Discretion

[Hadrian]

34th Summer, 512 A.V. Trente was as good as his word, and Lucas as competent as he had hoped. Within the day, he was down in the city in a room rented by the hour in an inn near the quays of the harbor. Outside, he could hear Lucas speaking to someone. Even through the the walls he could sense Trente's aura and two others he didn't recognize, the candidates for helping with the auction, he assumed. While he waited for Lucas to see them in, he peered out the window to the street below. He had the power to know he was unobserved there, and he had considered illusions to mask his identity, but he had decided that trust in Trente and those he trusted would be best cultivated by being straightforward. After all, if they betrayed him, he would make them wish they were dead, so there was that too. But the doorknob was turning, and soon he would have to turn around and engage with these people. He was already tired between his duties as a professor and his commitment to this endeavor, only three days after arriving in Zeltiva. He had grown weary of idle hours on ships, but in hitting the ground running, he was changing from inactivity to activity without much of an opportunity to acclimate.

[Lucas Arias]

Whether Lucas would turn out to be the competent, capable young man that Hadrian thought him to be in the long run remained to be seen, but at the moment the former squire, bartender and current university student was doing exactly what was expected of him. He stood in front of the door of Hadrian’s room, dressed in clothes that actually matched, hair combed, sword at his belt, looking every inch like a professor’s assistant/bodyguard. He didn’t know any of the people that were going to come (at least he thought so) nor was he aware of all the details of the auction, but that didn’t matter, he was curious because it was all a little mysterious.

Unlike Hadrian he wasn’t tired at all. The trip to Zeltiva had been exciting. He had never been on a ship before, and the university had turned out to be even more interesting than he had thought it would be. So he greeted Hadrian’s guests with a smile (and took a close look at them to make sure that they wouldn’t stab or poison Hadrian). Nai’shee’s arrival was met with a raised eyebrow. He remembered the conversation with her a little while ago.

Once they were all there, he knocked on Hadrian’s door. „Your guests have arrived“, he informed the professor, and then he gave them a sign to enter and talk about whatever they needed to talk about.

[Nai'shee]

The girl arrived to this meeting even early. This was unusual thing for Nai'shee, but when she met Trente to discuss this he did seem pretty serious about the matter, and he said it will be well paid job, above all. So, when she arrived she was surprised to see Lucas there. She noticed the same from his side, so they kept quiet. They only once gone ghost hunting yesterday. He checked her for any weaponry, which she, luckily, haven't brought. At first she liked to carry it around, but she realized there's no point in carrying weapons she didn't know how to use. Not so long after, a guy she shared room with for this semester at University, arrived. His name was Wrenmae and Nai'shee wasn't confident about the man. She liked him, but he was also strange. He missed out from dormitory really often, even more often than Nai'shee who missed few nights here and there because of the job. She was surprised to see he's the other employee for this, but only because she knew nothing about it, despite that she would have assumed he was much more suitable for whatever the job which seemed to involve something dangerous was. When she was called to, she entered the room. She had no idea which kind of job is this, but she wanted to make confident expression. She walked casually, but not slowing down to the scene of a man besides window. However, she wasn't as confident about this as she wanted to appear, so her head lowered, as she greeted the man with simple "Good morning". She would wait for his attention to introduce and she didn't want to push herself in front of Wrenmae, for now. OOCWren, if we're really going to be roommies (lol) they're supposed to act like they know each other. I'll edit this a bit if that ends up as more than a joke. Just sayin'.

[Wrenmae]

The shape of the long dagger felt better on his hip, a comfortable weight that had guided his progress through Sunberth and had returned here in Zeltiva. Since the assault at the docks, he had been himself, mercifully in control. The long dagger remained fixated on his right hip, the rapier on his left. Strapped to his right arm was the small but effective shield used by the Wave Guard. He hadn't yet grasped its full uses yet, but the respect he was afforded in the blue uniform assured that a path always be cleared for him on his way through the streets. Ultimately, joining the Wave Guard had been an instinctual decision, a gut feeling followed through to this position of relative power and sway in the community. Thanks to Wrenmae's generous donation, his name was whispered as Trident Champion. The fool had cast such a title away from him, terrified of the implications increased public awareness brought him. Shroud, unlike in Sunberth, reveled in this fame. The Trident Champion Wrenmae Wilmot, one of the Wave Guard and protectors of Zeltiva. What wrong could one of such glittering accolades commit? So it was that the murderer hid in plain sight, garbed in lamb's wool bought with gold and sown with volunteerism. Zeltivans were fools. But he had a respect for the society they could build on the backs of such naivety. Trente had not waited for him and Shroud passed through the door into the inn with scarcely a pause. Trente nodded his head in greeting, his eyes on the blue uniform and the weight its significance carried. The Martial Association of Zeltiva was a ripe recruiting ground of the Wave Guard, but what their founder thought of that was anyone's guess. Shroud had not consulted the swordsman on his decision to join, nor would he be talked from it. Sunberth was a city built on the bones of the those who were too proud of their own shyke to notice the blades in the shadows. In Zeltiva, status dictated a certain magnitude to the power a foreigner could seize. So far, the blue threads had granted him council to those who might have otherwise turned up their nose, entrance to otherwise locked doors, and privacy to build his illicit activities. Confidence in his ability and a growing familiarity with the city had allowed his deceptions to begin their rooting advance. So it was when Trente had offered him a job, Shroud had paused a moment and considered how empty he had felt without risk as a constant in his life. The agreement was struck. Trente may not be wholly trusted, but he wasn't fool enough to work for a charlatan. He was surprised to see Nai here, the girl who had elected to room with him in the University. Her bouts with illness had prompted the man to take as much as a week between returning to the dorm, guests of houses more than happy to honor the Trident Champion with a safe berth for the night. She seemed in high spirits and health today, a fact that would not remain constant. But still, he admired her tenacity. A lad stood guard at the door to their employer. Wrenmae afforded him an appraising stare before stepping into the room, giving a short bow to the man looking away from them and out across the harbor. "A good morning indeed," he offered to supplement Nai's introduction, "Am I to understand you are our employer, then?"

[Hadrian]

"Thank you, Lucas," he said, having told Lucas earlier he should stay, the better to stay abreast of things. It was good having a former squire for an assistant; they were trustworthy and knew how to put ego aside and follow when following was necessary. "Welcome, please sit." He indicated the chairs before his desk. His office was rather spartan, but he had just moved in. He had no status here, except stories told about Stonemiller's old prize student, now his temporary (?) replacement. He had plans, of course, and this was just one of them. "A good morning to you both. I do have multiple openings for a quickly forthcoming job, and Trente promised to recruit a few for me." Their auras were like open books, but it would take time to get the sense of them. There was magic to the both of them, though he could not yet suss out their disciplines. Most were familiar to him by now, the only ones he had yet to dabble in were Webbing, for the Drykas were closemouthed about their Mysteries; Leeching, because he didn't want his body sloughing off around him, else he would become a Nuit; and Alchemy, he only knew the theory. There was something intense about the man's aura, something he associated with gnosis, although that was a mere fact and not something elaborate and precise, and there was a strange doubling about him too, a fluidity to his djed that Hadrian could not explain. If only he were better connected, he might pull the man's file from the Wave Guards, but Hadrian was only newly returned to Zeltiva and there was a lot of catching up to do. "If you could tell me what Trente has told you, I would like us to be on the same page before I offer more information and then, if we decide you are willing to do and capable of doing the work, I can disclose more."

[Nai'shee]

Looking at the man now she saw confidence and easiness about the matter. The job was serious and he did have to pull few cards to find employees, but he did not seem like they were his last shot. However, Trente told her that the person was trustworthy and that job will be well paid and she was also starving to do something legal. Little did she know what exactly was this about. While the man spoke she took her time to observe surroundings. It was more of a reflex to her. Pattern was usual, normal room you would find in casual inn. She was here only once during years she spent in Zeltiva, she was still a child. There were no precautions for disguise. By Trente's expression she guessed job was something secret, but by the expression of the man she guessed he wasn't afraid of informations leaking. Maybe Trente promised trustworthy persons. She would never name herself and Wrenmae as really trustworthy persons, but she also had no interest or intention to sell or reveal anything about the matter. Firstly, she wasn't tricky to persons she liked, and confidence man held told her he was knowledgeable person, which curious girl appreciated that. Also, she would not betray Trente who would probably also get fired or something similar for that. While she was thinking, she only partially listened to formalities. Others would not notice anything, except her eyes wandering around the room for few moments, before she focused them back at her employer. She spoke up, perhaps a little to cheerfully for the situation, unaware of that. "Trente just said that my abilities would suit the task and that I'm to meet you here for more details", she replied with a shrug. Shrugging usually meant that she shortened her original version of useless babble, either because she was in hurry or because she didn't want to drag the matter around without a reason. "I'm Nai'shee, by the way", she said offering a handshake. She felt a bit awkward every time she was about to meet someone she should address with respect, because her lack of surname or even proper name. She gave up wondering what her real name was, but 'Nai'shee' was probably silly version of it.

[Wrenmae]

Taking the offered seat after a moment, Shroud folded his hands on his lap and poured Djed into his eyes, Auristics allowed him to see more of the world than he might ordinarily be able to, and the colors off of Hadrian were bright and vivid. The tell-tale signs of magic washed over his soul, but there was little he could do to tell what sorts of magic the fellow wielded, or how well. His mood seemed to radiate a certain calm, a confident poise. That was enough for the murderer, who smiled and allowed the magic to fall from his gaze. A small headache pulsed in his right temple, a side effect of such minimal ability with this branch of magic…but for the purposes of what he needed, he found the extra precaution a necessary evil. “I haven’t been told much,” he answered his employer in agreement with Nai, shrugging, “Mostly that you were a man who could make use of my talents for a lucrative pay. The lack of details suggest a certain amount of…perhaps unwanted attention? Understand that before Zeltiva, I made my way in Sunberth. Discretion is the very soul of business there…well, arguably violence as well, but discretion is a tried and true way of avoiding such unfortunate confrontations.” He settled back in his chair, a smile across his face as he raised an eyebrow at the mage. “Of course I cannot offer my services without knowing more details, but your presentation and hired help are a reassuring indication of your power. Consider me, Wrenmae, interested in this short term employment.” His eyes flashed. “Are you the sort of man interesting enough to offer something more tantalizing than gold?”

[Lucas Arias]

Since Hadrian had told him earlier that he should stay, Lucas went inside with the mage’s guests and listened attentively just like a good assistant was supposed to. He sat down as well, even though he wasn’t sure whether the invitation had been extended to him as well.

The failed squire and bartender had absolutely no idea who Trente was, so he wanted to know, „Who’s that? Another one of your associates? A teacher at the university?“ He preferred to be aware of everything, especially since it seemed as if this was going to be a somewhat complicated job.

Since he didn’t know Auristics nor any other useful kind of magic, he had to resort to looking at the people in the room closely and asking questions like a normal person which made matters a little more complicated. He couldn’t just read their auras and find out things about them.

„I’m Lucas“, he introduced himself once Hadrian’s guests had said their names, and then he turned to face his employer. „And I would appreciate a few more details as well.“

[Hadrian]

Hadrian nodded pleasantly at their comments and questions until everyone was seated, then sat on the edge of his desk rather than put it between them. This was a job that required discretion on all sides, and that meant being in cahoots. "I suppose I am your employer should you agree to this work. I am acting on behalf of third parties, but have been tasked with contracting out to people of your skill sets. Suffice it to say, there is to be a rather elite, clandestine auction of valuable relics. My clients wish to remain anonymous, and I am acting as their agent. Trente has been contracted to aid me, and I have made use of his network to get you here. We will need security," he nodded to Wrenmae, "and guides," nodding to Nai'shee. "Trente was the man outside, Lucas. He will be the auctioneer, and I would like you to handle as much of the logistics as possible so I can keep an eye on the action as it develops. Quite a bit of money is likely to change hands, and some of that will come to us. Whether any of us earn something more tantalizing than gold, well, that remains to be seen." He made an offer of coin and gave them more details, still keeping specifics to himself until they had agreed to the deal.

[Nai'shee]

OOCSorry for the delay, guys, I somehow confused posting order.

Nai'shee listened to the matter, bothered a bit by the fact the man was looking at her from the above. By the time he brought up relics matter started to sound a bit suspicious. Not to say Nai'shee didn't do suspicious work, but matter started to stink. Those kind of things usually went the wrong way. Everybody in disguise, huh? It reminded her of even on The Winter Ball, when poor Faylon got stabbed by the masked man who ran off. With mysterious relic, she reminded herself.

She allowed herself a quick smile when she found out Trente was holding the auction. It completely suited him, he didn't expect anyone else to appear before the audience.

"I suppose it's a good offer", she said, "and I won't decline it. But I have few more questions. What can we expect? You don't need that kind of security for nothing. Or is it just a formality, to prevent cheap thieves?" It wasn't to be read as she got afraid, she just didn't like people hiding matters from her while she did something. She guessed it wasn't really the intention, since she only then actually accepted the job, but she wanted more informations on clientele he was speaking of. Street bandits and drunk sailors weren't the problem, she was concerned about the customers themselves.