RP:Somewhere in Vhys?

This is a Rogue's Guild RP.

Summary: Meri and Tail discuss a lost grail and the potential for an auction.

The Rebel Room

Meri action : :: Given her current relationship with Magik, it was hit or miss as to if Meri was actually out in Cenril. His place was just much nicer than Meri's gallery, which from the outside had the appearance of some sort of warehouse or storage facility. That might seem like an odd choice, but the open concept worked really well for displaying works of art, be it Meri's or some other artist looking to sell their pieces. Still, since Meri had asked Ina to meet her at the gallery so that they could speak freely or openly of any prospective jobs, the blonde made a point of remaining in the city and lingering at her business so that she could catch the foxkin for this chat. When Ina made it inside of the black-stone building, there would be no issues with locating Meri. The tattooed werewolf was working in plain sight on some painting, right in the middle of the main gallery space. The only trouble that Ina might experience is the there is a group of dogs, four of them in fact, and two wolves just lingering around the gallery space with her. Two large dogs, two small dogs, one large wolf, and one wolf pup. One of the larger dogs seems more on guard than the rest.

Arlyeon action : 's rather fond of making a memorable impression, if not a good one- and a small bit of snooping about the chosen venue meant she at least had a slight degree of insight into what it was used for. In this case, it meant that when she was choosing an outfit for this evening, she'd picked out a pair of charcoal black pants, alongside a dark navy chemise, and a black vest. And what she deemed a suitably artsy addition in the form of a beret, and an umbrella hooked over her arm. Sure, it's not raining- but it looks snazzy . . . if you don't squint closely enough to notice that the vivid colors are depicting a whole lot of pixies on fire. So, yes- she looks -just- the right amount of hipster when she walks through the door. That said, she doesn't maintain her pose upon proceeding further in, given the proximity of an ample amount of canines has her twin tails flaring out, and swishing anxiously. It's not like she knows how well trained they are. "Don'tcha git any ideas. I already got enough problems with marks slobberin' at me when I'm workin' cards without you lot." Unsure of whether the dogs understand her or not, she makes sure to stick out her tongue to emphasize the point. And then just add a bit of shape shifting to further extend the gesture to briefly comical proportions- in order to mess with them. "Ahem. mm. Y'ello?"

Meri :: is dressed in her usual attire, it was a more rough and tumble look versus hipster. The blonde is wearing form fitting black pant that are tucked into a pair of combat style boots, both of which have daggers shoved into the back of them. Not that Meri intended to use them in this moment but preparation was key in her view. The most feminine article of clothing she wore was a red and black corset, Meri was not often in the habit of hiding her vibrantly colored full-sleeve tattoos. Both Meri and her companions were well aware of Ina's presence even before she spoke, something about that heightened sense of smell. The dogs were trained enough that they did not tackle the unfamiliar woman upon her entering, they'd need some sort of verbal cue from Meri to be released from their current positions sprawled across the gallery floor. While the dogs did not seem to have sound understanding of what Ina was saying to them, the wolves did. The young wolf was the only one of Meri's beasties that did not seem to be trained, she almost went over to Ina to sniff curiously...but the tone of the foxkin's voice had her retreating back toward Meri, which Meri preferred. That pup was her lycan daughter, a detail that Meri would keep to herself. "Ah, yes. Hello. Come join me. Trish isn't it?" Meri recalled from a certain misadventure involving dwarves. "Come to talk about a prospective job, no?" Meri spoke freely, as they were the only two people present. Well, short of Meri's own child.

Arlyeon's expression narrows for a moment when the wolf meanders over- dipping the arm carrying the umbrella so it slides a bit closer to her hand, but relaxes once it thinks better of investigating further. Instead, she simply plants the tip of the umbrella onto the ground and begins to awkwardly lean forward- testing just how far she can maintain her balance at different angles. "Trish, Tale- it is what it is. But, yeah. Business has been slow- and while I have had tha' good fortune of findin' a patro fer my projects, recent-like. Well." Here she leans back, the closed umbrella swung up above her head in a flourish, only to be twirled within her grasp. "I don't like keeping all my eggs in one basket. N' plus. Ja don't stay in tha' game by sittin' on yer hands." As she speaks, she oh-so- casually opens the umbrella, an action that begins to cause a faint trickle of pixie dust to emanate from within it. The macabre images of the flamebroiled trixies sewn into the fabric dance with a movement of her wrist, and potential further emphasized by the faint lacing of pixie dust in the air. " It's a pretty grand plan- An auction o' tha arcane, Mystical miscellany made marketable. Things thought lost brought to light in the black market. We can use it ta' keep the lights in the guild on, some profit beside- 'n well. Maybe to harvest a bit of good will and favors from our peers." She abruptly shuts the umbrella and sweeps it off to the side in a gesture meant to clear out that bit of potential microdosing. Best not to get high on your own supply, after all. "I've already started, really. Though- I think it'll take a bit for anyone to notice, given the ruckus that's been goin' on as late. At least, accordin' ta some little birds."

Meri :: narrows her blue eyes on 'Trish' as she watches the other with the umbrella. Outside of this expression, there is no hints as to if Meri has any amount of awareness that pixie dust has been released into her gallery. No comment is made and if preventative measures are taken to deflect the dust from coming close to reaching her or her daughter, the psion has done so in an equally subtle way. Ina was not the only individual who did not like to keep her eggs in one basket, artist and werewolf were just a couple of Meri's many facets. "Business has indeed been slow," Meri agrees, assuming that Ina is likely referring to the Fox. Meri would not come out and say that directly. "So how are you hoping that I might be able to assist with these plans that you are scheming up." Meri makes a motion around the open-concept gallery space with a wave of her hand. "I do have the space to host an auction, if that is of use to you. And I am always open to assisting with the acquisitions of lost objects." She could not boast the title of rogue or adventurer if she shied away at such prospects. "It's your show, I'd just be tagging along for the ride."

Arlyeon’s' grasp of the umbrella shifts again, the handle slipping around her wrist, if only so she can begin casually swinging it around her arm, "Well- that's certainly a part. We need a venue, just as much as we need a menu~ n' a discreet way to pass the word to interested parties, of which I am positive there's gonna be a few. Security is gonna be a trick, too'- since, well. I've already got some valuables we've gotta get rid of, n' the rest are gonna raise eyebrows too. F'r instance. Ja ever hear of the Black Grail?" There's a pause, and the fox claps her hands together- coaxing the beret on her head to slip forward. "Puff." It doesn't budge, so she just leans back to fix it, before continuing. "That's uh, well- I don't have that one yet. But- I've at least got an idea about it." More specifically, she has an -idea- about an idea. Spooky evil relic. Once held by a lich queen. Somewhere in Vhys. "That said- well, I heard ya'd hosted a shindig in tha' vicinity recently, so I was wonderin' if I could lean on your expertise- since ya'd be a bit more familiar with the area."

Meri’s red lips twitch up into a knowing smirk as Ina expands further upon the details. The blonde had already expressed her willingness to use the place as a venue but much like the foxkin before her, Meri was not keen on doing things for free. If Meri had not managed to demonstrate her greed prior to this moment, then she would probably be showing off that aspect of her personality now. “Yes, I did host a party out in the Vhys area recently, down at the Ancient Ruins. I can safely say that what you are looking for is not in the area that we hosted the party. That has been picked clean by scavengers already and anything of value has already been taken. The hotel may not see a lot of action these days, not like when the place was ruled by the lich queen ...but it does still have visitors from time to time, so I would speculate something like the Black Grail would not be housed there.” Meri gives a slight wrinkle of her nose as she further considers the location of Vhys and what she might have learned of the place during the time that she was planning the party, or from when she resided in Rynvale. “But, most important to me, before I provide any more information on this subject ...What is it that I am going to get out of this whole venture? A cut of the profit? An interesting relic? I think those terms need to be made clear to me before I provide any additional information or commit to lending my gallery as a venue.”

Arlyeon puffs her cheeks out a bit, in an act of indignation over the idea that she hadn't considered this. "No, not the hotel. I mean- yes- I'd like to see if they have a chandelier to steel because that'd be a great gag- but no. No. I heard she's got a stronghold there. Or had One. Big fancy estate. That said- I don't know much 'bout it. Or whether there's somethin; sufficiently spooky like any crypts associated with her- whether there or otherwise." Which also means, no, she doesn't have any blueprints right now to make any sort of educated guesses. "I -do- have a bit of a brute I can probably point in the right direction, jus' ta set off anythin' untowards, but. Well." She gestures vaguely. As for the ensuing display of Meri's greed- It...honestly doesn't do much to elicit the foxkin's interest, really. "Look, ja wanna charge an entry fee, and take a good portion of what doesn't go to tha' guild, ja can be my guest. I'm interested in what's gonna happen -after- we shake everything out. The profits are honestly jus' gravy ta' me." Yeah, this is definitely not the mark of a responsible individual. "Long as I can cover cost of supplies for my trinkets, and my rent fer tha' forseeable future, I don't care what happens to tha' rest."

Meri presses her red lips together. What “Trish” was saying was not concrete numbers like certain percent or anything that was to Meri’s liking, yet it was at least made obvious to her that there was room for profit to be made. While Meri spoke, she was also reaching for a parchment and a piece of charcoal, drawing a map of Vhys for Ina while she laid out some terms. “Well, my terms are this...Costs for supplies definitely need to be covered. I won’t stand for being stuck with the bill on security or refreshments or anything like that. If my gallery incurs any damages during the auction, that is also not a bill I am willing to cover. It will be tacked on as an extra expense. Beyond that, we can rent the place out to you for a flat two thousand gold for the night. If you want to store the items here prior to the auction? That will be extra, given that I am sure you will want your security and because I would imagine that you would need me to shut the place down while the items are stored here. So we’ll call it another two-thousand a day if you opt to utilize the place for storage as well.” The map that Meri is drawing is forming quickly, with surprising detail and accuracy...but one might hope that an artist should have no trouble sketching out a quick map. “I think the best place for you to look would be inside of the Manse that is there. I have never been able to make it inside myself. And it is not because the doors are locked either. It may not look much from the outside, but one does not put up barrier spells without having something important to guard. And if you would like my assistance in any rendezvous inside of Manse? Well you know how to reach me.” The map is handed over to Ina, a circle to mark the manor that Meri is speaking of. “That being said, it is about time for me to convince my child to shift back into a human so that I can feed her a proper dinner instead of letting her eat off the floor like some sort of wild dog.” Meri eyes the pup at her feet while she waits for Ina to take the map.

Arlyeon stops the arbitrary rotations of her umbrella, if only by launching it straight into the air, nimbly catching it- and promptly slinging it over her shoulder. "Weeeeeeellll. I mean, if that's all ya want- whateva'. I guess more fer' tha' guild. There's a pause, before Ina adds, "Honestly- While I might ask ya ta hang onto some things- some of it oughta be stuffed inta Cenrils bank. From what I heard told, there was enough warding magic on that place to give -anyone- pause. Also, uh- it means if they raid it- they don't immediately know who did tha' thing." Because, man- while the Mage Guild hasn't twigged to those thefts yet- they likely will -eventually-. And though she did leave them a red herring. Well, Even those only last so long. "But yeah- I'll send ja a note with some o' tha prizes I got my eye on. And if ya can figure any others that might sell for a pretty penny. Well. Ja can fill me in. At the very least, though- this oughta get a good bit of infamy for a little underground market, and drum up some interest if we make a sequel." That ramble aside, Ina happily accepts the map, stuffs it into her sleeve, and promptly begins to turn on her heel. "Catch ya' roooound~." The pup, now that Ina's aware of it's identity, is given a small wave- though she still does her best to shuffle away asap.