(QUEST) I.V.V

[Innes Lynch]

It was a long, and hardened adventure that Innes did not quite fancy. Nevertheless, he had no choice but to be out in this blistering heat. As always, he wore his weaponry and red scarf. He did not dare wear his normal attire in this hellhole though- no, he was clothed in a ragged shirt, tanned linens, and a pair of basic sandals he picked up from a small store. He had a small pair of shaded glasses over his eyes, and his black hair fell down about them, hiding his red eyes. It was a bright morning, after all.


The information he and his two allies had found was nothing more than disturbing. It consisted of a plot to assassinate Zelda, the High Princess of Hyrule. It hailed from here, from a persona signed M. This information was highly classified, not even made clear to Zelda herself.

Vanessa, his first choice, was a Hylian Knight who would no doubt become priceless for this mission. The other was someone whom was not affiliated with the Kingdom, but was, to Innes, considered trustworthy. Vyliria was a monster with dynamic abilities concerning information- and was well known among the Royal Guard as a famed Broker.

Stepping off the ship, he slid his hands into his pocket and looked around the populated bay. Fitting in was their first objective, and he figured his group had done a well enough job. From here on out though, well enough was not okay- it was perfection or death, and the latter was not his objective.

[VANESSA FERRE]

Assassinate the Princess of Hyrule. Well, that was certainly grand; it wasn’t surprising to the Knight Sergeant that someone was after the Princess’ life -- someone was always after the Princess’ life be it some evil force or some random sociopath. But what did surprise her was the fact that she was called upon for such a mission; usually the more combat-intensive knights would be selected after she performed the initial task of observing. Vanessa wasn’t all too fond of blood after all.

But, what was this ferocity in her blood? She supposed it was something that all the Knights developed over time: threaten the Princess, incur the wrath of an army whether or not they knew her personally. She stepped around the hoi poi of the port town, tucking strands of tangled blonde behind her ears. Not that she wasn’t supposedly part of the hustle and bustle of populated bay area: dressed in a basic, belted, white tunic over short leggings, she struggled with the tattered cloak whipping about in the chilled ocean air. Claymore had been a little more difficult for her hide -- no matter what she did, it seemed to be an obstruction in any line of vision.

So, she opted to enter the town much earlier that morning, quietly camping at the dock with other passengers waiting for the next ship, stashing Claymore in a balsa wood case that effectively hid with miscellaneous luggages. A ping of energy signature struck her senses, and silver turned in searching, spotting Innes. Getting up, she strode casually over and greeted him with a smile that old friends would juggle with one another. “Oh, there you are! I was almost afraid that the Kraken had eaten your ship!” A laugh of placement to blend with the murmur of ordinary voices and a sprinkle of small talk as garnish.

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[Vylira]

x x

It was an astounding thing, being able to know things as they happened. Vylira had known that she was going to be contacted for the job before the contact even reached her, so she had merely left a message and moved along. Innes had gotten the message and so they were in business and Vylira had a head start. Not that she needed it, all things considered, but when you knew everything you needed to play some games. The one thing she didn't know was what someone was going to do, though she could easily deduce it in the simpler folk.

For example, her two business partners meeting there at the dock. Vylira sat on a crate and watched as they began to interact with a simple greeting. She was dressed in her usual flourished outfit, complete with bits and baubles and all that, and yet she didn't stand out at all among pirates, who loved their bits and baubles more than any gypsy woman would. She merely grinned a Cheshire grin at the pair trying so hard not to stand out among some the most flamboyant folk in the world.

They both knew her, of course, though neither knew much about her. Vanessa she had encountered in the desert not too long before this deal, and Innes used her infinite pool of knowledge quite often, as most political figures would. Leaders of guilds, races and all those other fragments of society were always such good business, since they could always benefit from knowing something their opposition didn't. Granted Vylira made a point of being completely unbiased and neutral in all business affairs, so all said opposition had to do was seek her out.

She hopped off her crate and walked up to the pair, clapping them both on the shoulder and shaking her head with amused disapproval. "You both stand out like wheat among gold," she said, humor in her voice. "Trying so hard to look plain and boring when you're mingling with people who try so hard to stand out, really, neither of you must have ever interacted with pirates before." She let go of them both and put her hands on her hips. "I've already taken the liberty of finding us a safehouse to work out of, and stocking it up. Said supplies will, of course, be part of the bill," she added, throwing Innes a coy look.

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[Innes Lynch]

Innes nodded. He had, after all, opted to arrive last of the three. "Hm. The Kraken would be an unforeseen trial." Innes was not fond of making friends with these two- at least not now. He was here to do a job, and if one of them had to be left behind, he didn't want pointless emotions tugging at him to do differently.

Looking at Vylira, Innes nodded. He was impressed, somewhat disturbed that she had already committed so much, but still, her pay would be good. "Then lets go to it. Lead the way." If their get ups were really that bad, then he figured he would simply add to it perhaps.

Innes looked around- this place was huge. It was going to take awhile to find out information, he figured they could rest during the day, and take action at night perhaps.

---

[VANESSA FERRE]

A little "oomf" left her lips as Vylira slapped her upon the shoulder, and she wished it weren't so. Vanessa would have recognized this woman from a thousand miles away, so denial was just wishful thinking; the embarrassment from being caught completely off guard in a most pathetic state had not completely left her taste buds.

She should keep her composure -- not that this Vylira bothered her per se, but Vanessa couldn't help but be a little unnerved. Hoisting the obscene package up, she straightened her shoulders and let out a resigned chuckle. Both her companions would be difficult, no doubt, and she was not looking for dramatics within a tight space. "I suppose it is too wishful of an act. After all, we're already being watched." A nonchalant shrug, "Pirates will be pirates."

Mind games with pirates weren't exactly her favorite, but it was certainly better than being jumped right off the bat. She followed the broker, still quietly observing both her companions. What a dull trip, but it was better than one of too much excitement.

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[Vylira]

x x

Vylira just gave the two of them a quaint little smile. She leaned in close to Vanessa and whispered. "You know that feeling when you're all alone and the hair on the back of your head stands on end? That strangest feeling that you are being watched despite the fact that it's impossible, that you're alone and there's no one around? Sweetie, I'll let you in on a little secret for free. That feeling isn't wrong. You are being watched. By me." Her lips twisted back into a devilish grin as she backed away and spun on her heel.

"Oh, hang on," she grunted and produced a sheet of paper and a pencil out of nowhere. Using a crate as a desk she wrote out the names of a bunch of random locations in the town. It served no purpose but as an illusion, of course, but it was necessary to maintain certain disguises. As she wrote she adjusted her mental filtering on her information feed, turning Pirate Bay into a dead zone of sort. She kept her lines open for any mention of her name and a few vital pieces, but she didn't want to ruin any surprises. "Just need to make sure I don't accidentally cheat," she cooed and crumbled the paper up.

"Come along, then, folks, it's just around the corner. No one questions the renting of rooms and buildings this close to the docks, so we'll be safe to operate. I've also made use of a few wards I know to keep the place safe of a curious thief," she shrugged idly as she led the way along the roads to where their base would be. "Innes can fill you in further once we're there, Vanessa, since you're behind the game here," she teased, making every point to make it sound condescending.

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[Innes Lynch]

Innes listened, and was slightly disturbed by the females ending comment. He wasn't going to deal with childish antics. Keeping a deadpan expression, his glasses covered his eyes, and he nodded, following Vylira to the place she had gotten for them.

"She has been filled in already. We'll get some sleep, and head out when the suns down. A lot of drunks, a lot of talkers." That was all he had to say in all honesty. They would be splitting up tonight- and they would all find out some basic information. While Vylira knew things as they happened, usually, she could not read minds or be omnipotent. Her ability to find possible targets would be beneficial.

Once they got to the place, Innes would hit the hay and get some sleep. They hadn't caught any attention yet, so they would be safe. Innes had his questions about Vylira; he trusted Vanessa more than anyone though. She was a Hylian Knight after all.

---

Quest: The team will split upon my next post. I will use Three hr bars to separate each one of our parts. Innes, Vylira, and Vanessa will all take on three targets for possible information, using whatever way they can to receive information. I will list their targets in my next post- remember, information is vital. I'll be running the NPC's you interact with.

[VANESSA FERRE]

Vanessa shuddered as Vylira’s breath tickled the shell of her ear -- this would be a most unpleasant little adventure for her, she was positive. Wait, what? She spun to look the broker with a scandalized expression, “You mean...” Her face lit up like a torch as her arms clenched around Claymore’s case, pulling it close to her chest, and feeling oddly violated. No, this would not be pleasant at all. Regaining some sort of composure she whispered back, “What could I possibly have that interests you?!”

At the voice of the male Sheikah -- thank the Goddesses he spoke -- she turned to follow. It would be wise for her to get some rest, but somehow she doubted it would be a full one. A long night ahead -- but she didn’t mind, after all, nighttime patrols were always her favorite, and she didn’t mind working alone.

They shouldn’t have too much trouble, but it never hurt to keep an ear open...especially when a fox was her kindly neighbor.

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[Vylira]

x x

Vylira decided to leave Vanessa's question unanswered and merely gave the woman a coy, knowing grin in reply. Let her gather what she would want from that. Vanessa was particularly fun to play with, though Vylira couldn't put her finger on why. Perhaps it was because she was so easy, though that was usually a turn off. Maybe it was because Vanessa knew she was being toyed with and tried so hard to resist, only to continually fall victim to it. Vylira decided she'd be content with that answer as they had arrived at the safehouse anyway.

An unremarkable wooden doorway on the front of a small building with dirty windows, wedged between two larger buildings that easily drew more attention. It was perfectly nondescript and unimportant. Vylira stepped up to the door and reached out. Instead of turning the doorknob, she merely waved her hand in front of it and the door clicked and creaked open. "Just wave your hands in front of the doorknob like I did on your way in, so that it learns to recognize you. There's an illusion over the entire inside of this building, so if it doesn't release from the ward all you see is a crowded storeroom that smells rank with old and rotten fish. Most people would be turned away," she chimed as she walked inside.

Outside of the illusion it was a surprisingly large room with all the basic necessities set up, with two beds, three desks, a small kitchen area complete with a few magical devices from her own collection used to store food and keep produce fresh. The windows were also larger than they had seemed from the outside, and perfectly clean. Finally the door had a large window in the center that wasn't visible from the outside. At the back of the room was a large double door with a heavy chain across it. "Same goes for the back door, though there's no way through the illusion back there," she added before collapsing into onto one of the beds.

"Oh, and I will apologize for the lack of a third bed. It's remarkably hard to find mattresses that aren't rank with body odor or infested with lice around here on such short notice. Had you given me a week I could've had this place looking like a palace . . . with similar dimensions, too," she grinned and patted the spot beside her. "But that's fine, I don't mind sharing with Vanessa."

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[Innes Lynch]

Innes followed, and paid attention to his allies instructions. Once they were inside, he kept a deadpan expression once more, and left his sunglasses on. Without any words, he stepped into the kitchen, grabbed a chair, and propped it against the front door. Sitting down against it, leaned his head back. "I'll be keeping guard as best I can. She can take the bed. I'll not have a Knight of my Princess sharing a bed now." With that, he closed his eyes, and went into a form a meditation.

--------------------------------------

That night, he awoke after occasional hours of sleep. Rising from his chair, he went to the bathroom to clean up. After doing so, he looked out the window and grabbed three pieces of paper. On each of them, he wrote a different name.

"Hm..." On the first he wrote the name Casella Disovanne- Bartender. On the Second he wrote Din - Messenger. On the third, he halted, and the tossed it to the side, realizing he didn't actually need a third. "Find them- get the information." With that, he walked out the door.

[VANESSA FERRE]

Innes was direct and to-the-point as usual, which she preferred anyhow; there was enough straining dramatics with the broker to fill her churning palate. She took the parchment with the name “Din” -- this shouldn’t be too difficult, after all she was a renowned tracker of sorts or stalker as some others may put it.

Vanessa readied her gear and holstered Claymore onto her back all the while reading locating the target’s energy signature. The path through a narrow cleft perhaps. With that she made her way out, careful not to disturb Vylira. Goddesses knew Vanessa did not want to incur her mischief before her duties.

There was a catch though, Vanessa would have to follow closer than she would like, but all a job was a job. A matter of preference hardly mattered. She made a mental note of what she wanted -- timing and means.

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[Vylira]

x x

Knowing everything as it happened, even when limiting her own abilities, led to enhanced senses in a very strange way. Even the best of the Shiekah, the Royal Guard himself, with the legendary stealth that came with both the position and the race, couldn't sneak past her. While she was asleep her subconscious stretched out and monitored her surroundings, a cautionary device developed naturally to a keaton to prevent people from sneaking up and capturing them. Keaton were notoriously hard to capture.

But Vylira was a Fox Minish to those two and her senses were unknown, so as Innes stirred and began to go about his business Vylira stayed still and feigned sleep on the bed. The same thing happened when Vanessa awoke and prepared, and picked her target. There was an urge to reach out with her natural abilities and find the location of Vanessa's messenger before the Knight left and reveal it to her, just to tease her some more, but she decided against in favor of some more sleep, letting herself drift off again once both of the party members had left.

When the broker awoke this time she stretched like a cat and got up out of the bed, getting herself some food and washing up before even glancing at her sheet of paper. She'd read the name earlier when Vanessa had chosen her target, of course, but sometimes it was better to experience things first-hand. She sighed. "Leave me with the bartender, hey?" she murmured and briefly considered merely using her talents to learn what she needed and getting some more sleep. But she decided against. The pay was not that good.

But she decided she'd have a little more fun doing this. Before she left she produced from her nospace a small velvet bag and loosened the draw string. Reaching inside she pulled out a small pill and laid it aside before putting the bag away. With a gulp of water she swallowed the pill and smirked, then left the building for where she knew her bartending target would be working that evening, a sway in her hips and a jaunt in her step.

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[Innes Lynch]

Din, the Messenger that Vanessa was tracking, was currently walking to the port to deliver a message to a Pirate Captain known as White Bear. Not beard, but Bear. Din was extremely skinny, and clad in obvious messenger clothing with a bag over his back and a tourist like hat on. He didn't appear to fit in, but everyone at the Bay knew him. He carried no weaponry, but he had peeked at the letter he was delivering, and sadly was upset by it....but why?

---

Casella was a bit of a female name, but the bartender was completely man. In fact, he was 400 pounds of pure man- all muscle. At his waist was a strong....fist. Casella slammed it on the bar counter, drink in hand. Smiling, he went about working. The bar he worked at was fairly new, close to the center of the Bay, and further from the port.

---

Innes, meanwhile, had taken himself to a small weapons shop where he found a single old man named Kratos. Upon entering, he was immediately surprised to find the man had red eyes.

"Your eyes are red...." Was the first words from his mouth.

[VANESSA FERRE]

Vanessa frowned. Unfortunately for her, she wasn’t there to eavesdrop, and she supposed that the letter contained vital information, but it wasn’t a hundred percent. She could read emotions, she could read intent, she could read a person down to their bare bones if she wanted to, but she could not read a letter. It would be an interesting choice -- it wasn’t as though she could politely ask for the letter, and if something were to be contained in the letter, it would not be spoken. Where was that Vylira when she needed her, Vanessa threw an exasperated thought into the air.

Then the question becomes so: to kill or not to kill. Sadly for her, everyone knew this Din; if he were to disappear, something would be the matter. No weapon, no armor, no muscle...Why send a messenger without protection? Unless he was extremely fast and extremely efficient. Now, what are your abilities? She activated her sight, reading analyzing. A look of disappointment? But why? Too little excitement. Perhaps it was for naught, but one couldn’t be too careful.

But it was for sure, she couldn’t kill him -- not unless it was a last resort. She would play the generic broken pickpocket -- an injured leg perhaps. In other words, the blond bimbo if it really came down to it. But for now, she would watch, carefully positioning herself a good three miles from the dock, enough distance for her to keep track of other happenings and to cut off Din’s escape. With that she heard steps and carefully placed herself within the shadows behind netted cargo.

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[Vylira]

x x

By the time Vylira reached the bar in question the effects of the pill had kicked in and the world was spinning. Colors stretched beyond her limitations and everything seemed so vibrant. As one who saw everything as it happened, this was something her ability couldn't see, couldn't emulate, and she loved it every time. Because of that same ability, the natural way her mind had adapted to deal with everything, she was even able to stay mostly coherent while under the effects of the drug as well.

Though it really did make her loosen up.

She made her way into the bar and moved straight for the bar. And then onto the bar. She stood up in the middle of the tavern and announced for everyone in the room: "The next round's on me, and then I do one round on each of you!" It took a moment for it to sink in what was being said and most would merely accept it at the free drink, not knowing that in the end it wasn't free at all. That was what Vylira liked about drunken pirates: if your sentence was a bit more than a subject-verb-noun construction they would assume it meant free booze and not question it.

And that would undoubtedly attract the attention of the bartender. A pretty girl standing on top of the bar would gather most, and where that failed, that same girl buying a round for a crowded tavern would draw them in to the easy rupees. Vylira knew how to work: she was an information broker, after all, and it wouldn't do to just rely on her little ability. So with a graceful pirouette and a wide grin across her face she dismounted from the counter top and took up a stool, throwing a bag of rupees down on the table and waiting for the tender to come along. "They'll all have ale, and I'll have three measures of gin, one of vodka, half a measure of lillet. Shake it very well until it's ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel." She really didn't know where she'd pulled the drink from, but it was complicated and would buy time to start conversation. If the extremely specific order didn't start one for her.

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