Killilli’s Dragon Heist

Aimee yells back,

"Hi Cico it's Aimee! From here! Door's open! It doesn't really close!"

Lyss was returning from the pastry shop when she sees a fellow skulking about and prying at the tavern!

A dagger thuds into the wall beside the elf 's hand, and an unseen voice pipes up.

"We've enough loose boards already without you pulling more off! Unless you wanna get blasted, back off, bub... Oh boogers! Are you the taxman?!"

A tiny halfling girl carrying a sack steps out, looking apologetically sheepish, but determined.

"We don't have any customers yet, so we don't have and taxes for you to collect! Sorry about the knife, but we gotta protect our investment, you know how it is!"

OOC: Y'all too quick lol.

Cico hears the creak of floorboards and sees the vibration in the door before it opens, revealing the wide and tall frame of Aldrik. Today, he's dressed in fine riding clothes, wearing an open crimson jacket with brass buckles that seems styled like a Cormyrian cavalryman's. He beams a smile.

Ooc Double post 

Cico looks at the open door and Aldrik. Before accepting Aldrik's hand, Cico looks at the dagger in the wall and cocks his head to one side then the other. He pulls it out and then inspects the hole it made in the wood. Leans in closer and sniffs.

"Rotten," Cico says half to himself.

He turns around and looks down at the halfling girl. His face remains devoid of expression, jaw tight. Then slowly the corners of his mouth turn upwards, approximating the start of a smile, though it looks like it's something he's had to remind himself to do.

Cico looks at Lyss for a moment longer.

"You are young," he says as a statement of fact.

He pauses for a long moment after that, then finally nods to himself, remembering what else the situation calls for.

He holds out his hand to Lyss, looking at it first before he does so, and shakes her hand, awkwardly. Then he hands her the dagger back.

He then turns and lets himself be ushered in by Aldrik.

Once inside he looks at the main room and at the floorboards. 

"Have you considered burning it down?" Cico asks.

Turning to everyone in turn, he gives them each a short curt nod of his head.

"The guild asked me to see if this place was salvageable as a tavern, and if it is to make sure you're aware of your responsibilities as well as the benefits of operating within guild rules."

Looking around once more he nods to himself again.

"This could take some time."

"Hey, no knifing my friend here! Or anyone, really. This isn't Baldur's Gate! We're civilized here!"

"Speak for yourself, I'm only as civilized as I need to be!"

"You are young."

"Most of my life. Glad you're not really the taxman.", she takes his hand and shakes it, and makes the blade vanish. (He has to bend way down, she's literally about knee high.)

"It's too awesome to burn down! DON'T WORRY LIF, NO BURNING!"

Aimee's makes a shushing motion at Cico,

"Nope! No burning! Just fixing and getting rich!"

Aimee waves,

"This is my face now that you're inside!" She points at her face, "Aimee!"

As she heads over to root around in the pastry bag she says to Lyss,

"Wow! There are so many rules out here too! I thought it would be less rules than inside but it's just as many but from a bunch of different people!"

She offers Cico a pain au chocolat.

"Yes, I see your face," Cico says to Aimee, uncertain how else to respond to the statement.

He accepts the pastry but does not take a bite.

"There is another here? Upstairs?" Cico asks as he looks around for stairs to the second floor.

Cico then adjusts his pack on his shoulders, taking the crowbar back out at the same time. He then looks over at Aldrik.

"To get an idea of what it will cost to not burn this place down and actually open it to the public I will need to see everything," Cico says. "I'll start at the top."

"Yes, um. Before you go up that way."

Aldrik has an uncharacteristic sheepish look, his hand on the back of his neck.

"Have you ever been to the Elfsong Tavern in Baldur's Gate? The one where people flock to see the ghostly elf who sings at night?"

Aldrik looks upstairs. "Let's say we will be competing in a similar genre." 

Kerri looks at the newcomer, feeling more enraged than yesterday. "If youre just here to insult this place you can leave."

Cico looks from Aldrik to the ceiling and back.

"Is it dangerous?" he asks. "A singing ghost is one thing. One that hurts patrons is another."

Then he looks at Kerri, curious about her rage.

"Is this her's then?" he asks Aldrik.

Her turns to face Kerri.

"Statements of fact are not insults. I am an elf. This one is young," he says gesturing to Lyss. "It is apparent from even the most cursory of glances that this tavern is run down and will require considerable work and gold to repair. If you think otherwise, I will leave now but I can not recommend it as a safe place for guild brewers to supply."

He looks at Kerri, furrowed brows showing the curiosity still on his face, waiting for an answer before heading upstairs.

Aimee nods in support of Kerri,

"We did say no burning!"

She ponders a second,

"Are you an arsonist? You can burn the competition!"

She pauses again,

"Not the Yawning Portal though! And don't say you know us!"

Kerri points to the door, "Farewell then. You might be an elf, but manners still exist for you."

Aimee nods and then gives Cico a big wink.

Aldrik sighs. "Kerri. Your resident spirit made it clear that he wants this place to be open once again. Dismissing the Guild of Brewers and Innkeepers means that you can't open. No ale, no brewing equipment, no certifications, nothing. Blacklisted in this city is as good a death sentence for the tavern as a hangman's noose is for a murderer. Stop mistaking a bit of banter as some great personal affont against you, when it is not."

"There is a difference between banter and insults," Kerri says, "and you associate is crossing that line."

"You will have a hard life if you find true statements about the condition of a building to be an insult," Cico says. "The carpenters, suppliers, and rest of the guilds do not work for free. Do you disagree that this building will require a great deal of money to restore?"

He pauses and looks at Aldrik.

"It appears that I have mistaken the reason you requested me to appraise this building. Good luck with your partners."

Cico gathers his belongings and starts to the main entrance.

"Oh for the love of Mystra do whatever the Hells you want," Kerri gives up and storms out of the tavern

As she storms out, Aldrik clenches his fists for a moment, his teeth gritted. The moment passes, and he catches Cico before the elf also departs. "Wait, Cico. She's just... protective of this place, I think. She'll cool off. We can at least take a look at the rest of the manor, as we talked about."

Turning to Aimee and Lyss, "Do either of you want to take Cico for the grand tour, and introduce him to Lif?"

Lyss pipes up from where she sits on the bartop swinging her legs. 

"You just make the beer? I'd think they'd want someone better at talking to people be the one to serve and sell the beer..."

"The upper levels need fixing up, but they aren't part of the business. They're what you'd call 'private residenceses', that means that Aimee and Kerri and I live up there. And Uncle Spark was going to, but he left a note about needing to go take a job somewhere else, so it's just the four of us now, the three ladies and Lif. I have the attic room, and there's even a tower. But if you're just a guy who makes beer, that'd all be down on this level, and the cellar."

"If you're the only guy that Aldy has who can get us on the beer people's good side, then I guess that's that..."

She turns to Aldrik. "But if HE doesn't work out, then that means that YOU don't work out, and we'll have to find a way to fix it up ourselves."