RP:The Oracle's New Watchdog

Part of the The Dust Up In Cenril Arc

Summary: After a suspicious meeting with the uyeer Kreekitaka, Eleanor took it upon herself to hire Leoxander to follow the clawed clothier to make sure he isn't a spy. They haggle on cost of this mission, and satisfied, Leoxander takes the job and they part ways.

Prologue

Upon finding a note on Kelay's board offering work "no questions asked", Eleanor replied to the message with the following missive, "To the one entitled L.A.: Seek out the shades of blue in the street fair of Cenril. Bring your wits and a taste for something new. The Oracle awaits your service."

Street Fair, Cenril

Leoxander had managed to frustrate Maxine out of enough gold that she drew the curtain on her booth for a break. Enough that Leo could purchase a small bottle of ale and perch himself up on a high wall above the street and the bustle of activity happening there. His black mask drawn down around his neck for a long drink, that dark hue seemed to be his favored as it went from the short sleeved shirt that revealed arms full of ink and scars, black leather pants that fit fairly loose, cuffs falling over the heavy black lace up boots with thick treads caked with mud. His eyes scanned the crowd for some obvious sign of shades of blue, though he suspected it wouldn't be that obvious at all, with a title like 'Oracle'.

Eleanor was actually just that - obvious. She moved like a cat on the prowl through the ebb and flow of the street fair, but her clothing was ostentatious and bright - cerulean fabric draped her form, azure tattooes of runic design covered anything the leather and cloth didn't. Her fingers subtly moved in and out of pockets as she made her way through the crowd, but as she approached the card dealer, she was irritated to find Maxine had called it a day. That never happened lately, as she knew the other to be quite greedy when the fair was so abuzz with life, and so she took to scanning those around her, a steely glass-green stare scrutinizing everyone as she ducked into the stall to confront the woman. Only a moment or so passed before she withdrew from the booth, apparently pleased with whatever she had managed to do away from the prying eyes. With a saucy wink to some passing drunkard who happened to spy her emergence from the booth, she made her way then toward the ale vendor to spend her spoils.

Leoxander held his place and finished off the suds in that bottle before he chuckled the glass into one of the open barrels designated for litter, studying the woman in her bright wardrobe. It screamed just that: shades of blue, and her demeanor hit his instincts that this was the woman who had posted the words on the Kelay board. Typically, he didn't bother with those notices and offers in the heart of the tree town, but desperate times called for desperate action, and he couldn't hold his breath for a job, any longer. Letting his arm fall from the bent leg he had wrapped it around and dropping his boot, he landed abruptly, a bit stiffly, on the side of the street next to the ale booth she approached. The look in his eyes wasn't like the intoxicated and lustful men that gawked after her, but he met her stare intently if she looked his way.

Eleanor could feel eyes on her as she exchanged a few coins for a cold brewski, her left hand curling around the beverage as she slid a celadon gaze in Leoxander's direction. Seeing as she didn't really know who she had left that message for, she did not initially understand the intent behind his stare. However, she was not a character to back down, and slowly, those full lips spread into an intrigued smirk. Moving away from the ale vendor and toward the other, she arced blonde brows in query, before following the expression up with a casual albeit thickly-accented, "Can Ah help ye?" While waiting for him to respond, she pulled the top off her drink and took a swig, but she kept those eyes trained on the stranger.

Leoxander allowed himself a moment to look her over once again, returning his gaze back to her sea colored eyes. "Shades of blue..." He said quietly, a veil of overgrown blonde hair somewhat hiding the expression of his stare while dirty blonde stubble shadowed his uncovered jaw. The pirate looked fairly ragged, holes in his shirt, missing laces on the open collar which revealed a plain, silver neck chain and some of the faded ink that crawled up in a web like design up one side of his throat. Fingers seemed forever soot stained and only a single blade was holstered at his hip while it's twin seemed to be missing from the other side. "You buy me another beer an' I'll hear you out."

Eleanor slowly lifted her chin as she put two and two together; this must be the mysterious L.A., well he cut quite a figure as she gave him a proper once-over. Not quite what she expected, but she knew better than to put much stock in first impressions. "Ah was wonderin' when yoo'd shaw up," she replied, her tone low as she kept it from prying ears. With a curt nod, she ducked around the side of the stall, returning with another beer before she ventured north, toward the alleyway and away from the crowd. As she moved past him, she reached out with her right hand, offering up his beer while she took a swig of her own. Her gaze moved past him as she did, and she muttered aside, "Nae haur." Her intentions clear, she continued on her way.

Alley, Cenril

Leoxander took a moment to scan the crowd just in case anyone happened to notice their interaction and seemed curious about it, but from what he could see, everyone was in their own happy world, dancing with colorful ribbons and skirts, piled in groups on the street side with booze and laughter. L.A. and this unnamed woman in blue were just another couple there to enjoy each other's company, as far as anyone was concerned. He took the bottle casually as she passed, prying off the top and tossing it into the street with a 'clink' as he fell into step to follow her.

Eleanor's survey of the crowd was discreet as she ducked down between stalls until she was shrouded in the relative darkness of the alleyway. Paying no mind to the armored knights guarding one door, she ventured further into the darkness until she was just past their earshot, lurking in the shadow as she took another swig and waited for L.A. to join her, at which point, she cut right to the chase. "Ah am in need ay someain fa isnae afraid tae gie his hans grottie." She glanced briefly toward his sooty hands, then back up at his face. To elaborate, she added with a hint of a smirk, "Tae start wi', thocht, Ah need someain followed." No doubt shorter than L.A. she had to tilt her chin up to level a gaze in his direction. "We'll consider it a test." That smirk broadened into a roguish grin. "Ur ye gam?"

Leoxander had dealt with so many different accents and drunken slurs on his travels that he didn't have a problem understanding her thick tone. He took up a casual lean on the wall and drank his beer, his posture just enough to make it seem as though he and the lady in blues were just getting to know each other, not that the knight seemed to be paying much attention. Leo's face no longer plastered those streets on wanted posters. "Followed for what? They know somethin' to listen for? They got somethin' you want? Let's skip a step an' get to the game, I'm here to make a profit sooner n' later, lady." Another slug of his beer taken as he glanced down the alleyway absently, again.

Eleanor could certainly appreciate Leoxander's attitude, but she nevertheless chuckled, the husky timbre of her laugh echoing dryly in the alleyway. "Keep yer panties oan," she started, holding up her right hand, palm facing the man in a gesture to "chill out". Although the light at their end of the tunnel was dim, L.A. may notice the tattoo that scarred her palm with inky twists that were both organic and geometric. Not exactly the most pleasant place to get a tattoo, but its location was important to her. With a shrug, El continued, "A wee column a, an' a wee column b." Lowering that right hand around her right hip to one of the many hidden pockets in her belt, she pulled out a coin purse that could not possibly have been logically contained in its hidey-hole of leather. "Thaur is a hunder gauld in it fur ye if ye follaw heem fur puckle days an' report back everythin' he has bin up tae." Before handing the gold over, however, the rogue went over the terms. "Ah want tae ken a' place he goes, a' fowk he talks tae, an' every time he poops." That last demand was just to get her point across. "Dae ye kin?" She lofted that chin more, and for a second, the gem in her diadem seemed to catch nearby light and bounce it off into some strange pattern on the outer wall of the Inn; the glint went by unnoticed by Eleanor. Holding that coin purse to her chest, she added, "An' if Ah loch yer ... efficiency, we'll gab ay other jobs Ah main hae fur ye."

Leoxander gave a faint snort as he looked back her way. "A hundred gold will barely cover a day's worth of meal. I'll give you two days of report, three if I'm short on words to spare, no less than two hundred gold. I don't work for beggar's pay. And I don't know a damn thing about your target, yet. The ale in that bottle was finished off and he gave a study of the glass vessel, giving her a moment to decide whether this rogue was worth double what she had expected to pay. Putting himself out there for hire didn't leave him much room to be a chooser but he had enough pride, greed and gluttony to counter the desperation.

Eleanor had to admit she was someone pleased, and intrigued, that the man had not settled for that initial offer. Perhaps he thought he was worth double, and she was curious to know what he'd have to offer in return, skill-wise. Of course, she also considered it could be misplaced arrogance, and she was not about to settle for -that-. "A body hunder an' fifty," she countered, finishing off her own ale then using the back of her left hand to wipe away anything that lingered on her lip. "An' ... Ah gie seventy-tae hoors ay yer time." Her counter-offer given, she tossed aside the empty bottle in the general direction of the nearest garbage bin, then faced L.A. with hands a-kimbo. Two hundred gold was about two hours' worth of -her- time, but she wasn't about to go putting all her cards on the table.

Leoxander didn't particularly like the deal. Nearly three days of work for a hundred and fifty gold? He had other things to do, things that would pay far better. But the woman hadn't put a time limit on -when- this information had to be due, and that was her own mistake. He'd considering it part time, on the side, at his leisure. But unless something more profitable came up, he'd prefer to get this out of the way. This was just his 'test', after all. "Fine. But don't expect me to travel into dragon territory or sleep in the bloody snow. You tell me who I'm after an' you'll get your report in due time. I want twenty five gold, now. Can't expect me to trail some bloke on an empty stomach." Arms folded over his chest, empty bottle still in hand. "An' somewhere to send word when I'm ready to meet up."

Eleanor ;; This was the part where whatever bated smirk she had held on those lips before, it had now transformed into a more curious half-grin. Like it was the grand finale of whatever story she was building up to. "Kreekitaka." The coin purse appeared in her right hand again, sizably smaller than it was previously. Before she handed the twenty-five gold over to this L.A. character, she added, "Ah will meit ye back haur in thee days." She wasn't about to go telling where to 'send word'. El preferred to maintain control of the situation; she could tell that Leoxander would be difficult in that category, but she didn't mind a little back-and-forth. "Dae we hae a deal?"

Leoxander did not betray that he had a suspicion. That he had met the creature before. And that possibly, he knew already where to find the being. But instead he kept his expression stoic and seemed to take mental notes of the name. "Three days. If somethin' comes up, you'll see a black flag stuck in the wall above the card dealer's place." He reached out for the gold and just for good measure, questioned. "You got an idea where I might find this thing? Maybe a description?" Just to verify that it was not human. "It'll be a helluva lot more discrete if I'm not askin' the locals."

Eleanor knew this would be the easy part -- finding him. I mean, how the hell could you MISS him? "He is th' proprietur an' several clothin' an' armur shaps aroond these parts." She pulled her attention away from Leoxander's face a moment to pull an herbal cigarette from somewhere on her person, producing an ephemeral blue flame to light its end before puffing away. "Och, an' he is a giant lobster monster. In a skirt."

Leoxander let go of a sigh through his nose. He was not particularly happy with his employer at the moment. But here he was, starting from the bottom, again. And despite his stubborn pride, he knew he had to work his reputation back up, for better or worse. He was so bold then to step in, and with his free hand, plucked the cigarette from her lips to glance at it, perhaps take a cautious sniff, before he took a toke of his own and handed it back to her, smoke lacing his words. "Three days then." With that, he meant to be on his way back down the alley.

Eleanor offered up no resistance when L.A. reached forward and snatched up her herbal cig; in fact, she arced those brows, tempering a smirk. Most people just sort of politely dismissed her vices, but this one ... He had potential. "If ye liked 'at, Ah hae somethin' else ye shoods try." The dust-peddler was always looking to earn that gold back. A quick glance toward the knights further up the alleyway, then back to Leoxander before he departed. "If ye ever fin' yerself in th' muid tae dae a wee mind-surfin'." The rogue was always in the mood to move merchandise.