RP:Flowers and Fighting

This is a Rogue's Guild RP.

Location: Rynvale Island, From the north end of the port to the Inn.

Summary: (On the way)

Wildflower Field

Khitti needed a bit of a break from the darkness of the Fog Forest--even she had limits. Her meditation had been unfruitful, and likewise with trying to get some sort of sign from the gods on how she should deal with all the things that were going on around her. Even now she tried tempting fate into telling her as she sat in the flower field, the scent of the forest still clinging to her, her tarot deck out in front of her on the intricately embroidered silk cloth she got for it. Sometimes the card was just blank, a phenomenon that she could not explain, because once one day shifted to the next, the card was just fine and back to normal, sporting its lovely botanical drawings. Other times, she’d get the deck’s equivalent of the Moon card, which stood for fear and anxiety, amongst other things. The redhead sighed, threw the card down onto the rest of the deck in exasperation, and gave up, laying back into the flowers to stare up at the heavens instead.

Lita is wandering through the edge of the field, scrounging a few flowers for new inks, not at all invested in what is the most tedious part of art. She's all set to just gather a few handfuls of random flowers and hit bricks when she catches the newly familiar scent of witch and she perks up a bit to catch sight of Khitti a few yards off, lying back in the grass. Curious. She makes her way towards the woman and standing a few steps from her head, leans forward over her, eyeing the card deck she'd laid out. Curiouser. Lita had owned a handmade tarot deck once. In another life, when she'd first come to Rynvale. Red- the smuggler, not the present one- had threatened to cut her hand off for her reading once. She'd been human then and quite a tad attached to the things. She grins now at the memory, lifting a hand and tugging idly at the ends of raven curls. "They never whisper good things, hm?" It's not quite a question as she diverts dark eyes to the woman below her.

Loravelle learned her lesson from the beach bash. Coconut drinks are good, but hangovers are the worst. So even if she has a hacked open coconut in her hand, it doesn't have the tell-tale smell of alcohol mixed in. “I think they'd like it out here,” she murmurs to Leo as she walks beside him, referring to her sisters. It's been such a surreal last few days, but she's glad to be back home on the island. Their twins, the maned wolves with their peculiar bark and reddening fur, wander ahead and into the flower field to explore and hopefully not disturb Khitti. Lora is surprised to see someone sitting out here by themselves until Lita appeared, who she enthusiastically waves at with her free hand. Her footsteps slow to a stop when she notices that Khitti flopped over. “Is she okay...?”

Leoxander didn’t have any clue or expectation of Khitti in that field of flowers until he caught her scent at the edge of town where it broke into the wilds, which might have led to a step of hesitance. It was just Khitti. Or Khitt. Their individual scents were similar but different. But his connection with either was tentative at best - probably always ready to fight but not finding enough reason to … yet. Considering that was how a lot of his relationships went, he continued to follow Loravelle to one of her favorite spots on the island, putting aside the stables and probably the library. Lita’s scent was on the wind, too, but that was far more usual considering they inhabited the island most days. Before Jee, or ‘Grim’ as Leo called him, could get that awful sound out of his throat, a sharp whistle called their attention, and undoubtedly the other two women’s, also. No sense thinking they might sneak up on those two. The long legged beasts trotted back on their tiptoes back to the wolf and the mouse, Chee, or ‘Git’ nuzzling Lora’s hand as if to say ‘Dad yelled and I didn’t even do nothin’ wrong.’ He was the innocent of the two. Just like Leo was in the offset pairing with his soon-to-be bride. “The hell’re you two up to?” That was just the rogue’s translation of Loravelle’s question.

Khitti sat up as the three approached, a shake of her head offered to Lita. “No, they don’t.” The redhead was rather subdued, exhausted. “And it’s never not infuriating.” Her attention shifted towards Loravelle and Leo for a moment, a wave offered to the former and a nod to the latter. “What are you guys doing out here?” There was a slight wave of anxiety--likely the very thing that the Moon card had warned her about--hit her and she was half-tempted to flee back to the forest or to head to the docks and go home. But, she didn’t just yet, as she eyed the three of them carefully, then looked down at her tarot deck and drew another card. The Wheel. The redhead raised a brow at it.

Lita had no idea how to answer Lora's question. Or if she should. She hadn't thought to check for a pulse. "I found her like this!" She clarifies, narrowing her eyes to glance at the pirate in a suspicious 'I didn't do it' look. But thankfully, Khitti is talking up at her, which is a good sign, possibly. Or at least an answer to Lora's question. Leo and Lora and the pups all get waves in greeting. Lita straightens again as she watches the redhead pluck another card. "Infuriating's never not a fun thing." She says with what is probably too much delight. "Learn more that way." She finds a seat in the grass across from the girl and nods at the deck. "What're you stuck on?"

Loravelle holds her half-drank coconut high up so Git can't take advantage of her crouching down to baby him and scritch behind his ears to steal a drink or try to run off with the coconut entirely. “Shh,” she whispers. “It's okay...” Khitti's question is a good one. What -were- they doing out here? Lora just enjoyed being around flowers, and once Git calmed down enough to run off with his twin to explore, she reaches to pluck one wildflower from the ground, twirling it by its stem between her fingers. “I like flowers,” Lora decides to holler over as a reply before walking any closer. She considers trying to sneak tucking the wildflower she pulled behind Leo's ear, but ends up tucking it behind her own ear instead. He won't be crowned Flower King today. She's seen cards like the deck Khitti has before, but didn't know how to read them herself. Lita understood them? That revelation has her looking fond and wide-eyed at the vampire. Was there anything she couldn't do? “The cards are infuriating?” Puzzled but curious, Lora wonders if it's okay to sit down on the grass near Khitti and Lita too. But not until she's finished off her coconut.

The rogue might have furrowed his brow just a bit at Khitti’s inquiry of them occupying that space, but he wasn’t that kind of pirate to announce titles or claim. “We got some guests for a few days. Miss Coconuts here wanted to scope out a few places to show’em.” Maybe a bit of a lie, but also a trusted truth to his ‘deputy’ and the baker. Hopefully she brought some samples. As for their reason for being in the spot, they’d laid under the shade of a tree out there once upon a time to unwind from the usual grind. Leo, the family man. He kind of sort of had to be since they’d given him a hell of a wedding gift, but it was more than greed that encouraged him, now. Giving the three women some space, he planted a kiss on the Mouse’s temple before he led the twins off for a brief walk to that crevice in the ground he’d contemplated before. It looked split by water at some point, and his gaze trailed west wondering where it had stopped. But most of the island’s problems seemed to lead toward the fog-filled forest.

Khitti: The question regarding why they were there was less a demand and more just curiosity. She would leave if they wanted the space to themselves. Khitti might not be a part of their circle, but she wasn’t naive when it came to things people don’t talk about in the open. But when there was no move made to ask her to leave, she nodded at Leo’s explanation and turned her attention back to Lita and Loravelle. “Life? I dunno,” she said to Lita. “I think I’m getting too old for all this change that keeps happening. The cards tell me either nothing or close to nothing and then the bad feelings I get don’t exactly help either when they either come too late, people don’t believe me, or I’m too incapacitated by the feeling to do anything.” Her clairvoyancy was a rather large pain in the ass sometimes. “Cards are definitely infuriating,” her words now for Lora, a smirk given along with them. “Do you want to look at them? They’ve got flowers and such on them.” She picked up the deck and the cloth that they laid on and put them into the rusted metal box that she’d found them in, then pushed them towards Lora. “I was hoping the forest would help. It’s usually where I go when I need a quiet place to think. But everything is too in flux.”

Lita gives Lora a look at the pirate's mention of guests but doesn't ask further questions. "Miss Coconuts?" She asks with a grin. "Have ye been downgraded from Queen, then?" She teases, patting the grass next to her for the mouse to join them. She's no qualms about inviting people into Khitti's personal space, it seems. Generous and all. She leans over to sniff at Lora's drink, to make sure it's kosher. And then if there's a straw she'll probably try to steal a drink of it too. "We don't outlive change, unfortunately." Lita manages, watching Khitti pack the cards before nudging them towards Lora. Ironic, considering she's immortal now, but not untrue. "Maybe you need to narrow your expectations some?" She tries to offer. "Life is a pretty big infuriating to tackle all at once." She plucks a daisy from the field and twirls it between her thumb and forefinger before holding it out to Khitti. "Everything's only in flux from this perspective. You're trying what used to work, not what works now."

Loravelle nearly chokes on her drink mid-swallow at that nickname. “You can't just say tha-” Not true. He could pretty much do what he wanted, but her very mature response is to stick out her tongue at Leo as he kisses her. “Whatever, Mister Bunny,” she's pushing it here, she knows, especially when she does finally sit down and playfully add, “Sorry – Captain Bunny.” Maybe there was some rum in that coconut because she usually wasn't so bold. As Lita leans forward to sniff at it, she happily hands it over to share when Khitti offers to let her look at the tarot deck. After checking her hands to make sure they weren't sticky with coconut water and giving them a wipe to be extra sure on the skirt of her robes, she very carefully lifts a card from the deck in its box, turning it to look at the picture on its front. “So they're pictures that tell you things? Like the future?” Lora may detest and fear magic, but anything that looked like something that could be spun to look like a means to determine someone's fate drew her in. Blame Q'na for that. That made these cards extra special, so she sets the card back on top of the deck shortly after looking it over. “How do you know what they mean?”

Leoxander couldn’t help but glance back. Not just for the ‘Bunny’ remark, but every day, Loravelle was becoming more of a witch. He’d have to get her a cauldron for her botanist book, a garden for her ritual herbs, and now Khitti was introducing her to tarot. Figures. Still, he spent a few minutes of time without the maned wolves ‘hounding’ the woman and took all three of them away for some business about marking a tree before the rogue was headed back with the two strange looking beasts flanking the Captain at either side, always seeming to trot light on their feet like they were trying to sneak. Definitely a roguish pair. Of course, he’d throw in his own little tidbit of input. “You seem wound up tighter’n Lora’s pipa strings, Red. I get why yer here.” It was ever his own little slice of paradise, particularly now, but even in times of turmoil. Something worth defending in times of war. But that was all he said before he abruptly took a seat down next to Khitti’s position and boldly asked. “You didn’t bring any more of those cookies by chance…” The ‘did you?’ at the end left off from his baritone brogue. Otherwise he was quiet, observant, a wrist resting on an elevated knee as he shamelessly watched the lesson on… whatever the hell it was the red witch did.

Khitti smirked at Lita. “Yeah that’s what Khitt has been telling me. ‘You do too much.’ ‘You can’t solve everything.’ ‘Just let whatever happens happen, and deal with it when you’re able to.’ My brain doesn’t want to listen though.” The smirk only grew further as Lora dubbed Leo ‘Captain Bunny’. Once upon a time, Khitti had called Brand a ‘booplesnoot’, a word her and her sister used for rabbits back home. Because their noses are so cute, you just want to boop them. Would the comparisons between the two captains ever cease? Secretly, Khitti wished it wouldn’t--it was entirely too amusing. “Each card has a meaning,” she said, pointing at the small book that was also in the metal box. “These ones look a little different than usual. Most of them have pictures of people or animals on them. This one’s all plants. But sometimes, it doesn’t even show me anything, no matter the card I pick up. It’s just blank. Like it’s telling me I’m supposed to figure it out myself. The damn deck is more temperamental than I sometimes.” The smirk was still there somewhat; she wasn’t really upset about it. “Up until you three showed up, I was getting blank cards and the Moon. The Moon stands for fear and anxiety, or things having to do with the subconscious and intuition. And then you showed up, and it’s given me the Wheel, which means destiny, good luck, and that there’s some sort of turning point. Or maybe it’s just being dumb and pointing out the obvious of someone being rather acquainted with a ship’s wheel being here. I dunno.” Leo asked his question and Khitti just stared at him for what seemed like forever, like she was studying him reaaaaaaally good. And then she just pushed her satchel over to him. “There’s peanut butter cookies in there.” But when Leo would go to put his hand in, the bag felt… bigger than what it really was. And the cookies would almost fall into his hand somehow. Weird.

Lita is more than happy to hold Lora's drink. And probably finish it for her. As the Mouse explores the cards more closely. She peers too, a bit nosy herself. She knows just enough about tarot cards to get herself into trouble. Enough to steer clear of most decks. Fate, destiny, whatever anyone called it, she'd make her own thank you very much. But Khitti's infatuations are at least fascinating and she listens in earnest to hear of the Moon and Wheel the woman keeps finding on her cards. She doesn't say anything, just sips at Lora's coconut drink and eyes the pirate across from them as he joins their little group with those pups in tow.

Loravelle pretended not to notice Leo glance back because she's absolutely sure that she pushed it. Her face is turning red, but she has her interest in Khitti's tarot deck to hopefully help distract and hide her embarrassment. "They turn blank?” So they're magical. That has her swallowing, eyeing the cards warily. But she did pick one up moments ago and it didn't hurt her, so maybe they're safe. Lita and Khitti looked comfortable with the cards too so she guessed if they spontaneously combusted or something, both of them would know how to handle it. The little book has her attention then, and she decides that might be worth a read next. Maybe the pages have illustrations of the cards so she doesn't have to pick the deck up. “It's like a language...” Lora trailed off again, though her eyes leap from the pages toward Leo and Khitti at mention of peanut butter cookies. She wanted some, but there's a whole treasure trove of new things to learn in her hands that she refuses to put down unless Khitti pries it away from her hands. She'll be quietly reading and listening to the others too. ...And maybe try to steal a cookie from Leo if he gets some.

Leo popped in with his two cents again at some point after Khitti’s words. “Yeah. Wheels tend to do that.” Was there an ‘Obvi’ card in that deck, too? Meanwhile, he was digging that bag gambling between a sack full of treats or one full of scorpions. But enough trust was displayed that he (probably) in fact pulled out a cookie. Except… he had to dig a bit deep into it passed some other mystery items that was like putting his hand in a snake hole to find one. It was only when he was ready to withdraw his grip that he had not one, but two in grasp and maybe when the witch wasn’t looking, double checked with a sniff before he took a bit, brushing crumbs off the front of his black, short sleeved shirt. The other, of course, offered to his fiance when she eyed another magical thing - that bag. He didn’t make mention of the trick because it wasn’t his to give away. “So now that Khitt ain’t in the Arena keepin’ busy, what’re you plannin’ to do? Heard a rumor you raise more’n dough these days…” Hinting in on the Necromancer circle without stating it. He’d leave Loravelle to her reading and haul her home in the end, one way or another.

Khitti shook her head at Lora. “I don’t know if the cards themselves are to be honest. I’ve had other people look at them for me and they seem to be just a basic deck of cards.” She hoped that was enough to quell the girl’s feelings towards them anyway. She wrinkled her nose at the mention of raising things other than dough and shrugged. “Busy getting shoved into politics, I guess. That’s where ninety percent of that change is coming from. Everyone I know is getting shoved into an office of some sort and it makes me wary. Being leader of a guild is one thing… Being leader of an entire region of people is entirely different. Hence my--” Khitti gestured vaguely at the cards. “I’m literally caught in the middle of Vailkrin and Cenril. And a certain giant bug demi-god needs to die before anything’s going to get better, no matter what Kasyr’s doing in Vailkrin at the moment and no matter all the people he sends to me to try to help him with it all. I was wary even just helping Hildegarde get her own crown, but at the time it was a way out of a bad situation I’d gotten into, so I threw myself headlong into it anyway. But all that?” She gestured towards the direction of the mainland. “It’s like a ball of yarn all knotted up with people I care about involved in it and I just want to set the ball on fire and be done with it. Thankfully, some of that stuff deals with my guild and it lets me go do the research and whatnot that I actually want to do.” She sighed.

Lita is far less interested in talks of necromancers. Anti-vampire propaganda was enough undead nonsense on her plate to deal with these days. Not that she had anything against Khitt(i). Yet. Though she hadn't seen him yet, technically, since the Arena, she'd have to hope Khitt wouldn't hold that whole using-your-head-as-a-sports-ball thing against her. Leaning sideways, she'd bump her shoulder against Lora's to get her attention. "Need to pick your brain a bit. Walk me home?" Asked quietly. "Girl stuff." She'd say to the pirate as she stood. Not at all an explanation but all he'd get as she'd offer a wave to Khitti. "I'd love a reading sometime." And then she'd lean down to press a kiss on the pirate's cheek. Waiting for Lora to say her goodbyes as well, she'd loop an arm around the girl's waist and mimic the Captain's whistle to get the pups' attentions, who would probably look confused for a moment glancing from Leo to Lora and back again, until Leo would probably give them some sort of nod of permission or command to send them trotting after their mother.

Leoxander couldn’t help the chuff of a chuckle at Khitti’s words. He was in the same boat, metaphorically speaking, but he was clearly having a less strenuous time of it. In a sense. “The Silver was good at keepin’ quiet. These other cities… not so much.” Even if they weren’t missives made for the rogue to read, he had his means of getting information and seeing the broadcast in writing that put the mainland into quarrel. And living on Rynvale for the years he had, he knew it would only be a matter of time before something blew up beside tempers in words on parchment. “Lucien was like that, in a way. Tried to take ‘em in as my own but had too much of his father’s blood in the veins. Can’t easily steer anyone off a path they’re meant to walk, frustratin’ as that is.” His words came through a mouthful of cookie, before his attention turned toward the barefoot vamp-champ and the mouse, who was becoming a quiet force to be reckoned with in her own right. He’d torment the witch just a bit longer with his company, trusting Lita entirely to take care of her and the boys. “Go on, then.” The twin maned wolves were all too eager to accompany the girls on their venture home toward the shore. He looked back toward the red haired woman after a moment of that nocturnal vision seeing them off as the sky was darkening quick. “I d’know about all that…” He motioned toward the cards. “But seein’ blank seems to me like yer lookin’ for somethin’ you haven’t found, yet.”

Khitti gave a wave to the two as they headed off, taking the dogs with them. “I don’t even know what I’m looking for anymore, to be honest. I don’t know what kind of answers I’m thinking I’ll find. It’s like opening the ice box when you’re hungry and finding nothing there you want and then coming back and looking an hour later, thinking something will have changed, and then it clearly hasn’t. I guess I’m just going to do what Khitt told me and try to focus on the guild and my research and my art.” She closed the lid to the box and tossed it into her satchel, letting it disappear into the void of the bag. Her attention shifted for a moment towards Lora and Lita’s disappearing forms, a frown lining her lips. “You guys gotta learn to tell me when to shut up, so I don’t chase your friends off.”

Nortengaal ’s face currently holds a look of determined concentration as he once again pauses his steps and closes his eyes to lift his nose to the sky and take a deep breath. So many smells, so little time, but there it is, ever so faintly, the one he’s been following since he woke up from his nap in the Jolly Roger and decided to seek out the captain for renovation talks. Opening his eyes again, he resumes his journey, and in short order arrives at an area that almost literally contains more flowers in one space than he’s seen in total in his life. The smell of the place is overpowering, and he immediately sneezes once, twice, three times in rapid succession before rubbing his nose between two fingers to try and soothe the olfactory onslaught in some way. Strangely enough, after just a few breaths he gets used to it, finding it pleasant even, if still a bit strong. Looking around a moment, he misses the two people in the area at first, the flowers so attention grabbing even in the rapidly fading light. A second sweep and his gaze registers them, and he heads over to them, waving even as he speaks. “There you are Leo, been looking all over for ya. Wouldnt’ve thought i’d find you in a place like this, but life’s just full of surprises aint it?” he chuckles at that, mainly to himself really. “Heya Khitti, fancy seeing you out here too.” You entered a deep rest. You jolt from your deep rest, becoming more aware of your surroundings.

Leoxander was a bit impressed by her analogy, but usually he just ended up with a bottle in hand by the end. He looked in the direction she did when she frowned. “You ain’t scarin’ them off. Jus’ got back from meetin’ five more sisters that shipped over fer the wedding.” He was able to say that word, now. Blowing out a breath to demonstrate how that was. “D’know why, but they seem to approve. Even gave me a bloody ship.” A sneeze - …two sneezes. Three… they draw the wolf’s eyes into the distance to see Nortengaal’s approach. “You’d be hard pressed to scare anyone off these lands, Red.” He stated before he stood in order to greet the therianthrope with their usual clasp of hands when he got close enough. “Lora’ likes the flowers, you know that.” He did what was his best thieving mode to snag back Khitti’s bag, maybe just to rile her if he succeeded, but that reward would just be one more cookie for the road. He’d been off the island for a couple days so he might have a guess on what Nort’ wanted to discuss, but looked back toward the witch. “You need a place to stay? I can set you up with Simon on the way back.” You meant with the sisters that the girls had things to talk about.

Khitti offered a smile to Nortengaal and a nod. “Hey, you. And yeah, I wouldn’t think that I’d find Leo out here either, but here we are. Seems to be Lora’s influence though. He doesn’t feel like much of a flower guy to me,” she smirked and side-eyed Leo. Her attention slid towards the heavens for a moment, the redhead eyeing the placement of the astral bodies, trying to gauge what time it was. “I should probably head home soon.” Khitti blinked several times at the word ‘wedding’. “You’re getting married?” There’s a lot more blinking. To the point that Leo was able to get away with stealing more cookies. “You and Lora should come to the bakery at some point then. Try out some desserts. Doesn’t necessarily need to be cake for the wedding though. It can be anything. And maybe if I like you enough, I’ll even make the stuff for the wedding for free.” His question about needing a place to stay gave her pause and she eventually shook her head. “No, I’m okay. Brand was going to pick me up again. He had a very particular craving for strawberry cheesecake and whiskey today, so we’re going out on a date in a little while.” She paused again. “I’m serious about the bakery. And if you need catering, Khitt’s got his restaurant too.” The witch would let the two of them go off to do whatever then and would just sort of bide her time in the field until it was time to go find the Tranquility.

Leoxander glances Nort’s way for Khitti’s remark. “She don’know about the flower crown. Bes’ keep it that way.” He returned his attention to the departing witch. It would be a true crime to deny Loravelle that option of visiting the bakery, and he had his own reasons to visit Cenril. With Khitti’s farewell, he walked the way with Nortengaal back to the Inn, where he would, despite the woman’s answer, confer with the man that there might be one more seeking a room. But the sisters he had to sell the royal townhouse shore. “You wouldn’t believe the week I’ve gone through, man. Wait till you see the ship in the harbor.” But the plan for that walk was to focus on his thoughts, so he drew the wooden case from his back pocket with a book of matches. He offered the fellow ‘were’ one and paused to light his own before he passed off the sulfur dipped sticks. “So what’re you thinkin’ about? The cellar?”

Broken Barrel Inn

Nortengaal enjoyed the walk back into town, the night being as nice as it was - though the dragon he gave a fairly wide berth, considering how ornery it was his first way through. But they make it to the inn without issue and they settle into their chairs at a convenient table. Nort takes the offered smoke and matches with a nod of thanks, striking a match to light the smoke instead of his usual magical theatrics. A deep inhale of the smoke is held a second before he exhales contentedly. “Yeah. I just had a couple questions i’ve been mulling over, logistical stuff mostly.” He hails a passing barmaid for a bottle of rum, a bottle of whisky, and two glasses before launching into it without any preamble. “What can you tell me about the physical space? Is there anything special about it? Wards or the like.”

Leo wasn’t going to sit until Simon had a few glasses and a healthy bottle waiting, which he brought back to the table the bearman settled in - a subtle sign of respect from the pirate, since he wasn’t usually one to serve anyone. The maids might have done so but they knew Leo better than they knew the other, so it was a bit of priority in that gesture. Ashtray in play and drinks poured, he tilted back in the chair as he often did on its two back legs with a boot on the table support, demonstrating that balance that he seemed to try to keep in his life. “Nothin’ much left beside the egg still down there. D’know what to do with it but the wife thinks it lucky.” Yeah, he was already calling Loravelle by that term now and then. Considering the bit of information he had divulged about her sisters coming to visit, he already felt he was without the ceremony. “Used to be where we’d store those supplies that most folk couldn’t get from the mainlands. An’ right now… can barely get any powder through Cenril, so that means me an’ whoever payin’ the Mayor a visit soon.” A moment taken for a drink, for a drag, for an exhale. “We don’ do a lot of magic here. ‘Least not yet. What’ya see is what’ya get. An’ a fist to the face to any that wanna dispute it.” But he tilted back the legs to plant four and asked. "What're you thinkin'?"

Nortengaal smirks a bit to himself as the maids defer to Leo’s gathering of supplies. It makes sense; he’s the more known of the two weres, plus it saves them the trouble of having to do it. He takes up the glass with another nod of thanks and takes a drink and a puff, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand as he enjoys the interplay of the flavors. Exhaling through his nose, he unconsciously mirrors Leo’s chair tilt while he speaks, leaning back a bit to balance on the back legs for a bit before settling back down. “Maybe you can hatch it, get yourself a new pet.” Not that that might even be possible at this point, but Nort doesn't really know much about the egg or where it came from, so who knows? “It was quite an assortment down there, snagged a couple things for myself during the cleanup. Petey’s the best thing of course.” he said, referencing the fly trap he’d decided to set up in the JR. “Anyways, I was thinking of the ward thing as a just in case measure for the magically inclined folks who might come rolling through. I know when the adrenaline is going strong some folks can lose control, and i’d want the place to survive it.” a pause while another drag and exhale is taken. “Although, i was also thinking that we might be able to make it so magic doesn't even work down there, nip that potential problem in the bud. Dunno how to do that myself, but considering the madness they came up with for the blood bowl, i’m sure something like this is well within the realm of possibility.”

Leoxander made something of a face at his friend. His friend. Yeah, he could think that, now. It was most a scrunch of a sun-spotted nose on the pirate’s tanned features, veiled by the usual unruly blond. “Lora’ says it ain’t likely, an’ if a dragon pops out I won’t be too glad’a that.” But they weren’t there to discuss the egg in the cellar, moreso the one that needed to hatch down there sooner. “Ain’t sure if I want to know who the hell ‘Petey’ is, but go on.” He motioned with his glass and drained it some more with a drink, listening. Magic… no, he wasn’t a big fan of. Nor was his fiance. But this wasn’t about them. “It’s not a bad idea, mate. Best it be fist on fist to level the field, right? An’ I don’t wan’a see this place burn down in fire.” His chair legs hit the floor and he leaned forward. “But that means to find someone to handle that. An’ you jus’ happened to meet a witch today. One who, if I might add, knows a bit about warding ships against such things.”

Nortengaal chuckles a bit and takes another drag of the nearly done smoke. “You met Petey already actually. ‘S the venus fly trap that was on the bar the other day. Ya might’ve missed ‘im though, ‘round the bottles we were passing. He’s still small yet.” His eyebrows raise in mild surprise. What fortuitous timing this is, for Khitti to be around the same time they’re planning something that could make use of her skills. “Oh yeah? Well that’s excellent news, wont have to look that far then for what we need. I’ve already had some dealings with her a while back regarding a piece of equipment i had Alvina make for me, so i trust her skills.” A pause here to take the final drag of the smoke before he stubbs it out in the ashtray, exhaling through the nose again. A mental note is made - again - to ask Leo where he gets them. “I’m thinking the fightin area should be enclosed, just some rope or something to really set the space apart and keep the folks watching separate.” Nort raises his glass to take a drink, a slight pause as he considers a thought that just occurred. “Gonna need to set a few ground rules too. Nothing too fancy, just enough to cover the basics.”

Leoxander gave Nort’ a bit of a flat look. Drunk or not, he probably wouldn’t notice a plant among the crowd. That nonsense was for his other half. “That’s if she cooperates. ‘Red’ ain’t exactly for the underground trade. Her… other side might be, but it’s still something to check in on.” The rogue knew how a handful of gold or the right kind of trade might sway a person’s interest. “Point is, I’ma give you the coin fer it, yer gonna handle it, savvy? Bil’ll help you in the haul an’ Simon’ll help you in the trade. How’s fifty fer yer pocket to make it pretty?” Alvina or whoever he wanted could be brought into the project, but he would know any hand Nortengaal hired on that island. “This ain’t got nothin’ to do with our flock or the ships. This’ yers, friend. But you tell me what you can’t get? I’ll get it.” He took a last drag from his smoke before he stood and headed to the bar. It would become official, now, because Leo collected a key that unlocked that cellar door and on his way back, he tossed it to Nort’. “Don’ let me down.”

Nortengaal nods a bit and finishes what’s left in his glass, setting it down but not yet refilling it. “Good to know.” The bearman forgets sometimes that not everyone is as ready as he is to dive into the deep end of the world, as it were, and it’s good to be reminded. He nods again, more firmly, in response to the rest of the rogue captain’s words. Its no small thing he’s being charged with handling, and he knows that a lot of hard earned trust is being placed on him. Raising his left hand up he catches the tossed key, lowering his hand to study the unassuming object. Such big meaning for such a small bit of metal. He’s gonna have to brush up on his networking skills for this one. “Aye aye Cap’n. I wouldn't dream of it.”

Leoxander apparently had a surprise for Nortengaal. He didn’t mean to charge him fifty thousand. While he was back there in that safe, he counted out that amount to place on the counter with the key before Nortengaal. “So you fig’er our yer way to make some money off these fights then we both get paid. I’m investin’ in this deal for a season, savvy?” The money to give him whatever he needed to stock and supply the arena and lure in some entertainment. “It’s yer shop now, Bruin. Make sure you find a way to make it useful since we’re back on the map.” Whatever was left in his glass, he knocked against the other drink poured, hiding a half grin as he drank it down.

Nortengaal takes a moment to refill his glass, mind churning with ideas and thoughts on how to really make this thing go places. Crimson eyes go wide at the stack of gold placed in his care along with the key. A hefty investment indeed. Now it’s really up to Nort to make a return on that investment. He clinks glasses with Leo and takes a deep drink to steady his sudden nerves. This might honestly be the biggest thing he’s ever been tasked with, and he’s been contracted to commit actual murders before. It’s been a while mind you, but still. “I’ll give it my all Cap’n.” Simple words spoken, charged with quiet determination.

Leo met that red stare with blue, both of which might shift in the right angle of light. “I wouldn’t expect any less from you, mate.” Glasses already knocked, he finished what was left in his. And, since Nort not only had the key to the cellar but was security to the place, he planned on leaving the man to make his stay or make things fit until morning. That storage closet held a cot. There was part of a couch, benches, and whatever the bearman wanted to make of the basement, but it was time for him to head home. He opened the warehouse doors to the silhouettes of two maned wolves making some strange excited sounds, and in the mood he was in, he dug a boot in to race them to the cove.