New Friends

The city hustled and bustled as the day wore on. The ash falling particularly heavy made the fading light near the end of the day seem even more faint. The outer buildings of Keep Elariel rose tall and proud while at their base an unusual figure strolled along the outskirts.

Clad in his well worn suit of clothes, Hyde walked around the perimeter of the Keep taking note of the various guards who stood at the ready, and watched as time wore on the near seamless change of guard that occurred. The house from what Hyde had gathered had taken no real offensive moves toward House Venture but that did not mean they did not defend themselves accordingly.

His gaze was drawn to a side entrance where he noticed a familiar face leaving the premises. After a thought occurred to him, Hyde moved to join the figure as he headed off to a different part of the city. Hyde making certain to make his presence known to the Terrisman gave a polite bow as he said, "Might I trouble you for a moment sir? Please come this way and see the wares I offer. You may find something you just didn't know you needed..." The display gave the impression to any other wandering eyes nearby that the two men were merely strangers meeting on the street.

Dusk had fallen and the few souls that remained on the streets did their best not to linger lest the evening mists be upon them. Hyde gestured to a more secluded alleyway and led the Terrisman down the corridor briefly before finding an abandoned shop that looked like it once had been a craft shop of some form with various broken bits of equipment lingering about.

Hyde satisfied the two men were alone addressed Dorlin more casually by saying, "Thank you for speaking with me. I was at a loss for how to reach you otherwise. You seemed to have a smart head on your shoulders when we last spoke. I come seeking information."

At the Terrisman's acknowledgement, Hyde proceeded, "The few bits I've gleaned have indicated that this upcoming party is set to truly be quite the show. I have all that is needed for my role except for a few details I am hoping you happen to know regarding party attendees and if there are any changes house Elariel has made for their guard staff's clothing."

Hyde then finds a chair and sits down as he asks with a smile but with eyes that betray his more serious nature, "I also hope that we might get a chance to know one another slightly better. There's an old saying I heard yesterday that says its best to know who you work with....or something like that."

When Hyde had first addressed him, Dorlin had looked down at the skaa merchant with a touch of scorn in his eyes. It was shortly replaced by recognition, though the Steward's expression maintained an air of aloofness. With a Be quick, skaa, he had followed the man in the suit to his destination, all the while calm and restrained. Passersby sole quick glances at them as they hurried to their homes, whispering to themselves as they sought to escape the inevitable mist.

Finally they reached the abandoned building, its ill repair reflective of the state of the skaa population. As Hyde spoke, the Steward's maintained airs remained, though his brow was furrowed and his lips pursed almost imperceptibly, and he listened with no further acknowledgement. His companion finished speaking, Dorlin regarded him quietly for several uncomfortable seconds before responding, and his rumbling voice when he did was cold.

"Do not approach me in the open on the street again, skaa. Beyond risking the job with suspicious behavior, you risk my Lady's reputation. Should you have need of me in the future, kindly post a message to House Elariel's servants' entrance. I will be notified and will come find you."

The Terrisman sighed and relaxed, the rigidity is his body leaving with his breath. He still maintained the stiffness of formality, to be sure, but the stiffness of wariness was gone. The ash cloak he wore covered his head and shoulders, but even so the faded rainbow chevrons of his robes could be seen peeking out: a stark contrast to the drab grays and browns of the room. Dorlin closed his eyes briefly, as if recalling what Hyde had said. Finally he responded, ignoring everything else said to him.

"Why do you ask about House Elariel's guard uniform? The ball is House Venture's. Any showing of Elariel will be merely as attendants and nothing more."

Hyde looked upon the colorful figure in front of him with a mixture of what passed for satisfaction and either excitement or fear-It was hard to tell, as Dorlin initially responded.

Hyde nods once in affirmation and says while dusting off the ash that had accumulated on his shoulders, "Agreed. A chance encounter in the streets is hard to connect to a crime, however several such brazen meetings would garner unwanted attention. As I said-I was uncertain how best to reach you, but your method will work should future rendezvous be needed."

He pauses for a moment before adding with a hint of sorrow, "I would certainly not want to impune your ladyship's honor. That's not my intention."

Hyde then nods once at the Terrisman's query and says, "You are an honest man so I won't waste time trying to pull the wool over your eyes. The reason I ask about the guard uniform is that it pertains to my part in the job. I like to be prepared for as many surprises as I can."

Hyde purses his lips as he says after a moment, "An exit strategy is only as good as it's weakest point. If I have options to choose from-regarding a wardrobe change, I have more viable means of providing a successful extraction...should the need arise. Ideally however, I will just sit most of this job out."

"Then you fail to see preparation as necessary to the plan. We have still yet to obtain the fertilizer, nor will we be able to plant it until the eve of the ball. You will be needed for both of those tasks.

"But as to the event itself, you play your part; we others will play ours. I'd wager both Sind and Lena could use help in serving the meal. But if you wish to obtain a guard uniform for blending in, then do so." Dorlin's eyes flashed briefly. "But House Elariel shall be left out of these machinations. Beyond the safety of my Mistress, the presence there of any soldiers of any House apart from Venture's will 'rouse suspicion and create hostility before we are ready for it; guard duty is handled solely by the host."

The Steward's eyes roved, taking in the suit and the man within it before him. He spoke matter-of-factly, with no hint of anger or judgement.

"Kindly remember: you are skaa. While you are undoubtedly trained in surviving on the ash-covered streets and back alleys of Urteau, knowing how noble Houses function is as beyond your knowledge as finding through less than scrupulous means that which I might want is beyond mine. Let not our reach exceed our grasp; doing so will get us killed."

The fading light of the setting sun shone in through a dust covered window, casting the equally dusty room in tint as ashen as the streets. Dorlin glanced through the window at the sky.

"Have you other business? I've other matters to attend."

Hyde sighs after hearing Dorlin's reply and says, "I see preparation as extremely vital to any plan hence why I asked to meet you to go over some of the details. Dealing with fertilizer and planting it are aspects I'm familiar with-as you readily point out I am not from the world of the Nobles thus I sought your -erm...council, prior to acting on things outside my experience."

Hyde then forces a smile as he says, "As to your suggestion to keep House Elariel free of entanglement, I will certainly take that under advisement.

It may also help you to be more at ease to know that though I may not look the part presently, any role is possible. Being a guard is just as easily accomplished as being a Nobleman. Though my experience is limited, I am fully aware that survival comes in many forms."

He then stands and peeks his head out the window looking in both directions as a precaution before then turning to face Dorlin again and saying, "Regarding other business, yes, I do have more. Do you have access to the guest list to know who has agreed to attend...or perhaps more importantly who has not been invited?"

Dorlin gazed upon the man for another moment, his face blank. Muttering something under his breath, he slowly shook his head.

"No, I don't. Again, being metering a guest, House Elariel would have no such access. They would have little need of it. However, servants talk, and I feel reasonably such it wouldn't be to hard to learn who won't attend. I do hazard a guess, though, that few if any local Houses were left out. Even if Venture doesn't care for any one in particular, it's still an opportunity for Lord Abelond to flaunt wealth."

His eyes shifted from Hyde as he snuck another glance at the window.

"Why?"

Hyde ponders the question briefly before saying, "I'm not wanting to hedge all my bets on one turn. Bad business move. Seriously hurting a noble house with as much clout as house Venture is not an easy feat. Our little plan is a good start, and I would expect that afterwards, provided we are successful, we will have a few new options to consider. However, if there's already a house that's being scorned, I see the opportunity for a more enticing mark."

Hyde then looks out the window at the evening mists and says, "If you do happen to hear anything in passing, please feel free to share. Lord Elliot's man Roscoe will know how to reach me. I don't wish to keep you any longer from your plans though, so if you have no questions for me I will make myself scarce."

"I follow." Dorlin nodded, his tone honest. "And if I come to knowledge of a House that was scorned thusly, I'll send you the information. But don't expect it; if Brallough, being Venture's foremost rival, is expected at the ball, then I should assume all will be."

He turned to the door slowly, as if considering the details he'd both shared and learned. The Steward cast a look back at Hyde. "Mist keep you, skaa."

Without further adieu, he stepped off into the gathering sea of gray.