Post #2767678 in Assassin's Pledge: Awakening, a roleplay on RPG

Linde and Kyero listened carefully to Lonan and Aetrius as they exchanged ideas and words of advice and caution. Kyero seemed satisfied with the idea of them playing the part of nobles to get past security. He knew he could help there, as well, though it would take time and could cut things close for the two-week deadline.

Linde, however, was keyed in on Aetrius. When her voice dipped she could see the tension in Aetrius' body. Linde carefully slid her hand under the table to Aetrius' nearest hand to her, and cupped it around her hand softly. She used her thumb to stroke the back of Aetrius' hand, giving her a soft, reassuring smile.

Kyero, meanwhile, had some things to say.

"An auction like this will be held in some sort of underground structure, I'm almost certain. I was directed by someone I interrogated to find Okumi to a literally underground portion of the city here in Valoc. I have few doubts the auction house will be somewhere in there which means there are no rooftops to observe from or high vantage points to acquire. Everything is carved into the mountains, like Dwarvish cities in fantasy tales. This means that their security will also be, as Aetrius said, rather tight... And I have no way of getting past them." He said rather glumly.

He took a breath.

"However, even if I can't get past security, I can still make myself useful in other ways. I can help get you in, and acquire noble clothing for you. I am no longer part of Te'i Sai, but I still have both money and weapon stockpiles littered throughout the continent from my years of operation as their top assassin. My nearest stockpile of gold is approximately four days out, four days back, for a total of an eight day journey. It's going to be cutting things close, and I don't like forcing you to wait until the last few days of this venture to receive something you so desperately need like money. But the stockpile has at least ten thousand gold in it, gathered from bandit dens and sunken wrecks on the coastline from ancient pirate vessels. If I can even gather two or three hundred gold, you should be set to win the auction. Not many nobles, particularly from around here, will part with that much money just for the pleasure of one woman's company, no matter how 'good' her reputation makes her sound."

Linde nodded, still holding Aetrius' hand under the table.

"It's a solid plan, Kyero, but I see an issue with it."

Kyero looked at her.

"You said yourself that not many nobles carry that much money. But if we carry that much to win, it's bound to raise a lot of eyebrows. So I think it might be best for us not to win, but to play the game. Perhaps only retrieve sixty or seventy gold. Enough to compete, but not enough to win. Whoever does win will need to retrieve Kieran and then return home which is where you come in. You said you can't come with us, but you can wait at the entrance to the underground portion of the city. And when he arrives with Kieran, you can relieve him of her company as quietly as possible. If you kill him, you'll raise an alarm and the rest of the slaves still up for auction may well never see the light of day again. Does that make sense?"

Kyero looked down, deep in thought. The gears in his mind were turning at a hundred miles an hour as he contemplated her response. And finally, he looked back at her.

"Mm. Very well. I will gather approximately seventy gold to use at auction for Kieran. And I will wait at the entrance for her and her new 'Master.' Once they arrive, I will knock him out and take Kieran away. But I can't bring her here. Or anywhere inside the city. It will be too dangerous since many around here seem to know her face or reputation. I will take her to the Main Gates at the Southwestern end of the city, and await your arrival there."

Linde nodded with a smile.

She looked to Lonan, and then to Aetrius.

"Does this sound okay to you both? Kyero will spend the next eight or so days gathering noble clothing and gold for your disguises, and in the meantime you two can observe the nobility of this city and practice their bearing, posture, and speaking patterns. I'm sure you know what nobles sound like from some places, but those here in Veilbrand are a special breed of pompous. You'll need to learn to talk just like them if you're going to pull this off. And that will take a few days on its own."

Kyero kept his gaze on Linde.

"What will your part be in all this, Linde?"

Linde looked at Kyero, and then to Aetrius with a somewhat saddened smile.

"I... Will be either Lonan's or Aetrius' personal slave, in attendance to carry their belongings and do any other tasks they demand of me for the sake of our performance. I imagine many of the others will have their own slaves as well, correct?"

Kyero nodded slowly, clearly unhappy with the choice.

"A very, very dangerous gambit Linde. Are you sure you wish to go through with that guise?"

Linde nodded quietly in return, her grip on Aetrius' hand tightening ever so slightly.

Snippet #2767678

located in Cre' Est, a part of Assassin's Pledge: Awakening, one of the many universes on RPG.

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