RP: Meetin' The New Boss

Part of the A Few Fox Tales Arc

This is a Rogue's Guild RP.

Summary:A Fox meets a wolf, tries his patience, and then gets a job offer. Albeit with certain introductory stipulations.

The Rogue's Den

There are many designated sections to this expansive, oak floored space. If allowed access into the Rogue's Den from the north, the opposite wall to the south is centered by a large, eye catching map - a replica of the topographical depiction carved into the table in the main hall. Surrounded by tacked notes, posters, lists and plans like a giant bulletin board and marked with different colored pins, closer inspection reveals a hidden and secured hatch that some know to be a disguised vault door behind that chart of Lithrydel. The western wall holds an assortment steel racks, bearing a variety of weapons for training and task, also providing target boards and anchored bodies fashioned from wood, heavily scarred from dull blades and bloody fists. Although there are aged, upholstered lounges and small tables surrounded by stools and topped with playing cards, bone dice, or wax and wick in a simple tin, there are also several simple cots available for those in need of rest or recovery to the east. Shelves hold extra linen, healing salves and supplies. Nearby, there is a plain looking door with a crimson and azure banner above.

Leoxander stood in the empty den, staring at the board. He had been on his way to Rynvale for business, not to mention the duel scheduled on the horizon, when he noticed several pinned messages. It had been a damn good while since he’d bothered to venture through that area, with good reason, and blue eyes were narrowed at a particular post. A glance was offered to take in those surroundings, including the map on the wall. If he was going to revisit this business, it would have to be abandoned or hauled out, but he figured he could rally enough for the work. He helped himself to tear down one note in particular and crunch it in his palm before he turned to survey the space.

Ina sighed- not quite sure what to make of the latest travesty. Somewhat, anyways. It wasn't so much the -why- of the circumstances, even though the other bystanders to the incident were likely at a loss. Rather, the foxkins vexation was rooted in the -mechanism- of the incident- which in this case, Was a grand piano which had summarily introduced itself to the scene from the second story of the home she'd found herself in. Suffice to say, she wasn't particularly keen on explaining -why- she was in the vicinity of the unfortunate individual underneath said object- which is why she'd promptly exeunted from the edifice and rushed over to the safest place she could think of. Well, the second safest place, really. The Coral castle was no doubt safer, but it was a bit further- and frankly, she was less concerned about the possibility of leading a nosy individual to the Cenril Den, abandoned as it was. Or rather, As abandoned as it -should- be. Perhaps it's a quirk of fate-a twist of good luck proportionate to the earlier afflicted individuals' bad- but she winds her way into the room just as Leoxanders busy tearing her notice off the board, "Whoa. Hey. Whatcha'-" The foxkin side shuffles to get a better look and confirm what he just did, before she continues, "Rude! I worked very hard on that." How much of the offence is mockery, and how much is genuine is hard to tell- though, between the foxkin's diminutive stature, and the fact that she's dressed like a two-bit card shark likely diminishes any bite her comments may hold.

Leoxander smelled her before he saw her. Lycan sensitivity and all. So she would not catch him in complete surprise as she made her presence known, his brows furrowed in that way they often did as he turned to face the foxkin. “What is this?” He lifted the hand that held crumpled parchment, quickly piecing together by her words that she had contrived the note he held. “You’re the woman from the tournament.” It didn’t matter if she had red hair glamour instead of ‘Trish’s’, now. His keen abilities pinpointed her identity easily. “The bookie. What’re you doin’ here? How’d you even get in?”

Arlyeon lifts one eyebrow, her lips curling into a lopsided look of incredulousness, "What is that?" She balls her left fist and settles it down at her hip, even as her right arm extends out to make a dismissive wave, "I'd think it'd be self-apparent, 'less literacies gotten even worse. Then again', it's Cenril." As for the rest of the questions- Well, it's at least a few shades of impressive that he's marked her as the Tourneys Bookie. Though whether he's caught on that every separate instance has been her. . . . "Got here the same as ja, I reckon'. The door 'n all. As for what i'm doin'. . ." The fox sizes up the stranger for a few moments, before shrugging and finding a spot along the wall to rest against, "Waitin'. 'N wonderin' what -you're- doing. I haven't seen ya 'round here. Though, that's no wonder. These halls are so empty, ja would think they were haunted."

Leoxander replied with a low. “I doubt that.” In regards to how she got there. She wouldn’t brave the metaphorical carriage wreck he’d been through. But the door in question took a certain knowledge and key, so he could probably, perhaps not safely assume she was one of Eleanor’s recruits. Leo relaxed his grip on the ball of crumpled parchment and took a step or two toward the fox. A true fox, in a sense. “She isn’t here.” He stated bluntly, to check the response from Arlyeon, gaging the expression. “And we’re not here much longer.” He added, just to see if she might understand the weight of his words. With her position on the wall, he closed in, but kept a decent sense of range because he wasn’t so idiotic as to underestimate a stranger in return. “T’name’s Leo.” No hand offered. Rogues needed those to function.

Ina's ears cropped up, red tips tilting towards Leo before they resume a more relaxed posture- one that mirrors the easygoing smirk she wears, "Look, ja wanna be mysterious n' brooding- there's a time n' a place. Usually ovah' drinks." Still, that easygoing expression falters slightly when he actually steps forward, her posture shifting subtly, and in a far more genuine manner than her earlier show-bristle. And his words do little to allay her concerns- even with how her recent futures have shifted. "That you sayin' ja retired her- or that she's still on some sorta sabbatical?" Ina's still playful, but the tones a bit sharper- doing her best to keep her gaze on the newcomer, but also to check around the area for any signs of a struggle, or some pertinent clue she may have missed. As the man continues to close the gap, a pair of tails flicker out angrily from around the foxkin- though she continues to hold her position. Things are still 'civil', after all, "Leo. So, this you posin' a 'meet the new boss' situation- or ja jus' tryna salvage who was here?" Emerald eyes narrow just a touch, gleaming eerily in the gloom of the near vacant den, "...I'm Tail. If ya hadn't gathered." She can appreciate the space still granted, at least.

Leoxander would level with the fox-eared woman to a point. “Couldn’t say.” In regards to the one who called herself by that self-same title. Blue eyes glanced toward the uneasy fanning of twin tails, then returned to her green stare.”You could call it that. Better done with a drink, I figure.” Testing waters was nothing new for the pirate. Wolfish senses combined with a long time of reading body language; he was definitely reading hers. “Fancy a moment at the Whaler’s?” A public space, rather than a recluse den, that paper still in hand. Seemed safer given the situation, despite the plague rolling through. He was at least willing to hear her out.

Arlyeon is trying to discern whether or not there's meant to be threatening subtext to those words, and ultimately decides it's about as open-ended as it sounds. "Aight. I guess 'm overdue for a debriefin' at this juncture." She scuttles a bit to the side, trying to ascertain whether he would allow her to begin shifting towards the exit without further closing the gap, "N' if I'm gonna be workin' witcha'- I may as well letcha' know what's already gone 'n motion." Just as quickly as they'd arrived, her tails retreat behind her body in a swish of black and red fur, "Over a drink."

Leoxander didn’t have the dramatic flair for his exit, but he would, in turn, follow her upstairs, into the basement, and out of his ex-lover’s office. When next they spoke it would be as they entered the Whaler’s, abandoned as ever, be it due to the threat of plague or the lack of government. Darius knew the pirate and would already be pouring a tumbler as he stepped inside, most likely behind the quick kit. Rather than his usual seat third from the end, he motioned the server of that drink to a booth at a corner for a bit more privacy, where he could look the foxkin eye to eye. “Tail. Sounds like a name suited to the role.” He had since ditched ‘Hound’, though there might be a replacement in time. It wasn’t exactly classified information that he was a rogue. The tap of his glass hit the table and with trust in the Whaler’s bartender, he took it back and set it back down. The paper he had crumbled was recovered and spread open again. “What’s this about?”

Ina may have failed to take into consideration their destination- if only because of the frosty reception she receives once they arrive at the bar. Surprisingly, it's not due to the patrons she'd hustled over a game of cards- there would need to be some in order to hold a grudge. No, the focal point for her current discomfort rests squarely behind the bar, awkwardly drumming his fingers against the bartop. ...Right, she had an unpaid tab. "Whoops." She manages an awkward but charming smile, before sidling into a booth seat across from Leo. "What can I say? I've always had a fondness for a tall one." As her now mangled note crops back up, the foxkin purses her lips, "So, if this is over a drink, do I get to put it on ja tab? " There's a pause- maybe an uncomfortable one, before she waves it off with her left hand, "Anyways, -That- is because I sorta got pulled into this...uh, loose association so I wouldn't wind up treadin' on any toes, n' having people tryna slit my throat." The casual ease she says this should probably be a bit alarming, especially since it's not even a forced facade, "And, Ja know- opportunities. Or at least, I was -hopin'- for the latter. Fact of the matter was- those dried up almost as soon as I joined, an' I was left to my own devices. So, Uh- I got proactive." She reaches her right hand to the table, walking her index and middle finger over to the parchment to tap at it, "I'm not the type to sit there and spin my wheels, and I was hoping I wasn't alone in that respect. ...N' well. I wasn't. Not entirely." The expression Ina has in that moment is so self-satisfied, that a dictionary of idioms would likely see it plastered alongside 'Cat that ate the Canary'. "So, I may have started a few things. Which haven't gotten noticed. Yet."

Lita is on the hunt for anything mildly entertaining, trying to quell another round of insomnia as she wanders into Cenril's little watering hole. The bar is her first stop, hoping another drink might help so she trades a few coins for a glass of whiskey before turning to take in the room finally. A few regulars, the usual folk but a pair of familiar faces draw her attention. She hadn't had the exact notion to spoil the pirate's plans for the evening but she wasn't against it. Trish she recognized, though she hadn't gotten a name when they'd met, only read it from a questionable shop sign. Drink in hand, she saunters barefoot over to the pairs' booth, waving a hand at Leo to scooch sideways before sliding into a seat next to him. She rarely asks for the things she wants these days. She sips at her drink before settling her elbow on the edge of the table and resting her chin in her hand, glancing from Trish to Leo and back again. "You owe me a knife." She says finally, in lieu of any sort of greeting. "How's that coming?"

Ina said to Lita, "I found a bone source- I jus' gotta part 'im from his wing. " It's fine. He'll likely survive. Right? " Yer' fine with Damascus, right?"

Leoxander wasn’t quite buying the words from the foxkin’s mouth. He’d met some of her kind before. Including one with goggles and a fit for mechanics on his prior ship. He wasn’t entirely surprised by her low-key attitude either, furrowing his brow slightly as a whaler’s waiter refuelled his glass and left the bottle behind, knowing Leo. When Aryleon mentioned the tab, he motioned toward the woman, who in turn with a suspicious glare filled a second tumbler on hand, but overspilled it a bit on purpose. The pirate glared her off. “So you’re one of hers brought in, an’ she ain’t here no more. That makes you mine, unless you wanna bow and cow out.” He took his drink as the door opened, and Leo looked back to spot Lita, of all people. He didn’t scoot much as she sidled in, willing to be hip-on-hip with his long-time friend. “You’re just in time, Ace. This one claims she’s part of the flock with a lead. One I’m not sure I approve of, yet.” He tapped the crumpled parchment with a couple fingers as he took back another double-shot.

Lita nods at the kit's question about Damascus. "So long it's made with what I gave you, fine by me." She furrows her brow at that bit about the wing though, giving the girl a double-take as Leo rambles into something else. She made a mental note to circle back to this wing and 'he' bit. Maybe less information at this point was better though. She takes a sip from her drink, eyeing his probably-not-for-the-first-time-tonight empty glass with a lofted brow and reaches a hand out to the parchment he'd tapped, to eye it closer. "Never knew the likes of ours to be needin' anyone's permissions." She eyes him sideways with a playful smile. "Least of all yours." She leans sideways into him in a nudge. "Light one, will yah?" She glances back to the kit again. "What's this lead then, if you don't mind sharin' a tune."

Ina beams when Leo actually 'shares the wealth', a simple contentment that doesn't seem to falter, even after a portion of the drink winds up on the table. "Cheers!" And thus armed with a drink, she's now given the perfect means by which to pace her answers- in the face of Leo's inquisitions. ...And Lita's- though at least in 'Ace's case, they're at least warranted. She was a paying client, after all. ...Whiiiich, also sort of bumped replying to her a little bit higher up the proverbial totem pole, "I take my work seriously-" Or at least, the finished result. The process, well-, "Damascus patterning provides the darkness ja were looking for, is durable, and holds an edge in a way few things will." And, provided Ina was right- this particular batch was apt to be pretty competitive even in that regards, "But if ja need an example of my handicraft, I can toss ya somethin'. It's ...more adjacent, but well. I do good work when I apply myself." She pauses to take a long drink from the tumbler, enough that it's basically emptied out in that moment, before she turns to eye Leo, "As fer askin' permission- wasn't like there was anyone to field any queries I had until recently. So it's not like I'd even know if there was anyone paying us protection." Ina grins, a certain uncanniness to how broad the expression stretches, "I hope the mage tower -wasn't- a client in that respect, because at some point, they're -gonna- figure out they've been bamboozled, 'n to the highest degree. Though, that's past tense. My current jobs are a bit more- uh, Lich Queen adjacent. Less' that's off-limits." It's a sing-song statement, and one said with a mind to gauge both Lita and Leo's reactions. "...In case ja didn't catch my drift- S'not like I've gotten bored of the gig, an' if yer fearless leader the second, so be it."

Leoxander bumped into Lita in return while answering ‘Tail’. “You shouldn’t” Take things seriously, he meant. Kind of a catch twenty-two in their line of work. Take it seriously but with a slack or rope. “A’right. You want somethin’ fun?” Leo poured from the bottle on the table in three glasses, now. "Bring us a scale from a dragon. You do that, I’ll have it made into a pretty piece of jewelry for you, And give you a little more. I’m sure the mages have plenty o’ those.” He looked toward Lita. “Fair bit of adventure, wouldn’t you say?”

Lita shakes her head at the kit's offer to see her other work. "If it's shyte, I'll find yah." There was no hesitation in the words, just a veiled threat. But she offers a little wink. No need to run off good business just yet. She blinks a little in disbelief at the kit when there's mention of the guild being bamboozled. Did it just say- pretty sure it did. She'll blame that on the whiskey, most likely. "Not off limits, far as I know yet." She answers, not at all sure of it. She met the Lich queen once, maybe. At a party of some sort? It had been ages ago. She glances sideways at Leo, narrowing her eyes at him for a moment. A dragon scale? That didn't seem so hard. She'd stolen a dragon egg once, with Hudson of all people, and she'd been human then. She'd almost died. Funny now, since she was a vampire. The trailing memory makes her laugh a little to herself before she draws her attention back to present conversation. She reaches for the glass that Leo's just refilled but pauses midair as she's lifting it to her lips. "Honestly I think we can do better than ask for a dragon's scale but if that's what you go with, I get to pick the color." She shrugs a little, empties the glass with the practiced turn of her wrist and nudges the empty glass back towards the pirate for another. "What exactly -did- happen with the guild exactly?"

Ina raises one brow, the other lowering to make the gesture all the more pronounced, "It's a pride thing." Because profit held so little meaning to her. As for Lita's promise- well, "If it's 'shyte', I'll getcha cobbler to make you a shoe so I can choke on it." Definitely a pride thing. Which, is part of why she finds herself being slightly vexed at the matter of the dragonscale. Not so much at the acquisition, mind you- but rather, at what was to be done with it. "Pretty baubles are how ja get marked. No, n' thank ya. Though, iffun ya need one, I can add it to tha' list. N' even do ya one better n' make something fancy outta it. N' more useful than-" She twirls the refreshed tumbler, and drains the lot of it- basking in the rush of warmth, and her own unimpeachable confidence in her own work. "Fashiiiion." That said, whatever bit of sourness had started to brew within the foxkin is immediately banished by Lita's line of questioning. She had, after all, opened up a delightful can of worms, and the tale that accompanies it. "So! So So So- I jacked the Archmage's stuff. Got myself admitted as an apprentice in this whole false identity bit that's- It's just great. Fantaaaastic. Got myself like a-" It's here the foxkin pauses, and reaches into one of her jacket sleeves, only to abruptly pull out a full-sized stave. Really, the motion defies any sense of spatial dimensions, but, given the procured object is the Xalious stave she'd acquired as an apprentice, this sort of parses. And, just as quickly as it had been procured- it was gone again. "Yeah. That. Anyways. S'great and all, but it's hardly enough- so with a bit of shmoozing and an entrepreneurial spirit, I got myself access to a sort of inner archive. Which got us some items I gotta drop off at the local Art Gallery, iffun ja catch my drift." It's at this point Ina plunks out her little notebook, the likes of which Lita may even recognize, "1 Book of the dead, 1 Elerium Tablet. 1, uh...Delerium Tablet . . ." ...Sure the Book of the Dead wasn't in the place she'd left it, but it was definitely in the castle. Somewhere. "Also framed some Ernest Crane guy for all of it, as a lark."

Leoxander furrowed his brow at Lita and even nudged her in the ribs with an elbow for her counter of words. “Doesn’t bloody matter, does it? I’m tired of bein’ questioned by my own damned pack.” Oh the look Lita received, both tremulous and flirtatious, somehow. Old habits die hard with old friends. He then wrapped an arm around her waist in case she sought to escape. He was also slightly impressed with her response and had enough care to tilt a brow under tousled blonde hair. “The fox here has some information I’d like to know, but the devil can’t be trusted.” He glanced Lita’s way. “Found her in the den, with a note pinned to the board.” Back to Aryleon, taking in her every word. “A’right, a’right. I get it. Yer better’n that. So you got better to offer, I take it? No seals of power, I assume, but somethin’ worth our time?” He glanced toward the book she laid out while pouring another round of drinks. “What’s this all about?” He motioned toward the page that spelled ‘Ernest’.

Lita likes this one. Even though she's partial to kits with goggles and mechanical inclinations, this one's alright in her book thus far, especially after that shoe bit. Lita gets nudged and turns to Leo, wrinkling her nose at him. Less drinks in and less interesting conversation and she might have tossed a drink his way at all this assuming that she was part of his pack. His pseudo apology of an arm around her waist is accepted though as she leans into him further, snapping her teeth at him in a playful warning. She turns then to grin at the sheer excitement bubbling off the kit as she launches into her tale of recent exploit. No telling how long she'd been waiting to share it. Lita isn't so surprised by the sudden appearance and disappearance of the staff. Thanks to Ranok's fancy coat, she's used to pockets being dimensionally bigger on the inside. Somehow. She didn't understand it all, nor care to really, but it's a thing apparently. She vaguely recognizes the staff as being something important, likely from too much time spent in libraries, but she keeps her distance of mages and their fancies, so it's not something she has a name for just now. Art Gallery, was that Meri’s joint then? Lita makes a mental note of the items listed and to ask about them with the fellow artist at some point. Lita pours another round for them all from Leo's bottle, since his arm is occupied, and signals for the waitress to bring another. "Tell me then, if you can and are doin' all this-" She waves a hand to gesture at the familiar notebook. "Then what are you lookin' to flock with us for?" Didn't seem to be much of a power move, if the kit had already pulled off this much. So then what, thrill? A numbers game? Or just an alibi? She glances sideways at Leo again, "Maybe the question you should be asking is what she wants from you."

Ina perks up a bit when Leo redirects from the dragon-oriented initiation, to the gig she'd been recruiting for in the first place, "Ch'yeah! With a bit of snoopin', and the help of my companion- I managed to track down what I -think- is the final restin' place of an artifact that'd go well with the book. The- "It had a dramatic name, but the whiskey was starting to catch up given how happily she's -still- pounding it back, "The- . . Black Grail. Yeah. Figured between that n' the book- we'd be able to auction 'em off to tha' Necromancers guild, milk 'em for a fantastic payday. Maybe stick a few other odds 'n ends up there ta' really up the ante. I got a list- but, that Grails the first n' foremost." Leo's query, and more importantly his scrutiny at the book earns him a rather quick rebuttal- in the sense that Ina dips the book forward, and then moves to shut it directly in front of the motioning hand, "Tha' guy who was part of the scam ta' get me inta the guild. Which is all good 'n fine, 'cept- he didn't quite know when to fold 'em, and brought a whole lot of problems onto me and my bossman's doorstep. -A lot-. So, I figured he was due for trouble heading his way, in return fer dat. Tha' git." That small grudge aside, Ina retracts the book, and goes to replace it back within her jacket, giving it a gentle little wrap once it's back in place. "...Look, I'll level wit' ya. I ain't strapped. I'm not -doing- this because I need ta. I do it because it's -fun-. Because it's what I do, n' what I'm good at. When I first caught wind of ya, cause a' the... Foxes notice-" ...It was still so weird Fox . . . -wasn't-. "It was partly to avoid gettin'a knife in tha' back, but mostly just ta see what fun could be had." -Especially- since her constant gig with Lanlan had essentially provided her a sense of security that was practically lavish. "Plus, some gigs -do- call fer' some helping hands. Like, robbin' the Enchanted Kingdom fer a precious relic." Yeah, she's just gonna clear her throat there. Wash it down with some more booze that's definitely not amplifying the chattiness. "Though- uh, actually, If I can ask for favours. I -do- have someone in mind that could help a fair bit." Smooth, Ina. Smooth.

Leo might have possibly been testing her willingness and behaviour with his request. What the hell would he need a scale for? He helped himself to finishing his glass if it had been filled while the glamour-loving redhead went further down the list and explained, “I don’t hate the idea, but you gotta be careful with sh named like that. Especially if it’s that lot’s propaganda.” He’d had his own experience with Jolie’s ventures for dark artifacts and the mysteries of the obsidian pool. The rogue quieted to hear the rest of what Aryleon had to say, giving a glance to his long-time friend now and then, gauging her reaction to the speech. “This is a lot to take in with a pint but I get the point, ..sh.” He cursed for a second time at the gods’ review. “I d’know what to call you. If I’m honest, I didn’t expect to be in this position after a time, but Fate has it out for me.” Hopefully Luck did, too. “I don’t trust it here, but if you can get onto the island in a day or two’s time, there’s a place you’ll find easily enough.” He would have the note pinned in the den for Lanara and her new husband, and Aryleon might just see: A hastily drawn Jolly Roger symbol in the rogue's specific artist-style on a scrap of parchment means for a reply. His surprisingly ornate, slanted handwriting states below it. 'You know where to find me in the island.' "Enter at ye own risk." (The warning etched on the doors of that specific building.) “I gotta get out’a here.” He was still weighing options, but offered a lead.