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Daxia
with the Gang at the Inn

Daxia waited until Darian, Longtooth and Cesare joined them before turning to answer Mikal's questions... which was when the good Squire interjected his proposed solution. She bumped her head onto the table and covered it with both arms, making a sound that very much resembled a strangulated scream. She held that pose for several heartbeats before looking wearily at her sister. "Bekkah, I ever this starry-eyed naive? Maybe when you still live in Vale, ok. Not in last ten years, promise that." She sighed and looked at the Squire, and opened her mouth to speak just as Kadri tugged her sleeve and Lia began speaking to the Squire.

She looked relieved as she gazed out at the lad Kadri pointed out, then nodded. Scooping up the notes she'd written, she let Lia try to talk some sense into Conrad, while she walked to the doorway and beckoned the boy over. She chatted with him for a while, then handed him the notes and a few coins from her pouch.

As she walked back to the table, Daxia absently ran her fingers over the bit of white silk tied around the hilt of her sword. Sitting down beside Bekkah again, she said to Mikal, "I consider. Give moment." Then she turned to Darian. "Darian, Longtooth... how went Hunt?"

Cesare

He nods to Darian, obliged she is getting the ales in and he strolls over to the rest of the group. His concern at the moment is that there may be people who want to rush in and that road leads to disaster, so he chooses his words carefully, hoping that Darian will follow his lead. He remains standing for the moment.

"Longtooth found what we believe is the girl's location. However there were others around. Longtooth's warning gave us time to get away but I don't know if we were seen or not. Following her tracks, it looks like she was taken once and then her captures killed or injured as she was taken again by others. This is not something we can rush into. And we need to let some time pass in case we alerted them. I can sketch a layout to help us plan."

He is not giving the location as then noone can rush off.

Darian

"It be as Cesare says," she began but fell silent as the server delivered the ales.

"She not go willingly with any. Last set carry her after time. Track not say if she awake or not."

Mikal

"Yes, please." He asks Cesare to do his sketch. "Also what type of place was it? A home, A business? How many seemed to be guarding?"

Daxia
with the Gang at the Inn

She nodded to Cesare. "Rushing, no plan... bad idea. We wait for notes to find merchants, cause annoyance. First step. But know where girl is? That good."

Then Daxia looked at Mikal with a grin. "Good. Questions good, but understand rescue girl most important thing... very good. Mikal no cobble-block."

Tapping her fingers on the table, she watched Conrad and Lia. She watched in the same way Kisa Allaine watched at court. After a handful of breaths, her brows furrowed, and after another handful she shook her head and sighed.

"We all remember, please," she said to the group in general, "girl own ore. Find girl, ask girl what she want, ok?"

Sighing again, she turned back to Mikal. "We do nothing with ore, Mikal. Not our ore. We take... that theft.

"But you right... can girl hold ore? Dama Samara say she very, very smart. But young. So... not good chance for her to keep without help. And who help her when everyone have different agenda, yes?" She caught his look, and shook her head slightly. "We find girl. We ask girl. If girl think these helpful, I ask... maybe Lia ask... Captain about helping, ok?"

Turning to Kadri, she said, "Arty taking notes where they should go. This one trick, yes? We need second trick. You know more good tricks like turning one coin into five, maybe?"

Lia

She nods at Mikal's question and stared back at Daxia raising one mute eyebrow at the stare and the sigh the swordswoman was giving her.

Then the woman turned away and directed her commentary to all, Mikal, then Kadri.

Anything Lia had been going to say was left unspoken. She'd learned long ago how hard it was to try speaking to someone who dismisses and turns to other things.

Cesare

He takes his ale with a smile and thanks, drinks a good draught off the top and then clears a space on the table. Dipping his finger in the ale, he outlines the location they saw as he answers Mikal's questions.

"Warehouses. Saw no guards but sure there were some, probably inside. Longtooth warned us of people approaching, four, possibly a patrol but we moved and so didn't see them. We thought it better to withdraw and bring the information back here."

He adds the details he remembers, doors, windows, neighbouring warehouses, layout. Where needed as it dries, he replenishes the ale trail.

Kadri:

"We won't remove the ore from the warehouse, really - do THEY know that?"

She says, contemplatively.

"If you want them to *think* you might carry the ore away, you should make arrangements for heavy drayage. Let them see your assembled freight wagons and heavy horse. That would guaranktee their mistrust," Celi said, then backed out of the limelight.

The Heartwood
Mid-afternoon, the Town of Cragside
Restday The Last Day of the Month of Raven, 2623

Camelia, Mikal, Bekkah, Daxia, Kadri, Darian, Cesare and Celi

"Cor."

It is the squire that spoke, pushing himself up from the table, dusting off his hands.

"Letters and talks of coins and fakery.

"There is one way to end this assuredly, solidly and assuredly."

And with that Conrad stood, turned on his heel, storming out of the tavern, his expression as grim as black storm season clouds. his brusk retirement does not go unnoticed by the rest of the tavern's patrons; the Horde mercenaries pausing in their conversation as the door slammed behind him.

" ... that is not going to end well."

The Horde's second looked up from his drink, where he rested, legs stretched out and boots hooked at the ankles. Barris then returned to his drink and his observations.

As the tavern slowly came back to life Cesare completed his explanations. and they were not totally unfamiliar; the area of which he spoke was the same where Daxia and Kadri had seen a horse and wagon earlier in the day.

<Lia>

The young woman started to stand as the Squire made his statement and reached out a hand in an aborted gesture as he strode to the door. The expression on her face was clearly torn between the desire to go with him and to stay.

The reasons to follow him were probably clear to an observer, especially one who knew how she came here. The reasons to stay? Perhaps not so much.

Lia glanced around the room as if looking for someone, something, before subsiding back into her chair though her body language appeared as poised to motion as a bird alighting on uncertain footing. She listened to the rest of the explanation.

Mikal

He nods at Celi's suggestion. "Yes, Celi. Perhaps we can even use that to strengthen the ruse regarding Eli?"

"If one of us were to go to the local dray master and inquire about the cost of hiring enough heavy horse to pull the ore wagons, while casually dropping Eli's name, word would get around that he was getting ready to move the ore. It would strengthen the suggestions he has the key."

"I'd rather not gather the dray horses ourselves, as that implies we have they key still."

"If we had enough manpower and enough resources what I'd like to do would be to really misdirect our foes. Once the Eli ruse has worn out it's welcome, we actually do hire the horses. We hitch them up and ride the wagons out of town. I highly doubt anyone would interfere while we were still within the walls. Once we'd gotten a few days out we'd almost surely by struck by the Dark Mark."

"However the wagons would no longer be holding the ore. Just rock. We unload it inside the warehouse, and then once the Mark leaves town to pursue the fake wagons, we load the ore up on a second set of wagons and ride them out of town during the night, heading the other way."

He hold up a hand to Daxia. "I do not suggest we take it from the girl. We only do this if it is what she wants. However, speaking of that, do we even know what it is she wants? Do we know if she has other family to speak for her? Even if we say the ore is hers, no merchants will deal seriously with a girl that young. She needs a guardian."

Watching Conrad storm out. "Of course, if the Lord's soldiers come marching down here and take possession of the warehouse in a few hours all of this may be moot anyway."

Darian

She mad herself comfortable and once again carefully unstrung her bow. Returning to an earlier part of the conversation she interjected, "Four no threat. More than a handful hunted."

Then she returned to rolling up her bow string and wrapping it the oilskin.

That was exactly the use Celi had envisioned; she wanted nothing to do with the ore, but misleading the various players as to the ore's location and travel plans was a workable scheme.

"That was as I had wished," Celi said. "As long as we have a heavy load of something so that the wagon springs and the horses' efforts appear authentic, we can plan a proper misdirection."

Cesare

He merely raises an eyebrow as the Squire storms out, then goes back to his ale diagram, drinking a little more of his drawing material to wet his throat.

He has mixed feelings about the squire's departure, relief in some ways because although the man is undoubtedly skilled with a sword, his attitude is not fluid enough for Cesare and he represents authority which has never been a good companion to the Rhoni. However he does feel that their current situation, whilst complicated enough in its own right, has now tangled further.. and that cannot be good.

Daxia
with the Gang at the Inn

She watched the Squire storm out, and noted the comment of the Verchovai's second. She grimaced at the first and, eyes turning to Barris for a heartbeat, nodded at the second. Then she tilted her head, eyes looking skyward, as she muttered under her breath, "Yah, You have point, Lady. Lowly initiate still be stubborn, ok?"

Elbows on table and chin propped in her hands, Daxia regarded Mikal. "Dama Samara say girl orphan. When Bekkah and Daxia become orphans, Temple become home." She shrugged. "Samara say girl take over father's business in few years. But girl need guardian for now, yah, think so. No idea -- yet -- who." Looking down at the drying sketch Cesare had marked out on the table, she seemed to simply be lost in staring at it. After fullhands of heartbeats, she sighed. Leaving her chin propped in one hand, she reached out with the other to touch a finger to the table. "Girl here, yes?" She moved her finger slightly. "Ore here."

Crossing her arms, she rested them on the table in front of her, leaning forward. "Asking about drayage good idea, Celi," she said, echoing Mikal's opinion. "Question, though... would merchant hire? Or take carts, horses already in warehouse?" She paused again, considering. "Maybe hire... if think carts, horses taken elsewhere. So, ok... Eli hire," she said with a smile and waggle of eyebrows. Looking between Mikal and Cesare several times over numerous heartbeats, her eyes finally rested on Mikal. "Think safest for you to leave group if needed. Have comrades in city guard; guildhouse here. Have good reason for being on streets, yes? And already seen with Celi, yes? So not strange if she go, if she want. But must move quickly, yes, before Nobles involve themselves." Daxia sighed again, but smiled crookedly at Kadri. "Know you have reason for being on street, too. Need Kadri here to explain, help plan tricking of merchants, ok?"

Her gaze moved across the entire group again. "Ideas for rescuing girl... more tricks for merchants... before Shannon family make Noble mess of situation?"

Celi looked at Mikal appraisingly, then straightened and nodded. "I am willing to do as you wish, Mikal. However I may help."

Kadri:

She drums her fingers on the table.

"We start the shell game among those of use suited while those who rescue. . rescue? We move? We ready?"

Mikal

"Yes. That's why I took Celi with me and asked about employment for her. Shouldn't raise any suspicions is she stays with me." He grins at Celi.

He then looks at Daxia. "I have no problem if Celi and I look into drayage, and drop Eli's name. However", he glances at Kadri, "if you do decide to rescue the girl, you may need me. With Conrad gone you are down one good fighter. With me gone it'll be two. Unless you think you can sneak her out somehow?"

He pauses, then continues. "I do have an idea for a distraction, that sort of ties into my earlier suggestion, and goes along with trying to sneak her out."

"If we unload the ore and reload the wagons with rock, and then hitch the wagons and lead them out of the warehouse, we can lead them around the town, covered with tarps. Take a giant circle ultimately back to the warehouse. I doubt we'll be attacked in town, and even if so they'll get nothing."

"Then, while we are moving around town all eyes will be on us, and the girl might be watched by fewer. A few can sneak in and get her."

"Of course all ploys will be exposed after that. But we'd have the girl and the ore."

"You could lead them outside the walls, for a more substantial reduction in the threat
to the girl," Celi said. "Any ambush we could set would be better positioned."

<Lia>

Listening to the words flow over her, the young woman stirs again. "I do not believe I can be of much aid in what you are saying now. I have some small skill but not against those armored unless it is to trip them. Nor do I have skill in driving wagons. I know enough to know that. I will do what I can, but I don't see a place right now unless perhaps there is a way to make it seem the girl is a few places at once. That could distract if they're going after a few possibilities." She smiled a bit mirthlessly before asking in general, "And Samara is? Perhaps I missed it in the flow of... words. But I do not recall."

Kadri:

"Samara. . is my employer. And owns the warehouse that the ore in question is being stored in."

Daxia
with the Gang at the Inn

As the others spoke, Daxia looked more than a little distracted. In the silence following Kadri's answer to Lia, she let out a nearly explosive "Tcha!" as her eyes refocused on the diminutive woman. "Man who approach you this morning lying, dishonest, foul dung heap... poor excuse for human being!" She smacked forehead with the heel of her hand. "Ah! Why connections always take so long to connect?" She turned to Mikal. "You say two thieves brought dead to Hospice, yes? Who approached this morning by two men say they hurt girl? Yes. Daxia." She looked back at Kadri. "Who approached this morning by man clever enough to sneak up on Kadri, hmmm? Also man who say he hurt girl. Man clever enough to sneak up on Kadri, plenty clever enough to sneak up on two not-so-bright thieves, kill, take girl. Sorry to say..." She directed her next comment to the ruff. "...maybe clever enough even to fool Longtooth."

She sighed as she tapped the table where Cesare had drawn out the map of the warehouse area. "Good thing... girl seem to be held same area as ore. Moving crates -- even empty might work -- good diversion for rescuing girl. Bad thing... not so many people, maybe not right skills.

"Things need to do... one, make merchants think Eli hiring horses, carts. This give messages more perception of truth, yes? Mikal, Celi already say they do.

"Two, rescue girl from man who very clever, very evil. Get girl to safe place. Maybe Priestess of Attera be temporary guardian," she said with a wink to Bekkah, "until we find right person to help her. Who have skills for rescue?

"Three, drive cart with no ore..." She looked at Celi with a smile. "...maybe not out town gates, but that direction, yes. Confusing merchants even more. Who have skill with animals, maybe driving wagon?

"So, need to know... resources? Yes, resources. I ride very well, but no experience with wagons. So I go to rescue girl. Have interesting idea, thanks to Lia," she said, nodding to the young woman, "but not say until know where skills of all best fit, ok?"

As she continued to tap on the table, Daxia's gaze moved around the group... and caught for an instant on the Jvrillian who worked for Verchovai Dandelion, a thoughtful look passing over her features as she glanced at the Jvrillian working for her. Her eyes finally settled on Lia. And she smiled.

"Ahh... think maybe you *can* help." She paused a moment, as if ordering her thoughts. "If you please request from sister temporary use of wagon, horses, crates... maybe two, three men to carry crates into warehouse, carry out again after pretend to fill with ore? You not comfortable ask, ok. She not comfortable give, ok. We work with wagons, horses at warehouse, yes? Just easier, more realistic if have own wagon, horses, crates, helpers, yes?"

Darian

"Maybe fool me," she said calmly, "but not him."

Then she leaned down to softly speak with the ruff in question.