RP:Rogues an Orc Short

This is a Rogue's Guild RP.

Part of the Mearcstapa Arc

Location: The Jolly Roger, Port Rynvale

Summary: The warehouse pub becomes the place of a spontaneous meeting regarding Gorehilt’s disappearance, and more.

The Jolly Roger

Leoxander still hadn’t had a chance to enjoy that felt lined table near the worn couch and beat up punching bag in the corner of the warehouse room, but the reason why was obvious to anyone who walked in to see the captain not at the bar, but claiming a table that was covered in maps and leather bound books, some loose parchments of wax stamped contracts, an empty granite ashtray and a wooden case of hand rolled smokes and a box of matches. And, of course, a bottle nearly half drained beside an empty cut glass. Lanterns hanging overhead from steel rafters were lit and flickering despite his nocturnal vision, and the rain pattering on the metal roof overhead was a percussion of concentration for the rogue, a light storm washing across the island to head north by morning. The twins had been collected from Simon and lulled by a fresh meat meal and that weather, the two maned wolves were curled up under that table at Leo’s feet, coiled together to look like one mound of rusty red and black fluff with their chins on each other’s backs. It was fortunate Lora’s sisters had celebrated their sister’s name-day the night prior, as the beach was no scene to be in with those gray clouds, but there was something calming about the way the rain washed the sand out of the streets and the dirt from the once again bustling port. No better time than in that downtime to catch up on the records the Mouse had been keeping and add in some notes of his own.

Mahri wanders into the Jolly Roger, soaked from head to toe and not minding one single bit. Rain water dripped from her hair, face and clothes, pooling on the floor in the couple seconds it took to close the door behind her against the storm, light flashing day-bright just as the latch caught. Her boots leave prints on the floor as she makes her way towards Leo and the table covered in maps, books and all sorts of fun looking things. The most interesting being the half empty bottle and wood case. "Evenin'," she greets, shaking water from her hands that she'd also wrung out of hair left loose. Silver eyes scan what she can see of the maps and papers. Glancing down, under the table at the gangly beasts beneath, Mahri offers a hushed, "Hey," to the both of them if they happened to be paying attention to her. Back to Leo now, the she-wolf is careful to not get those parchments wet reaching for the bottle for a drink. She'd say it's to ward of a chill from the rain but, lets face it, that would be a fib given she doesn't get sick anyway. "Whatcha workin' on?"

Lita has not been impressed with the rain today. Ruining a perfectly good nap in the hammock and all. She'd donned her olive green overcoat, the collar flipped up around her neck beneath raven curls, hands shoved in the pockets as she shoulders through the lounge door. Not that the coat did much, seeing as she was still dressed in the usual sundress and barefoot. But at least she wasn't tracking in mud and water again, since Mahri had returned that anklet. Dark eyes settle over the pirate and the she-wolf only briefly before a lack of sleep has her dredging herself towards the bar in lieu of a proper greeting just yet. She slips behind it to snag a bottle of whiskey and a glass and shrugs out of her coat, laying it across the bar to hopefully dry a bit. It takes her a minute to work up the energy to head back towards the table the pair have occupied and she fills her glass as she finds herself in a seat. She has to do a double-take, realizing the mass of fluff under the table are the pups. "Any word on Spike?" She asks, not minding that she might be interrupting.

Leo looked up when Mahri opened the door, gaze drifting calmly behind her for company or a glimpse of the mild storm. “‘Ey Mah’.” Four giant fox-like ears lifted under the table, and Chee picked up his head briefly for a fang displaying yawn, but recognized their ‘aunt’ and went right back to sleep until the next arrival, bellies full and the atmosphere warm from the lit lamps and lycanthrope presence, not to mention the first rain of the season brought some pleasant humidity with the scent of wet sand, washed stone and dripping palm fronds to those sensitive enough to pick apart those smells. His gaze followed Lita’s path when she made her way inside, but he’d had days like those where it took a shot or two before he’d be ready to be social. “Bring another bottle over an’ take a seat. I’ll fill you in.” Including both of them, of course. Some of the maps were folded and collected and slipped in between the pages of a leather binder to make room, if Lita happened to track back a step or two to comply with that request.

Loravelle had to persuade her sisters to let her out of sight for the evening so she could spend some time in the warehouse with Leo, and it's a miracle by the time she reaches it that she isn't soaked. She looked ridiculous, and had the excuse that her sisters did it to explain if anybody asked. Before letting her go with him, they pulled what can only be described as a lime green oilskin poncho over her head and handed her a green paper umbrella to keep her dry. Her nickname might have to change from Mouse to Frog. The umbrella rested just beside the door outside to not track more water than necessary in, with the poncho draped over it. It's the first time she's ever witnessed a storm on the island, and the sound is pleasant. She doesn't hover over Leo while he's at work, instead taking the quiet time to clean up by the time Mahri walks in. At first she grins, but then her eyes go wide with worry. She must be freezing! Into the storeroom Lora goes for a towel in case Mah needs it. Her head pokes out of the storeroom at the sound of Lita's voice as well, curious if she might need a towel too. She frowns when Gore is mentioned. “Nobody has seen him still..?” Brows knit with worry, she steps out with a pair of towels in hand, offering one to Mah first and Lita second if either wanted them.

Mahri smiles her thanks at Lora and takes the town to squeeze more water from her hair and wipe her face off. She'll turban the towel around her hair, tucking the ends in to keep it in place after setting the bottle down. Silver eyes sweep over Lita and the corner of her mouth twitches briefly. Once Lita joins them and has that seat, Mahri'll find a spot close to the vampire and lean over the table, resting on her elbows to listen as Leo fills them in. "Spike's missing?" Honestly, she didn't know him well enough to notice if he wasn't around or not.

Lita backtracks a step to snag a bottle of rum for Leo. Mahri will likely drink either but she snags another glass too for the she-wolf, all the same. She sets about refilling Leo's glass and pouring rum for Mahri as well and when the wolf scoots her chair closer, she leans over and offers a kiss to her cheek, a quiet apology for her probably rude behavior. She'd offer details later, maybe. She leans back in her chair, lifting her glass for a drink and takes that towel from Lora with a distracted thanks, laying it across her lap as she sips at that honeyed whiskey. She reaches an arm across the back of Mahri's chair, fingertips toying lazily at the woman's back in abstract patterns as she waits for Leo's news.

Leoxander glanced Lora’s way when she brought over towels to the pair, motioning for her to take a seat in that fourth chair as he pushed the stack of parchment and ledgers aside and reached for the glass Lita refilled for him with a nod of gratitude never spoken. His wrapped, left hand raised slightly at Mahri’s words. “We don’ know that yet. There is the chance he headed up to Frostmaw, but ‘e usually doesn’t up an disappear for a quarter moon without stoppin’ in or a sightin’ of him.” He took a drink, let the three settle in, and reached for that wooden case, speaking while he busied himself retrieving a cigarette and a match. “Men on the docks here say he got on the ferry, but workers on Cenril’s side of the water never saw him. An’ he wasn’t at the drow’s big reveal, which doesn’t seem like him to miss. Or the… cookin’ thing. If you’d call that cookin’...” A pointed look at Lita, remembering the way she used eggshells and possibly broken plates for ‘binding’. “I sat down with Khitt an’ Valrae the other day.” A pause in his words there to let them swallow the information he’d given so far.

Mahri leaned closer to Lita, just because, and the random patterns on her back felt nice. Anyway, she listened to Leo and with each word her brows drew close together in thought. Seen getting on but not off, is very concerning. "Isn't there an entrance to the snake-folks land in that crossing?" Just a thought. "How did that meeting go?"

Lita mostly stares down at the table as Leo talks. She didn't know Spike so well, but after the beach bash, she'd agree that he didn't seem the sort to up and leave everything they'd set about trying to build here. Not without leaving word or sending one. She takes a heavy drink and exhales a slow breath. At least the honeyed whiskey and Mahri left everything feeling warm and a little fuzzy for a moment. A little more present. A little less like she needed a week's worth of sleep. She makes a bit of a distracted face when Leo mentions the cooking thing. She still wasn't entirely sure what the hell had gone down with all of that. Her looks turns a bit sour when Mahri mentions the snake-city. She'd been once or twice but never stayed long. "Are we still operatin' under the assumption he's alive?" Harsh, maybe, but had to be considered at this junction.

Loravelle might have gone back to cleaning if Leo hadn't motioned her over, but once she's seated she decides to save her usually bubbly, happy pleasantries for Mahri and Lita for later. This was serious, though the cooking thing is strange to her. “What happened?” Her eyes follow Leo's to Lita, and it's then that she notices how close her and the she-wolf are sitting. The most she can chalk that up to is maybe they haven't seen each other in a while, and they were close, so she doesn't question it at all. Or notice the patterns drawn on Mah's back. The snake-city brought stomach-turning images to her mind, that only grow worse when Lita asks her question. “I...” Well, she'd hope so, but she doesn't know how to finish her sentence. Maybe she needed a drink too, and she considers getting up to get one.

Leo nodded along as Mahri seemed to catch on quickly to a theory. “Went well. Got the restrictions lifted for us to haul what we please from there’t here, but the accord comes with conditions.” His glass was set back down in Lora’s reach and similar to Lita, he draped his arm across the back of her chair that had been purposefully pulled closer before she sat. Despite the serious topic, he lounged in that chair with a relaxed posture. “We’re not to barter with Vailkrin.” His gaze directed toward the vampire briefly, but scanned across the other two as if they might have some reason to break that rule to not outright call the Ace on her involvement with the place. “Not until they handle ‘Tessa, who, as far as I’m concerned… she’s lost her place with us. I could give a damn what trouble she’s causin’ over there but she’s not benefitin’ our business an’ every time she shows her face there’s a bloody target on it. We don’t need that kind’a attention.” He rounded back on his fellow alpha’s mention of Alithrya. “We’re workin’ on a plan to check that out. I noticed the dark-wing at the food event. Flanked like before by guards in gold an’ white. She didn’t look like she was in any trouble but they were stuck on her like flies on s***...” Finally, that smoke he’d taken from the case was raised to his lips and lit with a strike of match.

Lita lifts dark eyes from Lora to Leo when he mentions their accord with Cenril's new mayor meant not making trades with Vailkrin. And her jaw sets, though she doesn't look away. Maybe now wasn't the time or place to go rufflin' feathers but she wouldn't have agreed to that deal, more than likely. Though that probably had more to do with her bias over Cenril aligning itself to the likes of Xalious against vampires. But that wasn't the only reason she'd gone to Kasyr looking for help in recent months. So the deal with Cenril might be better for the island but she's allowed to feel sour about it for a minute, even selfishly. She refills her glass but leaves it in reach of Lora if she'd want it. She suddenly wasn't in a mood. "I still have business with Kas to finish but I'll keep the island out of it."

Mahri's lips press together at the mention of ceasing barter with Vailkrin. Well. That put a cramp in her own plans. But, at least they shared a thought about Alithrya. "Don't think I can sneak in there, but I think you know someone who could and check it out. That uh.. shifter? I dunno what she is from one day to the next." Ina, that is. Trish? Trixy? Mahri won't really ask, but she'll reach for the box of hand-rolled since she'd run out of her own and by-pass the matches for her own little flame conjured to balance on the tip of a finger.

Loravelle didn't scoot her chair so close to Leo's to the point of crowding him, but she did nudge it over just a tiny bit more when his arm draped across the back of her chair while she listened. She may just keep the books, but listening in on everything else going on was worth paying attention to or at least being aware of. “Is the island threatened by any of this? If the entrance to their city is right there in the water...” Vailkrin may frighten her, but it's so far away that it's the last place on her mind. A city of snake people and Gore being lost or dead or worse in it was her concern. She doesn't just have her sisters in mind. Her eyes are on Lita and Mahri too, not that the Mouse could do much of anything to protect any of them. At that sobering thought, she pushes Lita's whiskey glass back toward her so she can steal a drink from Leo's next.

Mahri'll finish Lita's drink if Lora doesn't.

Leo returned a look toward Lita and offered a very subtle nod. He’d always intended to live his life and let others do the same with a motto of being free. He wasn’t there to dictate anyone’s life or their choices, but he was responsible for keeping an island in need of a lot of repair afloat. Lita had that right to be disappointed but he also knew she understood his reason for taking the deal. “I’m startin’ to think it won’t be that long ‘till she’s pulled off the playin’ board, anyhow. I’m not putin’ nails in any coffers, yet.” Which translated from Leo’s language to ‘no set-in-stone alliances’. Mahri’s round-about to the topic of the snake den allowed him the chance to take a long drag from his smoke, exhaled a bit with his words before he breathed out the rest. “Not the right job for Trix - she’s too damn unpredictable. I’m headin’ back to Cenril in a few days to know for sure but Khitti, or… rather Khitt, the guy one, he’s been in contact with Brennia an’ already had a possible invitation. Might take one’a the two to go in there without bein’ cause for a lot of questions.” He looked sideways toward his soon-to-be-wife with a slight squint of an eye and a slight shake of his head. “I dun’ think Reginae’s got reason to outright attack - ‘specially not us. But people are missin’ an’ I haven’t a g’damn clue what she’s collectin’ ‘em for, if she’s even behind all this.”

Lita will have to rethink Kas' request of sussin' out trade routes with the vampire houses with Tessa, sounds like. At least in any official capacity. Which may or may not mean the smuggling routes would be a no-go for now until some of the heat died down. All the politics. The exact reason why she'd never opted for a leadership role previously. At least she likes Leo. She takes up her glass again with a soft sigh and twirls a stray silver strand of hair around her index finger until Mahri leans away to steal one of the pirate's cigarettes. She lifts her glass for another drink and turns her attention sideways to Mahri again, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "I think Alithrya's gonna call for a bit more tact." She'd usually slide such a role to their swans but Mahri had just looked so damned good in that dress at the play... "What do you say to another fancy dress and a ball?" She buries her amusement against the rim of her glass. "For reconnaissance."

Lita said to Loravelle, "And I'd assume our royal court would visit as well." She means Lora and Leo, of course. "Might be a chance to get away from all the family for a spell?"

Loravelle held onto Leo's glass while he smoked, at least until he motioned for it or took it from her hands. Despite her worries for Gorehilt still very much present, she's relieved to hear that Rynvale appears to be safe from Reginae for the time being. Rescuing people isn't something she's ever had a hand in, but she wants to help try to find Gore, alive or dead. And whoever else might be missing. Her attention is back on Lita then, brow raised not at her behavior toward Mahri, but at the thought of snake people hosting a ball. She had no idea what Alithrya was like. “They dance...?” She may look dense for doing it, but Lora scoots back a little in her seat to look at her legs hidden beneath her usual floor-length robes, envisioning serpentine body there instead. She's used to humans or former humans, orcs, maybe an elf or two. Anything else is just, “Strange.” Her head jerks back up with some alarm at Lita's suggestion then, wide eyes looking from her to Leo and back again. She may have gotten considerably more brave since first traveling to Rynvale, but this might be pushing it. But there were people who needed saving, too. “We can't tell them we're going down there,” she half teases, mostly to calm her own building nerves. “...My sisters will kill him.”

Mahri is also glad to hear that Rynvale is - so far - safe from naga invasion. She's just about to have another drink of rum when Lita makes the suggestion of attending a fancy ball. "Reconnaissance. Sure. That's what we'll call it." Mahri side-eyes Lita, suspecting a secondary motive here. "Gonna need to do some shopping first." She hated shopping. But then, she's distracted by Lora. Watching the story-book that is the Mouse's face, the wolf couldn't help but be amused. "So, we don't tell them." Silver eyes turn to Leo then, "Double date?"

Leoxander had been in Cenril, recently, but he hadn’t heard anything about another gala from either witch, so Lita was bringing a tasty bit of news to the table. It almost seemed too easy and convenient as a means to get inside, and naturally that made the pirate suspicious. “...Now why the hell would she throw some gatherin’ if she’s the one takin’ people? To what motive?” He’d never been to Alithrya, which was ironic for someone who had sailed by it a thousand times in his life. Assuming it had always been there. Helping himself to another drink that finished off his first glass while Lita and Lora’ went back and forth, he only murmured less than helpfully. “Pretty sure they can do all we can’ do, an’ more.” He stubbed out what was left of his cigarette, decided to overlook the very real threat of being mauled by nine sisters and their pinky talons, and dropped into a slouch against the back of the chair to stare ahead at a far wall where he could see the colorful stickers peeking out from behind sketched pages. “We’re missin’ somethin’... an’ I don’t fug’n know where to look for it. But if all four’a us go in there blind, we have t’ know it could, prolly will be a bloody trap.”

Mahri said to Leoxander, “Funny, I always think it’s a trap.”

Leo said to Mahri, "Takes one to know one."

And smirked across the table at her.

Lita shrugs a bit for Leo's assumptions of the ball being a trap. "Wouldn't surprise me, really. No one seems clear on the why behind this whole gala, exactly. Only that there's one being thrown. So either it is a play for power, seein' as how her an' that drow got hitched pretty quick." She's judging this and not bothering to hide it. "Or they're just wantin' to show off new toys." Meaning, whatever captives they might be keeping. "Either way, I'd rather more of us there than less, if we can swing it." She offers Leo a look here, knowing he's not keen on sticking Lora in dangerous settings if he can help it and she understands that entirely. But their Mouse had proven herself tough and capable on more than one occasion. She takes another drink of her whiskey and eyes Lora again. "I'm thinking we might have to drag this one shopping, what you think?" She nods her head to indicate Mahri. "Girls' day?" She asks of Lora.

Mahri flipped a particular finger Leo's way with a snort and smirk of her own. Despite the seriousness of the topic being discussed - not the one about a girls day and shopping - there was always a bit of humor to be found. "Drag is damn right," she mutters into her glass, once again bringing the rim to her lips for a drink.

Loravelle heard the word 'trap' and couldn't not ignore it, even if she did like the idea of another ball. Except this one had snake people hosting it, and was probably more dangerous than that play they saw in Cenril. She takes another drink from Leo's glass and tries not to think about how even if her sisters found out and tried to kill Leo, they might not have to if they end up getting trapped and killed down there by a group of naga. Do they eat people? She didn't want to know. Just as Lora begins to think staying behind might be the better option for her, Lita lures her right back in with the suggestion of shopping and a girls' day. “That would be so much fun.” Instead of outright suggesting a couple of her sisters tag along, she mentions Lita's shop. “One of my sisters was curious about your shop, too... She doesn't speak Common well, but I think she wants one. Could she come too?” Not all nine of them. One would be enough for now.

Leo was certain if he heard the word ‘shopping’ again he might just have to get up and run through the rain into the deep ocean. While they managed to slip away with the help of a storm, Loravelle’s sisters were still on the island and would have probably found a reason to go again if not for the weather. Praise whatever god was in charge of that. He still had hope that sooner or later they’d settle in and find other things to do. Collect coconuts, maybe. His attention moved to Loravelle when Lita addressed her, his train of thought running on a track right along with Ace’s, except there was a curve in the road for his. Witnessing what she had in the garden park had left a scar in his fiance’s mind, and he wasn’t too keen to put her back into any situation that might call for blood. He only sort of interrupted when topics of shopping and skin art started to override the business he meant to get over with, affording the ladies the time it took to refill his glass and take another drink. “So when’s the party down there?”

Mahri's quite happy that Leo brought the discussion back around. She'll raise a glass in silent gratitude. "And, is that why you got the maps out?" She gestures with her free hand, the one not occupied with a glass. Soon after, that one will find its way to Lita's knee, giving a slight squeeze to bring her back to the discussion as well. And, you know, just to have it there.

Lita is always keen on having new people at the shop. Though the look Leo shifts her way isn't missed. "Of course! Though if you'd prefer, maybe Leo could show her the shop and Mah an' me can head to the gala? Might also be a smart move to not put all out our players there at once. If it is a trap an' all." She lifts her glass to finish the second round and doesn't refill it this time. "I mean, I'm still up for this girls' day, of course. Just a thought." Besides, Leo's probably tired of dressing up, at this point. "A few weeks from now." She answers the pirate finally. "Not quite a month. Time to change your mind between now and then."

Lita bounces her knee for a moment under Mahri's hand. Her fingers are warm.

Loravelle could have derailed the conversation at hand even further to talk about anything but what horrors her mind conjured up about what Alithrya might be like, but she stops when Leo and Mahri steer away from talk of shopping, ending with a potentially overly-enthused looking nod. Blame the nerves. She'll have to tell Ke later. Relief washes over her at the news that the ball that might also be a trap wasn't for a few weeks. That meant time to – She grins as Lita says the words before she can complete her own unspoken thought. There's time. Instead of stealing another drink from Leo's glass this time around, she excuses herself momentarily to fetch a glass for herself to drink from before returning.

Leoxander replied to Mahri more directly, since she had recognized his need to get back to matters more important. “I’ve got eyes in Gualon, several in Cenril, even Larket’s under watch. The thought occurred to me that Quintessa could be behind this… heard Larawen’s estate went up in flames, but not only is the ‘Countess’ one to get her name in ears an’ on parchment, she wouldn’t be lettin’ the dark-wing attend a show. That drow we pulled up from the pit… he was with her, an’ I overheard a few words to guess them a couple. An’ he owes us if we can track ‘im down.” Hopefully Loravelle didn’t go green at the gills at the mention of the playwright’s name. In turn, he looked at Lita to respond to her answer, but Loravelle walking by had a tendency to draw his blue gaze, even if she was just walking a few feet away from his side. “I don’ think we have a month to wait without at least knowin’ that he’s there, an’ alive. Gonna have to send someone in. Then we’ll use the gala for a key with a plan, even if they’re expectin’ it.” The entire theory could always be wrong. But not having that knowledge caused some weight on the Captain’s shoulders.

Mahri offered a suggestion, "What about a Swan?" That's about the only thing she can think of. Besides, isn't that sort of that division's thing? "Or, do we know any merchants who owe a favor or two?"

Lita glances from Leo to Mahri and back again a few times. "I've a bit of an idea. If we've no swans about. What if we send some fancy art piece down. A sort of congratulations piece for the newlyweds and something they could possibly hang for the upcoming gala? They made such a fuss as a couple between the play and the cooking contest, it's no secret. But seeing as how there wasn't some big to-do wedding, it might seem in bad taste not to send something now, from the island?"

Loravelle didn't turn green at the mention of that drow's name, but she did visibly tense after sitting back down. While the others discuss a plan, she keeps quiet and mostly attentive, only distracting herself enough to pour more whiskey into her glass to nurse at. “I could make something,” she offers, at Lita's idea of a fancy art piece. But what do you make for someone who writes horrifying plays and a mostly unfamiliar avian? They met once at the Bard's Guild, but that was their last real interaction. “I'dunno what, though,” she adds in a defeated murmur before taking another drink.

Lita said to Loravelle, "Maybe some lovely flower crowns in their city colors?"

Mahri adds, "Or lanterns?"

He looked a bit skeptical when Lita put that idea on the table, in turn lifting his glass from the actual table only to realize it was empty, and he had to refill it. “Coming from you, or Meri, if we could get in touch with her, that’d be fine. If you two wanna work on a little welcome to this side o’ the sea package, I’ve no protest on that.” He finally sat up in his chair a little, digits wrapped around his filled tumbler. “She wrote to Khitt a few times an’ said everythin’ was fine, but he noticed somethin’ at the end of her last letter that didn’t quite fit, an’ seein’ the way she’s guarded don’t settle in my gut that she’s tellin’ truth.” That was about as far as he could go for how little he knew until that second trip to Cenril came. He looked Loravelle’s way. “Should come with me when I head back over. Miss Mayor wants to see you again.” Her sisters would be fine for a day or two. Anyone on the island would see to that.

Loravelle could do a lantern or flower crowns. “Why not both?” She had weeks to come up with something fitting. She looked to Leo and softly added, “No flower crowns for you. Promise.” After a pause in which she looks surprised at the thought of the mayor wanting to see her again, Lora nods. Her sisters could go a little while without her. “I can do that too.” The whiskey is helping her feel brave again. Thank goodness.

Mahri doesn't really have much to add except, "I think we need a bit more information than we have to go on. Again, we have a few weeks to a month to get intel." And maybe the she wolf could sneak down herself and snoop around.

Lita nods at Leo. "I've sent a few words Meri's way but she's so much on her plate these days. Not much sense adding more just yet." She glances sideways to Mahri. "Alright, then, a week maybe? I'll get some artwork dolled up-" Mahri could help with that, probably, "and we'll scope out the city some. I'll send a missive ahead of us that we're coming as dignitaries of the island or some such jargon. Make it all official and above board to not arouse more suspicion. Hopefully that might at least afford us a bit of a tour and we can look around some." She glances back to Leo then, as if waiting for his seal of approval on the whole charade. No point in it if she couldn't throw his name into the mix as well. He'd love to have come himself, of course, but had pressing matters in Cenril to smooth over. At least that's what she'd tell the Queen, if pressed.

Mahri is nodding in agreement with Lita's plan, "We could do that. A week would be good."

Leoxander agreed with Mahri with yet another small nod. “Let’s keep things quiet, for now.” He looked from Mahri, to Lita, to Lora, wondering if other plans might have to be further delayed. It wasn’t fair of him, but it would be hard to celebrate a one time occurrence in their lives moving forward while knowing others of their outlandish family might not be safe. Lita’s words earned a quiet comment from the rogue. “Yeah, her husband’s runnin’ Kelay an’ Sage now, I hear.” He approved of Lita’s suggestion of attending an announced visit, but added thoughtfully. “Jus’ don’t seem too eager. Yer gonna have to write for the invitation, first. If she declines, all the more reason to fig’er out a way in.” With that, he finished off what was left in his glass.

Lita nods at Leo in understanding and then turns her attention Lora's way. "Would be good to maybe get a ledger down of who's where these days, just in case." Using those code names, of course. "I know some of us aren't always around for long stretches but wouldn't hurt to maybe send a message their way to just check in, make sure everyone's accounted for who needs to be."

Loravelle nods. "I can do that." She doesn't reach for one of the ledgers she writes in off of the table just yet, in case Leo needed it, but she can start putting together messages before the night ends.

Leo stood up from the table with a slight grind of chair legs on the floor, picking up emptied glasses and the ashtray, to at least deposit them in the sink for now. Loravelle had just cleaned up the place, but maybe it was about time to look into a reliable barkeep that would understand the truce he had with Simon. “I’ll see what else I can find while you ladies handle that.” Leo on his feet meant Grim and Git waking from their nap, and after some yawns Chee went to Loravelle for pets while the half blind twin of the two sniffed at Mahri and Lita’s legs before he emerged to shake off, some spines of thick hair flecked to drift to the hardwood floor at black, high socked feet. Every day the maned wolves were growing and more confusing to the eye.

Mahri thinks that's a great idea, and says so. "Seems like we got a plan, and I do like plans." Setting her empty glass on the table, Mahri sits up a bit, stretching her back from sitting so long then asks Lita, "Wanna go for a swim?" And maybe discuss her ideas on what they're going to present as a present to the snake-queen. Among other things. Mahri realizes it's raining, but a swim sounded good anyway.

Leo stood up from the table with a slight grind of chair legs on the floor, picking up emptied glasses and the ashtray, to at least deposit them in the sink for now. Loravelle had just cleaned up the place, but maybe it was about time to look into a reliable barkeep that would understand the truce he had with Simon. “I’ll see what else I can find while you ladies handle that.” Leo on his feet meant Grim and Git waking from their nap, and after some yawns Chee went to Loravelle for pets while the half blind twin of the two sniffed at Mahri and Lita’s legs before he emerged to shake off, some spines of thick hair flecked to drift to the hardwood floor at black, high socked feet. Every day the maned wolves were growing and more confusing to the eye.

Lita quirks a brow up at Mahri. "If you wanna take me home, just say so, witch." She teases as she stands. "A swim. In the rain?" She's not judging too much as she heads for the bar to snag her coat and shrug into it. She offers the pirate a kiss to his cheek as he deposits glasses and bottles from their table and she'll snare Lora for a quickly squeezed in hug too, if she can. And then she's heading back towards Mahri, a hand swatted at her rear before nodding towards the door. "I'm gonna tear up that bathing suit, you keep stopping by for swims." She's teasing as she turns the collar up on her coat. It's useless against the wet, but it's at least a smidge warmer.

Mahri's not much of a hugger, so she'll just offer a nod of farewell before following the vampire out into the rain. Don't worry, Lita won't be cold for long.

Loravelle doesn't get up just yet since Chee had to get pets first, but she does look to Lita and Mahri when she hears the word 'swim'. “You two are brave,” said genuinely, her expression utterly impressed. Swimming in broad daylight was something she struggled with. Eventually the maned wolf that demanded pets lets her stand up, and she wonders if Leo had intentions of them leaving or staying later. She steals a hug from Lita before heading for the chair she draped her oilskin poncho over to start wrestling the ridiculous thing on if they're heading out too. “Don't laugh,” she adds, in case Lita or Mahri see it. The words she overhears Lita saying are enough to cause the Mouse's face to turn red, and thank goodness it's hidden while she's wrestling with the ridiculous outerwear her sisters gave her.

Leoxander looked after Lita and Mahri after that cheek-kiss was issued, naturally leaned in for. He wasn’t oblivious of the infatuation there, he just had better decorum than some would expect of the pirate - mostly… when to and when not to speak on specific matters. Once he went around to douse lanterns and collect his things, he headed for the door. Leo had no poncho and paper umbrella, but he couldn’t help but breathe a laugh when he joined the petite woman ready to face the storm, which was barely drizzle with a few skyfire jolts in a very distant horizon south. “Might’as well wear you fer a hat, Dove.” But instead he’d shield her for the jog east, because she’d probably already bought some clothes to wear the next day and the tide in the cove would be unsettling, with the wind picking up.