Random 102

"Honey, it always stinks in here when I haven't roped Rosz to clean up. I'm used to it. Besides, on really windy days, the alley pushes through it's own nice perfume," Auker replied, opening the bottle and taking a nonchalant swig. Having swallowed, she said. "Don't try understanding men, anyway. They're such pussies sometimes, Cateyes too. And by that I mean, they'd rather mope alone sometimes. Just look at Hamfists." She had another swig, then dabbed her lips.

Sylvie took a sip of tea and wrapped her hands around the cup when she put it down. As to not look utterly rude, she watched Auker in case the woman wanted to go on. She wasn't interested in starting a debate about what she had or had not been doing, though. Or a spat about the advantages of not being drunk.

She sighed. "Look, I don't know what his problem is, but I'm guessing you'll know sooner or later," she added, when Kord suddenly came back. Failing to hide the bottle, Auker watching him march over, grab the bottle and put it so high on a shelf that she couldn't get to it without a chair. "Men," the priestess snorted.

"Stay sober," Kord said sternly, a very large finger inches away from her face. He glanced at Sylvie, shrugged apologetically and proceeded to get the rag from the sink and shove it in Auker's hand without another word to her. To Sylvie, however, he said, after a moment of consideration: "He went off?" His tone was polite and warm. Nothing of the kind he displayed when Sebastian was around.

She nodded. "To clean up and, probably, calm down."

Auker she told, "My main concern right now is if it's important to know right now, or only personal."

Auker, rag in hand and cleaning, stopped and frowned. "Well, ask the expert," she said, pointing a thumb at Kord.

He didn't exactly look thrilled, and just shrugged. "He said he'd only tell you. Go figure."

"Men!"

Expert? What? Not understanding half of what Auker said was starting to get on her nerves.

"Whatever."

Sebastian returned at that point, having spent a while just staring at Fortuna's statue, one hand over the other and thinking about the past. It was something he normally didn't do, but that sudden chain of coincidences had prompted him to at least compare the now and the past in Canyet and environs.

He'd had to stop the moment he heard a tinkling sound coming from the statue. "Yes?"

A ringing sound.

And that was enough, but it was still enough; after a short stop to get cleaned up, back he was, slightly puzzled but still white in the face. "Sylvie. I'm sorry," he said upon returning to her side.

Auker snorted. "That took long enough," she said, adding finishing touches to the clean-up. She glanced longingly at the medicinal brandy, something Sebastian noted but didn't comment upon.

About what in particular? After a moment she half-smiled. "All right. Are you sure those thoughts are nothing urgent you need to share now?"

"No. It's personal. I'll only say that I'm worried about what might happen to you and me, and leave the rest for later. Private," he said, glancing at the others present.

"Good. I'm good at putting off worrying about things to later." So good she sometimes put them off for too long, which might be good or bad, depending. A deep breath later she said, "Are we up to making a list what we should worry about now?"

Sebastian gave her hand a squeeze (Kord was shaking his head but had an amused twinkle in his eyes) and considered for a moment. "Negotiations with the Gold and Jackites -- it's taking them some time, and considering the Gold's people don't exactly like me...

"Also, what action Montmore might take. And, most importantly, if Ludovic is on to us. All we've been told of him, all we've learned, I wonder if he'll try to make a run for it or try to suppress evidence. Once he realises Brice is gone, and I'm fairly certain he has already, he's bound to get suspicious."

Kord grunted. "Well, one way or another, he's got a lot of angry people itching to carve out his guts, wrap them around a tree stump at a cliff and then toss him off."

"Tie him to a weight and throw him in the river," Sylvie voted blandly. "Less mess and more fitting.

"Anyway, at least I think Old Ivy is protected enough. And considering Langoll--" She broke off, wrinkling her nose, and started that new thought. "Damn. I would feel better if we knew who had done that killing."

Once again, the big man blinked and stared at Sylvie affectionately. Auker pinched him in the bicep, chuckling, and again Sebastian chose to ignore all signs of mischief. "Yes, that does beg the question, but I wouldn't go asking around too much. Some people even shadier than me or Auker's neighbours might not welcome the attention." He started chewing at one of his nails, frowning.

"Mhm. If that person is still working for Ludovic, he would still needs to know whom to target, first." She was picking up his habit of avoiding mentioning luck.

He kept chewing on the nail for a moment. "Well, that in mind, and pending what Montmore's going to say, I suggest we watch from the sidelines."

"Huh?" Kord said. "You're chickening out?"

"No. I'm being selfish. I don't want... people to get hurt just because someone happens to find out who've been snooping around, and where they are." Sebastian leaned back, aggravated and still very, very pale. "Remember what happened last time, Kord," he said quietly.

It was, at that point, that Auker turned to look at the window. A shadow had just passed, and there was a knocking on the door. Frowning, she stood up, straightened her habit a little and then stuck a hand inside it. She extracted a flanged mace and opened the door.

It took Montmore a while to look up from the mace. He countered with a bottle of wine, and the question: "That happy to see me?"

Ah. All right. As with most things lately, the feelings Sylvie had about Sebastian worrying about her getting killed were conflicted. It was great to know someone cared, but she didn't want to be in the way.

Montmore arriving was a welcome distraction. She did make a mental note about the capability of clerical robes for concealing weapons.

"You got something to say, Monty?"

"There is my line of work to be mentioned." By way of apology, he offered the bottle, the mace poked against his ribs.

"Yeah. No wine for me today. Herbalist's orders. Come in. But rest assured, I'll beat you up good and proper if you've got some plans for these two," she said, pulling him inside and slamming the door shut, whilst Kord watched smugly.

"I promise, nothing of the kind," Montmore replied and bowed politely, then was cornered and forcefully made to sit by Auker. "Oh, be gentle. I have news. I've begun the process. But I should like to see those artifacts, sooner or later?"

"They aren't here anymore, but hidden outside the city," Sylvie said. "We do have the confessions Brice wrote here. But what is it you have set in motion?"

"Oh, a few arrest warrants," Montmore said, examining his nails upon seeing Sebastian just glower at him and chew on his own thumb. "I shall be glad to read the confessions, of course."

"Yeah. Well, in any case, you've got witnesses already," Kord grunted.

"I won't play that game," Sebastian muttered, glaring now.

"I didn't expect you to. Are you worried I put out an arrest warrant for you and Sylvie? It's as I said earlier."

Auker tapped the mace against her palm. "Yeah, and what was it?"

"You'd try to kill me if I tried. But then, I reasoned, then they'd hang you, and that I don't really want, dead or not as I might be."

Sylvie looked at the ceiling and sighed. She muttered in intercommon, "Sweet. Let's have a double wedding."