A Simple Delivery (Iskessah)

[Marcus Ahysen]

She was acting a bit odd, but Marcus didn't pay it that much attention. Most Ravokians acted odd around a member of the Black Sun, which was why Marcus usually preferred to do things in regular clothing so as not to draw attention to himself. It allowed him to move more freely throughout the populace, whereas if he were dressed as an Agent he would constantly be bothered by the rabble asking for blessings he had no power to give. Marcus didn't really know what else to do. The woman must not have wanted her mizas very badly, because she had yet to name a price for her services, or say much of anything at all for that matter. She was a weird one, that was for sure. "So.. I guess we are done here. If I need you again, I will send for you." Perhaps now she would name her fee. If not, then Marcus would have gotten her services for free, and that would have been fine with him. If she did, he was curious to see how much she would ask for, considering he was a member of the Black Sun. How bold was she?

[Iskessah]

She was about to leave, but before she could move from her stance, something about the situation struck a chord of wrongness within her (which, at least, managed to distract her from her previous panic). Fixing the man with a not-quite-suspicious look, she said slowly, carefully trying to imbue her voice with a stronger sound than a hissing whisper. "You...were planning to pay, right?" She meant it as a gentle reminder, rather than a threat, though she had little control over her tone of voice when she was already trying to adjust its sound. In her experience, most who used her services offered what they believed to be a fair sum for a courier, and over the years she had gained some idea of what she was worth. Sometimes, for frequent customers, she would make arrangements to be paid either in advance or later, but this was someone with whom she had not yet made such an arrangement. She would be willing to assume he simply forgot about the matter of payment...once... but if he was deliberately trying to avoid paying her... something would have to be done.

[Marcus Ahysen]

Ah, and there it was. She had waited until the very last chime indeed, but she still wanted her mizas. Marcus had never intended not to pay her, but since she hadn't asked, it amused him not to do so. But now that she had, there was something in her tone of voice that he did not like. He was, after all, an agent of Rhysol. If he didn't want to pay her, what choice did she have but to accept? Even so, it could have just been her accent. And Marcus was not there to make enemies. In truth, the entire point of Ravok was to make people love Rhysol, not hate him, and in doing that his followers had to be loved as well. "Ah, of course. The Black Sun always rewards those who show their devotion to Rhysol, as you have done today." Marcus walked into the other room where he kept his mizas. In his eyes, her services were barely worth a gold miza. All she had done was deliver a letter that he easily could have done so himself. That didn't seem like it was worth much.. which was why he was going to pay her ten. What better way to buy someone's love than through their coin purse? Marcus filled a small pouch with ten coins and brought it back with him, holding it up and dropping it into Iskessah's hands when she reached for it. "The Black Sun is always generous to the faithful. I do believe that concludes our business, then," Marcus said, opening the door for Iskessah. She had done well, he might use her again for a more pressing matter, but that was still to be seen.

[Iskessah]

Iskessah opened the bag and counted the mizas. Ten, but what surprised her was their color. She couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. Ten gold mizas seemed... a bit much, even to her terrible sense of the worth of goods and services. She had been expecting maybe five, if she was lucky, but likely not more than two. This sum could buy... a full night at the House, with some left over for a decent meal in any tavern. She was almost tempted to suspect the man of some sort of trickery or trap, but the gleam of metal and the sound of rocks clacking together dispelled any such notions. If this man was going to part so easily with his money, she was not about to stop him. Trying ineffectually to conceal the widening of her eyes, she looked back at the man who opened the door to let her out. A member of one of the highest authorities in Ravok, overpaying her for a simple job. What could it mean? He couldn't possibly know the risk she'd incurred on the job itself... could he? No, he probably had some other agenda. But she was coming up blank on what that could possibly be. All she could really do was keep on as before, staying out of trouble, not making any enemies. She nodded sharply in apparent acknowledgement of his words, and slipped past him out the door. She walked briskly back to her own apartments, wanting nothing more than to go back to sleep and forget this day had ever happened.

[Sphinx]

Thread Award! Character Name: Marcus Ahysen Skills: Rhetoric +3 Lore: With Power Comes Responsibility to Look Good Notes: Rhetoric for talking to Iskessah, giving her the objective with the letter Reward: -10 gold rimmed mizas Character Name: Iskessah Kosun Skills: Rhetoric +2 ; Running +1 Lore: N/A Notes: Rhetoric for discussing the order with Marcus, running for the end there Reward: +10 gold rimmed mizas Ravok is cool stuff, and I liked the opportunity to grade a Ravokian thread. Nice work there, you two. If you have questions, concerns, or comments about my grading, please don't be afraid to PM me.