"Snow? May I ask a favor of you?" said Cheyr, one of the dancers. Snow looked up at the Draenei woman, no somewhat more conservatively clad then when she'd been dancing on stage -- not that was difficult, given that during her last set of performances she had been clad in scandalously little. The red magewave lingerie had been replaced by a wide-brimmed jungle hat, a crimson silk vest, and red mageweave trousers. The color set off her light blue skin tone, and the hat obscured most of her raven-black short hair.
"Sure" Snow responded cautiously. A week ago when Cassia had begun work as a bouncer at the Steel Rose, the owner-manager Phaedra had introduced Snow to the staff; while not an official employee, he had been introduced as the son of a colleague from her adventuring days, and Cassia's cousin. Snow had dinner every night at the Steel Rose, which functioned as a restaurant until the dancers begun their work shift, and then Snow relocated to one of the tables furthest from the stage. The dancers took his presence in stride; Snow tipped each dancer, spending gold, when most of the patrons gave copper and silver.
"I was wondering if I might impose upon you to walk me home?" Cheyr asked. It was not an unreasonable request; given the prevalence of criminals skulking in the neighborhood, the dancers often asked one of the bouncers to escort them home in the late night or early morning hours when they finished their sets. It was however, the first time on of them had asked Snow.
"It would be an honor, Cheyr," he assured her.
Cheyr collected her full-length cloak, and guided Snow, to his surprise to the kitchen. Cheyr guided them past the kitchen staff, who ignored them completely as Cheyr led him down the stairs into the pantry. The building in which the Steel Rose resided had several levels, and the back door entrance to the pantry went down to the water. The pantry itself was enchanted with cold spell, the better to keep the food ingredients fresh.
Cheyr and Snow stepped out the back door. The back door was heavy wood, reinforced with steel and magic, and was more like a bank vault door, not the back door to a restaurant pantry. "It's very useful to have an entrance well away from the customers," Cheyr commented. "I suspect it is,: agreed Snow.
Snow offered Chyr his arm as if the two were on a date.
"Oh, a gentleman!: said Chyr with a pixie-like grin. "The other bouncers don't offer me their arm."
"No doubt so that they don't encumber their sword arms," informed Snow.
"Really? I was thinking that it's because they don't see us as real women, but as a commodity they label 'dancers'," said Cheyr.
"If that is so, then they need to find better oculists," said Snow. Cheyr chuckled.
They walked together in a comfortable silence. Many of the dancers stayed at a tenement of apartments scarce an arrow shot from the
Proudmoore Barracks, including Cassia, who had taken up residence in a small studio apartment. Snow walked her up the stairs and to the door of her apartment.
"Thank you for the escort," said Cheyr, meeting Snow's eyes. "Perhaps I can reward you with a drink?"
"That is a kind offer, but I should be getting back," said Snow. "But I would love to take you for a coffee during the day, when neither one of us is otherwise occupied."
"Its a date!" Cheyr said, leaning down. Her azure lips were soft on Snow's, and the initial kiss was sweet. Snow pulled back as they disengaged, and he was surprised when her hand snaked into the hair at the back of Snow's head and puled him forward into a second kiss that lasted considerably longer. Her mouth tasted of cinnamon, and her tongue traced his own lips as she pulled back.
Snow was still bemused ad aroused when she slid into her apartment. He snapped out of it when he heard Cheyr slide the four locks into place.
Snow returned to the Steel Rose, but was forced to use the normal front entrance; he did not have a key to the back door.
As Snow entered, along with a half-dozen patrons. Cassia caught his eye, and nodded, beckoning him to sit next to her.
"Cheyr get home safely?" Cassia asked as Snow sat down at her table.
"Quite safe," confirmed Snow.
"And you must have come right back," Cassia teased. "Poor Snow."
"Well, we do have a coffee date soon," Snow admitted.
Cassia giggled. "You are determined to break Reina's heart." Cassia was aware that her elder sister Reina and Snow had been intimate,even if she did not know how many times.
"She doesn't want me, she's made that quite clear," said Snow stoically. Cassia's heart broke a little bit at the bitter heartache that had laced his voice, but Snow's heart wasn't the first Reina had damaged, if not broken. Cassia firmed up her own voice. "Snow,I have something I want you to do."
"Tell me," Snow said.
"You see the short guy with the blue hair, the guy with the Kul Tiran woman, sitting away from the stage?"
 |
Peebles and
Ophelia
|
'Yes," Snow confirmed. The gnome had bright blue hair, standing up with hair mousse. His thin handlebar mustache stuck out like whiskers on a cat. , and the only weapon visible was a short stiletto more useful for opening bottles of wine than tickling someone else's ribs.
His companion was a blonde Kul Tiran women of heroic proportions, heavily muscled and wearing Cuir boli armor. She had a broadsword slung over her shoulder, and several thick-bladed daggers in a baldrick around her chest.
"The guy is named Peebles, and he's an alchemist by trade. Kharel tells me that the woman is a bravo who used to belong to the Scrimshaw is Ophelia, but Kharel says that few people quit the Scrimshaw Gang, and he would know."
Kharel himself had been an enforcer for the Scrimshaw Gang before they'd left his crippled body behind for dead. Unable to do the Scrimshaw's dirty work, they'd cut him loose to beg, borrow, or steal to survive. Phaedra had found him and healed him, and he had become the first employee of the Steel Rose.
"People keep coming to his table, and strike up conversations before leaving," informed Cassia. "His visitors don't stay long, but funny thing; Ophelia gets up and leaves a few minutes later. Ophelia comes back after a short while, but alone."
"So... what are they doing," Snow asked.
"No idea - that was what I need you for?" said Cassia in a pleading voice.
"Well, lets see if we can find out," said Snow.
 |
The
Baroness
|
Snow took a seat near the stage, not coincidentally where he could pretend to toggle the dancers but also surreptitiously observe his assigned quarry. It was difficult to feign interest in the dancers while focusing his attention on actually keeping tabs on the pair. It was during and energetic routine by the Ren'dorei dancer known on stage as The Baroness that he observed what appeared to be a scion of a Kul Tiran noble family,
dressed for a night out, sit down at the table with Peebles and Ophelia, engaging them in quiet conversation.
The fellow and Peebles spoke for almost five minutes before the fellow got up and left. Perhaps two more minutes passed before Ophelia likewise headed for the door.
Snow got up, tossed a tip on the stage, and pretending to be slightly inebriated, staggered out the door, following Ophelia. Ophelia had not gotten very far, and was just passing the
Loose Cannon Inn, where she was joined by the Snow pulled his cloak above his head and followed at a discrete distance.
The Scion and Ophelia walked together in silence, heading into the Dampwick Ward neighborhood. The streets were deserted at this time of night; no children running through the muddy streets, no proselytizing religious fanatics. just criminals, prostitutes, and the citizens that would be often referred to after the criminal element had made themselves known as 'victims'.
Ophelia and her companion made a right turn and temporarily vanished from sight. When Snow turned the corner, he found his way blocked by shady-looking members of the Scrimshaw Gang.
 |
| Snow VS Scrimshaw Gang! |
"Well, well, well... a plump pigeon, ready for the plucking," began one of the thugs, but he got no further before Snow, who had carried a loaded flintlock under her cloak, placed a bullet into his head while throwing the cloak over the head of the second thug, and grabbing the third thug, spinning him into the line of sight for the fourth Scrimshaw, who taken by surprise and looking for a clean flintlock shot of his own.
Snow placed his boot on the ample rear of his shield, and booted him forward. Snow grabbed his grapple hook gun and fired the hook and training cable past the sniper, turning the control to "retract" and dropping low as the sniper fired. The sniper was pulling a second flintlock from his belt when the grappling hook found purchase in the sniper's neck. The hook sunk more deeply as Snow put his full weight on the retracting cable, dragging the sniper over the railing.
The cloak-entangled thug freed himself and drew a rapier while the thug with the sore ass drew two thick Kul Tiran Marine daggers while Snow drew his rapier and warhammer. Snow feinted a lunge at the daggerman to lure the rapier into his own lunge. Snow bound the opposing rapier and used the warhammer to split the Scrimshaw skull into pulp.
"Always were a helm... " muttered Snow hypocritically - he rarely wore a helmet - and spun to face the remaining Scrimshaw bravo warily; Snow had no monopoly on thrown weapons. Only the superior reach of Snow's rapier kept the Scrimshaw at bay. At the next attack, Snow dodged left and sent a cloud of sulphur, cayenne pepper powder, and ground pepper into his face. The cayenne pepper temporarily blinded him, his nose was overwhelmed by the ground pepper, and the sulphur coated his lungs. As the fellow sneezed uncontrollably and his eyes closed, burning and watering, Snow stabbed him in the throat.
Snow grabbed one of the orphaned daggers and headed for Ophelia's last known location. There were only a few possibilities for their destination; if they were willing to do their business in the street, the could have done it a lot sooner. At this time of night, most of the shops in the Dampwick Ward area were closed.
The only really feasible place nearby was a tavern called
The Drunken Gryphon, and what recommended it to Snow was both its proximity, and the fact that is was a known hangout for Scrimshaw Gang members.
Snow had been in time to watch Ophelia exchange a purse of gold for a small wooden box.
Ophelia left while the fellow was finishing his beer. Snow followed him when he finished, and in a dark alley, relieved him first of his consciousness then the wooden box. Snow returned to the Steel Rose, and met with Phaedra and Cassia in Phaedra's office. He reported the events, and opened the box, revealing a set of 12 crystal vials, each containing a supply of the drug Sa'Diablo.
Sa'Diablo was made by mixing Warlock soulshards with other ingredients. Ground into a fine power, SaDiablo was easy to mix into alcohol. It was a mild euphoric and aphrodisiac, healing physical damage while making the user feel invincible.
It was also highly addictive, and because of the addiction the Admiralty had made it illegal.
Phaedra was furious. "I'll have them banned. I'll have them arrested! I'll... " she sputtered.
"... you will do nothing but swear out a complaint," said Cassia. "I will also swear out a witness statement, as will Snow, and then we will notify the proper authorities."
"The 'proper authorities' have proven corrupt and uncaring as to the enforcement of law in this neighborhood," said Phaedra, her tone bitter.
"Normally, I'd agree... but you should know that as my mother is the aide to the High Admiral herself, I think we'll be able to get Auntie Jaina's attention", said Cassia, glossing over her father's role as Jaina's spymaster and privy agent, first in Theramore and then in Kul Tiras.
"You call thhe Lord High Admiral 'Auntie Jaina?" laughed Snow.
"Of course I do; she's our Godmother." Cassia smirked. "But lets keep that a secret, shall we?
(WIP)
No comments:
Post a Comment