RP:Indebted to a Duergar

Dergious swears and scoops up the obviously ancient tomb and shoves it back into it's pouch, and look suspiciously at Valaran. He seems to be deciding whether the man needs to die or not.

Valaran happens to be passing by when the Duergar trips and, more importantly, drops a particularly old and important looking tome. Both hands reach upwards to lower the scholar’s hood and reveal the young face beneath. A few steps forward are taken and a curious glance book-ward is given as Valarn addresses the deep dwarf. “Uh… Excuse me, Sir?” He rubs his hands together eagerly, overlooking the imp altogether, and asks, “Might I take a look at that book?”

Dergious looks at Valaran with disgust. The weak, clean shaven skin and the robes he most commonlyh associates with "filthy tricksters". "Whut book?" he says gruffly.

Valaran seems to be taken aback by the Duergar’s blatant denial. “Uh…” he begins, “Th-the one in that pack there.” The mage gestures towards Dergious’ pack.

Dergious shrugs and suddenly his eyes are calculating, 'Mebbe I gots a book..." he says, pausing longer than necessary. "Whut be yer innerest innit?"

Valaran lifts a hand to his chin, retreating deep within his own thoughts for a few moments. “That book I could have sworn was frosted over… Which leads one to believe it is arcane in nature.” He too seems quite calculating in nature, though he reveals little of his actual interest in the tome.

Dergious grins and removes not one, but two books. The ice covered tomb is present, but also another that looks far older. "I be... acquirin sum books o' lernin. Mebbe, fer a faver er two... I wud be willin te be partin wit em."

Valaran said to Dergious, “A favor or two?”

Dergious said to Valaran, “Yep, a few favers... mebbe I be needin sumthin, sooner er later. Ye promise te be doin whut I be askin, an da tombs be yers.”

Marcellus looks at Dergious, a mix of skepticism and contempt graces his countenance as he says to Valaran, "This one is not trustworthy. Take care if you are about to do any sort of 'favor' he asks."

Valaran strokes his chin lightly while contemplating his choices. On the one hand, this... creature seems less than amicable; on the other hand... those tomes look really nice. Finally, "... Fine, fine... But first, what's -in- the books?"

Dergious said to Marcellus, “Bah! Name one untruth I ever told! I keep te me werd!”

Dergious said to Valaran, “Dun be listenin te dat fat basterd! Knows dat whut I be askin no be anythin dat be causin no direct harm te anybody. As te whut in dem book, I no be no stinkin trickter! Jes squiggly lines te meself.”

Valaran takes only a few more seconds in thought before giving into the promise of knowledge. "Deal..." he says, extending his hand to seal the exchange.

Dergious said to Marcellus, “Ye gots stone, accusin wit no cause. Never did I be tellin an untruth, er breakin me werd te nobody. Can yerself be sayin da same bub?”

Marcellus snorts with derision before he responds, his arms crossed, chin up, looking down his nose at Dergious through narrowed eyes, "I have seen the kind of double-dealing in which you engage, enslaving innocents through half-truth, innuendo and the Powers of Darkness."

Dergious turns back to Valaran and looks at the offered hand. With one motion, he spits into his own palm and then grasps the scholar's tightly. "Dun an dun!' he says simply, and then he hands over the books.

Valaran winces at the touch of another but is soon smiling ear to ear and clutching two new books close to his chest. “Thank you, kind Sir,” he says, “Whenever you’ll be needing me, I can be reached at Xalious’s Mage’s Tower.”

Dergious squares his shoulders to Marcellus, his own chin jutting up (though in truth he had to look up). "Sell yer slander elsewhere, begger!" he says with a sneer. "I tell em whut dey be gettin, it no be me own fault dey can no be handlin it."

Marcellus shrugs and moves on, saying to Valaran, "Keep both your eyes open, friend." he says over his shoulder as he enters the tavern.

Dergious chuckles and seeps into shadows that embrace him, and suddenly he is gone.