Back: Liannas Tale | Lianna | Ketil's Yard

Lianna thinks back to the monastary as she ponders what to get to drink from the tavern's barkeep. A very austere place, in the midst of a neighbourhood full of squalor, the monks themselves were quite dour in attitude behind their wrought iron fence covered in ivy. Matsos had been kidding when he'd said that they'd love to see him, but apparently his position was such that they really couldn't refuse him. The leader of their little order looked like he was going to choke at having a woman staying in the monastery. Aranis had been less than delighted, too. But willing to accept it as better than prison at least.

The crowd at the White Heretic Clubhouse was the usual assortment of lowlife professionals. Perfect for this meeting, really. Not a place where anyone would worry about their official status, those here were theoretically guildsmen, but all ones running semi-, quasi-, or pseudo-legal businesses outside of normal guild regulation.

Such men had associated with each other on an almost formal level since the establishment of the place some 300 years ago. The story is that a man with a very pale countenance had taken up preaching in an abandonded building not too far from the site of the tavern. For a while he'd attracted quite a following and it's not known for certain whether or not he had some real mystical sight or not. But people paid him for his visions, and he contiuned to preach for years, becoming a minor celebrity of sorts. The "clubhouse" had opened originally to cater to his followers amongst the buisnessmen of the Merchant's Quarter. What people found, however, was that the heretic tended to attract the less than honest sorts of businessmen.

Soon after the death of the heretic, it simply became traditional for this sort of businessman to eat and drink at the White Heretic Clubhouse. In fact, a sort of legitimacy of sorts is to be had by the people who attend as they find it a place to network, and support their activities.

Lianna notes a salesman with a small case - no doubt the sort that carries useless elixirs sold as panaceas - talking with another man who had on the robe of a legal defender. Not selling, of course, it was considered bad form to try to do any actual business with anyone who was obviously a member of the "club." Not that it wasn't OK to take money from them in other ways - one of the things that had attracted Lianna to the place originally was the rather lucrative card game that went on regularly in the back room.

Matsos bends his kneck at an odd angle to try to get a look around an architectural feature at the statue of the White Heretic haning high up in one of the vaults of the ceiling. The barkeep says, "Your pal is here. What'll it be?"

The pal he indicates with a nod of his head is none other than Giuseppe. He is closing in on the table and regards Matsos in a friendly manner, "Lianna, hello. Who is this?"

He scratches his nose in the special fashion that asks Lianna, "Is this somebody who we can trust?"

"One of my new colleagues," Lianna answers vaguely. Giuseppe should get the hint from that. And despite Matsos' interesting rationalisation earlier, the two fingers looped into her belt say "friend, but stick to legal matters".

"Matsos, Giuseppe: Giuseppe, Matsos. Now, what do they have in today that's worth drinking? I take it there's none of that rather flowery white that was in last week left?"

As they move towards the bar, she adds quietly, "Thanks for your help earlier - all sorted, for now at least. But I'm going to be busy for the next few days. You might want to stay clear, just in case."

The barkeep interrupts, "That was a special order, sorry. Nothing like that in stock right now. I do have some table white - perhaps that will serve."

Without waiting for a response, he heads off to find the wine amongst the tuns of ale behind the counter. At least the ale here is of a fair quality, and not watered down.

Giuseppe sits next to Lianna on the bench, crowding her somewhat. "I know you're looking into the Marquis, and I have some information for you regarding that. A friend of mine..."

He puts that emphasis on the word "friend" that says that he's talking about one of his other nefarious sources.

"...told me that he'd had a very odd request come his way from somebody at the Greensward Estate. He wouldn't say what it was precisely, but that he felt that something big was going to be going on tonight at the estate. Must have something to do with the party that the Marquis is throwing. Might do to crash, no? Just saying'," he grins broadly at the pair.

Then to Matsos, "So, you're a Paladin as well, I'm guessing? How do you know Lianna here? You're not a Paladin of Lady Luck, right? Our Lianna's still the only one?"

Matsos replies, "I'm a Paladin of Zanar. And I'm Lianna's...trainer. Well as of today. We're sorta celebrating."

Guiseppe's eyebrows go up in a facial gesture saying that he's assimilated the information, but, subtextually, finds it irrellevant. "So...training what? Given the religious difference?"

"Swordplay," responds Matsos.

"Ah, I see. Working out together, then," he speculates. "Well, I'm sure that Lianna will be a quick learner."

Was that a hint of jealousy Lianna heard in Giuseppe's voice? "You Paladins are so secretive in Ketil's, all locked away from the world. One's imagination wanders as to what you do within its walls."

Lianna smiles sweetly. "I've told you before, any time you want to come in and find out, you're very welcome."

A bit catty, perhaps, she knew perfectly well Giuseppe would never dream of trying to get past the guardians, but really, did he imagine he owned her or something?

"So the Marquis is throwing a party, is he? Shame we're not invited. And gate-crashing would be terribly rude." She sips her drink, and wrinkles her nose slightly. House white - oh dear. "He's probably got better wine than this, though."

"Of course", she continues speculatively, "if we knew of a rumour that some minor crooks were planning on being there... Even if we had no idea who, or what they were planning, it would be our duty to attend, wouldn't it? We'd have next to no chance of catching them, but we'd have tried."

"I never told you a thing!" Giuseppe was still having trouble getting used to the sort of double-think her new role and old friendships required.

"I know you didn't, love." She pats him on the knee. "That's the point. Tell you what, if you don't like that idea, we'll go for divine guidance." She pulls a die out of her pouch, remembering how much this had annoyed Aculon. "A one says we go and gatecrash the party. Two to five, we stay here and play cards."

"And the six?"

"We play a few rounds, then gate-crash the party late, once it's got going."

She rolls it across the table, avoiding the sticky patches of half-dried ale. "Six! There you go, then. My cards or yours?"

"Mine. After that dice-roll, mine. Lianna, that was the blue die."

"So?" She turns innocent green eyes on him.

"The loaded one."

"Was it really? It must have come to my hand by chance."

Matsos has been following this exchange with amusement, presumably recognising the rationalisation technique, but this seems to be too much. "You cheat your own Goddess?"

"Well, of course. She expects it of me." She beams at him happily, accepts the cards from Giuseppe. "Now, let me show you how to shuffle and deal the proper way."