Open your Eyes

[Tonoc Belost]

67th of Fall 513AV Tonoc winced as the crowd roared their approval at the most recent development down in the blood pits. A feral looking zith and a tall lanky human had abandoned their weapons and taken the fight to the ground. Surprisingly the human had taken the advantage as he currently was on top; raining savage blows down on the zith. The zith desperately tried to cover its face, already badly beaten and bleeding in multiple places. The people of Sunberth loved their blood sport as much for entertainment as well as for debt paying. One who was so far in debt that they have no chance to pay it back can fight in the pits as a way of repaying money owed, at least that’s what Tonoc had picked up on so far from listening to the patrons around him. It is amazing what some people give up after only a little tongue lubricating via means of alcohol. After a mere twenty minutes of wading through the crowd he had picked up on multiple “shady deals” and other personal information. But tonight was not about picking up tidbits of information or anything of the like. Tonight he was tasked with watching a specific person; he had not been given a name only a description and that he would be attending the fights at Tall Johnny’s tonight. After multiple trips around the room he had yet to spot the man, Tonoc was beginning to get worried and for the 10th time went over his description in his head. “The man is tall, probably a head taller than you” His masked employer stated, holding his hand well above Tonoc’s head. “Dark brown hair and blue eyes, he will also probably be flanked by a body guard, although they will probably do a good job of hiding it.” The man added as an afterthought. It was not much to go on, but then again as far as he could tell, this was only a spot and watch type gig, nothing else required. “Alright I’ll do it” Tonoc hissed after a couple moments of consideration. “Consider this one free, to prove that I’m worth what I say I am” After yet another trip around the perimeter of the room and another fight later Tonoc finally spotted the man he had been looking for. The man was leaned double over the railing of the pit, cheering frantically for one of the fighters in the arena. The veins on his neck pulsed and his face was approaching the color of blood he was yelling so loudly for his favorite, or the one he bet on. The fight ended shortly thereafter, the man obviously felt cheated as he continued to curse obviously under his breath before retreating to the bar for a drink. Tonoc followed at a distance, making sure to stay behind the man even though the chances of him being spotted in this kind of crowd were infinitesimal. Positioning himself behind the target about 10 feet Tonoc grabbed a chair and shrunk into it, doing his best to look not suspicious. He watch as the man leaned over to another person, whispering something in his ear before they quickly parted ways. Taking a mental note who he thought was the body guard was, Tonoc settled down, ready for the long wait. He had no idea when Johnny’s closed but this man did not look like he was going to leave anytime soon. A long time passed one possibly two bells before the man got up and left the bar. All the while the crowd surged between the next fight and the bar during the lull time. A server whisked by, tapping the man lightly on the shoulder, Tonoc would have missed it if he had not been paying close attention, and he even debated for a moment if he saw anything. Only the targets immediate motion, as if the shoulder tap had been a sign convinced him it had indeed been a sign. Leaving the bar and making a beeline for the back of the bar, Tonoc barely had time to think before he found himself following at a distance, if he continued on his path it would take him into the staff only section of the bar, somewhere he could not follow without being extremely suspicious. As the man reached a small hallway, he took a rapid left into through a door, closing it firmly behind him, his body guard apparent seeming to flow out of the crowd, taking up a stance outside the door. Tonoc immediately began looking around the bar, scanning the floors he spotted a fallen tray, probably from a clumsy server earlier in the evening. Changing course Tonoc swept up the tray and immediately a plan started to form, although it was risky Tonoc was willing to try for the big reward. Wiping some of the grim off his hands and on to his tunic he did his best to ruffle his hair a little trying to look like a server. Taking in and letting out a large breath in a long sigh he took off, walking briskly directly at the bar tray in hand Tonoc held his head high, he was immediately assaulted by crys for more drinks and refills in every which direction. The crowd had accepted his appearance as a server, this was key in order for him to make a convincing the body guard that he was a server. Hightailing it behind the bar he was immediately assaulted with levers and bottles strewn everywhere, he had no idea what he was looking for. He had forgotten to plan this far ahead and now it was coming back to haunt him. Looking frantically at the bartender he spat out the first words that came to mind. “Eh… The boss wants the good stuff for the special guests..” He managed to get out, with an awkward voice inflection as he managed to change his voice at the last second. He was banking on the busyness of the bar to cover his apparent mistake, it seemed to work as the bartender immediately reached for a clear glass bottle under the bar, setting it firmly on the tray he grabbed three glasses and put them next to the bottle. He i jumped back to the massive task of satisfying the crowd that demanded drinks, he had a massive task pouring and serving almost a faster then the demands for drinks could come streaming in. Taking the drinks Tonoc headed for the door, approaching the guard he kept his eyes lowered, not wanting to give anything memorable about himself that they could possibly use to identify them, not that he had ever seen these men before in his life. Raising his eyes he made a shrugging motion, motioning that the drinks were for the men apparently inside. The guard grabbed the tray, roughly taking hold and making it very clear he would take it from here. As the guard opened the door he caught a very quick glimpse of three figures, seemingly men by their size that were leaned over a table looking at something. Before he could study it further the door slammed shut and he had to move quickly before anyone else got suspicious. At least he could tell his employer that he tried he thought as he moved for the door of the tavern, it indeed had been an interesting night.

[Quint Caravel]

OOC: Thanks for the invite!

Quint,
I noticed you are very active in Sunberth forum recently and I was wondering if you were interested in joining forces for a thread or two?
Tonoc.

IC:
Quint enjoyed going to the fights. He had started going as a boy with his Uncle Pondar. Never much of a fighter himself, Quint nevertheless appreciated the spectacle of two people pounding on each other to find out who was the strongest and who was the best. Even to this day, all these days later, he still remembered the time Daedalus Dagwood fought an Inarta. (That was a really terrible fight, which is why he remembered it: both men were so incompetent that they ended up using each others swords.) He remembered the time a Kelvic man became an elephant and trampled his opponent who until that point had been defeating all comers. He remembered the time a man dressed in strange robes claimed to be possessing odd and unusual mystic talents but got himself clocked in the face by the very first punch of his opponent, a very muscular Akalak warrior. There had been many good fights, and as he was a betting man, quite a few times he had gambled large amounts of Mizas on the various combatants. Sometimes he had won and sometimes he had lost, but it always added a little bit of extra spice to the event. Right now he was a bit ahead; he estimated he would be starting the winter season with around 100 Mizas, minus a few for expenses.

That had been the first time in his entire life he had that much money to his name, which he attributed to his current fascination with praying to Xyna. Regardless of the source of his good luck and fortune, he was ahead and thus he didn't have to worry about Mizas or think about money in any way.

He glanced at himself in the mirror behind the bar. (He had no idea why but it seemed a universal rule: any place with fighting in it that had a bar would have a mirror behind it.) Average face. Piercing blue eyes. His clothes were simple, but they were clean and new and he felt like he presented well: neither as shabby as a bum that would get thrown it, and not well-dressed like a mark waiting to be mugged.

Not one for looking much at himself, he decided to focus his attention outward.

And that being the case, he decided to look around and see what was going on with everyone else. He didn't have to look very far. As was his usual behavior, he spent some part of his evening either drinking, flirting with wenches, or both. Right now he was drinking as he didn't care for the sort of woman who came to watch the fights. In Sunberth that kind of woman was dangerous in several different ways, none of them pleasant. And so he had stopped by the bar to grab a drink or two on the way out.

Except the fellow who had taken his order had disappeared, and now some new fellow was taking his place. Quint was a patient man, most of the time, but he really wanted that drink and could not believe how slow and inept this new person was. It was the worst service he had ever seen and he was actually tempted to ask for the manager. Not that complaining would do much good in a lawless city like Sunberth, but by the gods he was a paying customer and he was entitled to his drink!

He opened his mouth to yell at the new guy when he was cut off by the fellow saying he needed something for someone. And it apparently wasn't Quint as the bartender gave the guy a bottle of something Quint had never heard of. In total exasperation he watched as the fellow now headed for some back door and dropped off the drinks, and then started to head for the door.

Well, that was just nonsense! Quint wanted his drink.

He dashed for the man. "Hey! You! Stop right there!"

[Tonoc Belost]

To say Tonoc’s heart was in his throat at this point would be an understatement; it felt as if it was beating on the back of his teeth. There is a definite line between reasonable information gathering and straight insanity, and this was the closest he had walked that line to date. So many things can go wrong in a very short time span in his line of work. Although he was pretty sure the bartender did not recognize that he indeed was not a server at this establishment, he wasn’t really ready to take that chance and so he started his beeline for the door while holding himself back from breaking into a run. Making his way around large sweaty people with the strong scent of alcohol was much easier said than done as he clamored around them, trying with increasing difficulty to get around them. Looking up and realizing he had made no progress at all was frustrating in and of itself yet now the he could hear the bar tender in the background trying to find a server for a table at the far corner, probably the table he was supposed to cover. To make matters worse his shoes were starting to get soaked with spilled ale; he would probably never get the smell out of them. Still working his way through the crowd towards the door he heard a distinct sound behind him, as if someone were trying to get his attention. Ignoring it, he continued toward the door, it seemed like it was much closer on the way in. Hearing the noise again and this time close enough to pick out the words “Hey you come over here!” Panic welled up in Tonoc’s throat as his eyes darted around the room looking for some other exit. There was nothing, no windows, no side exits, nothing. It made sense, casino owners did not want people to know how long they had spent inside, anything for more profits. The wheels spun and the gears turned faster than they ever had in his head, he had to come up with something or he would end up another body on the street. A desperate plan started to hatch within his head, it was anything but an ideal plan but it was the best he could currently come up with. Stopping on a dime and spinning to face who he thought to be his attacker he thrust his hand inside his cloak, attempting to give the look that he was indeed extremely dangerous. Feet shoulder with apart and his head tilted slightly downward to give the appearance of experience he lowered himself into a combat ready position, all the while his heart attempting to beat its way out his chest. His eyes lay on who he thought to be his pursuer, a remarkable average looking man. He bore no scars or tattoos or any other typical features of a Sunberth resident. A glimmer of hope shown through, if this man was not from Sunberth he may be easier to fool then someone who had lived here.

[Quint Caravel]

Quint nodded to himself for a moment as the man began to turn around. He had tried to sound authoritative and indignant, and it had apparently worked.

"Now listen, about my-"

He was about to continue chewing out the hapless server about his drink when the man fully turned around and presented to Quint the appearance of a very dangerous man. As Quint lacked any sort of skill in being able to detect when he was being bamboozled, he initially fell for it completely.

Quint raised his hands, palms up, in a gesture halfway between surrender and placation. "Oh, sorry, mate. I thought you were someone else. From the back you looked like this meek little fellow that had been by the bar."

He pointed at Tonoc. "But you're clearly not him. You've got the appearance of a seasoned soldier. Perhaps a former knight or squire of Syliras that has seen too much combat and has seen better days."

It was unclear if Quint was sincere or not, or just trying to flatter the other man, but for right now it seemed like he was fooled completely. At least he stopped asking Tonoc where his drink was.

But there was something in Quint's eyes, something neutral and calculating as he sized up Tonoc's stance. Observing it carefully, Quint scratched at an itch on his chin for a moment as he pondered his next words. "Now you appear a man in a hurry so I won't detain you much longer, but I do have a question for you. Regardless of what else you are doing with your life, are you interested in making some Mizas on the side?"

Before Tonoc could get the wrong idea, Quint slowly reached into his vest and pulled out a parchment, and showed him a copy of the ad he was going to be putting up in The Establishment looking for people, be it fighters or rogues, people who could think on their feet. "The name's Caravel. Quint Caravel. That's got my contacts if you want to seek me out on a night you're less busy."

Quint leaned in and whispered to Tonoc. "Oh, and if you're interested in keeping what Mizas that you do have, I'd elbow that old biddy that's right behind you and to your left." He indicated with a nod a ginger-haired woman with apparently rather sticky fingers who seemed quite intent on her target.

[Tonoc Belost]

Whoever the man was it seemed that his rather weak attempt at intimidating him had worked, thankfully. After a quick examination it seemed that his very quick disguise as a server had worked, this man had been chasing him down to ask him where his drink was. Tonoc visibly relaxed, relieved that he wasn’t going to get into a fight, he did not even have a weapon on him. “You obviously have mistaken me for someone else, I don’t work here.” The gears again turned in Tonoc’s head, he need this man to do one of two things, forget him completely, or to play It off as a complete misunderstanding, and make him think nothing of it. Tonoc went with option two. Meanwhile the man had offered a parchment, taking it he scanned it over quickly; the man was looking for an escort, unfortunately that was not up his alley, although the Mizas would be welcome. Tonoc went to speak just as the man broke it to him that someone was trying to relieve him of his current stock of mizas, whipping around in a flurry or arms and legs Tonoc tried to get ahold of the perpetrator, but after a quick struggle the ginger woman disappeared into the crowd. “Thanks for that, what do you say you let me buy you drink, I’d love to discuss this a little further.” Holding up the poster he had just been handed. In truth he had no interest in guarding the man, but a few mizas for a little information was a great deal, in his opinion.

[Quint Caravel]

Quint nodded. "Sure thing, mate. First round's on you. Having been a sailor at one time, I'm partial to rum." He headed towards the bar. "What do they call you?"

He knew better than to ask "what's your name?" in a place like Sunberth where so many preferred having cognomens and nick-names. Even in a lawless city there were still outlaws that did not want their actual identities discovered, be they hiding from rival gangs here or were fearful that some mercenary or knight from far away would someday show up and look for them.

As Quint himself had already met one such mercenary, he knew they existed in Sunberth and thus agreed that for some people being anonymous was the way to go. And while Quint himself had many aspirations of a dark and negative nature, he had never done anything in any legal or legit city such that he was known to any authorities. There was not a constable or mercenary alive that was looking for him, knew he existed, or would care if he knew.

The bar itself was as crowded as ever, and it reminded Quint that he had never gotten his original drink. "In all confidentiality, I must admit that if I ever find that bartender who ran off I will beat the stuffing out of him." He opened his eyes wide and put one hand to his forehead, and then he scanned the room carefully. "Don't see him. Is it that guy? No, too short. That one? No, too fat. Nope. No. No, that's a girl, I think. Nope, not the guy next to her. Wow, is that an Inarta kissing a Pycon?" He continued swiveling his head around. "Nope. No. Oh maybe it's that guy there... nope, wrong color skin. Nope, not that guy with ginger hair. Nope. No. That guy has one weird looking hand. Nope. No. Is that a gorilla? Nope. No." Quint cursed, admitting that he had somehow lost the fellow in the crowd.

Quint shook his head sadly, then turned back to Tonoc. "Anyway, you asked about the parchment? Well, as you can see I'm full of thoughts and ideas and plans. But as you can also see, I'm young and lacking any sort of skills or connections that would help me."

He looked Tonoc in the eye when he said this. "Which is my own fault. I wasted my youth drinking and dating and having fun. But this month I was a victim of the flooding, nearly died in one accident and nearly drowned in another."

Quint looked down at the floor for a long moment. Then he shook his head briefly for a moment and let out a wistful sigh. "It opened my eyes and made me realize that if I died right now, no one would miss me and no one would care. Because I haven't made any sort of mark on the world of Mizahar."

Another long moment passed when suddenly Quint pumped one fist in the air decisively.
"Well, no more stalling and wasting time. That's going to change starting in the winter season. That's going to be a season of action."

He pointed at Tonoc. "And now, right now in autumn, I've decided to start improving myself and to start making connections. Make some friends, or at least colleagues and acquaintances. Or, failing that, minions who will remain loyal while the Mizas are flowing."

[Tonoc Belost]

“They call me Tonoc” he stated, at this point he dident mind giving his actual name, he did not have to tell the man that It was his real name. Working their way together through the crowd for the fourth times this evening they fought back to the bar. Tonoc rapping his knuckles on the bar and calling for two large mugs of ale, “And make it extra frothy!” he exclaimed as an afterthought. Smiling as the man mumbled to himself about his lost waiter, he would let the man wonder on that one. Taking the opportunity he examined the parchment further, which he gleaned no extra information from he turned back to the stranger. “And I believe that you still owe me a title in this exchange?” He had indeed given up his name, he at least expected him to return the favor. It would be tiring to forever think of him as “that man”. The bartender cut in serving their drinks with mumbles and Tonoc slipped him a few copper Mizas, thanking him for the rather quick service. “Well I’m going to be honest with you, not that I do this with a lot of people. I typically do not get involved in the combat side of clandestine missions. I am much more focused on the information gathering side. Mind that I am NOT an assassin, I can do everything an assassin does except the killing part, at least right now. “ Tonoc added the last part almost as an afterthought “You want a lord’s house infiltrated for information on caravans? I can do that. But if you want that same lord dead, chances are I will end up dead and he will end up wearing my skin as a cape!” speaking fairly low, the noise in this place was at an all-time high yet he still was cautious that someone would be listening in. “I am still very curious though, what kind of things do you have in mind? And will they be…..profitable?” He was genuinely curious at this point, leaning in slightly, incase the man wanted to speak in low tones.

[Quint Caravel]

Quint listened at Tonoc said: “And I believe that you still owe me a title in this exchange?”

Quint stared at Tonoc in confusion for a few minutes. He was pretty sure that this had happened already:

Before Tonoc could get the wrong idea, Quint slowly reached into his vest and pulled out a parchment, and showed him a copy of the ad he was going to be putting up in The Establishment looking for people, be it fighters or rogues, people who could think on their feet. "The name's Caravel. Quint Caravel. That's got my contacts if you want to seek me out on a night you're less busy."

He was pretty sure that it happened because Tonoc was still holding the parchment poster. Quint took it back and pretended to study it for a moment. There were two ways he could place this.. the honest Syliran way which might make Tonoc feel bad, or the Sunberth way.

Well, he was in Sunberth. Time for a bit of Acting.

Quint slapped at his own chest dramatically. "Oh, I say! How callous and rude of me. You introduced yourself, and I said nothing in return." He shook his head dramatically. He took a dramatic sigh full of theatrical import. "In all good conscience I have failed to engage in the first rule of civil intercourse, good sir. By the sweet mother of Mizahar herself, prithee do not cast aspersion unto my base character for I desire only to make right this most tragic of moments, and by so doing end any awkwardness."

He glanced around to see if anyone applauded, then turned back to Tonoc, standing now in heavily shadowed silhouette, then dramatically stepping forward. "In my line of work there are men who would call me Quint Caravel, a man who has never failed to assassinate any target given to him, a man who can say he has never lost to a wizard in combat, and a man who has never been caught by the combined authorities of the Syliran Knights and their Empire."

And that was all technically true, since he was a total nobody.

He whispered to Tonoc. "And now, Tonoc, you asked about profit? Well, fortune favors the bold. My Uncle Pondar always use to say: always act like a rich man who left his coin purse home, not like a poor man who is broke, and the gods will reward you accordingly."

Quint put a gold Miza on the counter. That was worth 10 silver, and he knew a gallon of ale was 2 silver. He shouted out to the bartender: "My name is Quint Caravel! Give me a tab for five gallons of ale! Treat everyone who wants a drink, so long as the five gallons of ale last!"

[Tonoc Belost]

Quint Caravel, he had never heard of him, even though by the man’s boasts it seemed as if he should have heard of him ages ago. Quint leaned in and whispered something about being rich and acting like it or something, he wasn’t quite sure. Then in an outburst the man slaps a Gold Miza onto the bar, claiming to buy everyone in the tavern a drink so long as supplies last. This guy was insane. Tonoc thought of himself as a back lurker, someone who you could forget was there, but this man Quint, he was of another breed it seemed. Slapping a couple men on the back as they raised their newly acquired jugs of ale and chanted Quint’s name Tonoc felt completely out of place, sheepishly raising his glass to one of many toasts going around. The bar keep was running around, trying to keep track of how much ale had been served, this no doubt was an uncommon occurrence. Although he had caused quite a scene Tonoc was unsure exactly how this would end in profit. “And how exactly do you expect this to end in profit at all? As far as I can tell you have drawn the entire room’s attention to us.” Tonoc almost hissed, voice dripping in sarcasm. This Quint character was already beginning to get on his nerves.

[Quint Caravel]

Quint nodded at Tonoc. "My father's father was a very rich man, a minter in Syliras. He was a miser with no friends. My mother's father was a total peasant, an absolute unwashed beggar of a fellow who didn't have two copper Mizas to rub to his name. But he was popular and always had a girl and a drink when he needed one. Both are now dead so I'll let you draw your own conclusions on the matter. But to me, one very important point I remember is that profit means nothing if you're not going to enjoy yourself."

He pointed at the crowd, observing them carefully. "At any rate, I observed my grandfathers carefully. They were very similar in more ways than either would care to admit, but the minter thought long-term. He would seed a venture in autumn and wait for gains and profits in the winter. The Svefra could not think past the next day and would be as dismissive as anyone about the point of what's accomplished today."

Quint began discussing some long-range plan that he could see would not hold Tonoc's interest without a more immediate pay-off.

Then he pointed at the bar, and now he whispered so that only Tonoc could hear him. His entire demeanor changed, and a shrewdness came into Quint's eyes and a cold edge into his voice. "Still, I didn't pick this spot at random. I have been observing this crowd carefully and here's a chance for us to do a bit of larceny. Remember earlier, the fellow who wanted a drink of the 'good stuff' to go backstage. Well, that's a 10 GM bottle out in the open. Probably still worth at least 3 or 4 GM. Normally the bartender would notice or snatch it back, but he's a bit overwhelmed, isn't he? A quick-thinking man could grab the bottle while I've got the crowd distracted-- and you have to admit everyone here is distracted-- and that quick man could then walk out of here. Assuming such a man doesn't want to drink his profits, a fence who often desires such a fine bottle can be found by Ruby's."

Quint quickly sketched out the description of the fence, then left it up to Tonoc. Fortune favored the bold after all, so now it would be up to the other man. Doing his diversion and distraction part, Quint resumed his boisterous and affable appearance, and loudly insisted on leading everyone into a rousing toast to the bartender, 'the man who made all this possible!' "Come on lads, drinks have been on me and this man's been serving up a storm. Let's at least be decent sorts and throw some tips his way-- doesn't the fellow deserve a copper or two, or more?" Whether or not he was able to cajole anyone into putting down a coin, he still attempted to keep everyone focused on him.