RP:A Testy Sort

This is a Healer's Guild RP.

Summary: A series of shipments have come up short, Sabrina catches Meri on the way up to Rynvale for the next pickup of a presumed short order. Upon parting Meri offers her services if the culprit is captured, or even named.

Sabrina tromped off north with the pace of a mission, Rohk is in her wake, traipsing along like he didn’t need to bother keeping up yet he seemed to keep a pretty steady gap between them. Even in this weather she manages to keep to a code of dress that was both formal and functional. With her captains style coat buttoned high to the Mongolian collar and full length gloves, and the plain cotton pants tucked into militaristic boots meant for presenting and travel all in one. She no longer dons Larket’s colors, instead taking up the flair of the island region like she is on some sort of official business. Her hair is tied back, away from flushed cheeks and damp knitted brow- that pace that had been held for some time finally forcing her to mouth breathe but she looked no less unkempt than she did weeks ago.

Meri was sitting on the ledge of the pond, as near to the statue of the kraken as she could get with tentacles of the monstrous thing easily shielding her from immediate view from anyone who is on a mission. One would probably notice the guy sitting next to her before even spotting Meri. That being said, whatever it is Meri and this gent are currently speaking of probably equally escapes attention...but if hushed bits and pieces are to be overheard it sounds like an exchange of some sort. Gold in exchange for....? Hm. Blue eyes follow after Sabrina's form and whatever the conversation with the guy is quickly cut short with Meri abruptly grabbing her belongings and trailing after the healer at a brisk pace. "Hey!" She calls after Sabrina, trying to slow the woman down so that she is able to catch up. When she does her stride will match Sabrina's, intent on tagging along to wherever the healer's present destination is. For a touch. "Where are you off to in such a hurry, hm? You look like a woman with a mission right now. I mean, more so than the norm?" If that made sense?

Sabrina half-steps when she is hailed and she looks at Meri from a side view, keeping her good eye on the trail but unable to fully grasp a visual from the right. When the artist catches up her stride shortens to compensate for the aggressive speed and make her look less rushed. “Four days behind schedule on delivery, I have to pick up a shipment for stocks at Ara.” A personal errand, since the items in question were being lifted during shipment as an ingredient to some poorly sorted drug that hit the streets in Cenril awhile back. It is now that the Elfess was putting together the shorted shipments and she meant to see them to their destination. “Opiates, for pain and state of mind. We have been using them for decades in trauma cases. It seems they have a secondary purpose.” Recreation, the look of disgust is plastered all over her face.

Meri 's facade adopted a look of surprise when Sabrina mentions opiates, not because the artist was not vaguely familiar with the various uses of the drug. "You. Are going to acquire that yourself?" A frown weighs at Meri's lips, looking thoughtful and concerned. "I mean I hope this is not some...?" How did Meri want to phrase it without sounding superbly condescending? The woman gives pause to her words but not her steps, taking her time and mulling over what it is she really wanted to convey to Sabrina -- a grown woman capable of making her own decisions. "This is a trusted source you are getting this from? Perfectly fine solo endeavor?" Sabrina's implication of recreational drug use do not go unnoticed, her reaction is also not something that escapes Meri's attention. The point is pointedly ignored. Meri motions to herself from head to toe as if to suggest that she was willing to tag along with Sabrina if the healer felt this at all was risky business. Of course there was Rohk in tow, as always, but still! Meri felt obligated to check and offer.

Sabrina almost stops, but gathers herself midstep. “I own a poppy field in Northern Rynvale, its… hidden.” In other words, she was the source. Not a thing she would likely admit to someone she didn’t trust. There were trace poppy plants throughout the regions, but this one in particular was hers alone. “We process the milk from the seeds and preserve it in small batches. One teaspoon is enough to -treat- three dozen patents.” Emphasis on ‘treat’ because she sensed Meri thought she might be using it personally. Not that it would work in her case, but the sentiment for concern is not lost. It was endearing. “Yerrel makes my medications. Yerrel alone.” It was a wonder the natural healer would require such things but there are often times where sleep is the enemy and she simply must wind down. Doctor’s orders. “I am picking up a shipment equal to four gallons or so.” She points back to Rohk who had now closed the gap to some degree where his breathe could be felt on the back of Meri’s neck. “He is hauling today. It helps explain his stellar mood.” And as if on que, twin tails whip round to strike Sabrina in the chest. She, in turn, grabs the breast of Meri’s garments and yanks her to an abrupt squat before releasing her. If Meri was going to tag along, she needed to learn to dodge immediately after any potential insult. Moody indeed.

Meri 's mind had not quite gone to Sabrina herself actually using the opiates for anything -- more to the dangers of procuring such things, especially in bulk. Which is precisely why Meri looks relieved to hear that the source was Sabrina herself. "Well then." She does not have much time to really expand upon these thoughts as Rohk reveals his feisty personality to her. Meri had always sensed that Rohk had a bit of an attitude but she has never seen him outright tail whip anyone, let alone Sabrina! Meri does not need much guidance or encouragement to fall into this crouch, dropping down with Sabrina as if it were an instinctual reaction to an assault. Over her shoulder she looks so that blue eyes can glare up at Rohk, not that he'd care, before Meri rises back to her full height once again. "Testy..." Meri says in agreement to Sabrina. It is not an insult if it also a fact, right? "Four gallons is quite heavy, so I suppose I do not really blame him..." Provided Rohk was content with one tail whip, Meri would resume moving along in the direction that Sabrina was going in. Knowing that the job at hand was not risky business, Meri would likely not follow her there and back. Still, nice to walk and talk with a friend. "Any reason in particular your shipment was delayed? I mean, I can't imagine you are the one usually making this run..."

Sabrina was used to being tail-whipped by now, what she wasn’t sure of is the rate at which Meri would heal from it. The Master Healer had already gathered that the blonde was an advanced regenerative being, she was not convinced a full strike would be what one would consider painless. Sabrina puts one finger to her lips as Meri utters the word ‘testy’ and as if preplanned, she rises when Meri does at the silent ‘all clear.’ “It would come to pass that our shipments have been shorted for some time and I missed it.” She was always going over paperwork, and this was why; Things weren’t adding up. “So, I reviewed what is shipped and compared it to what was received and one quarter offset for every other order.” In her own calculations, she had determined that whoever was stealing the goods had to do it when it exchanged hands. “Whether at the clinic, Rynvale docks, or Cenril docks…maybe even Larket’s receiving…. It goes missing, every other order. One quarter haul. Not enough to be missed unless you trace back a pattern.” Rohk stops in his tracks, tails coming about again to draw both women back at the waist. Three sets of eyes affix to nothing, the twisting black abyss of his vision did not gather information like any other. Instead, he saw intent, though he could not be clear as to what the intent was- just that it was happening now. Or had happened. There is an awkward moment of silence before his little helpers relax and fall and he elects to walk ahead of them. Sabrina turns to Meri, if anything to calm any nerves that may arise. “His sight isn’t linear. Something could have happened here days ago… days from now. He is just making sure nothing is currently awry.” Since the hellbeast carried on, it would stand to reason he had deciphered the current reality.

Meri would pause when Rohk pauses, and stare off into the depths of the darkness just as he does, but when he resumes she does not. It is not out of fear, Sabrina's explanation is accepted readily and what sort of guard would Rohk be if he walked Sabrina straight into trouble? No, she trusted the hellbeast's judgement even if he was in a mood. "Well that is quite an annoying situation. It adds up quickly, someone taking little by little form your supply." Meri stares thoughtfully up at the sky now, "And it sounds like you have already figured out enough of a pattern that soon it will only be a matter of time before you figure out who is working to pilfer your supply." Meri lifts a hand so that she can hitch a thumb back over her shoulder. "It actually sounds like you have this whole situation tonight well under control so I am going to turn back. But if you find that you need any help figuring out who is stealing from you?" She did not figure that she actually needed to say 'just let me know'.

Sabrina stops to turn to Meri. “Of course. I trust you with my life. This is considerably less important, to me, anyways.” A smile, one of those practiced ones for good measure so that Meri could conclude that there was nothing to worry about, immediately. Danger was unlikely to arise with the half-breed from the seven hells leading the path, but it would still be worth the effort to see -if- she would be approached for a skim off the top. “Travel safe, Meri.”