89th of Autumn, 513 AV
Quint worked for a person who apparently appreciated irony and had an interesting sense of humor. Because his worked for someone whose main job was to buy and sell stolen merchandise, he himself was instructed to meet with his employer or a more seasoned underlying at a preexisting location in Sunberth, a street corner or a backyard. The important part of the locale was that there was always an actual fence there. Some were quite literally garden variety fences, some were hedges, some were crosspatch, some were made of cloth and some of wood, and one was painted a garish orange that had subsequently been white-washed, but all were fences.
Today's meeting place was a most unique spot: Quint found himself standing next to a white picket fence. Someone had apparently gotten Sunberth mixed up with Syliras, and here was a lovely little home with a nice garden surrounded by a white picket fence.
Quint could only wonder as to the sort of occupant that might want to live in a place like that in a city like this, but he never found out. It was simply the backdrop to today's meeting, and he was not yet well versed enough in the geography of Sunberth that he would remember how to get back here once he left.
He waited some bells and chimes, as instructed, and a stocky, beefy man with ruddy skin appeared, casually strolled around the block two or three times like a dog turning in place just before taking a nap, and then the man politely strolled up to Quint. When he got closer, Quint could see that this was Bruto, the enforcer. He had tagged along with Quint once when a client had refused to pay for services rendered.
Bruto nodded at him. "First time I've ever-seen a half-Svefra on a street like this."
Quint's teeth grated but he gave the appropriate counter-sign. "Second time I've seen a half-wit today."
Not the greatest actor in the world, the big man snarled at him. "Why you! I'm going to pop you one in the stomach for that!"
Quint had time to brace himself, taking a deep breath and holding it as he'd been instructed. The man attacked him, punching him hard, and unseen by anyone else, Bruto deftly slipped something to the inside pocket of Quint's coat.
"Now, because you insulted me, I'm going to take your coin purse, little sailor man!"
And the big man grabbed at the draw string at Quint's belt, where the purse had been dangling from his side. Bruto snatched it up and rifled through it. "Good, it's all here."
Quint sighed. There really had to be a better way to exchange Mizas for stolen objects. He was sure his employer was just being a sadistic person because he was an outsider, had needed to earn Mizas, and this was the first job he could get that no one else wanted.
He had no doubt that there were far more sophisticated ways of doing this, and promised himself that once he learned them, he would leave his current employer and seek out a job with one of the larger gangs in the city of Sunberth.
Still, this was crude, but effective. Though Quint really hated this next part.
Bruto smacked him around a bit more, then knocked him to the ground and kicked him. While smacking Quint around, Bruto slipped him the instructions for Quint's next assignment.
Later, once the the big man had left and Quint had time to compose himself and make sure no organs or bones were accidentally broken, he read the small bit of parchment put in his hand: he was to pick up a package from a woman at Rubys. It had already been estimated at 9 Mizas--- well, that was the price Quint's boss was going to re-sell it for, and so Quint was instructed to give the woman up to 5. That margin was apparently one of the ways the Fence made money and could afford to have people like Bruto and Quint working on the payroll.
Quint shrugged after reading the note, and headed out to Rubys.
Quint worked for a person who apparently appreciated irony and had an interesting sense of humor. Because his worked for someone whose main job was to buy and sell stolen merchandise, he himself was instructed to meet with his employer or a more seasoned underlying at a preexisting location in Sunberth, a street corner or a backyard. The important part of the locale was that there was always an actual fence there. Some were quite literally garden variety fences, some were hedges, some were crosspatch, some were made of cloth and some of wood, and one was painted a garish orange that had subsequently been white-washed, but all were fences.
Today's meeting place was a most unique spot: Quint found himself standing next to a white picket fence. Someone had apparently gotten Sunberth mixed up with Syliras, and here was a lovely little home with a nice garden surrounded by a white picket fence.
Quint could only wonder as to the sort of occupant that might want to live in a place like that in a city like this, but he never found out. It was simply the backdrop to today's meeting, and he was not yet well versed enough in the geography of Sunberth that he would remember how to get back here once he left.
He waited some bells and chimes, as instructed, and a stocky, beefy man with ruddy skin appeared, casually strolled around the block two or three times like a dog turning in place just before taking a nap, and then the man politely strolled up to Quint. When he got closer, Quint could see that this was Bruto, the enforcer. He had tagged along with Quint once when a client had refused to pay for services rendered.
Bruto nodded at him. "First time I've ever-seen a half-Svefra on a street like this."
Quint's teeth grated but he gave the appropriate counter-sign. "Second time I've seen a half-wit today."
Not the greatest actor in the world, the big man snarled at him. "Why you! I'm going to pop you one in the stomach for that!"
Quint had time to brace himself, taking a deep breath and holding it as he'd been instructed. The man attacked him, punching him hard, and unseen by anyone else, Bruto deftly slipped something to the inside pocket of Quint's coat.
"Now, because you insulted me, I'm going to take your coin purse, little sailor man!"
And the big man grabbed at the draw string at Quint's belt, where the purse had been dangling from his side. Bruto snatched it up and rifled through it. "Good, it's all here."
Quint sighed. There really had to be a better way to exchange Mizas for stolen objects. He was sure his employer was just being a sadistic person because he was an outsider, had needed to earn Mizas, and this was the first job he could get that no one else wanted.
He had no doubt that there were far more sophisticated ways of doing this, and promised himself that once he learned them, he would leave his current employer and seek out a job with one of the larger gangs in the city of Sunberth.
Still, this was crude, but effective. Though Quint really hated this next part.
Bruto smacked him around a bit more, then knocked him to the ground and kicked him. While smacking Quint around, Bruto slipped him the instructions for Quint's next assignment.
Later, once the the big man had left and Quint had time to compose himself and make sure no organs or bones were accidentally broken, he read the small bit of parchment put in his hand: he was to pick up a package from a woman at Rubys. It had already been estimated at 9 Mizas--- well, that was the price Quint's boss was going to re-sell it for, and so Quint was instructed to give the woman up to 5. That margin was apparently one of the ways the Fence made money and could afford to have people like Bruto and Quint working on the payroll.
Quint shrugged after reading the note, and headed out to Rubys.
