(Tear) Looking for Work, OTA

[Visar Falmaien]

(ooc: anybody want a thief catcher or just want to share a drink or a story, feel free to stop in)

 

Click click click went his wooden clogs as he made his way by on paved streets.  Turning the corner, the Thief Catcher made his way to his usual tavern, The Stone's Moss.

 

As he entered and took off his somewhat muddy clogs, Jural Mirado smiled thinly at the savory smells of food.  Not bad, he thought, though recently he was beginning to enjoy more cultured cuisine.  This place had done well for him the past two years, but it was already time to think about the prospects of moving on up.

 

Negotiations with a new client were going rather well, he thought.  A lord's nephew was a better potential patron than he had ever had.  Maybe eventually he could be employed to one of the High Lords themselves.  But that was later, when his reputation would be unquestionable.  Now, he was not quite the professional Thief Catcher he wanted to be.  The young lordling wanted Jural to prove that he was as good as he said he was before taking him full time.

 

But for now, after sloshing around in the Maule for most of the day catching a 'minnow' thief, Jural was going to relax.  He propped himself up at his usual table, and paid just a little more than usual for some decent food and drink.  He knew he had enough money to afford to be a little generous, though he was not pleased that this last job had only paid a single silver mark.  Surely he deserved better than the standard fee!

 

Jural sighed in disgust and took a good long swig.  It had been a long, dreary day in Tear, as usual.  Even the small jobs could be tough, and this last one had given him several bruises chasing a slippery thief over the rooftops.  Now was the time to relax before taking on a job to impress the oily beards.  And if anyone had a proposition, why, they could find him here if they wanted him.  Almost everyone in the paved section of Tear knew this was where you went if someone wanted Jural's services.

[Jehaine]

Mara hated Tear. Though the young ship captain had been born in Godan herself, she simply couldn't stand the idea of seeing a Tairen Lord. If business hadn't taken her here she doubted she'd be anywhere near the blasted country now, but the passenger they had picked up in Andor had wanted to disembark in Tear, and she had respected that in return for what he had done for her crew.

 

Two strong men of her crew flanked her as she stepped into an inn of the poorer districts. The less chance of her running into a so-called noble the better, and Timeon had picked the pair himself to keep her out of trouble in case she felt like going on a little hunt of her own. Not having been in the city often, she looked around, spotting an inn with the name of The Stone's Moss. Feeling the name to be somewhat appropriate to describe the city's leadership, she stepped in, habitually scanning the clientele for signs of having money on them.

 

They didn't, which meant none of them was likely to be in the service of a High Lord. Good, at least that would be spared to her. The bouncer eyed the blade of her cutlass warily, which was somewhat understandable given that she didn't keep it in a sheath, but had it tied to her hip by wrapping a cloth belt around it. The slanted angle ensured she would not be lacerating her own legs while walking, but the gleam of metal tended to make some people nervous.

 

Wimps.

 

She sat down at a table near the corner, the two men that had come with her sitting down in key locations. From the way Mara radiated a temper, it was unclear whether the two were there to guard her, or to protect the others from her, and judging by the look on their faces they weren't all too sure themselves.

 

 

Mara

Hey, we can't all be happy now, can we? :)

[Visar Falmaien]

Jural's eyes instinctively darted towards the entrance when someone came through the door of the tavern.  She was a tall, rough-looking woman, perhaps from Tair originally, though she dressed like a ship's captain. The naval sword caught Jural's attention immediately.  He thought she must be someone either very important or very brash.  Either way, it took guts to wear a sword without a scabbard, much less without permission from the High Lords.  Yet those that came on the ships frequently ignored the "rules," so Jural was not extremely surprised.

 

He exchanged glances with the bouncer, whom he knew well.  The man looked extremely uncomfortable, but Jural shrugged back, indicating he had no wish to help the man kick this woman out.  As far as Jural could tell, she wasn't causing any trouble, and with her bodyguards, she would be no easy fight even if the sword was just for show (which Jural doubted).  There was no sense in picking an unnecessary fight.

 

If there was a good amount of money in it, on the other hand...The woman did scan the room as if looking for everyone's purses.  Her eyes had settled on him briefly, but Jural did not keep most of his money on his person, and usually dressed casually while not working for any noblemen.

 

Feeling somewhat bored, Jural decided to see what this woman was about.  Draining his mug, he walked over to her table.  One of the bodyguards shifted slightly, ready to move to intercept, but Jural stopped a comfortable distance away.

 

"You look upset there, miss captain." Jural began, hoping to strike up some sort of a conversation.  "Did your ship sink or something?"

[Jehaine]

In the short time Jural had used to finish his drink and walk over, Mara had drained her entire mug and was ordering another one. The drink managed to calm her down somewhat, and make her forget where she was, or more specifically whom she'd risk running into in the city. Though the so-called nobility preferred spending their time away from the common folk, there was always the exception that tried to feel better about himself by being carted through the downtrodden areas, making a walk through Tear unscathed... rather risky business. She caught sight of someone approaching though, and shifted her seat so that the sword blade was hidden behind her and the table. It was likely he'd seen her already, but at least she could try to be polite despite her mood.

 

"You look upset there, miss captain. Did your ship sink or something?"

 

And then again, maybe not.

 

Still, a brief scan of his clothing told her he was a commoner, and as such did not apply for a beatdown or a full-flung tavern brawl. She took a deep breath, forcibly convincing herself that the man was just trying to be friendly. Taking another swig of ale, she glanced at Jural.

 

- "Nay, jus' too many nobles 'ere fer me liking. 'Nough bad blood 'tween me an 'em ta sink a ship in though."

 

Her accent sounded like an amalgam of the tongues of what appeared to be half the nations in the world, blended together into one. To the casual listener it would be hard to understand what she was saying, but the two men with her shifted a little, one glancing out of the window as if to check on something. Neither had touched their ale, though the looks they were giving their mugs showed that they wanted to, it's just that they didn't wish to let up while their charge was still somewhat sober.

 

 

Mara

A bit of a drinker.

[Visar Falmaien]

"Nay, jus' too many nobles 'ere fer me liking. 'Nough bad blood 'tween me an 'em ta sink a ship in though."

 

Jural lifted an eyebrow slightly.  She didn't like nobles?  Then what was she doing here, where a few frequented the place.  He glanced around, knowing there were some well-to-dos who liked to slum it in this tavern, but did not see anyone he recognized.  That was good, for this woman's sake; many here would be offended by any anti-High Lord sentiment expressed aloud.

 

Jural glanced at her bodyguards, who looked like they wanted to drink.  He gave the woman his most winning smile.  She was strangely attractive, if in a sort of handsome way.

 

"Well I know plenty of places where one can have a good time just as well as here, and those persons which you can't stand certainly don't frequent them.  Tell you what, I'll buy you and your men a round here, and then I'll be glad to show you to another good tavern or inn.  I won't ask for much, just a good story or gossip from the world; I can see you're well traveled.  My job rarely allows me to leave Tear.  What say you, miss Captain?"

[Jehaine]

Mulling over her options for a while, she gave herself a nod before emptying the mug of ale she had ordered. Tossing a few coins on the table to pay for the drink (and leave a modest tip) she started getting up, the glint of steel hanging at her belt creating a bit of tension in the room.

 

- "Sounds good ta me. Even better, ya can offer that round o' drinks in that other tavern ya suggested, an' we can swap stories there."

 

Judging by the man's smile after she had told him about the bad blood between the Tairen nobility and herself -- though honestly said hostility was rather one sided -- she guessed he either shared her sentiments or could at least relate to them. That in turn made her read more into his offer to switch to another Inn, and due to her understandably not having visited Tear often after leaving, she figured his bet was as good as hers.

 

 

Mara

Sure, why not?

[Visar Falmaien]

"Sounds good ta me. Even better, ya can offer that round o' drinks in that other tavern ya suggested, an' we can swap stories there."

 

Jural smiled again.  This could be an interesting experience, no doubt.

 

"Certainly.  I know just the place.  It's an inn known as The Spotted Stingray, since it's fairly close to the river.  It's a little rough sometimes, but the drink is not bad, and I think you and I are well prepared to handle a potentially violent crowd."  Jural nodded at her bodyguards, as well as at her sword.

 

"Shall we?  Oh, before I forget, my name is Jural.  Would you have a name to share, Captain?"

 

Jural offered his hand or elbow for the walk there, hoping for a favorable response.

[Jehaine]

Mara nodded, though she did not take up the hand that was offered her. Though there were benefits to being a ship captain, there were also responsabilities, and one of them was never to appear weak in front of the crew. Or at all, for that matter. She took note of the man's name, apparently satisfied when she couldn't recall having heard it before, but waited with giving her own until she had left the inn.

 

- "Name's Mara."

 

Though she wanted to give her last name as well, she ultimately decided against it, bringing up the argument that Jural hadn't given his either. In reality though, she knew she was in Tear, and the name of Novares would be likely to ring a bell. Though it was a source of annoyance that she was forced to carry her father's surname -- her mother had done that at the time, and she never managed to find out her mother's surname before she had died -- Tear wasn't that big for the name of a High Lord to be that common. She knew that she would also be wanted for multiple acts of piracy against Tairen ships. Overall, plenty of reasons not to bring it up, and no reasons why she should.

 

- "So, what'd you do fer a livin'?"

 

 

Mara

I am a pirate

[Visar Falmaien]

Slightly disappointed when the woman did not offer her hand, Jural felt compensated when he finally learned her name.  Mara.  Simple but beautiful, he thought.  He idly wondered what her last name was, but a first name would do for now.

 

 

"So, what'd you do fer a livin'?"

 

Jural smiled, the ale starting to buzz in his head a little.  For some reason, it did not register to him that it might be a bad idea to explain his profession.  "I'm a thief catcher in Tear.  For the highest bidder, I find and reclaim stolen objects to their owners or I track down people, and not necessarily always thieves.  Although a few times I've been caught in a crossfire in disputes over things.  There was this one time two merchant families wanted a vase.  One of them hired me, but the other hired a thief catcher for themselves...and I had to fight it out with him.  I won that one, I believe, but it hurt my reputation a little.  Competing with other thief catchers is often seen by my guild to be dishonorable."

 

Jural blinked, glancing at Mara.  He had a funny feeling he was going on about his job when she was clearly not interested.  Had he said something wrong to offend her, he wondered.

 

"What do you do, Mara?  I took you for a ship captain, was I correct?"

[Jehaine]

As Mara heard Jural explain about what he did for a living, she almost burst out laughing, going as far as to bite her tongue trying to hold back until the thief-catcher was done talking. Light, this was rich. If he only knew the amount of Tairen ships she sank so far, she doubted he'd even have tried to talk to her... But that was the difference between a Sniffer and a thief-catcher, it seemed. As she saw him blink at her, she regained the self control she had been fighting over, allowing her to at least explain herself.

 

- "Heh sorry, silent joke. Ya'd be surprised how little difference there is 'tween thieves an' thief-catchers at times. Only difference ah suppose is thief-catchers askin' more questions before accepting. But tha's okay."

 

She nodded as Jural asked her if his hunch about her was right. He was, and though there were few others that would walk into an Inn armed like it was the most natural thing in the world she still had to admit that it had been a fine guess.

 

- "Aye, a captain ah do be. Got me ship in the harbor afore settin' oot o'er the seas again."

 

She emphasized the 'do be' in an attempt to mimic the Illianer accent despite her Tairen appearance. Reason being someone walking past the two of them wearing the colors of a High Lord's House, and as he glared back at her she replied by holding her middle finger up at the man. By the Creator, how she enjoyed getting on the High Lord's nerves...

 

 

Mara

Told you she had a problem with Tairens

[Visar Falmaien]

(ooc: are you flicking off a high lord or a servant of one?  I'm assuming the latter but I'll change my post if necessary)

 

"Heh sorry, silent joke. Ya'd be surprised how little difference there is 'tween thieves an' thief-catchers at times. Only difference ah suppose is thief-catchers askin' more questions before accepting. But tha's okay."

 

Jural didn't like the sound of that.  Thieves and Thief Catchers amounting to close to to same thing?  While both might share a love of money, at least Thief Catchers did it in the honest employ (usually) of someone else.  He had a funny feeling like she was laughing at something else, though.  Like she knew something he didn't and she could barely contain it.

 

"Aye, a captain ah do be. Got me ship in the harbor afore settin' oot o'er the seas again."

 

Jural raised an eyebrow at her rude gesture to a passing servant in High Lord livery.  What did this lady have against High Lords...Perhaps it was time to start trying to find that out before his brief association with her got him into trouble.

 

Thankfully, all the servant did was glare, mutter a curse, and continue about his way, no doubt on a pressing errand for his master.  Jural idly wondered if this Mara would dare to make the same gesture to an actual High Lord.  No, he thought, no one would be stupid enough to do that in Tear.  There was still a conversation to be had, he told himself.

 

"What's the name of your ship, Mara? I'd like to see it before you leave town." Jural said, putting a slight tinge of sadness in his voice to make it seem like he didn't want her to go.  He was getting over the buzz of the drink and was now becoming a little suspicious of her occupation. He did genuinely hate parting with someone when he just met with them, however, so some of the 'sadness' was real.

[Jehaine]

OOC: Yeah, it's a servant, a High Lord would never have let her get away with it.

 

IC:

 

Mara raised her eyebrow as Jural brought up the topic of leaving. Still, she had told him she was a trader, and in that light she figured the question wouldn't be entirely odd, given that traders generally only stayed in one place long enough to finish loading and unloading cargo. Though her cargo in question had been a passenger, she had a habit of drinking after a successful trade, only this time finding it clashing with her distaste for Tairen High Lords. It was the reason she tried to avoid Tear, but sometimes it was inevitable.

 

- "Me ship? She's called the 'Crimson Dagger'. Sorry 'f ah'm bein rude tae yer employers ah jus... Me an' High Lords is like seawater 'n oil, we don't mix."

 

Though her mood was still less than wonderful, she didn't want to end up making Jural feel uncomfortable. Well, more uncomfortable anyway. The man had offered her a drink, and she felt it was the least she could do to apologise if he found her actions to be offensive. Her antipathy was aimed at High Lords, not their thiefcatchers, though she had had to run from one more than once as a child in the streets of Godan.

 

 

Mara

...Yeah