A Fistful of Rubies (Bull in the China Shop aftermath)
Sept 9, 2021 19:10:12 GMT
Queen Merla, the Sun-Blessed and Anthony like this
Post by Jaezred Vandree on Sept 9, 2021 19:10:12 GMT
When Jaezred arrived at the Mountain Palace, he was informed that Imryll was meeting with Queen Nicnevin, and so he had to wait. That left him alone to try to dodge his acquaintances, the resident drow of the Witching Court, excusing himself at the earliest convenience when he was cornered into an interaction with them.
At least he didn’t run into Margotin. That would have been awkward.
Soon, he found himself seated alone in a tearoom, reading a book of Elvish poetry. About an hour later, the palace servants brought two cups of strangely glowing, luminous tea and a small stand of cakes, sandwiches, and tiny mushrooms with a crunchy texture to them to his empty table. Imryll Elamaris walked into the room and sat down on the opposite chair just as it was done being pulled out by a servant. With dainty elegance, she picked up a cup of tea and sipped from it. “So how is work?”
“Fine,” Jaezred grumbled into his own cup. Imryll always felt the need to make a show of everything she does, but he was in no mood to appreciate it today. Not that he ever did. “And how was your ladyship’s audience with her majesty?”
“Fabulous, of course. Just tying up some loose ends while she is busy...Now how is work, really? You look almost as sombre as your sense of humour.”
“The actual job I’d gone to Havertash for went smoothly. But I simply hate it when a valuable bounty slips through my fingers,” he replied with a sigh. The memory of the fugitive Langston Farstep disappearing into thin air before the eyes of five Dawnlands adventurers had replayed in his mind over and over for the entire previous day. They fell for his distraction — a rampaging, but weakened, goristro — far too easily, and Jaezred chided himself mentally for second-guessing his own judgement and not banishing the demon right away.
“Well, I never took you for the bounty-hunting sort. Were you hoping to wrestle him to the ground in a feat of strength?”
“I’m sure you’d love to see that. I hoped to bring him to Miandra alive. Or maybe just his head. Yes, that’s what I prefer, actually.”
“Well, I'm afraid you'll need to catch them before you can go lopping things off like that. So do tell me, however did this elusive man evade the Great Bounty Hunter, Lord Jaezred?”
“I thought spring eladrin were supposed to exude an ‘aura of joy’. No one ever said anything about an aura of irritation.” He popped a mushroom crisp into his mouth and crunched down with utmost grumpiness. “He used far step. That’s how I figured out who he was. That, and how he panicked at the sight of Dawnlanders doing nothing but shopping.”
She took another sip of tea. “I'll have you know I am a beacon of joy...it can't be helped that you are a walking pit of despair. And no counterspell ready this time? I think you're going soft, Jaezred…”
Both brows shot up his forehead. He did not think she’d noticed. “You didn't take offence, I hope? I was worried that you would feel...entitled to the information. Speaking of which, I realise now that, in my excitement, I forgot to negotiate a price for this...”
And there came the wicked grin. “Well, I was actually referring to catching your Farstep this time…”
“Ah,” he said, a little embarrassed. There he goes again, accidentally giving away information to this smug spy woman. “I did have it ready but he was almost two hundred feet away from me at the time. Even with my ability to extend the range of my spells, I had no hope of reaching him.”
“Shame...still, it’s something, I suppose. Jack, stealing parts from a dead Primus and Farstep in K’ul Goran. For two who are supposed to be working together, they do seem quite...spread out, don’t you think?”
Jaezred fell quiet for a moment, thinking. Then he looked her straight in the eye. “I have a little more to offer you. But before that, we should agree on a number, my lady. Let’s say, two hundred again?”
Imryll considered him for some time before smiling. “Sure, though I will say you do seem to be making a habit of this now.”
“Havertash is a marketplace shared by traders from K’ul Goran and their erstwhile enemies, the Shunned. It's known as ‘the place where you can get weird things’ by locals. My guess is that Farstep was there to track down some rare item. In fact, one of the mercenaries I was with saw he had a shiny object in his pocket when he was found out. It seems both he and Jack are gathering magical items. They must still be working together. It's too much of a coincidence.”
“Any idea what the object was?” she asked, looking thoughtful.
“Afraid not.”
“And do you know much else about this Farstep?”
“No. I was actually going to ask you. I can understand Jack’s motivations well enough, but why is Farstep working with him? I was under the impression that he’s a pact magician of the River King.”
Imryll sighed at the mention of the River King. It appeared that disdain for Ulorian was widespread even in his majesty’s home plane. “If that is the case, then he probably doesn’t even remember making such a pact...Well, I don’t know much myself yet but, as I understand it, Farstep was quite prominent around the Dawnlands a while back. Perhaps you should see what you can find out a little closer to home first? We already have a hexadrone on the loose through the planes, according to your last little foray into intelligence-gathering.” She gave Jaezred an intense look for a brief moment, before nabbing a sandwich off the tray. “Or not. It's up to you, of course...”
“I’m not about to do your job for you.”
“No, just pretend. You couldn’t actually do my job, of course,” she said, smirking.
He smirked back at her. “Well, you can't even do your own job.”
“How’s the tea, by the way? I had them prepare you a small batch if you like it?” A servant walked over to them and placed a small parcel, tied neatly with a black ribbon, on Jaezred’s side of the table.
“The tea is good, but when you say things like that, it makes me think I’m being poisoned.”
Another wicked grin was creeping across her face. “You’re so paranoid...Would I really do that to you?”
“Yes,” he deadpanned. “Paranoia is just something you gain when you’ve spent 248 years in Menzoberranzan. Now...I trust the information was to your satisfaction?”
“It was...but really, Lord Jaezred, I had hoped you would have let some of that go by now. No one is trying to kill you here. Well...maybe someone is, knowing how you can be, but nothing more sinister than that!” She took out a round ruby — the same kind as the ones she gave him last time — from under her robes somewhere and casually rolled it across the table into his waiting hand.
“Thank you.” As he tucked the gem into his coat pocket, he lowered his gaze onto the cup of luminous tea sitting on the table. “I’m...trying, you know,” he said in a gentler voice. “To trust you. Unfortunately, I can’t unlearn two hundred years of upbringing overnight. But I am trying.”
When he looked up again, he saw that she had a big smile on her face. “I know...you are very trying.”
Jaezred chuckled. But when his eye was caught by a group of drow entering the tearoom, chatting amongst themselves, his laughter faded away. He stood up and went to kiss Imryll on the top of her head. “Thank you for the tea. If you'll excuse me now...I'll see you later tonight?”
“Don’t forget your tea.”
“Oh, yes.” He reached across the table to grab the parcel before making a hasty exit.
Later, whilst chatting to the denizens of the Mountain Palace, he learned that the luminosity of the tea was caused by venom and jelly extracted from a certain kind of jellyfish.
Seemed to him like a sign from the gods that having trust issues still pays off.
Thank you forever to Anthony for roleplaying Imryll.
At least he didn’t run into Margotin. That would have been awkward.
Soon, he found himself seated alone in a tearoom, reading a book of Elvish poetry. About an hour later, the palace servants brought two cups of strangely glowing, luminous tea and a small stand of cakes, sandwiches, and tiny mushrooms with a crunchy texture to them to his empty table. Imryll Elamaris walked into the room and sat down on the opposite chair just as it was done being pulled out by a servant. With dainty elegance, she picked up a cup of tea and sipped from it. “So how is work?”
“Fine,” Jaezred grumbled into his own cup. Imryll always felt the need to make a show of everything she does, but he was in no mood to appreciate it today. Not that he ever did. “And how was your ladyship’s audience with her majesty?”
“Fabulous, of course. Just tying up some loose ends while she is busy...Now how is work, really? You look almost as sombre as your sense of humour.”
“The actual job I’d gone to Havertash for went smoothly. But I simply hate it when a valuable bounty slips through my fingers,” he replied with a sigh. The memory of the fugitive Langston Farstep disappearing into thin air before the eyes of five Dawnlands adventurers had replayed in his mind over and over for the entire previous day. They fell for his distraction — a rampaging, but weakened, goristro — far too easily, and Jaezred chided himself mentally for second-guessing his own judgement and not banishing the demon right away.
“Well, I never took you for the bounty-hunting sort. Were you hoping to wrestle him to the ground in a feat of strength?”
“I’m sure you’d love to see that. I hoped to bring him to Miandra alive. Or maybe just his head. Yes, that’s what I prefer, actually.”
“Well, I'm afraid you'll need to catch them before you can go lopping things off like that. So do tell me, however did this elusive man evade the Great Bounty Hunter, Lord Jaezred?”
“I thought spring eladrin were supposed to exude an ‘aura of joy’. No one ever said anything about an aura of irritation.” He popped a mushroom crisp into his mouth and crunched down with utmost grumpiness. “He used far step. That’s how I figured out who he was. That, and how he panicked at the sight of Dawnlanders doing nothing but shopping.”
She took another sip of tea. “I'll have you know I am a beacon of joy...it can't be helped that you are a walking pit of despair. And no counterspell ready this time? I think you're going soft, Jaezred…”
Both brows shot up his forehead. He did not think she’d noticed. “You didn't take offence, I hope? I was worried that you would feel...entitled to the information. Speaking of which, I realise now that, in my excitement, I forgot to negotiate a price for this...”
And there came the wicked grin. “Well, I was actually referring to catching your Farstep this time…”
“Ah,” he said, a little embarrassed. There he goes again, accidentally giving away information to this smug spy woman. “I did have it ready but he was almost two hundred feet away from me at the time. Even with my ability to extend the range of my spells, I had no hope of reaching him.”
“Shame...still, it’s something, I suppose. Jack, stealing parts from a dead Primus and Farstep in K’ul Goran. For two who are supposed to be working together, they do seem quite...spread out, don’t you think?”
Jaezred fell quiet for a moment, thinking. Then he looked her straight in the eye. “I have a little more to offer you. But before that, we should agree on a number, my lady. Let’s say, two hundred again?”
Imryll considered him for some time before smiling. “Sure, though I will say you do seem to be making a habit of this now.”
“Havertash is a marketplace shared by traders from K’ul Goran and their erstwhile enemies, the Shunned. It's known as ‘the place where you can get weird things’ by locals. My guess is that Farstep was there to track down some rare item. In fact, one of the mercenaries I was with saw he had a shiny object in his pocket when he was found out. It seems both he and Jack are gathering magical items. They must still be working together. It's too much of a coincidence.”
“Any idea what the object was?” she asked, looking thoughtful.
“Afraid not.”
“And do you know much else about this Farstep?”
“No. I was actually going to ask you. I can understand Jack’s motivations well enough, but why is Farstep working with him? I was under the impression that he’s a pact magician of the River King.”
Imryll sighed at the mention of the River King. It appeared that disdain for Ulorian was widespread even in his majesty’s home plane. “If that is the case, then he probably doesn’t even remember making such a pact...Well, I don’t know much myself yet but, as I understand it, Farstep was quite prominent around the Dawnlands a while back. Perhaps you should see what you can find out a little closer to home first? We already have a hexadrone on the loose through the planes, according to your last little foray into intelligence-gathering.” She gave Jaezred an intense look for a brief moment, before nabbing a sandwich off the tray. “Or not. It's up to you, of course...”
“I’m not about to do your job for you.”
“No, just pretend. You couldn’t actually do my job, of course,” she said, smirking.
He smirked back at her. “Well, you can't even do your own job.”
“How’s the tea, by the way? I had them prepare you a small batch if you like it?” A servant walked over to them and placed a small parcel, tied neatly with a black ribbon, on Jaezred’s side of the table.
“The tea is good, but when you say things like that, it makes me think I’m being poisoned.”
Another wicked grin was creeping across her face. “You’re so paranoid...Would I really do that to you?”
“Yes,” he deadpanned. “Paranoia is just something you gain when you’ve spent 248 years in Menzoberranzan. Now...I trust the information was to your satisfaction?”
“It was...but really, Lord Jaezred, I had hoped you would have let some of that go by now. No one is trying to kill you here. Well...maybe someone is, knowing how you can be, but nothing more sinister than that!” She took out a round ruby — the same kind as the ones she gave him last time — from under her robes somewhere and casually rolled it across the table into his waiting hand.
“Thank you.” As he tucked the gem into his coat pocket, he lowered his gaze onto the cup of luminous tea sitting on the table. “I’m...trying, you know,” he said in a gentler voice. “To trust you. Unfortunately, I can’t unlearn two hundred years of upbringing overnight. But I am trying.”
When he looked up again, he saw that she had a big smile on her face. “I know...you are very trying.”
Jaezred chuckled. But when his eye was caught by a group of drow entering the tearoom, chatting amongst themselves, his laughter faded away. He stood up and went to kiss Imryll on the top of her head. “Thank you for the tea. If you'll excuse me now...I'll see you later tonight?”
“Don’t forget your tea.”
“Oh, yes.” He reached across the table to grab the parcel before making a hasty exit.
Later, whilst chatting to the denizens of the Mountain Palace, he learned that the luminosity of the tea was caused by venom and jelly extracted from a certain kind of jellyfish.
Seemed to him like a sign from the gods that having trust issues still pays off.
Thank you forever to Anthony for roleplaying Imryll.
