Uthal looks at the two. "It's a good thing you two are useful or I'm sure the kind folks here would have thrown you out long ago. Or maybe just used you as the target for a game."

Basement:

Patty then turned to Henry. "When the boys arrive, let em know they'll be going for the Jenova job, and these folks are joining them." Henry nodded and then turned to usher Atal, Anearis and Austin from the room and escort them back up the same way they came.

WotC:

"Well, one of us is." Nik said looking over at Nack, who was still beaming at Uthal. Oblivious to what his brother just said, Nack slowly inched his hand towards Selune's Sledge. Nik simply watched, likely anticipating what Uthal's reaction would be, and awaiting it.

"Hope you got us a good deal there." Austin comments as they move back out of the chamber and towards the way they came in.

Uthal watches from the corner of his eye, not turning his head. "Touch it and it will test your mind. Fail and I own your soul. Knowing you, I think I'm about to get a free soul." 

Deception: 4

Atal hangs back, trying to commit the faces of Patty and her two subordinates to memory.  He follows up after Austin and Anaeris slowly.  "Likely as fair as it gets around here, which is not to say it's fair at all, but at least you know what you're getting into.  Honor among thieves and all that."

Basement:

"Same process as before, just in reverse," Henry says as the party reaches the narrow spiral staircase. "Knock when you get up there and Edward will let you out." In pairs of two the party and Henry repeated the trick involving the locked door and hidden staircase that allowed them to traverse from the tunnel to the closet like room and then out into the WotC shop.

WotC:

Unfortunately, Uthal's  rouse had no effect. shook his head, "Nack'd prolly still do it if he believed ya." Nack pointed out a single finger, with which he used to touch the warhammer's handle, giggling once he did. 

A knock from the backroom door drew Nik's attention though. He walked towards the fireplace "I got it, Eddy", shoving his otherwise occupied brother as he went past.

23

Caught off balance, Nack's face followed his own finger and met the hammer as well, as his body altogether was pushed against Uthal.

Havkng to pull a chair up and stand on it, Nik pulled on the sconce that allowed the backroom to unlock. As the party exited the backroom and was soon fully back within the shop, they noticed the two newcomers; one on a chair by the fireplace, and the other seemingly forcing a hug onto Uthal. Edward was behind the shop counter, pretending to work on his game, so as to avoid any apparent responsibility of the two.

"Have a new friend there?" Austin asks Uthal, giving them a raised eyebrow as she takes in the hug he is recieving. She glances to Henry then. "Are these the two who will be going with us?"

Uthal just turns and looks down at Nack. "You know, you should really ask for consent before making such an affectionate move on someone."

Current peeks back around the corner to check on Uthal and sees him pressed up against an unfamiliar and much smaller male. Current approaches and asks, "Hey Uthal. I didn't know you had even more friends. Are you guys famous in this city or something? Who are these two?" Her dagger is still coated in ice and the genasi is absently chipping at the ice with her fingernails as she talks. When she notices the rest of the party returned, she turns to them and waves, "So how did it go?"

Anearis climbs back up the stairs to rejoin Uthal and Current. When he sees the pair of dwarves, a mixed feeling of being happy to see a familiar face and of realizing who those familiar faces are washes over him. He makes an awkward smile at them.

"We came to an arrangement, I suppose.", he says in response to Current’s question.

"Ge- off it!" Nack said embrassingly, as he pushed himself away from Uthal. The dwarf now had a red mark across his face, from where it met with part of Uthal's weapon.

"Tha whole gang's back together," Nik said cheerfully, as he jumped from the chair. "-but where's the dragon?" He said looking around, referring to Villihan, whom had even joined the party along with the two dwarves, the first time the party met them. Eyeing Current now, he then chimed in, "and who's tha girlie?" 

"trade up, thas wha!" Nack said, winking at Current. This however was followed by swift run by Nik and another slap to the back of Nack's head. Nack looked over to Nik angrily, but rather than run around again, Nik stood firmly. "That's fer mum. You know she woulda if she heard it." Nack's face dropped, almost as if disappointed acceptance. 

"Speaking of which," Henry spoke up. "-if the two of you are about done with the grab-assery, you have a job. Patty says you're going for Jenova. And while you're out there, you'll be providing introductions to the thieves guild in Wutai."

The two dwarfs starred blankly at Henry, before staring at each other. They then simultaneously bolted towards the back room. Nik yelled "Send us down" as they closed the door behind them.

Henry sighed and walked over to the sconce.

"Still think you made a good deal down there?" Austin asks, glancing after the dwarfs. She sighs and moves over to lean on the counter where Edward is working.

Anearis lets out a sigh of exhaustion. He can already tell these two will be a handful. 

He waits for Henry to come back before asking him a question.

"So this…Jenovah…What is it? Or who?"

"I'm not entirely sure. Some pet project that the three had been mentioning for years. Kept hush hush, but whatever it is, they have a personal stake in it." Henry remained at the sconce, though it wasn't necessary for him to do so long. A knock came at the rear door only moments later.

The two dwarfs reemwrges, this time carrying adventuring packs and shoving a rolled up tent back a forth between each other. "You carry it." "You carry it!" "No, you!" "You!" The conflict ended when Nik tripped Nack, and just dropped the tent on him, before running off behind Uthal.

Poking his head out though, as Nack began packing the tent, Nik looked towards the three members that had been down in the basement, previously. "So ready whenever you are!"

Atal crosses his arms and sighs, weary, but not particularly surprised.  "These guys are Nick and Nak," he says to Current, gesturing at the two dwarves.  "They're not as foolish as they look.  Well, I mean, Nik isn't.  Or was it Nack?" he muses.  "They have their niche specialties, and we've fought together.  They're fond of Uthal because he carried them out of one of the those horror ruins after he fell unconscious, though none of them will admit it."  Turning to the two dwarves, he says, "Well, let's get going.  The Hand's henchmen are going to see us out of Midgar.  Try not to annoy them too much.  We already took care of that for you anyhow."  He gestures to the others, preparing to lead them the shortest way through the streets back to the guard, though he stops at the door.

"Anywhere else anyone needs to go before we set off?  Last minute supplies or the like?"

Nik and Nack head off with the rest of the party, however once outside, as the party begins making their way back north towards the North Midgar barracks and the western city gate, to depart on the next leg of the journey, the two dwarfs begin to trail back. "Know what, why don't we meet yous outside the city gate..." Nik said as he stopped walking. "Wha, why?-" Nack started, but was quickly cut off, by his brother. "Our horses is stabled out tha south gate. We'll come round." 

With a push at Nack's back, the two dwarfs hurried away,, somewhat back the way the group had come, but generally in a southwestern direction.

Insight(?): 19

Anearis insight: 18

While Nack appeared to just be Nack; an individual oblivious to anything not monisyllabically laid out for him, Nik seemed cautious at Atal's mention of the Hand, though still more than willing to join the party and start the journey to the Shinra capital of Wutai. However, it wasn't until the party was then walking towards North Midgar that the dwarfs then decided to take  temporary leave of absence, and meet them outside the city walls, near where the party would be leaving the Right Hand's men.

Atal eyes the dwarves, and shrugs.  "Fine by me.  See you on the road," he says with a wave.  "I can't blame them.  Even I don't want to go out the North Gate right now," he says with a shrug, watching them leave.  If no one else has any more requests of objections, he continues to guide the party to their northerly destination.