Blooming Rose, indeed. He was fairly certain that the only things blooming in the place were the bruises on the boy's face when one of the whores smacked him a good one for getting underfoot. He'd seen similar displays a million places, been subject to more than a few, before he was of appropriate size and skill to hit back. That he was to find himself here again after the passage of such a short time irked him, though it was manifested only in the steady pace of his march, breezing through the entranceway as he did, moving right past all the men and women on display to the second level. He'd read the name 'Jethann' on the brass nameplate on a door next to Idunna's room the last time he was here, which saved him the indignity of needing to stop and ask for the man's location.
The sooner they left this place, the better, and not just because the smell of it irritated his nose, either.
Rilien did the courtesy of knocking, but only once. Frankly he didn't care if he happened to intrude upon a conjugal visitation- it would be nothing he hadn't interrupted before, usually for much less pleasant reasons even than seeking out a missing woman. After that, he simply opened the door and strode directly in. "Jethann," he inquired (though to be fair, there was so little rising intonation to it it may well be mistaken for a declarative).
Perhaps luckily, Rilien did not interrupt anything he shouldn't have. Jethann was alone in his room, and for the most part, didn't even look annoyed at having unexpected visitors. In fact, a grin revealing a rather inappropriate line of thought spread across his face when he laid eyes on the trio, giving each of them a look over, and seemingly approving of each one. There was some recognition in his eyes at seeing Sparrow; the two likely knew each other to some extent, though if they knew each other was not readily apparent.
"I'm afraid today's my rest day," the elf said, before giving the Tranquil a more thorough inspection with his eyes, "but I'll make an exception for you. What do you say, want to see if we can make you feel something again?" His grin perhaps doubled in size as he shrugged. "What can I say? Why work if you're not working hard?"
The look Rilien gave Jethann was perhaps something Ashton would have described as 'priceless.' The usual flat stare took on the barest edge of incredulity, and he crossed his arms over his chest, shifting his weight slightly. "If I had the desire to feel anything at all, I would not ask you," he deadpanned pointedly, blinking once, slowly. He was planning on asking directly where Ninette was, but there was a rather perspicuous danger of being misinterpreted if there were not some form of transition, and while he didn't care, exactly, he also didn't want to deal with the extra superfluous commentary.
"As it turns out, we are here to work, unlike yourself. We seek Ninette de Carac, who has gone missing. I understand she was a customer of yours."
Jethann looked disappointed for only the slightest of moments at Rilien's rock solid rejection of his offer, but seemed intent on remaining lewd with his visitors. It was also possible that that was just his personality. "Ninette? Why yes, she is a customer of mine, but I haven't seen her for several weeks. A shame, really. I enjoy her company. I heard that she finally left her worthless husband. Good for her, right? She's probably out of the city by now. I just wish she'd said goodbye."
He turned towards Aurora, perhaps because he thought she would be more pleasing to speak with, now that the Tranquil had proven unsurprisingly cold. "Did you meet him? Surely no one can blame poor Ninette for freeing herself from that awful man."
Unlike Rilien, Sparrow wasn't displeased at the thought of returning to the Blooming Rose – it would've been an atrocity if she had been, and very unlike her. There was a certain wariness riding on her shoulders, tickling her earlobes. She was uncharacteristically uncomfortable. Exposed flesh made her fingers twitch, drumming tunelessly against the pommel of her mace. For once, Sparrow didn't want to be here.
“Bloody bastard, more like. Wouldn't be worried – she won't be with him again, once we find her.” Sparrow interrupted, crossing her arms across her chest. She couldn't hide the slight grin from her lips, tentatively pulling it's corners at the horrible attempt to seduce her companion. She'd often wondered what Rilien's type was, before he'd been affected by the Rite of Tranquillity. Surely, there'd been someone in his life: the apple of his eye. It was difficult imagining him alone, though she'd heard of the restrictions tendered on all individuals of the Circle. They weren't allowed to have relationships. They weren't allowed to do much of anything. Anchored by the wrists, and by the ankles, to something much more restrictive and cruel. They weren't allowed to live proper lives because everyone feared them. She understood that more than anyone, unless one was to compare him to other confined mages. Freedom was the only fortunate thing she was allowed to have as long as she turned tail and ran, as long as she was willing to part with her stubborn pride, jabbing it's fingers into her ribs because it was displeased at the thought of bowing out.
When she woke up that morning, Aurora surely hadn't expected to end up at the Blooming Rose of all places, looking for a man's (if one could call that a man) wife. When she entered, her eyes darted around, a little bit wary, but entirely curious. However, the Tranquil seemed to know where he was going as if he'd been there before. That of course raised an entire slew of questions. Mostly why. As he led the way, Aurora couldn't help but stare at the back of the man's white mane and just wonder what went on under that hair? What was it like being a Tranquil, to be cut from not only the Fade, but all of one's emotions as well. She winced inwardly as she thought about it. It wasn't the cheeriest thought, and one she tried her entire life to avoid. That and becoming an abomination.
She followed him right into Jethann's room. The elf was... Cheeky but then again what did she expect from someone working in a place such as the Blooming Rose? That kind of attitude came with the... job probably. Still, despite herself she couldn't help but chuckle at Rilien's frankness. Then the elf turned his attention's on her. At first, she was at a lost, the sudden change being so... Well, sudden. She opened her mouth to answer, but before the first syllable left her mouth, Sparrow answered for her. Aurora nodded right along and added, "He's not... Pleasant, to put it lightly," she said, agreeing to an extent with Sparrow's words, though not so vulgar.
"Do you know anything that could help us find her? Not for Serah Carac's sake of course, but ours. We'd like to make sure she's okay," She said, putting emphasis on the word. Sarcastic emphasis.
"Okay? But... who would want to hurt Ninette?" the elf asked, as though the idea simply made no sense to him. He suddenly seemed to get a bright idea, however, and another lewd smile made its way onto his face. "Everyone loves Ninette. Sometimes twice a night." He chuckled a bit at his own joke, before becoming significantly more serious. "Ghyslain's the only one who might hurt her, and he doesn't have the balls for it. He came here and yelled at me when he found out Ninette had been seeing me, called me a dirty knife ear, among other things, and accused me of corrupting his wife. We had him thrown out."
Finally getting around to the point of answering Aurora's question, Jethann continued. "There was, uh... one other person looking for Ninette. A Templar, I believe his name was Emeric. He wouldn't sleep with me, either. I can't see why a Templar would be interested in anyone who isn't a mage."
Templars. Again. If Rilien had been the kind to entertain such useless conspiratorial fancies, he would have sworn the world was out to get him. Out to get them, really, because he was in a much better position to be dealing with Templars then either of the two women with him. How was it that in recent weeks, he'd been sent twice to Templars, and twice to this den of... well, filth was too strong a word. There was a decided lack of cleanliness, though, and he a rather fastidious sort who did not revel in that in the slightest.
Choosing not to comment on Jethann's implied question, Rilien instead took it upon himself to hurry the matter along. "One final question. Did you ever send Ninette anything? Flowers or a letter?" He asked largely because that detail had seemed odd to him. Arguably, it was indeed a whore's job to keep his or her customers coming back, but from the sounds of things, Ninette was already a regular, and such measures were thus firmly in the category of 'excessive.' Perhaps the absence of any of his own had turned Rilien into a poor judge of emotion, but he didn't think so, and Jethann wasn't showing enough distress at Ninette's vanishing for the Tranquil to suppose that he'd done something so foolhardy as to actually love the woman, so something about the entire situation was off.
That said, he wasn't at all certain he'd be chasing down the lead anyway. In the end, he needed the funds, but he did not relish the thought of accompanying two apostates, one of them a maleficarum, no less, into the Gallows. If ever he decided he needed a compelling reason to flee the city and never come back, doing so might put enough Templars on his tail to ensure he made it all the way to Anderfels.
Marvelous. Templars. Just what she wanted to see that day. Despite herself, Aurora couldn't hide the displeasure written on her face. A twitch of nose there, a wrinkle of the eye brow here, and the flittering of a green iris spelled it out to anyone keen enough to be watching. Even as careful as she was, she didn't like the idea of being thrown in front of another Templar... However, this wasn't for her, but for another woman. Which brought to mind a myriad of interesting questions. What did a Templar wish with Ninette? Ghyslain, jerk that he was, didn't make it sound like his wife communed with the fade. Nor did this Jethann offer any suspicions otherwise. Indeed, this woman sounded completely normal, if burdened with a venomous husband. The wrinkle in Aurora's eyebrow found itself raised as she considered these... Questions.
Sparrow mouthed a silent apology for getting ahead of herself, nodding her head to Aurora's question. It was hard enough trying to keep her sailor's mouth in check, but more often than not, she'd forget who's company she was in – presumably, this was what made Ashton so desirable compared to herself. He was all sweeping bows, and chivalrous actions. Chock-full of gentleman flattery that would make the shyest lass blush. In comparison, Sparrow wasn't much of a catch unless they liked brusque men with theatrical movements, and straightforward tactics that involved wringing her arms around their waists and nearly mopping their hair against the floor in an undaunted act of passion. She didn't feel bold, right now. Her nerves were skittering like insects, bereft of anything that made her feel comfortable. Nerves overtaken, overwhelmed by demons. Or one, in particular. Her whispers were feverish against her neck, her earlobes, in the sensitive cavities of her mind, while Aurora and Rilien bartered for information.
She frowned ever so slightly, arching an eyebrow. She refused the urge to reach forward and tug the man's ears, reprimanding him for such a poor joke. Instead, Sparrow's foot tapped impatiently, indicating that he'd better get to the point. Her rhythmic footfalls finally stopped at his next words. They were dealing with Templars, again? From her recent experiences, and awry exploits, they only brought more trouble than they were worth. The crease between her eyebrows softened when Rilien asked whether or not he'd ever sent her flowers, or letters, or anything of the sort that might indicated that his relationship with her went beyond portly business arrangements. There was nothing indicating that he was genuinely upset at Ninette's disappearance. He was nonchalant, and a little more concerned about why none of his recent acquaintances would sleep with him. It left a bitter taste in her mouth. For some reason, or another, they were in agreeance.
Discarded just – like – that.
"Flowers?" Jethann said, as though it was a strange question. "I mean, apostate or no, Ninette certainly cast a spell on me, but the thought never crossed my mind to do something like that. It's not as if I wanted Ghyslain to come here and shout at me." He shrugged before returning to the subject of the Templar. "Anyway, Emeric said he'd continue his investigation in Darktown. He wasn't moving too quickly, though. You might still be able to catch him before he disappears down there, if you're quick enough."
Rilien's eyes narrowed, lids half-masted over his irises and sclera, and he simply nodded curtly. There was something to this, but if the investigation was to proceed in a logical manner, he would have to leave that thread alone for now. Darktown. That would be less troublesome than the Gallows. One Templar did not a Chantry army make. One Templar, he could kill without excessive difficulty if he needed to, and furthermore, he would not likely need to worry about retribution for it. Walking into Darktown anything less than fully prepared for confrontation was practically suicide anyway.
That in mind, he decided that, at least for himself, finding this Emeric would not constitute any excessive risk. Sparrow and Aurora were, as ever, free to make their own decisions regarding that. "Then I am headed for Darktown. Thank you." He inclined his head reasonably politely in Jethann's direction, since that was relatively ordinary Tranquil behavior anyway, and then took his leave.
The sooner they left this place, the better, and not just because the smell of it irritated his nose, either.
Rilien did the courtesy of knocking, but only once. Frankly he didn't care if he happened to intrude upon a conjugal visitation- it would be nothing he hadn't interrupted before, usually for much less pleasant reasons even than seeking out a missing woman. After that, he simply opened the door and strode directly in. "Jethann," he inquired (though to be fair, there was so little rising intonation to it it may well be mistaken for a declarative).
Perhaps luckily, Rilien did not interrupt anything he shouldn't have. Jethann was alone in his room, and for the most part, didn't even look annoyed at having unexpected visitors. In fact, a grin revealing a rather inappropriate line of thought spread across his face when he laid eyes on the trio, giving each of them a look over, and seemingly approving of each one. There was some recognition in his eyes at seeing Sparrow; the two likely knew each other to some extent, though if they knew each other was not readily apparent.
"I'm afraid today's my rest day," the elf said, before giving the Tranquil a more thorough inspection with his eyes, "but I'll make an exception for you. What do you say, want to see if we can make you feel something again?" His grin perhaps doubled in size as he shrugged. "What can I say? Why work if you're not working hard?"
The look Rilien gave Jethann was perhaps something Ashton would have described as 'priceless.' The usual flat stare took on the barest edge of incredulity, and he crossed his arms over his chest, shifting his weight slightly. "If I had the desire to feel anything at all, I would not ask you," he deadpanned pointedly, blinking once, slowly. He was planning on asking directly where Ninette was, but there was a rather perspicuous danger of being misinterpreted if there were not some form of transition, and while he didn't care, exactly, he also didn't want to deal with the extra superfluous commentary.
"As it turns out, we are here to work, unlike yourself. We seek Ninette de Carac, who has gone missing. I understand she was a customer of yours."
Jethann looked disappointed for only the slightest of moments at Rilien's rock solid rejection of his offer, but seemed intent on remaining lewd with his visitors. It was also possible that that was just his personality. "Ninette? Why yes, she is a customer of mine, but I haven't seen her for several weeks. A shame, really. I enjoy her company. I heard that she finally left her worthless husband. Good for her, right? She's probably out of the city by now. I just wish she'd said goodbye."
He turned towards Aurora, perhaps because he thought she would be more pleasing to speak with, now that the Tranquil had proven unsurprisingly cold. "Did you meet him? Surely no one can blame poor Ninette for freeing herself from that awful man."
Unlike Rilien, Sparrow wasn't displeased at the thought of returning to the Blooming Rose – it would've been an atrocity if she had been, and very unlike her. There was a certain wariness riding on her shoulders, tickling her earlobes. She was uncharacteristically uncomfortable. Exposed flesh made her fingers twitch, drumming tunelessly against the pommel of her mace. For once, Sparrow didn't want to be here.
“Bloody bastard, more like. Wouldn't be worried – she won't be with him again, once we find her.” Sparrow interrupted, crossing her arms across her chest. She couldn't hide the slight grin from her lips, tentatively pulling it's corners at the horrible attempt to seduce her companion. She'd often wondered what Rilien's type was, before he'd been affected by the Rite of Tranquillity. Surely, there'd been someone in his life: the apple of his eye. It was difficult imagining him alone, though she'd heard of the restrictions tendered on all individuals of the Circle. They weren't allowed to have relationships. They weren't allowed to do much of anything. Anchored by the wrists, and by the ankles, to something much more restrictive and cruel. They weren't allowed to live proper lives because everyone feared them. She understood that more than anyone, unless one was to compare him to other confined mages. Freedom was the only fortunate thing she was allowed to have as long as she turned tail and ran, as long as she was willing to part with her stubborn pride, jabbing it's fingers into her ribs because it was displeased at the thought of bowing out.
When she woke up that morning, Aurora surely hadn't expected to end up at the Blooming Rose of all places, looking for a man's (if one could call that a man) wife. When she entered, her eyes darted around, a little bit wary, but entirely curious. However, the Tranquil seemed to know where he was going as if he'd been there before. That of course raised an entire slew of questions. Mostly why. As he led the way, Aurora couldn't help but stare at the back of the man's white mane and just wonder what went on under that hair? What was it like being a Tranquil, to be cut from not only the Fade, but all of one's emotions as well. She winced inwardly as she thought about it. It wasn't the cheeriest thought, and one she tried her entire life to avoid. That and becoming an abomination.
She followed him right into Jethann's room. The elf was... Cheeky but then again what did she expect from someone working in a place such as the Blooming Rose? That kind of attitude came with the... job probably. Still, despite herself she couldn't help but chuckle at Rilien's frankness. Then the elf turned his attention's on her. At first, she was at a lost, the sudden change being so... Well, sudden. She opened her mouth to answer, but before the first syllable left her mouth, Sparrow answered for her. Aurora nodded right along and added, "He's not... Pleasant, to put it lightly," she said, agreeing to an extent with Sparrow's words, though not so vulgar.
"Do you know anything that could help us find her? Not for Serah Carac's sake of course, but ours. We'd like to make sure she's okay," She said, putting emphasis on the word. Sarcastic emphasis.
"Okay? But... who would want to hurt Ninette?" the elf asked, as though the idea simply made no sense to him. He suddenly seemed to get a bright idea, however, and another lewd smile made its way onto his face. "Everyone loves Ninette. Sometimes twice a night." He chuckled a bit at his own joke, before becoming significantly more serious. "Ghyslain's the only one who might hurt her, and he doesn't have the balls for it. He came here and yelled at me when he found out Ninette had been seeing me, called me a dirty knife ear, among other things, and accused me of corrupting his wife. We had him thrown out."
Finally getting around to the point of answering Aurora's question, Jethann continued. "There was, uh... one other person looking for Ninette. A Templar, I believe his name was Emeric. He wouldn't sleep with me, either. I can't see why a Templar would be interested in anyone who isn't a mage."
Templars. Again. If Rilien had been the kind to entertain such useless conspiratorial fancies, he would have sworn the world was out to get him. Out to get them, really, because he was in a much better position to be dealing with Templars then either of the two women with him. How was it that in recent weeks, he'd been sent twice to Templars, and twice to this den of... well, filth was too strong a word. There was a decided lack of cleanliness, though, and he a rather fastidious sort who did not revel in that in the slightest.
Choosing not to comment on Jethann's implied question, Rilien instead took it upon himself to hurry the matter along. "One final question. Did you ever send Ninette anything? Flowers or a letter?" He asked largely because that detail had seemed odd to him. Arguably, it was indeed a whore's job to keep his or her customers coming back, but from the sounds of things, Ninette was already a regular, and such measures were thus firmly in the category of 'excessive.' Perhaps the absence of any of his own had turned Rilien into a poor judge of emotion, but he didn't think so, and Jethann wasn't showing enough distress at Ninette's vanishing for the Tranquil to suppose that he'd done something so foolhardy as to actually love the woman, so something about the entire situation was off.
That said, he wasn't at all certain he'd be chasing down the lead anyway. In the end, he needed the funds, but he did not relish the thought of accompanying two apostates, one of them a maleficarum, no less, into the Gallows. If ever he decided he needed a compelling reason to flee the city and never come back, doing so might put enough Templars on his tail to ensure he made it all the way to Anderfels.
Marvelous. Templars. Just what she wanted to see that day. Despite herself, Aurora couldn't hide the displeasure written on her face. A twitch of nose there, a wrinkle of the eye brow here, and the flittering of a green iris spelled it out to anyone keen enough to be watching. Even as careful as she was, she didn't like the idea of being thrown in front of another Templar... However, this wasn't for her, but for another woman. Which brought to mind a myriad of interesting questions. What did a Templar wish with Ninette? Ghyslain, jerk that he was, didn't make it sound like his wife communed with the fade. Nor did this Jethann offer any suspicions otherwise. Indeed, this woman sounded completely normal, if burdened with a venomous husband. The wrinkle in Aurora's eyebrow found itself raised as she considered these... Questions.
Sparrow mouthed a silent apology for getting ahead of herself, nodding her head to Aurora's question. It was hard enough trying to keep her sailor's mouth in check, but more often than not, she'd forget who's company she was in – presumably, this was what made Ashton so desirable compared to herself. He was all sweeping bows, and chivalrous actions. Chock-full of gentleman flattery that would make the shyest lass blush. In comparison, Sparrow wasn't much of a catch unless they liked brusque men with theatrical movements, and straightforward tactics that involved wringing her arms around their waists and nearly mopping their hair against the floor in an undaunted act of passion. She didn't feel bold, right now. Her nerves were skittering like insects, bereft of anything that made her feel comfortable. Nerves overtaken, overwhelmed by demons. Or one, in particular. Her whispers were feverish against her neck, her earlobes, in the sensitive cavities of her mind, while Aurora and Rilien bartered for information.
She frowned ever so slightly, arching an eyebrow. She refused the urge to reach forward and tug the man's ears, reprimanding him for such a poor joke. Instead, Sparrow's foot tapped impatiently, indicating that he'd better get to the point. Her rhythmic footfalls finally stopped at his next words. They were dealing with Templars, again? From her recent experiences, and awry exploits, they only brought more trouble than they were worth. The crease between her eyebrows softened when Rilien asked whether or not he'd ever sent her flowers, or letters, or anything of the sort that might indicated that his relationship with her went beyond portly business arrangements. There was nothing indicating that he was genuinely upset at Ninette's disappearance. He was nonchalant, and a little more concerned about why none of his recent acquaintances would sleep with him. It left a bitter taste in her mouth. For some reason, or another, they were in agreeance.
Discarded just – like – that.
"Flowers?" Jethann said, as though it was a strange question. "I mean, apostate or no, Ninette certainly cast a spell on me, but the thought never crossed my mind to do something like that. It's not as if I wanted Ghyslain to come here and shout at me." He shrugged before returning to the subject of the Templar. "Anyway, Emeric said he'd continue his investigation in Darktown. He wasn't moving too quickly, though. You might still be able to catch him before he disappears down there, if you're quick enough."
Rilien's eyes narrowed, lids half-masted over his irises and sclera, and he simply nodded curtly. There was something to this, but if the investigation was to proceed in a logical manner, he would have to leave that thread alone for now. Darktown. That would be less troublesome than the Gallows. One Templar did not a Chantry army make. One Templar, he could kill without excessive difficulty if he needed to, and furthermore, he would not likely need to worry about retribution for it. Walking into Darktown anything less than fully prepared for confrontation was practically suicide anyway.
That in mind, he decided that, at least for himself, finding this Emeric would not constitute any excessive risk. Sparrow and Aurora were, as ever, free to make their own decisions regarding that. "Then I am headed for Darktown. Thank you." He inclined his head reasonably politely in Jethann's direction, since that was relatively ordinary Tranquil behavior anyway, and then took his leave.