Residue of Sorrow

There aren't many discreet exits to the tavern, as the only exit other than the front door is reserved for the owner and perhaps the waitress, whom Bryn notices looks puzzled when he leaves the privy looking like a mostly different person. She doesn't say or do anything, though, and even at this early-afternoon hour (~15:00 I suppose?), her hands are too busy to ponder the matter for long.

Following Arren is a simple matter, and Bryn doesn't attract much attention. Arren, not wearing his soldier's uniforms now (I suppose, based on your previous posts?), attracts less attention than usual. He is just another person in a busy street. Nonetheless, Bryn notices that Arren attracts a lot more attention than he ever would. Not because Bryn is so adept at evading attention (although that certainly could factor in), but simply because Arren, as a Half-Elf, attracts attention in being different from others around him. It's not that people stop and stare at him, but anyone who notices him might spend a moment more to look at Arren, trying to figure out what's different about him, before averting their gaze elsewhere. To Arren, this seems completely normal, but he's fully aware that he's attracting this extra bit of attention.

Bryn, please make a Stealth check. If you roll under Arren's passive perception score (13), Arren eventually notices he's being followed by Bryn (in which case, I leave it up to you two to decide if Arren recognises Bryn in his disguise or not).

The central headquarters is a large stone building, built before the Meyen empire ever landed on the shores of Dite, in the centre of Pyorre. It has always served as some governmental institute, and as such fit the Meyens' needs well. From the outside, it is an imposing building with an impressive stone colonnade leading to the front entrance, a large set of heavy, wooden double-doors guarder by several soldiers. It has several floors and many windows, and Katton flags (don't ask me what it looks like, please) waving from several balconies.

Unlike the barracks, the central headquarters aren't off-limits to civillians. Although usually they'd have nothing to do there, there are exceptions common enough that civillians may enter after a thorough search, if they can excuse a good reason. Arren, without his uniforms, is treated like any other civillian, which means he's searched for any weapons or other concealed objects. If he carries any, he's instructed to leave them at the entrance where he'll be able to pick them up again when he leaves. In being a soldier, however, even off-duty, he doesn't need an elaborate excuse to be permitted inside. Bryn, on the other hand, might find it more difficult going in, if he tries.

Normally, Arren doesn't need to search for orders, they eventually just find him. But if, for some reason, he had to double-check or otherwise verify what his orders were, he'd normally turn to Lieutenant Tireur, and only then, if he must, to Commandant Nattensbarn directly. Soldiers rarely find themselves lacking clear orders regarding their role, so there's nobody to ask but their direct commanding officer.

Nevertheless, the first, most logical place to look, would probably be Commandant Nattensbarn's temporary room where he left a note the other day. But when Arren gets there, he finds the room is currently empty. Everything that belonged to the Commandant has been cleared, Arren's note included. And if she left anything for him, Arren doesn't see it. Of course, it's also possible that it wasn't the Commandant herself who cleared the room, since most of what was inside will not be of use to her on this vacation and belongs to the military anyway.

There are plenty of people who work in the central headquarters. It wouldn't be appropriate for Arren to turn to any of this senior officers, but from guards to clerks or even the janitor, there are plenty others who would know the Commandant, to some extent, having seen her here every day for a while.

Despite having experienced this many times before, Arren always feels a slight sense of surprise when he notices how different it is to walk through the streets in civilian clothes rather than in a soldier's uniform. People look at him less this way. Fewer wary glances, fewer requests for help, fewer curious looks from those wondering about his rank and what authority might come with it. He can almost blend into the crowd.

Yet there is always the lingering mark of his race. Even dressed like any other civilian, people still look at him for a moment longer than they would at anyone else, trying to place what feels unusual about him before moving on. And perhaps, on another day, that familiar thought would return — that quiet question lingering in the back of his mind. What would it have been like to be one thing or the other, instead of standing somewhere in between?

But not today. Today, his thoughts lie elsewhere as he heads toward Headquarters.

Arren almost doesn't notice that someone familiar is there. He has to look twice before realizing it is Bryn, though he looks completely different. Arren stares in surprise for a brief instant, but quickly decides that if Bryn is trying to go unnoticed, he should not ruin it. And so, he enters Headquarters, leaving his weapons behind when asked to.

As he enters Flêche's temporary room, Arren freezes for a moment, staring at the emptiness before him. It is not what he expected. He had imagined her things would still be there...

What does this mean, then? Did she come here and clear the room herself? Did someone else collect her belongings for her? There is only one way to find out.

Heading back toward the entrance, he decides to ask the first person he comes across — provided they are not a senior officer, whom he still salutes out of habit despite not wearing his uniform. A clerk would do, but preferably a janitor, since they tend to move throughout the entire building and usually know more than anyone gives them credit for.

When he finds someone suitable, Arren greets them politely before asking about Commandant Nattensbarn.

"Sorry to disturb you. I had expected to find Commandant Nattensbarn in her temporary office," he says, indicating the floor and room in question in case the name does not immediately ring a bell, "but I see it's already been emptied. I've been trying to find her regarding our next destination, but I haven't had any luck. Do you happen to know if she cleared the office herself? Or did you perhaps see her recently?"

If the janitor has no clue about the matter, Arren will turn to whatever clerk he can find, and finally to the guards at the entrance.

Bryn makes a mental note to never use a tavern privy for a quick-change routine again. The waitress’s thoroughly puzzled expression as he walked past her was a clear sign that his exit hadn't been half as slick as he’d hoped. He’ll have to leave her a spectacularly generous tip next time they visit just to encourage her silence.

Worse yet, Arren had spotted him. He caught the double-take from the Half-Elf, I must be well out of practice. Not surprising I guess.

Still, the disguise serves its purpose for the rest of the street. Walking a safe distance behind, he notices how Arren draws a specific kind of attention. Without his uniform, he isn't getting the wary or respectful glances of a soldier, but his heritage acts like a quiet tracking beacon. People don't stare, but their eyes linger on him for just a second longer than they would a human, trying to place what makes him different before averting their gaze. To Arren, this casual friction is completely normal. To him, it makes his job as an observer much easier. And the same would go for anyone else with an interest.

As Arren surrenders his weapons at the imposing stone colonnade and disappears through the heavy wooden double doors beneath the flapping Katton flags, he fades into the background of the central plaza.

He takes up a casual position across the square, leaning against the stonework of a merchant's shop like a bored civilian killing time before an appointment. While Arren handles the front-door diplomacy inside, his eyes lock onto the rhythm of the street level, once again looking for signs of some kind of underworld.

(OOC: He will watch for another tail on Arren, but also for signs of thieves' cant or any trades which look a little off. Hand offs, significant under or over payments, counterfeit currency or forgery of any kind. Lastly, he will look at those others exiting the Headquarters, gaging their role and purpose if they are in civilian clothing, in case they might be useful).

Bryn, please make a check, your choice between Perception, Investigation and Insight. Results will vary depending on your choice.

Bryn

Insight: 17+5=22

Although the waitress seemed to notice Bryn when he left, Bryn believes the other people at the tavern at the time didn't pay any attention to him. It might just be that paying attention to the tavern's patrons is her job.

I'll quote what I wrote when Bryn first arrived in Pyorre, regarding Thieves' Cant:

Bryn notices a few signs, but they are discreet, minimal, and he's not always certain whether they're intentional or not. Sometimes, it is as simple as a "this way" at an intersection, pointing in some direction, with no hint at what might lie down that path. Not only that, but since many of these might seem like imperfections to the normal person, Bryn gets the feeling that they'd often be cleaned/removed, making such signs ephemeral in nature. Following these signs might lead to something, or it might not, and in either case, Bryn's intuition that it'll take some time and effort is justified.

The same applies here. Bryn sees some signs, but he has no idea what they'll lead to.

One thing Bryn noticed in the city, both while he was shopping before and now as he observes others, is that prices are generally fixed. Haggling is uncommon for anything with a listed price. Sure, he haggled for the price of the gems he sold, but that was something irregular. Under or overpayments are still possible, as are hand-offs and forgery, but Bryn can't see without examining closely.

Instead, Bryn focuses on the people themselves. Most who enter or leave the headquarters are soldiers, but he does spot a few civilians. Runners are most common, quickly getting in and out after delivering one thing or another. A man with a collection of papers and a few measurement tools. Some kind of engineer, maybe? Three men dressed in high-quality clothes, escorted by a single soldier. Important people, surely, or influential at the very least. A woman carrying a toddler who is delayed at the entrance longer than anyone else, but is eventually let in. Wife of someone inside?

But as Bryn looks at the people coming and going, he catches a conversation between two people in the crowd. At first, it would seem they're talking about a delay in shipment, something mundane, but Bryn quickly recognises a familiar rhythm, certain words slightly accentuated, others slightly suppressed. He can make out a different talk, hidden in their otherwise unremarkable conversation. In Thieves' Cant, Bryn hears:

"... opportunity.

"Or a trap. Sounds a little too easy. Came alone?"

"Alone, then passed out drinking..."

Bryn spots two - a Wood Elf and a Human - whom he believes are the speakers. They're dressed like merchants, justifying their superficial talk about shipments. They happen to pass not too far from him, but are walking away, and their voices will soon be swallowed in the crowd's.

If Bryn chooses to follow the two, please make a Stealth check. He may follow at some distance, where he won't hear their talk but is less likely to be spotted, or keep a close enough distance to hear the rest of the talk, in which case he's more likely to catch their attention, thus making the check at a disadvantage.

The first person Arren finds is a clerk - a secretary, really, in all but name - sitting outside a larger office not far from the Commandant's temporary one. If the Commandant passed through here, he surely would have seen. It is a Drow, ageless as they are, but looking like what would be mid-thirties for a Human. Could be centuries old, for all Arren knows. His skin is dark, his hair short and white. Second Lieutenant, as many people in this building are. He looks pretty bored at the moment, reading through some file, but not with great interest.

Soldiers off-duty are mostly uncommon here (who comes to work on a vacation?), but not unheard of. Saluting his superior marks Arren as one such soldier, but the Drow doesn't think much of it. "Are you one of her soldiers? I thought she wanted to inform you on her own, but Commandant Miyako Nattensbarn was sent on vacation. It's a pretty long one, so you might be reassigned. If not, then you're also on vacation, I suppose. Would you like me to check?"

His Meyen accent is far weaker than Commandant Nattensbarn's, and he speaks of the Commandant without much interest. "In any case, she was here the other day. Not long before sunset. Arrived like a storm, took just a few things and left, slamming the door behind her. Seemed fuming, if you ask me. Strange, I'm not used to seeing her displaying any emotions. Anyway, some men were instructed to clear the rest of the room earlier today. The room is needed for other purposes, and she can't come here during her vacation anyway."