Welcome to Gaia! ::

"A respectable man such as myself clearly obeys the law. One cannot have financial success without the trust of the public. However respectable men such as myself do not necessarily obey ultimatums set by..." By pimply teenage boys who are nothing more than puppets for a bunch of wrinkled power hungry old men. "...by parties who may be muddying the lines of what is truly moral and lawful."

That was as far as Drustan was willing to go to state his position, and already he was certain that he had said too much. Especially since it was extremely unlikely that this man was an upstanding member of the House. He was probably in cahoots with those godless magicians or those squinting scientists. Drustan had inherent distrust for anyone who wasn't Obscuvian. Even those mages and scientists that were employed by the House made him feel somewhat uncomfortable. How could one truly trust their motives?

What was it, he wondered as he waited for the thief to reply, that had caused him to act so recklessly lately? It was certainly not like him. He had always been a good and obedient son. But here in Prybridge he was without parental oversight, he was responsible for making his own choices. It was likely that several of the choices he had been making lately were wrong. He had stood up for his Plague at the meeting and risked exposing himself and his family. He was addressing a thief from god knows where and basically putting the majority of his cards on the table on the weak thread of hope that something positive would come out of it in the end. Essentially, Drustan was paying heed to his gut instincts for the first time in his life and was finding it rather nerve-wracking and uncomfortable.

"My weapon, as you would call it, is what makes me a respectable business man." Drustan smiled faintly before quoting his father. "Business is the way gentlemen wage war, after all. And there is no law whatsoever against documenting my observations."

At the thief's comment about morality Drustan tilted his head. He was definitely smarter than he looked. Or than he tried to let on. Interesting... The dreadful situation had turned into a rather intriguing conversation. But not a conversation for the top of a roof. No, indeed, if they were to continue this they would have to go elsewhere.

"I would be happy to discuss morality with you at greater lengths. But I find ours to be a topic more suited to a... quieter location as opposed to the top of a roof." It wouldn't do for anyone to notice him up here, especially in keeping with unsavory company. On top of that, the Empire's eyes and ears were everywhere. One never knew whether one was safe outside the confines of one's own home.

The question was where, exactly, should he take the thief? On the one hand, if he took him back to his own home he could be guaranteed privacy and discretion. He was confident in the security of his home and he was confident in Mrs. Grint's ability to keep anything she may overhear to herself. That was, after all, the hallmark of someone who successfully served the Carmody family. On the other hand, his precious tainted wine was at the home. As well as all his belongings including previous notes and his collection of Obscuvian masks. And while these items were kept securely, the man was a thief. And a good one. Additionally there were a lot of valuables in the home and a small horde of stunted plagues that found safety and security there. He was loathe to compromise them, as their protection and well-being was something that he was deeply vested in. Then again... Kalends himself had been at that meeting and had been unwilling to part with his own tainted item, which spoke well for him.

There was always one of the warehouses. But there was also danger of being overheard. When in public he always had to be careful to watch what he said because the image his family had cultivated had been carefully crafted and he did not wish to jeopardize it. Which settled it, home could be far more dangerous but if the man proved to be an ally it would also be the safest option. And if Kalends did not prove to be an ally, there were quiet things that could be done which could remove the threat.

"We will have to take a carriage." Drustan said. "My home is not in this district, obviously. If we go back to the warehouse we can travel from there. It's not far."

The carriage was, in fact, quite pleasant. From Drustan's perspective it was appropriately modest for a young businessman while being comfortable enough for a boy who had been raised in opulence. The driver wore the green and tawny golden brown colors of the Carmody family and inside the carriage there were green cushions on the two facing benches and curtains that Drustan immediately drew closed once the two of them entered. There even seemed to be the bright scent of crushed mint in the air. Drustan sighed pleasantly as he settled into his seat, gesturing for Kalends to make himself comfortable on the bench opposite. Running a hand through his hair, he watched his companion steadily. Drustan was well aware that he was taking a risk. But if there was one thing he was confident in, it was his ability to gauge people. And beneath his surface misgivings he had the niggling sense that Kalends might prove worth the effort. "The ride won't be terribly long." Drustan commented. "I admit I was surprised you chose to join me. For all you know I could be taking you somewhere to kill you."

"I suppose it's a good thing I don't plan on killing you." Drustan said with a wry smile as they rode through streets that grew nicer and more opulent. "And as far as my Plague goes..." He smiled a faintly, more to himself at the thought of the precious item safely at his home. "I am not most men. For one thing, my Plague does not travel well. For another, given recent events I find myself more comfortable keeping it somewhere safe."

The carriage finally slowed to a halt and the driver came to open the door for them. Drustan's townhouse was lovely to look at, small compared to some of the other houses in the area but large compared to most people's concept of normalcy. The stonework was elaborate and one could tell that when winter's bite finally abandoned Imisus the front yard would be a riot of perfectly groomed foliage. "Well, we're here." Drustan said, exiting the carriage and waiting for Kalends to do the same.

He made his way up to the heavy front door and pushed it open. The house appeared, at first, to be empty save for the comforting scent of baking bread wafting in from somewhere and making the whole place reek of home. A plump older women came from the vicinity of the delicious odor wiping her hands and chattering. "Oh Mister Carmody, you're home early. I haven't even finished baking what with all the mischief the little ones have gotten to today, you just would not believe..." She trailed off when she saw that Drustan had company. "Oh. My apologies sir." Her face turned a bright, embarrassed shade of red.

"Mrs. Grint, this gentleman will be taking tea with me. Will you please bring the refreshments to my study?" As much as Drustan longed to ease into the casual atmosphere that he and Mrs. Grint had established between themselves, this was business. With a stranger and a thief. He couldn't let his guard down for a moment. And so the antics of the little stunted Plagues that haunted his home would have to wait until later. He led Kalends to a comfortably appointed room full of dark wood furniture that glowed with a mellow shine. It was clearly meant for gentlemanly pursuits such as conversation and pipe smoking. "Here now, have a seat." Drustan said. "We can speak safely."

"Ah." Drustan smiled at Kalend's bluntness, making himself comfortable in his usual chair. "A liquid Plague is rather vulnerable to travel." He answered, making no move to retrieve or display said liquid. "It would be both inconvenient for me and dangerous for the Plague. Thus, it remains safely tucked away."

At this moment, Mrs. Grint conveniently came into the room with a silver tray containing a teapot, two cups and saucers and a small plate of delicate pastries. She set the items down without a word and left the room hastily.

"Please forgive her," Drustan said to Kalends, pouring tea into a cup. "She's new to my household. Sugar?" He prepared the tea and handed the steaming cup to Kalends. "I find myself curious what use you have for a Plague. For you surely fought hard to keep it, though many people seem to think them a bitter curse. I can't imagine what a thief might need need with one." His tone was one of polite curiosity as he prepared his own tea, adding generous helpings of sugar and cream, and then leaned back into his chair comfortably. Drustan was not entirely sure where this conversation would go, only that he knew in the end it would lead him somewhere. And for better or for worse he needed allies and he needed answers. If this man could offer hope of either he was prepared to offer some form of generous compensation.

Drustan shook his head, affirming that the tea was indeed not plagued. "Ah yes, I do seem to have everything I could possibly want, don't I?" He asked in response to Kalend's observations. "The thing about the wealthy is that wealth breeds greed. We are never satisfied with what we have, we must always be acquiring more. More power, more wealth, more influence... more of anything really." He shrugged self-deprecatingly. "There are also certain social perks to becoming a Grimm. I don't suppose you move in such circles, though." Here he had to be cautious not to reveal too much. But Drustan was also proud that he possessed a Plagued item and for some perverse reason he found himself wanting Kalends to understand. "For some people, a Plague is a mark of status that cannot be bought. And there's also the theory that Plagues make you immune to the plague. Some people even think they can make you immortal. Those reasons alone are enough to make me reticent to give mine up. But you're right... once I realized what I had it seemed inconceivable to consider life without it. I fear, though, that the Emperor is not finished with his plotting and that we Grimms may find ourselves in greater danger. I wonder how many will continue to resist once the Emperor's threat is made real and people start dying for their convictions."

Drustan did not mention the fact that he was already formulating a strategy to keep himself and his Plague safe. He knew he could rely on Obscuvos to protect him, but the God helped those who helped themselves and he certainly had no intentions of leaving anything to chance. The more Plagues that could be saved from the Emperor the better, Drustan didn't like the idea that one puny little man-child could think to subvert the will of the God, who held Plagues as precious.

Drustan nodded at Kalends' insight, his expression growing serious. "We did catch a bit of luck that the Emperor showed his hand so early in this game." He took a sip of his tea before continuing, while the sandwiches sat untouched on the tray. "It allows us to regroup and prepare. Which is why I have invited you into my home." Blue eyes, suddenly sharp, gazed at Kalends. "You are a talented man, mister Kalends. And you are a Grimm. And that makes us brothers of a sort. While I doubt either of us will readily trust the other immediately, I would prefer to take allies where I can find them. And I think that we might prove valuable to one another." There. He had laid several of his own cards on the table. The thief would either agree or decline his vague offer. Should he accept an alliance with Drustan the young merchant had no doubt that they could become a formidable team. Should he decline... well. Drustan hadn't yet given him any information about himself that most people wouldn't be able to discover. So he supposed should the thief choose not to accept the offer he would just have to wait and see if the man became a threat down the road.