“Well, Mr. Nathaniel, I will be very curious to hear some of your best stories, “ Nisha responds in a pleasant and cheerful manner, her words masking the underlying scepticism as she silently thinks, ’I seriously doubt you can beat being caught red-handed in a guarded vault’.

It seems the wine and the exhaustion from the day have started to take their toll on her though, because his next words, however innocent, almost cause her to freeze. The anger and frustration simmering within her surge, flaring in her eyes, and for a fleeting moment, her lips quiver with the force of her emotions. Still, she quickly regains control, plastering the same pleasant smile on her face as if nothing happened.

“Oh, well, sooner or later, every bird flies out of the nest,” she quips cheerfully, then takes another sip to give herself time to recover completely. 'Careful, Nisha. Don’t reveal too much, you’ve already said enough.' Setting down her glass, she smoothly shifts the focus, "What entices a charming gentleman like yourself into the depths of Hupperdook? You do seem to know your way around the city very well?"

After Kaelen leaves them, the half-elf considers Nathaniel's proposition for a moment, before nodding.

“Shall we go upstairs then?” Nisha agrees, careful not to appear too eager to change the topic once and for all. She does appreciate his good thinking and discretion to wait for their companion to retreat to his room; she really isn’t in the mood for moral judgements.  

"My best stories, is that a challenge I hear?" The pale winged tiefling says with an amused smile, then starting to share with the others how when he first got to Hupperdook he decided to invest his gold into a scheme, an advanced sting operation really, where he and his lovely newfound companion was planning to relieve one of the more cruel, corrupted and powerful Iron-Fisted-King-appointed city officials of much of his considerable wealth which he had embezzled from the city through goading him into losing them in a game of cards at gambling venue set up for this purpose only. It all went fairly smoothly, even ending up with the cruel city official being arrested and executed for corruption, his life cut short with no means of reprisals. Unfortunately it turned out that the pale tiefling's dear companion had played him too, leaving Hupperdook with all what they got and only leaving a short note at the cleaned out gambling venue, saying she had enjoyed working with him but that she had enjoyed playing him along with everyone else even more. "I know I should resent her for making a fool out of me like that but she really gave me a good time and taught me a lot, and seeing that cruel man go down was quite satisfactory in itself I must admit." He finishes with a dreamy smile.

Nathaniel notices a brief change in the half-elf's expression as he mentions her guradian, a sensetive topic then, one that he would stay away from, for now. "And this particular bird certainly knows how to fly." He says with an appreciative smile. "You clearly are in no need of any guardian no more Ms. Nasha, if you ever were." 

As Nisha asks about him, he at first playfully looks over his shoulder to find the charming gentleman she is addressing. "Who? Me?" He says with a wink and a small smile. "Well I suppose I have been here long enough to find my way about, it has saved my wings quite a few times knowing where to find a place to nest while the heat is on, like the old bakery we visited earlier. But when I can afford it, and most of the time I actually can, I spend my nights celebrating in the upper tier like there was no tomorrow." He explains, not seeming to have any doubts or regrets over his quite frivolous and revelrous way of life.

"Yes, upstairs, right this way Ms. Nasha." the pale winged tiefling says with a nod, finishing his wine before getting up and playfully taking the half-elf's arm to lead her up the stairs and to the door of Udoth the fence, giving the door three firm knocks.

In the morning:

Gavyn awakes earlier than he usually does, perhaps because he fell asleep so quickly the night before and now his sleep schedule is fully derailed.  It is still dark, although the only signs of it being unusually early are a high, tiny window above his bed. The tortle is famished and makes quick work of toast and jam before making his way to purchase a potion of healing.

He never felt on the brink of dying last night, always in control when the fighting started but his dreams during the night cautioned him about how differently things might have gone. But it wasn't the violence that left him unsettled, curiously enough. He had thought he would panic or forget his training but, despite receiving some injuries, his training held in the moment. No, he was unsettled by his own awkward behavior and poor choices at the beginning of the night.

"It is a lesson learned," he muttered to himself. "Lessons learned. Lessons learned."

Gavyn finds himself looking for the others on his team, ending up at Sootswallow Lodge at a time of the early morning when the obvious raucousness has died down and the tavern is almost sleeping itself. Gavyn spies the dragonchess board that put him in Bram's service and scowls.  Didn't he say there was a fence around here? The tortle heads upstairs looking for the possibility of spending some of his gold in a strategic way to maybe enhance his survival. Things looked to be getting more dangerous the more they found out. He nods at one of the regulars.  "You seen Udoth?" he says, the tiredness in his own voice betraying that he might not have gotten enough sleep after all. 

As they move away from the perilous territory of discussing her personal matters, Nisha feels the tension subside. The prospect of more coin for her purse dulls the lingering anger stirred by the memory of Sleek's betrayal, and she allows Nathaniel to lead her to the second floor. The half-elf is astounded by the tiefling's story and can't help but wonder how he managed to move on so easily from being betrayed himself, but she asks no questions. No need to provoke discussions that could lead back to her own misfortunes. 

Although the rogue hasn't personally encountered Udoth the fence before, she has heard of his dealings as he seemed a regular here at the tavern. She is curious to see what merchandise he might have on offer for them.

Nathanial and Nisha head upstairs and go to the last door on the left. There you notice this door was modified with a slot that can be opened to view prospective clients. A knock on the door and viewing slot slides open. You see a pair of green bloodshot eyes. Then a gravelly voice asks "What do you want?" 

"Good evening Sir, pardon us but we might have a lucrative business proposition for you." The pale winged tiefling explains with a polite smile, counting on Udoth to remember him from other nights that he came to visit in dire need of some fresh gold for his frivolous lifestyle in exchange for certian items of value that had happened to find their way into the tiefling's possesion.

"Oh, it's you again. Another night of debauchery. Come on inside" says Udoth. 3 locks later the door swings open. and Udoth looks down the hallway and hurriedly gestures Nathaniel and Nisha to get inside. 

The scent of a cigar hangs in the air and the room was further divided by iron bars. Behind the bars are stacks of crates and other odds and ends with several armor stands. Udoth himself has an indifferent look as he gestures everyone to take a seat at a nearby table. In his hands he holds a hand crossbow though pointed down for now. You notice another door on the left wall that leads to the room next door. Most likely that is where Udoth sleeps. 

He places the hand crossbow on the table within easy reach. Udoth then looks to Nisha and Nathaniel "Are you buying or selling?" 

Nisha follows the tiefling into the stuffy room, her nose itching for a sneeze. How do some people live in such conditions is beyond her. Her golden eyes carefully look around in her calculating way as they make their way towards the table, lingering for a few seconds on Udoth's frame. She notes all the crates, sacks and strands, a bit surprised to see so many things around. So much treasure so close to her all this time... yet so far away at the same time, she muses, considering the iron barns.

She takes a seat, pretending not to pay any mind to the crossbow, although the sight of the weapon suddenly reminds her of her wounded arm, and of course, her brain immediately starts sending signals of pain.

"Well, might be both, " Nisha says eventually, after staring at Udoth  (Insight: 10), before taking out the small figurine from her backpack and observing it for a few seconds (Arcana: 14), rotating it in her hands. "How much would you give us for this?"

"No need for that I'm sure." The pale tiefling says with a polite smile, looking down at the hand crossbow, then giving the half-elf an apologetic glance over the less than courteous greeting, making a small motion with his bloodred wings to clear the immediate air around them from the quite annoying scent of cigar. He pulls out the chair for the half-elf and stands behind her, ready to assist her in procuring a fair price for any items she decides to part with, although the small figurine looks quite interesting as the half-elf holds it up for inspection.

Arcana: 13
Insight: 7

Nathaniel and Nisha figure out that the cat stone sculpture is magical, and it has something to do with giving the bearer good luck. 

Each of you observe Udoth, but he has a stern look on his face that reveals little beyond a bit of tension as he occasionally looks to the door. 

Udoth looks at the cat had sculpture with an appraising eye. "I will buy it off of you for 120 gp" 

Nisha raises an eyebrow and scoffs at Udoth's offer, her golden eyes darting up to Nathaniel with a subtle hint of mischief. "You didn't tell me your friend here wouldn't be too keen on giving us a fair deal," she remarks calmy, before turning to face Udoth again. She tilts her head, studying the fence, her expression a mix of mild amusement and disappointment. "120 gold pieces for a piece of portable luck? You'd probably get a return of your investment faster than a barrel rolling down from the Upper into the Lower Tier. Surely, you are aware of its true value and can offer us a better deal?" the rogue gives a sly smile as she holds the figurine a bit higher, as if inspecting it in more detail. 

"I wouldn't think so." The pale tiefling interjects with a look of insult as he stands behind the half-elf. "That figurine is magical and you would have to go quite a lot higher to make it yours." He says confidently, acting in what he considers the best interest of the half-elf. "I believe there might be other things to wetten your appetite while you consider a more fair price for that figurine though." He adds, glancing down at the half-elf's backpack.

(Help action provided to bargaining/persuasion rolls by Nisha, although maybe she should simply keep the figurine for good luck.)
(And there was more stuff in the backpack right?)

The half-elf gaze falls to the backpack as well. The blueprint of Heikenar Manse is still there, along with some other documents she procured from the brothel earlier, folded neatly and carefully so it doesn't get too damaged. Nisha considers it for a moment, then clicks her tongue. "I don't think Mr Udoth will have enough gold for that."

She recalls Ebar Hall's deal details and wonders if the blueprint would be worth something good too. But she wonders if it is too soon to sell it, obviously with their adventures tonight, everything will point back to them if someone was to investigate how the information leaked. 

"Well then how much do you think that magical bauble is worth?" says Udoth. 

"At least 300, " Nisha muses. "And while we are at it, do you happen to sell arrows? I am running a bit low," she adds, as she looks around once more. 

Persuasion: 25

Udoth tilts his head in thought and nods to himself "Alright how does 200gp sound and yes I have arrows." 

Considering they had already earned 100 pieces of gold each, which would likely take Nathaniel at least a couple of nights to spend, the pale tiefling would have simply kept the figurine, but he didn't want to interfere with any deal the half-elf deemed fair. "And if you happen to have a good deck of cards somewhere in here? I'm feeling lucky tonight." The tiefling says in playful tone, looking around the revolting mess Udoth apparently still lives in.

Nisha waves her hand dismissively as she puts the cat sculpture head back in her pocket. She feels like she needs to inspect it a bit more, before trying to sell it. "That won't do, but I will get... 10 arrows?"

The half-elf gets some gold ready to pay for her purchase.