Closed When Work Comes Knocking (Eleazar)

[Caela Dorin]

2nd Fall 514AV

Caela had a plan. It was basic, it was one that was being made up as she went along but she had a vague goal in mind: she wanted information. Nothing specific, just general information about what was going on in Sunberth. The dancer had decided that having an ear to the ground was a good idea. She'd lived in the city her whole life but had always minded her own business, never looking too far to find out which gangs were fighting over which territories. She'd gone by rumour to avoid places like Stumble Alley yet her own excursion into the place hadn't led to her harm. Better to find some better source of information than the happily ignorant Sunberthians. She also needed to know the lay of the land, know what work was out there that didn't involve dancing, that didn't involve putting herself in that sort of danger.

It had left the blonde at a loss for a little while when she tried to work out where such information would come from when she remembered the bargain that she'd made with a thief. He'd said that he could find people but also gossip and information so he seemed like a good person to go to for this sort of thing. The only problem was that she didn't exactly know where to find him. He lived somewhere in the Sunset Quarters she knew but Eleazar hadn't been forthcoming with the exact location. The dancer wanted to know exactly where he could be found and so she knew that there was only one person that she could go to if she was to discover his apartment: Jillene.

The woman who now looked after the Orphanage and the Sunset Quarters was nothing like her predecessor, Calyn but Caela had never had a problem with the small, sightless woman. She was strict with the children under her care but that was of no concern to the dancer; children weren't something that she had a fondness for. So seeing as the woman didn't dislike her, the dancer chose to try her luck with Jillene.

Finding the woman hadn't been difficult as she oversaw the children as they ate. The youths ate quickly and quietly, not daring to raise their voices above a whisper for fear of earning the displeasure of their mistress. It was an eerie place for Caela to walk into, a chorus of hissing and the occasional scrape of something against a wooden bowl all that she could hear as she approached the woman who was smaller than she. Of course her smaller stature did nothing to stop the other from being intimidating and their were certain things that she did that always gave the dancer the creeps. Like the way she turned sightless eyes in her direction and greeted her.

"Caela. You want something with me." The blind woman spoke in sure statements, no note of query ever entering her tone. It always disconcerted the blonde that Jillene could tell who she was without her having to say anything. There were rumours that the woman had magic and that it made up for her lack of sight by putting her in "the know". Some even said that her inability to see was a price that she'd paid for such magic. Caela didn't think that it was true but at times like this the thoughts crept in and made her uneasy. "Jillene. Yes, I wanted to ask you about something." Her eyes moved to the children who were very carefully not looking their way, which meant that they were probably listening.

"It might be better to-"

"Talk in private, yes," the woman interrupted calmly, turning and exiting the dining area without another word. The dancer shuddered slightly before following the woman, thoughts of mind reading entering her head as she moved out of earshot of the children. Jillene led her into a small private room before turning her unseeing eyes on the Sunberthian. "Speak your business." The young woman swallowed, suddenly more nervous that she was alone with the other, especially now that thoughts of mind reading had wormed their way into her head. What if the proprietor could really see into her mind and had seen all her thoughts of her being a witch? Focus, Caela! You're here about Elea, she reminded herself in an effort to remain calm.

"There's a man that owes me a favour. He lives in the Sunset Quarters and I'd quite like to know where. His name is Eleazar Victor Syroin." Jillene's face changed from a frown to a scowl at the mention of the thief. Her eyes narrowed and judging by her expression it was safe to say that she didn't like him. Well this may have become easier than she'd first thought it'd be. "Oh, I'll tell you where to find him."

-----

Jillene had been extremely forthcoming with the information concerning the thief, had readily pointed her in his direction. The dancer had left the Orphanage feeling smug. She'd gotten the information that she wanted and more besides. The proprietor of the Orphanage didn't like Eleazar. She didn't know why but she wondered. Had he tried to cheat her, to rob her because of her lack of sight? She could imagine him stooping to that but there was no way of knowing for sure unless she asked one or the other.

She followed the other woman's instructions carefully, finding the correct building by finding the landmarks that she'd been told of. She assumed that the blind woman must have someone to act as her eyes as that was the only thing that could explain the perfect directions that she'd been given. Two wide alleys meeting a smaller one with a well in the middle. She took the smaller alley, avoiding the gutters that she'd been warned about. They reeked of waste fluids that was thrown into them and she kept an eye above her in case someone decided to throw any more down from on high. The young woman managed to find the door into the place without meeting any mishap along the way. The door opened onto a hallway and at the end of that she found stairs and trudged her way onto the floor above. The next floor had a similar setup and like before she walked to the end of it and another flight of stairs.

The top floor corridor was the shortest of the ones she'd seen already and it was this one that was her destination. "The door you want is the first one there. Plain wood, basic lock. That one's the thief's." It was just where Jillene had said it would be although it looked the same as any other door that she'd passed but she knew that this one was the one. The woman rapped on the wood, the impact stinging her knuckles and waited. There was no guarantee that the young man was in and whether or not he'd open the door. If he was used to callers then he might put in an appearance but if he wasn't then he might treat the arrival of a visitor with suspicion. Given the efforts he'd gone to not to give the location of his room if he opened the door he was bound to get the fright of his life.

[Eleazar Victor Syroin]

OOCThis ended up being longer than intended.... Enjoy. Despite being one of the largest rooms available in the Quarters, Eleazar's room could by no means be considered grand. Located directly under the roof; three buckets, a small pitcher and a washbasin took up near permanent residence under various drippings leaking down from between the wood work. A chamber pot sat by the broken shutters of a window and a good few feet away carefully angled in the centre of the room to avoid a wet wake up call, nearby the small hearth in the wall stood a bed. It was of average quality; at least the hard wood frame of it was, the actual mattress resting on the frame looked like it had seen better days. Stained sporadically with sweat, blood and age, it sagged wearily in the middle outlining the tightly curled figure occupying it. Snuggled up in the only blanket he owned, Eleazar wasn't asleep. Even with his nose nuzzled into the folded combination of his coat and his shirt, the dark haired male could never have been more awake. Nightmares always did this to him. Screaming blue murder as he rose out of sleep then stuck in a still hollowness that left his limbs numb for bells. Breathing was the only thing that seemed to matter at the moment. In and out and in and out. The alley way had began showing signs of life some time ago but still the thief couldn't find the motivation to haul his body out of bed for another day of grab and run. Content to while the daylight bells away from the relative warmth and safety of his bed, the teen couldn't think of any reason why the day wouldn't continue as such. Knock. Knock. “Hurrggh?” The mop of hair rose slightly to show hazy eyes and confused eyebrows. He had a visitor? Who the petch would visit him? Out of all the people that knew where he lived not one of them had a reason to come calling at what might as well have been about midday. Remmy would have been busy in the Library, like wise for Noven in the Orphanage, Loth would have been aiding Remmy and Jillene had collected his rent only three days ago, so wasn't due for at least another seven days. It could have been Seng but he hadn't seen him about town for some time now, neither had the teen seen many of the little helping hand group they had made in winter. It was slightly worrying. There was always the option that whomever had made a mistake, probably looking for someone else in the same building or some shyke like that. Rolling over to swing his long legs gracefully off the bed, the blanket seemed to disapprove of the idea and instead sent him sprawling on the tatty old rug that decorated the bare planked floor to the immediate left of his bed, with a loud thud. Disentangling the knot of fabric and knees, the thief's shirt was hastily thrown over his head to give him some more decency besides his trousers as he wobbled over to the door. Rubbing at the small lump growing from the tumble, Eleazar's appearance was remarkably different from 'normal'. For starters, he wasn't covered in mud or shyke because surprise, surprise after living for over a dozen years by himself, the thief had eventually learned that going to bed with shyke all over your face meant waking up to shyke all over your bed. Not favouring the later, he had taken to fixing the former by rising the majority of filth off his face and hands each night, not like he had a shortage of water living on the top floor. The second most surprising thing about his appearance was what lay underneath the normal mud layer; a surprisingly handsome face. It wasn't fall-head-over-heels-gorgeous but it was easy on the eye, young and well defined if a bit thin. This coupled with fluffy recently cleaned hair from his once a season bath and a two day old stubble rapidly altered a person's impression on the lad. Heck, a those who didn't know him well enough wouldn't have recognised him. Oblivious to how different he looked, the thief fumbled about for the hook hidden by the hinge of the door. Finding the key hung off it like normal, Eleazar slotted it into the lock with practised ease. anything he might have prepared to say before hand evaporated the moment he saw whom was on the other side. It was Dorin. The very same Dorin that danced in the Pig's Foot tavern, that had nearly throttled him into the next life last Spring and had arranged a deal with him last summer. That blonde, talented Dorin. Maybe if he had been expecting her or had at least told her where he had lived, Eleazar would have reacted more calmly. “EEEEHHHHHHH!!!???!? 'OW 'E PETCHING SHYKE DO YA KNOW WHERE AY LIVE!?” Situation being as it was, he didn't.

[Caela Dorin]

Her knock was not immediately answered but the young woman still listened, waiting for any sign of life beyond the door. There was no guarantee after all that there was anyone even in there. The dancer pressed her ear to the wood in an effort to make her job of overhearing something easier. There was some sort of grunting or groaning and then a thump of something hitting the floor. It wasn't something that she could decipher, simply knowing that there was someone beyond, and so she removed her ear in case the door opened. Although there was certainly someone in there but if they wanted to open the door to her was another matter entirely. The dancer waited, prepared to knock again should the thief fail to make an appearance. She didn't have much more of a wait though, the sound of a key turning in the lock giving her all the warning that she needed.

If she hadn't followed Jillene's instructions so perfectly she might have thought that she'd come to the wrong door; this certainly wasn't who she was looking for. He was considerably cleaner for one thing, his hair washed sometime recently and face actually visible and fairly clear if not cleanly shaven. The dancer could see qualities in his face that others might well find attractive. Although truth be told she found him a little to her interest too. If she'd gone by the evidence of her eyes then she would have mumbled her mistake and gone back to the beginning to follow the blind woman's directions anew. As it was the evidence of her eyes wasn't the only thing that she had to go on.

Although she hadn't recognised him, he had most definitely recognised her. The shout that came from him had her leaning away from the skinny teen, partly for the sake of her hearing and partly out of fright. It didn't seem possible that such a sound could come from such sound could come from such a small body. He didn't seen particularly happy to find her at his doorway, not that she could blame him. The dancer composed herself as quickly as she could, dredging up a smile from somewhere in her shell shocked form and painting it upon her face.

"Hello, Eleazar. You don't look very happy to see me. I'm hurt." She allowed the smile to falter but it returned quickly, mocking him. "The lovely Jillene was kind enough to direct me this way. She likes you very much you know. Thought that you might appreciate a visit." The young woman laughed. She couldn't help it. It was amazing that she'd kept it in as long as she had. The thief seemed to be good at drawing such mirth from her but then it wasn't that surprising that she laughed; the look on his face was priceless. The woman got a grip on herself, getting to the reason why she'd come.

"I have business to discuss with you and while it's all well and good standing here talking, may I come in? I won't pick up anything in there, will I? Nothing unpleasant? It doesn't matter. I'll just avoid touching things as much as possible. That should keep me fairly safe." The blonde had peered over his shoulder, taking in the scene beyond. She could see enough to know that she didn't really want to go in there. It was more important to put him on edge and make him feel extremely uncomfortable than to keep herself happy though so she'd brave the place. Maybe it wasn't as bad as it looked.

The dancer made a move to slip into the room, expecting the thief to allow her entry rather than blocking it. If he tried to stop her then she'd be displeased and be certain to let him know it. If he let her by though, the young woman would hover in the place, not troubling herself to sit down while taking care not to look too closely at anything.

[Eleazar Victor Syroin]

His over reaction hadn't impressed the dancer in the slightest. In fact it probably had been what had encouraged her to mock him further, taking her time to sneer down at his 'highly' amusing name followed up be a deliberately bad impression of emotional wounding torn on and off quick enough to give him whiplash. A season hadn't changed her that much it seemed, that was good. It was always good to have people you knew would be the same day in and day out, people that would keep you stable. Although maybe he should find someone that didn't laugh at his face at every other given moment and who didn't reduce him to a mumbling moron, “N-not exactly un'appy..... Jist wasn't expectin' ya, twas all....” Relaxing down from the shock, the teen could only look sheepish in front of the dancer. At least he knew how she had found out; Jillene, seemed the blind Isur had it in for him after all. It was typical really, reigniting the passive-aggressive stand offs they had been having since she claimed ownership of the orphanage. Calyn would have laughed at their pettiness if she wasn't sleeping below a good few feet of mud. Noting down that he would have to think of a way to get back at his landlady later, Eleazar refocused on the current situation. Business? As in she needed him to find something for her? That meant she would be offering up food if he found it. Momentarily distracted by the thought of food, Eleazar had only just realised what Dorin was going to do just in time to step smartly out the way, pulling the door open slightly wider as he went. Ignoring Dorin's snide remarks about his residence, the thief did a quick check to see if the anyone had come to find out what the racket was before closing and locking the door. Keys were returned to their hook in a fluid thoughtless motion as Eleazar gauged the woman's reaction to him home. “See any'in' ya like?” The sarcasm was obvious. True, it was a decently sized space but with bare walls, a crack riddled ceiling and the local woodlouse community in the back right corner happily chomping through the roof supports; the place didn't have much to be envious of. The bed was on the only piece of furniture present, occupying the dead centre of the room it provided a shelter for an overfilled bag wedged underneath it. Behind this, there was a large window facing out to the busier of the alleyways with the waft of the outside distracting slightly from the smell of damp that clung to the room. Despite the obvious state of general disrepair, some effort appeared to have been put into keeping the area clean with a broom and large dirt pile sitting inconspicuously near the window. Casually Eleazar weaved through the steady drips leaking through the ceiling and their corresponding carefully arranged receptacles, messily vaulting over the bed's head rest. He nearly fell off the bed in the process as his momentum carried him further than he had expected. As the thief repositioned himself more firmly on the bed, he leant forward and retrieved the blanket from the floor. Matching corner to corner, it was folded twice before being toss to next to where his coat attempted to mimic a pillow. Calm and fairly confident in his home, long limbs were crossed as he got back to the reason for the blonde being here. “So 'is business ya wanted ta talk tae mi aboot, What exactly es et?”

[Caela Dorin]

For a moment she was certain that she was going to bump into him but the youth stepped aside to accommodate her entry just in time. The door was shut after her as she progressed further into the place that was Elea's room. It was a hole really, somewhere unfit for human habitation but then this was Sunberth. The city itself was unfit for anyone to live in it and yet they did so as well as under of it. The state of it really shouldn't have surprised her.

The dancer froze in her appraisal as the key turned in the lock again. Her eyes flitted to the doorway, disbelieving the sound that she'd so clearly heard. Had he locked the door? Had he locked them in together? Don't jump to conclusions! He's not going to try anything and if he does you can take him." The internal reassurance was something that she'd needed along with the added reminder that leaving a door unlocked in Sunberth was asking for trouble. Her body relaxed once more. She doubted that her brief horror and panic had gone unnoticed by the thief but she acted as if nothing had happened.

"Frankly, I prefer my own room." His sarcasm was so simply disregarded and left the dancer the opportunity to make a jibe at him, a chance that she simply couldn't miss. "Have to say that your room certainly falls far below my standards for various..." Her eyes swept over the many problem areas in the place. "...reasons. But if you like the outside world to come in... well that's your choice, isn't it?" The blonde leaned back against a fairly clean patch of wall, although she didn't get too comfortable, convinced that it'd give way or something if she put too much weight against it.

She eyed Eleazar with some disbelief in her expression that he could make himself seem so content to sit in such squalor. Well it obviously didn't bother him or else he'd have made some effort to remedy the issues. Each to his own... She nodded slowly in response to his statement, piecing together her thoughts into an answer that would cover everything that she wanted the thief to do. "Yes, I have some work for you. Long term work." The dancer dug her teeth into her lip absently, rehearsing phrases in her head before she continued. "I don't need you to find someone but I do want information. Nothing specific, I just want to know the word on the street. I want to know what gangs are causing trouble where. I want to know if anything strange happens, anything unusual. Can you manage that?"

Caela watched him closely. She was sure that such an assignment would surprise him and now that she'd voiced it aloud the dancer was now aware how overwhelmingly large such a task must sound. It was one thing to ask the thief to learn some particular rumour or piece of gossip or to follow someone to find out about their movements but to ask him to tell her about the goings on in Sunberth and keep track of all the little cogs and wheels that kept it alive from season to season was a different thing entirely. She'd considered how to make the task easier for him and she presented her suggestions now. "I'm not asking you to do it all at once or alone. Like I said, long term. You must have some people that you can trust or at least know people with loose tongues. People who might be willing to spill their guts to you if you do a favour or two for them in return. And if they're overly reluctant I could always tag along and... persuade them." She winked at the last, a sly smile curving her lips. The other had an understanding of what such persuasion meant even though it didn't work on him.

Her expression became hopeful as she regarded the other, tilting her head to the side ever so slightly. "So? Will you do that for me? I know it's a lot but think about it for a chime. It is possible." I hope, she added silently.

[Eleazar Victor Syroin]

The dancer was didn't look happy as she entered the room, no doubt having found something or other to be displeased about. This seemed to change after the door was locked, her body seemed to suddenly stand on edge momentarily and was that fear written into her features? Miss Dorin scared, now that wasn't something he had expected to see. Although it probably wasn't him she had been scared of though, as near seconds later she was back to normal, making verbal jabs at him with everything she could take. What would have frightened her? Probably past experiences imprinting themselves on the now. A little too familiar with that feeling himself, the thief tired his best to act as if he hadn't noticed anything. Content to stay where he was, Eleazar watched amused as the dancer decided to deem a patch of wall to be 'safe' to lean against. It was funny to see her so uncomfortable, she almost didn't scare him like this. Almost. Fear of strangulation was still prowling deep in the back of his mind, warning him of the possible consequences of angering his new found 'Boss'. Whatever she wanted he didn't really want to disappoint her by coming up short for a many number of reasons. Straightening up out of his slouch as the Blonde began to explain why exactly she had decided to pay him a visit. Eleazar wasn't sure what he had been expecting Caela to say, it just hadn't been what she had said. The word on the street. What type of vague request was that? Maybe if she had asked for something specific he wouldn't be staring at her like she had grown another head, jaw slack and brows poised to question her sanity. Wait had she just asked him to keep an eye on the entire city!? Like everyone? As in Daggerhands, Sun's Birth, the Mob, Stumble Alley's little crew, Brega and Ruby's lot too. Blimey and lets not even start on the Night Eyes or the steady stream of foreigners in and out of the city. That was insane! No way could he cover that much ground or focus on that many people. Was she trying to break his mind even more than it already was? “YA WANT MI TA DAE WHAT!? 'At is insane! Ya are outta yer mind! Do ya know 'ow many people- 'eck 'ow many gangs and tiny organisations 'ere are in 'e city? Are ya asking mi tae keep an eye on all o' 'em at once? Mi 'eid would explode ef Ay tried tae do 'at on mi own! And not ta mention 'e trying ta make et all make sense and 'en what ef Ay got caught-” Thankfully Caela spoke again before his fingers had managed to successfully pull his hair from his head. Seem even the dancer wasn't as cruel as to demand the entire city on a platter at once. She wanted this to be a gradual thing and she didn't want him to have to do it alone. Heck she was even offering to help him. Why? Why did she want to know this? What purpose did it serve her? Falling backwards onto his bed a slight groan, the base of Eleazar's palms rubbed at his lids. How had he got dragged into this? Oh right, he had tried to rob her. Heh funny how the small things always seemed to snow ball. First off could the task even plausibly be done. Let's see people with loose tongues.... Remmy would give him information for a price and sitting silently in a tarven anyone could hear most of the resent news. If he got really desperate he could try bribing Jillene for her Night Eye connections, it was no secret around these parts that the landlady had at least some link to the gang. So it was surprisingly doable to an extent but the effort required, did he bare thinking about it? Sighing he rocked back up sitting on the bed. Steepling his hands, his pointer fingers tapped a steady rhythm off his nose as he thought. What would he be getting in return for this? Now there was a good question. Dropping his hands as his stomache grumbled at him, the thief regarded the blonde carefully. “Fine. Ya win. Ay'll try do et fer ya, no promises mind ya, but, but, Ay'll only do et under 'ree conditions. Firstly ye buy mi breakfast immediately after we're finished talking 'is o'er. Secondly Ay want ta know why ya want to know all 'is so suddenly 'n' Ay won't take 'because' or 'Et doesn't matter' fer an answer. 'Irdly What am Ay gonna get out o' 'is? Why should Ay bother wi' any o' 'is? In short, payment.” His expression was serious with hints of mild concern showing through. He really needed to know what was going on now. True, Dorin and him weren't on the best of terms but she had bought him food before without any reason so that was a good enough reason to care if some gang was after her. Besides with a face like her's, she could end up like his mother had and he had sworn never to let that ever happen again. Waiting for the dancer to give him some answers, his own imagination began to paint in possible answers in the gaps making the thief even more worried than before.

[Caela Dorin]

The dancer didn't like being shouted at and so the thief's outburst had been massively unwelcome, not to mention unwarranted. Well, perhaps not totally unwarranted but it didn't have to be that strong a reaction to her words. Her interruption of his tirade was listened to without him trying to interrupt her and once she was done he was quiet, thinking over her words. The problems that he'd been voicing before she interrupted him were valid. There was a lot going on in the city, so many different factions and segments of Sunberthian society that it was sheer madness to try to keep track of everything. She wasn't asking him to find out all the goings on in the place. She didn't want to know if some thug scratched his backside but only things that were worthy of her attention. And Eleazar could use others to get his information. The dancer would allow that, she was reasonable.

The youth accepted her job but the mention of conditions made her frown. She was supposed to be the one who set the conditions, not him. However, the thief wasn't obliged to do this for her. He had other ways of getting his bread although he obviously didn't get much of it but he wasn't reliant on her. If he refused then it would be Caela who would be worse off. They'd have to be agreed to whatever these conditions might be because otherwise she'd have to go hunting for that information for herself.

The first condition was doable and the third she would have gotten to anyway although she had an answer lined up for that one already. The second she didn't like one bit. It made sense that he'd want to know why he was putting himself in possible danger in order to gather information for her but that didn't meant that the blonde was willing to part with the reasons. Her reasons were her own but then she needed him, not the other way around so she'd have to spill even if she didn't want to do it. A sigh escaped her as a reluctant nod came from her.

"I can do that. I would have gotten to payment if you'd given me a chance. I didn't expect you to do it for nothing," the young woman explained, becoming sulky at being so reliant on the other for what she wanted. Her fingers drummed against her arm, beating out a silent rhythm as she spoke. "I don't understand Sunberth as well as I should. I don't really know it. I never know what goes on around here so I don't know what work is going. Obviously I know about certain lines of work but not ones I want to go down. I'm considering changing my profession but I need to know what's available." The dancer shrugged. It was all the information that Eleazar was going to get, let him take from it what he would.

So that just left the subject of payment. It was something that Caela had thought long and hard about it before coming in search of the young man. It was not something that she'd considered lightly. It had to be worth the thief's effort after all, had to act as an incentive to make him do what she bid. It had taken time to come up with a plan that was likely appealing to him. Only by presenting her terms to him could she see if he'd accept them or not.

"I will provide you with ten meals a season, not counting your breakfast today, one roughly every ten days. I will also give you... 75 gold a season. Is that sufficient?" Eyebrows raised as she regarded him, waiting to see if he would try to negotiate for more. If it came down to it she would haggle with him although she had no intentions of allowing his wages to rise above 100 gold mizas. If he couldn't be contented with that then he could go petch himself as far as she was concerned. He wouldn't be worth more than that in her mind, especially as she would also pay for some of his meals. She decided to leave him with something else to think on before this negotiation process had a chance to start.

"I have a condition. You don't dare raise your voice to me like that again, do you understand? If you do it again I'll make you regret it, do you understand? Merv doesn't take kindly to people who upset those who work for him and so you should be mindful that you don't upset me." A none too subtle threat and a reminder that she shouldn't be crossed. Perhaps that would help him to remember his place if or when he chose to seek more coin from her.

[Eleazar Victor Syroin]

The woman was worryingly quiet following his question. Oh shyke. What had he done? Had he done anything? Was it something she hadn't wanted to talk about? Had he struck a nerve? Why was he so worked up about this? His fretting subsided when Dorin gave a sigh and reluctantly nodded, agreeing to the terms. Well that was odd. No quarrel or snarky put down, just acceptance. Then again she had approached him first, so maybe the reasons behind this meant she had to get this done. She began acting like she always did after that, loftily stating that she was getting to the terms of his payment anyway. He did little to hide his doubt at the statement, she hadn't exactly made the best of impressions, neither of them had. The drumming of her fingertips caught his eye distracting him momentarily before her next few sentences were spoken. Didn't understand Sunberth as well as she should? She didn't really know it? What on earth was she on about? Even the Night Eyes probably didn't understand the whole of Sunber- Oh. Work. She wanted a new job. She would have him to try to keep tabs of most of the gossip in the city, just so she could find a job? True, it was a valid reason but not the one, he speculated, she was really doing this for. Then again he was probably just being paranoid and looking to deep into this. Ruffling the back of his head, the teen let the subject drop as Dorin's casual shrug had her start on a more concerning side of the bargin; payment. The mention of food had him smiling, even more so with it being 'free' and regularly supplied. Yes, that would do nicely. Dorin, however, continued on with her offer, effectively wiping the smile of his face with her words. Had he heard that right!? S-seventy five!? Seventy five gold a season. 'Was that sufficient'?What? Who did she think she was kidding!? Did she realise how much that was or did she really have that much money to swing about causally? Petch. Petch! Did dancing really pay that much? If so he should seek out lessons as soon as possible. Wait, how many loaves of bread was that? Bread was two coppers or maybe more, it been a while since he had bought anything. So assuming it was two copper a loaf that meant one silver could buy five loaves. Seventy five gold was seven hundred and fifty silver, correct? So that made for.....um..... a lot. Over a thousand at least. Maybe over two thousand? With ten free meals on top of that........He wouldn't be without food any more. He finally wouldn't be hungry. That realization seemed to break the teens mind for a chime or two leaving him staring off into space until Dorin announced that it came with a condition. Leaning forward to hear better, he flinched at the tone. She would really strangle him to death next him he yelled at her, wouldn't she? If not, get him permanently banned from the Pig's Foot or worse. The thought of an enraged Merv sent chills down the teen's spine. On top of that, the continued repetition of 'do you understand?' only made him feel like more of a fool. Had he messed up so badly that she thought he had the mentallity of a ten year old? Petch. Once again terrified of the woman before him, Eleazar could only nod his head up and down like and idiot squeaking out a quiet “Aye, Ay-Ay understand.”. Why was the blonde so scary at times like this? Gripping his arms just above his elbows, the shaking eased down as his form uncurled from the position it had cowered into. So that was it, task set, conditions stated. All that was left was for them to get on with it. Locking eye contact with Dorin, the teen straightened up letting a few ticks wander by before the silence got too much. Uncomfortable, his legs were moved awkwardly so they now 'hung' off the edge of his bed, both firmly touching the floor below. Going back over what he needed to do, the teen looked up at Dorin with hopeful eyes. “So are we going tae go get breakfast now? Ay meaning see as et's a deal 'en, Boss?” The Math of Bread5 loaves per silver x 750 silver = 3750 loaves. So yes, Eleazar is correct as it is 'maybe over two thousand'.

[Caela Dorin]

.

As she explained her reasons, the thief took on a thoughtful expression. The blonde wasn't sure what was so interesting in what she'd said but maybe it wasn't something that he'd expected to hear from her. He didn't ask her anything about it in any case so he obviously wasn't all that concerned about it. Good, she didn't want him to be probing her for more on the subject. There was nothing more, at least not that she knew of although she had wondered often enough in the last few days whether or not there was some other reason that her subconscious hadn't let her in on.

Setting out his payment seemed to have done something to the teen and she wondered if he was going to pass out. He'd been smiling at the idea of food but as soon as she'd mentioned money his face had not only shown shock but had also changed colour. Judging by his reaction negotiation wasn't going to be necessary. It also looked as if the young woman could have gotten away with a smaller amount but at least he wasn't going to argue. The glazed condition of his eyes might be a worrying sign however. Was it possible for someone to go mad from shock? Maybe but Eleazar had turned into a vegetable, which wasn't exactly the same thing. The dancer was just considering whacking him in the head in an attempt to return him to full consciousness when he recovered by himself.

It hadn't been obvious whether or not he was taking anything in while in that state but he'd clearly heard her condition. Her warning had had the desired effect, the young man visibly shaken as he agreed to it in higher voice than normal. It was amusing to find him so easily cowed. It was a wonder that he ever managed to rob anyone really, where did he get the nerve from? She wondered if he could be frightened by someone looking at him crookedly. A brief scrutiny of his current state and a recollection of how he'd been when he'd tried to rob her and she decided that he probably would. He was actually shaking. Well she could have no fear of him trying to swindle her, he probably couldn't do anything bad in her vicinity. It didn't matter to Caela whether the money, the food or his fear of her kept him honest. As long as he got the job done then she couldn't care less about anything else.

He uncurled himself from where he was in the bed, sitting on the side and looking at her with expectant eyes. His hopeful question about getting food made her snort. He'd obviously recovered well enough to think of his stomach. Typical man. There was an eye roll at the use of "Boss" accompanied with a sigh. "Don't call me Boss. That's not what I am. You're working for me but that doesn't mean that I don't have a name. Just don't start calling me miss or something. My name is Caela. Can you please try to remember that?" She looked to the door, remembering that it was locked. She allowed her eyes to move to the key as she took a step towards it.

"Yes, we can go. I assume that I'm allowed to unlock your door? Unless you'd prefer me to break through it or go out the window of course, Eleazar," she commented sarcastically. Without waiting for an answer, the dancer stretched for the key and fished it down, inserting it into the lock. The door was swung open, the key left where it was for the thief to collect himself. She'd wait for him, setting off at a brisk pace to force him to hurry to keep up with her. The plans for breakfast and for all his future meals were outlined as she walked.

"We'll go to the tavern and I'll set up a deal with Merv. I'll have the money for your meals taken from the coin that I get from work and then you can go in there when you want one and just ask. He'll know that there's a cut off point to my generosity and you won't get any charity from him if you run out of meals from me. I also decide how much your meals are worth so you take what you can get and be grateful for it and that goes for your breakfast too. Understand?"
.

[Eleazar Victor Syroin]

She immediately shot down the title of boss as soon as it had left his lips, instantly causing him to flinch. Well, so much for that. Listening nervously as she continued on, no Miss or Blondie or any sort of nicknames just Caela. Awww, that was no fun. Mildly annoyed, the thief decided he would just have to deal with it for the time being. Nodding his head as a sign that he had been paying attention to her patronising if polite way of talking. She probably thought he was soft in the head or had the mentality of a child with the way she spoke. Sarcastically asking for his permission caused him raise an eyebrow, a chuckle hidden barely behind a smirk when she didn't bother to wait for answer. “Ay would love ta see ya try either o' 'ose options, Caela. Ay really would.” Reaching down under the bed, Eleazar quickly pulled on his boots and rings before grabbing his coat. Following the dancer out of the room, he put the coat on as he walked, pulling the key from the lock with a graceful twirl that closer the door after him. The lock had only just clicked closed when Caela started walking again. Guess she was in a hurry. Key now safely in his pocket, the thief jogged a few strides to catch up. Seemed she had planned this out rather carefully as Caela was soon going over the terms under which his payment would be delivered. Everything seemed fair enough, although seeing Merv for his meals would be awkward to say the least and he would probably have to avoid pick pocketing and of the tavern's customers for now. “Aye. Good way o' doin' et. So Ay take et 'at Ay'll be 'reporting' back ta ya what Ay find when a see ya or do ya want me to write et down and ya could get et off Merv? Either way works. Just want to double check 'ow 'at is gonna work.” They had already left the building by this point, heading down the wider alleys toward the more defined streets. The mass of people around them also increased forcing Eleazar to stick close by the dancer so they wouldn't get separated in the crowd. A few people were staring their way, panicking he wondered briefly if they were looking at him before then deciding they were probably more interested in Caela. Although not directed at him the attention was still unsettling making him hunch his shoulders and dip his head in an attempt to look smaller. Eyes darting back and forth over the crowd trying to see who was watching them, the feeling of paranoia only got worse once he remembered he wasn't hiding behind his usual layer of muck. It's okay. It's fine. Nothing was going to happen. There is a big crowd so they were safe. If they were alone they would be in trouble but here they were fine. Relax, come on. Just keep walking. Follow Caela. It's going to be fine. This mix of self-comforting phrases were the few things keeping him from bodily grabbing Caela and running her to the Tavern. Eleazar didn't like being stared at in the slightest, stomach doing flips with each pair of eyes he found looking his way. How did the dancer live like this, being the centre of attention all the time? It was unnerving. Hands shoved into his coat pockets as his fingernails rammed themselves into his palm, the teen just kept putting one foot in front of the other. He only dared relax once the Pig's foot mercifully drew into sight, straightening himself out into a less strenuous slouch.