[12:27:15] Crow (melchior.wardell) went about his business, content to move towards the city. Then he saw her. The physician. Alone. He regarded her for a moment before approaching, his expression settling into that familiar mixture of calm and faint amusement. “Well.” A pause. “Thinking of leaving?” His eyes briefly swept the street before returning to her. “I assume this is coincidence.” Another beat. “Though I’ve learned that coincidence tends to become considerably less convincing the longer I know people.”
[12:30:17] Gabbi Del-Moro (gabbisapphire): Gabbi had, in fact, been studying the wall. Somewhere along this stretch Brokk had met stone after being unceremoniously launched from the back of a sleen. Given his size, she expected the wall should have fared worse. But the search had been abandoned when a cluster of flowers caught her attention. She crouched near them, fingertips hovering over delicate petals as she considered their usefulness beyond simply looking pretty. Crow’s voice came from behind her. She stilled. Perhaps wandering alone near the docks, with her back to the ships, had not been among her more brilliant decisions. Gabbi rose slowly and turned, green eyes settling upon him. The robes she wore belonged unmistakably to his caste, while the gorget at her throat and jewels worked into her crown quietly proclaimed her own. “Leaving?” Her brow lifted. “Hardly. I have only just finished putting one enormous man back together. I haven’t the energy required to dramatically flee the city.” Her gaze flicked toward the ships before returning to him. “And coincidence?” A small smile appeared beneath the veil. “You approached me, Crow. If anyone needs to explain themselves, I believe it is you.” She glanced pointedly around the empty docks. “Though admittedly, I have made myself remarkably easy to hunt.”
[12:36:10] Crow (melchior.wardell) noticed Neeve approaching and, for a moment, simply watched the two Physicians gathering near the ship. His brow lifted slowly, a flicker of genuine amusement crossing his otherwise unreadable expression. He glanced from Neeve to Gabbi, then toward the city walls. “Don’t you ladies think the city within the walls is less dangerous than here?” His gaze returned to them, one eyebrow still raised. “Broken doors. Escaped beasts. Wounded tarns. Hungry larls…” A small pause. “And now two Physicians appearing at the docks.” His mouth twitched faintly. “Either Avarra has become considerably more dangerous…” He looked toward the city again. “…or the two of you have an unusual talent for finding where the trouble is.” There was a hint of humor.
[12:39:11] Neeve Barbosa (kristie.tigerpaw) was out for a nice walk, deciding to head down to the docks today with Miden, hoping to point out a few herbs that she could use in the infirmary, some of which only grew here. She was enjoying the fresh air and the quiet of the walk when she came across Gabbi and Crow at the bottom of the steps, causing her to slow and eventually come to a halt. She offered them both a warm smile before greeting them. “nice to see you both..” then she heard Crow’s words and she chuckled a little “I suppose when you put it that way, it does sound as though the docks are considerably more dangerous than the city,” she admitted with a quiet chuckle. “Though I wouldn’t say we have a talent for finding trouble. We are physicians, after all. Trouble tends to find us when there are wounded people and creatures in need of tending. As for two physicians appearing at the docks… perhaps we simply decided that we were allowed a peaceful walk for once, though judging by your list, I may have spoken too soon.” She gave him an amused look. “Broken doors, escaped beasts, wounded tarns and hungry larls? I think I’ll keep a particularly close eye on Miden today.”
[12:40:09] “Miden” padded gracefully after the Mistress, still acutely aware of the very little clothing she had on, even moreso after the educational session she just had earlier. Her wrists remained crossed at her back, head held high. That was until she caught sight of the man at the docks, and judging by the way he carried himself, the clothing he wore, she froze, summizing his caste and began to shake with terror, paling a little as her head lowered, swallowing hard. She remained silent, stopping just behind the woman and to her left, although she was more hiding behind her than not…
[12:41:45] Stones (stony2526): greetings all ..
[12:41:59] Stones (stony2526): did the stairs wear you all out ?
[12:43:55] Gabbi Del-Moro (gabbisapphire): Gabbi’s eyes narrowed slightly at Crow, though amusement still lingered behind them. “Easy to hunt, perhaps. Entirely without purpose? Hardly.” She gestured toward the wall. “Brokk came home today. Somewhere along here is where several hundred pounds of him met Avarran stone after a sleen decided he no longer belonged upon its back. I was curious which survived the encounter with greater dignity.” Her attention drifted back toward the flowers. “Then those distracted me. I was wondering whether they might be useful in the infirmary.” A pause. “So yes, coming down here alone was perhaps not the wisest decision I have made this hand.” Neeve’s arrival drew a warmer glance, though Gabbi’s brow soon lifted. “Interesting. I come looking for damaged walls and find herbs. You come looking for herb s and find me. Perhaps Crow has discovered a conspiracy after all.” Her gaze slipped beyond Neeve to Miden, catching the sudden pallor, trembling, and the rather determined attempt to disappear behind her Mistress. Gabbi knew that fear. More importantly, she knew what usually inspired it. Green eyes returned slowly to Crow. “Well,” she murmured dryly, “at least someone here possesses a healthy sense of self-preservation.” to the man that just arrived Gabbi gave a polite nod of her head as a silent greeting.
[12:44:58] Stones (stony2526): sets off up the interminable stairs to find the tavern
[12:45:02] Stones (stony2526): be well all
[12:46:12] Crow (melchior.wardell) ‘s eyes shifted toward Neeve as she spoke, the faint amusement remaining in his expression. “Peaceful walk.” He repeated the words as though testing their accuracy against the evidence already gathered around Avarra. His gaze then moved to Miden. The reaction was immediate. He noticed the way she froze, the lowered head, the tension in her posture and the attempt to place Neeve between herself and him. “I seem to have ruined someone’s peaceful walk already.” His attention returned to Miden, his voice calm and matter-of-fact. “Relax. If I intended to cause you trouble, hiding behind a Physician would be a remarkably poor strategy.” A beat passed. “Although behind that physician might not be all that bad in decision.” He turned to the man that spoke of the stairs. “No.” The corner of his mouth lifted. He listens to Gabbi and a brow rose “Several hundred pounds of Brokk versus a sleen.And you were disappointed enough by the outcome to come looking for flowers.” A faint twitch of amusement touched his mouth. “Physicians are an unusual people.”
[12:51:23] Neeve Barbosa (kristie.tigerpaw) felt Miden’s sudden movement behind her and glanced back, noticing the girl’s pale face and trembling posture. Without making a fuss about it, she reached back and gave Miden’s head a gentle, reassuring pat, her touch lingering for a moment before she turned her attention back towards the others. “I have yet to encounter any of these beasts on my walk to here that you speak of, save for a giani who I am sure is rather cute rather than potentially going to scratch my eyes out,, so I think you are quite safe for the moment.” She gave the girl another gentle pat before looking towards Crow with a small smile. “Besides, I brought her down here to learn about the herbs that grow near the docks, not to throw her into the path of a hungry larl.”
I then glanced towards Gabbi, then back to Crow with a faintly amused expression. “And perhaps Physicians are unusual, but I would argue that wandering around looking for flowers is considerably more sensible than deliberately going looking for trouble. Although, judging by what happened to Brokk, perhaps the trouble simply has a habit of finding us regardless.”
[12:53:37] “Miden” was being hit with a double whammy there. Trauma from what a man had done to her quite recently and that self preservation kicking in. Her fear was palpable, even with the attempted reassurance from the Assassin. It was only the leash and training that stopped her from bolting. She remained completely silent, still shaking away. That tension only grew as the other man came closer, then walked past her, her chest rising and falling faster.
The touch from Neeve grounded her though, enough that she remembered what was expected of her, her head quickly lifting, chin held at an angle just below proud and arrogant, falling instead on elegant and servile, with just a touch of the expected pride.
[12:57:53] Gabbi Del-Moro (gabbisapphire): Gabbi glanced back toward the wall, studying it once more with considerably less satisfaction than when she had arrived. Truthfully, she had expected carnage. Cracked stone. A Brokk-shaped impression, perhaps. Something worthy of the tale he had recounted from the infirmary cot. Instead, she gave the wall an almost offended look. “Rather disappointing, actually. After listening to Brokk explain his newest instructional course, How to Tame a Sleen, I expected considerably more damage.” Her fingers indicated the unimpressive evidence. “Apparently the wall won.” Crow’s assessment earned him a slow turn of her head. “Unusual?” There was a thoughtful little hum behind her veil. “Interesting. Erebus seemed equally surprised by this particular physician.” Her green eyes rested deliberately upon Crow. “I am beginning to wonder whether it is physicians who are unusual, or whether men of your caste simply have very narrow expectations of us.” Neeve’s defense brought a quiet laugh from her. “Precisely. We look for flowers. They look for trouble. Yet somehow we are the unusual ones.”
[13:00:46] Crow (melchior.wardell) listened to Neeve, his gaze briefly settling on Miden as the Physician reassured her. There was no mockery in his expression now, only the quiet assessment that came naturally to him. “A giani.”He glanced toward Neeve. “Then perhaps the docks have shown unusual restraint today.” His eyes drifted back toward the wall, then the flowers Gabbi had been examining. “Though I suppose that is the advantage of looking for herbs rather than trouble. One occasionally finds something useful.” A faint smirk appeared. His brow rose slightly at Gabbi’s words, his gaze moving once more toward the wall as though reconsidering the disappointing evidence of Brokk’s encounter. “How to Tame a Sleen.” He let the title hang in the air for a moment. “I suspect the first lesson was poorly understood.” His attention returned to Gabbi as she challenged his expectations. “Perhaps.” His gaze briefly shifted toward Neeve, then back to Gabbi. “Though I wouldn’t call Physicians unusual because they are Physicians.” A pause. “I call them unusual when they willingly walk toward things that most sensible people walk away from.” His eyes settled on her. “Which, if I recall correctly, includes damaged walls, strange herbs, wounded beasts… Assassins?”
[13:03:15] Hosokawa Kinsei – Vesper™ 細川金星 (razius) walked off the gangplank of the ship and onto the dock of Avarra. He pulled out his sword…a double katana kept sharp with his always available whetting stones….and then slid the katanas back into their sheaths. On his thigh was a trio of quivas. In various pockets on his belt he carried a bag of readily accessible sand, tharlarion oil, a fire starter, lock picking tools, and a small medical kit with a box containing a vial and needle given by a physician, coin, and some treasured mementos. And hanging off the side of his belt was his multi-bladed fan, a crossbow and bolts, several grapples attached well to various lengths of rope and a flask of water. On his fingers were covered with hook rings, Caste rings. and around his neck and along his arm various daggers. The helmet worn was an homage to his background and Caste. He caught the words of the Caste Master nearby and a feint smirk crossed his face. He moved closer and yet held his tongue.
[13:09:38] Neeve Barbosa (kristie.tigerpaw) noticed how Miden’s nerves seemed to increase even further as the man made his way up the steps, though she was pleased to see the girl’s posture settle into something more composed and servile. The small change brought a gentle smile to Neeve’s eyes beneath her veil, and she gave Miden another reassuring pat before turning her attention back to the others.
She listened to Gabbi’s account of Brokk’s unfortunate meeting with the wall, her brow furrowing slightly as she glanced towards the stone. “Well, surely the wall would win?” she asked innocently. “It is rather difficult to imagine even Brokk being stronger than an entire wall.” Her eyes showed a hint of amusement as she looked back to Gabbi, clearly finding the whole story rather entertaining despite herself.
Crow’s words about Physicians earned him a slightly raised brow. “I’ll have you know, I am quite a good shot when I need to be,” she replied, a faint smile touching her lips. “And why would we walk away from something wounded? It doesn’t matter what it is; if it is injured, then surely it needs help. Whether it has claws, teeth, wings… or happens to be an Assassin.” Her gaze flickered briefly towards Crow, the amusement still evident in her eyes.
Then she caught sight of the heavily armed man approaching from the ship, and her attention immediately shifted to Miden. With so much black and enough weapons to outfit a small army, Neeve suspected the poor girl had quite enough excitement for one walk. She moved calmly a little further down the steps, keeping herself between Miden and the newcomer as she gently guided the girl towards a quieter corner, giving her a little space to breathe without making a spectacle of her fear. “Come along, Miden. We can look at the herbs from here for the moment.” Her tone remained soft and reassuring, as though nothing at all was out of the ordinary.
[13:11:21] “Miden” was half beginning to wonder if she was the only one with sense in the group, her instincts telling her ro run but her training rooting her to the spot. And the leash of course. Then another assassin joined the gaggle and she tensed up more, her breath coming just below hyperventilating as she trembled even harder.
She at least kept her posture, even if she didn’t manage to keep her composure particularly well, tension written all throughout her body. Her eyes remained downcast, looking at the stone below and she remained as silent as the dead, save for that rapid breathing.
There was definite signs of relief as she was led a little further away from the pair, a quiet “Thank you, Mistress” heard, as she then pretended to peer at herbs, although her senses were acutely aware of the pair still.
[13:13:28] Gabbi Del-Moro (gabbisapphire): Gabbi’s expression went utterly still as Crow finished his inventory of things she apparently possessed too little sense to avoid. “I am a Physician, Crow. Running toward what everyone else has the good sense to flee from is rather inconveniently part of the profession.” Her green eyes held his without challenge, but equally without fear. “And your caste does not frighten me simply for existing. I respect what you are. There is a difference.” A faint lift of one brow. “Walking down to the docks hardly qualified as danger.” At least, it hadn’t until Avarra apparently began collecting Assassins. Her gaze shifted toward the newcomer and traveled, quite shamelessly, over the extraordinary assortment strapped, sheathed, hooked and hanging from seemingly every available portion of him. Katanas. Quivas. Daggers. Crossbow. Grapples. Rings. Even a bladed fan.
Gabbi blinked once. Then looked at Crow. “Is he here to kill someone or accessorize the women of Avarra? Because I believe he has brought enough for both.” Whatever amusement might have followed died when the breeze shifted off the docks. Gabbi stopped mid-breath. Her face contorted behind the veil as something truly vile assaulted her nose. One hand flew instinctively toward her mouth and she turned aside, swallowing hard against the sudden urge to retch. So much for dignity. “What the fuck died?” Her eyes watered as she stared toward the docks, physician’s curiosity already beginning to overcome her stomach. “And please do not tell me that is another damned sleen.”
[13:17:55] Crow (melchior.wardell) would dip his head towards Vesper when he felt the man approach. Slightly turning to have him somewhat included in this gathering. He watched Neeve guide Miden farther down the steps, his attention following the small movement without comment. The girl’s fear was obvious enough, and he had no interest in making it worse simply by standing there. Then Neeve’s words about wounded things earned a quiet look.”I suppose I should be flattered to have been included among the injured. As for being a good shot, I don’t doubt you. But there is a difference between being capable of shooting something and deciding that shooting it is the best solution.” His attention shifted toward Gabbi and back to Vesper, taking in the impressive collection of weapons Gabbi had just catalogued. The faintest smirk appeared. “As for him…” Crow looked at Vesper with that glint of Koskinen sarcasm.”He claims it’s all necessary. I have yet to determine whether that is true or simply an elaborate expression of poor packing discipline.” at the outburst of what died he arched a brow. “I fear due to my profession I hardly detect that kind of smell.” of course that was untrue.
[13:25:16] Hosokawa Kinsei – Vesper™ 細川金星 (razius)’s amber gaze moved slowly toward Gabbi as she conducted what appeared to be a remarkably thorough inventory of everything attached to his person. He said nothing at first. Then Crow offered his assessment of Vesper’s packing discipline. Vesper looked down. His eyes traveled deliberately over the paired katanas, the quivas, crossbow, daggers, grapples, bladed fan, hook rings and the various implements tucked into his belt. He appeared to give the matter serious consideration before looking back up at Gabbi. “No. I dressed lightly for the docks.” His gaze shifted toward Crow. “I left the excessive things aboard.” The faintest shift touched the corner of his mouth before his attention returned to Gabbi. “Though I admit, accessorizing the women of Avarra had not occurred to me. I shall consider diversifying.” Then the wind changed. Unlike Gabbi, Vesper gave no visible reaction to what it carried. His gaze simply moved past her toward the wreckage for a long, quiet moment, as though the answer to her question was both known and considerably less interesting to him than it was about to become to her. His eyes returned to Gabbi. “Not a sleen.” A beat passed. “Probably.” Another beat, “But then again, I have not come across the local warriors of Avarra yet so I dare not hazard a guess as to their toiletry discipline.”
[13:25:45] “Miden” blinked at the words from the physician, and then the smell caught her. Composure? Posture? What was that? She herself moved straight to the ledge, possibly tugging Neeve slightly as she doubled over, hands on the stone ledge and lost her breakfast into the garden, not that she’d had a whole lot. Rather violently at that. She hadn’t seen many dead people in her short life and she certainly hadn’t smelled them and it was about the most vile smell she’d ever smelt. And then the next wave hit, throwing up even more and carrying on it was just bile, the slave looking even more pale than she had before. She was definitely the paragon of kajirahood in that moment…
Throwing up was the last thing the slave had needed, given she was still recovering from malnourishment and wasn’t eating a whole heap as it was. She bolted down fluids, but seemed almost disinterested in food, her body having grown used to not having it. One never gets used to not having fluids though. That would tend to have her added to the stin
[13:25:45] “Miden” pile apparently nearby.
At least she managed to yak it into the garden?
[13:27:12] Ɓяιηα Hendrix (janet.mai) is online.
[13:28:38] Lokeana Doe (aelita.biedermann): stinky*
[13:31:08] Neeve Barbosa (kristie.tigerpaw) gave Miden’s hand a reassuring squeeze as they moved further down the steps, allowing the girl a little more distance from the gathering. “There you are, just concentrate on the herbs for now,” she murmured, though her attention was soon drawn away as a foul stench began to drift across the water. Being closer to the docks than the others, Neeve caught it – possibly before the others – her nose wrinkling beneath her veil as she slowly turned her head towards the source.
She stepped nearer to the edge and peered across the water, trying to see past the wreckage and whatever remained hidden beyond it. Her expression changed almost immediately, and she let out a long, weary groan before waving one hand slowly in front of her face as though that might somehow make the smell disappear. “Oh dear…” she muttered, staring for another moment before looking back towards Miden.
Her gaze softened as she saw the girl bend over the ledge, and Neeve moved quickly to her side, one hand resting gently between her shoulders as she rubbed her back. “Easy, Miden. Just let it out. Don’t try to fight it.” She glanced briefly back towards the water, then grimaced beneath her veil. “Perhaps the girl should prep the infirmary? I’m not sure she has… seen this sight before.” There was a pause as another unpleasant waft reached them, and Neeve’s nose wrinkled again. “Actually, I think she may have seen quite enough for one day.” She gave Miden another gentle stroke between the shoulders, keeping her attention firmly on the girl rather than whatever horror lay beyond the water. “Go home Miden.” she said simply. She then detached the leash and let the girl run off – knowing that’s what she had wanted the moment their feet had touched the bottom steps and they saw the collection of people.
[13:33:49] Gabbi Del-Moro (gabbisapphire): Gabbi shot Crow a flat look. “How fortunate for you. I assure you, some of us have retained functioning noses despite our professions.” She had smelled death before. More times than she cared to count. Putrefaction ranked somewhere alongside burning flesh among odors the mind never quite forgot. Her eyes moved toward the wreckage offshore as understanding settled in. “The shipwreck.” Her humor faded. “There were dead among it.” What troubled her was the realization that followed. “Yet not a single body has come through the infirmary for examination or documentation.”
Her gaze sharpened toward the water. If they had been left exposed for days, that would certainly explain what the wind had just delivered. Vesper’s remark about Avarra’s Warriors pulled her attention back, and despite herself, one brow rose. “You haven’t encountered them because apparently neither have the rest of us.” She counted casually upon her fingers. “Kaiila. Sleen. Larl. Tarn. Four encounters, and I have yet to see a Warrior arrive before the excitement is over.” A pointed pause. “Come to think of it, our Commander has been equally elusive.” Her tone remained carefully diplomatic, though the criticism beneath it was unmistakable. “One would imagine escaped predators, injured citizens and a shipwreck containing the dead might eventually warrant his attention.”
Miden’s violent retching cut through whatever Gabbi might have added. She watched Neeve tend the girl, concern briefly overtaking irritation. When the leash came free and Miden was sent home, Gabbi made no attempt to stop her. “Probably wise.” Her gaze returned toward the wreckage, nose wrinkling as another foul breath of wind rolled in. Then, quieter, to Neeve, “We should find out why those bodies were never brought to us.”
[13:35:29] “Miden” finally stopped throwing up bile, although her stomach kept threatening to release more into the garden. The rubbing at her back definitely soothed her a little, and then the command to head home “Y-yes Mis-” she cut off as anothe retch hit her, but nothing came out “Yes, Mistress” with that she was padding back up the stairs, her arm pressed against her belly. If she could have, she would have definitely run, but she wasn’t up to that. A brisk walk was what she could manage, the girl not even bothering with posture in that moment ((sorry need to go lay down rl, so forgive the double post))
[13:36:09] حكيم Sheikh Jaziran عظيم (anvarra.alecto): “Probably because your skills are for the living not for a dead Neeve”chuckles as he wanders up from the docks
[13:37:33] Crow (melchior.wardell) gave a slow, almost imperceptible nod at Vesper’s assessment. His gaze moved across the city, lingering on the stairs nd the noticeably scarce presence of its Warriors. There were too few of them, and worse, too little evidence that they were actively watching. For a city such as Avarra, that was not merely an observation. It was a concern every citizen should eventually understand. His eyes shifted briefly toward the girl, catching her distress. He released her from his attention almost as quickly. There was nothing to be gained from watching someone suffer. The scent from the wreckage, however, barely disturbed him. He had known worse in his years as a tarnsman, and his work as an Assassin had taught him something else entirely: efficiency. Where others left chaos behind, He preferred his work clean, deliberate, and without unnecessary mess. His attention returned to Vesper for a moment. The bodies had been found days before if not a week. By now, they would undoubtedly be in a considerably worse state. But they were not Crow’s concern. They had not carried the names that had been paid for. A man crossed through the gathering, drawing his attention. His eyes traveled over him in a quick, practiced assessment, stance, clothing, hands, weapons, the way he carried himself. Nothing obvious escaped the habit of a man who had spent a lifetime learning to notice what others overlooked.
[13:43:18] beastofangels stepped further down, smiling at the Women who face i remembered from showing in”Tal Masters, Mistresses”slide down knees with leg closed
[13:43:27] Hosokawa Kinsei – Vesper™ 細川金星 (razius) watched the girl retreat up the stairs, his gaze following her only long enough to assure himself that she was no longer his concern before his gaze returned to Gabbi. The humor that had rested faintly upon his features diminished as she began listing the incidents. Kaiila. Sleen. Larl. Tarn. His eyes moved briefly toward Crow. That was no longer an amusing absence. It was a pattern. “Four?” he repeated quietly. His gaze traveled over the docks, the stairs, the approaches into the city, taking stock again of what was present and, perhaps more importantly, what was not. “Then either Avarra possesses remarkably well-behaved predators who have agreed to conduct their affairs around the Warriors’ schedules…” A small pause. “…or someone has mistaken absence for security.” The amber of his eyes shifted toward the wreckage when Gabbi spoke of the bodies. “The dead have been there for days.” There was no disgust in his voice, only observation. “If no one has examined them, then no one knows who they were, precisely how they died, what they carried, where they came from, or whether anything among that wreckage explains why they are dead.” His attention settled on Gabbi. “A corpse is considerably less interesting for being dead, Physician. It is not necessarily less informative.” The approaching man’s voice drew Vesper’s attention then, his eyes moving over him with much the same quiet assessment Crow had given. “And I would imagine a Physician knows better than most that determining why someone is dead can occasionally be useful to those still attempting to remain otherwise.” A glance passed toward Crow, brief but meaningful. Vesper had arrived only recently, but the information was accumulating quickly. “Kaiila. Sleen. Larl. Tarn. A shipwreck full of unexamined dead. No Warriors.” His fingers moved idly against one of the many weapons Gabbi had so diligently inventoried earlier. “Perhaps I should retrieve the excessive things.” He looked toward Gabbi and said, “Physician, while we deal in similar things in different states, do not look past the very shadows that may have a world of information at their fingertips….for the right price.” Vesper knew enough now to make the statement, especially when warriors were scarce if not absent. Information was part of what Assassins could provide.
[13:45:14] حكيم Sheikh Jaziran عظيم (anvarra.alecto): Well I am off to make sure the stalls are still safe and earning money
[13:47:21] Neeve Barbosa (kristie.tigerpaw) watched Miden disappear up the steps, her attention lingering on the girl for a moment before she turned back towards the wreckage. Gabbi’s quieter words had not escaped her, and the arrival of Vesper’s observations only seemed to confirm that the bodies had been left there far too long. She looked across the water, squinting slightly as she tried to make out what lay beyond the wreckage, before another foul gust of wind reached her.
Neeve groaned softly and immediately lifted a hand, waving it in front of her face. “Oh, that really is becoming rather unpleasant.” She glanced towards Gabbi, then back towards the wreckage. “We should go and collect them now, if you think you can handle the smell?” Her eyes then shifted towards the two Assassins, and a small, wicked smile appeared beneath her veil. “Though perhaps we should get them to help us. They seem remarkably nose-blind, so they can do the carrying while we do the examining.”
She listened to Vesper’s words, her expression becoming more thoughtful. “You are quite right, though. Being dead does not make someone uninteresting to a Physician. There may still be a great deal we can learn from them, particularly if no one has examined them yet.” Her gaze returned to the wreckage. “We should at least determine who they were and what happened to them. Leaving them out there certainly isn’t going to make the mystery any clearer.”
A faint smirk returned as she glanced towards Vesper and his impressive collection of weapons. “And if your excessive things are needed to retrieve them, I suppose you may bring those too. Though I confess, I was rather hoping today’s walk would involve nothing more dangerous than gathering herbs.” She looked towards Gabbi with a small shake of her head. “It seems we have somehow managed to turn flower collecting into corpse recovery.” She looked to the girl who had descended down the stairs and then to Sheikh who’d arrived in the middle of all this and she smiles to him first before greeting the girl “Tal there. “
[13:50:19] Gabbi Del-Moro (gabbisapphire): Gabbi squinted toward the water. From where they stood she could barely make out the wreckage, which presented the rather obvious problem Neeve’s enthusiasm had skipped over. “And precisely how are we getting over there?” Her gaze traveled along the docks, recalling the gate and whatever lay beyond it. “There is a gated area down here, if memory serves. I generally make it a habit not to wander through gates without explicit permission.” A dry glance found Neeve. “Rather like the tavern. Unless someone calls for a Physician, I have no business descending some mysterious staircase simply because curiosity suggests something interesting might be at the bottom.” She looked toward the wreck again. “The bodies absolutely should be examined. But I would prefer not to begin the examination by creating two additional corpses requiring retrieval.” The unknown man’s remark drew her attention. “My skills are for the living,” she agreed evenly, “but the dead frequently have something useful to say about what may threaten them.” Vesper’s offer of information earned a longer look. Gabbi understood his meaning perfectly well. “I do not underestimate the value of your caste’s eyes and ears.” Diplomacy softened the words without diminishing them. “Nor am I foolish enough to assume such information comes freely.” Another gust carried the stench toward them and her nose wrinkled. She looked between Neeve and the two remarkably unaffected Assassins. “Though I wholeheartedly support Neeve’s proposal that the gentlemen with defective noses be promoted to corpse retrieval.”
[13:51:48] beastofangels kept silent as the Free spoke, yet paying attention and taking faces in, being quit curious about all was told”Tal Mistress”said in soft sweet whisper, letting hands rest on knees while blowing away a strain of hair that tended to tickle my nose and almost made me sneeze
[13:52:04] حكيم Sheikh Jaziran عظيم (anvarra.alecto): leans over to tap a hand onto Neeve’s shoulder and smile before moving off to the money market and grumble about lousy crates of goods for stock”You should get some hands to gather the corpses and just burn em before flies and disease set upon em let alone beasts and wild things. And if you need burial herbs I can gather a few crates worth of mere ,sage,frankincense and sandalwood.”
[13:54:56] Crow (melchior.wardell) ‘s gaze shifted toward Neeve as she spoke, and for a moment the faintest hint of amusement touched his expression. “Remarkably nose-blind.” His eyes moved briefly toward Vesper. “That may be the kindest description I’ve heard.” He looked back toward the wreckage, the stench apparently doing little to change his composure. The suggestion of carrying the bodies earned a quiet exhale through his nose. “Very well.”His gaze returned to Neeve.”You examine. We carry.” He stepped closer to the stairs, studying the wreckage and the water beyond it. “So your peaceful herb walk has become corpse recovery.” He would turn to Vesper “Shall we humor them ?” he suggests as ever gallant.
[14:00:10] Hosokawa Kinsei – Vesper™ 細川金星 (razius)’s gaze settled upon Crow when he volunteered them both for the work. There was a long silence. Vesper looked toward the distant bodies, then back to Crow, as though attempting to determine whether his father had suffered some recent injury to the head. “We carry?” His eyes narrowed slightly. “I believe the Caste of Peasants has thralls for precisely the sort of career advancement you are proposing for us.” A pause. “I have spent considerable effort becoming qualified not to carry corpses I did not make.” The matter apparently settled in his mind, his attention returned to Gabbi. Her acknowledgment that information did not come freely earned the faintest inclination of his head. “Good. Then we understand one another.” He looked toward the wreckage. “You wish to know what happened to those men. We have already stood among them.” His gaze returned to her. “We examined the wreck before the bodies had spent quite so many days ripening in the Avarran sun. We saw the condition of the dead, what remained
aboard, what had been restrained there, what escaped, and where the evidence suggested it went.” He let that settle without elaborating. “You have just told us of a kaiila, a sleen, a larl and a tarn appearing within your city. That makes certain things we observed several days ago considerably more interesting than they were then.” His eyes shifted briefly toward Crow before returning to the Physician. “One silver for what I observed. One silver for what he observed. Two Killers, two sets of eyes, two silver. Between us, Physician, you may find that your examination has already begun…and the solution is also known by us.” A glance went toward the bodies again. “As for bringing your patients to you, employ a thrall. I deal professionally in creating the occasional corpse. Delivery is an entirely separate service.”
[14:06:53] Neeve Barbosa (kristie.tigerpaw) glanced between Gabbi and the wreckage beyond the water, then back towards the gated area with a thoughtful frown. “Well, we will need to open this said gate if we wish to explore how to get there, I think. Unless there is a small boat hidden somewhere that we can use to get from here to there…” She looked out over the water for a moment before giving a small shake of her head. “No, I really don’t fancy that either. I’ll take the dry route, thank you.” She gave Gabbi a small, amused smile. “And I agree, I would rather not add ourselves to the list of bodies needing to be examined.”
Neeve felt the gentle tap upon her shoulder and turned, momentarily taken aback by the unexpected gesture. There was something almost kind about it, and after a brief pause she gave the Sheikh a polite nod, though he was already making his way towards the money market before she could ask him to lend a hand with the bodies. “Thank you,” she murmured, watching him leave before turning back to the others. “I suppose that answers one question at least. We shall need to get the bodies somewhere safe before anything else gets to them.”
Neeve then listened carefully as Vesper explained that he and Crow had already examined the wreckage, her expression becoming more serious as she absorbed the information. “Now that is useful information,” she admitted, looking between the two Assassins. “If you have already seen the wreck and the condition of the bodies before they were left there to…” She paused, wrinkling her nose slightly as another foul breeze reached her. “…ripen, then I would certainly like to know what you discovered.”
She glanced towards Crow when he offered his services as a carrier, then towards Vesper as he rather firmly separated corpse-making from corpse-delivery. Upon hearing about the call for coin, She looked towards Gabbi. “If you wish to pay for their observations, perhaps we should make good use of what they know before we go opening gates and crossing water in search of answers.” Her gaze returned to the wreckage. “And once we know what we are dealing with, we can decide whether those bodies still need bringing back to the infirmary. Although either way, we need to stop the stink. So something or someone needs to go over there to do that at least.” She did not want to ignore the slave by her feet so leant down and whispered in her ear “Are you an infirmary girl at all? We might need some preparations done.”
[14:08:20] Gabbi Del-Moro (gabbisapphire): Gabbi’s head turned sharply toward Sheikh. “Thank you, Merchant, but I believe the Physicians can determine whether bodies require examination before you prescribe fire as their treatment.” Her tone was perfectly courteous. Almost. “Should we require incense afterward, I shall remember where to shop.” Then Vesper spoke. Whatever humor had occupied Gabbi’s features disappeared. “You were already there.” Her gaze moved between Vesper and Crow, stone cold now. “You stood among those bodies days ago. You knew they were there, knew beasts had escaped, examined what restrained them and followed evidence of where they went.” Her voice remained measured, which was usually when Gabbi was most angry. “Yet neither of you thought perhaps the Physicians should be informed that there were dead requiring documentation and burial, or living citizens about to share their streets with whatever escaped?” Then came the price. Two silver. Gabbi stared at Vesper for several Ihn before something almost resembling a smile touched beneath her veil. “No.” One small word. Entirely polite. “I respect your caste far too much to confuse valuable intelligence with information that should have been reported days ago.” Her head tilted. “And I suspect you are far too clever to believe I would pay you for withholding it until the consequences wandered through my infirmary.” Her eyes flicked toward Crow, then returned to Vesper. “Keep your two silver’s worth, Killer. I have corpses, wreckage, escaped animals and four separate encounters from which to draw conclusions. Physicians are remarkably good at diagnosis.” A beat. “And now I have learned something considerably more interesting than what lies aboard that ship.” Her brow lifted. “Who knew.”
[14:12:41] beastofangels gave a soft bite to my upper lip, showing a nervous twitch, hating myself if i felt like faling”No Mistress but i am eager to learn” my voice driven by the wind to Your ears as the conversation went on, which was very interesting. Shifting a bit on my knees, seeming to move closer to the Mistress
[14:14:02] Crow (melchior.wardell) regarded Vesper in silence for several heartbeats. The expression on his face remained perfectly composed, though there was a distinct glint of amusement in his eyes. “Creating corpses, apparently, falls within your professional qualifications.” His gaze drifted toward the bodies. “Carrying them does not.”A small nod followed, as though this distinction had now been properly recorded. “Noted.” He turned his attention back to Gabbi, the humor fading into something more focused as Vesper explained what they had already discovered. The wreck. The restraints. What had escaped. The trail. “He’s correct.That is no longer a collection of unfortunate accidents” His gaze returned to the wreckage. “Something was being transported.” Then, quieter: “Something got out.” He listened as Neeve considered the situation, his gaze moving briefly toward the gate and then back to the wreckage. Her reluctance to swim earned the faintest twitch of amusement. “Wise. Do not worry. I have the key to that gate.” he stated. His gaze settled on her. “Information first. Decisions afterward.” He looked toward Vesper for a moment, then back to the Physicians. His eyes moved to Gabbi as she spoke, and for several moments he said nothing. Her refusal was delivered without hostility, but there was enough steel beneath the words to make the point clear.He could respect that. “Fair. We could have made that distinction sooner.” There was no apology in the words, but neither was there defensiveness. Simply an acknowledgment. “Still I think these men were already dead and from what I know of dead bodies, they never get more dead than they already were.”
[14:17:36] Hosokawa Kinsei – Vesper™ 細川金星 (razius) tilted his head, he understood arrogance when he encountered it. He had that beaten out of him hundreds of years back. His head tilted in the other direction, his eyes never moving from Gabbi now. “Well, of course, you know best.” His voice was dry, without any form of tone to it. His Caste had multiple lessons that taught him what the purpose of the Black Caste was, mercy was not one of those lessons, in fact, the opposite was. He could have simply walked away. He thought of doing so. He held position for only one reason and that he kept to himself.
[14:25:53] Neeve Barbosa (kristie.tigerpaw) listened quietly as the exchange between Gabbi and the two Assassins unfolded, her attention settling on Crow when he admitted that they had known about the bodies for days. Her expression became noticeably more disappointed, and she shook her head slowly. “Crow… I must admit, I am rather disappointed to hear that you already knew about all of this.” Her voice remained calm, but there was a clear firmness beneath it. “I understand that they were already dead, and no, they cannot become any more dead than they already are, but that does not mean they should simply be left there.” Neeve took another glance towards the wreckage, her eyes narrowing slightly. “The dead still deserve some dignity. They deserve to be identified if that is possible, properly examined, and eventually given a decent burial rather than being left exposed to the elements and whatever creatures happen to find them.” She looked back towards Crow. “And if there was something being transported that escaped, then surely informing the Physicians would have been useful, even if only so we could be prepared for whatever might eventually turn up in our infirmary.”
She gave a small sigh, her gaze moving between Crow and Vesper. “I am not asking you to do a Physician’s work, nor am I suggesting you should have brought the bodies yourselves. But a simple word to someone responsible for the infirmary would have been enough.” Her expression softened slightly, though the disappointment remained. “We cannot tend to people or protect a city from what we do not know about.”
Neeve then glanced towards the girl as she edged a little closer, giving her a reassuring smile. “And you, girl, stay close. There is plenty to learn today, although perhaps not quite the lesson that perhaps one should start with.” She looked back towards the wreckage and gave another quiet sigh. “I think we have quite enough to investigate now.” She would then begin to wonder up the stairs hoping the rest would perhaps follow her.
[14:28:27] beastofangels returned the smile, rising with grace and starting to follow Her, giving all present a soft nod and wiggle of fingers “yes Mistress”
[14:29:54] Gabbi Del-Moro (gabbisapphire): Gabbi’s gaze remained on Vesper. His dry concession did not move her an inch. “Do not mistake refusal for ignorance, Killer.” Her voice was quiet. “I know enough of your caste to understand you owe Avarra neither mercy nor civic duty. You are not Warriors. You are certainly not corpse bearers, and unless one of those dead carried a name upon which coin was paid, I imagine their fate concerned you very little.”A slight tilt of her head. “But you offered information for a price. I declined it. That is commerce, not arrogance.” Her eyes held his. “If what you know is worth two silver to me, eventually I shall discover that. If it is not, I have saved two silver. Either way, threatening me with my own ignorance is unlikely to improve its value.” Then Crow mentioned the key. Gabbi looked toward the gate, then the barely visible wreckage beyond it. Suddenly the problem seemed considerably simpler. “We needn’t retrieve them at all.” Her physician’s mind had already shifted to logistics. “If they cannot reasonably be brought to the infirmary, we bring the infirmary to them. Instruments, gloves, linens, specimen jars, writing materials. We examine them where they lie.” Days beneath the Avarran sun would mean advanced decomposition. She grimaced. “There may not be much intact tissue left, but bones, wounds, clothing, bindings and whatever remains with them can still tell us something.” Her gaze found Neeve. “Afterward we build a pyre, assuming that is permitted. I will not have them simply thrown into the water and contaminate it further.” Then her attention returned to Vesper. “And if your observations prove something my examination cannot?”
The smallest smile touched beneath her veil. “Then perhaps your price will become considerably more persuasive.”
[14:34:29] Crow (melchior.wardell) listened to Neeve without interruption. He watched her for a moment as she spoke, taking in the disappointment behind her words rather than simply the words themselves. When she finished, he gave a slow nod. “You’re right.” There was no attempt to argue. No sarcasm this time. “The dead deserved better than to be left there. And the living deserved to know what had escaped.” His gaze moved briefly toward the wreckage. “We should have passed the information to the Physicians.” A quiet pause. “That was an oversight.” He watched Neeve begin to make her way up the steps, then glanced toward Vesper. His expression carried the faintest trace of dry resignation. “Apparently we have been properly diagnosed.” He looked once more toward the gate and the distant wreckage. “We know what we saw. Now they know enough to act on it.” His eyes followed Neeve for a moment before returning to the others. “That is probably the better outcome.” Then, with the faintest hint of his usual humor: “And I suspect the next time we discover something unpleasant, the Physicians will prefer a message before it begins walking into their infirmary.” The fact that he was not part of the Home Stone. Did not carry the obligations nor the privileges of it he left unsaid. He did not battle their tongues. “I am just surprised .. that none found them who surely must have been sent to search.” again that hint of what he believed was far more urgent than telling two assassins who had been there to protect – free of charge – no less while several citizens had been nearly attacked.
[14:41:20] Hosokawa Kinsei – Vesper™ 細川金星 (razius)’s gaze moved to Crow as he conceded the courtesy of notice but not the duty. When his father finished, Vesper gave a slight inclination of his head. “An oversight, perhaps. An obligation, no. We do not hold Avarra’s Home Stone, wear its scarlet or green, nor have we been retained by its officials. No contract was sealed and no coin crossed a palm. Yet we investigated when apparently those charged to do so did not.” His attention returned to Gabbi. “Courtesy freely given should not be confused with duty owed. But you are correct about one thing, Physician. You declined two silver because you believe you can acquire the information yourself. That is commerce.” He gestured faintly toward the wreckage. “Go. Examine your dead. Examine the wreckage. Draw your conclusions. I sincerely hope you find everything we found. If not, you are welcome to ask again.” The corner of his mouth shifted almost imperceptibly. “Only do not assume today’s price survives until tomorrow. Information does not possess a fixed value. Two silver was the price when you merely had questions. Certainty becomes considerably more expensive when consequences establish the urgency of the solution.” A beat. “But perhaps you will discover everything yourself. Think of the two silver you will have saved each time another patient enters your infirmary.”
[14:48:43] Gabbi Del-Moro (gabbisapphire): Gabbi looked at Crow, and somehow the expression she gave him was worse than anger. Her brows lifted slightly, lips pressed beneath the veil, disappointment written plainly across her features. “You should have told us.” Nothing more was needed. After a moment, her expression softened. “I know you owe Avarra nothing, Crow. Neither of you do. And considering the remarkable absence of those who do, I appreciate that your caste has been watching when apparently no one else was.” Her eyes narrowed faintly. “I simply prefer not learning about danger when it arrives bleeding through my infirmary door.” Then Vesper continued. Gabbi slowly turned toward him. “You do enjoy hearing yourself negotiate.” There was no heat in it. If anything, she appeared entertained now. “Today it is two silver. Tomorrow, perhaps four. Another patient arrives and suddenly I require a financing arrangement.” A tiny shrug followed. “Unfortunately for your business model, urgency does not make me more inclined to purchase certainty. It makes me more inclined to investigate.”She stepped toward the stairs, then paused. “And I have assumed nothing about your obligations. Quite the opposite. You investigated because you chose to. You withheld what you learned because you could. Now you offer to sell it because you may.” Her gaze settled steadily upon him. “All perfectly consistent with your caste.” A smile barely touched beneath her veil. “But if you intended to frighten a Physician into paying by reminding her that people may arrive wounded while she remains ignorant, you have misunderstood this particular Physician.” She glanced toward the wreck. “People arrive wounded. I treat them. People die. I learn from them. Information becomes expensive only when I cannot obtain it elsewhere.” Then back to Vesper. “So perhaps you should hope I don’t find everything you did. Otherwise tomorrow your information will not be worth four silver.”A beat passed.“…….It will be worth nothing.”
[14:53:10] Crow (melchior.wardell) remained where he was, listening to Gabbi’s final words without interruption. There was no offense in his expression. If anything, the Physician’s answer seemed to earn a quiet measure of respect. “Then we understand each other.” His gaze settled on her. “You don’t frighten easily. And you don’t purchase information simply because someone tells you it is valuable.” A faint, dry smile touched his mouth. His eyes moved briefly toward the wreckage. “But you are right about the important part.” A pause. “We could have told you.” Crow glanced toward Vesper, then back to Gabbi. “Not because Avarra is entitled to what we discover.” His voice remained calm. “Because people were living here. And whatever escaped that ship eventually became their problem.” He let the words settle. “As for the value of the information…” The faint smile returned. His eyes narrowed slightly toward the wreckage. “But if your investigation proves that what we found was incomplete, then perhaps the information wasn’t worth two silver after all. Perhaps it was worth more.” Crow turned his attention toward the city. “And that is usually how useful information works.” He looked back once toward Gabbi. “It becomes valuable when someone knows what to do with it.” He had dealt with women such as her way too often and way too long to truly be effected by it. Little did they seem to understand what they were. He wasn’t a knight in shiny armor or an cuddle assassin. He was a murderer and any information he gathered was his to sell. “I wish you well, lady.” he added as to indicate the conversation had ended.
[14:55:21] Hosokawa Kinsei – Vesper™ 細川金星 (razius) regarded her for several quiet ihn, his expression giving nothing away. There was no correction, no defense of his intentions, and certainly no further attempt to sell her anything. At last, the faintest suggestion of amusement touched his eyes for how much she had misunderstood everything about him, but he would not waste his breath in correcting her. “You know best, Physician…” A small inclination of his head. “…of course you do.”
[14:59:21] Gabbi Del-Moro (gabbisapphire): Gabbi held Crow’s gaze as he spoke, allowing him every word without interruption. There were reasons she regarded his caste with a respect neither man standing before her would ever fully understand. Old reasons. Family reasons. Reasons rooted in protection, blood and debts that had nothing to do with fear. But respect had never required Gabbi Del-Moro to become small. At his final dismissal, one brow lifted. “I believe we do understand one another.” Her voice remained measured. “I have never mistaken either of you for knights, guardsmen, or men obligated to protect this city. I know precisely what your caste is.” Her gaze moved briefly between them. “Perhaps that is why I can appreciate what you have done without pretending I must agree with everything you choose to do.” Then came the faintest smile beneath her veil. “And Crow? You may dismiss the conversation. You do not dismiss me.” No anger. No challenge. Simply fact. She inclined her head respectfully toward both men. “I wish you well, Killers.” Then Gabbi turned away first. There were bodies decomposing beyond a gate, an infirmary to prepare, and apparently an entire wreck investigation that had gone unattended. She had spent quite enough time debating the price of answers with men who already possessed them. She started up the stairs without looking back. If Vesper wished to discover whether his information would appreciate in value, he was welcome to wait. Gabbi intended to depreciate it herself.
[15:03:27] Hosokawa Kinsei – Vesper™ 細川金星 (razius) looked to Crow, “She still needs to get beyond that gate.” he said with a dry tone as the woman moved beyond ear shot. “May she have luck with that as well.” He knew full well that Crow and he had the keys and perhaps few others.
Crows Murder 