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 Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 8:29 pm
 A swift knock. Another and another. Solmur'ss was growing anxious waiting outside for his brother. Dear Chasz was supposed to be reliable. He couldn't explain why he had chosen Chasz for today's treat. His brother was certainly loyal to the House and had never done anything wrong by him. Nothing serious anyway.
Oh well. You didn't decide on a prank like this logically! Somur'ss had all the pieces in place, he only had to get the ball to roll through to its trap.
Being a bounty hunter, Solmur'ss had plenty of opportunity to get out and meet strange drow. One of his new acquaintances was Guldiin who worked odd jobs throughout the city. Seeing this male drow working entertainment in a tavern for some bored and frustrated females had sparked a wicked creative streak. Solmur's quick thinking was bad luck for Chasz.
Surely the fellow would like some help working the entertainment angle? Solmur'ss had described his brother's appearance off the top of his head. To his delight and Guldiin's dismay, Solmur'ss caught the crowd's attention with his loud promises of bringing a strong muscular warrior whom would dwarf their weak dancer. Smelling the potential profits smoothed over Guldiin's ego from being called a weak dancer. So Solmur'ss had returned home that afternoon grinning and red eyes on fire, having secured his brother a job as a tavern dancer.
Chasz! A tavern dancer!
The impossible image in his mind was enough to carry him through with his risky and potentially painful plan.
Armed with the knowledge of the time for the next party to entertain some priestesses, Solmur'ss had sold an easy lie to Chasz. His story was fairly simple. He was trying to help someone he owed a favor to, but needed some backup desperately. Of course, this someone he described was Guldiin, the drow expecting Chasz to show up on entertainment duty.
Hopefully something good would happen. If he knew Guldiin, he would be very stubborn and not let Chasz get out of his supposed deal easy.
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Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2009 11:29 am
 Despite the sketchy story that Solmurr'ss sold to him, Chasz wasn't about to let his brother down when he had need of backup. Chasz was dressing in his usual armor, which looked like mere decoration than real armor. The secret was that the armor was made out of pure mythrill and thus it was very strong but very light. It made it easier for Chasz to move around and fight when he had need to. As of late though, he hadn't really seen too much action. Since his close call with death at the hands of the poisoner Shi'nstra the Matron had kept him off of active duty. Chasz figured that she wanted to be absolutely sure that he was fit for duty and not going to collapse like he had a few days earlier.
Chasz heard a rather persistent knocking come on his door, ah...Solmur must be getting impatient with waiting. He grinned, rolling his eyes and slide across the floor and opened the door before his younger brother could knock yet again. He motioned for Solmur'ss to come in as he finished getting ready. He reached for his sword belt and buckled it around his waist, making sure the sword was at the right angle for a quick retrieval should he have need to so. He really had idea just what sort of favor his brother was going to be doing, so he figured it would be wise to be prepared for just about anything.
"So..what sort of favor is required of you Sol?" Chasz asked, as he pulled his long cloak on over his armor.
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Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2009 2:33 pm
Finally. The door opened and Chasz let him in. Solmur'ss smiled his usual sly smile. The sight of his brother's sword was not comforting. He'd just have to trust his brother wouldn't be too quick to aim it at his head.
"Well, my friend needs to leave town." He gestured with his hands defensively, "I know I know, that's normally the very thing I get hired to prevent. His reason is pretty good... angry sisters are hard to avoid though aren't they?"
"We should only have to get him out of the tavern and as far as the next stop, we have someone else with a covered cart to take over from there where it will be a straight shot out of the city."
Solmur'ss leaned back against the wall. All the while he talked he compared his brother's armor to his own spartan fare. Solmur'ss felt at home in his scuffed and scratched pieces of armor. He never wore a chest piece himself. That mythrill stuff of Chasz's, good thing it looked delicate. Maybe they would overlook it for their dancer, and just hope it would be coming off shortly. He tried not to grin.
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Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2009 4:22 pm
Chasz paused at Solmur'ss words and frowned slightly.
"And just how do you owe this fellow a favor? Normally the riffraff that you hang out with can't even stand up straight, let alone "help" you with any of your jobs. And as you said, it's not like you to aid someone to get out of the town. As far as sisters go, whatever it is he's avoiding from them he must deserve for some reason. I really don't understand you. Normally that's something that you would never allow anyone to get away with."
Chasz shoved Solmur towards the door, a hint of good humor in his face.
"Ah well..at least helping you will get me out of the House. I've been stuck inside for ages it seems." He said almost jovially. If he hadn't been bored out of his mind and wanting to find an excuse to escape the confines of his quarters he probably would have thought the situation over a little more closely. Solmur'ss was lucky that Chasz hadn't.
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Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2009 5:42 pm
"Hey! We riffraff can be helpful." He grinned. Solmur'ss was recalling a particular time several years ago when he had actually owed a similar favor. He wouldn't tell anyone about things like that, so no wonder his brother was surprised now. Solmur tried to stay more away from the true 'riffraff' lately when it came to business. He had learned that hard lesson of separating the personal and professional.
Maybe that reason had been a poor one. He could tell it had been a close call as Chasz did not sound entirely convinced. If his plan didn't work, it wasn't like he had much to lose in way of planning or time. No cost. Solmur'ss knew he might as well give it a shot still.
"You should hang out with us riffraff some time. We can keep you from getting beat up by girls!" The sentiment of seeing his brother out of the House more was something he was actually being honest about, although he had a feeling what the likely (negative) answer would be. Solmur'ss was happy to hear his brother in a mood for joking around. Not just because Solmur'ss was hoping to pull the prank off, but also because his brother's recent troubles had been concerning. His other brother's involvement was very concerning too. Just how much had Nath known? Solmur'ss pushed it out of his mind and opened the door. It wouldn't take them too long to reach the tavern.
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Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 4:54 pm
"I highly doubt that your "riffraff" friends would be very helpful," He snorted, "though they might "help" themselves to my belongings if I were to give them the chance."
Of course, since Chasz didn't really know much about those that Solmurr'ss counted as friends or associates save for the cryptic bits of info that his brother offered in passing he didn't know for sure that this wa true. What little Sol had passed on had given Chasz a very bleak outlook on the sort of life his younger brother lived being a bounty hunter. It went without saying that most of those that Sol hung out with were of questionable character, but in the Underdark who wasn't? Chasz had long decided he had no reason or call to judge Sol's lifestyle or that of his friends.
"Hey! I can hold my own against someone in a proper fight, you know that!" Chasz retorted at Sol's last jib. He shook his head and made a disgusted face at his brother, which was mere pretense. He was still rather disgusted with himself at not realizing who the female had been until too late. He knew he'd have to train harder and be more aware in the future should he fall into the same sort of trap in the future.
"If I hadn't been under the pretense of Nath's personality, I would never have drunk that damn rum. I still think he had something to do with it; if he ever shows his face in the House again he's going to regret it." Chasz swore, feeling vengeful spite rise up in him.
"Let's get going already, I'm already regretting letting you talk me into this." Chasz sighed, and followed Sol out of his quarters.
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Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2009 11:51 am
"Hmmph." Solmur'ss grunted with a fleeting grin, "Well, one riffraff knows another.. I think Nath had to have known."
In his personal opinion of the events, the Spider Goddess must have been on Chasz's side to keep that poisoner from striking. No matter whether he was Nath or not, Chasz had still been sent from the same House to spy. That their House had not suffered more from this was really a blessing. Time would tell. Nath was always up to more than it seemed. He had to be. The coincidence of the timing, him leaving and Chasz being attacked, was too strange for a drow of Nath's experience.
Solmur'ss left it at that, not wanting to drag out the conversation too much. He couldn't be certain about Nath. Though, on the other hand, maybe it was beneficial at the current moment to get Chasz a tad distracted and emotionally worked up. He had heard the stress and tension bubble up in Chasz when his brother spoke about Nath. Solmur'ss would just have to wait and see how Chasz would take it.
Leading his brother through the House, the bounty hunter took a turn down a servant entrance. He liked to take this way for an exit and travel along the back alley ways through the Underdark. Servants always knew the easiest direct routes, while nobles would be willing to waste time in exchange for being seen.
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Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2009 12:36 pm
Chasz nodded his head in wary agreement with Solmur'ss last statement. He was beginning to get tired of talking about Nath's treachery; he wanted to do something about it already! But of course the Matron wouldn't hear of it. She still believed Nath to be innocent of any of the blame until she could personally question him. Chasz figured that was never going to happen, Nath had gone to the shadows and wasn't likely to turn up in the House ever again.
Chasz followed after Solmur'ss not surprised by his choice of route. Chasz too preferred to go through the service entrance, it made it much easier to avoid unwanted attention. Not to mention more secrecy when one was going out to rendezvous with contacts. Hopefully the bit of work he was going to help Sol with would finish up shortly and he'd be able to go about some other business after. That was unless..things didn't go as Sol and his friend had planned. Then it would be a lot more work and take longer than had been figured.
"So..just how long do you suppose this job will take?"
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Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 6:33 pm
So it seemed that the subject of Nath hadn't riled Chasz too much. Solmur'ss was of course left curious. Who knew what Chasz had in mind about Nath really. hmph. The Goddess only knew now where their brother might be skulking about. Which was perfectly fine with Solmur'ss.
The subject was dropped fairly quickly, and Solmur'ss thought about his brother's question. Very practical, but Solmur'ss didn't see why it mattered. He tended to assume that nothing went as planned. "No reason we shouldn't be able to be back in... less than an hour." He paused and added a quick catch, "As long as everyone is where they are supposed to be."
They were out of the House now and working their way out of the noble residential area. "We'll hit another alley in a minute, then keep going until I see the back of the building I'm looking for." He was looking around at the backs of the buildings rather aimlessly at the moment, but he had a pretty good feeling for how far they needed to go. Solmur'ss had a reliable memory for these kinds of things. You had to hold on to every bit of information you could.
"There!" Solmur'ss finally pointed across ahead of them to the long tavern building.
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Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 12:55 pm
Chasz followed quietly after his brother, keeping a few feet behind him..his eyes flitting back and forth. One must always keep an eye out for safety's sake. When Solmur'ss finally answered his question Chasz merely nodded, he had figured that much out on his own.
He shrugged and grunted in response to Solmur'ss next words. So far they hadn't gone too far out of the way, Chasz knew this area like the back of his hand. There had been many times when he had had to resort to dashing into alleyways and through half inhabited buildings in order to get away from lethal individuals. Running away wasn't as cowardly as some might think...especially if you lived to fight another day. He actually hadn't had to use his knowledge of the area in a long time. His skills with the blade had increased and his proficiency was beginning to give him a name on the streets. Hopefully soon enough he wouldn't be bothered with trivial fights like he had when he had been younger and had to prove himself.
"Ah..so your friend is inside?" Chasz asked with a slight frown, glancing around the area nervously.
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Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2009 12:04 pm
Is he inside? Chasz's look, that knowing frown, was worrisome. Was he going to back out now? I should at least be able to get my own brother to walk inside a building. He silently scoffed at himself.
Solmur'ss tilted his head at the question. "I hope he is. What's the matter? Going in is the easy part.."
The bounty hunter shrugged and headed up to the back doorway. He cracked it and stood, waiting. He hoped his bait, subtly taking on the position as the more brave of the two, would draw Chasz in with him.
From the back door he could faintly hear the clangs and voices drifting out from the busy tavern. He would have a good shot, he hoped, of luring Chasz in and working his own way back out of the crowd. If only his friend would be quick enough to recognize Chasz from his descriptions. A lot was riding on his friend's- what did Chasz say?- riff-raff nature.
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Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2009 1:55 pm
Chasz'zar straightened up slightly, slightly annoyed by Solmur'ss words.
"Nothing's the matter. I just don't particularly care for this area...or the sort of people who hang out in these parts."
Yes..it was quite clear and know that Chasz was prejudiced against people in lower social standing. It was something that had been drilled into him from a young child. He didn't even notice it when he started doing it anymore. Which was..rather sad. He went through life with an unfavorable view of others and it showed.
Chasz squared his shoulders and sauntered into the building still a bit annoyed that he had to lower himself by going into the rather squalid tavern. The smell..oh god the smell was horrible. Chasz breathed through his mouth only to discover that the air tasted even worse. He went back to breathing through his mouth, pausing a few steps inside the door to wait for Solmurr'ss to join him.
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Posted: Sat Mar 28, 2009 9:42 pm
Solmur'ss simply nodded. He had forgotten how deep his brother's attitudes ran. They were noble drow, true, but for him the work as a bounty hunter exposed him constantly to a much different life. His brother's view was natural and Solmur'ss even occasionally felt it himself. It took something much more offensive, he imagined, to bring up those feelings in him than it did to cause them for his brother.
He follwed Chasz in. The warm and almost wet smells of the tavern hit them. He was used to places like this. Well, now he was used to it but at first the trash, smell, and equally dirty crowd had been difficult to pretend to be completely numb to. Solmur'ss nudged Chasz's elbow, pointing vaguely up ahead to get him to go forward out of the small hallway. "Stairs are through the main room." There wasn't much room to maneuver in a place like this.
Solmur'ss reached the entrance of the main room and glanced in. The crowd was busy and thick. The noise was almost a roar. He could see his friend over to their right. If they were truly making it towards the stairs, he could make some pretense of keeping to the outer walls to avoid the mass of the crowd in the middle. Then they would have to pass squarely by the entertainment.
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Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 1:41 pm
Chasz stopped at Solmur'ss nudge to his elbow and followed his gesture and looked in the direction. He frowned slightly, not seeing anyone in particular in the area that screamed "rogue". Then again..most rogues couldn't be picked out of a crowd..and one had to guess on what one believed and practiced.
He edged forward, having to walk slowly due to the crowded bar and the intermingling going in between the customers. He got felt up so many times that he was gritting his teeth with frustration only a few feet into the room. He couldn't help but wish ill of Solmur'ss friend for having to choose this sort of place to meet them. What had he been thinking?
"Alright..when we find this fellow I'm going to give him a piece of my mind," Chasz grumbled, feeling very pissed off with the situation. "this really is not the type of place one should meet...what with the crowd here and all."
Perhaps he should have stayed home, at least then he wouldn't be surrounded by the great unwashed masses of gutter rats.
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 1:41 pm
Solmur'ss chuckled roughly, "They might be dirty, but they don't care about a damn thing." The interior might seem like filthy chaos to the unaccustomed and the lucky, but Solmur had grown familiar to reading and watching the patrons of places like this. They had low standards, which could be either a blessing or a curse depending on what you were there for.
He slapped an arm or two back from them with a scowl as they forced their way by. Solmur'ss inwardly sighed with relief as they came within a few feet of his friend the entertainer. Still behind his brother, the bounty hunter waved and pointed with a grin at Chasz in front of him. His friend Guldiin's face perked up as he pushed himself away from the bored priestesses. Solmur'ss had been true to his word!
"Chasz'zar?" It wasn't Solmur'ss who called his brother this time, rather it was the industrious and hard to forget Guldiin. "It is about time you showed up! I know it is your first day, but this is a little over dressed.." The priestesses howled in excited agreement.
Solmur'ss slipped like a wriggling fish backwards into the hot mass of tavern patrons.
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