Roleplay City
Oberon Castle => OBERON CASTLE: Drink Today, Die Tomorrow => The Markets => Topic started by: Kysis on November 16, 2007, 07:52:58 AM
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(For Reaver)
It felt a lot earlier than it actually was. Perhaps it was because Greece\'s day cycle was different than that in Oberon. Probably. Either way, Kysis felt it was too damn early. He ran a hand back through his unbound blond hair, letting the strands fall around and over his face like a chaotic halo. His blue eyes were blank as he stared down at the ledger, brain repeating the words Ryanna had just said.
Wait? Competition?
No.
Kysis was suddenly very awake, pushing aside all the constant haze his mind had been trying to mentally arrange everything for the wedding, and, well, the wedding. When he left for Kreos, he had never expected competition to sprout up as if from nowhere! How frustrating! He had spent so much time trying to get established in a foreign country and now---
"Umm, if you want to meet him, I told him to come back to look at the shipment of spears. Now that we got them, and hired a few criers, he should be back. Maybe that merchant brother of his will be comin\' along too."
He had to think about this, how to approach it, and how not to step on someone\'s toes who might already be situating themselves. That, and strategies for keeping the upper hand were already playing out in his mind. Perhaps it was not too late and he had not been in Kreos too long.
Which reminded him! Kysis unhooked a leather pouch from his waist, pulling out the bladed flail that was his pride and joy, hanging it up on its strange wooden stand on the wall. Without the flail, there had not been any exotic weapons in. Well, the weapons shipment had arrived two days prior. There were now Greek spears, Roman spatha and Ottoman scimitars. That should be enough of a crowd drawer. Perhaps it would make some noble tongues wag in want to have such a thing displayed.
Either way, Kysis had to calm his mind down a bit so he could get these ideas out coherently and not look completely like a fool. He had yet to tell Ryanna he was engaged, so she was sure to suspect the worst already. Hmmm... Ideas. Customers would be coming in at any time, they were open after all, so Kysis needed to calm down and straighten everything out.
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A glare as sharp as daggers swept over the shops, darted at passing people, and slipped from one shadow to another. He didn\'t like to be without his dagger. Until he knew the laws, he would have to do without it, but he wasn\'t happy about it. Dag raked his fingers back through his hair, making sure it was still oiled back, and then picked an imagined speck of dust out of his neatly trimmed beard.
People had already given him strange looks, likely for his own cold demeanor, but he could hardly help it. Magnus had run off into the city without telling him, armed to the teeth. His foolish brother could have ruined everything, could have brought guards down biting at their heels and ringing them with steel, and he hadn\'t even left a note. He only knew he was gone because his little mobile arsenal was as well. That and the burly man with the ugly scars across his face was in command of the Zirat. Magnus\' second, Espen commanded a lot of respect from the straggling mercenaries. Even the cook loved him.
Dag wanted to plant his dagger in the stubbern man\'s back, but until Magnus told him to, Espen insisted on waiting outside of the city for orders. They wouldn\'t leave, or even move further back. They wouldn\'t even stop setting guards and scouting out the area to make sure there were no threats to them.
They were going to ruin everything. Just like the shop he found himself glaring at, blinking out the spite from his eyes. The frown was harder to rid himself of, but he finally managed to mask it with a smirk. Liari weapons were too well situated, he couldn\'t push them from the market. Perhaps he could put some nettles to them though, just to see if their resolve was as well forged as their weapons. That nearly had him scowling, but he saved his smirk at the last second and set himself to the task of opening the door.
The first thing his eyes took in were the stock on the rack, and from there he let his gaze wander. The weapons were quality, the shop was quality. Even the strange weapon on display looked to be of quality. It all made him want to throw up, but his smirk didn\'t falter. "Good morning to you. I hope business fares well today?"
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Kysis turned his head up just slightly, hand lowering towards the hilt of his longsword before he straightened to stand at his full height, no longer looking at the business ledger. Ryanna went to say something else, but Kysis lifted his left hand, effectively silencing her. That smirk… Kysis surveyed the man, whispering under his breath towards Ryanna as if to ask her, “Is this that man.”
“No sir, though they don’t be lookin’ all that different.”
The brother then. Kysis lowered his hand, strumming his fingers on the wire-wrapped hilt of his newest sword, the piece given to him by Marcos for the succession ceremony. One of the first things Kysis had done upon returning to Kreos was adding that piece to his weapons permit. The guards there all knew him by now, unless they were brand new recruits, and Kysis did not have to do much talking. He was not sure who Lam had announced their engagement to, so he kept as quite as he usually did. Of course, the tension between him and Lieutenant Fredrickson had been thick enough to cut through with a knife, glares shooting daggers at one another. That was expected, and almost as good as a warm welcome back.
Of course, Kysis could not keep in his ‘home sweet home’ mentality forever. Shoving back his hair so it did not obscure his face so, Kysis kept on a stern face, voice low and a bit thicker with his Greek accent than usual. Of course, he also looked really out of place in Oberon, with his olive toned tan, dark blue eyes and platinum blond skin; like a cherry on a cream pie. Why did he always make food analogies (when he wasn’t making military ones)? That and now Kysis wore the Liari signet ring with pride, that bulky thing glinting blood red on his right index finger.
“Welcome to my shop. Is there anything I can help you with?”
No smile was forced, no attempt at friendliness. Kysis just said the words he would to any customer, tone far different. The young Lord Liari knew competition when he saw it. It was like he could smell it coming. That thought humored Kysis. Perhaps this northerner would give him a run for his money. That would be a new one.
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Dag\'s smirk wavered. The man was polite, in word choice. Behind the words was an attitude that Dag himself rather favored. Business. "And a pleasant shop it is. I\'d bet my life that my brother\'s already been here. He\'s always drawn to weapons." His smirk took less effort to keep as he chided his brother. Spite didn\'t quite surface though, he kept that down under an icy layer of professionalism.
He wasn\'t sure what to say about help though. What he wanted was for the man to drop dead and surrender his business, but that wouldn\'t be well recieved. At best, he would have to find something to root his interest in. Perhaps he would buy a sword, he could use one anyways. He certainly had enough gold on him, enough for the permit too. His smirk briefly slipped into a scowl, as he thought about his brother behind bars and people driving him out. The fool better rid himself of his weapons, or find himself a permit, if he put a single smudge on the Gulbrand name, Dag would cut out his tongue himself. Of course, he hadn\'t heard anything yet. Perhaps he wasn\'t in any trouble.
The scowl lasted a brief moment, and he did his best to make it look like indecision. "I think, I think I would like a sword. Something light but not too small. A longsword would do the trick, unless you have any suggestions?" He asked with the confidence he had previously planned on witholding. It wouldn\'t help, he could already see the man was perceptive. It was simple a matter of throwing one punch at him so he wouldn\'t see the second. Or, rather, letting him see the second and think the first was just a feint. It would take time, and a sharp mind to take over the market. "I will only pay for the best, of course." He shook the pouch at his belt, letting the gold coins within clink together. If the man was smart, he\'d recognize the sound. Otherwise, let him think what he will. The game had begun.
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So it was the competition. This would definitely be interesting, considering how civil they were being to each other. Kysis could feel the tension in what the man was saying; perhaps it was just a genuine dislike for Kysis (or rather Kysis\' business) Seeping through. Kysis could also see the tension in the man\'s stance. As much as a person could culture their voice, culturing of the body was something different. Kysis knew this was a game.
This was going to be a fun game too.
"Scouting out our steel already? Surely a merchant like yourself already has a sword?" Perhaps not one of quality, though. Kysis thought that last part to himself, smile staying intact because of it. His fingers still strummed on the hilt of the side-sword in his baldric, constantly reminding the merchant that he is armed. Not that it really mattered. Someone new in Oberon would not threaten their still forming reputation. That just would not be intelligent.
"I may be willing to part with a piece... depending."
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Dag silently applauded the man, and let his smirk fade. It was hardly worth the effort of keeping. "Gulbrand arms exceed the standards for what they\'re required for." His voice was chilling as the implications set in. "Quality can go a long way, but even an unworked slab of iron can be deadly in the skilled hands of a real warrior." He didn\'t jut out his chest, or take a stance of pride. He wasn\'t a real warrior. His skill with his dagger was excellent, but against trained warriors he\'d sooner run. Or throw his brother and the Zirat at them. The slight wasn\'t a boast, it was just that, a slight on the man before him.
Stretching, he rested his weight on one leg; ready to move. The man was armed, but it wasn\'t that difficult to get to a weapon in a shop selling them. If the man was foolish enough to cut down competition, or even consider it, than perhaps his own business wasn\'t as well set as Dag had first thought it to be. He would enjoy this game.
"I would like a sword though. In an unfamiliar country, only the foolish go unarmed." Until Dag was accepted into the area, his wits were his only weapon. He couldn\'t get a permit for his dagger, it wasn\'t made for killing. It was made to let someone know they were dieing, in the bloodiest ways possible. The guards wouldn\'t approve.
So he was having second thoughts about selling his weapons? Dag had no use for the steel, he could already see it was quality material that he couldn\'t replicate. His craftsmen wouldn\'t know how to work unfamiliar steel anyways. "Like I said, I\'ll only pay for the best." He pulled one of the gold coins out, rolling it on the back of his knuckles, and then dropped it back into the pouch. "Or do you not think your weapons are up to the task of impressing me?" He put on a friendly smile.
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Kysis’ left hand clenched for a moment, his reveling in the sensation of his sword-arm’s muscles snapping to immediate readiness. The pressure was released, hand uncoiling. It was not a motion out of anger, far from it. Kysis watched Dag with hawkish sapphire eyes, expression unchanging, as if the hand was not even moving. There was no need for violence, even at such insults. He was known to be a calm person, often aloof even, so why not keep it up? From the look of this intruder, he was not even a real warrior as he put it.
“The main customer-base in Oberon isn’t real warriors. If I were still in Greece, it would be a different story. We all have little Spartans inside of us. But here it is different. These people want a fighting chance against the more skilled thieves and assassins that travel in the darker alleys and strike as if from nowhere. An unskilled hand with a dull blade is as effective as a maimed mouse can be against a tiger. I am not sure what your strategy is, but I try providing what the market wants and needs.”
While Kysis gave his little speech in that smooth, almost purring tone, Ryanna was finding the best sword in the place (not that it mattered, really. They were all better than what the local forges in Oberon carried). When she found it, she brought it to Kysis’ side to seek approval. He turned just slightly. Today he was wearing an open-necked tunic, its looser than most he did don. Kysis had not meant to get caught in the store, but that was not a problem. His turn showed the top of his largest scar, the one that started at his clavicle and ran down into hiding beneath his shirt from there. If anything, it just showed that Kysis had made a mistake on the battle-field, but to others it proved that he had actually been on the battle-field before, and survived it.
It was a ridged longsword, with a thin groove going down the ridging on both sides. The hilt was wrapped with dark leather on the bottom half, with carefully entwined wire on the top. It had an ornate pommel, the metal carved like a hawk’s head. There was a double ringed guard on the quillion. It was light enough to be used by someone with skill one-handed, though it had enough gripping room for a grasp of two. Kysis took the hilt in his right hand, flipping it around so the flat of the blade rested along his lower arm, angling out away from his shoulder at the tip. Kysis offered it forward.
The movement was not so much a sign of trust as a sign of confidence: if the competition decided to take the sword and attack, Kysis knew he would be ready. Anyone could read that in the dangerous glint in his eyes, and by the almost feline grace of his movements. He was always ready.
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The game was better than he had expected. Dag\'s respect for the man rose, as the man had risen to the challenge Dag\'s words had portrayed. A real smile spread itself on his lips and he nodded. The man was a warrior of some value, then. Not just the way he held himself, but the way he restrained at the slight. A warrior heading a weapons business. That was trouble. Dag had the good fortune of having no ambitious relatives. Just a fool of a brother, had that fool spawned the idea of having a weapons business, Dag never would have been able to pull it off. Not with anything short of murder, of course.
"From what I hear, you do an excellent job providing what they need." Dag offered a nod of his head, the only respect the man would get out of him. He was well informed, he already knew what the market needed. He wasn\'t sure how he was going to play his hand yet, but he knew one thing. After this exchange, he wouldn\'t be buying a sword.
"As it is the responsability of any tyrant to feed his people scraps out of need. Hungry people do foolish things. Foolish things can get unwary rulers killed. You show the dedication a politician would. Commendable. You run your business well."
With a scowl, he dragged his fingers back through his hair. "I expected nothing less, although I must say, I had my hopes." It made him want to gag. He\'d find a way though. Nettles. Start with small attacks, little things to set the foundation for the final battle. "I suppose then, that such a well founded business would hardly need a partnership, or to even... expand their company by absorbing a petty, northerner business."
He didn\'t reach for the sword, or change his stance in the slightest. He was throwing too many insults into the mix, but he needed to see how far this man would bend before he snapped. His resolve was astounding. From the moment Dag had entered the shop, the only change he had incurred was the man\'s hand clenching for a moment. Dag made it a point of pretending to have not noticed, while at the same time letting his eyes linger on the sword offered.
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Tyrant? Hmph. Kysis did not appreciate that in the least. And an unwary ruler getting killed? Kysis had done nothing to oppress anyone, nor had he done anything to anger anyone, minus, of course Lieutenant Fredrickson, Lord Dagger, and now the Gulbrand group. It happens. It should not be enough to dethrone him, though. Dethrone. He really did think like a politician sometimes. It was good to know this man was observant.
"Absorb? No. We have no need to expand any further. Oberon is far enough from home already. A monopoly from here to there is more than we need."
Kysis flashed his most charming smile, sword still offered forth. As he figured, the man would not actually want to buy one. He was just scouting. Hmmm... Still, if he had come this far, he could take a closer look.
"At least take a feel of the sword before we leave. Ryanna took the time to find it for you. Don\'t offend her, now."
Ryanna was glaring angrily at Dag from behind the counter, arms crossed, lips a frown. It was like an angry kitten, really, no more harmful. Cute, really, but Kysis would not say so for his own safety. Ryanna was damn fast, even if she did not have the same refinement of technique as he did.
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Dag took the offered sword with a smile, testing the weight by letting the trip drop into a free-swing. He was actually pleased with it, and raised his eyebrows. Not just good steel, but they knew how to design them right as well. "No, I can see you don\'t need the expanded business." Shaking his head slightly, he considered for a moment, and then shrugged. Why not buy it? He had offended the man time after time and he had stood vigilant through it, why not at least attempt to soothe some of the damage? Dag didn\'t have anything against him. Just his business. And mankind, of course.
He didn\'t really care if the girl or the owner were offended, and certainly wasn\'t going to offer any apolagies; even if his insults were to test them, they weren\'t too far off the mark of what he thought of the man. Still, perhaps actually buying the sword might throw them off a bit, and toss them another nettle to ruffle their feathers.
"How much would you sell a fine sword like this for?" He offered the question in a business tone. He wanted to set them up right, first. Then buy, if they would still sell to him.
He was about to hand the sword back as the door behind him opened again, and his name was called inquisitively. Not that oaf of a brother. Not now. The man was a nuisance, and right now was business time for the real men.
Magnus blinked as he stepped into the shop, and waited to see if Dag would turn to look at him. Not entirely surprised when he didn\'t, he waved to Ryanna and flashed her a wide grin. "I got the permit. Thanks darlin\', for telling me about that. You might just think it your job to do so, but I still appreciate it." He had dropped his bundle of spare weapons off at the camp, and told Sigvald to send them back to the estate. The man had blinked at him and asked what happened. Magnus was known to be a walking arsenal, they just didn\'t understand.
Pulling off his fur cloak and tucking it under his arm, he pointedly ignored Dag\'s glare as he finally turned to look at him. "I\'ve been a little busy aside, but I wanted to check if those weapons had come in yet. I\'ve got a pocket full of gold and a fancy to expand my collection with the finest weapons around." Grinning, he walked past Dag, and stopped to give a short bow to Kysis. "Magnus Gulbrand, pleasure to meet you..." He stopped to raise an eyebrow and hold out his hand to shake. If his guess was right, this would be Lord Liari. Why else would Dag be talking to someone? Why else would Dag even be here? Nice blade he was holding, too.
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Kysis was about to speak the price when the door swung open, his eyes darting immediately behind Dag, searching for a familiar face. He was hoping it was someone else, but apparently it was a man related to Dag, from appearances. In fact the man looked like the description Ryanna had given him. So, this was the brother, Magnus, who was interested in strange weapons. Kysis was all too glad to ignore Dag now that he was given a legit reason to.
A little bow was given, not deep at all, more like a nod with a slight bending. He also took the hand for a firm shake, introducing himself (which he had not taken the time to do with Dag. It had been all fight, no talk with him), "Kysis Liari. Your brother was just giving me an ear-full." Kysis shot a look at said brother just to make sure that sword was not moving any. So far it had not, so it was still safe for a few verbal jabs.
"Oh yes! The weapons!" Ryanna jumped out of her scowl, putting on her usual impish grin and running to the back wall, pointing at the flail with its four foot chain and arc-blade end. "This was missing the last time you were in! It is actually fully functional. For the exhibition at our opening, Lord Liari demonstrated with it. It was soooooo cool!" Ryanna jumped a little, diving beneath the counter to pull out a large spear and a scimitar, one in each hand. "We haven\'t put them out yet, but I figured you\'d be back to see them soon enough."
The scimitar was put on the counter, Ryanna walking around it to show the spear, though not let him touch it. Most people were not allowed to touch the weapons unless they put their money down on the counter first. It was a safety thing. However, with Kysis around, it did not matter all that much. He could probably take care of whatever decided to come through that door (except for Rico. Now that Kysis would not be able to deal with).
Kysis turned his attention back to Dag at this point, deciding he might as well give the price, since he had asked. "10 Gold. It is more expensive than the local forge, but better steel." Plus it was the best sword in the shop, if one did not include the one hung at Kysis\' side. The longsword in Dag\'s hands was one of the later pieces made by Ryos, yes, but still. The sword that had been his coronation gift was the best piece of steel Kysis had ever seen.
And it wasn\'t a bad price. The Ottomans charged a lot more for their weapons, and they were only half the quality and about 2% of the selection. Of course, what would northerners know about the Ottomans? Kysis decided not to even bring it up.
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"Lord Liari." Magnus bowed again, much deeper than before. A man to be respected, especially if he had survived Dag\'s nagging. Throwing a scowl at Dag, Magnus put a hand on each hip and added in a condensating tone. "We\'re new here and you\'re already badgering people?"
Dag rolled his eyes and plucked ten gold out of a pouch, counting them a second time before he offered them in an extended hand. "How much would the permit be for it? I only have so much gold with me, I\'m afraid." So much gold was more than enough, but he wanted to know. He wanted to know much gold his brother had just thrown away as well. Sure, it was his own money, but that didn\'t mean Dag couldn\'t use it from time to time.
Chuckling, Magnus patted his own coin purse. "I didn\'t think we\'d be spending so much gold so quickly. We still need a place Dag." Speaking of which, he had no clue how much a place to live cost. Tents were hardly a permenant residence. Dag was already looking into inn prices, saying the tents were beneath him.
Magnus eyes\' locked on the flail for a moment, in silent consideration. He had no clue how to use such a weapon, but oddly enough, he wanted to. He did his best to ignore it so he wouldn\'t throw all of his money down for it. Sometimes he had to question whether or not he could ever give up being a warrior.
Turning his attention towards Ryanna, he smiled broadly and forgot about that all together. The scimitar was nothing like the one his father had brought home one time. If they weren\'t so hard pressed for money, he might have ordered one. He still might. He wasn\'t sure about the spear. Scratching his chin, he watched as Ryanna handled the weapon and grunted approval. Something worth adding to his collection. "The prices aren\'t too dire, are they darlin\'?" He smiled a wolfish grin and ruffled his hair. "I\'m afraid I do need to start considering prices for a place to live." That was, assuming he found a trade to stick to. It was tempting to join the guards, but he wanted more freedom, and prefered getting up in the morning to cook, not stand duty or do drills.
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"Ahhhh..." Kysis looked to Ryanna when asked about a permit. Yes, he had gotten the sword added to his permit, but adding one weapon was cheaper than getting a permit out right, right? Oh dear. And Kysis had not been the one to get his original permit, Marcos to thank for that. It saved him a lot of trouble when it came to dealing with the Guards at first. "Ryanna, how much would you say...?"
"Well, if ye tell Lieutenant Fredrickson I sent you, it will be a lot less expensive than if ye say the Lord Liari sent you." Ryanna giggled, rocking back on her heels before cupping a hand by her mouth and whispering, "They don\'t like each other all that much, if ya know what I mean." Ryanna dropped a wink at that, jumping away as if Kysis\' sudden glare might hurt her. She never knew. Kysis was a bit defensive when it came to the Captain.
And that mention got his mind back on the Captain. They had not been back in Oberon all that long and there was so much they had to do and why in Hades name was he in the shop when Alia-- Kysis took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment. "The permit should not be more than ten gold, at most. If you don\'t mention me at all, it will be less. Just some... competition having to do with... things."
Hopefully the merchant brother was not thick skulled enough to ask Lieutenant Fredrickson about what competition that was. Who knew what might come of that.
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Dag nodded, as if he had expected the answer. He had guessed a higher number, so that was within reason. "The permit seems a reasonable price. The sword is a reasonable price as well, an excellent piece." If his fool brother wanted to waste the rest of the family fortune on blades, so be it. Until Dag found a way to end Liari as a business, money wouldn\'t be doing him much good.
"So it\'s agreed?" He held out the gold again, and waved the sword. It was impressive, he had to admit. That was something he wouldn\'t admit verbally, however.
Inspecting the new weapons from a respectful distance, Magnus tried to get an estimate on the value of them. He frowned, scratched his chin, and tried to think of what he had back at the estate. Were they worth buying? He liked collecting fine blades, but enough was enough.
His inspection was a collection of frowns and grimaces, with that gleam of desire locked tightly in his eyes. He wanted them, would love nothing more than to buy them, but doubt rested heavily on his shoulders. He noticed that Dag was glaring at him, and that further pushed doubt into his thoughts. Of course his brother didn\'t approve.
Trying to keep his mind off of gold and blades, Magnus turned his thoughts towards his own permit. The lieutenant had put on a strictly business tone as soon as Lord Liari was mentioned. That made Magnus\' frown deepen. He seemed a nice man, and ran his business quite well.
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“Agreed.” Kysis took the money, Ryanna getting the sheath for the blade and a wooden box to carry it in until that permit was acquired. Ryanna offered both to Dag with a little curtsey of sort, as strange as it looked in her male attire. Well, anything feminine from Ryanna looked strange. It almost seemed like she tried looking like a young man. Not that Kysis really cared; she was good at selling weapons, which was what mattered, “I suggest you take it in the box. The Lieutenant is… finicky about weapons without a permit.”
Anyone could read the tension coming off Kysis any time he or someone else mentioned Fredrickson. The person would have to be blind, deaf and dumb to not notice it. Of course, those who had been in Oberon a bit longer might understand. They would know about Kysis’ relationship with Captain Wilson and… well, who knew what else. Rumors got around fast. Especially in the confines of a Keep.
“Um, Lord Liari…?” Ryanna was asking meekly, which meant she wanted something. Kysis nodded to tell her it was ok to ask, giving no other motion than that. That was enough, words spilling forth from her plain lips very quickly, “Can I go with ‘em to the Guardhouse? I mean, I know everythin’s been really hard lately and all, but, please? I promise to work extra hard this week. I’ll sell a spear too! Promise!”
Kysis sighed. It seemed there was no choice. Who could deny a begging kitten anyway? “Alright, as long as the Gulbrands don’t mind.”
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As Dag took the sheath and box, he carefully replaced the sword and tucked the box under his arm. He noted Ryanna\'s curtsey with a nod of his head and slight dip of his shoulders. When it came to the mention of her going along, he scowled and was about to tell her off when Magnus cut in.
"It would be a pleasure to have you along darlin\'! Just make sure you don\'t trip over Dag\'s pessimism, it digs holes for people to fall into." Smiling back at Dag\'s increasingly darkening scowl, Magnus dipped into a much deeper bow than Dag had offered, once for Ryanna, and then a second for Lord Liari.
His respect for Lord Liari was only growing. "It\'s been a pleasure though. I\'ve heard only good things about you, and I had been looking forward to meeting you." Winking, "Even after the Lieutenant locked up and started brooding at your mention. He hid it well though, I must say."
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Ryanna clapped her hands together with a wide grin when Magnus said it would be ok if she came. This was great! On her days off, she just wanted to laze about and do much of nothing. Work at the shop was tiring, ran her down. She never had the chance to go to the Guardhouse, because when she was not off, she was working, and Kysis rarely came in when it was not her day off. He had just been in Greece for a few months! Well, part of that was traveling between Oberon and Greece, but still. Finally, the chance arrived and Ryanna had to guts to take it.
“Thank yous so much! I really ‘preciate it!” Ryanna nodded towards Kysis, who was not even paying attention. He had a far off look in his eyes, like his mind was elsewhere. That was to be expected. Ryanna hoped it was busy for Kysis, to keep his mind off his crumbling home life. Yes, a busy day was exactly what he needed. “I’ll be back when we be done there, ‘right.”
With that, Ryanna lead the way out of the shop, a big grin on her face. She was sure Magnus still had that map, or maybe even remembered the way there, but she knew it very well. There were nights after work when she would unofficially tag along with guards on their rounds, give them company, conversation, and a little bit of help where it was needed. She was well liked at the guardhouse too, but most at least. There were still some people Ryanna was unsure about.
“On our way now!”
(continued in Routine Pestering (http://www.roleplaycity.com/forums/showthread.php?p=54901#post54901 ))