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Re: Tour of Duty [Closed] « Reply #45 on Mar 7, 2012, 5:30pm »
Kira reached Andrew just before the two men. She recognized the one who spoke, as the one who laughed at how a knife wound would be a great motivator. He looked like he knew how to handle a blade. He was about Kira’s height, muscular, with short blond hair and narrow set brown eyes. His nose while not overly large looked like it had been broken and reset several times, and he had a thin scar the ran from the left corner of his mouth and followed the ridge of his cheekbone stopping just short of his eye. His skin looked pale like a typical Ferelden, and his accent was Fereldan was well. He wore leather armor and carried daggers on his back.
The other man was the one Kira heard mention Dimos, the “crazy Antivan bastard” who apparently “owned” the goods in question. He was the one who wore the metal sabatons, He wore veridium armor with no heraldic insignia. He was taller and broader then the other man, with long black hair, deep set dark brown eyes and had a swarthy completion. His accent sounded vaguely Antivan, nowhere near as thick as the man in the marketplace she met days ago, He carried a broadsword.
“We, er, noticed some blood on the outside of the rear window. Have you had some trouble?” Andy reckoned if the men felt the guards were there to help, they might invite them in, let slip about the extra, unbilled supplies. Maybe. [/quote]
The two men looked at each other. Then the blond looked at Andy, his face closed and somber. “ Actually, we had break-in tonight. We has just looked at the window and noticed the blood. The bastard thief got away, but he must have cut himself climbing out of the window. I would be most pleased if you went in and looked around. Maybe you can find something that we forgot.
Kira’s hackles were up. These men knew exactly what had happened and how Tobias was injured. Kira suspected the blond to have been the one who stabbed him.
Looking at the two men, Kira smiled, disarmingly something she didn’t do on patrol, something she hoped Andy would pick up on. “Well then, our arrival seems to be a happy coincidence.”
Re: Tour of Duty [Closed] « Reply #46 on Mar 8, 2012, 9:20am »
The two men looked at one another. Andy waited patiently, as a guard should, right? The designated talker of the pair then answered. “Actually, we had break-in tonight.” A snarky voice, somewhat reminiscent of Linette tickled Andy’s thoughts. No, really? “We has just looked at the window and noticed the blood. The bastard thief got away, but he must have cut himself climbing out of the window. I would be most pleased if you went in and looked around. Maybe you can find something that we forgot.”
Andy was not fooled by the sombre expression. He knew Kira wasn’t either. But he reckoned they had to follow things through, for the moment, wait for one of the men to slip up.
Showing a bright smile, Kira said, “Well then, our arrival seems to be a happy coincidence.”
“Sure seems like it,” Andy chimed in, not having to work very hard at sounding clueless.
The taller of the pair, the so-far-silent partner, produced a key and let them into the shop. Andy looked around the shadowed interior until the blonde man lit a lamp. Yellow light spilled onto the walls, catching all manner of things. Bolts of fabric, folds of what looked like leather and fur. Pots in one corner, a cluster of brooms in another. A row of boots, all of them almost new looking. Andy felt a creep down the back of his neck as he imagined what had happened to the previous owners of the boots. Maybe they’d just been poorly fitted... A stack of books on a low table caught his attention and his fingers itched to flip through them. He restrained himself.
“Looks like you sell a bit of everything here,” he noted.
“Yup,” the blonde said, looking curiously at the mounds of different objects as if he had no idea what they actually did sell.
Turning to Kira, Andy said, “Guardswoman, could you begin the interview while I look around?” He reckoned Kira would know which questions to ask, she’d been a guard for longer than he had. Meanwhile, he’d poke about the shop, duck into the storeroom, see if he couldn’t make the men a bit nervous.
Re: Tour of Duty [Closed] « Reply #47 on Mar 8, 2012, 1:15pm »
Kira was the last one to enter the shop, so it was easy to position herself between the door front and the two men. This kept their backs to Andy.
Ok, let see if they respond to a woman’s charm. Maybe the Antivan?
Smiling, she looked at the men. “What are your names, sers?”
The man in the veridium armor, with the Antivan accent, looked like he was sizing up Kira. She caught his eyes. “Ser?”
The man smiled, just like the man at the marketplace.
Good, make him relaxed or at least underestimate me. Either works.
Giving a short bow. “My name is Santiago Del Toro, and my associate is Cefin Vaughn.”
“Thank you. I have to admit, Ser Del Toro, I envy your armor. As a guard I can only afford so much. Was it made here in Ferelden?
“Actually, it is Antivan made.”
Kira nodded and looked at the blonde man. “Ser Vaughn, that is an impressive scar, I bet you have one heck of a story behind that.
“You should see the other guy.”
Kira chuckled “Serahs Vaughn and Del Toro. I can get better information from you both, if I interview you one at a time. Sometimes a victim’s memory can be clouded when the victims are interviewed together. I’m sure you would agree your memories of the events are vital as they are really all we have to go on.”
Before they had a chance to object, Kira escorted Del Toro to the chair that was about 15 feet from her, far enough away where he can’t hear but close enough for Kira to keep an eye on him.
Retuning to Vaughn. Her voice was matter-of-fact, just getting the details. Serah Vaughn, how long have you owned this shop?”
“About two years.” Kira noticed the uncertainty in his voice.
“Are you the co-owner of the shop, or are you the sole proprietor?”
“Er, co-owner…with Santiago.”
“Were you always a co-owners?”
“We’ve…er always owned it together, yes.”
Kira took a quick look at Del Toro, he was sitting but he was nervous.
“When did you notice that there had been a break in?”
“About the time you and your partner came along.”
“Had you had a chance to check inside the store?”
“Just a brief look. We didn’t seen anything out of place. Maybe your partner will.”
“What brought you to the shop this late at night?”
Vaughn scratched his head “We just wanted to check out the store.’
“Did you expect something to be wrong?”
“No…not really, we…er… had a late shipment yesterday and hadn’t had a chance to really inspect it.”
“What was the content of the late shipment?”
“I’m…ah... not sure. Santiago would know.”
One last question, could something inside have scared the thief?”
“I don’t think so.”
“That’s odd, what would have caused the thief to risk breaking a window and injuring himself to get away. Perhaps your arrival scare him away?”
“Yeah, that’s probably it. Thank you Serah Vaughn. You have been very helpful. If you will stay here, I will go over an speak with Serah Del Toro.”
After Kira walked towards Santiago, Vaughn started to sweat. Ok. Calm down. She is young and probably inexperienced. There was nothing that ties us to the inside of this shop and I cleaned my daggers.
When Kira reached Del Toro, she discovered that he was staring at Andy, who was about 20 feet or so away.
Smiling at Del Toro she asked him the same questions she had asked Vaughn. Del Toro also said that he and Vaughn were co-owners. Although according to Del Toro he brought on Vaughn two years ago. He also said that they had arrived just after the incident as he heard breaking glass.
“What brought you to the shop this late at night?”
“I had a sense that something was wrong so I came to look around.
“A sense Serah? Had something happened earlier today.”
“No, I’m just a bit paranoid when there is so much inventory in the shop.”
Kira smiled “A healthy dose of caution never hurts. Can you excuse me for a moment? I just need to get some guidance from my mentor.”
“Of course. Tell you mentor that your interview was well done.”
“Thank you, Serah.”
Kira walked up to Andy and in a soft voice. “They are lying through their teeth. What do you want to do?”
Re: Tour of Duty [Closed] « Reply #48 on Mar 9, 2012, 11:24am »
While Kira conducted the interviews, Andy poked about the shop. He tried to concentrate on the business of hand, but often found himself distracted by the oddities stored on this shelf and that. Where Curios and Curiosities seemed to cater to specifically odd items, arts and treasures, Andy got the feeling this shop catered to items that had failed to sell elsewhere. Some of the items were utterly frivolous, or baffling, and some were clearly inferior specimens. The straw on the brooms looked a little too grey and brittle, the hides and furs had a bit of a stink to them, the boots were definitely worn, the pots had uneven bottoms and the fabric, well, Andy had seen worse? But not by much. Idly, he wondered what sort of fabric Tobias had tried to steal for his wife, if he’d had his eye on the one with alarming large purple flowers floating on a backdrop of dark orange – he tilted his head – where those leaves?
He ducked his head into the back room, traced the spill of light to the small, broken window. More shapes lined the walls of the cramped space, some long, some short, some vaguely shiny. A stack of crates fronted the window, one of them cracked and broken. He could smell the wood, it was the freshest scent in the storeroom. With a quick smile, he decided that meant the crate had been broken recently. A useless clue, probably, they all had a fair idea how events had unfolded, but the discovery had Andy feeling like a proper guard, nonetheless.
Stepping back into the shop, he caught the end of the interview and met Kira.
“They are lying through their teeth,” she murmured. “What do you want to do?”
“Tell them we’ll investigate, keep an eye on the shop. If they are conducting illegal business, that should slow them down a bit.” He scratched his jaw, then grinned. Leaning forward, he added, “Sometimes looking young and inexperienced has benefits.” Mischief flashed through blue eyes.
Turning toward the proprietors, Andy dipped his head politely. “Thank you for your cooperation, sers. You’ve been very helpful. We’ll report the incident to the guard and request an extra patrol in this neighbourhood. When is your next shipment due? Maybe we can arrange to be on hand then.”
Vaughn spluttered and held up both hands. “Oh, I’m sure that won’t be necessary. It’s the risk of doing business, isn’t it? Can’t keep an eye on everything. Anyway, I’m sure the guard has more important things to do than mind one little shop.”
Andy nodded, as if accepting the man’s words as sense. He replied, “Certainly, Highever is a big town. It’s no trouble for me to stop by now and again, though. I’m out on patrol most days anyway.” He offered his usual, friendly smile. “Right, well, if you’ve nothing further to add, my partner and I will follow the trail that led us to your window, see if we can’t find your thief. We’ll let you know if we come up with anything. In the meantime, if you remember any more details, you can ask at the castle for Ser Andrew or Guardswoman Sutharlan.”
Was it his imagination or did the taller man look a little pale?
Re: Tour of Duty [Closed] « Reply #49 on Mar 10, 2012, 1:29pm »
Andy offering to have the guards make extra patrols, and to ask when the next shipment was expected so a guard can be there, was brilliant! Vaughn back paddled like crazy. When Andy said he was a Knight it looked as it Vaughn paled.
Me thinks that Vaughn is more than a little worried to have drawn the attention of a Knight. A Guardsmen, not so much, but a Knight? Yep, that’s big.
The two men were an odd pair. While Vaughn did all the talking, Del Toro was the one in the Veridium armor. Vaughn was clearly Ferelden. Del Toro was from Antiva, but had probably been here a while, as his accent wasn’t that thick.
I wonder if Vaughn speaks for the two because of Del Toro’s accent. Clearly it was Vaughn who knifed Tobias. Perhaps Del Toro was the one who communicated directly with this man, Dimos.
Kira ran off her mental checklist Andy needs to tell me what he found. I have to tell him what I overheard. We need to figure out who is this 'Crazy Antivan' named Dimos.
Smiling and nodding her head. “Thank you both for the information.” She added to see if Vaughn squirmed. Bowing a bit the Andy, she winked at him “Ser Andrew, are you ready to depart. I know you are needed at the Castle?”
Sure enough Vaughn turned sheet-white. “Indeed Ser Andrew, I don’t want to delay you any longer. Thanks for your offer, but I’m sure things will be fine here.”
Re: Tour of Duty [Closed] « Reply #50 on Mar 12, 2012, 7:14am »
Kira added her thanks, then bowed to Andy, added sly wink. “Ser Andrew, are you ready to depart. I know you are needed at the Castle?”
Vaughn paled further. “Indeed Ser Andrew, I don’t want to delay you any longer. Thanks for your offer, but I’m sure things will be fine here.”
Andy nodded and smiled, polite face firmly in place. They might be intimidated by his title, wary of a knight snooping about their premises, but he reckoned the moment he turned his back, they’d remember his youthful aspect and the fact he’d failed to draw any conclusions. They would relax, chuckled amongst themselves, keep an eye out for the young knight, perhaps, then go about their business.
Once they were some distance from the shop, halfway down a lane that might well have been splattered with blood, it was so filthy – what do they throw out behind these shops? – Andy turned to Kira and said, “I suspect we’d find very few of the goods in that shop on a trade manifest. None of it was new or in very good condition. I think most of it has either fallen off the back of a wagon or failed to sell elsewhere.” He shook his head. “It’s a wonder they manage to stay in business... Which they won’t, for long.” A grim smile replaced his more serious expression. “We have an Antivan guard. I think I’ll ask him to take the first patrol past their place, maybe stop in and look a bit more intimidating than I can.” Leaning closer, he lowered his voice. “There is a rumour he used to be a Crow. No, I don’t know if it’s true...” He had his suspicions, though, and there was that bag of fingers, and the tattoos... “But sometimes a rumour is enough. I reckon Sers Vaughn and Del Toro will be packing up shop and moving fairly soon.”
Smiling more naturally, he observed, “I suppose you’ve run across your share of disreputable businesses in Gwaren, eh? Being another port city and all.”
Re: Tour of Duty [Closed] « Reply #51 on Mar 12, 2012, 12:21pm »
Andy described the state of the goods in the shop, and that most of it were things that had “… either fallen off the back of a wagon or failed to sell elsewhere. He also suggested that our Antivan guard could be helpful.”
“I thought leaving the Crows was supposed to be a death sentence? Ugh, sorry for getting off track. Let me tell you what I discovered. Vaughn and Del Toro were near my end of the building, so I overheard their conversation. Del Toro was relieved that ‘the thief’ was an amateur, as he would have hated to have to tell a man named Dimos, who Del Toro referred to as a ‘crazy Antivan bastard.’
“Del Toro wondered how the thief got away so fast, to which Vaughn replied how a knife wound was good motivation. He’s probably the one who knifed Tobias. Del Toro’s armor is too heavy for him move quickly enough to attack a fleeing thief. My best guess is that Del Toro is the one who is in direct contact with Dimos. Del Toro and Vaughn are Dimos' eyes and muscle. I think having an Antivan guard keep watch is a good idea.”
“I suppose you’ve run across your share of disreputable businesses in Gwaren, eh? Being another port city and all.”
Kira nodded vigorously. “This is why this set-up makes me suspicious. We had a lot of smuggling in Gwaren. Many times the smugglers had a storefront like this one or one more circumspect. They’d get regular shipments, ostensibly to replenish the store, and cradled within the goods are things of great value: swords, gold, poisons, and such. One of the longtime smugglers would donate his store's wares to the Chantry, drawing suspicion away from him. It was a long investigation, but we finally nailed the bugger.
Shit!
Kira immediately covered her mouth. Then looked at Andrew sheepishly. “Pardon my language, Andy.”
“Should we find out who Dimos is? Or do you think I’m overreacting?”
Re: Tour of Duty [Closed] « Reply #52 on Mar 13, 2012, 6:11pm »
“I thought leaving the Crows was supposed to be a death sentence?” Kira said.
In a rare display of quick thinking, Andy decided to say nothing, which probably meant he stood there looking rather dim witted. Kira was probably already used to that, right?
After apologising for veering off track, Kira shared what she’d discovered before they had entered the shop. Vaughn and Del Toro had pegged their thief as an amateur and mentioned the knife wound. Kira suspected Vaughn had been the one to wield the dagger, citing Del Toro’s heavier armour as a hindrance. Andy nodded in agreement.
She also mentioned a man called Dimos, whom Vaughn and Del Toro referred to as the Crazy Antivan Bastard. Andy didn’t like the sound of that, not at all. Thoughts of Dorjan Rapp began to circulate and he quickly corralled them and squashed them. Now was not the time to daydream about a fictional (supposedly) Antivan Crow.
“My best guess is that Del Toro is the one who is in direct contact with Dimos. Del Toro and Vaughn are Dimos' eyes and muscle. I think having an Antivan guard keep watch is a good idea.”
Again, Andy nodded in agreement. He then asked if Kira had much experience with this sort of business. Nodding vigorously, she answered that she had, which was why the whole set up seemed so suspicious. She mentioned one case in particular.
“One of the longtime smugglers would donate his store's wares to the Chantry, drawing suspicion away from him. It was a long investigation, but we finally nailed the bugger.” Covering her mouth, she offered him an abashed look. “Pardon my language, Andy.”
Andy grinned. “Knights swear too.” Sometimes quite colourfully, especially when they had their hands wrapped around a hot metal bucket.
“Should we find out who Dimos is? Or do you think I’m overreacting?”
“I don’t think you’re overreacting and I do think we should investigate Dimos. Let’s head toward the docks and have a chat with Jacob, see if he’s heard the name, then take it from there.”
They would be leaving their patrol route, but as a knight, Andy had the authority to do so. Besides, he knew Markham’s route intersected theirs in the part that actually required watchful eyes and ears and, there was the law of averages to consider. They’d already intersected a crime, maybe two. It was highly unlikely anything else would happen in the ‘quiet corner’ of Highever today.
Jacob wouldn’t be on duty until the night watch, but he rarely slept the day away. The old man napped. A few hours in the morning (if the fish weren’t biting) and a few more in the early evening. He claimed the elderly required less sleep. Sure enough, a familiar figure sat on the dock, one shoulder against the side of the night watchman’s shack. Pole in hand, the old man looked quite relaxed. Upon closer inspection, he appeared more than relaxed. He was asleep.
Andy hated to wake him...
Gesturing Kira away, he walked down the dock a little and sat on an upturned barrel. “We’ll give him a bit. It’s probably about time we took a break, anyway.” He smiled. “So, how do you like the job so far?” It had been a pretty exciting first day!
Re: Tour of Duty [Closed] « Reply #53 on Mar 14, 2012, 12:24pm »
Kira noticed that Andy didn’t answer her question about the Crows, and she was a bit suspicious.
He’s wearing his slow-witted look again. That has to be an act. If he were that “special” he would never have been knighted.
Kira decided not to press any further, his silence seemed to be answer enough.
As she reported to Andy all she had heard and seen, and her suspicions, he had been nodding in agreement. When she mentioned Dimos, Kira felt that Andy didn’t like that piece of information anymore than she did.
When he told her she was not overreacting, Kira was immensely relieved. “I’m so glad you don’t think I’m overreacting. If I’ve learned anything, is that it’s usually the small loose thread unravels everything. ”
Telling Andy about the smuggling operation in Gwaren, Kira remembered how they had caught Hywel Cadogan
He had been smuggling rare, and illegal, poisons, lyrium, and such. One time he supplied weapons and armor to equip a new cell of the Carta. All the while, he was being touted by the Chantry for his piety and generosity. Many of the Gwaren guard, Kira included, suspected Cadogan of being a smuggler, but he covered his tracks way too well.
It all started to unravel with a small crack in one of his shipment crates. The crate was offloaded and put with the rest of the cargo; waiting for pick up. Unfortunately, another crate had been stacked on top of it, and the crack grew significantly larger.
Kira and her partner, Brent, were patrolling that docks when she noticed the slowly breaking crate. She pointed it out to the Harbor Master who removed the crate that was on top. Kira and Brent took a look at to see if any of its contents had fallen out. Sure enough, some fabric was hanging out of the crate; so Kira bent to push it back in through the crack when a small vial rolled out. She picked it up and looked at it. Brent agreed that it was some kind of potion or poison.
They decided to split up, Brent watched to see who picked up the crate and Kira went to one of their informants, assassin named Tomaso, to see if it was a poison, and what kind it was. He opened the vial and closed it just as quickly.
“Holy Andraste, where did you find this?”
“At the moment it’s more important to know what that is.”
Tamso placed the vile carefully in a vile holder on his table. “There is a poison assassins sometimes use. It’s called the Quiet Death. Every ingredient in that poison is deadly in and of it self.”
“Given your reaction, I take it there’s more to this one?”
Tomaso nodded. “Who ever made this poison is a master, and has managed to combine Quiet Death, some form of demonic poison. This is no longer a quiet death. This poison will kill as loudly and horrifically as possible. Who ever wants this potion, wants to make a statement.”
Kira thanked him handed him, paid he his usual fee, plus a bonus and took the vial back to the docks.
From there is only took a couple of weeks to bring down the whole operation.
Bringing herself back to the present, she was glad to hear that Andy thought they should investigate Dimos. Suggesting that they go back to the docks and talk to Jacob. Perhaps he had heard the name.
Following Andy, Kira felt she needed to state the obvious. “Andy, that’s not part of our patrol.”
When they arrived at the correct dock, Kira could see Jacob, he looked like he was fishing. She saw Andy walk down the dock a little and sat on an upturned barrel. “We’ll give him a bit. It’s probably about time we took a break, anyway.” He smiled. “So, how do you like the job so far?” It had been a pretty exciting first day!
Kira nodded and smiled. “The job is terrific, and I’m sure many times patrol will be a very quiet, make-work shift. However, I always love a mystery to sink my teeth into, I just didn’t expect it to be on my first patrol!”
Kira sobered. “Perhaps Tobias will turn out to be our loose thread.”
Re: Tour of Duty [Closed] « Reply #54 on Mar 15, 2012, 11:40am »
“The job is terrific,” Kira answered with what appeared to be a genuine smile. “And I’m sure many times patrol will be a very quiet, make-work shift. However, I always love a mystery to sink my teeth into, I just didn’t expect it to be on my first patrol!”
Andy grinned. “My first patrol was pretty boring in comparison." Reaching up to scratch his jaw, he paused, then chuckled. “My partner was the most interesting thing about it. It was his first day too and he was... well, different, eh? Taller than me by about half a foot and oddly yellow eyes.” Dropping his hand to his lap, he continued, “We found a friend of mind chasing a rat in one of the alleyways behind the market. She wanted it for a pet, but tricked me into thinking she was going to eat it. Needless to say, I was pretty disturbed. I gave her some coin for a meal...” He broke off with a shrug and a wry smile. “Hopefully I’m a bit less naïve now, eh?”
After a moment, Kira suggested Tobias might be a loose thread.
Cocking his head, Andy asked, “What do you mean? Do you think he’s involved in the smuggling operation?” It didn’t make sense to him, Tobias had appeared too... well, he hated to call anyone slow, particularly as many of his own observations came across as rather dimwitted, but Tobias Lockwood had not struck him as particularly devious or crafty.
Kira did have more experience in these matters, though. Andy had only dealt with one case of smuggling in Highever. Maker’s breath, he hoped this matter had nothing to do with aphrodisiacs and pirates.
Re: Tour of Duty [Closed] « Reply #55 on Mar 15, 2012, 1:30pm »
Andy said that his first patrol was boring in comparison, but that his partner was the most interesting “ Taller than me by about half a foot and oddly yellow eyes.”
Andy explained that they found a friend chasing a rat down the alley way. She tricked Andy into believing it was for food. Andy gave her some coin for a good meal.“Hopefully I’m a bit less naïve now, eh?”
Kira smiled. "I think you are."
When she mentioned Tobias being a loose thread Andy completely misunderstood and thought she was saying that Tobias was involved in a smuggling operation.
"No, no, no. Excuse me for not being clear. What I mean is that the biggest of smuggling operations can be brought down by smallest, innocuous events. If we have discover that Dimos' operation is a going concern, it will be because we happened to see a man hop over a fence. From there, we followed the blood, you know the rest. Now we are trying to find out who Dimos is. We went from odd man hopping a dense to discovering a possible Antivan smuggling operation.
Re: Tour of Duty [Closed] « Reply #56 on Mar 16, 2012, 2:38pm »
"No, no, no.” No? “Excuse me for not being clear. What I mean is that the biggest of smuggling operations can be brought down by smallest, innocuous events,” Kira explained.
“Oh!” Andy breathed, serious face, guard face, old enough to wear a uniform and a sword face falling away as he expressed his appreciation for the simplicity of Kira’s observation.
“If we have discover that Dimos' operation is a going concern,” she continued, “it will be because we happened to see a man hop over a fence.” Andy nodded. “From there, we followed the blood, you know the rest.” Andy nodded again. “Now we are trying to find out who Dimos is. We went from odd man hopping a dense to discovering a possible Antivan smuggling operation.”
Andy grinned. “You’ve got it all worked out, eh?” He wished he could streamline his thoughts like that, instead of chasing them all over Highever. Maybe he just needed more practice. Brows drawing together, he chewed on his lower lip a moment. “You know, Diago and I were investigating a smuggling operation before the plague. We found a shipment of gold and some, er, potions. The gold had been stolen from the Traders’ Guild in Amaranthine, I delivered it back to them myself. The potions...” He blushed over a quick shrug. “We never discovered the source of those. The two men we caught didn’t know much, either. They mentioned a man called Enzo. I suppose there must be a thousand smugglers out there, right? It would be too much to hope this Dimos and Enzo are in business together and that we can wrap up all of Highever’s smuggling problems with one investigation.”
Jacob stirred and Andy nodded in his direction. “Jacob is awake, let’s go chat with him.” Standing up, Andy walked over to the night watchman and offered him a hand up. Jacob accepted with a smile.
“Good afternoon, Andy.” He turned his smile toward Kira. “Kira.” Looking back at Andy, he said, “Don’t usually see you down here this time of day. Let me guess, you’re investigating something, hm?”
A fair assumption, even if it did leave Andy feeling as if everyone knew more about how the world worked than he did.
“Yes, we are,” Andy answered, striving to combing professionalism with his usually friendly manner. “Have you heard the name Dimos?”
Frowning, Jacob scratched his head, then his chin. “Hm... I think I have. An Antivan trader, started trading through here after the Blight. A lot of new folks showed up then, eh?” Pursing his lips, Jacob held up a finger. “I’d check with the harbourmaster, son. He’ll have a record of when this Dimos fellow last put into port and will likely know when to expect him again.”
Andy could have smacked himself. He should have thought of that!
“Thanks, Jacob.” He offered the old man a quick bow.
“Not a problem. If you’ve time, stop back later, we’ll have some tea, talk fish.” The night watchman jiggled his pole and began reeling in his line. “I think I lost my bait,” he muttered.
Which tended to happen during a good session of sleep-fishing.
Re: Tour of Duty [Closed] « Reply #57 on Mar 20, 2012, 3:14pm »
Andy suggested that Kira talk to the Harbor Master. That he was asking her to do it on her own Kira took as a vote of confidence.
Kira went looking for the Harbor Master. As in Gwaren, the Harbor Master is fairly easy to spot. Just look for the calm person amidst the swarm of activity that are the docks.
She saw a man fitting that description, just walk into an office. When Kira got there, the sign read:
Harbor Master – Evan Reid
She knocked on the door; from inside she heard gruff and irritated voice “Enter.”
Kira had been a guard long enough to not be intimidated by irritable men and women. She opened the door; Harbor Master Reid sat behind a desk piled with parchments. He was reading when Kira walked in and didn’t look up. “Perry, I told you that we are not going to inspect a ship, just because the figure head is a naked lady that looks like she’s humping the bowsprit”
Kira thought saying she wasn’t Perry would be stating the obvious, so she ignored the comment when she addressed him. “Morning to you, Harbor Master Reid”
Started by not hearing Perry’s voice, the he looked up. “Oh, morning Guardswoman…?
Kira extended her hand. “Guardswoman Kira Sutharlan, Master Reid.”
Shaking her hand, Reid looked at Kira. He thought he knew most of the guard. “Are you new to the guard?”
“Indeed I am, and I need a few moments of your time, if I may?"
"What can I do for the Guard?"
"We have discovered a possible smuggling operation. I wanted to give you the details of what we know; hopefully, you can help us further our investigation.”
“Please sit down Guardswoman Sutharlan. You had me at 'smuggling operation.' ”
Reid stood up and locked the door, and went back to his desk. “Tell me what you know.”
Kira told him about the blood trail, leaving out Tobias, her inteview with Santiago Del Toro, and Cefin Vaughn, and the information Andy found while looking through the shop.
“Andy’s working with you?”
“For now, until I am assigned a more permanent partner.”
Reid nodded his approval. “You did a pretty thorough interview with these two men. I take it you’ve done Guard work before?
“Yes, Master Reid, I was originally in the Gwaren guard.”
“Good that you left. Highever’s Guard is really a fine operation. So, what are your questions?
“There is a storehouse behind the row of shops on west side of the market. We believe it is owned by an Antivan named Dimos.”
“Dimos! Here?”
Kira arched an eyebrow. “Please, tell me what you know?”
Reid sat back in his chair, his face a combination of shock and anger. “His full name is Fausto Dimos Carrión de Corneja. He’s the older brother of Estevan Carrión de Corneja who is the head of an old and respected Antivan merchant family. Carrión de Corneja’s ships regularly docked here for many years to sell and to trade very high quality wares. About a year ago, their ships stopped coming. Orders from here were never filled. They just vanished. I don’t know if Estevan is even still head of the family. I can say this, if Dimos is involved it’s not in something legal.”
Kira felt both vindicated and very worried. “We will continue to patrol that area, but we have no way to search the shipments without being obvious, and I don’t want to endanger your workers. Does that shop receive regular deliveries?
Reid looked through his schedules. “They seem to have shipments every other week, they are always one hour before dusk, which is the slow time for the dock, and they are always third day of the week. The next shipment should be next week.”
"Do you know if there is any activity around the shop?"
Reid shook his head. “If there is, it isn’t when we’re around.”
I figured Vaughn and Del Toro were lying about the recent shipments.
Kira stood up and offered his hand to Reid. “On behalf of Ser Andrew and I, thank you for sharing your time and your knowledge. You have given us vital information, and Ser Andrew nor I will try no to reveal you as a source.”
Shaking Kira’s hand, Reid smiled. “Happy to help. Give my regards to Andy.”
“I will do that, Master Reid.”
Kira left the Harbor Masters office in search of Andy.
Re: Tour of Duty [Closed] « Reply #58 on Mar 21, 2012, 7:50am »
While Kira went to find the Harbour Master, Andy walked to the end of the busiest dock to look and listen. As expected conversation quieted as he approached. Not all the ships in port were involved in illegal operations, but Andy had learned that sailors could be a close-mouthed and insular bunch, except in one regard. They would talk about women (and men) and their conquests of them, endlessly.
Andy didn’t really want to talk about daring liaisons at the moments, however.
He paused by a pair of locals who were preparing their small boat for a run along the coast. Andy was familiar with their business, they delivered mail and supplies to villages that were more easily accessed by sea. They did not spend enough time away from Highever to collect girlfriends and stories of girlfriends. Andy did know they usually had a fair idea of what happened along the coast toward West Hill, however. If this Dimos operated within a mile of the north western shore, they’d know he existed.
They hadn’t seen a thing, but they’d heard something. Neither man said as much, Andy drew his conclusion from the fact they both avoided talking about what might be happening along the north eastern coast. Normally, they’d speculate. But, as he’d learned, sailors could be a tight lipped.
Thanking them for their time, Andy wandered back toward the docks proper and caught sight of Kira leaving Master Reid’s office. Hailing her with a wave, he stepped to her side and said, “Did you learn anything useful?”
Re: Tour of Duty [Closed] « Reply #59 on Mar 23, 2012, 2:58pm »
Kira was so preoccupied on what she had learned from the Harbor Master that she tripped over a rope and would have fallen on the dock, or worse into the water. Fortunately, she was caught by a dock worker. A large good looking man with black hair.
Kira was mortified at her clumsiness. "Maker's sake, I am so sorry. I'm not usually so clumsy but I have a lot on my mind. Thank you so much for catching me!"
The dockworker looked a Kira, his blue eyes twinkled; he smiled and said.,"No problem, ma'am. It's not everyday when a beautiful woman falls into my arms."
He made sure Kira was steady on her feet then held out his hand. [color =70174df] "Gareth Rees, at your service, Guardswoman..."[/color]
"Kira Sutharlan. Well met ser Rees" She held out her hand to shake, except Gareth brought it to his lips and kissed it.
Kira, blushed and smiled. "Th...thank you for your help. I...er...I have to meet with my partner."
Gareth nodded his head. "I hope to see you again."
Kira smiled. "Yes, hopefully I'll have my dignity back by then."
Gareth laughed and waved good bye.
Andraste's ass! I bet Andy have a Birdseye view of that! I have to admit, Gareth is very well put together man. I wonder if all dockworkers tease or was he really serious about hoping to see me again? Focus Kira, focus.
Trying to look more like a guard than a giddy girl she walked up the doc to find Andy. When she did, she launched into all that the Harbor master had told her.
Then she said to Andy, "Fortunately, we have a week until the next shipment. Clearly something to the happened Carri�n de Corneja's merchant business. I find it hard to believe that such a profitable trading relationship would just be abandoned. Andy, how have the guard here brought down smuggling operations in the past and when do you bring it to the attention of the Sargent?"
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