Cat and Mouse (Marcus Ahysen)

[Inoadar]

5th day of Winter, 512

Inoadar decided it was only prudent to head for the charred and partially melted wreckage of the old C.E.B. building as if he didn't know it was gone. He DID know, of course. He had been there when it went up, but there was no reason to give any indication of it. He stood in false shock, staring at the heap of blasted stone, workers milling around, hammering bits loose and carting them away. After a brief exchange with an Ebonstryfe watchman, who grew considerably less suspicious when he learned that Inoadar was intending to make a payment on his shop debt, he was told to go to either the Vitrax or the C.R. office.

When he asked where the C.R.O. building was, the guard adopted a suspicious demeanor, squaring off with a threatening tone and slowly advancing to bump him with his chest, "Oh, I see. There some reason you don't want to go where the loyal defenders of this city reside, hmmm?"

Inoadar recoiled in apprehension, only partially feigned, "No, no, it's not like that. I just...I was advised to register for citizenship," he dropped his voice as though slavers were waiting in ambush around every corner. "so I was going to look into that at the same time."

The guard pulled out a book, covertly loosening the safety strap on his sword hilt, "I think you better give me your name, then."

Inoadar did not hesitate a moment, figuring this was the best scenario to test whether a guard would react to his name. The bounty had been stamped "PAID", so it should be off the books. But he watched the guard's eyes as he answered. "Parnell, Nolan Parnell." This was the name he had recently given to the guards at the Southern Trading Post as well as the clerk at the C.R. office a few weeks ago. It was time to see if there was any official connection between "Nolan Parnell" and "Trandino Adarius", a.k.a. "Inoadar", the name to which the bounty had been attached.

The guard appeared to check under both 'N' and 'P', but finding nothing, closed the book and grinned with mischief as he looped the safety catch back on his sword hilt. "I'm just petchin' with ya, mister. Yeah, you head on down to the registration office and fill out the forms. It's the best thing for ya." There was no indication that any political stigma was applied to the name. Inoadar thanked him and went his way.

Inoadar paid his seasonal due on the loan the C.E.B. had extended him for his shop, Ino Vations. He brought a genuine smile to the clerk's lips as he handed over an additional 127 gold mizas and some change to bring his debt down to an even 3,000. "Well, well, well! Someone actually doing more than the least they can do!" he exclaimed, "We don't get much of THAT these days."

"Well, it's the least I could do." Inoadar cracked with a grin. The clerk looked up sharply and they both broke into a laugh. He strode back to his shop to clean up a few things he'd left sitting out. He came to a sudden stop as he turned the last corner and saw his shop a few doors down on the left, from this direction.

There were a half dozen Ebonstryfe, a few with swords pulled, hauling his shopkeeper assistant, Burke Trovias, towards a cart. The fully enclosed kind of cart with a wood and iron door and manacles inside. He stopped for a moment, undecided. His mind was made up for him when one of the Ebonstryfe turned and saw him.

[Marcus Ahysen]

Timestamp: 2nd of Winter, 512 AV Location: The Temple of the Black Sun "We selected you for this mission because you expressed an interest in undercover work. Do you think you are up for it?" Marcus stood in the office of Lilith Roslyn, an Acolyte of the Black Sun, and his direct superior. Lilith was the woman who recruited him, and was also his sometimes lover, though the agent held no illusions that she cared for him only as much as it took for him to pleasure her. He, as most beneath her, was expendable, and should he displease her he knew the punishment would be far from pleasant. "Yes, my lady. I believe I am." The mission was simple and complex all at once. There was a man named Nolan Parnell, also known as Trandino Adarius, who the Ebonstryfe believed might have information useful to the Black Sun. With their soldiers busy, and the Ebonstryfe stretched thin between the war, the quest in Sahova, and everything else that was happening it was requested that an agent of the Black Sun assist in the matters. Tradino Adarius formerly had a bounty on his head, a bounty that was cleared some time ago. But the Ebonstryfe traded in information just as much as any other within the city, and it was soon found out that Tradino was in fact still alive, and had faked his own death. The Ravosalamen were only as loyal as it served their needs. Normally, the Ebonstryfe would not have concerned itself with such things, but there were other rumors that it did want to investigate. Rumors that Tradino, or Nolan Parnell as he went by currently, had some sort of connection with the Rising Dawn. And even if he didn't, his contact with the Ravosalamen alone made him worth paying attention to. Normally the Ebonstryfe would have simply taken him from his home and interrogated him, but Nolan Parnell was useful. He had a shop and he had connections with the Ravosalamen could be exploited. They just needed somebody on the inside to investigate them. His shopkeeper, a former slave, was the perfect scapegoat, and could easily be replaced with someone of their own. That someone would be Marcus. "You are going to have to give up everything. There is no telling how long this will take. Your possessions can be stored here, but your apartment will have to go. You will have to live as part of the rabble." "What of my slave?" "Sell her. Or find a use for her.. the choice is yours." Marcus nodded. He had much to consider, much to review, and only a few days to do it. He had to vanish, and become a new person. Keeping his first name would be easiest, but his last name would have to go. The Ahysen's were not as famous as the Nitrozians or the Larks, but his grandfather's name was still known in certain circles for his artwork, and it was not a risk Marcus could take. After he left the temple he made arrangements to have his belongings brought to Lilith's offices in the temple. Marcus did not really own much that he truly cared for, so it didn't take long to pack up his things and close down. After that, he rented a new room in a different complex under a different name, Marcus Aventus, and settled in to his new home. He bought new clothing, though to call it clothing was a far shot from what he considered proper clothing, and set about preparing the rest of his disguise. He wanted it to be simple, not something that was an obvious disguise, so there would be no scars, no major changes to his physique. It needed to be something he could maintain for a long time. He cut his hair, and dyed it a new color. Naturally it was brown, but he lightened it to a dirty blonde. He would allow his facial hair to grow, assuming his new "employer" did not mind, to prevent other people from recognizing him. He considered morphing his eyes, but decided that would be too risky, and left them the way they were. A few other minor alterations, and some dirt, and his disguise was finished. It was simple, yet that was its greatest strength. All Marcus had to do now was wait until it was time to start his new job. Timestamp: 5th of Winter, 512 AV Location: Ino Vations The jar of colorclear that hit the floor was the least of Burke's concerns when the door was roughly thrown open by the imposing figure in all black, along with his two lackeys, and two others who waited outside. The man was armed to the teeth, carrying a number of weapons, though while his henchmen drew swords upon entering the man in the middle drew nothing. He was a commander, a low ranking officer in the Ebonstryfe, but generally the highest rank any normal citizen would ever encounter. "Burklayan Trovias?" "Y.. yes sir, that's me," the young man stammered nervously. "You're under arrest for conspiring with the terrorist organization, the Rising Dawn." "What? There must be some mistake? I haven't conspired with anybody!" "The Ebonstryfe doesn't make mistakes. We have proof. Now, this will be a lot easier if you just come with me." Burke hesitated only a moment before making up his mind and bolting for the back door, or perhaps he was going for a window. It didn't really matter though, because regardless of what he attempted to do, the two henchmen were on him in an instant, dragging the man kicking and screaming out of the shop, and knocking quite a few more jars off the shelves on their way out. This was about the time that Inoadar arrived, and the commander quickly spotted the owner of the shop and approached him. "Nolan Parnell, your employee has been found guilty of treason, for conspiring with terrorists. He's being taken in for questioning." Of course Inoadar, like anyone else in Ravok, knew what that actually meant. It meant that he would likely never see Burke again. But there was little that could be done to save the man, at least not at that moment. If Inoadar tried to stop them, or defend them, it likely would end with him losing his life, or at the very least being taken in for questioning himself. "We have nothing to indicate that you were aware of this.. but in the future, you should be more careful with who you hire. For now, the Vitrax will be sending you a replacement shopkeeper in a few days. You can hire him permanently if you want, or find someone else if you prefer. Just try not to hire another traitor. Keep doing that, and we might have reason to suspect you too." With the threat still fresh in the air, the commander turned from Inoadar and motioned for the prisoner to be taken away. By then Burke had been subdued, knocked unconscious during his struggle, and was dragged unceremoniously along down the road to a waiting Ravosala. The boatman nodded to the commander, then shot Inoadar an inquisitive look, before guiding his craft down the canal and away from the shop, leaving Inoadar to clean up the Ebonstryfe's mess. Timestamp: 7th of Winter, 512 AV Location: Ino Vations Marcus left his shoddy apartment, saying goodbye to his "wife" Aurum, to keep up appearances for the neighbors. Truly, she was his slave, but she was an oddly loyal slave, and Marcus trusted her to keep up the ruse. She would likely enjoy it, anyway, as it would give her something to do other than clean. Aurum would have to find a job, eventually, and pretend to be a good and loyal wife. Hopefully she wouldn't screw things up for him.. it was a hard decision for Marcus not to sell her, but the slave was useful, and again, she was strangely loyal. Marcus was dressed in his "finest" clothes, a pair of simple boots, gray cotton pants and a white shirt, with a simple black leather vest to make himself look a little above the average beggar, plus a fine belt given to him by his father when he came of age. The belt was his most prized possession, or at least it was Marcus Aventus' most prized possession. It was a nice belt, truly, if a little plain for Marcus tastes, but it was well made and kept his slightly large pants from slipping off, and wearing it made Marcus feel that he wasn't a complete fashion failure. The shopkeeper to be approached the door to Ino Vations, putting on his best nervous face as he lifted his fist to knock on the door. He had arrived early, before the shops normal operating hours, or at least, before most people would normally arrive. Marcus wasn't certain what time the place actually opened and closed, if it did at all, but that only added believability to his story. "The Vitrax sent me over, Mr. Parnell," Marcus called out in his best "not a noble" accent, "I'm the new shopkeeper."

[Inoadar]

Inoadar had been thinking of this very event for the past couple of days. If this was the man sent from the Vitrax, it stood to reason he was under no suspicion whatsoever from the Black Sun or Ebonstryfe. Inoadar's suspicions would give him no real peace, teasing him with suggestions of infiltration, but he felt certain he could conduct business without betraying himself. He felt sure that, even if this man was not an out-and-out spy, he would be a dutiful citizen that would report any untoward action to the authorities.

On the other hand, perhaps this was just what he needed to cement his status as an equally dutiful citizen. He was not about to allow his contacts to wane, but he needed to establish a circuit of mundane strolls to account for his absences. If this fellow was an Ebonstryfe implant, he needed to seem easy to keep tabs on, if only to bore him with the tediously innocent nature of his excursions. 'No reason not to begin right away.' he thought to himself.

"So," he said, his eyes narrowing somewhat. After all, it would not be natural to have NO resentment of having his workplace disrupted. "Did the Vitrax give you any details on just what my previous shopkeeper is supposed to have done? I mean, they warn me against hiring any other traitors, yet I saw Burke do nothing suspicious. No visitors in the night, no unusually long times spent on simple errands, no inexplicable injuries. How am I to know?"

Not giving the man a chance to answer as he backed up to let him enter, he continued. "So I can only assume that they have already 'checked you out'. All well and good except that this is not a trade for beginners." he raised his hand to forestall the man's response. "Please, let me finish. They take away a man with an effective, if novice, level of knowledge about the hazards of this shop, and then replace him with a man who may very well accidentally poison himself within the first five chimes of employment. And being their specially selected placement, I come off looking fairly suspicious."

'Yes...' he thought to himself appreciatively, 'this tact may undermine his own loyalty.'

"So in an effort to simply protect myself, I must ask you. How do either of us know for sure that you are not being sacrificed as a dupe to incriminate me? Do you have reasonable credentials in the poison crafting trade, Mr...?" he let the lack of a name hang.

[Marcus Ahysen]

"Aventus," Marcus responded without hesitation, "Marcus Aventus' the name, sir. And I can't say I know anything 'bout all that. They just told me yer man got nabbed for suspicious activity, an I was to keep the shop." Marcus hoped he didn't sound like a complete fool, with the fake accent and all. He didn't want to overdo it, but despite his practice at home and his formal education, Marcus had relatively little field experience when it came to acting as another person. Marcus Aventus was a low born Ravokian, and a dutiful citizen, but he wasn't one who made a name for himself. He was just a common man, trying to make his way. Marcus wasn't used to playing such roles, but then again, he had to be able to take on any role if he wanted to be sent out on assignments for the Black Sun. "I don't know much about poison, either, other than it'll hurt me if I mess up with it. I was just trying to find a job, back afore the C.E.B. got burned, but they didn't get me one. Next thing I know the Ebonstryfe is handin out jobs, and this is the one I got. But I'm a hard worker, sir, and a quick study, and I promise I'll do my best for you. I have a wife to provide for, Aurum, and hopefully soon there'll be a baby on the way." Marcus was quite pleased with his performance once it was all done. He hoped that it was as convincing as he thought it was, because if it wasn't, it would put a hitch in his plans. Perhaps it wouldn't matter though, Inoadar had little choice in the matter. If he rejected Marcus right away, it would arouse suspicion and give the Ebonstryfe a reason to interrogate him. Even if he was innocent, any loyal citizen of Ravok would at least give someone assigned to them from the Ebonstryfe a chance simply because they didn't want to show disrespect.. or they were afraid, but Marcus did not fear the Ebonstryfe, and so he rarely thought of them that way. Besides, what did a dutiful citizen of Ravok have to fear from the Ebonstryfe anyway? The fact that they had just used a dutiful citizen as a pawn seemed to slip the agents mind. OOCSorry for taking so long, but I'm back now. Life is normal again.

[Inoadar]

The man seemed believable. It all seemed a bit too convenient, but then again, there HAD just been a significant upheaval, and it was not far fetched that the Ebonstryfe might fill a social services role in this regard. He still didn't believe that Burke, his previous assistant, had been engaging in subversive activities. But he WAS a non-citizen, and slavers had been waiting for him the first day he arrived. It was only Inoadar's own interference that had prevented this initial enslavement. He should be counting his blessings he had not fallen under some sort of "Guilt-by-Association" scrutiny and been scooped up as mere precaution.

Inoadar shrugged, figuring one assistant to be as much use as another. Burke hadn't known anything about poison crafting either. Of course, he wasn't going to tell this...Aven...Mar...cus... Marcus Aventus...fellow this.

"So they didn't say you needed to know any poison crafting?" he said, with an air of minor annoyance. Then he sighed, "Well, I guess they have to make do. It sets me back some, but a good portion of his work was simply watching the shop while I go out for procurements and research. I can start you off with that."

The man seemed relieved. Inoadar assumed that there must be quite a bit of chaotic back-biting out there. With all the documentation destroyed, he supposed the government offices were not extending much credit, or taking people's WORD for how much of their debts had been paid. It was probably a good thing he had most of his debt still to pay. Anyone going in right now, claiming to be 'all paid up', were likely to find themselves accused of attempted fraud.

"Well, for now, just put those jars in the back, and don't open anything." Inoadar went to the desk and took out a folder. He opened it and laid it on the desk. There was a chart of the shelves and closets. "This is a storage floor plan. familiarize yourself with it while I'm gone. I'll be back in a bell or two."

[Marcus Ahysen]

It seemed to Marcus that everything was going to work out perfectly. Inoadar seemed to believe his story, and he was already prepared to leave Marcus alone in the shop. Putting away the jars would be an easy enough task, and even if he had not been directed so, Marcus wouldn't have opened them. He had no desire to accidentally poison himself on his first undercover assignment. Familiarizing himself with the floor plan would be good too, as it would allow Marcus to get a good look at the back of the shop without arousing suspicion. The agent doubted there would be anything suspicious on the main floor plan anyway, unless Inoadar was just a fool, but it was still a convenient task. Of course he wouldn't be so foolish as to go poking around elsewhere, not just yet, not on his first day. But all in all, things were going well. "Not a problem, sir. I'll get those put up right away." After Inoadar left Marcus went right to work. It was important that he was believable. His character was desperate for work, and would do a good job, especially to start off with. Marcus grabbed the floor plan and headed into the back, taking a quick look around to get his bearings on the map. It was easy enough to figure out where the jars went, and after that Marcus began studying the plan carefully. He was likely going to have to retrieve things often, and he would need to be efficient. Luckily, he had a sharp mind, and it wasn't a particularly difficult thing to do. It was a wonder how often people complained about their jobs when they were so easy. After a while Marcus decided he was familiar enough with the floor plan to stop studying, but he still needed to do something. A quick glance around told him the place needed dusting.. such tasks were usually reserved for slaves, but technically that was the role he was playing. Was an employee not the slave of his employer, at least for part of each day? Surely there had to be some cleaning supplies somewhere. A broom, at least. Trying to find it would also give Marcus an excuse to poke around some more. His mind drifted back momentarily to his days as a student at the Institute under the instructor Luvet. "The key to a good disguise is to keep as much of the real you as you can. Morph only what you need to. Back every lie with the truth." If Marcus was caught searching for a broom somewhere he wasn't supposed to be, so long as it wasn't a locked room or something, he could simply say that that was what he was doing, searching for a broom. It was technically a lie, but one backed by the truth. And of course, if he found the broom, he would start sweeping. The place really was a bit dusty.

[Inoadar]

Inoadar crossed into the Merchant's Ring, passing a variety of businesses, respectable and otherwise. Just beyond Trigol's Tools and Trade, the approaching corner made it appear that the shops came to an end. But a misleading buttress of brickwork, decorated with what appeared to be banners announcing an old stage show, largely concealed the entrance to Jester's Corner.

The alternating expressions fixed on an overlapping array of masks, rendered two-dimensional by the window pane on which they reflected, added to the theater flyer effect. But they were, in fact, some of the more conventional wares available from Hu More, proprietor. Inoadar was after the less conventional, if only for the unremarkable effect he was looking to gain.

Most of what was sold at Jester's Corner was intended to make a resounding visual impression. Masks, costumes, flamboyant accessories and accoutrements. But Inoadar was in need of the sort of disguise kit that embellished its target with details that stymied the memory. Or effects that DID stand out, but were swiftly discarded or altered to achieve the effect of a different persona altogether in seconds. His last set had been spent or lost, and he needed to replenish it.

15 chimes and 50 gold mizas later, Inoadar left with his disguise kit and returned the way he came. Passing back into the larger surrounding area, taking its name from The Docks, he strode into Tine's Exotic Goods to pick up a new 'Bird's Tongue', a voice altering membrane worn in the back of the throat. He had been kicking around the thought of laying hold of one of the 'Nettle Cloaks' Tine had on sale and now, he could afford it without worrying about a financial hardship.

These were a normal looking dark cloak with a 'twist'. Specifically a twist of the hems, collars or cuffs. There were metal spikes sewn in to these reinforced spots. They lay flat when there was no rotational pressure applied, but in a grapple, a turn of the wrist, neck or hips brought spikes out of the cloth to drive painfully into the attacker. Hidden weapons...Inoadar's bread-and-butter.

The Bird's Tongue and Nettle cloak added an additional 3 and 40 gold mizas to his tally for the day thus far, totaling 93. Now to pick up something mundane and innocent to account for his long absence. He stopped by Black Tar's Alchemy shop and dropped another 20 on a variety of vials, beakers, plugs and tubes to replenish his poison crafting supplies. That made 113, but only 20 would go on the books as business expenses.

He pondered how convincing his claim would be that it had taken him the better part of an afternoon to pick up these few supplies, and decided he would tell Marcus not to pester him with such questions about shop expenses unless he was planning to do the books himself. He suddenly stopped dead.

'The Books!' He had left them sitting out! 'Well...not 'out' per se, but openly accessible to any nosy assistant shopkeepers!'

His mind raced across a cross section of example pages. Nothing specifically incriminating, but incriminating nonetheless for their very lack of details. There might be symbols, initials or simple codes tying one entry with another, where one outlines a purchase or delivery in detail, but the other is left blank. He needed to hurry back...

[Marcus Ahysen]

It took a disappointingly small amount of time for Marcus to locate the cleaning supplies he was supposedly looking for, and since he had already found them, and they were so easy to find, it would make no sense for him to keep poking around and use the excuse that he was looking for them. Marcus grabbed the brook and began sweeping the floor. If there was such a thing as an expert sweeper, Marcus was not one of them, but he did put on a good enough show for most people. As he swept around the counter he did spot something of interest. Left out, right there for him to see, were the books on the shop, detailing transactions and Rhysol only knew what else. It was an opportunity Marcus simply could not pass up. At a first glance everything seemed to be in order. It seemed to be a legitimate accounting of the shops expenses. But one could never trust their first glance, especially if something was intended to look legitimate at first glance. A second glance led Marcus to notice the blanks, pages that were missing, symbols that didn't seem to have anything to do with the ledger itself. Could it be some sort of code, he wondered to himself. Marcus was no cryptographer, and he did not expect he had enough time to decipher anything even if he did know what he was doing. He would have to find a way to get someone into the shop without Inoadar noticing, someone who could look over the books and see what might be in there. It could be completely innocent, or at least as innocent as someone who deals with poisons can be, but it could also lead to something interesting. Marcus could care less if Inoadar was making under the table poison contracts with people. If he was, then the Ebonstryfe would likely want to buy from him just like anyone else. But if the code, and if it was indeed a code, led him to something more interesting, it would be worth the risk. Marcus tried not to disturb the book too much, and he only gave it two looks. Going through it a third time would be too risky, especially on his first day. He knew there was something fishy about the book though, and that was enough information to merit a return visit. For the time being, however, he returned to his "duties" and began sweeping once more. This time he did a better job of it too, actually sweeping the dust into a small pile, rather than just pushing it around for show. He wanted to appear to actually be working when Inoadar returned.

[Inoadar]

It was all Inoadar could do to stop himself from bursting into the shop and barging in the back room to scan his desk for the ledger book. He set the packages down and quickly hung the 'Nettle Cloak' on the coat tree in the corner. He'd nonchalantly hang that up later, or even take it back to his room at Tarsin's Boarding House. The 'Bird's Tongue' voice changer was already in its pocket.

The new disguise kit needed to be out of sight for a bit as well. He crouched down and slid it under one of the armchairs in the front room, the customer's area, pushing it way back. That left only the box of lab supplies. He took a few breaths and hoisted it up, stepping through the door to the back as though there was nothing but business on his mind. Marcus was putting away the mundane tools of general housekeeping and appeared interested in what was in the box, though the clinking of glass items and light metal tubes probably gave it away.

"Yeah, decided we needed a few replacements." Inoadar droned on unimportantly, "So I picked this stuff up while I was on my rounds. I had hoped to find some better price breaks, but I guess glassblowers have raised prices on their services. Damn pirates! Twenty...five...gold for this stuff."

He grimaced at his clumsy lie. 'What good was covering for an extra five gold when it was ninety three that I'm leaving off the books? It was my own money anyway! It didn't HAVE to go on the books.' He shook his head at his own stupidity, hoping Marcus would figure it to be annoyance at the high prices of lab goods.

An idea occurred to him. He hadn't noticed a dust rag among the cleaning supplies Marcus had out. 'Had he cleaned the desk? Did he see the ledger? If so, he'd know where it was. If not, he probably wouldn't...' He stretched to move some items on the top shelf. A moment later, he made a noise like he just thought of something. With his back to the room he called, "Marcus? Would you bring me the ledger book? I need to make an entry for this stuff."

[Marcus Ahysen]

Inoadar was trying to catch Marcus in a trap, and Marcus fell for it. However, even falling for it was not particularly damning, the ledger was left out, anybody could have seen it if they walked by it. Marcus did not even really consider the fact that Inoadar might have been tricking him, as it seemed a reasonable enough request, and immediately went to get the book. "Yes sir, not a problem." The book was right where Inoadar had left it, and Marcus quickly picked it up and brought it over to the man. Perhaps he should have suspected the Inoadar suspected him, but Marcus thought he was doing a great job pretending to be a simple employee. Perhaps Marcus should have realized that if Inoadar really did have connections to the Rising Dawn he would be on edge.. but Marcus was not the most experienced field agent out there. The assignment was more of a favor than anything else, a favor to help him get on his chosen career path. It was a rookie mistake. "This the book you're lookin for?" OOCSorry for being so slow. As I'm sure you've noticed, I've been hitting it hard in Ravok with Verilian, getting threads graded and stuff. Plus I've got 4 other PCs besides this one. Anyway, I know it's a short post, but there wasn't a whole lot I could say.