RP:The Dog's Tongue Wags

From HollowWiki

Part of the The Dust Up In Cenril Arc


Summary: Three days after Eleanor hired L.A. to tail Kreekitaka, the two meet up to discuss what the lycanthrope had learned about the uyeer. Pleased with the information Leo relayed, Eleanor offers him another job as a mule for Firefly Steve.


Alley, Cenril

Eleanor had arrived at the street fair only moments before, and was already lighting up an herbal cigarette. She was visibly tense, a meeting with the partners to be blamed for her sour mood. Emelyan was … as always … throwing them to the wolves, as it were; and El was left to clean up his messes. At least she had Hudson to rely on, and he also relied on her – especially since tensions were still building in Cenril. And now she may have to deal with business in Larket and Gualon too. The whole thing left a rotten taste in her mouth that not even the cigarette's smoke could abate. She stood off to the side of the fair proper, leaning against a stone wall as she took a deep drag, her head lolling back as she took a moment to enjoy the smoke filling her lungs, before, slowly, she exhaled, sighing. The rogue propped her left boot against the wall, sinking her frame against the building as she closed her eyes, for all intents and purposes appearing to close herself off to those milling about.


Leoxander could easily follow the scent. Clove or more potent, it was alluring, and he recognized it as something Eleanor would have. Perhaps only three days had gone by. Perhaps more. Regardless, her hire was there waiting for the moment to spot her. Shed of his frostmaw fur and dressed in a black, long sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up to reveal a little ink, leather pants and his usual lace up boots, Leo moved toward the wall where the woman was propped with no weapon on his hip or in sight. He went to a near booth, first, ordered a fifth of rum, then motioned toward Eleanor to suggest it was on her tab or pay. She at least owed him that, for what he had been through.


Eleanor didn't have preternatural senses or anything fancy like that, but she did happen to open her eyes a sliver before taking another drag. It was then that she saw Leoxander, and for a brief moment, she seemed to smirk before she wiped her slate clean and moved away from the wall. The woman walked toward the booth, her wand and chakram swaying with her hips before they, like her legs, stilled beside the pirate. Sending a sidelong glance toward Leoxander, she nodded, then produced the necessary coinage and a bit more -- for her own drink, which she took quietly with her left hand while the right still held that leafy cig. Without a word, the woman then turned from the booth, and headed back toward the wall, leaning against it. Pinching the cig between her lips, she opened the bottle with her freed hands, then held the cig again as she took a deep swig. The woman could use the drink, though it was never her first choice. It was then that she leveled a stare in L.A.'s direction. "Sae?"


Leoxander , drink in hand, followed after to woman. And as she could use a drink, he could use a tug, of her smoke, of course. So at some opportune moment he attempted to steal it from her fingers or her lips to take it to his own mouth for a drag, before he placed it back where it belonged. "I got your information. You got my gold?" He tilted the pint back to drown nearly half of it in a few hard swallows. He leaned against the wall opposite side of the alley, and absently scratched himself at an opportune moment when he felt it necessary.


Eleanor relinquished the cigarette to the pirate as she took another, more generous swig of the alcohol. It had been one helluva evening so far. She eyed Leoxander, then nodded, reaching out to take the smoke back from the mostly-stranger. "Och aye, Ah hae it." The smoke was subjected to a balancing act as she reached into her belt with her right hand and pulled out the pouch she'd shown him before. However, she didn't hand it over just yet. Always wary, the rogue went on to say in that husky voice of hers, "Whit can ye teel me abit ... heem?"


Leoxander motioned in a universal way. "Gold first." He didn't trust, but even as he mentioned that he was settling down to pull himself onto an empty barrel to sit. "I got quite a bit for you. Location, Occupation. Habits. His kin. He was a pretty pleasant thing until I questioned his work." Another drink of the bottle taken finished it off and he sent it down the alley way with a clatter of glass. "I wonder, though... what's your interest in this 'Kree'?" She didn't have to answer, as it was not necessary for him to fulfill his contract. But curiosity always plagued him.


Eleanor sighed heavily through her nose; L.A. was a stubborn sort, she was quickly learning. Begrudgingly, she tossed the coin purse across the alley toward him, then pulled the cig from her lips and took another swig of the alcohol. She was all-ears to hear what he had to say about the uyeer, but when he asked about her own interest, she arced a blonde brow. "Ye spoke tae heem directly?" She snorted, giving her head a shake; she had expected him to be more subtle, but she could work with it. "Ye didne teel heem ye waur bein' paid tae learn abit heem, did ye?" The idea made her uneasy, but she hid it well behind vague disinterest. She considered L.A.'s question, finishing off the bottle before she let it fall to the ground; it rolled toward a heap of debris, and she paid it little attention as she took a drag of the cigarette before replying. "He seeks tae make a deal wi' me." Beat. "He thinks he has somethin' Ah need." And while he did, in fact, have the weapons and armor she wanted to equip The Oracle's people with, she was loathe to depart with such information. She didn't need people knowing her weaknesses. In a mood to ease things, however, she reached out with the cigarette, offering it to Leoxander as she arced a brow at him, waiting for him to spill the beans on this crustacean.


Leoxander nodded reluctantly. "On the last day. He noticed me. Wondered why I wasn't freaked out about him. And no, I'm not a bloody idiot." He took a moment to check the weight and contents of the purse before he looked at her. "He's what he calls 'Uyeer. Not the last of his kind, but most work in his shop for him and don't speak common. His shop's in Larket, a place above fair lane. Otherwise I found him in the open market in Cenril or near the shoreline. He was pretty easy to track, 'cause he smells like sea salt.... algea... ocean smells." The pouch was secured to his person before he went on. "Calls himself a tailor, 'maker of fine clothing'. What I saw from the notebook he carries is mostly dress designs, but he seems to be investing. Buying out businesses, or paying enough to get a good deal for goods. He carries around a few barrels of water he changes daily, sleeps in the water at night." There was one more pause before he recalled, "He's got a belt, too, cards that have a logo on it, stuff for his hobby. Fabric scraps. Until I said something about his business he was pretty friendly, though he tends to talk pretty damn funny."

Leoxander said to you, "He seemed pretty easy to milk for information."


Eleanor listened attentively to all that Leoxander relayed, cataloging the information for later use. When the other had concluded, there was a ghost of a frown on her full lips, a faint crinkle in her brow beneath her iron diadem. "Aiblins tay easy.” She chewed on the information, pushing her lips into a thoughtful pucker. “Besides yer assessment 'at he talks funay, whit else can ye teel me? Yer ain observations.” A beat, then, “Can he be trusted?”


Leoxander noticed there were more coins, the pouch was heavier than he expected. He looked satisfied enough, his gaze rising back up to Eleanor. "He's more than he seems. He acts friendly, but I feel he could be deadly if he had reason to. He's a carnivore. But other than that, I don't know what to tell you. I don't know the reason you care, and that would have given me reason to watch for something more specific." Standing up, he looked the woman's way, and extended a hand in case she cared to give him a smoke. "Anything else you need?"

Leoxander said to you, "Best I can do is draw you his mark."


Eleanor nodded slowly. She had expected he might be dangerous; the creature was huge, after all, and she'd heard stories about him in battle. The thought of ever having to fight him made her suppress a shudder; gritting her teeth, she pulled a small smile for L.A.'s benefit. "In mah line ay wark, a body can ne'er be tay cannie abit fa ye ur dealin' wi'." That smile grew a little, and she reached out to hand him the leafy cigarette. After a moment, she decided to tell this ... stranger ... a little more, but largely to see how he would react. "Ah need weapons an' armur. He has offered tae provide them, in exchange fur th' protection ay mah fowk." By her folk, of course, she meant The Oracle's gang members, who answered almost exclusively to the spell blade first and foremost these days. "An' whit abit ye? Whit is it ye swatch fur?"


Leoxander studied her for a long moment, after he took that rolled smoke. "You knew all this already, didn't you?" He took a moment, pulled a tin steel firestarter from pocket, and absently lit his cigarette. Leaving it between his lips, he spoke. "He's not a blacksmith, and I have a feeling you already knew everything I've said to you. But at least I got my gold." A drag taken, he leaned back against the wall, watching her, exhaling the thick taste. "You strike me as a woman that likes to test others... and I doubt I'm far off on that."


Eleanor chuckled huskily. "Nae aw ay it, nae. He tauld me he was capable ay producin' armur an' weapons. Ah didne believe heem." The woman rolled her shoulders in a casual shrug, hooded celadon stare leveled out toward him. "Ah ne'er concealed th' fact 'at thes was meant tae be a test ..." The rogue shrugged again, her lips now producing a broad, if not lop-sided, smirk. "Ye hink yoo've got me aw figured it, eh?" El chuckled again, this time going on to say, "An' haur Ah am, nae knowin' a damn hin' abit ye." Her tone bordering on teasing, she added, "Ah fin' myself at a disadvantage."


Leoxander murmured as he seemed to contemplate the smoke he was given. "I guess that's fair. But if I give you my name, that's just a lead for whatever you wanted this for." Blue eyes moved back toward the brightly dressed woman in the alley. "I did what you wanted of me. You got more gold for somethin' else or should I be on my way?" He wasn't trying to be rude, he was just on a mission to accumulate all that he had lost, in a slow and steady path.

Eleanor was used to dealing with people who didn't want to get too friendly, and thought nothing of Leoxander's dismissal. If anything, she could respect it; after all, it's not like she ever gave him her name either. "Ah dae, actually. Ah need someain tae pick up a package--" Firefly Steve, no doubt; she wouldn't tell him that it was drugs, of course, not unless he asked. "At th' mercenary shop, ower thaur--" She jerked her chin toward the shop that was, more or less, over them. "End ay th' week. 'en brin' it tae me." Her expression grew a tad sober, then, as she considered something else. "Ye onie guid at fightin'?"


Leoxander murmured low. "I'm willing, but since this was my 'test' an' all, I'll expect a better cut. I can't be running these errands for scraps." That was said to her first comment, and when she got to the end, he almost flinched. Fighting was what he did. once upon a time. He wondered if he was well enough in shape to continue that occupation. "I can hold my own. If you're planning to throw me into a pit, it's gonna cost you a lot more. But if you expect a fight for a delivery, I can handle it."


Eleanor understood the terms, and agreed to them. "I'll make it worth yer while, dornt ye fash yerse yer bonnie wee heed." That being said, she was inclined to elaborate a bit more. "Things hae bin ... tense lately. Ah need th' package delivered tae me in tact -- an' ye will be paid mightily fur onie trooble endured." The truth was, she was afraid a rival gang or three might try to intervene, take the Firefly Steve and sell it at their own prices, thus damaging the current market and compromising her position. "By th' end ay th' week, Ah expect tae hear frae ye." She moved away from her side of the alley, and produced a small, runed stone, handing it ftoward L.A. "Use thes tae fin' me when yoo've got it. Ye need only say mah nam, an' it will tak' ye tae me." Here, she grinned, an introduction finally necessary. "Ye main caa me Eleanur."


Leoxander let go of a sigh. "A'right 'Eleanur'... but you better realize you're not the only lass I favor. I've got other jobs. Send me the spot an' what I'm lookin' for and I'll get yer package. But you're not gettin' it until I know I'm properly compensated, savy? Enough of this hundred gold bullsh*t. I don't work for peanuts. Especially if things are tense." He took a scrap of a faire flyer off the ground, wrote three letters with a piece of spare charcoal, and handed it her way. "L-E-O." With that, he was finishing off his smoke, stubbing it out, and ready to make his way out of the dead end street.


Eleanor made a mock-surprised look. "Wa, sairrr, Ah didne realize ye favored me at aw," she teased. But then, their business was concluded for now, and although she had already given him all the coin she had on her person, her word was gold; although she was into all kinds of sketchy business, lying just wasn't her thing. Not outright, anyway. The package she intended for him to delivery was worth a few thousand gold, and if he could bring it to her in its entirety, well, she would of course pay him handsomely. "A cheil is due tae deliver it by th' end ay th' week. teel th' bloke behin' th' coonter at th' shop 'at Ah sent ye, an' he'll ken whit yoo're lookin' fur." Hudson, of course, would be the one to deliver it, if all went well. She just hoped Emelyan's side-slave business wouldn't get in the way. "Yoo'll hae th' gauld next time we meit. Until 'en ..." El dipped her chin in a nod, still harboring a smirk on those lips as she moved past him toward the door of the mercenary shop; but as soon as her tattooed palm wrapped around the doorknob, the runes began to glow, and as she pulled open the door, it was an attic on the other side, not the merc shop itself. With a wink, she moved across the threshold, pulling the door to her hidden abode closed behind her.


Leoxander stayed where he was, watching her, trying to decipher all that she said. The majority what he managed was 'a few thousand gold', and that was enough to keep his interest. "Send the details, then, or I'll find you for 'em." He knew where to find her now, but turned to leave in the opposite direction. Now that he had some coin in his pocket, he could get a drink, and maybe even some well deserved sleep in a bed. A glance was given over his shoulder, but like the gypsy, or so he deemed her, he was disappearing out of sight in just a moment or two.