they're not so good with faces, but they can usually keep a solid general idea, and they are very good at recognizing clothing). They do mouth 'Fell?' when the man speaks it, or speaks what sounds like 'Fell.'
For the moment, they're going to keep quiet and keep still, listening for anything further.
If Faolan begins to move, they'll attempt to follow.
<.>
Whatever the nature of the conversation, it appears that Faolan is seeking help for something, and the nobleman is requesting something in return. Faolan clearly says 'no' several times, only to be met with a patronizing smile and, finally, a hand touching his cheek in a way that causes him to jerk his head away.
The nobleman laughs about this.
Rin can clearly hear him say, "Fell. A drink. What harm will it do, hm?" before steering a resigned (defeated) Faolan towards the garden gates.
<.>
Rin, feeling like maybe they really shouldn’t follow, and remember also that they had promised themself some thefting, opts to try picking a few pockets before leaving the area.
[d20 roll, r: 6
Rin managed to pickpocket:
1. A preserved human ear.
2. A small wooden comb.
3. An elven arrowhead.
4. "A small carefully painted lead figurine of a human warrior with sword and shield" a tin rin
5. A Jade brooch
6. A very strange ring that seems to hum with magical energy.
and after one further roll—
They managed to pick one more pocket on the way back to the inn, and what they turned up was a glass owl. This too seems to hum with magical energy.]
...Rin is going to tap the skeleton key against the owl and the ring, then give it a turn in the ear.
[dm: nothing happens as neither of these are a lock]
Rin headed back to the inn to share their findings with Sen.
They would have told Dima only that they lost track of Faolan, which isn't noT true, and that he seemed to be sticking within the city anyway.
They would have told Sen precisely what they saw.
[q: Would rin like sen to cast Identify?
a: rin would!
The owl is, as it turns out, a Serpentine Owl.]
RIN IS VERY EXCITED. But and. Is going to ask Sen if he would like it, since they have Curio and it seems very unfair that Sen doesn't have some kind of pet-like creature. And they know Sen would put it to good use!
<.>
Sen has Mykola.
…Who would like the jade brooch, in fact, and without Sen realizing it, is going to attempt to steal it. With one of Sen's hands.
[mykola: 25
PERC, r: 25
Rin notices Sen's hand slooooowly palming the jade brooch.]
Sen is in the process of inspecting the ring and takes no notice of this.
<.>
Rin just, "Mykola!! Hey!" Just going to gently try to swat that hand. "You have to ask first!"
"When you steal from friends it is important to ask.”
<.>
Sen looks startled, staring at Rin and then staring at the hand they swatted. He watches as it curls into a slow fist, then turns palm up in silent plea.
"I say this with all the eloquence of my soul: this is fucking weird."
<.>
Rin looks at Sen's hand. Looks at Sen. "Did you feel it move at all?"
And, speaking to Sen's hand: "Myka, this seems an awful lot like joyriding. >:/" They're going to take the brooch and hold it up. "You can have this, but only if Sen says it's okay."
<.>
"Not even a little," he murmurs, flexing his hand and finding it's...under his control, but also under Mykola's. It returns to the palm-up pleading position and he shrugs. It's not the worst thing, really.
"They can have it tomorrow. A sort of penalty for stealing and getting caught."
There's a pause, and then his fingers begin to curl into a fist again - with one exception. He snorts. "Look, they're speaking shithead."
<.>
Rin flicks Sen's hand off in returning, grinning. "That seems very fair to me!
"Mykola, maybe if you work with Sen, you'll have a little more luck. That was a pretty good attempt, but you'll maybe do better if you don't have to hide from Sen and whoever you're stealing from.
"Which, by the way, should not be me. >:c"
Rin puts the brooch into the Bag Of Holding, where it can be retrieved for Mykola tomorrow and no sooner!
<.>
Sen uses his last remaining spell slot to cast Identify on the ring Rin found and starts to laugh hysterically.
<.>
"Sen what IS it?? :o?"
<.>
He hands the ring back and says, "Give that to Dima sometime."
"It'll be worth the not-knowing. I swear."
<.>
Rin doesn't think twice; if Sen says to give it to Dima, they figure they'll find out the meaning soon enough. And they do like a surprise. So they wink at Sen and the ring goes into their pocket. "Slip it onto his finger of just hand it to him very 'Please Dmitri what does this do'?"
<.>
"Put it on him, lie to him, don't let him try to sort out for you what it does or he won't put it on."
<.>
Rin likes this; it's a nice little maybe-challenge, and they nod. "Then so it will be!"
[q: is there anything Rin or maybe Sen if Sen looks would notice about the other items? slash does Sen want to keep any?
a: Sen's pretty content just to look and see how much Rin's enjoying. TBH probably went out pickpocketing, as well.]
<.>