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[Kechaiya]

Prompt: Prompt 6
Timestamp: Fall 45, 514 AV
Location: Varying places around the Docks
Time of Day: 22nd Bell, Night

Kechaiya sat at a table all to herself in the Drunken Fish, cloak wrapped tight around her body, hood kept up. She had a goblet of wine in front of her, but it was untouched. The other patrons were up to their standard revelry and rowdiness, and hadn't paid any mind to Kechaiya in her overly clothed garb. She was waiting on Caela and Mirian to arrive, so that they can do their part of the plan to rescue the children. Her face had been one of grimace and shock when Toofless had instructed them in their roles. Not only was it dangerous, and Kechaiya didn't have the confidence that she could pull of her end of the deal, but there was the fact that Noven would most certainly not like this idea. But the two women weren't much when it came to fighting, especially in comparison to the rest of the volunteers. Sure, they had a little skill, but not what would be needed for something so dangerous, with the stakes so high.

Purple painted lips sipped at the wine, hoping to provide some liquid courage for this ridiculous endeavor. Beneath her tightly drawn cloak was a dress she'd purchased for eight silvers earlier in the day, wrapped around the only corset she owned. It didn't hang from her shoulders, but rather was clinging to her upper arms and the bust line was a lot lower than anything she had ever worn. Her breasts were small, but were nearly on display in their entirety. She'd even bathed, so that her hair would maintain its straight, dark sheen, and would rest around her naked shoulders.

Her, Mirian, and Caela's roles in this plan was distraction. There were three guards on the docks, and their job was to try and lure as many of them away as possible, into a nearby alleyway where their compatriots would be waiting to strike them down in silence. That meant they would have to flirt, flaunt, and seduce, none of which Kechaiya was particularly skilled at doing. She had felt that if she left the talking to Caela and Mirian, perhaps she could go for a mysterious allure by being a silent foreigner. The entire idea felt wrong, dirty, but it was for the good of the orphanages.

So there she sat, sipping her wine, keeping an eye on the door for either of the other women. They were to go as soon as the signal was sounded. And they had to achieve their goal before the buyer got suspicious or left.

[Mirian Jade]

Gods petching finally.

The strain of waiting for the moment to arrive had been agony for Mirian. She’d paced the length of her room over and over before the sun had moved far enough for her to come, timed so that she wouldn’t be too early and risk suspicion. Her knife was again strapped to her thigh, under her skirt where it was out of sight, and she found herself comforted by the push of the cloth against leather in a way that she never had been before.

She had been told of her role in the rescue: distraction. Something she supposed was the best place for her to be. Lure away, so that the more combat-heavy agents could slip onto the ship and free the children. There had been some ambiguity in regards to exactly how permanently they were to take their targets out of the picture, but that was something Mirian planned on taking advantage of. Anyone who kidnapped children from their beds deserved a knife in the neck.

No. She had to relax.

She had chosen her standard working outfit, at least the outfit that she used in taverns. Red blouse, open collar, full skirt; though she wore them properly at the moment, they had been selected specifically for the fact that she could ride them up, down, to the side, however she wanted to show a little skin, and do it in a way that looked natural. But that could wait. She wasn’t on duty yet.

She entered the Drunken Fish as casually as she could manage, slackening her spine and hips to give her step a little sway. She smiled at a drunkard just outside, but he was too far gone to take any notice.

She hadn’t been formally introduced to Kechaiya, but she had been told what to look for. Black eyes, it’d been said. Blacker than all the nights in time itself. Mirian didn’t really know what that meant, but she’d do her best. And if worse came to worse, she could just wait for Caela––someone she did recognize.

But… wait, there. That… those were black eyes. For a moment, Mirian marvelled at them before shaking herself and returning to her objective.

They needed to group up before they could move out.

“Ey there, love,” Mirian said, meandering up to the night-eyed woman. “I don’t suppose you’d happen to be Kechaiya, by any chance?”.

[Caela Dorin]

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The things that she got herself into... It wasn't that she had nothing against children, not really and she did want them to be rescued but she wished that she'd never gotten involved in this whole abduction mess. It was far too late to back out now, the words spoken to the proprietress of the Orphanage on the night of the kidnapping had effectively sealed her fate.

Tonight they would get them back although she wouldn't be involved, at least not directly. She was to be the distraction, the decoy, the lure. Catching and holding the attention of others was something that she did for a living so it made sense that it was a task that had been giving to her. It was work that made her feel ill as she wondered just how far she'd have to go for this plan to work successfully. She wouldn't be on her own she knew. Mirian Jade and Kechaiya would provide her with back up if she required it but that didn't seem to put her mind, or her stomach, at ease. She wasn't even sure how well this would suit the doctor. While Caela had given her some pointers in the seductive arts she was still worried that the woman's dark eyes would repulse rather than attract.

Work had served as some sort of distraction, not enough of one perhaps although she had tried to get lost in the music and to not think of what was coming. She had gotten through it all the same, the time flying by at such a pace that she wished that she could just stand by and let it skip the bell that she was waiting for. If it would only pass her by then the blonde wouldn't have to go to the dreaded meeting. But the bell came and she found herself at the Drunken Fish punctually with her insides roiling in protest.

Her multi-layered pink skirt was smoothed down, now cleaned of red wine after that incident with Kechaiya, her cloak placed carefully over it before she entered. The natural desire was to walk in with all of the confidence that she was accustomed to but she had been learning something of being stealthy this season and so she moved in as demure a manner as she could manage. She didn't want the attention and she really didn't need it right now. It wouldn't do to have notice drawn to herself prematurely. It wouldn't be good to get any interested men on her tail because they no doubt wouldn't take kindly to being shaken off. They didn't need anyone following them and jeopardising the whole mission.

Green eyes swept the tavern's interior from beneath her hood, alighting on the figure that could only belong to Jade. Her gaze moved to the other that she seemed to be talking to and caught a glimpse of black orbs from beneath a hood. Kechaiya. Moving unhurriedly towards the two women, she slipped into an empty seat at the doctor's table. They wouldn't be going quite yet and she didn't want to appear odd by just standing there like Jade was doing. One person you could get away with, two were likely to draw a curious eye.

"Kechaiya. Jade," she greeted the two women softly, her voice not rising high enough to travel beyond their table. "And how are we this evening? Up for a bit of mischief?" she asked with a dry laugh, gaze moving languidly from one woman to the other.
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[Mirian Jade]

Mirian turned at the mention of her name. It seemed that Caela had made her appearance, as well.

“Caela,” Mirian said, inclining her head with a small smile of greeting. “Good to see you. Mischief is only half as fun when made alone.”

She straightened and moved to face the other woman fully, crossing her arms and leaning casually against the table. Mirian was nervous, that much she couldn’t deny, but she did her best to keep it in check; if she could convince the world around her that she was confident, then perhaps she might just be able to convince herself.

Turning to survey the thick rowdiness of the tavern surrounding them, Mirian began to tug restlessly at the hem of her blouse.

“I think I have an idea for what we could do,” she said. “’Cause from what I hear, we’ve got more than one we’re taking out of the picture. You’re armed, right?”

[Arlana]

Upon entering the Drunken Fish, Arlana kept her head down and slunk into the dark corners of the tavern. She still wasn't entirely sure on how she had got tangled in this mess. This whole rescuing kids trouble. In just a few days, she had been familiarized with a handful of people she had never met and forced to work together.

Three familiar looking women had already gathered together, all of them trying to avoid attention. Two with dark hair and one blonde. Their task was to distract and lure the mercenaries into the intended location, away from their duties. It was no easy work, even if it seemed like it. Arlana guessed that they were the ones who were to be kept out of the violence.

She had remember the times she had sauntered into this place in the disguise of her morphing. How she distracted men with her magic as her hands emptied their pockets. Tonight was a little different though. She was not tasked to distract as the three women had, but rather someone to have an eye on things. If things went bad, Arlana was supposed to help - though she was not entirely sure on how. Or she might act as a speedy messenger to the others.

Arlana was not entirely sure if the three women had noticed her coming. They didn't need to for it was not the point. She was too keep a distance away, watching and waiting. Which was how she preferred to do things. Still, the thief stayed in the women's sights.

Earlier, their targets had been described to her in quite the detail so it was not hard to single them out as she passed the docks. Two brute-looking man and a vexed woman. They certainly looked intimidating and dangerous. There was no doubt in Arlana's mind that if things resorted to blows, she would end up dead and tossed into the waters.

The mood in the rowdy tavern eased her strung nerves slightly, spreading a little bit of their carelessness into her system. Nonetheless, Arlana's heart was still thrumming inside her chest

To calm her fidgeting, Arlana rested her hand on the hilt of the sword that was strapped to her belt. The blade always reminded her of her family in a better way than most things did. Something told her she was going to need every reassurance she could get tonight. At least she was not placed where most of the violence might be.

She was going to get out of this alive. Those kids too.

Personally, Arlana had taken a particular precaution regarding the woman. When the man named Toofless had told her about the plan, she was immediately concerned to how they were going to attract the female mercenary's attention with other women - of course, unless that was what she was into. Of course it would be a fortunate thing, but there's nothing wrong in having another plan.

It was fortunate that the female mercenary was also dressed to not to attract any attention. Arlana had scoured through what little clothes she had as to be as similar to her as possible. She had ended up with a worn dark cloak, a simple black shirt, a pair of leather pants and boots that almost reached her knee. Unfortunately, the thief and the mercenary were not quite in terms of their build. When while Arlana was lean and lithe, she was sturdy and muscled.

Now that's where her special set of skills would come into play.

This was not a plan she could openly share to anyone, so Arlana had kept it to herself. She was going to observe the female mercenary as closely as she could manage and maybe mirror her face if the need arises. What she could copy in such a short of time probably would not be much, but hopefully it was enough to fool the others. Or maybe it would be enough to throw the mercenary off in a fight. Fighting yourself, that should be quite distracting.

However, Arlana still hoped that her precaution would prove to be unnecessary. She could always end up getting killed by her own allies if they had mistaken her for the enemy. And that would be most unfortunate.

“Speech.” “Hypnotism.”

[Caela Dorin]

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Jade seemed particularly happy to see her and Caela could understand why. The two of them had met more than once in recent days and so the dancer was a familiar face to her. Judging by her reaction towards Kechaiya, going so far as to actually turn from the doctor entirely was a fair indication that they weren't well acquainted or weren't acquainted at all. An apologetic look was shot the foreign woman's way before she allowed Jade to have her full attention. Kechaiya would get over it and hopefully understand Caela's negligence of her as well.

A quick glance around the tavern before the beauty mentioned having an idea. The blonde leaned closer trying to make the movement appear as nonchalant as possible. Just an elbow leaned casually on the table, a shift forward in her seat. One ear was tilted a little closer to Mirian as if she was having trouble hearing her rather than having it appear as if they were having a conspiratorial discussion. She allowed her own eye to rove over the tavern, not focusing on any one person in particular but surveying the room over all. A few people in shadowy corners, a woman among them but none of them seemed to be watching them, which was good enough for Caela. Her gaze was turned back to the other woman, an eyebrow raised and a look of amusement that was only partly feigned.

"Of course I'm armed! I'd be stupid not to be wouldn't I in case things go sour. It's concealed of course and I'd like to say that nobody is going to find it. Handy thing about corsets being stiff is you don't notice things under them, or nearly under them," she commented. Her eyes remained on Jade although her first instinct was to glance down and give away the location of her dagger. Nobody was watching as far as she could tell but you could never be too sure. It wouldn't be found by anyone if hands should go wandering but considering its hiding place she'd have a job accessing it in a hurry. It was in its sheath, the hilt still succeeding to stick uncomfortably in her skin despite the fact that she'd wrapped it in the waistband of her skirt before shoving it under the bottom of her corset. She shifted in place, readjusting it inconspicuously to make herself more comfortable.

"So Jade what is this idea of yours and what has it got to do with my being armed or not?" she asked softly, another casual glance thrown around the tavern.
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[Mirian Jade]

Caela shifted closer, movements measured and casual. Mirian followed suit, relaxing towards the dancer with more of a subtle tilt of the spine than any real distance crossed. It brought them closer together, but in a way that made them outwardly seem more likegood friends than anything else.

Caela affirmed that she was armed, and Mirian gave a nod, then another one at the dancer’s own question.

“Just checking. In a perfect world we won’t have to use our weapons at all, but I wanted to know for sure. From what I hear, there’ll be three we need to take out, but if it’s just you and me it might be a good idea to have a cover.”

The thief took another moment to shift again, actually taking the time to hoist herself onto the table and sit at the edge. It brought her closer to Caela, and it also allowed her to lean down and but her elbows on her knees, keeping her words in the immediate vicinity without the appearance that she was doing so.

“So I was thinking, what if you and I were drunk? Not staggering, though, just… y’know, right after the buzz wears off and everything seems funny. Might give us more leeway to say and do what we can to get them away. And am I correct in thinking we’re trying to get them wanting to bed us?”

[Caela Dorin]

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She snorted. "Yes but Sunberth is far from perfect," she commented drily. She knew that the woman was only making sure but she would have thought that being armed was a given. It was rare for her to be without a weapon at any time, she had even taken to keeping the blade on her when she was dancing when she could manage it. A task like this required a weapon of course because if things went sour it might be needed. No way was she going to be caught in the lurch although she did have her fists for all the good they might do her.

The other shifted her position until she was seated on the table, leaning down so as to talk to the dancer. It would seem perfectly natural to anyone looking at them and so they were less likely to draw suspicion to themselves. They didn't need their meeting to look too odd after all.

The mention of being drunk made her frown. They were going to need clear heads for this if they didn't want to give themselves away or mess everything up. As the woman continued though Caela found herself nodding. If they drank a little then it would make things a little easier, make them seem like women who could be taken advantage of. Their targets would think them easy and they'd be more likely to allow themselves to be lured away without suspecting a trap. If they drank here before they left, it'd make their meeting here seem more natural as well. It'd be too strange for them to meet here, drink nothing and then leave after a few chimes. That would seem far too odd.

The talk of seducing them to bed, even if the bedding didn't actually take place brought a grimace to the blonde's features. That was a tricky game and one that she wasn't fond of at all. If you led them on too much then you might have too much trouble for yourself when you tried to back out. It could go very wrong, very fast. She nodded though. "Yeah I think that's the plan although I think one of them's a woman. I don't know if she's that way inclined so... what do we do about her? I mean one of us could play the two men off each other maybe, have both of them go after just one of us but what do we do about a woman? How can she be taken out?" The dancer sighed. She really had no idea how to get rid of that complication. Could they aggravate her and draw her away into a fight? That would go badly. She was likely to be a mercenary, which meant that she wouldn't be a soft target and even the two women together would take a hard beating.

"I think that we should get something to drink anyway. Rum maybe. We can work out the woman later. I prefer to plan ahead but with her we might have to improvise." A serving girl was waved over and rum was called for, the barmaid returning within a few chimes with the drinks and searching for the coin for them. "Are you paying or am I?" she asked Jade.

OOCI posted ahead of Arlana so that she might have a little bit more to post about, namely the fact that we seem to be getting drunk rather than doing what we're supposed to be doing.
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[Arlana]

When a barmaid approached Arlana and offered a drink, the young woman politely declined, saying that she was still looking for her friend. She wasn’t that this would be the best time for her to have alcohol in her system. It had always gotten in the way when she needed to escape fast, making her feet clumsy and her mind blurry.

On the other side of the room caught her attention, her eyes flicked as she saw the drinks served at the women’s table. While she had nothing against getting drunk during times like this, she was not entirely sure how quickly they should finish this so-called luring mission. Surely, it was not at a leisurely pace. She guessed the others were already hidden somewhere in the docks, ready to take out the slavers as soon as the women succeeded in leading the mercenaries away.

Arlana decided to approach the table eventually, but now was not a bad time either. She would just have to head to the woman mercenary once the women had gone too.

“Yeah I think that’s the plan although I think one of them’s a woman. I don’t know if she’s that way inclined so... what do we do about her? I mean one of us could play the two men off each other maybe, have both of them go after just one of us but what do we do about a woman? How can she be taken out?”

The thief only heard snatches of the blonde’s concern, but she had gotten the gist of it. It seemed like they were thinking about the same problem as she did. Acting like she entirely belonged to the table, Arlana pulled up a chair and sat down, finally taking off her hood so that at least Caela recognized since she was pretty sure she didn’t recognize the dark-haired woman. “I might be able to help with that. Though, aren’t you guys supposed to go by now?”

“Common.” “Benshiran.” “Hypnotism.”

[Caela Dorin]

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Arlana - she could remember her name now - seemed to come out of nowhere. The dark haired woman came with the barmaid and with her words Caela realised her mistake. If she had managed to overhear what she'd said then so had the serving wench. A distrustful glance was shot in her direction before she thrust coins at her, eager to get rid of her. She didn't want her listening in on anything else that might come back to bite them later. They were supposed to go unnoticed and yet the dancer had discussed what they were going to do in front of a potential witness. That was bad.

This time she was more careful, ensuring that no one was in earshot before she addressed the newcomer. "Where did you come from? You weren't sent to watch us, were you? I mean... you didn't think that we were that incompetent, did you?" There was a sharp edge to her tone as she spoke. The slip on her part had made her nervous and her anxiety was coming out in what sounded like an attack on the girl. She smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I'm just a bit edgy. Don't mind me," she apologised, looking guiltily at the drinks that had just arrived. A look was shot Mirian's direction as if asking her to help her out before she ploughed into an explanation to justify why they were still there.

"We should be gone by now but well... Jade here had an idea," the other woman was dragged into it now whether she liked it or not, "and so we aren't going yet. She thought that if we had a drink then they might think that we were drunk and that we'd be able to get away with more. We weren't going to get very drunk, just a little tipsy maybe." Again she looked to Jade, hoping that the brunette would back her up on this so that she wouldn't sound like she was just making it up. The dancer was already a bundle of nerves and she didn't need to be made any worse or else she'd never be able to carry this off tonight.

A gulp was taken of the rum that she'd ordered. The alcohol had to be given some time to work on her system and the sooner it started, the sooner that Caela would be to get out of here and do what needed to be done. Now that she'd finished giving her own excuses, she was able to concentrate on what Arlana had actually said. "Oh you can help with what? The woman? How can you do that?" She didn't know a lot about the other's skill set. She seemed able to take care of herself or at least she had when they'd been attacked down in that alley. It was entirely possible that Arlana would have some unique talent that the Caela wouldn't know anything about.
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