Devious Duo Devise Dubious Deal
- Location: Black Gull Tavern
- Participants: Viviane, Percy, Anba Hor, Skyla, Cerberus
It's midday, and the Gull suffers a palpable lull in patronage; a single tender leans, polishing glassware-- or seeming to, anyway, though he may well be polishing the same glass over and over-- and a single fox sits in the middle of the tavern, drinking and smoking from its pipe. A tail swishes boredly from the back of its chair, and her hood is drawn; though its head tilts hindward to slip it off, and there revealed is a vixen, indeed. Eyes rest heavily on the window opposing her view, and sun shines through to light her face. Puff, puff- and a series of rings exit her maw. (Viviane)
Looking especially menacing despite his age, a young tod enters the tavern and insults a ferret that bumps him on the way out, "Bloody tosser, " He calls after him, before making his way to the bar and paying for a drink which he receives shortly. Drink in paw he focuses on the other fox before moving to plop down at the table across from the other fox with a grin, "What'cha suppose to be eh?" (Percy)
"A fox, if anything, I must say," replies Viviane in regards to his question, and to him; having watches his virile display, the vixen seems both amused and intrigued. "Do you mean to impress me with your fine acts of brutishness?" She draws more smoke from her pipe, then exhales at the tod.
Percy burst out laughing, grinning at her before he grabs his drink and throws it down his gullet, "Don't flatter yourself toots, " The mug now half empty as it hits the table, "Nah, just thought I'd check out the interesting vixen across from me, " He shrugs, "If ya have a problem with that, ya can go toss yourself."
A chasm splits the vixen's face into a grin, broad and consuming. "I have no problem with that," Viviane says simply, voice smooth and constrained in contrast to his panache. She draws her own drink near to sip; and again, her mild manner highlights the disparity of the two. "What is your name, boy?" she asks, leaning into the table's edge.
Percy smiles at that, a bit not too friendly, "Percy, and I kindly request ya don't call me boy Missy, " He slouches a bit, chuckling, "What about you ma'am, what they call you?" He leans closer to the edge of the table as well.
"'Ma'am'-- I see why you prefer not to be called boy, as that makes me feel /far/ too old in my skin," absently mutters the vixen, eyes drifting across the other vulpine's form; a good one-over, and she latches her pipe into the side of her mouth so that she may both smoke and speak. "I am Viviane," she states.
"Heh, glad we can reach an understanding then, " Percy seems to not care as she looks him over, taking another swig from his mug, "Viviane eh? That what they call you, would you oppose being called Viv?" He leans forward some, getting a better look at her now as he looks her over.
One brow ridge arches at the tod, viewing him as a doting mother would of a her churlish child; a fondness sparks in her dark blue eyes. "Lady Viviane is how I should be addressed by such a-- /tod/ as yourself," she plainly replies. "Though-- as informal as it may be-- I would accept that from you. Your... /gusto/-- it inspires me."
"Right, as it should miss lady, " The young tod grins, laughing, "Viv it is than, proper lady are ya.. ain't too bad on the eyes either, don't really need that hood to cover you, " He smiles brutishly, leaning back in his chair.
"Well met, then, my dear Perceval; and may we drink to such good fortune that the seasons draw us together," replies the vixen, lifting her mug to clink against his-- which sounds empty, to her astute ears. She waves the paw which bears the pipe at the bartender, shouting, "Another drink for my compeer-- whatever he'd like-- would you? And keep our steins filled, lest we grow thirsty." She grins to the young tod, smoking happily; a haze settles amongst the duo. "Do you hail from these lands, my friend?"
Showing a grin full of gritted teeth the young tod lifts his mug to clink against hers, "How kind of you, and I'd also like if you call me "Percy", " He stresses, "I do, and ain't'cha the proper lady or are you?" He smirks. His mug being filled now he stares at her with his green eyes.
The black fox stalks into the tavern, and he goes largely unnoticed as of late. It helps being 'dead', for one. Anba Hor sits in a chair near the fire, one leg out from under the table, his back to the bar. The server gets him a drink right away, knowing what he wants, and he crowds it, deep in thought. His eyelids lazily drop and rise, his expression distant, but vaguely deviant. From all appearances, he seems not to want to be bothered. /Most/ around him get the hint.
Skyla half-stomps down the stairs from the upper floors. Being forced to stay in a dump like this instead of a fancy place where she wouldn't have to sleep in a filthy bed? If she didn't NEED the place to stay since she was currently away from home, she would have gone on a complete rampage. Promptly seating herself at the bar, she shook a paw grumpily to the tender. "Gimme whatever." she muttered, glancing around at the other beasts in the room, as if DARING them to trifle with her. She was in a bad mood, and it was clear.
Anba_Hor looks over the shoulder facing the fire, his black fur rippling with light from its luminous tendrils, the white eyes reflecting the flames more efficiently, if not perfectly, until he's able to see the stoatmaid out of an eye. He keeps his gaze there a moment, but turns back around, and puts a boot up into the lower cross-beams of the chair, letting it rest there.
Cerberus was already seated in the tavern. You know. That big shadow like thing in the corner where the light doesn't quite reach. He stares out over the beasts in the room and sips thoughtfully at his drink. His eyes drift between Anba and Skyla after they both enter from their respective directions, keeping an eye on them but saying, and doing nothing.
Showing a grin full of gritted teeth the young tod lifts his mug to clink against Viv's, "How kind of you, and I'd also like if you call me "Percy", " He stresses, "I am, and ain't'cha the proper lady?" He smirks.
Skyla looked down at the bar, frowning with distaste. One day, she'd return to her home, to her money, but at the moment, she was going to be stuck in this dump of a tavern. Mumbling to herself, she glanced over at the dark-looking fox, frowning a little bit. What riff-raff.
"Excuse my conventional tone, dear one; Percy it is," Viviane coos to the young tod, angling her chin toward the table so that her glistening gaze peers from under the flood of her fringe, dark and devious. A barmaid swings by to replenish their mugs, and leaves the half-emptied pitcher for their convenience. "Drink your fill when it's not your bill, eh?" She raises her cup once more in genteel fashion.
Anba_Hor finishes in his thoughts and then takes a deep breath, but the thing in the corner distracts him from his next move. He glares at it for a while, his bare white eyes penetrating it for a while, until a slight grin erupts on the fox. He gets up out of his chair and makes his way over to Skyla with his drink. He finishes the last sip and slams it down on the bar next to where she's sitting, looking at her. "I can't stand these beasts, can you?"
Cerberus goes to take another drink from his mug, but finds it totally empty. He stares at the bottom and growls a little, almost as if he expects it to just refill itself, but after a moment and a quiet huff, he stands, moving the table out of his way. He moves slowly towards the bar and parks himself on a stool, whispering to the barkeep and getting him to refill his mug. He still pays no mind what so ever to the others here.
Skyla snorted quietly, accepting the drink that was finally given to her. She took a long drink, not caring what drink she was actually given; all drinks had the same effect on her, for the most part. Giving the fox a weary expression, she shrugged. "Hardly. Buncha poor low-lifes who probably rob, or are, highwaymen or somethin'..." she replied.
"Thank you, and well you do seem like the kind and generous sort, " Percy raises his mug to her, sipping it, "Very nice, so yes I do live about here. Just south of here anyway, good pickings down a bit that way, " He shrugs. He seems oblivious to the other coustomers, not even the other tod catching his attention, "Where do you hail from then eh fair maiden?"
The fox towers above Skyla, his expression turning to complete mirth at the admission, and he lowers his posture down to her, vaguely menacingly. His breath beats on her shoulder as he nods his concurrence, "Exactly. And it's exactly what happens when a fox goes into a metal shop to try to get an innocent family trinket identified - /stolen/! Two of these vile scum are likely the ones, though to their credit they had no idea who they'd stolen from..."
Cerberus's half ear flicks at that low life part. He frowns for a split second, but his face springs back to that expressionless, coldness that is usually there. "Which really begs the question, why you're staying here? If its filled with low lives...doesn't that make you, myself and this fox one as well?" he asks in an usual heavy accent, obviously listening to their conversation. He blinks when his drink is placed down before he takes it and raises it up slowly, taking a long drink from it once before settling the mug back on the bar.
Skyla glances over at the fox once again, and frowns. So the guy got robbed, big deal. It wasn't her concern, problem, OR worry, and she wasn't going to make it such, though she would pretend. "Oh, sorry to hear that." she merely replied, befoe glancing over to the other male at his comment. "I have no damn choice but to stay here. I very well can't stay at that abbey where I'll be persecuted for species, now CAN I?"
Anba_Hor turns suddenly to face Cerberus across the bar, his grin slowly fading - too slow to be caused by any offense at the stoat's words, but too fast to imply that the fox is simply just letting his good humor fade naturally. It's highly suggestive, but some of the mystery is dissipated as the fox tilts his head, "Oh, most certainly we are - and..." He turns back to Skyla, "Isn't that what the Redwallers would like to think? They would place you in the same pot as these... this... rabble." He listens to her words, "Oh, but a very important /family/ trinket." He winks.
"Pickings, you say?" Viviane rhetorically repeats, and proceeds to empty the remnants of dried weeds from her pipe; she taps it on the table to loosen the ash, then scrapes the burnt on bits out with a claw before repacking, and relighting. This time, she grants Percy usage; "North," is her vague response. "... perhaps we can make better use of each other, my fine friend, than just drinking companions; if you know this area well, would you deny me your knowledge as guide?" She offers a glance around the bar, finally noticing a surge in clients. She scoots closer yet to Percy.
Cerberus shrugs his shoulders a little. "I'd rather burn the abbey then stay there." he turns and leans on the bar with one arm up on it. "But you know, there is somewhere else you could stay. Make a tent or a fire and sleep that way. Instead of annoying other beasts with your endless complaining." he stares at them both a moment before looking away at the other beasts gathered in the tavern.
Skyla huffs a little bit. She felt just a tad annoyed from the other stoat's comment, and felt like giving him a snappy reply. Or a slap to the face, whichever worked well for her. But she didn't, choosing to just ignore the comment, turning to the fox and giving a little grin from the wink. "Oh, I get you." she replied, before draining her drink. "Another!" she called out to the bartender.
Anba_Hor swooshes past the stoatmaid around the bar, so that he's now staring past her at Cerberus, muttering to her, "Don't listen to that fool - it's your right to complain. /You/ look like you've come from a place of dignity, yourself. Why shouldn't you stay in the most dignified of places here in Mossflower? Do you know..." He grins, "Those poor stupid woodlanders were forced out not long ago. Imagine it.. it was delightful, the refugees, packed like sardines in an otter camp!" He flashes her a grin, wide and full of off-color canines.
Cerberus says, "I'm not a fool, fox." the stoat chuckles lightly to himself, looking up at them and shakes his head slowly. "Just because she looks nice and cared for, does not mean she's from anywhere halfway decent." Cerb looks to her a moment then back to Anba. "Besides. Complaining gives me a headache. Why complain, when you can do something about it?" "
"I'm not a fool, fox." the stoat chuckles lightly to himself, looking up at them and shakes his head slowly. "Just because she looks nice and cared for, does not mean she's from anywhere halfway decent." Cerb looks to her a moment then back to Anba. "Besides. Complaining gives me a headache. Why complain, when you can do something about it?"
Skyla gives the fox a little grin. She always liked to feel important, and having herself recognized as someone rich and important always seemed to boost her ego to extraordinary heights. "You've got that right." she replied, looking a little pleased from his description, too. "For your information, I come from a VERY prestigious family in the north, a very WEALTHY family, at that!" she replied, huffing once again. "I deserve better than this, or a damned tent!"
Anba_Hor receives a new drink, and reaches behind the stoatmaid to retrieve it. "Do something, oh. I see. Well, let me tell you where the verminbeasts are now that /did/ do something. They're exiled far north of here, most of their contingent dead. A whole legion of Izmirians slain. I escaped when I had the chance, as I have no thoughts about dying any time soon." He looks at Skyla, "Of course you do... which has very much to do with what I was about to offer you..."
Cerberus shakes his head. "What you deserve is not in fact a decent bed, meal, or shelter. Its a knife to your throat for bothering every beast in this room with your yammering." he stands up slowly. But instead of drawing a weapon, he just shifts down a few seats so he's only a single seat away from the pair. He doesn't really seem too annoyed by her, and in fact, he doesn't seem like anything really. He does raise an eyebrow though when Anba speaks. "But those vermin aren't me." he chuckles challengingly.
Percy's second mug full he consumes a bit more slowly, so as a result its still mostly full, "Yes, excellent pickings for er my line of work, " He laughs, seeming to have a private joke with himself in his answer. He then proceeds to watch her as she repackages and relights her pipe, at her vague answer he only nods not pressing the issue, "Eh, perhaps. You have any skills that might be useful yourself?" He turns to notice the others as she does, still uninterested he turns back to her and smiles as she scoots closer.
Skyla grinned a little bit, and leaned forward. Though, she heard one thing that set her fury right off, putting her paw on the handle of her shortsword. "If I were you, I would take that back." she replied menacingly. She'd show him something to the throat, she would...
The black fox puts up a reassuring paw to the one about the draw the stoatmaid's weapon, speaking now to Cerberus, "Well, now, they certainly are not. You know, it's important to relate to other beasts when you hatch plans of stealing an abbey away - and I'm certain not a single infantrybeast nor lieutenant could find a leader in such a deeply mysterious beast as yourself. How would you rouse their sense of comradery? By staring blankly at them?" He chuckles, "No, but I imagine the great emperor Hactor might have used you in the same vein in which he used me."
Cerberus looks up slowly. "Who said anything about wanting to steal an abbey? I don't care that its there. Nor do I want it gone for any reason." he shrugs but then stares at Skyla. "I wouldn't if I were you. You might cut yourself or worse." Hactor's name draws some interest from the large stoat. "Emperor who? Never heard of him."
"Perhaps," is another nebulous response from Viviane; bringing the stem of her pipe between her teeth, her lips curl round the copper to suck the heat from her coiled flint lighter, which she must strikes several times before success. She again offers it to the young fox. "You do not oppose the ale that I've provided, do you? --it is a paltry gesture, at best. If you aid me, I shall return your gesture tenfold; and perhaps you may learn some manners, as well."
Skyla huffs a little bit, now looking between fox and stoat. She just felt a tiny bit lost... And chose to say naught, wondering who this Hactor fellow was, too.
"Now. No more of the strategies of failed conquerors. I have conquered a race of my own, a dreadful one, but still a force to be reckoned with - and as I take this trinket of mine back, I hold something very valuable; still more so than this force whose head I command... and I have recently recruited a seafaring vessel in an attempt to sail to my next destination in securing this thing of value. And my offer to you, miss stoat, is simple. I am not allowed within 500 paces of the abbey, much less of Mossflower if they find me here... but you might be able to get inside. If you can, and do a favor for me, you may have your share of my funds for this plan." (Anba Hor)
Cerberus smirks. "Smart move, stoat." he says to her before listening to the fox's 'story', drinking absently as he goes on. "What? Too lazy to do it yourself? Or scared? Perhaps both. Weak beasts are often scared." he pauses a moment to think before shrugging and standing up.
Skyla quirks a brow, and grins a little bit now. So she was talking to a beast who conquered a whole race of creatures? Now he was a force to be reckoned with! At the offer of a reward for sneaking inside the abbey and doing a favor, she grinned a little bit. "Oh, I suppose I could... What's the favor?" she asked with a grin.
Anba_Hor looks back at Cerberus, "You might take those words outside with you, as you get up, and then I would gladly answer them there. You are a fool, /and/ shortsighted, to think that I would ruin plans /far/ down the road for this simple little task. You /simple little/ stoat." He turns to Skyla, "It would be best discussed in private." He looks back at Cerberus.
Cerberus pauses on his way out, paws twitching just a little. "If you want to fight me fox, you're a braver beast than I give you credit for. That or you're just too stupid to realize what fighting me would really mean for you." he's quite the cocky beast to say the least, but he's big, so he might actually be able to back up at least some of his claims.
Percy didn't seem to understand that she was offering him the pipe the first time; the second time though he realizes his mistake and takes the pipe. Handling it in a way clearly uncertain he takes a few puffs, coughs but continues puffing on it in the corner of his mouth as he answers her, "No, the ale is very fine as well as is this pipe, " He passes it back to her after a few more puffs, "It's a deal then, but I can't promise I'll learn any manners, " He grins.
Skyla frowns a little bit, and shakes her head. It would be her luck, to get offered a job, only to have it subsequently thrown away as the offering party was killed in combat... But then again, she wouldn't mind seeing the other stoat get his life ended in the most violent manner ever.
Cerberus may be big for a stoat, but has he checked? Anba Hor is tall for a /fox/, and quite stout. "What is your name, stoat? So that something may be engraved on that big stone you passed by on the way in." He grins. "Here, have yourself another drink before we go, then..." The fox grabs a drink, fresh from the bar, without tampering with the contents whatsoever, and hands it to him by the rim of the glass. "We'll fight as soon as we toast to my success."
"I can deal with that, my Percy," chirrs the vixen, grin charming and wild. She offers a paw for his after she retrieves the pipe, lodging it into the corner of her mouth. "A deal, it is."
And the disturbance doesn't go unnoticed by Viviane; while she deals with the young Percy, her ears are trained upon the babbling boys at the bar. She chuckles softly. "Men," she murmurs to herself, scoffing.
Cerberus watches the fox closely and stares at the mug. He takes it by the handle and watches Anba for a moment. "I appreciate it. But I toast only to death. And to toast to your own is...in appropriate...since you still breathe in front of me." he places the mug on the counter. "Make your deals and retrieve your worthless trinkets. And I'm sure we'll run into each other again." he turns and vanishes out the door.
Skyla leans against the bar with a disgusted frown on her face, watching the other stoat leaving the building. Shaking her head a little bit, she sighed softly. "Disgusting piece of trash, that stoat was..." she muttered under her breath, looking back at the fox. "Now, about that deal."
"Heh, you may have to but at the least I promise to honor our agreement, " About him not calling her ma'am, and she not him boy or the dreaded Percival. Ick, just the thought of it makes him feel all slimy. Percy takes the offered paw, grinning, "To a long fruitful partnership then, " He grabs his mug, clinks it against her before finishing it off while still holding her paw.
Anba_Hor watches idly as a completely inebriated weasel hustles up to the bar and grabs the drink instead of Cerberus. The weasel smiles at Anba Hor, the fox smiling back, as he takes a swig and wipes his mouth. The fox turns around to Skyla just as the weasel falls over and twitches a few times. "Come, let us get some air and discuss this outside, before this weasel's drunken spill is mistaken for an accident."
Skyla looks over to the weasel, and chuckles a little bit. That guy was wasted, from the looks of it. Smiling over at the fox as the weasel falls over, she nodded from his suggestion, and slipped off of her barstool with a smile. "Lead the way."
Viviane's paw settles into Percy's as she drinks the last of her mug; there's still a pitcher left on the table, but she vixen seems finished. She draws her paw from his. "Finish th' rest for me, would you?" she asks, though it's more a command, and she retrieves a few coins to pass to him. "I've matters to attend to; I trust you'll rejoin me here tomorrow's morn, when the crows call."
"Sure thing, shouldn't be any trouble, " Percy grins, storing away the offered coin. He waves her off, before focusing on the drink which he sips from before turning to her, "See ya in the morning than Viv, and don't worry I'll be there. AFter all ya a real lady ain't'cha, can't be standing up a lady!"
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