28th of Winter
Word traveled quickly in Alvadas, at least among certain circles. Channels of overheard gossip and whispered secrets spread across the city, both above and below, intersecting in places, kept carefully separate in others, all funnelling news and rumours and facts to certain discerning ears.
Once in a while, every season or two, some new face would appear, tugging at the strings, prodding at the nodes and intersections of these carefully laid channels. And like a fly landing in a web, the vibrations would travel up those silken paths to those careful spiders building and tending to them.
Most of the spies Rey was on good terms with looked on these new faces with amusement and a hint of disdain. Either they would find a place in the city on their own, integrate themselves into the web, or, more likely, they would gutter out and disappear. Either ways, they were of minimal concern to those already established. Why waste time on
Rey took a different approach. Most of these new faces would prove disappointing. That was alright. He only needed one good one to gain a significant advantage over his competitors. And if it meant he could guide a potential new player in this game down a path most advantageous to him, all the better.
So when word reached Rey of a pale, peculiarly clad woman beginning to ask pointed questions, he set off to see for himself. A few discreet inquiries placed her at the Stallion's Rear, so he was off to the castle that made up Alvadas's Syliras.
The woman was easy enough to identify, her manner of clothing distinct even in Alvadas. She was seated at the bar, something he couldn't make out in her hand, and Rey took a moment to assess her. Someone like that, who'd been making inquiries, would no doubt be suspicious of someone who came up to her to talk. A con worked best if the mark thought they were the ones initiating contact, Kyla used to tell him. (He resolutely ignored the pang at the thought of her. More likely than not some Sunberthian had taken her in for a bounty by now. Best not to dwell on it.)
Scanning the room, Rey spotted an ideal group of drinkers, loose and easygoing enough that he could join in without much fuss. Slowly making his way across the room, he focused, summoning up djed, and pushing it out to settle around his hand. As he crossed the woman's line of vision, he raised his hand to tuck his hair behind his ear, using the gesture as a hypnotic focus to magically draw her attention and raise her interest, just a little.
Oftentimes, a nudge was all that was needed. He eased himself into the group of drinkers, and started chatting with them, making sure that he was seen talking and being friendly. The entire time, he made certain not to make anything of looking in her direction, ignoring her without avoiding that direction entirely.
After a few chimes of chatting, he slipped away from the group, and padded towards the bar to order a glass of wine. Time to see if she'd take the bait.
Word traveled quickly in Alvadas, at least among certain circles. Channels of overheard gossip and whispered secrets spread across the city, both above and below, intersecting in places, kept carefully separate in others, all funnelling news and rumours and facts to certain discerning ears.
Once in a while, every season or two, some new face would appear, tugging at the strings, prodding at the nodes and intersections of these carefully laid channels. And like a fly landing in a web, the vibrations would travel up those silken paths to those careful spiders building and tending to them.
Most of the spies Rey was on good terms with looked on these new faces with amusement and a hint of disdain. Either they would find a place in the city on their own, integrate themselves into the web, or, more likely, they would gutter out and disappear. Either ways, they were of minimal concern to those already established. Why waste time on
Rey took a different approach. Most of these new faces would prove disappointing. That was alright. He only needed one good one to gain a significant advantage over his competitors. And if it meant he could guide a potential new player in this game down a path most advantageous to him, all the better.
So when word reached Rey of a pale, peculiarly clad woman beginning to ask pointed questions, he set off to see for himself. A few discreet inquiries placed her at the Stallion's Rear, so he was off to the castle that made up Alvadas's Syliras.
The woman was easy enough to identify, her manner of clothing distinct even in Alvadas. She was seated at the bar, something he couldn't make out in her hand, and Rey took a moment to assess her. Someone like that, who'd been making inquiries, would no doubt be suspicious of someone who came up to her to talk. A con worked best if the mark thought they were the ones initiating contact, Kyla used to tell him. (He resolutely ignored the pang at the thought of her. More likely than not some Sunberthian had taken her in for a bounty by now. Best not to dwell on it.)
Scanning the room, Rey spotted an ideal group of drinkers, loose and easygoing enough that he could join in without much fuss. Slowly making his way across the room, he focused, summoning up djed, and pushing it out to settle around his hand. As he crossed the woman's line of vision, he raised his hand to tuck his hair behind his ear, using the gesture as a hypnotic focus to magically draw her attention and raise her interest, just a little.
Oftentimes, a nudge was all that was needed. He eased himself into the group of drinkers, and started chatting with them, making sure that he was seen talking and being friendly. The entire time, he made certain not to make anything of looking in her direction, ignoring her without avoiding that direction entirely.
After a few chimes of chatting, he slipped away from the group, and padded towards the bar to order a glass of wine. Time to see if she'd take the bait.
Snake Tongue | Common | Arumenic
