Snippet #2291450

**As posted by Monroe in IC**

His shoulders hunched forward as the party at the table beside him grew. These people assembling seemed strange somehow and it set Jules' nerves on edge. He discreetly tried to shift away from the assembling group without being noticed, but it was too late. A man with an astute gaze had inspected him, making it too late to leave without raising suspicion.

Despite himself, his hearing was tuned to the conversation occurring nearby. He kept his black eyes down on the rough grain of the table, but every muscle in his body seemed to strain in an effort to hear what was being said. If his ears could have popped off his head and walked to the next table they probably would have, so engaged was he.

"It is an interesting gathering that comes together by chance, is it not?” asked the strangely shrewd man. “A famous gentleman. A lookalike of the infamous.” His keen gaze fell on Jules and the man nodded. Jules did not return the gesture. “A diligent hunter. And a beautiful, but hardened lady.”

He couldn't help but glance around at the other people, a feeling of foreboding settling heavily upon him. This man- whoever he was- perhaps did not know who Jules was, yet somehow he knew who he wasn't.

“My proposal is in regards to highwaymen, murderers, new laws and a change in lifestyle. Are any of you interested in what I have to say?”

Jules was silent for a moment, then he turned in his chair and leaned in. "Aye," he whispered in a tongue deeply accented by his Morril'ai roots. "I will hear what you have to say."