Puzzling

Yelrona is sitting in a large booth, alone, staring at an intricately carved wooden box.

The door swings open and a human man walks in, he smiles as he moves through the tavern, going up to the bar and ordering a drink with an extra-friendly smile to the woman behind the bar. Then he turns toward Yelrona, a light twinkling ringing through the air as he shifts his head. "Yelrona, I have been looking for you!" Daed - disguised as David sounds glad to see her.

Yelrona looks up at the familiar and entirely human-seeming man who approaches her. "And you've found me!" she replies enthusiastically, pushing the box to one side and gesturing an invitation to sit.

Daechir accepts the invitation and the drink which quickly comes with it. "So I have." He makes a small amused noise and meets her gaze with his disguise-darkened ones. "It is about the night we were at the inn." Daed seems suddenly serious.

Yelrona nods. She's heard about what the group discovered while she was out trying to find Razen, but is curious whether there's new information.

"You heard about it?" Daed seems to relax somewhat. "I was not sure you had."

Yelrona nods again. "Word gets around. Even when it doesn't, if you know what I mean. Is there any new information about where he was taken?"

Daechir considers the question for a moment. "I do not know exactly what it is that you have heard." He smiles quickly but the expression fades into one of concern. "I am worried though about this Razen person."

Yelrona nods. "That seems appropriate. He's a friend who had an idea similar to yours from the other end: to set himself up as a potential commodity, rather than a purchaser, and see what we could learn from infiltration on that end. The problem was, I could not think of a mechanism for tracking him, should he be taken. Which, apparently, he has been. Apparently after finding Charn's spy in the Guild, though I have no idea how he managed that." She sounds impressed.

"I must admit, I feel foolish," Rona admits, "for going to look for him in the city without first investigating the Inn itself."

The man looks aghast for a moment. "Set him up as." The expression of concern deepens and he shudders a little to himself. "If I had known that... I thought he was merely captured because he knew too much. That would be bad enough." Daed does not add how bad it would be if Razen had been captured for other purposes.

"It's possible he was. I don't know exactly how he was captured... so far I have been unable to track his movements after he left that note."

"I know that he mentioned you should look for him on the Galleons of Gold ship. So that is a place to start at least." Daed fiddles with his drink, his discomfort clear. "You do not seem that concerned for him. And yet you seem surprised at his capability."

Yelrona raises an eyebrow. "How would I seem, were I concerned?"

The question clearly gives Daed pause and he nods his head to acknowledge his wrong. "I do not know. Forgive my presumption."

Yelrona smiles easily. "Nothing to forgive. I haven't been able to uncover much about the Galleons of Gold as yet... admittedly, I've been moving slowly to avoid raising any suspicion."

Ga'Elian has arrived.

"If there is anything I can do to provide assistance..." Daed sighs and makes a motion toward his face that he hides in the adjustment of his collar. "This has been very useful to me, and it provides me anonymity."

Mel has arrived.

Yelrona nods. "I'm glad. Incidentally, I have something you might find helpful in that area..." She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a flowery hairclip, which she offers to Daed.

Ga'Elian waves.

Daechir accepts it with curiosity, turning it over in his fingers. He glances around and then arches an eyebrow at her. "I would try to discern what it is, but that would raise suspicion." He smiles a little. "I pretend not to have magic."

There is a small scuffle in the kitchen, then Mel appears from the back. "Good afternoon," he calls out. "Anyone need fresh drinks?" he asks, a bit of irony in his tone. "If so, the Fernwood is up the street. Just the same old slop bucket leavings here."

Yelrona nods. "Probably wise. Let me demonstrate, then." She gets up and walks out of the Ox. Shortly thereafter a hunched human man enters, and tilts his head curiously at Mel's comment. Two beats later he roars with laughter. "I get it -- that was a joke!" he says. "I'll take a beer," he adds, and walks up to Daechir's table and gestures to the box. "Ah, there 'tis. Goody!" He slides in and begins to fiddle with it.

GAME: Yelrona rolls disguise+30-4: (9)+11+30+-4: 46

Ga'Elian follows the "man" in and says, "Who has been telling jokes?"

Daechir is suitably impressed by the change in Yelrona. He watches her fiddle with the box and turns toward Ga'Elian motioning toward Mel. "Apparently he was though I admit to not getting the humor of it." The man in disguise can't seem to keep his gaze off of the change in Yelrona.

Mel taps a beer for the 'old man', and says, "Sadly, it wasn't a joke. Though I may have exaggerated a little. It's not really leavings. They actually tip the slop bucket back into the barrels at the end of the evening if you don't watch them like a hawk."

"Name's Galen, by the by," the 'man' sitting across from 'David' says, "and at least it's cheap," adds to Mel. "Anyhoo, that's what it's for," 'he' continues, indicating the hairclip.

Ga'Elian looks like he doesn't quite understand, but shrugs and chalks it up to one more thing that flew over his head, but probably doesn't matter anyway. There seem to be several of those. He turns to "David" and asks, "Do you know whether the vessel is a passenger ship, war ship, or cargo ship?"

Mel nods about it being cheap. "That's why folk still drink it. And what I cook is safe enough. Most of the stuff here's enough to make you sick. Or at least give you the trots for a few days. I'm Mel," he adds by way of introduction. "What's this about ships?" he wonders.

'David' turns the hairclip over once again and nods to Yelrona. "You have my gratitude. It will come in handy." Undoubtedly it would. He turns his attention to Ga'Elian and sighs. "I have learned very little as of yet. Only that we have more reason and cause to worry about Razen." His eyes slip toward Mel, and he coughs quietly.

'Galen' brays a laugh. "Gratitude my ass! I'll send ya a bill. ANYWAYS, I should be going. Nice meetin' y'all." He shuffles out the door.

Mel arches a brow, shrugs at the David fellow with the hairclip. He goes back to spreading the grime more evenly on the glasses with a dirty rag.

Yelrona returns from wherever it is she was. "So... did I miss anything interesting?"

Ga'Elian ignores Mel's question, but goes on, saying, "It just seems like it might be useful to masquerade as someone with a reason to go aboard. If it's a passenger ship, maybe you should accompany me to purchase suitable attire to look like I belong, but don't stand out as remarkable. If he's on board, it seems wise to not alert the wrong people that we're trying to find him."

Daechir looks over Ga'Elian's clothes with an appraising eye and smiles. "I would be happy to help you shop for something more suited to your physique and coloring, but I think you a too well-known face in Alexandria to masquerade as anything other than yourself." He makes a pass with his hand over his cup and offers it empty to Mel. He doesn't ask for seconds. Instead he smiles at Yelrona. "Nothing exciting, but Ga'Elian did make an excellent point. Perhaps we can get someone on the ship with /reason/ to be there. Such as someone you know who might be interested in that kind of cargo?"

Mel goes on cleaning, if the word really applies to what he's doing, evening out the grime on the glassware. At least he doesn't rinse it in the slop bucket. He'll take Daechir's cup and wipes it out, then puts it back on the shelf which in places that weren't scummy would be clean glasses.

Yelrona raises an eyebrow to 'David'. "Well, I think we _both_ know someone who would meet that description?"

Ga'Elian suggests, "Someone with a clever eye for following tracks, perhaps?"

Daechir laughs and looks at Ga'Elian. "You truly wish to be the one to find this Razen person. Or is it something else that draws your attention to our endeavors." He says nothing to Yelrona because they are in agreement. Only offers her the briefest of nods before questioning Ga'Elian.

Ga'Elian looks at 'David' and says, "Who finds him isn't the point, I mean Rona here is a decent tracker and far better at bluffing her way through if caught that I'll ever be."

"True enough, on that last part," Rona admits. "Anyway... I have several friends involved in, um, discreet shipping, shall we say? ...operations. I suspect we can find something appropriate to travel in."

"Whatever we do, we should do it quickly." Daed glances significantly at Mel and then changes the subject. "Perhaps you can tell me more later. In the meantime. What is that box you have Yelrona?"

Mel snorts, knows when he's not wanted. He'll finish wiping the glass he's on and head into the back.

"I wish I knew!" Rona wails. "A, ah, colleague of mine came into possession of it yesterday under somewhat mysterious circumstances. Ostensibly it contains a map to hidden treasure, though how often does _that_ turn out to be true? That said, I can't figure out how to open it."

Ga'Elian looks at the box now, too. He says, "May I try?"

Daechir laughs at them both and encourages Yelrona to allow the ranger an effort. His eyes watch Mel walk away for a moment before he returns his attention to the two before him. "Let him try. He might have luck where you have not."

Yelronashrugs and pushes the box over.

Ga'Elian picks up the box, and turns ot over a few times, looking at each face and listening for any indications from inside. He then sets it down and says, "Alright. Let's see what we have here."

GAME: Ga'Elian rolls Disable Device: (3)+19: 22

Daechir watches as Ga'Elian fiddles with the box with interest, trying to figure out how it works by watching the ranger's work with it.

The box has no obvious locks to pick or traps to disarm. Lots of moving pieces and carved bits and mechanical widgets, but it's really unclear what they're FOR.

Ga'Elian says, "Well, it's one thing to solve a puzzle box and quite another to disassemble it. If it's purpose is to contain something, disassembly might be effective enough, however."

Yelrona nods. "True enough. Unless it's trapped, of course."

"If it is trapped then it seems likely that whatever is inside is worth the effort of being kept secret." Daed doesn't touch the box, staying well back from it. "You have some magic do you not Yelrona? Can you tell if it is magical?"

Yelrona nods. "Some. It isn't, as far as I can tell. Nor evil, nor good, nor chaotic, nor lawful. Nor intelligent, in case you were wondering, though I admit that was a reach."

GAME: Ga'Elian rolls Craft/Trapmaking: (12)+8: 20

Ga'Elian examines the box again and shakes his head, "No. I think Rona's right. No traps that I can see." He fidgets with it a little more.

"I'm not even sure it _has_ an 'inside'," Rona observes. "I mean, nothing rattles when I shake it, and it doesn't sound obviously hollow."

Yelrona idly runs a finger along one of the carved grooves in the box's surface.

"Perhaps it is simply a puzzle box then. Like they make for children." Daechir watches Ga'Elian fiddle with it some more and smiles to himself. "Or perhaps someone made a box that simply looks like a puzzle box but has no actual end simply to watch people try to open it."

Yelrona laughs. "That would be funny," she observes. "I might make a few of those myself."

Ga'Elian chuckles and says, "Now that

would just be mean."

Daechir laughs and shrugs. He seems vastly amused. "You should make some Yelrona. They would be as amusing to others as this one has been to me. You even have a good design to work from." He motions toward the one that Ga'Elian has been unable to open.

Yelrona nods, apparently distracted by the idea. She pulls out a notepad and starts copying the box's elaborate design onto it, for inspiration.

Ga'Elian pushes the box back to Yelrona, then says, "I heard somebody busted a couple tables in here yesterday. I suppose it's probably a regular occurrence."

"Oh, the bar brawl?" Rona asks. "That was fun. I made a bit of coin off of that."

Daechir blinks at the sudden change in subject but arches an eyebrow at the words. "Yes I imagine so. It seems that sort of place. You were here Yelrona? Do you know what it was about?"

"Well," Rona shrugs, "I think it was mostly about sublimation. But that's just one sil's opinion."

Ga'Elian raises his eyebrows. "Someone was feeling frisky?"

The disguised Mul'niessa is wearing an expression similar to Ga'Elian's, eyebrows raised as he takes in the patrons of the establishment. "That seems... unlikely." Daed is clearly asking for more information; if Yelrona has it.

Yelrona shrugs. "Well, I could be wrong. In any case, I didn't see anything substantial to fight about. Maybe they were just blowing off steam."

Ga'Elian nods. As he stands up and stretches, he says, "Yeah. Sitting around drinking for too long can give one the urge to do something physical... get the body moving and the blood flowing."

Yelrona shrugs. "Funny. Running around gives me the urge to sit and drink. Especially if my blood starts flowing."

Daechir agrees readily and stands up himself. "Speaking of, I really should be on my way. I had little time to spend here."

The OX's door opens to admit a short figure, clad entirely in a forest-green cloak. They shut the door quietly, and stride towards Daechir, their steps silent. They stop at his side, and ... wait.

Morgan enters not much later than Tawyse as she is softly counting but is trying to make a strait line. She stops in the center of the room and says "well I am surprised I thought it would of been sooner." she then looks around and then says "Nice stone Elian."

"Thought what would be sooner?" asks Rona

Daechir pauses and glances down at the hooded figure. "Ah, pardon me. Is there something I can help you with?" The person is standing rather close.

Yelrona gets up and picks up her box. "Anyway... there's somewhere I should be as well. I'll keep you informed if I learn anything about the Galleon," she says before heading out the door.

Morgan smiles to rona "I learned a spell that lets me teleport, I was just wondering how far from my house I can. Though the method I did it at is not an accurate one."

There's a flash of orange hair as the woman removes her hood. "You're late.", she says simply. And then sticks out her tongue cheekily, before turning and heading to the bar.

The human man that Daed is disguised as looks embarrassed, hurrying after her and whispering in her ear quietly before turning and heading out of the bar. He stops only to wave at Ga'Elian as he goes.

-End-