cj iwakuraThe Rhythm RegentBears The Name FreedomRegistered Userregular
"That's all good and fine for the evening, my dear, but you simply speak of plans for tonight. I would like to know more about your long-term plans... if it isn't asking too much. Will you be staying in the city, for instance? Information that would most benefit the cause, which I hope to say is mutual." The mention of being referred to as a 'Gestapo' would not escape his notice from his proximity to the bar, but Robinson hardly seemed fazed at a glance.
"What'll it be?" The waitress came back as beckoned, looking back and forth between the new faces at the table, while bracing a tray of half-empty glasses in her other hand.
[Jaunt]
What are you attempting to scry in particular? Aura perception? If so, their natures should be clear.
_________
The singer regarded her cigarette silently for a time, letting the smoke drift around as she watched the game near its conclusion. She was drawn from her reverie by the request of the man, whom received a ingratiating smile as she offered a newly produced match from where she sat. "Glad we agree; sure couldn't hurt my luck, I figure. Nor could your company." With that, she gave a nod to a nearby seat, taking note of the current occupant's poor hand. "This gentleman should be out of our way soon."
For reminder, her Fate/Life sights are still up.
_________
"Right you are, sir. Right you are." Away went the Speech, as the tender took note of the man in the fedora's close proximity. "We are woefully lacking in that."
Leslie breathes deep through the paper tube before letting the smoke drift hazily from the left corner of his mouth. "Go ahead and waste your money on booze kid," Six suggests towards the flummoxed young man with an awful hand, "Buying bad hands wont get you anywhere."
"As for you Miss," he lingers on the word, taking another long deep breath, "Thank you. I'm not sure whether you're inviting me to stay or insulting my skill. After all, if I'm not making it more difficult for you, that means I'm not doing too well." Smiling as the seat's vacated by its original holder, he plops himself leisurly down in the seat, straightens his tie and accepts a hand that's flipped across the table to him. "I'll assume a little of column a, a little of column b."
The Warhorse's perfectly even breathing stops for a moment, leaving his body tensed and still. After an odd second he leans forward and his laughter booms across the table. Drinks practically rattle from the vibrations as he struggles to breathe. Lifting one hand to dab at the corners of his eyes, he works to get his breathing back under control. Turning slightly to Bellerose, he speaks from the corner of his mouth, "Do you remember when I told you of my last assessment? Where they told me that I was a club when I should have been a dagger? That I was entirely too blunt for my own good? I finally understand what they were talking about."
Turning back to Robin, he puts on a large grin. "Well, fellow guardsmen. Allow me to show you our intentions quite post haste...", Moving his head slightly he turns to the waitress, "Whiskey. On the rocks. And whatever my friends will be having...". turning back to the awakened conversation, "As for the future, who knows what it holds? That is certainly not within my abilities. You would have to ask someone else."
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cj iwakuraThe Rhythm RegentBears The Name FreedomRegistered Userregular
"That's a good point... hmm. Both have merits. Well, it all depends on where the cards fall then, doesn't it?" Another whiff from the lit cigarette, while nails tapped against the table, with a nod to the dealer. "I'm in." With that declared, an assortment of bills were set down before her. "I trust our visitors will join, as well?" An expectant look to the new arrival at the table, as well as the other woman.
'Fellow'? That word seemed to pique Robinson's interest. No word of a newcomer. Interesting, indeed.
"A nice gift to have. Shame it isn't in your capacity. Some are fairly gifted in that regard... but at the moment, our local prophet is a touch occupied." A passive wave of the hand, indicating the smoking gambler-songstress. "I'll make a note to ask Elly what she thinks about things later, for sure. We'll have to talk more in detail once she's done... about more pressing matters." Another dismissive gesture to the waitress. "All's good here, sweetheart. All's good."
"But of course." Six looks towards Eleanor with a knowing and yet disapproving glance, then towards Bellarose. His cards are set face down on the table a moment, and he reaches into his right pocket. There his hand moves through the mudras and he focuses on his rote to reassert his mind. Leslie plays games of games, and here he needs all the help he can get to focus on everything at once.
Using the rote Thinking for Many to cast One Mind, Two Thoughts, so he can focus on the game and on other things at the same time. Six has three stamina, and that'll put him to three spells, so it shouldn't affect his dice. Casting Thinking for Many at speakeasy: 6d10o10h82
He pulls out from his pocket a stack of his own, just to show that he's got a few hands in him. His mind set on separate tasks, Six is able to focus on multiple tasks. With one half of his concentration, he focuses on the game at hand, running probabilities and considering personalities--all the skills he's earned in his years of gambling. The other half is focused on scrutinizing the spell cast by the singer.
Edit: Scrutinizing is an extended test. I figure Six's two minds have to share eye-time, so even though he can stay focused on the task, it'll probably go a little slower than normal, and he'd get to make a check every other round. He gets four dice, but the book suggests that the storyteller be the one who rolls them, so that modifiers stay secret. Order of importance of information: Composition (1 dot per arcana), Power (1 success per dot of Gnosis), Identification (1 success for improvised spells, 5 successes for rotes).
Pausing for a second to reflect on what the singer said, Lily feels a little relieved when she turns her attention to the newcomer at the table. For a group of people that should be keeping their heads low, there sure was a lot of magic going on in the bar, although it all seemed fairly passive... Mildly intrigued now, Lily turned back to the bar for another drink and then moved to the table to accept the singer's invitation. Trying to lighten the mood some, she comments, "We're playing bridge, right?"
The massive man runs his fingers over the scratches in the wooden table, "So, I believe we have moved into the realm of peaceful talks. Perhaps you want to tell us why exactly you are interrogating two people out in the open like this? What has you so spooked that you would tear your veil down just to grill us?" He makes a low "hmm?" sound at the end, hoping to get something out this fedora wearing man. Well, something other than annoyance and a free drink.
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cj iwakuraThe Rhythm RegentBears The Name FreedomRegistered Userregular
"Poker, dear. Poker." The singer made no effort to contain her amusement at the confusion, whether genuine or otherwise. After a moment's perusal of her hand, she discarded her two rightmost cards and set them down, awaiting two more. "It's a learning experience."
Mostly storytelling the result of the game, as Fate is largely on her side with the outcome, unless some casting intervenes.
Six is distinctly aware of the nature of her magic, though not necessarily its specific use.
_________
"You misunderstand, sir. Anything of that much importance wouldn't be spoken of here. This is just... a precursor of sorts. Just like to get to know the new faces, you understand." A pleasant smile, before his attention wandered to the card-playing group. "After their game, I mean for us to discuss affairs someplace less... open, if you're not opposed to the idea."
The waitress returned with the requested drinks before long, setting one before each of the three.
She watched Robinson's guests for a moment, before quietly departing, as if waved off by an unseen gesture.
Bellerose accepted her drink and drew a sip from it. This really wasn't how she would have preferred to spend the evening, but she wasn't raised to be discourteous even to strangers whom she didn't trust entirely. 'Not opposed to it, no.' Bellerose frowned at the man's suggestion. He was holding too many cards to his chest for her comfort and she hated playing from a disadvantage. She banished away the look of annoyance with a more neutral flatness as she drank from her glass. 'Where do you have in mind?'
Following the Bartender's line of sight, Charun stole a glance of the Man in the Fedora. He spoke quietly, hoping to not be overheard. "Are you not fond of that man talking to the lady and the Giant over there?"
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cj iwakuraThe Rhythm RegentBears The Name FreedomRegistered Userregular
"Glad you asked. Seeing as how we don't really have a formal meeting place just yet... I'm partial to right here. Well... not right here, bit of a nice hideaway we got downstairs. Prohibition-era holdover. Comes in handy in case the Throne comes a'callin'... which happens more often than I'd like to admit. I'm fond of getting down to business, so the sooner, the better." A tilt of the glass to the woman and her towering companion. "Cheers."
_________
"Don't trust the Eyes that you can't see, as the saying goes... men like him always have something up their sleeves, and best believe we won't know of it until it's too late. Still, they keep the peace, so it isn't quite my place to criticize his methods. [Even if he'd fit better with the Gestapo than a Consilium.]"
Do I know the singer's name from the act billing or whatever?
Lily smiles at the singer's response, "What are the stakes here? I'm afraid I didn't come prepared for a heavy night of wagering." Eyeballing the bills set out by the other woman, she matches the general amount with some bills of her own. Scanning the cards she receives, Lily considers for a moment and then lays down four of them, "I can do that if I have an ace, right?"
Bellerose looked at Warhorse before looking back at Robin. She wasn't too surprised about the fact there were hideaways here in the club. She had heard the same stories of such things existing during the Prohibition. Now they were used in the service of people with other things to hide...like themselves. 'Sounds fair, the sooner we're done with business, the sooner we can return to pleasure.' Bellerose lifted her glass to mirror Robin. 'To business.'
Max nods and raises his glass, clinking it slightly. "To the end of business." The older priest sighs and mentally rechecks the wards he has in place. Going underground with a mage one just met is never an intelligent proposition, but if one is going to do it they should always be prepared. He also plans to be staying within arms reach of his smaller fedora wearing friend. You would be surprised how much one can limit anothers spellcasting by breaking just a few fingers.
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cj iwakuraThe Rhythm RegentBears The Name FreedomRegistered Userregular
edited May 2012
"Well, don't get me wrong. He's a good man to have on your side, just... you know, not one to take your eye off of, either. Never know what they're thinkin'." At the telltale sign of Robinson's toast, the bartender gave a parting smile as he returned the glasses to their proper place. "Best be packing up, son. Almost closing time." With that, he proceeded to head towards the back of the counter, vanishing out of sight as the waitress returned, taking his place.
[Lily]
That you would; Eleanor B, as the ads go.
At the question, Eleanor gave the cards a look with a sidelong glance, then a half smile. "You very could. Not to say it'll do much good, though." A look to her new hand, and she tossed a fold of bills onto the table. "I'm all in, boys. Play 'em or pack 'em."
"To business, may it ever be a'boomin." A short chuckle, and he tossed back half the glass, setting it down with a telltale clank. "Tell me, you folks ever seen a basement winery? Hell of a thing." A hand went into Robinson's coat, producing a few bills which he left on the table in his place. "Tip generously, if you would; girl's got to make a living, now more than ever." A formal tilt of the fedora to the woman, and he proceeded off towards a descending stair off to the left of the bar, just long enough to await his companions; if they picked up the slack.
Six looks at the hand revealed and thinks for a brief moment before shaking his head. "Nope," he says, throwing his cards face down on the table in a fold. "You've got to draw me in lady, make me work for it." Leaning forward he adds, "It's all about the build up."
"Yeah, thanks for the conversation and the drinks." Charun gets up and puts a tip on the bar. He proceeds to slowly move towards the entrance making sure to smooth out his clothes and search through his pockets for something to smoke on the way home.
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cj iwakuraThe Rhythm RegentBears The Name FreedomRegistered Userregular
Eleanor gave a faux pout of disappointment at the fold. Somehow, none of the other players seemed too eager to take up her challenge, either. "Shame, but sometimes you got to see things through with a quickness." Her own hand was tossed down to a mixture of curses and foul looks; junk. "Maybe next time, dears." A sweet smile as she gathered her winnings into a small purse. "Business calls. Isn't that right?" An indicative look to Lily as she passed by Six, with a telltale passage of a gloved hand along his. "[Head to the bar, follow Fedora.]" A whisper of jumbled speech that would make no sense to a sleeper, but perfect sense to most Awakened. "[Concerns your parcel, I reckon.]"
In lieu of the tender's presence, the waitress was more than happy to accept the given tip. "What's the rush, mm? I'd at least wait for your friends." The smile the blonde offered to Charun was ever so slightly on the knowing side as she motioned over to Robinson. "The show isn't quite over."
"I was pinned down in a wine cellar for a week by mortar fire." Max gets a distant look in his eyes and finishes his drink with slow sips. "But I suppose that doesn't really count."
His pale eyes watch the Fedora clad man leave before sliding over to Bellerose. "I suppose we should follow him. If we can trust him..."
Charun turned on his heel as the waitress spoke to him. Getting that the Guardian seemed to have organized some meeting he headed back in to the club and towards those that had remained inside. He once again kept an eye on the man in the fedora, ready to follow him to this gathering.
Bellerose looked at Warhorse as he looked away distantly. She had seen looks like that from others who had returned from the fields. It was his burden to carry until he wanted to set it down and nothing she could say would change that. 'If, Father?' Bellerose looked back at Warhorse, 'Surely the two drinks haven't gone straight to your head have they? I say we see what our aggressive man from the Veil want. If there is trouble, I trust a big man like you should be able to protect a little lady like me.'
Bellerose deliberately affected an simpering expression as she put a hand over Warhorse's and smiled prettily at him. She was teasing him, despite their comical mismatch in height, Bellerose was no slouch in protecting herself and while she was probably not a direct match for Warhorse's strength, she was quite respectable in what she could dish out.
Max smiles honestly and helps her up from the table in a gentlemanly fashion. "Clearly I had lost my wits to drink. You are right."
He walks along side her, towering over the smaller girl. He had never mentioned it before, but becoming a mage had been an interesting social change for him as well. In the army there were two groups of people. Those that were afraid of the large man or those that deliberately lashed out at him to prove that they were not afraid. His physical size had always hampered relationships. However, among the mage crowd there was still posturing and preening like anywhere else, but his height no longer mattered. Even the tiny girl at his side could hold the power to light his internal organs on fire. Being able to lift heavy things suddenly became secondary.
"Don't worry little arrow, I will protect you from the man and his dastardly hat." A grin spreads across his face as they cross the room towards the stairs down.
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cj iwakuraThe Rhythm RegentBears The Name FreedomRegistered Userregular
edited May 2012
"If only I were the height of your worries, big guy." Robinson gave a nonchalant shrug as he followed a predetermined path, finally removing the ever-present hat to brush his palm across an array of slicked-back bangs. "This it? I expected more of a turnout, missy." His eyes wandered over the gathering, before he stared over to the approaching songstress expectantly.
"We'll make do, love." The singer waved her hand calmly as she walked past Robinson, reaching for the valve on a certain barrel of what most would pass over as some real hard liquor. Within a moment after, a series of bricks in the corner simply parted to expose a waiting passage into the facility's basement, and what followed didn't look like much more than an emergency bomb shelter. A few wooden tables and similar, cheaply made chairs. "Get along now, we need to be quick. Time enough for introductions later, folks. Trust most of you know the deal by now. Show of hands if you don't."
Six waits patiently, smiling what looks like a farewell to Eleanor, staying a moment to regather his money and finish his drink with those patrons that remained. "Well boys," he says to the table, "I suppose it's all about knowing when to walk." He rises and saunters in pursuit, ever the outsider, arriving just in time to be last in line.
The novelty of the situation piquing her interest, Lily follows the singer into the club basement. It seemed a little... anticlimactic, although she wasn't really sure what she was expecting. At Eleanor's request she raises her hand and looks around the room to see if everyone else is as in the dark as she is.
why are you smelling it?
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cj iwakuraThe Rhythm RegentBears The Name FreedomRegistered Userregular
"Guess they don't know the score, then." Robinson didn't seem fazed by that assumption. He set the fedora back over his head, then took a seat upon the surface of the table furthest from the entrance. "Well, we all have similar interests, so let's get right to it. There's a bunch of people like yourselves topside that want all of you dead, enslaved, or both. Call themselves the Seers. Don't call them, they'll call you; that type. We're lyin' low for a reason. So if any one of you is here to stir up a mess, best get that notion out of your head right now, otherwise you'll wind up decorating the walls. Get me?"
The singer waited until Robinson finished his rant, then gave him an indicative, almost apologetic motion. "As you might have guessed, dears, this gentleman is one of the local Epopts; represents the Guardians. We don't always agree... in fact, we seldom do... but he does help keep the peace, so I'd be much obliged if you tried to follow his guidelines; stringent though they often are."
Charun was a bit taken aback at such casual threats coming from somebody that seemed to be in charge. He was more used to bravado like that from the drunks he'd meet at the bar. Despite this Charun did his best to not show his distaste and gave Robinson a nod that showed he understood.
'My hero...' Bellerose looped her arm around Warhorse as they walked down the stairs to wherever their mysterious dandy wanted to show them. Bellerose was amused by the little theatrics of using the speakeasy's own features to reveal and even more secret chamber. At the very least, there wouldn't be a chance of mundane snoops listening in on their talk. She stepped into the chamber and took a seat, looking around at who else had been gathered at the table. There were quite a few...all of whom she didn't know of. Bellerose didn't like that feeling, not one bit.
"Is there something we've done to get called into back-ally barrooms and get chastised, or is this more of a preemptive kind of thing?" Leslie folds his arms across his chest and leans against a table made primarily of spare wood and varnish.
Max remains standing. His back against the cool stone wall. He has positioned himself somewhat behind Bellerose, keeping an eye on her six. His eyes droop to half lids and his breathing becomes slow and methodical as he stands, opening his inner eye to the room.
Using Prime sight to check everything out.
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cj iwakuraThe Rhythm RegentBears The Name FreedomRegistered Userregular
edited June 2012
At the question posed to him, Robinson just shrugged with a half-grin. "Preemptive. Sorry, kids, but dangerous times mean strict rules, you get the drift. Good news is, there's not much of claim staked to local hollows or sanctums or any of that jazz, so you all get free reign, far as I care. Course, you're on your own if things go south."
Apart from the ample gathering of Mages, Prime doesn't detect anything out of the ordinary... save a potentially masked aura or two.
"On the bright side..." Taking up the man's lead with a dismissive wave to his spiel, Eleanor chimed in with a much fairer tone. "Despite what Mr. Suave would have you thinking, we're not under a traditional leadership. Think of it as kind of a de facto republic. To that end, if any of you have anything interesting to share about the city, feel free. There's too much we don't know, since we've gone to ground. We know of a few havens scattered around, but there's no telling how secure any given hollow or sanctum might be... so as he said, that's at your own risk. Though I'd like to think you're capable of getting each other's backs if you come under attack... or at least having the sense to ask for help." A pointed glare to the Epopt, on that note. "It is always there for those who ask." The singer would clearly brook no argument on that.
As they talked, Bellerose helped herself to a seat, mindful of the gap between Warhorse and herself. She listened to what they were offering. What they said, Bellerose had heard of before, but since they were on a roll, she wasn't about to interrupt their self-congratulatory speech. As much as she had heard stories of the old Establishment, this new status quo suited her purpose better. No real oversight meant she was free to perform her Arrow duties without too much interference.
They seemed to be offering this freedom as well, but what was the catch? There was no such thing as a free lunch and Bellerose couldn't wait to see what the other shoe looked like. 'And for your generosity in allowing us open stake rights are we supposed to tithe you for the privilege?' Bellerose spoke as she placed an open hand on the table.
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cj iwakuraThe Rhythm RegentBears The Name FreedomRegistered Userregular
"A tithe? Strange you should offer, dear, but... no, we'd ask no such thing." Eleanor gave a sidelong glance to Robinson as if to dissuade him of the notion in advance. "Naturally, we expect you keep an eye out for activity from the Throne, or anything left-handed. I'm of the opinion that a wider perspective of events in the city should be reward enough."
"A wider perspective is always good. I've found that's exactly what so many people in this city lack." Lily swept her arm at the others in the room, "But did you bring us down here just to tell us that? And why should we trust you if the world is so dangerous now?" She grinned at Eleanor to show she wasn't truly suspicious, just curious about the odd situation.
"When the wheel turns round again," Six smiles and steps away from the table, "I suspect our friends here are working to find themselves on the top. A worthy power move, and I wish you the best in it; thank you for the warnings. If I see any dangerous elements, I'll drop by and let you know."
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cj iwakuraThe Rhythm RegentBears The Name FreedomRegistered Userregular
"Splendid. Then unless anyone here has further business to make mention of, this impromptu meeting is adjourned." Robinson tilted his head in a formal bow of parting. "I'm not easy to contact, unfortunately, but any business that needs to be addressed urgently can be brought to Miss Eleanor, or our local tender. Both are well connected in the city, albeit through different avenues. If anyone has business pertaining to a particular order, that can be brought up now, as well. The Ladder lacks a presence at the moment, but each of the others have a representative that can see to your requests, as needed."
If this was an ambush it was a very odd one. However, he is hardly listening to the chatter of the Mages. His inner eye has found something odd, an inconsistency. Like a fleck of plaster on a newly painted wall, still rough and not smoothed down by its creator. Something about those auras are wrong. Unable to help himself he lets his eyes relax further and begins picking at that fleck with his mind. He attempts to be gentle at first, not wanting to give into his more violent urges to just tear the wall away with this will just to see what is inside.
Posts
"What'll it be?" The waitress came back as beckoned, looking back and forth between the new faces at the table, while bracing a tray of half-empty glasses in her other hand.
[Jaunt]
_________
The singer regarded her cigarette silently for a time, letting the smoke drift around as she watched the game near its conclusion. She was drawn from her reverie by the request of the man, whom received a ingratiating smile as she offered a newly produced match from where she sat. "Glad we agree; sure couldn't hurt my luck, I figure. Nor could your company." With that, she gave a nod to a nearby seat, taking note of the current occupant's poor hand. "This gentleman should be out of our way soon."
_________
"Right you are, sir. Right you are." Away went the Speech, as the tender took note of the man in the fedora's close proximity. "We are woefully lacking in that."
"As for you Miss," he lingers on the word, taking another long deep breath, "Thank you. I'm not sure whether you're inviting me to stay or insulting my skill. After all, if I'm not making it more difficult for you, that means I'm not doing too well." Smiling as the seat's vacated by its original holder, he plops himself leisurly down in the seat, straightens his tie and accepts a hand that's flipped across the table to him. "I'll assume a little of column a, a little of column b."
Turning back to Robin, he puts on a large grin. "Well, fellow guardsmen. Allow me to show you our intentions quite post haste...", Moving his head slightly he turns to the waitress, "Whiskey. On the rocks. And whatever my friends will be having...". turning back to the awakened conversation, "As for the future, who knows what it holds? That is certainly not within my abilities. You would have to ask someone else."
8d10.hitsopen(8, 10) → [2,9,[10, 9],4,2,[10, 10, 10, 10, 1],8,2] = (8)
_________
'Fellow'? That word seemed to pique Robinson's interest. No word of a newcomer. Interesting, indeed.
"A nice gift to have. Shame it isn't in your capacity. Some are fairly gifted in that regard... but at the moment, our local prophet is a touch occupied." A passive wave of the hand, indicating the smoking gambler-songstress. "I'll make a note to ask Elly what she thinks about things later, for sure. We'll have to talk more in detail once she's done... about more pressing matters." Another dismissive gesture to the waitress. "All's good here, sweetheart. All's good."
Casting Thinking for Many at speakeasy: 6d10o10h8 2
He pulls out from his pocket a stack of his own, just to show that he's got a few hands in him. His mind set on separate tasks, Six is able to focus on multiple tasks. With one half of his concentration, he focuses on the game at hand, running probabilities and considering personalities--all the skills he's earned in his years of gambling. The other half is focused on scrutinizing the spell cast by the singer.
Six is distinctly aware of the nature of her magic, though not necessarily its specific use.
_________
"You misunderstand, sir. Anything of that much importance wouldn't be spoken of here. This is just... a precursor of sorts. Just like to get to know the new faces, you understand." A pleasant smile, before his attention wandered to the card-playing group. "After their game, I mean for us to discuss affairs someplace less... open, if you're not opposed to the idea."
The waitress returned with the requested drinks before long, setting one before each of the three.
She watched Robinson's guests for a moment, before quietly departing, as if waved off by an unseen gesture.
_________
"Don't trust the Eyes that you can't see, as the saying goes... men like him always have something up their sleeves, and best believe we won't know of it until it's too late. Still, they keep the peace, so it isn't quite my place to criticize his methods. [Even if he'd fit better with the Gestapo than a Consilium.]"
Charun continues to sip from his drink and occasionally glance over at the man in the fedora.
Lily smiles at the singer's response, "What are the stakes here? I'm afraid I didn't come prepared for a heavy night of wagering." Eyeballing the bills set out by the other woman, she matches the general amount with some bills of her own. Scanning the cards she receives, Lily considers for a moment and then lays down four of them, "I can do that if I have an ace, right?"
[Lily]
At the question, Eleanor gave the cards a look with a sidelong glance, then a half smile. "You very could. Not to say it'll do much good, though." A look to her new hand, and she tossed a fold of bills onto the table. "I'm all in, boys. Play 'em or pack 'em."
"To business, may it ever be a'boomin." A short chuckle, and he tossed back half the glass, setting it down with a telltale clank. "Tell me, you folks ever seen a basement winery? Hell of a thing." A hand went into Robinson's coat, producing a few bills which he left on the table in his place. "Tip generously, if you would; girl's got to make a living, now more than ever." A formal tilt of the fedora to the woman, and he proceeded off towards a descending stair off to the left of the bar, just long enough to await his companions; if they picked up the slack.
In lieu of the tender's presence, the waitress was more than happy to accept the given tip. "What's the rush, mm? I'd at least wait for your friends." The smile the blonde offered to Charun was ever so slightly on the knowing side as she motioned over to Robinson. "The show isn't quite over."
His pale eyes watch the Fedora clad man leave before sliding over to Bellerose. "I suppose we should follow him. If we can trust him..."
Bellerose deliberately affected an simpering expression as she put a hand over Warhorse's and smiled prettily at him. She was teasing him, despite their comical mismatch in height, Bellerose was no slouch in protecting herself and while she was probably not a direct match for Warhorse's strength, she was quite respectable in what she could dish out.
He walks along side her, towering over the smaller girl. He had never mentioned it before, but becoming a mage had been an interesting social change for him as well. In the army there were two groups of people. Those that were afraid of the large man or those that deliberately lashed out at him to prove that they were not afraid. His physical size had always hampered relationships. However, among the mage crowd there was still posturing and preening like anywhere else, but his height no longer mattered. Even the tiny girl at his side could hold the power to light his internal organs on fire. Being able to lift heavy things suddenly became secondary.
"Don't worry little arrow, I will protect you from the man and his dastardly hat." A grin spreads across his face as they cross the room towards the stairs down.
"We'll make do, love." The singer waved her hand calmly as she walked past Robinson, reaching for the valve on a certain barrel of what most would pass over as some real hard liquor. Within a moment after, a series of bricks in the corner simply parted to expose a waiting passage into the facility's basement, and what followed didn't look like much more than an emergency bomb shelter. A few wooden tables and similar, cheaply made chairs. "Get along now, we need to be quick. Time enough for introductions later, folks. Trust most of you know the deal by now. Show of hands if you don't."
The singer waited until Robinson finished his rant, then gave him an indicative, almost apologetic motion. "As you might have guessed, dears, this gentleman is one of the local Epopts; represents the Guardians. We don't always agree... in fact, we seldom do... but he does help keep the peace, so I'd be much obliged if you tried to follow his guidelines; stringent though they often are."
"On the bright side..." Taking up the man's lead with a dismissive wave to his spiel, Eleanor chimed in with a much fairer tone. "Despite what Mr. Suave would have you thinking, we're not under a traditional leadership. Think of it as kind of a de facto republic. To that end, if any of you have anything interesting to share about the city, feel free. There's too much we don't know, since we've gone to ground. We know of a few havens scattered around, but there's no telling how secure any given hollow or sanctum might be... so as he said, that's at your own risk. Though I'd like to think you're capable of getting each other's backs if you come under attack... or at least having the sense to ask for help." A pointed glare to the Epopt, on that note. "It is always there for those who ask." The singer would clearly brook no argument on that.
They seemed to be offering this freedom as well, but what was the catch? There was no such thing as a free lunch and Bellerose couldn't wait to see what the other shoe looked like. 'And for your generosity in allowing us open stake rights are we supposed to tithe you for the privilege?' Bellerose spoke as she placed an open hand on the table.