Infiltration - RPLOG
Participants
Date
6/9/476
Log
Zevran
Late at night, on the edges of the shanties. One set of beings have retired to their beds, while another has risen from their slumber. The hushed murmurs and shuffles of activity can still be heard from deep within the heart of the shanties, but today's focus is on the edges of the shanties, where at least a breath of fresh air can be had every now and then.
On one side of the narrow dirt street, a ramshackle longhouse of the sort which might house three or four poor families. On the other side, a hooded and cloaked mouse with little more than a lit candle, waiting within the cluster of hovels so ubiquitous to the shanties, awaiting the arrival of those who would respond.
Zevran approaches the light provided by the candle as quietly as he can, giving a slight, soft cough to signal his presence to the mouse. This seemed a close match to where the request had said to meet, but he remained silent and watched the mouse, as though checking for some sign that he was in the right place.
Arimia makes her way to the location that was mentioned and looks around. She takes her time getting a sense of the place, then makes her way to the mouse, pushing her hood back and looking right at him, saying, "What's goin' on? Things are generally handled in house, as it were."
Selena makes her way along with a quiet yawn, glancing up at the night sky for a moment and rubbing her eyes. The glow of the candle prompts a little more alertness in the wolfess, moving along and waving over to the raccoon and rhino currently there. "Ari, Zevran..?" She greets, the latter name punctuated with a curious look before the mouse is greeted with a nod. "What's going on indeed. The fuss at the soup kitchen's barely been cleaned up, if it even has."
Mirana waddles along a bit to the mouse in question, and gives a nod to Selena, Zevran. She sighs softly, "I saw your note." she says quietly giving a yawn herself. "Something about watching over something." she says, choosing for now to completely ignore Arimia as she listens, tails waving behind her softly as she looks at the candle and waiting for more information.
Ictus walks along with Mirana and looks about curiously, he nods to the others and hmms, "Well, long time no see Zevran." he smiles though as he passes over Ari and looks to the mouse, "I saw the note as well, neighborhood watch huh?"
"Ah, a fine evening to all of you folk," the mouse says, although there's a slight tilt to his voice on that final word. His eyes lock onto Arimia for a moment, then leans in to whisper to her, perhaps with more than a little fear before regaining his composure to address the group.
"Yes, there's been some concern lately over the...um...residents of that home over there," he says, pointing out at the ramshackle longhouse. "New folk move in, and then suspicious activities taking place and all at this time of night for the last few days. This may be the shanties, but it's a good part of the shanties, and we really wouldn't like the nastier gangs moving in, especially since the trouble hasn't died down after those last riots. If you would mind just lying in wait, investigating a little and then coming back with what you know, I and those I represent - the folk who live in this area - would be mighty grateful." Odd, how he's a little sparse on the details.
Zevran listens silently to the mouse's explanation of the reason for the request. "Strange things happen in the shanties all the time. Must be rather odd for you to have requested help. Is there any chance this could turn into more than just a stakeout?" He remarks to the mouse. The tone of the last part of his remark sounds more excited or eager than cautious, oddly enough.
Arimia listens to the whispering mouse, then gives a noncommital shrug of her shoulders. She asks, "What sort of suspicious activity are you talkin' 'bout?" She waves a hand then and says, "I'm gonna go take a look, tell Selena an' Zev. Those two'll be able to make some sense of it at least." And then she's moving. She lifts her hood back up and tugs her cloak about her, color seeming to fade, even from her vibrantly pink fur, as she moves. And once she reaches a shadow she melds into it and starts to make her way toward the house in question as quietly as she can, hands moving to pull out various items. A dagger, a long, dark grey glove that gets pulled onto her metal arm.
Selena raises an eyebrow at the description given - or the lack thereof, really. Zevran's zeal is met with a decidedly conflicted glance; "I'm fairly certain having a fight wouldn't help the situation." She says simply, glancing over to Arimia as the raccoon moves out. "I'd take her advice, if I were you." She mutters, relaxing herself slightly. "So, could we get a better explanation?"
Mirana gives a frown as Arimia seems to be up to her same tricks, giving a soft sigh, "Yes a bit more information would be useful." she says, not really planning on getting it that easily though. She flashes a smile. And after we chat a bit, you'll have to excuse me." She looks over to Zevran and Ictus, smiling ever wider seeing Ictus there. She whispers to them both carefully before resuming her wait.
Ictus hmms as he listens to the mouse and ponders a bit, "Well, who are the residents exactly? I can see that you are worried about them, but what have they done so far?" he looks to Zev and sighs as he shakes his head, "Hopefully not..." again he ignores Ari and looks to Selena, "Indeed." he nods to her and hmms? at Mira with a small shrug
Meyna is whistling as she walks, not worried about much at the moment. Sure she's running late, but one can't rush maintenance. She makes her way over, nodding to Arimia before she fades away, having caught... little of it, but she gets the idea quickly enough. She slips her pistol free and checks something, turning it over and making a few minor adjustments as she says softly to the mouse, "What activities?" At a few familiar voices, she offers a nod to Selena, then a scowl at the two vulpines, particularly at Ictus. She tweaks a few things, then flips the pistol back by the trigger guard and slips it into it's holster as it's spinning before she slips her second free and says, "If it's just observation, but you're trying to avoid a fight, why are you being so vague anyway?"
"I'm not sure," the mouse says to everyone. "Like I said, we think it's likely that there's a new gang that's set up shop in there - we don't have any proof, and the families around these parts are a little worried. Better the evil you know, right? There's been some comings and goings in the last few days, but the place has been locked and quiet since yesterday. Our friends of our friends don't seem too concerned, though, even with others potentially muscling in on their territory, and we were hoping if we had something to go on we could show it to them and spur them into action getting us the protection we paid for. A sighting of something would be fine...although something more solid would be better. Not that I'm asking you to do anything illegal like breaking and entering." A pause, and then a slump of the shoulders in resignation. "I'd love it if I had more to tell you folk, but if I did I'd just go straight to the Guild instead of spending crown hiring you folk to find out."
Zevran sighs as he notices the responses from Selena and Ictus. He mutters something about never being allowed to punch things before eventually giving a slight nod to Mirana. He notices the arrival of another folk he hasn't met and gives her a nod of acknowledgement before turning his attention back to the mouse. He listens to the mouse's newest information before speaking up. "A new gang is never good. It would throw the power struggle between the existing gangs into further chaos. I suppose finding some reason to get your 'friends' to try to stop it would be best for everyone. Although it seems this will just be another boring stakeout." He responds to the mouse, shifting his glance towards the longhouse.
Arimia continues toward the house and moves along the side of it, taking advantage of her small size and the shadows to remain unseen. She pauses near a window, and listens to see if she can hear anything, after a couple of moments she reaches into a pocket on her cloak and pulls out a small mirror shard, which she holds up to the window, at a slight angle so she can see inside.
Selena gives Meyna a friendly half-wave, then sighs quietly. "If I was down here more often I'd probably be able to help more with that." Glancing over in the direction Arimia had made off into, she stifles a yawn then turns back. "...Really, she knows this place a lot better anyone else here. I suppose all I have to add is that it's entirely possible the gang you hired is sending in its own members to pressure you into paying more for service. It has happened before. Since you're here, Meyna, I think I'd defer to what you have to say on the matter." She replies with a shrug. "Still, we don't know what gangs you're even talking about in the first place; that doesn't help either."
Mirana shakes her head a moment, "Isn't there something more you can offer?" she asks but gives a sigh. She walks over into the darkness of a side street. She sits back there switching her gems , and then taking the time needed to make herself look like an elderly husky. She even picks up the the dirt around her, dirtying up her dress, and ripping it in a few places. She had many more to work with.
Ictus blinks as he spots Meyna and shakes his head in confusion at the scowl. He looks to the mouse and ponders a bit, "Well... Alright, we'll check it out." Zevran and chuckles a little before he looks to Selena with a sigh, "True..." he ponders a bit as he looks to Mira and hmms as he walks over to her to whisper something with a concerned look before he looks to the others curiously
Meyna adjusts the sights of her pistol before snapping it at some imaginary target, testing the alignment. It's holstered again and says, "The beings only stick around for a few days at a time right? Late nights only? I'd guess smuggling personally, but that's just because I don't think there have been any open demands right?" She then rolls her shoulders back and rubs her chin while considering. "No chance you've gotten a look at these people is there? Or do you know anyone that has, because I can go wake them up happily. Might need to do that anyway, you'd be surprised what others see and people are so... much less guarded when woken up." The confused look is given a look of.. something. Somewhere between bemusement and annoyance. "Speaking of which, anything aside from a fight you want us to avoid?"
The mouse nods ruefully. "Not really, although one of my neighbours said they really carried themselves oddly. And a fight's the worst thing that could happen - I don't want them going down hard on us. I wish I knew more, but we're feeling unsafe -" which is probably an understatement, considering the Shanties- "And it's hurting everyone's peace of mind. Now, I don't think I've anything left to say, please, so if you would..."
As everyone approaches the longhouse, they're able to see what Arimia is currently seeing via her mirror: the longhouse is built for three or four families living in cramped quarters, but while there's some veneer of disorganisation and a honest attempt at making it look like poor, it's been furnished for one, at most two. Most of the windows have had wooden blinds pulled over them behind smeared and stained glass, but a few apparently have been deemed dirty enough to not need concern - and through those, a few rooms can be seen. A table on which the remnants of a cold meal can be seen, bread and cheese wrapped and covered against pests, cupboards, a bed and around it, four or five mattresses and hammocks, the latter strung up between the longhouse's supports. Perhaps the oddest thing is a desk and wooden stool in an otherwise unoccupied room, quite the luxury for the poor of Shanty Town.
The door has been locked and further secured with a heavy chain and padlock, the windows are likely to be jammed shut with the grime of years. It appears the mouse was right - no one has been here for more than a day. It can't have been too long, though - the bed and mattresses have been slept in recently, and the meal is still fresh - or at least, as fresh as it will ever be for a place like this.
Zevran takes a moment to glance through each of the unblocked windows and peer into the house, studying it. "Seems we won't be getting in easily. We could always try and wait for somebody else to show up who might try to go inside." Zevran suggests. Waiting seemed to be the best option to him, since the others had so subtly hinted that brute force wouldn't solve the problem.
Arimia slips her mirror shard back into her cloak and straightens up, walking her way around to the locked front door. She examines the chain and padlock, not concerned with the lock on the door itself for the moment. She fishes in her coat again and pulls out a few tools, lockpicks, before turning and saing to the others. "Didn't see anyone in there. Could be tunnels or the like. An' there's a desk. May have some information. We want to go in, or jus' watch the place? I vote goin' in, myself." She glances at Zevran then, an amused look on her features. "Zevran. It's a buildin' an' in Shanty Town. Even if I can't get the locks open, there'll be a weak spot somewhere, maybe on the roof, or one of the walls. But if we want in, we can MAKE a way in."
Selena nods to the mouse, giving a gentle pat on the back. "I'll take a look for you. Just take care of yourself, all right?" She replies, moving along quietly and gazing through the windows - though the interior takes her attention moreso than the unimpressive exterior, double taking at something or another in the building with a surprised look on her face. "Ch-... I thought they said a gang, not nobility. Importing that stuff can't be cheap." She mutters, gesturing to the meal. "Ari, have you heard any rumors about nobles cavorting about here recently?" She queries, then glancing back to the leopardess - "The same for you? I've only heard complaints about the weather and concern about what was happening a few days ago at the soup kitchen." Though the latter comment of Arimia's is met with a nod. "Compared to that dam - or a town hall... I'm sure we could make a hole in it."
Mirana walks back out after switching up stones and her outfit. She leans back a bit and walks along, mostly looking about for anyone suspicious while leaning into trash cans and pretending to dig around for scraps of food thrown out by the soup kitchen, nodding over to Ictus real quick before continuing to try and covertly look around for anyone watching their activities. Something was far off with a meal like that setting inside there.
