Killilli’s Dragon Heist

As Mirt speaks Edvord rubs at the stubble of his goatee whilst thinking. Aldrik's conversation at the tavern yesterday and the reaction of the three women regarding Aldrik's proposal don't bode well for the present discussion. Another day stuick haggling. Edvord sighs before speaking up, "Sir, not to dismiss your mirthful offer... but perhaps we could exchange something even more valuable. Amongst this group before your eyes are individuals of considerable talent. You have already alluded to an awareness of my specialized education... and undoubtedly you understand the capabilities of all those currently before you within this room. Are there not any loose ends or jobs you desire to be completed that could benefit from a deft touch? Perhaps this group's temporary services could offset the terms you are requesting."

"Besides, 'Mirt's Tavern' doesn't sound as good as 'Trollskull Tavern'... Um, no offense. But the T-T has that litty-ration. You know, like Mirt and Money? Makes it so folks remember it."

Mirt twirls his moustache, eyeing Edvord suspiciously. “Interesting….. it would no doubt be amusing to have Lord Ventin’s most promising young lad shovelling manure in my stables. I nearly broke him at the last event where your ever charming sister Amelia was living my stories. This might just blow his fuse. I’ll be seeing your father this evening at the opera, if the pair of you and your sister would be so kind to accompany me?“ he chuckles, rubbing his hands together. “But yes, the name is not important. You are the creatives here, I would simply just advise. So, what sort of value do you think your service holds, and how far will it extend?” As you speak, Fenton looks on rolling his eyes as Bently refills your cups.

Aimee smiles as she loses focus on the conversation and pokes around in her drink.

As Bently fills Kerri’s cup, a clink is heard as he knocks over the glass. Red liquid spills all over the table, and a mortified looking Bently stands frozen in shock, a folded note in his hand bearing a stamp of a blue harp. Mirt stares daggers at the waiter but both men are speechless as Fenton moves quickly to escort Bently out.

"What's the harp mean? You play music Mr. Wolf?"

Cico moves at the same moment Fenton does.

"That will stain your rug if you don't deal with it quickly."

Cico reaches out to pick up the cup that has been knocked over with one hand but feigns losing his balance in the process and stumbles into Bentley. Moving his other hand quickly he grabs on to Bentley's hand to steady himself; the same hand that held the note. 

If Bentley isn't clutching it tightly, Cico tries to slip the note into his own hand before anyone notices.

Sleight of Hand (to see if he can snag the note without anyone noticing): 8 

As he rights himself back up and lets go of Bentley he continues speaking.

"He's right though. The tavern will lose money in the beginning. A great deal."

Perception: 9

Lyss rolls her eyes and mutters under her breath.

"Amateurs..."

"Mister Cico, remember we were talking about how to be polite the way folks want you to be polite? When you run into someone, you gotta say sorry, and ask if they're alright."

"Like this..."

She hops up and half tackles him about the knees. 

"Oh, I'm sorry, you're so tall I didn't see you walking there. Did I hurt you?"

Sleight of Hand to snag the paper: 27

She frowns to herself a bit. Not her cleanest lift.

Kerri gets up to help with the mess. "Its fine, its fine."

Aimee sees people messing around with mess and says,

"No! Allow me!"

She prestidigitates the mess away and then adds sparkles around in the air by Mr. Wolf for awesome.

Cico rolls when Lyss tries to tackle him. Curious where this is going, he doesn't resist the tackle but allows the two of them to fall and roll back into Bentley. Cico then notices Lyss slipping the note out of his hand and into hers. Rather than try to hang on to it, he makes a show of his hands being empty as he gets back up and pats Bentley on the back to make sure Bentley is okay.

"It appears we are all high strung today," Cico says.

He then straightens out his own clothes and sits back down in his chair, legs followed under and gets himself back into a lotus pose.

Without speaking further he looks at Edvord, waiting for his answer to Mirt's question.

Lyss skips back to her seat and kicks her feet while the grownups talk.

Aldrik's fists tighten reflexively, teeth gritted, as he witnesses... well, whatever it was that Bentley, Cico and Lyss were trying to do. "Patience, Al, eye still on the prize."  he says under his breath, breathing in and out as he closes his eyes a moment.

After calming, Aldrik opens his eyes and focuses back on Mirt, watching the man a moment to gauge his reaction to the other's outburst, and overall demeanor regarding the pitch.

Insight: 7

OOC: Edits from the insight insight in next post.

Aldrik traces Mirt's gaze, watching as Bently is lead away, and sees an inroad. "Ah, competent helpers and allies are so hard to find, aren't they Lord Mirt? Especially the kind with the right connections." He glances at Edvord, then back to Mirt. "I think that perhaps what my brother is offering is something more than just a way to annoy my father, as fun as that might be. Perhaps in exchange for being the right kind of ally, we can provide far more long term value to the interests of the Old Wolf. Better a friend then a debtor, after all."

"Besides, you have to admit, 60% of interest in the business quickly goes back to "ownership" of the tavern, and is a steeper price than Bergun Stabs-backs the Crazy Eyed would offer down in the dock ward, even after his frequent spine-slicer discount..." Aldrik flashes Mirt a hopefully charming smile.

Here we go...

Persuasion: 13

As he ruckus plays out, Fenton escorts Bently out. A few seconds later, more staff flock in to clean up, finding only a clean table thanks to Aimee. They refill Kerri’s glass as Mirt taps his nose at her before dismissing his staff with a wave leaving you alone with the Old Wolf. He raises his glass in a toast, making eye contact with each of you, “My sincere apologies for he interruption, do continue Aldrik.”

Mirt snorts his drink up at Aldrik’s comparison. “ Bahaha, your sense of humour will get you far Aldrik. One must be slightly cut-throat in business, but that one takes the phrase a little too literally. My offer is not that bad, there’s no risk of death, and you get my advice for free. Here’s a little nugget up front, we’re splitting the net profit yes? But as employee’s of your own business you’d surely pay yourself a wage out of the gross before any dividends are shared. Not to mention, it’s usually customary for business owners to at least invest some small amount in their own business, you could easily enough get my share down if we were to share the risk a little more. My offer stands as is, but feel free to take the time to think on it.” 

“As for allies, I’d hope our friendship was never in question. I commend you all on your attempts on subtlety, but we all saw that note in Mr Silentleaf’s hands.” His eyes harden slightly, and he sits up from his slouched position. “If you were thinking of sharing what you saw today, I would remind you of the fate of our previous Open Lord. Cico, if you would be so kind as to hand it over, that note was not intended for your eyes.” He looks around at the doors, listening out for any eavesdroppers. “Bently is merely an errand boy, and he makes a fine drink. Don’t let his incompetence represent what you know of the Harpers, we’re all over this city working to make life just a little better for the people in it, our influence spreads far and wide. So you see, I am not short on good allies. If however, you would like to help the harpers, it could save me a small bit of effort. Just be aware, sometimes corruption lurks closer to home than you might expect.”

Cico tilts his head to one side and looks confused for a moment.

"I won't pretend that I didn't try to get the note," Cico says. "I thought he was spying on you, not for you."

He raises his hands, showing them to be empty.

"But I don't have it."

He looks down at the floor then over at Lyss.

"Maybe it's under a chair."

Lyss innocently peers under the chair near where things went down.

((If it would be possible to palm it and have taken a peek at the contents without anyone noticing? SoH: 17))

Kerri raises an eyebrow but doesnt say anything.

Aimee slurps her drink.

"Wow! This really burns! Like in my eyes, mouth, throat and stomach! People buy these?"

Aldrik raises an eyebrow at that last comment from Mirt. "Hmm. Sometimes, Mirt, that might be exactly what drives a person away from home. Corruption, different expectations, unwillingness to compromise, unwillingness to listen to the heart's desires in exchange for political power. Wedges that divide the city, friends... families." That last word is quieter than the rest. He looks wistful. "Hopefully such things can be mended."

He glances back at the rest of the group, chuckling at Aimee. "Aimee, we're about to open a tavern. You'll have to learn how to drink at some point if you want to make sure what we are selling is good enough for the public."

Looking back to Mirt, "We came here for the initial capital, not so much for an full business partner. As I said, we'd be happy to give you certain perks and privileges in the tavern, even past the eventual repayment, and I'd be willing to learn any wisdom you might have to pass as a good friend. I doubt Kerri, Lyss, and Aimee would ever consent to giving up the owner's share between them. But..." He glances at Cico, and then locks eyes with Edvord a moment. "I'd also be willing to hear if there are additional options to... lighten any potential burdens, from that business you mentioned. A downpayment, if it were."