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Post by Avery Louvel on Mar 19, 2012 16:19:01 GMT -5
After all that travel through the mountains and past Orc camps, he'd made it to the gates of Riften. And encountered a guard who wanted an entry fee. His Imperial Guard had left him after the Orc camps to maintain cover, which meant the scrawny looking Breton in rich robes was alone in front of the rough looking guards. He was a few inch shorter than the two Nordic men, and his clearly thin body coupled with the rich fabric of his clothing made him look like an easy target. The steel dagger at his side was of course ignored when compared to how armed the guards were, and Avery scowled in a huffy sort of way which did nothing to help him look intimidating.
In truth, he could not take both of these guards on if it came down to it. His combat was almost purely stealth and close quarters based, and his lungs were weak due to a sickness known by others as Lung Cancer. Prolonged fighting would be the death of him, so he hadn't bothered to learn it.
In place of learning 'to fight fair', Avery had learned better soft skills, or people skills. He scowled in his huffy sort of way as was proper to the character of man he was supposed to be playing, "Maven Black-Briar made no mention of toll! Should I speak to her about this sudden change in habit?" he demanded in a reedy sort of tone. He could almost feel the irritation through the guard's helmet, who raised both of his hands to placate the huffy noble,
"All right all right. Just go in." he stood aside, motioning for the other guard to unlock the gates. They were unlocked and Chance Molyneux, the High Rock Nobel walked through the gates with a slight flourish. When they were shut behind him, he surveyed the small town of Riften and found it severely lacking when compared to Cyrodil. But there wasn't much he could do about that.
He was told to talk to Maven Black Briar and anyone in the rumored Thieve's Guild to begin his lead on information. But that was of course under the guise of his temporary alias, since he had been told that no one in Riften was truly trustworthy. He did have an Imperial letter though, one to be given to Maven only if he met with her in person. Everything else was going to be good old-fashioned foot work and done on his own.
Might as well get started at the Inn.
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Post by Raziah on Mar 19, 2012 18:17:13 GMT -5
"Oi! Raziah!"
The silvery Khajiit turned from where she had just stepped out of the Pawned Prawn, having sold off some goods she had obtained legally while on a mission spelunking through an Ancient Nordic tomb. People tended not to care if items were ancient grave goods as long as they were in good condition. You could get a damn good price if you knew who to go to.
The person addressing her was one of the Thieves' Guild's under-cover operatives. They had a couple of guild members injected into the Riften guard that served their interests at the gate, scoping out potential targets and allies.
"What? I already paid off my bounty," Raziah replied, using the Guild's code for "hey, what's going on?"
"Some fancy to-do Breton claimed you stole his gold emerald ring," the Guild-Gard replied, the code for "go check out this Breton, he seems to have a lot of cash on him."
"Well, I didn't do it, I don't know any Bretons," Raziah stated with a flick of her tail, code for "I'll go check him out."
"Well, alright then. But I've got my eye on you," the Guild-Guard said, which really meant "good luck, talk to you later." With that, the Guard left Raziah to her business. Humming softly, the Khajiit decided to go and track down this Breton, for good or for ill. She was a half-decent pick pocket, but had a nasty habit of seducing men in order to steal from them. Intelligently, Raziah headed to the Bee and Barb, having a feeling that the Breton would go there first, since it was the best inn in town.
Entering the establishment, she headed over to the counter first, buying a bottle of Alto wine and a couple of sweetrolls before heading to her usual corner seat to scope out the room, sitting with her back to the wall.
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Post by Avery Louvel on Mar 19, 2012 23:46:32 GMT -5
Chance had talked to the Argonian Inn keeper, leaning in a bit disdainfully to ask about recent news and about Riften in general. He got the kind of response given by someone who hadn't been expecting to be insulted, and was trying to maintain politeness because it was habit. Chance, in return, continued to be mildly insulting as his cover had been deemed to be. You had to be the whole package to sell it.
The conversation ended with him ordering a full meal, giving too many adjustments and requirements on the meal, and some Alto wine in a glass before he went and sat down (with a flourish). He openly ignored everyone as he drank and ate, but paid careful attention to his surroundings with his peripherals. The Breton noted a Khajiit coming in through the door, but made no move to look at or acknowledge her.
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Post by Raziah on Mar 20, 2012 0:02:47 GMT -5
Raziah hummed softly as she observed her target, relaxed in her corner seat. There was something about the way he was trying to keep so keenly aware of his surroundings. Her tail twitched slightly as she munched on a sweetroll, mulling over the choices. A) He was a very rich noble who was in Riften by either business or accident -but that didn't mean he got a free pass to shake down the guard and now Keerava- trying to keep on the lookout in case someone tried to rob him, or b) he wasn't what he claimed to be and was nervous someone would find out.
One way or the other, when in Riften you normally became the prey of the Thieves' Guild, unless you were good friends with Maeven Black-Briar, but even then you didn't get a free pass to annoy the Guild. Maeven knew that it was easier to placate the Guild and keep them content rather than try to control them by fear, and if someone tried messing with the Guild, Maeven made sure you got you comeuppance.
Making up her mind, Raziah finished off her sweetrolls and got up, taking her wine with her as she approached the Breton's table, adding a little more sway to her hips, accented by the pendulum motion of her tail.
"Hey there... new in town?" She asked him in a silky voice, her Elsweyr purr willingly lost years ago.
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Post by Avery Louvel on Mar 20, 2012 0:18:53 GMT -5
Even Avery wasn't aware that he'd already annoyed the Thieve's Guild, but he would undoubtedly find out just how involved the guild was in the town of Riften, and that he couldn't easily tread without finding some kind of connection to it.
Chance looked up mid-meal to see the Khajiit, eyes flicking down and then back up as he took all of her in. She was exotic and athletic, and had quite the attractive rumbling purr when she spoke, making the Breton tilt his head a little bit and sit up a bit straighter. He arched an eyebrow more flirtatiously that he would normally mean, leaning back in his chair slightly, "I am. I assume that you are not." he smiled.
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Post by Raziah on Mar 20, 2012 0:55:50 GMT -5
Raziah smiled a flirtatious smile, all honey. Oh, she'd get this fool back, she'd get him back good in the name of the Guild. First the Guard, then Keerava. She was Guild territory as far as Raziah was concerned, and anyone who messed with Guild territory was in for it, big time.
"I've been here long enough to consider myself a resident, yes," Raziah replied, her tail ambivalently waving back and forth. She was dressed in her casual Elsweyr style, which showed off more of her body than the Nordic style.
"What's someone like you doing in Riften?" She asked, sitting across from him at the table, lightly setting her wine bottle down on the surface of the table, one lean leg crossing over the other as she feigned flirtatious interest in him.
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Post by Avery Louvel on Mar 20, 2012 1:08:37 GMT -5
"Looking for business opportunities," Chance replied in an airy sort of way, lounging back in his chair, his own rich clothing hiding almost every bit of his too-thin, wiry but muscular body. It was better that way; no one but a slave or a beggar had a body like his, and it was the one thing that did not match his cover story very well.
He continued to eat, both eyes focusing mostly on the Khajiit before him as he ate, "I hear there is a Guild in town that knows of all kind of business opportunities." he said, laying his cards out on the table and seeing what she would say.
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Post by Raziah on Mar 20, 2012 1:41:23 GMT -5
His comments cased her to smile, but she made sure it was in a flirtatious way, not the "oh, this is hilarious" way. Sipping from her wine bottle, she thought about what her reply would be. It was true she was Thieves' Guild, but she wasn't very high up on the chain of command, despite the fact she had been there for some time now. So she wasn't really in the position to be offering him business proposals, that was better suited to people like Brynjolf and the Guild Master at any rate. She would, however, pass on word that there was someone asking questions when she popped down to the Cistern next, which would likely be within the next twenty-four hours.
"You might have heard right. They've got agents scattered all over the city," Raziah admitted, relaxed and at ease with everything. "You can never be sure when the person you're talking to is Guild or not."
She smiled mischievously, relaxing her elbows against the table so she could relax her chin on her hands. No way she was letting him off the hook now. He had the audacity to ask to speak to the Guild while having peeved-off their Gate Guard and Keerava.
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Post by Avery Louvel on Mar 20, 2012 1:52:14 GMT -5
Avery narrowed his eyes a bit, immediately catching that small hint. He'd been playing the spy game most of his life, and he knew when people were trying to be clever and coy. They usually played their hand too hard, enjoying a laugh at the supposedly oblivious party. It was something he'd learned to see when watching people talk.
But Chance smiled and drank more, perfectly willing to walk right into her honeyed words and take a seat in front of her. He usually got what he wanted by getting into trouble anyway, "How interesting. So it shouldn't be too hard to find someone, right?" he asked, eyes glazing over her and looking around the room.
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Post by Raziah on Mar 20, 2012 23:18:56 GMT -5
Raziah was quite content in her ability to handle the situation. She would play her cards carefully. In all honesty, she didn't care if he found out she was Guild or not. It was rather hard to hide her past, what with the halter top she wore exposing much of the "thief" brand at the nape of her neck from the time she got caught in Cyrodiil. What mattered to Raziah was him NOT finding out until the most opportune moment for her. Ideally that was after she convinced him to share a room with her and raided his clothing for all it was worth... that was actually how she got into the Guild, by seducing one of their officers to get his clothing and whatever personal effects he had on in him order to pawn them for cash. The plan had worked brilliantly, but instead of just earning her cash, she was found and given an invitation to the Guild.
"Oh no, sir. They've got Riften in the palm of their hands," she replied sweetly, sipping a bit more wine. "You can oft find their representatives out in the square on a good day."
Lightly, she began to rub against his calf with one booted foot under the table, keeping up a flirty and lonely front.
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Post by Avery Louvel on Mar 21, 2012 0:37:31 GMT -5
Chance settled back in his seat, looking quite pleased about the leg rubbing even as the more anti-social Avery recoiled on the inside. He didn't really like being touched, but whatever was necessary...
"How interesting. Perhaps I will try that tomorrow." he mused aloud, extending his leg out to show interest in her. He smirked as he looked down at his plate, a thought springing up. The Breton cut up some of the remaining part of his steak, holding it up as an offer to the Khajiit.
At a distance and from a later date, Avery would probably have found this situation funny. Two people, liars and two-faced asking about things they knew they were going to get in the end. Sometimes it was a great wonder of the world why people tried so hard at being suave and clever when being straight forward would have solved everything faster.
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Post by Raziah on Mar 21, 2012 1:35:02 GMT -5
'That's right... fall right into my trap little Breton,' Raziah thought to herself, keeping up the rhythmic caressing of his calf. Her ears perked up at the offered bit of steak in genuine surprise. Never before had anyone done that when she flirted with them. Nords guarded their food jealousy and even stealing a single, teasing bite could get you stabbed with a fork or knife.
Daintily, Raziah leaned forward to gently take the bite, spearing it on razor-sharp teeth but being very careful to avoid the Breton's fingers. However, she bit close enough so that her lips would close around the tips of his fingers as she took the tidbit, very slowly pulling away. The entire time, her eyes had been fixed on his in her best "come hither" look.
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Post by Avery Louvel on Mar 21, 2012 18:51:51 GMT -5
Hand feeding a very saucy Khajiit was... interesting. He could feel the gentle brush of sharp teeth, followed by furry lips and whiskers. The Breton felt a mix of emotions from that, interest coupled with a natural reaction to pull away. It had been a while since he'd had any tail, figurative or literal in the case of this Khajiit. His own reaction surprised himself a bit, and it showed on his face before being covered with a quick neutral face.
Chance sat back in his seat, expression suave once again as he looked at the Khajiit with half-lidded eyes, "Good?" he inquired airily, his own leg extending out slightly to rub up against her's.
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Post by Raziah on Mar 22, 2012 1:51:41 GMT -5
"Very good," she replied in a soft purr, her tail lazily swishing back and forth through the opening in the middle of her chair. She had a feeling that if he wasn't hooked then he very soon would be. Raziah had never been one to withhold her charms, she had never quite gotten out of her youthful promiscuous stage, which was both a blessing and a curse at the same time.
Lightly, she motioned to her bottle of Alto Wine. "Would you like a taste?" she asked before taking a decent-sized sip, leaning in to invite him into a kiss, planning to transfer the wine in that manner.
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Post by Avery Louvel on Mar 25, 2012 1:42:44 GMT -5
At first he wasn't clear on what she was doing, and he tilted his head and creased his eyebrows slightly as he looked at her. Avery wasn't exactly a romantic person, but he had passed food from mouth to mouth before. Doing it with a Khajiit would be different, and he imagined it would be even more difficult with a liquid instead of food.
There was some hesitation, but the Breton moved forward under the assumption that it was something he would simply have to do. Chance would do it because he was a spoiled little ponce who liked to believe that everyone would suck up to him.
The next time he made a cover identity, Avery was considering making him a bigot to avoid these situations.
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