Of Thieves and Tails - Part 4 - RPLOG

Participants

• Fenris
• Katrina
• Zuri

Date

16/7/478

Log

It is warm and dark as Zuri is led through twists and turns, up stairs and down them, all with an opaque, black hood tied over his head. These people don't half value their privacy! After what seems like a very long walk, the beings accompanying the little salamander finally stop and roughly remove the blinding hood, revealing a windowless, candle lit room draped in all sorts of finery with a fine, long table as its centerpiece. At the far end, two feline beings talk quietly. One of them, the Lord Longtail that Zuri met last time beckons to the salamander to come closer.

Zuri blinks and shakes his head as the hood finally comes off. He peers around the room, letting his eyes adjust to the ambient light until he spots the familiar Lord beckoning him on. He steps forward, tail whipping excitedly behind him. In his hands he's clutching a cloth bag laden with his ill-gotten loot, and he keeps a close and tight hold on it until it's time to properly hand it over.

Besides Lord Longtail, not one, but two familiar felines stand. The one on his right, clad in that same black outfit from the market-day, her tail twitching lightly as she watches the salamander approach, her ears flicking lightly. The one on his left is a more curious visitor... Natasha Silkenfur appears to be present at the event!

"Welcome back, Mister Pondleaf," Sylvio purrs, steepling his fingers before his face, "I am not altogether unimpressed by your performance. The jewels, if you please?" He indicates with a wave of his hand that the salamander should place the stones in question on the table. "I quite enjoyed the way you made use of Lord Snowmark's. . . unique talents," he says, "I am curious how you instructed him of his duties and convinced him to help you." The panther looks over at the two ladies. "My sources cannot seem to find any correspondence or communication of any kind between the two of you aside from the delivery of the invitation," he says, "What did you offer him for his. . . services?"

Zuri pauses as he spots Lady Natasha, the salamander blanching and briefly looking between all three of them. "I-.. I um.." He clutches the gems a bit more tightly as he moves over closely, and gingerly hands over the bag of gems, offering Lord Longtail a proud smile at his words. "I offered him nothing, Sir. Lord Snowmark loves a good party, I knew he'd be the center of attention. I didn't.. quite expect him to put on quite the show he did, but it worked swimmingly." He peers at Natasha warily, still not very sure as to why she is here. "All he needed was an invitation, really, and a friendly encouragement that it would be a fun party."

"Regardless... He's paying for the chandelier, Sylvio," Natasha purrs softly, before swiping the gems from the table, before Katrina gestures at the other panthress. "Allow me to -properly- introduce Lady Natasha Longtail," she offers, before smiling faintly, her tail swaying behind her.

Sylvio chuckles at Natasha's words. "Even our little Natasha was impressed with you work, though she won't admit it. She did not even realize you were in the room until you cut the necklace from her throat," he says, smirking at the indignant panthress, "You have real potential, Mister Pondleaf." The panther waves a hand at Katrina. "My kitten here will see that you are compensated for your troubles," he says, "And we may have another offer for you. If you are interested in a bit more excitement?"

Zuri gives Lady Natasha a shy wave, his tail swaying warily behind him. "S-so uhm.. this is quite unusual. " He perks up at Sylvio's' words, letting through a proud smile before he controls himself and clears his throat. "I uhm.. thank you, Sir." He looks between the three, then shakes his head. "I think this was my last big job Sir. Like I said last time, one big one to end it all, yea?" He offers the three an inocent smile, still a bit awkward at having met his 'mark' in person.

"So... What you are saying is that you don't want -more- contracts of this kind?" Katrina offers with a flick of her ears, a twitch of her tail as she watches Zuri with a rumble. "Real contracts, of course... After all, this was just our basic test of entry," she notes with a smile, a glance towards the other two as she procures a sizable bag of crown.

Sylvio waves to Natasha. "Don't let us detain you, Natasha," he says, "I am sure your have other things to attend to." The panther then folds his hands and watches Zuri intently while he listens to the conversation.

Zuri bites his lip, the salamander feeling caught in a corner as he glances between the two. "Y-yea, I think I should go back to being retired. As fun as this was, I probably should avoid any more of this kind of work. Y'know, keep a low profile." He offers the two an apologetic smile. "S-so I'l just take that bag and be on my way, yea?"

"If it's a low profile you're worried about... We have ways to make you disappear, mister Pondleaf," Katrina rumbles with a smile, even as Natasha makes her leave. "A pity, though... You seemed like the kind of thief that would one day try to steal Therador's crown-jewels. Or Shralesta's most prised artifacts... If you truly wish to retire, the men can escort you out, of course."

"Now, now, Kitten," Sylvio says, still looking at Zuri, "No need to frighten our guest! You are free to do as you like, Mister Pondleaf. We will not hold you against your will. We could certainly use a being of your talents, but if you are no longer interested, then we will consider our business concluded." The panther waves at a chair. "Please, sit, enjoy a meal with us before you go. What would you like?"

Zuri keeps his eyes on Katrina, the salamander clearly interested in her words, but he briefly shakes his head to clear all the thoughts of glorious thievery away. He nods at Lord Longtail and finds himself a chair. "If there's no knockout drugs this time, I'll happily take some of those meat cuts from last time. Rare to get meat of that quality out in the market." He offers with a smile. "And don't get me wrong, I'm interested, it's just that it's a bit of a bad idea for a Freesword like myself to also be a thief." He turns towards Lord Sylvio. "After all, it's not unusual that I end up breaking bread with some other nobles and royals. It would be very.. uhm.. unfortunate if I was recognized."

"There -are- solutions, mister Pondleaf... Masks, even sacred families, as you no doubt know about," the she-cat argues, even as joins sylvio at the table, taking some food for herself, and smiling behind her mask as she slowly but surely attempts to convince Zuri.

Sylvio waits in silence as plates are brought to the table and food is served by veiled and shrouded servants. "The public theft was a test, Mister Pondleaf," the panther finally says, sampling from Katrina's plate and giving her a coy wink, "If you are still interested in some exciting challenges, I am sure we could accommodate your desire for secrecy."

Zuri reaches over to retrieve one of the cuts of meat, nibbling on it thoughtfully as he retreats to his own thoughts. He thinks of the promise he made to a certain plant being, that he would completely stop his dual-life and give up all sorts of illegalities altogether. He looks back at his two hosts, tail already flitting excitedly. "How exactly could we achieve.. uhm.. total secrecy? As in, none should be able to recognize me, at all. Not even beings that I spend whole days with."

"All yours, Lord," the she-cat offers with a smile on her lips, a flick of her ears, and a bite from her own food in the mean time, subtly taking note of Zuri's excitement and eagerness...

"There are magical means," Sylvio says, "but then there are the much more mundane and simpler methods of simple never being seen at all." He lifts a bit of meat from his plate and nibbles at it thoughtfully. "High profile theft is for sending messages," he says, "Most of the best work we would ask for is done in the dark. Safely out of sight."

A smile, a rumble, a flick of the ears. "And even our low-profile thefts can be high profile... After all, we've switched certain goods for... Tokens of our appreciation, before," the she-cat rumbles, before smiling and flicking her ears. "Among our thieves, Kitsune is a popular choice... But, as you've proven last week, it is not at all required for our work... And when it is, we have our agents. We will not ask you to do a job you do not wish to take... Although you will most certainly have a quote to fulfill.

Zuri looks between the two, the salamander nodding at Sylvio's words. "I've always preferred to deal with challenges without using too much magic or.. weird trickery. First because it can fail, and second because it can be just a different way one can be found out." He looks towards Katrina. "Kitsune is one of them. I know folk are suspicious of the Kitsune just by matter-of-fact, they are considered untrustworthy from the get-go. Even Captain Bellamy had to come out and calm everyone down when all the beings were going a bit loopy about Kitsune and wanting to hunt them down." He nibbles idly at his food for a moment more before adding. "Perhaps it's a bad idea. I mean.. it's one thing to do one last hurrah, it's another to resume my old ways. Thievery almost got me killed once while working for the Thief's Guild.."

"No rush," Sylvio says, "Come to us when you want work, or an adventure. I am sure we will be able to provide." The cool panther sips from a glass of wine. "We certainly know where to find you should we require your excellent skills."

Zuri smiles at Lord Sylvio, the salamander feeling oddly proud at the other being's words. "I will Sir! I can't.. hm.. I can't promise that I will be able to do everything you ask me to do, but if it's half as much fun as it was at the Silkenfur Manor then I'm in." He looks at Katrina. "And I guess I'm being a bit unfair about the whole Kitsune thing. Maybe it's worth a go." He smiles brightly.

Sylvio keeps his golden gaze on the little salamander as a small smile tugs at his lips. "Do not sell yourself short, Mister Pondleaf," he says, "I am sure you will be more than up to any task we might send your way. And as you have already proven, supernatural aid is hardly necessary for as skilled an operative as yourself. Keep up the good work."

"The choice, as always, is yours, mister Pondleaf. Being a kitsune has to fit your style, after all. And that is your... Homework for this week. Figure out how to describe your style, and make two lists. One of the gear, weapons and armor that best fit your style, and one of the things you'd like to do, the things you'd want to steal. Anything you will refuse, list it, and we will accomodate when choosing your marks," the she-cat rumbles, before pulling out a small bag of crown and dropping it in front of Zuri. "The earlier bag was your commision for a job well done. This one is your monthly wage. Keep in mind that if you miss your quote too often, or your tongue wavers... There will be consequences."

Sylvio nods once, then folds his hands on the table. "If that is all, Mister Pondleaf?" he asks, then waits a moment for a response, "My men will gladly escort you out when you are ready."

Zuri collects the two bags of coin, licking his lips as he considers other beings' words. He nods at Sylvio. "I think that is all, Lord Longtail." He smiles at Katrina. "I will make the first list for you, My Lady, but the second one will not be necessary." He stands up and stashes the bags away before clarifying. "I'm not a killer, and I won't kill another being, or even wound one on purpose just because. After that.. bring on the jobs, I suppose!" He smiles. "Alright, let's go back then."

"Local or foreign nobility? The royals of any nation? Theft from... Wayward members of the Lord's family? Think things through, mister Pondleaf," the panthress urges, before flicking her ears and gesturing for the guards to do their thing. "All yours. Leave him somewhere safe."

A guard gently, but firmly places a dark hood over Zuri's face before tying a blindfold over it all to be sure that the salamander cannot see. It is a long, winding journey until the guards stop leading Zuri along. After a bit of a wait, it becomes clear that the guards are gone and have simply left Zuri hooded and blindfolded! From the sound of things, he must be in a back street not far from the market, alone and with some things to think about.

Zuri scratches at the hood and peels it off along with the blindfold, peering around carefully as he finally orients himself to find out where he is. He's now possessed of a suspicious amount of coin, certainly enough that Rokarion will notice. He licks his lips and starts heading into Firmament, already knowing the destination of his coin. Just as he promised Rokarion, he wouldn't be keeping his filthy lucre...