To Catch a Thief (Job Thread)

by **Yisanareysin** on February 1st, 2015, 3:22 pm

31st of Winter, 514 AV

The Dhani woke slowly over a matter of chimes, lethargically slithering out of the ball he had curled up into during the night. Pulling the blanket over his upper half, Rey shifted back into his human form, whining when his newly transformed feet touched the cold cave floor. Scooting onto the bed, Rey sighed.

He was going to have to start sleeping in his human form. The cold-bloodedness of his snake and Dhani forms made cold Alvadas nights nigh unbearable. He had never missed Eyktol, and the dry, pervasive heat as much as he did just then.

Opening the chest at the foot of the bed, Rey began to pull on his clothes, then paused. There was something whiteish on the ground just in front of the door. His first thought was that it was the scrap of paper he'd "found" last season, but that couldn't be it. He'd copied the gibberish on it down and then burned it.

Pulling on his boots, Rey padded over to the paper, and picked it up. His eyebrows raised when he realized it was a rather wordy message. The words "Papa Pots" showed up three times in quotations, so he assumed that was what this message was about. Why someone would send him a message about him, Rey had no idea.

It seemed these last few days, Papa Pots, and his ceramics had become the biggest news in Alvadas. Anytime he went down to eat all he heard was people marveling over them. From what Rey had gathered, Papa Pots had come out of nowhere, selling bowls and jars and all kinds of pottery. That itself would have been nothing of note, except his pottery gleamed.

To hear people talk, the pots either "glimmer with a soft, gentle light, like the reflection of the sun in the water" or "SHINE LIKE LETH'S PETCHING CHEEKS" (the accompanying gesture had made it abundantly clear which cheeks the man was talking about. Why those areas were called cheeks, Rey had no idea). He'd yet to see one for himself, but he had to admit, it sounded impressive. Still, that was all he knew about Papa Pots.

Perhaps this message would shed some light. Or, more likely, bring up more questions. Settling down on the bed, Rey began to read.

Snake Tongue : Common : Arumenic

by **Yisanareysin** on February 8th, 2015, 8:01 pm

The Letter :

Rey lay back on the bed, considering the sheet of paper in his hand. Despite every third word being nonsense to him, he'd gotten the general gist of the message. Papa Pots had stolen the idea for glowing glaze from this J.R. and his assistants (that was what "associates" meant, right?), and now J.R. wanted proof that Pots had stolen this idea.

Unless "evidence" was code word for blackmail? That wasn't exactly unheard of in this line of work. Well, he'd figure it out later. First, he had to figure out how he was going to approach this job. How could he prove someone had stolen an idea?

Torture was probably out of the question, so it'd have to be something else, like a confession from an accomplice, or maybe something incriminating Pots' had written or whatever. Still, Rey had nowhere even close to enough information for him to make any sort of educated guess as to what that something else might be.

In truth, Rey had been sort of avoiding the crowds recently for the very reason that he had been sick of hearing about these pots. That had been a mistake, it seemed. That was something he should keep in mind for later: any piece of information or gossip, however inane it might seem, could come in handy later. If he had been paying attention when talk of Pots' had first begun... well, too late now. All he could do was play catchup as best he could.

So, he'd have to do some basic information gathering first. Looking out the window, he saw it was midday, maybe around the eleventh bell or so. Crowds would be gathering for lunch, and bring with it all the day's gossip. He could stay in the Cave for now, mingle a little with those who seemed to know something. He could do the same over at the Cubeawhatsit inn at dinner, and then come back to the Cave right after. Between lunch and dinner... he supposed he could go see if those at the port had anything of interest to tell him. Sailors often had a lot to say, although the usefulness, and, well, truthfulness of their information was often doubtful.

Or, it suddenly occurred to him, he could go see what all the hype was about first hand. Perhaps actually observing this Papa Pots would give him some insight. Yes, that sounded like a good plan. With any luck he'd have a good idea of what to do by the end of the day. Or at least something to show for his efforts.

Snake Tongue : Common : Arumenic

by **Yisanareysin** on February 9th, 2015, 7:28 pm

Shrugging on his coat, Rey walked out of his room, and into the Cave's common area. The place was already half full, and there'd be more people coming in every chime, no doubt. Hopefully no one would start brawling this time.

He paused by the fire pit, ostensibly warming his hands, and took a look around the room. Micah was by the door, as usual. Korin was walking around the room with a jug of ale, making sure everyone's cup was full. There were a few lone people scattered around the room, but Rey preferred to have a larger group to hear from. In the back, two human looking men were sitting at a table together, talking with their heads close together. Probably best not to disturb them. There was a small crowd gathered around a storyteller (not Zeke, this time), but they'd be more engrossed in the story than in his questions.

That left two large groups in the center of the room. Grabbing a mug from a grumpy Korin, Rey strolled over to them in what he hoped was a casual manner. Settling down at a table between the groups, he sipped at his ale, trying to listen to each conversation in turn.

The group on his right was larger, and the conversation seemed kind of listless. Not ideal, really, but it'd do in a pinch. The smaller group, on the other hand, seemed to be engaged in some sort of heated debate. The conversation was too chaotic for him, with his less than stelar grasp of common, to figure out just what they were arguing about, but it didn't sound like it had anything to do with pots or shimmering or anything. The larger group it was.

Casually, Rey scooted his chair into the outskirts of the larger group. No one really paid him much mind, just moved over to make room. As the conversation wandered aimlessly, he stayed quiet, sipping at his mug and acting like he wasn't paying close attention, waiting for his chance to nudge the conversation where he wanted. It took some twenty chimes, but talk eventually turned to what people were beginning to call "Syna's Pots". Specifically, it turned into an argument about exactly why they shone.

"I'm tellin ya, it's some sort of magic or somethin." A large, gruff sailor was stubbornly insisting. "I've been all 'round, and I'd seen magic do shyke ya'd never believe. Glowin pot's ain't nothin."
"Like Hai it is." Another man retorted. This one was a ship's cook, the same ship the sailor was on, judging by how friendly they were. "No one'd stand for it if it were magic. It's just some funny trick with the glaze or the clay, like how you can add salt to some food and make it sweeter." That little fact seemed like it would threaten to derail that conversation, so Rey spoke up.

"If that'ss it, why has no one done it before?" Almost as one, the whole table swiveled to look at him, as if surprised at his presence. Now that he thought about it, he probably shouldn't have been so quiet earlier. Integrate himself into the conversation and all that. Whoops. The sudden scrutiny surprised him, and he flushed as they stared at him for half a tick, before returning to the conversation.

"Maybe no one was clever enough to find out the trick before." The cook offered. The rest of the table seemed somewhat unconvinced.
"If Papa Pot's is so petchin clever, why'd we never hear about him before?" Someone asked. The rest of the group murmured in agreement. That little fact caught Rey's attention. So, Papa Pots had been an unknown until he'd started selling Syna's Pots, had he? That did seem to confirm what R.J. had said about him being a "foolish something" until recently.

As the conversation grew louder and more chaotic, it got harder and harder for Rey to understand any of it. Growing confused, he focused in instead on the least shouty of the mini arguments that were springing up.
"Maybe he's not from Alvadas?"
"Nah, my cousin used to buy from his shop. She said it was kind of a shock to see his stall suddenly so crowded one day. He gave her a free pot for being a loyal customer, she say."

Now that was interesting. Rey was trying to figure out a way to ask more about the man's cousin when the conversation changed track again.
"If it ain't some trick, maybe he has Ionu's mark." Someone declared loudly, bringing the whole group's attention to him.A few native Alvads rolled their eyes.
"It's not Ionu's mark, dumbshyke. Mine's been shining for days, only a priest could do something like that."
"Maybe it's another mark then. Syna's, maybe."
"I don't think that what Syna's mark does."

As the conversation turned into yet another argument, this time about gnosis marks, Rey nearly groaned out loud. He'd been hoping to learn more, but he was never going to get this lot to go back to the pots now. Rey was just about to leave when a paranoid thought struck him.

They'd already noticed him when he'd suddenly jumped into their conversation. If they noticed he left right after they changed subjects, even a drunk idiot could put two and two together to figure out what he had been doing. It might not matter much if these men noticed, but why not get into the habit of avoiding suspicion? Rey shrugged, and took a swig from his mug, resigned to spending another few chimes with this drunken lot.

Snake Tongue : Common : Arumenic

by **Yisanareysin** on February 11th, 2015, 3:46 pm

After what Rey judged to be a suitable length of time (when he'd finished his drink, really,) he stood up from the table, set the mug down, and strolled out of the inn. Outside, there was a terrible chill in the air, and snow covered the ground like a thick, off white, disgustingly cold blanket. Rey shivered, tugging his coat closer around him. Stuffing his gloved hands into his pockets, he set off in a random direction.

Oh sweet, kind, merciful Ionu, please send me straight to the Bizarre. Or send a fire illusion or something to accompany me. You don't want me freezing to death do you? I'm doing work for one of your citizens, aren't I, in pursuit of creativity or some shyke. You like that stuff right? Please don't let me freeze to death looking for a damned marketplace

Alright, so he was being a little overdramatic, but dammit, he was (usually) a cold blooded creature. This cold was almost too much for him to survive. Unfortunately, Alvadas did not seem particularly impressed with his plea. By the time he made it to the Bizarre, several chimes later, he was shivering so violently that even standing still, he nearly fell over.

Gods, but he hated the snow. Once inside, he made his way away from the door as fast a he could, clenching and unclenching his hands to get the blood flowing again. Now, he thought, to find Papa Pots in this giant, nearly infinitely large looking place.

Looking around, he quickly spotted a large crowd forming to his left. That seemed like a good place to start. He made his way towards the crowd quickly, his slight frame serving him well in slithering through the crowd. As he kept moving though, his diminutive hight became a hinderance, as the people in front of him were too tightly packed for him to break through. And now that the people behind him were trying to move forward, he was more or less resigned to his fate. He was going to be stuck in this crowd forever. Fantastic.

He could hear muffled noises up ahead that sounded vaguely like words, but he couldn't make out what anyone was saying. He needed to get in front, but he didn't have the muscle to push. Nor did he need to draw attention to himself like that.

Hm. There had been a trick his sister had loved to play on him, where she would tap his far shoulder to confuse him. Perhaps the same thing would work here. There were two humans in front of him whose place he could try to take. The woman on the right wore a sword on her hip, and looked like she could break Rey in half without thinking. The man on his left, thought, was smaller, barely into adulthood, and was fidgeting quite a bit. He'd do.

Wiggling over so he was nearly directly behind the man, Rey poked his left side, then, as the man whirled around, followed his movements, sliding to the right, then stepping up to take the man's place in the front. There was a slightly indignant "Hey!" from behind him, which he ignored as he gaped at the sight before him.

He'd heard Syna's Pots described, of course, but no description could match up to what he was seeing. The pottery spread out on the table before him looked a little like it was gold plated, but without the harsh shine that polished gold had. It was more like, well, the reflection of the sun on the fine desert sand. Or the sea, that worked too. However he described it, it was beautiful. He could see now why his employer was so upset about the theft. The one who had a monopoly on this product, well, they would be a rich one indeed, and famous. Fascinating. And speaking of rich and famous...

Papa Pots was more or less exactly what Rey had expected. The name had invoked the image of an older man, maybe a little pudgy, probably with a mustache or some sort of beard. The man was missing the facial hair, but aside from that, his mental image had been fairly on point. Said pudgy, older man was currently talking to a woman on the other side of the crowd. Dipping his head, Rey pretended to look at a plate as he listened.

Snake Tongue : Common : Arumenic

by **Yisanareysin** on February 11th, 2015, 8:45 pm

"My dear lady, that's all the more reason for you to buy a full set. We can't let a woman as lovely looking as you be overshadowed by her neighbors."
"You are a scoundrel, trying to sell me all this. Oh, all right. How much for the lot?"

Pots had a slight inflection to his word, an odd accent that Rey had never heard before. Idly, he wondered if it was fake. People did that sometimes, to draw attention to themselves. Maybe he should try that sometimes. Of course, he already had his own odd accent. Maybe faking a different accent would cov-

"May I help you, kind sir?"

Rey startled slightly, glancing up right into the face of Pots himself. Aw shyke.

"My apologies, it's only that you were staring into that plate for some time. If you wished to buy it..." Rey grinned sheepishly, trying to think up a good excuse.

"Er.. no, it's jusst, eh, I was jusst thinking..." Petch it what was the word for wondering again? "jusst, the shine, uh, iss it, um, gold dusst in the..." what was the word J.R. had used in the message? "the glaze?" He felt himself turning a little pink. Truely, the most articulate sentence to ever have been uttered in common. It was good to know he turned into a stuttering mess under pressure.

Pots, however, seemed to take it in stride, and laughed heartily.
"No, good sir, nothing as simplistic as that. Why, if it were merely something in the glaze, anyone could do it." He was addressing the whole crowd now, and Rey started to breath again. "No, the secret is in the glaze itself. Add a few new ingredients to the regular mix, and make a couple minor tweaks, and the glaze shines like the sun herself."

"How'd you figure out how to make it?" an admiring voice called out, and Rey perked up mentally. Focusing intently on Pots, Rey took in a deep breath, and then exhaled through his nose. As he did so, he felt blood (and something deeper, purer than blood, though he barely understood what it was) rush to his head. With the next breath he took, he could sense the man's aura. It was almost a layering of scent. He could smell regular things just fine, and then under that, on a deeper level, he could scent, well, him. All that this Papa Pots was, Rey could scent. Figuring out just what it was he was scenting, though, was a harder matter. Focusing deeply, Rey ignored everything his sense told him about the man's physical state, though a few things jumped out at him (Human. Male. Sweating. Throat sore). Instead, he kept his mind fixed on the man's emotions, and a cocktail of flavor burst over his tongue. He could tell there were distinct flavors, but in that moment, they all mingled into a general sweet and savory, pleasantly happy seeming taste.

"Hm... If you're asking for a tip on creating, I'm afraid I have nothing for you, good miss. All I can say is that it took seasons of hard work, a willingness to experiment, and most of all, a pure love for the craft of pottery." Rey barely heard the light applause behind him as Papa Pots bowed down. When Pots had said "hard work", the flavors had changed, ever so slightly. Rey focused in on that changed note of flavor. He couldn't tell what it was, not exactly. But it was a sharp, twangy note, like a drop of bitter lemon juice. Rey released his sense, and grabbed on to the table as weakness hit him. He took a few ticks to recover, before moving away from the table, heading away from the stall. Finding a convenient wall nearby, he sat down, leaning against it and rubbing his temples.

That emotion, whatever it was, had been fairly negative. That pretty much confirmed it for Rey. If the man had truly discovered it himself, the associated emotion should have been happiness, or pride, or something. Not.. whatever that had been. Unfortunately, that wouldn't do for proof.

But at least now Rey knew there would probably be proof to be found. So the trip at least hadn't been a complete waste of time. On the other hand... Pots had seen and spoken to him. If he saw Rey again, or got a description from someone who might have seen him snooping or heard him fishing for information, he might recognize him now, at least vaguely.

It was a problem Rey had been thinking about for a while now, actually. He knew that in some ways, he was a little, well, distinctive. The hair, the scar, the hight... Not good qualities in someone who wanted to stay under the radar.

Well, he was in the Bizarre. Might as well look around for something he could use as a makeshift disguise. Akajia knew he would probably have to use it soon enough.

Snake Tongue : Common : Arumenic

by **Yisanareysin** on February 14th, 2015, 5:22 am

Rey left the Bizarre half a bell later, his purse a fair bit lighter. He'd bought a broad brimmed hat, and a leather band. He had a vague idea of tying his hair into a pony tail then tucking it into the hat, but he really had no idea how well that would really work. He'd also bought a black cloak, for good measure. There had been a tick where he had been tempted to buy an eyepatch too, just for that extra flair, but that was a little too silly, even for him.

So, new purchases in hand, Rey began to make his way back to the Wolf's Cave. As he trotted through the snow, his mind whirled as he thought through this conundrum.

He needed to prove Pots had stolen the idea. How was he supposed to do that, when an idea didn't even exist? Although, perhaps that wouldn't matter. The question, then, was how would he prove someone had stolen an object? The answer that came to mind first was to find a witness, but how could one witness the theft of an idea? What else?

He could prove that the thief hadn't gotten the object any other way. So the equivalent would be... proving that Pots hadn't discovered the secret himself? That seemed even more complicated. How was it Pots had said he had figured it out? Seasons of hard work, willingness to experiment, love for pottery. Hmmmm

Seasons of hard work... experimenting... there was something there. If Pots had really worked it out himself, he'd have had to do a lot of tinkering, wouldn't he? Could Rey prove that that he'd never done that? What would Pots have needed to tinker with the glaze? All the ingredients of a normal glaze, presumably, and... yes, Pots had said there were "a few new ingredients". So, perhaps Rey could try to find proof that he hadn't been using or buying those ingredients until he'd stolen the formula for the glaze?

That seemed like rather weak evidence, to be honest. Still, it was all he had for the time being, so he might as well go with it. And Ionu be praised, there was the Wolf's Cave, warm and cozy and warm.

The moment he stepped into the warm, warm room, Micah appeared next to him. "You're popular today." She teased, handing him a folded slip of paper. Rey raised an eyebrow. Another message? Odd. Nodding to her in thanks, he took the paper, and made his way directly to his room. Dropping off his new "disguise" on the table, Rey flipped the paper open, and began to read.

The letter wasn't addressed to him. None of the letters asking for his help with delicate matters were. Let's see... Sender had made a discovery, needed his help, people thought (that was what impression meant right) he was a thief... Rey felt his scales prickle (or would have, if he'd had scales in this form). Surely this wasn't...

Something about a head of a somethings something, committing a crime, mixing.. glazes. Oh gods it was. Rey's eyes dropped down to the signature. Peter Pinewood. PP. Papa Pots... Sweet Siku, had he been spotted? If this letter had been sent after his brief run in with the man, then that meant... just what did it mean? That Pots had recognized him? How would that even have happened? Calm down, he told himself sharply. He wasn't some young snakeling, to panic at the slightest thing.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Rey left his room to find Micah. He found her feeding the fire, and moved closer to her. "Micah." He called out, and she turned to smile at him.
"Yeah?"
"The letter. When did thisss letter come?" She frowned, thinking.
"A few bells ago, I think. Must have been just after you left, because when the messenger came I thought you were still here." Akajia be praised. Before he'd seen Pots then. And since the man had shown no signs of recognizing him... Rey was fine.
"Thank you." He grinned, rubbing the back of his head. The wolf raised an eyebrow at him, but after two seasons, he suspected she was more than used to his odd behavior.

He padded back to his room, sighing in relief. So, this was just one Hai of a coincidence. Or maybe not even that much of a coincidence. After all, it seemed likely that the two competing potters would run in the same circles. If his "name" was circulating in those circles, then of course they'd both hear of it.

Rey sank onto the bed with a groan. It was barely dinner time, but he was tired already. A quick nap, maybe, then food. But before he slept.. Picking up the second message, he tried to toss it onto the desk, only to watch it land on the chair instead. Close enough.

Just what was he going to do about that message? Well, depending on what the second job was, he probably wasn't going to take it, but at least the letter had provided him with one thing: a name. Peter Pinewood. Now, that was a useful piece of information. And in this line of work, information was every bit as valuable as gold.

Second Letter :

Ledger :

Snake Tongue : Common : Arumenic

by **Fable** on February 15th, 2015, 3:06 am

Grade Awarded!

Skills

Lores

Costs
-4 GM 5 SM 5 CM: for a broad brimmed hat, a cloak, and a leather hair band.

Comments

Solo To Catch a Thief (Job Thread)