BE7s Frozen Sick (IC)

Vayne

Elro moves with purpose towards the door, a direct line to Torvil and his captured thief.  With a glance back over his shoulder, he says to Kitsune, Tharron has your room key.  Hardly missing a beat, he nimbly hops over a wayward chair and calls to Torvil, Hold!  What cause have you for laying hands upon this boy?

By this point, the room is split.  About half of the patrons are yelling at Torvil, Unhand that boy, Brute!, What the hells!?! along with a host of other cries of shock and disapproval, the other half screaming, Thief!  Stop him!  Drag him to the docks! along with a host of cries of outrage and approval.  

Torvil is holding the cutpurse by the collar as Elro calls for an explanation.  

Akira is in the loo, hearing the chaos, silence, and chaos again. 

Kitsune is at the table with outstretched hand, waiting for a key that a "freaking-out" Elmo Elro doesn't have. 

Vayne has tidied up a fair portion of the floor, unsure if his act of kindness was noticed in the commotion, but finding a trinket for his efforts nonetheless. 

What do you do next?

With a passive insight or perception over 12:

((Sorry for the delay))

Intimidation : 16

Torvil likes a good bar brawl just like the rowdy dwarf, but only when he’s in a mood for it.  And he’s not in a mood for it currently.  “Out with it you, what did you filch?  What secrets are ya hidin’!  I saw ya, heard it, now out with it before I get angry.  And you don’t want to see me get angry…”

"This lad lifted tha coin purse from yon drunk fisherman sittin over there.  Get him over here and see if he recognizes it.  I saw the lad do it with my own eyes, Elro."  Torvil relaxes his grip on the lad a little bit and stands up straight, trying to calm the feelings in the room.  "I had good reason to.  This lad is a pickpocket!"

Kitsune watches the escalating tension with the detachment of a scientist observing a chemical reaction.  When Torvil identifies the boy as a simple pickpocket, she doesn't join the moral outrage.  Instead, she glides toward the dropped purse, retrieving it with two gloved fingers before a bystander can reclaim it.

"A common thief is a disappointing variable" she says, her voice cutting through the noise with clinical coldness.  She looks at Elro, then at the angry crowd.  "However, if this subject has been moving through the crowd, he is a primary candidate for cross-contamination.  Torvil, do not release him yet."

She ignores the shouting patrons and turns her focus to the purse itself, opening it to see if the boy's catpursing accidentally snared something more relevant to Urgon than mere coin.  "Mayor, clear a path.  If we are to serve as your investigators, we cannot have the local population interfering with potential evidence."

The would be thief was caught.  Any feeble attempts to escape were shaken out of him with a slight twitch of Torvil's strong arm.  With a last flailing attempt to escape, the boy goes slack.  He sticks out a quivering bottom lip in a last stance of defiance, even as a single tear slides down his cheek.  You can smell the pugnant aroma of the stalls on him, fresh hay, old hay, and....

When the fight was gone in him he finally spoke I was starvin'.  A bit o' copper'd feed me fer days.

Torvil

 The crowd seems to deflate when confronted by the reality of the assailant.  The majority of the patrons get back to their cups in short order.  

Elro arrives just as the boy loses his bluster.  As if it were contagious,  his bluster too faded.  His weathered face, tanned and wrinkled from countless hours beneath the sun, reflected his compassion at the sight of the poor waif.  

As if on cue, the elf glanced towards the bar just as a black bearded dwarf downed his mug, hopped off his stool, and began striding purposefully towards Torvil and the young cutpurse.  

Kitsune scoops up the worn leather coin purse, lost in the scuffle.  It smells faintly of fish, and containd a handful of copper pieces.

At her request, Elro begins clearing a small circle around the thief.  Dax, gimme a hand, he called out to the black bearded dwarf, who was already on his way.

Religion check 5 or higher;

Religion check: 5

Kitsune looks down at the copper pieces in the worn leather purse, her expression one of mild academic disappointment.  There are no blue crystals, no evidence—just the mundane currency of poverty.  She holds the bag out toward the approaching black-bearded dwarf or the Mayor, as if the copper were a failed lab result.

"The stolen goods consists of copper denominations and organic residue consistent with the local fishing industry" she states, her voice flat.  "The subject’s motivation was caloric intake, not espionage.  A waste of kinetic energy, Torvil, though the containment was...efficient."

The dwarf Elro called Dax stepped up near Torvil, cuffed the young thief (medium gently) on the back of the head then said Ye durn'd dolt.  Get yer narrow arse to that stool, ask fer some dinner, n don't do nuttin' else stupid afore I gets back to ye.  He puts a silver piece into the boy's filthy hand and steers him towards the bar, directing him to a specific stool with a gentle ish kick in the backside.  Turning back to Torvil, he sizes up the barbarian, steel blue-gray eyes staring from under thick bushy black brows.  While dwarf on dwarf violence is frowned upon (besides a good drunken tussle, of course), the ancient tradition of the bushy browed stare down was common among the bearded folk.

***Torvil: intimidation or general CON check please.  You are familiar with this custom.***

Meanwhile, the owner of the stolen purse looks at the boy with a scowl.  He takes a half step towards him, glances back to Dax - locked in a stare-down with a dwarf every bit (if not more) physicslly imposing than himself, then thinks better of it.  He opts to finish his ale and hope the evidence finds its way back to his grungy pocket.

Akira hears an impatient knock on the wooden door.

Vayne has the room back in order.

Elro, who has known many of the bearded folk, waited patiently for the "glaive measuring" contest to run its course.  He glances to Kitsune with a slight shrug and a look that clearly said, whatcha gonna do?  Most folk who befriend the stout dwarves have come to appreciate their unique customs and mannerisms; or at least live with them.

Kitsune watches the stare-down with the same clinical curiosity she would afford two territorial insects.  The concept of social standing being determined by the length of one’s facial hair is a data point she notes, but finds largely irrelevant to the mission at hand.

She glides past the posturing dwarves, her focus shifting to the owner of the purse who is currently mourning his lost copper.  She simply drops the worn leather pouch onto the table in front of him with a soft thud.  She quietly mutters a soft "your property, sir" and then turns around, and walks back to sit in her original seat at the table.

Torvil looks right back at Dax and wrinkles up his eyebrows, chewing the inside of his cheeks which makes his beard rumple in a wave like manner, his eyes glowering over this situation… that now seems to be made right.  “Well.  That’s acceptable.  Maybe taught the lad to think twice about doin tha again.  Needs to go on the straight and narrow like.  Hrrrmph.  Guess we’ll all wash down our rumpled feelings with an ale, won’t we?”  He gathers another then heads back to the table to talk with Kitsune, Elro (if still around), Akira and Vayne.  

Intimidation with glowering bushy eyebrows and beard : 21

“Sorry about tha’.  Couldn’t let something I saw go away like that.  Thas how I am sometimes, forgive me, I just rush forward headlonginnoit, no matter what.  Ahhh.  So I missed your analysis Kitsune, I’m sure you have this mystery solved by now?  If not, what’s our next step?”

Dax stares unblinking, but you sense that he is impressed by the beard trick; although he would die a thousand death before admitting it in the moment.

The clock continued to tick, dwarves forgetting their drink as they are drawn into this stare-down for the ages.  Two statues couldn't have been more still.  A minute ticks by.  Then two.  The common room falls silent, every dwarf in awe of this legendary exchange. Their grandchildren's grandchildren would still tell this tale, of course by then the contest would last 3 whole days before Moradin himself stepped between them.

***Dax CON check 21***  true story, check the roll log if you must :)  more to come shortly***

Although Akira only went into the bathroom to try and aide in Twombley’s investigations, she does indeed use the facilities and after she is done she giggles, hearing all the commotion she realizes that he has already discovered what he may have been searching and did not need any back up or assistance. She has a new found respect for Twombley and his vigor and confidence and boldness to boldly help and investigate when needed. When she is gathering herself together, quickly braiding up her lengthy white hair for what might be a messy situation outside she hears a knock on the door and immediately opens it. Knowing how flimsy the door was before she very cautiously opens it.

**opens door** “Commode is all y—“ and stops in mid word to see partial wreckage of tables, Vayne cleaning and clearning chairs and tables up off the floor, the stare down between two dwarves, and Kitsune returning some bag to a lady who looks very shaken. 

Quote from Twombley >>

Torvil looks right back at Dax and wrinkles up his eyebrows, chewing the inside of his cheeks which makes his beard rumple in a wave like manner, his eyes glowering over this situation… that now seems to be made right.

 ***stare-down in progress :  Torvil can end this at any time by looking away or blinking, but...  he is aware that backing down from this ancient contest of wills would have have ramifications in terms of the local dwarven opinion of him.***

 ***“Well.  That’s acceptable.  Maybe taught the lad to think twice about doin tha again.  Needs to go on the straight and narrow like.  Hrrrmph.  Guess we’ll all wash down our rumpled feelings with an ale, won’t we?”  He gathers another then heads back to the table to talk with Kitsune, Elro (if still around), Akira and Vayne.  

Intimidation with glowering bushy eyebrows and beard : 21

“Sorry about tha’.  Couldn’t let something I saw go away like that.  Thas how I am sometimes, forgive me, I just rush forward headlonginnoit, no matter what.  Ahhh.  So I missed your analysis Kitsune, I’m sure you have this mystery solved by now?  If not, what’s our next step?”  ***

***The green text will apply when the contest has ended, unless Torvil decides to look off.  The rolls were to determine who could go unblinking the longest in the stare down.  With a huge roll tie, the battle of wills is truly a legend being borne to the local dwarves.***  

Akira:

There is no way in hades that Torvil is breaking this stare.  His hand reaches out for his mug for reassurance without ever breaking his stare.  He might have to have Kitsune insert one of those tube thingys that she’s talked about before into his bladder so that he doesn’t have to move from his spot.  There is no way that nature’s call will force him to break his fearsome gaze from Dax.

You would have heard a mouse fart under a down pillow, so silent was that room.  Tick, tock, tick, tock, a third minute went by.  Both dwarves, as if inspired by Moradin's own might, remained motionless, unblinking.  Their eyes no longer remembered what moisture was like. A drunken dwarf with barely a beard to speak of reached out to poke Dax, just to prove that he was really still alive.  The gnarled hand of an elder whipped out like a snake to smack the fool's hand away, these titans would not be disturbed. 

When nerves were stretched to the point of snapping, the door to the tavern opened.  Pushed by a gust of arctic air, the door flew free from the man's grasp and slammed heavily into the wall.  A young woman screamed in surprise, an elf dropped his glass of wine, and both red and black bearded dwarves instinctively looked to the door at the exact same moment.  

The tavern erupted into cheers!  A draw!  How fitting so many thought, for neither dwarf deserved to lose.  The fisherman entering the tavern was overwhelmed at the welcome he thought he was receiving.  Dax looks right back to Torvil, leans back and roars a primal call of might and pride to Moradin, and then embraces Torvil like a long lost brother.  

When he finally releases him, Dax, voice amplified by a bit of divine magic roars out, ALE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  before throwing a small sack of coins to Tharron.  

In the words of the illustrious bard Bood Veiser, it was on.  

Your rooms are available when ever you like, Tharron has the keys.  Dax just tossed Tharron several gold coins, and will be getting wrecked on dwarven holy water (in fact, partially true) and taking as many along with him as his coin will allow.  The common room floor would most likely be littered with snoring bodies come morning.  

Kitsune doesn't cheer.  She doesn't even blink.  As the room dissolves into a boisterous, ale-soaked frenzy, she stands with a mechanical grace, her notebook tucked securely into her gear.  She looks at the draw between the two dwarves and then at Torvil, who is now being heralded as a 'hero of the eyebrows'.

"The statistical probability of a tie after three minutes of ocular dehydration is remarkably low" she observes to Torvil, her voice cutting through the celebratory roar like a cold breeze.  "While I applaud your...ocular stamina, the mystery remains entirely unsolved.  The purse contained copper and fish scales.  It was a caloric pursuit, nothing more."  (OOC: Yes, Kitsune has the charm of a wet noodle...)

She turns to Akira and Vayne, gesturing toward the bar where Tharron is currently being pelted with gold coins.  "If we remain here, the probability of us being swept into this holy water ritual is nearly 100%.  I have no intention of beginning a medical investigation tomorrow with a chemically induced migraine."

She makes her way to the bar, navigating the cheering crowd like a shadow.  She doesn't wait for a break in the noise; she simply stares at Tharron until he notices her, then extends a pale, expectant hand.  "My room key, Master Tharron?  Before the structural integrity of this establishment is further compromised by dwarven enthusiasm."

Kitsune:  Tharron offers a nod, flips the barrel tap, begins filling a mug with his left hand, and reaching back towards the rear counter behind the bar with his right.  After a moments no-look search, he turns to you with a key in hand, he offers the a tap a gentle backhand to stop the flow of a rich, amber ale.  He offers Kistune the key and passes the mug to a smiling, red eyed dwarf.  You couldn't help but notice gaps between a few teeth.  He may not be capable of eating corn on the cob, but he was certainly in high spirits tonight.

Tharron offers only a nod to stairs near the rear of the large room, already taking more orders, filling more mugs, and smiling from ear to ear.

***the key is attached to a thin, circular piece of wood by a strip of well worn leather.  It has been worn smooth passing from hand to hand in the busy inn.  The number 8 is carved into one side.***