BB intitate quest - Is there a Savior in the House?

[Crimson Rose]

(Closed to Molotov.)

Ugh, I'm getting sick and tired of getting sent out of the guild! How does Darith expect me to take care of the members? When he is constantly sending me on supply runs? It was true, lately her guild master had been sending the Guild's only healer out to get various goods that her home needed. Before it had been herbs, she had been promised safety, had even been promised and escort; but none had come. Instead, the red eyed thief had to survive on her own.

Luckily she had found a caravan, but that hadn't been her saving grace. Instead she had run right into the middle of a smuggling deal. True, she had managed to bring some of the goods back to Darith. But her guild father had looked at her with stern eyes and said "Mariah, what is this? You were suppose to bring me herbs! Not weapons!" He then had handed the smuggled items to one of the younger thieves. She knew that he would keep them, but still the lecture she had received was ringing in her ears.

Shortly after that he had sent her here. She was suppose to pick up some magical powder from a fae whose shop was located in Dheathain. Mari had concluded from Darith's long talk, that the shop wouldn't be hard to miss. Shiny amethysts were hanging in ropes down the front of the shop, and the door was a big multicolored thing made from shining stones. Faes were extravagant creatures, who valued beauty and fun among all things.

Following these instructions, Rose had taken a ship from the port in Radasanth and had landed shortly in Dheathain. She then had caught a horse and buggy and had driven towards the main street where the shops were located. However, after two hours of searching for the place, which she had learned was titled "Bud and Gem' she had not found it. She had found a place to similar to what she had been looking for called "Lotus and Bloom" but that had been a flower shop, not an herb shop.

Frustration had led her here, to the 'Moonlit Flowers' it was a quaint little bar. Inside it was furnished with bright green leather chairs, on the tables were multicolored table clothes that had little topaz gems in laid in them. On each table was a rose scented candle, the scent was wafting around the annoyed thief as she sat nursing a glass of pale ale.

The tender, a young fairy girl with crystalline blue wings said lightly "That is your second drink girlie. You sure you want another?"

Mariah looked into the girl's pale green eyes, giggling a bit due to the poison in her system she said lightly 'I'm sure. I can handle one more," lifting up the bottle she slurred "B..besides, if I can't find 'Bud and Gem' then I might as well make my trip worthwhile!"

The young fae pursed her lips, she was about to respond to the giggling thief's words, when she gasped. Shaking her head as she saw a group of pale skinned men enter her bar, she shouted tersely "I thought I told you men you weren't allowed in here!"

A pale skinned human laughed drunkenly as he said "Hey babe! We ain't causing no trouble! We got money!"

A drow, his dark blue hair hanging lankly around him added in "We can pay this time!"

"Yeah!" Came a chorus of three other voices.

The young fae fluttered around the bar, opening the part that divided her private area from the rest of the bar, she walked lightly out and said strictly "Last time you were here, you were hitting on all the girls! GET OUT!" She then folded her arms over her pert little breasts, her small oval face set in strict lines.

"Aww babe..' the drow started, before he sighed and said darkly "Fine hun, ya wanna be that way?' he then pulled a dagger from the depths of the trench coat he was wearing, the other men were pulling out other weapons as well.

The pale skinned human chuckled lightly as he pulled out a lash Knife, grinning lewdly he shrilled "No one is gonna help you little fae. Why don't you just give us our drinks."

"Yeah" said a ugly looking little man, who closely resembled a goblin. His beaked nose was twitching as he looked around. In his shrill voice he stated "There aren't many customers, cept that white flecked red haired chick. We could bother her, if that bossy little fae won't cooperate."

The human's lewd brown eyes spotted Rose, seeing the woman sip her ale made a smile come to his face. In a coy voice he shrieked "Sure why not!" he then sauntered over to the busty little miss. In a mock warm voice he murmured "Looking for a good time little lady?" He then cocked his finger for his other companions to surround her.

Mariah blinked, her vision was slightly fuzzy, hearing the lust filled voice made her hair stand on end. In a tight voice she muttered "No, I'm not looking for a good time. Just be a good b-" seeing the other men, she groaned and reached for her lash knife. Her reflexes weren't at one hundred percent, but she hoped that she could at least find a way out of this mess. As she raised the lash knife, she swiveled the seat around and aimed a high kick at the nearest man's face shouting "LET ME OUT OF HERE!"

[Molotov]

Molotov didn’t often frequent women only taverns. He found that even with his relatively long hair, there was nothing about his features that passed as soft enough for even the most nearsighted bartender. “Bloody hope that Kyo appreciates this…” he thought sarcastically. “She bloody likes to tell me I don’t do anything I don’t want to, but I’m bloody here, surrounded with women more likely to bite my piece off than shag me…”

Since he was unwilling to enter, the mutant waited by the entrance for a good five minutes, looking at the door with dread. A pair of ladies exited and gave him dirty looks. “Women only,” one of them said. “Your kind is responsible for all the fights that happen around here…”

“I know,” Molotov replied curtly. Normally, he was more tolerant of the fairer sex, even when they said asinine things, but this was a different situation. Women didn’t come to a tavern like Moonlit Flowers if they were interested in men.

“Well get lost then,” the woman replied.

“Don’t tell me what to do,” Molotov shot back.

The woman sighed. “Fine!” she said. “Go join your friends and see what happens.”

Molotov didn’t say anything immediately. The mention of ‘friends’ had surprised him, not only because the mutant didn’t really consider a single person on Althanas to be a friend, but because there was no one in the tavern that would have been talking about him. He had come to the Moonlit Flowers, like he had many of the other shops in the area, with a single mission, to make deals with the shopkeepers in Talmhaidh. No one else in the Bandit Brotherhood had come along with him.

“There are other men in there,” Molotov realized. “And probably up to no good…”

With a slight snicker, he now entered the tavern, wondering what these women would think if he entered only to save them. His revolver was drawn, though he had no intention of using it. Instead, Molotov wanted to make a good impression, especially if he hoped to extract a protection fee for his services later on.

The first thing that Molotov noticed, outside of the Fae bartender, was five of the young hoodlums that had taken to calling Talmhaidh their home. The mutant had dealt with a gang of them before along with a stranger he had met named Karuka. The two of them had defeated over thirty of the thugs, so the mutant was hardly intimidated by three. A red haired girl was considerably more troubled, and as she shouted in fear, Molotov answered almost immediately. Her kick had landed effectively, but the other two thugs were getting ready to fight her, and the mutant doubted she’d amount to more than that without his help.

“She wants to be let out of here,” he said coldly. “What’s the matter with you sods, too ugly to get a date and too limp wristed for much of anything else? She’s not going to help you, she’s getting out of here?”

The human who had been knocked to the ground looked up at the mutant. “Who are you?” he asked.

“Bandit Brotherhood,” Molotov replied. “Now you’d think I’d have no problem with you, but really I do. You give bandits, thieves, and pretty much anything a bad name. Hell, you three are so incompetent that I should just watch as that little red haired bird kicks your asses. Instead though, I’m going to give you a chance to run out of here with whatever dignity you can muster after attacking two girls with three of you. Otherwise, I might just shoot you. Want to leave?”

All five of the thugs decided to leave. The lash knife was threatening enough, but Molotov’s arrival turned the scales against them in a completely different way. With a smirk, Molotov watched them go, and then looked on as the grateful Fae poured him a glass of ale.

“On the house,” she said. Even then, she eyed him somewhat suspiciously, because she’d caught Molotov saying he’d belonged to the Bandit Brotherhood. “You'll have to leave soon, rules and all, but one ale for goodwill.”

Naturally, the mutant sensed her apprehension. “Don’t worry,” he said as he sat down next to the stool the red haired girl had occupied before she had got up for a kick. “I’m here to talk about helping you birds out, not stealing from you...”

[Crimson Rose]

One down, just four more to go. Mariah thought wearily as she finished unsheathing her lash knife. As she prepared to fight her way through the other four, a hand was placed reassuringly on her shoulder. Turning her red white flecked eyes stared into the crystalline blue ones of the fae bartender. Concern filled the young thief's eyes as she gently asked "What is it?"

"Its taken care of miss. That man..." the fae pointed a slender finger at the mutant. "scared off the drunk louts." she then removed her hands from Mariah's slender shoulders. Her arms then once more crossed over her little breasts as she said tersely "Help sir? What help could I possibly need from a man?"

"Well, I got rid of those buggers for you right quick," Molotov said. "And its not me, its my organization. We are thieves yes, but we're classy thieves and tired of the runts running through here giving the rest of us a bad name. We'd love to get rid of them for you for a reasonable fee..."

The fae's luminous blue eyes widened considerably, shaking her head she hissed "Why should I pay you for protection? I know a woman, I hire her to get rid of the pests who come in here. I don't..."

"Hold on ma'am." Mariah slurred as she sheathed her lash knife clumsily. "He might have a point, I could see fear in your eyes when those five entered." moving to touch the little fae's shoulder Rose continued kindly "I could talk with this man, see what kind of protection he offers and what his fee is?"

The fae flapped her clear soft wings, shaking her head she said "Your the weirdest customer I had yet miss." waving her tiny hand she finished "but if you want to talk with this weird man, be my guest." she then moved to take her place behind her bar again, looking at the red haired girl she said "I'm Gossamer Moontree, I suppose if you finish this deal for me, then I can welcome you to my bar at anytime."

Mariah smiled faintly as she took a shaky step forward, her smile was in her eyes as she hugged the petite fairy, she then turned to the strange man, and through her blurry eyes she studied him. His spiky hair was a deep contrast to the lovely feminine furnishings. Licking her lips she stated "Its too lady-like in here, your out of place. Why don't we take our discussion outside?"

Without waiting for a response, Mari moved delicately across the beautifully decorated bar, pushing open the radiant door, she soon found herself outside in fresh air. Stretching Mariah waited for the mutant to join her as she thought Just what organization does he work for? Aside from the Lavinian Thieves Guild, I haven't heard of any other thieves guild. Just what kind of bargain could this strange man have in mind...

[Molotov]

Molotov was a bit surprised by the reaction he got after he had just saved the tavern. In his frustration, he had wanted to throw the glass of ale back in the Fae’s face, just to show her that as a general rule, she shouldn’t treat people who had just aided her like that. However, before Molotov could have said anything, the pretty red haired girl had interceded, suggesting that she could talk to him instead. Figuring that some kind of deal was better than no deal, Molotov decided to follow Kyo’s example this time and hold his tongue.

He turned to leave with the red haired woman, though he couldn’t help himself from adding one last parting shot before he left. “You know,” he suggested. “This bloody place is pretty now, think about how it’d have looked if I hadn’t have been there for you birds…” He waited a few seconds to look how the Fae reacted, and seeing that she continued to be dissatisfied, Molotov added on a little addendum, “just informing you, love…”

“Just another dumb Fae,” he thought. “Those bloody wankers either get real excited or they don’t bloody give a damn about a thing.” The mutant exited the Moonlit Flowers to a mixed reaction, smirking as he left.

They exited back out into the street, and it was a busy day in Talmhaidh. Molotov could hear the sounds and smells of the shops all around him, and while he didn’t stop at any of them, he looked forward to a few stiff drinks with the red haired girl. He had decided that he would take her to the tavern he had been at with the last red haired girl he’d met in Talmhaidh, a young firebrand who went by the name of Karuka. They had ended up trashing the place then, but he had gained a reputation there because he was able to defeat a local gang called the Spider Monkey Kids that everyone else had been too afraid to stand up to. After all, if he was going to give his new potential clients a convincing argument, he figured it was best to start at a place where his skills had already been demonstrated.

As they walked, Molotov decided that he should work on charming the girl he was with. He assumed it was a good practice for his business, and from the shapely look of her, he thought there might be other benefits as well. “So love,” he began, smiling politely at her. “Don’t think I got your name? What brings a pretty girl like you to a dirty old town like this sodding place?”

Mariah looked up, her eyes wary slightly as she said in a soft voice, “Business of my own. I need to find this place." Fishing her orders out of her pocket, she scanned Darith's handwriting. She shook her head as she asked, "You know where Bud and Gem is? I need to go there to buy magical healing powder...” After a slight pause, it seemed that the girl had forgotten to mention her name. Mariah giggled a bit as she added in "I'm Mariah...Mariah luna mitami..."

“Very well then,” Molotov replied. He found her remark about going to a different shop a bit strange, given that she was supposedly supposed to be negotiating with him, but he thought it best to let that lie. “Don’t know much about your place love,” he continued. “But you should come with me to The Broth Cauldron, it’s a tavern not too far from here. Cheap prices on ale, better soup than most, but we needed to talk anyways.”

“Alright,” Mariah replied slowly, her eyes blinked once as they passed a small shop that seemed to be tucked in out of sight. She caught the faintest glint of what looked like purple from the little store. But she passed it off as an alcohol induced illusion. Turning to smile at Molotov she continued, “I'm hungry anyway and you’re right we do need to talk, so lead on.”

They made their way over to the tavern. When compared to Moonlit Flowers, it seemed quite drab and lacking in style, but it was the kind of place that Molotov liked for its character. It smelled vaguely of both soup and smoke. Molotov lead the Mariah to a small wooden table, pulled out a chair for her and asked her to take a seat.

“Order anything you want,” Molotov said. “A wench will be by soon. If they see me, then they won’t charge you. It’s one of my perks for protecting this place…”

[Crimson Rose]

Mariah smiled faintly at the mutant's kindness. As she took a seat at one of the extremely worn leather stools. She turned to study the alcohol behind the bar, she could see, vodka, schnapps and other various hard liquors that when combined made the most magical concoctions. However, the young thief was not in the mood to be spending her evening blacked out in some hotel room. No her intention originally had been to find her magical healing powder, but now she had business to discuss.

Turning to hail one of the young wenches wearing tailored black mini skirts and white pressed formal blouses, she smiled slightly. For a run down place, they sure had their serving maids dress nicely. As one of the girl's saw her two raised fingers, she turned her eyes to look slightly at the mutant. In a whispered voice she asked "What is your name sir?" she then smiled politely as the serving maid came up with a tired smile.

"What is your pleasure miss?"

Mariah gave her a warm look, in a low voice she stated her order "I"d like a warm bowl of minestrone soup, and I would like a mug of lavinian ale."

"Lavinian ale?" The young waitress asked, her eyebrow quirked. "You know that brand is expensive?"

"I do yes, but" she cocked a finger at the mutant and muttered "I'm with him, he said anything I ordered would be on the house?"

The serving wenches eyes widened before she stammered "Yes...yes! On the house!" She then scurried off to place Rose's order.

Content now that she'd placed her order, Mariah turned back to the mutant, before she spoke she inhaled the warm scent of freshly made soup and the smoky smell that accented this bar. Calmly she spoke "This place is homey, it has a different sense of appeal then Moonlit flowers. It gives me the feel of a warm, cozy kitchen, that has fresh bread in the oven and a pot of warm, homemade soup simmering on the stove." pausing, Mari watched as one of the other young serving wenches, served a couple sharing a booth, once she had left, Mariah eyes then turned back to Molotov's.

Curiosity had her asking "By the way, what do you mean by perks of protecting this place? Is that something your organization does? Also, you said you were a good bunch of thieves, what did you mean by that?" pausing as her own serving wench came back with her food. She smiled at her and sniffed at her delicious-smelling soup. With her mouth watering she picked up her spoon and tried her first bite.

A sigh of pleasure escaped her lips as she murmured "Mmm this is delicious." She then paused on her next bite and said bluntly "Straight to the point, who do you work for?" she then turned and took her second bite of soup, as she waited for the mutant to answer her question.

[Molotov]

Molotov smirked. For a girl that seemed to insist on being direct, Mariah was anything but. She had spent a long enough time ordering drinks and food and giving him small talk about the restaurant. The mutant had been fine with it. It gave him a bit of a chance to look up the miniskirts of his servers and watch as Mariah got herself even drunker. However, he answered her question immediately after she asked it. “Love, you know people don’t talk about thieves guilds just out in the open,” Molotov began. “Being from Lavinya, if your ale choice is any indication, you should know that…”

The mutant smiled cheekily, as if to show that he had intended to tease the red haired girl just a bit. However, he was somewhat disturbed by the fact that she had brought up Lavinya. People from Antioch rarely traveled to the rest of Althanas, and from Molotov’s experience, those who did were often associated with the Lavinian Thieves Guild. The mutant didn’t want to think that the there was another criminal organization trying to stake their place out in Dheathain, especially considering this was that Bandit Brotherhood’s home base. He had planned, eventually, with the help of Kyo’s friend Jared, to create good relations between the two organizations.

“She was sent here on a mission,” Molotov remembered. “Awfully loose lipped about it too, so the Lavinians must be bloody cocky.” He wondered what the full extent of her mission was, certain that she hadn’t told him that.

With no other options Molotov decided it would be best to be forthright. “Since we’re being blunt, are you with the Thieves Guild there?” Molotov asked. “Not that I have you pegged as a thief, but if you’re drinking Lavinian ale, that’s what that Seth Dahlios ponce used to drink, and it seems they’re the only people from Antioch who send others on missions…”

Mariah laughed over her soup, putting her fourth bite back into the bowl, she grinned widely at the mutant. In a warm voice she replied “Yeah that’d be the guild I belong to. Though don't talk about Seth badly, he... saved my life when I was at my lowest point...”

Molotov was somewhat surprised to hear Seth mentioned favorably by a stranger, especially considering what he had heard about the hex mage’s fate. However, Mariah had confirmed that she was a member of the guild, even after he said he belonged to the Bandit Brotherhood. She was either very naïve, very stupid, or the Lavinian Theives’ Guild was not a threat at the moment. Being perpetually cynical, Molotov assumed it was one of the two former motives.

“So what’s the guild doing out here in the east?” Molotov asked, making what might have seemed like innocent small talk to an outsider, but was deadly serious conversation to him. If he didn’t like Mariah’s answer, he was prepared to take action. The potential effects on a deal with Moonlit Flowers be damned, Molotov wasn’t about to sit and let the Lavinians move in on Dheathain.

Part of him wondered if he should even be asking, because Mariah was bound to lie. However, she had been honest up to that point, even at a fault, so the mutant figured she’d continue to behave that way. Regardless, he didn’t want to kill anyone, and if a fight with the Lavinians could be avoided, he certainly wanted to avoid it.

[Crimson Rose]

Looking up from her soup Mariah saw a serious look in her companion's eyes. Putting her soup spoon down, Mariah answered Molotov's question easily. "If your worried that the guild I"m from is trying to take territory here, you're wrong. All I am here for is a magical healing powder. That shop I told you about sells it." She then picked up her soup spoon and took another bite. She was already half way through the bowl.

The soup itself was delicious, but now Mariah was ruffled. This man had saved her life from those thugs back in ' Moonlit Flowers' but now he was asking whether or not her home guild was invading a place where obviously this man had ties. It made no sense to the thief, her guild stood for freedom and it helped fight to give others freedom. Taking a few moments to let silence hang between them, Mariah finished eating her soup during the lull time. Once she was done, she then turned her attention back to Molotov and said softly "My home guild wouldn't encroach on another person's freedom, or another guild's freedom." Holding up a finger she stated "Rule number one, always help out another thief, and rule number two, never take away a thief's property!"

Mariah then lapsed into silence as she listened to the talks that were happening around the tavern. She could hear the pretty wenches talking with other customers. Some of the customers were ordering bread bowls, and the divine smell of corn chowder, and other rich and creamy soups wafted from the kitchen. Her stomach rumbled again reminding the young thief that she was still extremely hungry. As she waited for the mutant's answer, she put up two fingers to hail one of the serving waitresses.

Once she had the attention of one, she smiled warmly and asked "Can I get a bowl of corn chowder please?" Seeing how good the bread bowls looked she continued "Also put the soup in a bread bowl?"

The serving wench laughed a bit, her dark black eyes merry as she said "Sure thing hun." She then sauntered off to fill Mariah's order.

Taking a sip of her ale, the illusion thief then turned her focus back on Molotov. In a soft, but wary voice she asked "Do my answers suit your needs? Or are you going to continue to give me that serious face?" swallowing her ale, she gave Molotov a disarming smile, hoping that with her actions she had proved to him that she was trustworthy, and that her guild was by no means stepping into what was obviously his guild's territory.

[Molotov]

Molotov found Mariah’s interpretation of the Lavinian Thieves Guild’s rules to be somewhat naïve, and was surprised by how much she had wanted to eat, but her answers caused a wave of relief to pass over his body. “So they’re not against us,” he realized. “At least if she’s telling the truth.” For a moment, he considered asking Mariah what she would have expected had her answer been unsatisfactory, but he decided that it wasn’t worth bothering with the question. If she had suddenly been motivated to lie, then she would have lied again.

With his stern expression changing to a smile, Molotov began to speak with Mariah. “This is the only face I have,” he replied, playing along with the red haired girl’s joke only because he was flirting with her. “At least the only one I use all that commonly.”

He realized that he hadn’t ordered anything, and when the waitress returned with Mariah’s soup, he asked for a glass of ale. “The Lavinian stuff?” the waitress asked, seemingly a bit tired of all the things she had to ferry back and forth for free.

“Oh god no, that’s terrible!” Molotov replied. “Bloody they say its bitter like their bitter souls in Lavinya, but for sod’s sake, you’d think if their lives were that bitter, they’d be skipping the ale and heading straight for the grain. Just your regular, love…”

The waitress nodded, and Molotov turned his attention back to Mariah. “Sorry about that…” he said. “Just trying to get a drink, you know. Anyways, before we got sidetracked, the Bandit Brotherhood wants to provide protection for the merchants here from the more dishonorable gangs. It means that if the Lavinians come here, you’re going to have to obey the law in the shops we protect. We don’t bloody give a damn about the rest, and if you want, I’ll bloody help you lift that powder of yours from that store, whenever we find it…”

The waitress returned with his ale, and Molotov stopped to take a sip before reaching his concluding point. “Thing is though, if your guild wants peace with us, we’d be better off coordinating, especially when we’re on each other’s territory. I don’t mind if you come around Dheathain, and who knows, you people might bloody have uses here and there. We might for you too. Let me put it this way then, I want you to join us as well as Lavinya, and I want you to let them know what we’re doing, and you tell us what they’re doing. We’ll coordinate better and be friends. Maybe one day pull a real heist together.”

With a smirk, Molotov hoped that Mariah would like that proposition. He had a slightly more secretive reason for wanting the Lavinians as an alliance, a motivation that he wasn’t going to let Mariah know about unless he found out that she was one of their higher ranking members. The fact was, Molotov knew that war between the Draconians and the bandits were going to be inevitable. Having the Lavinian Thieves Guild on his side during that inevitability would have been a boon.

[Crimson Rose]

Mariah chuckled warmly at Molotov's sweet words. It had been a long time since any man had flirted with her, albeit it was a bit uncomfortable for the thief. But, this time she could tell it was all in cheerful good humor. She could see the way Molotov's face curved into a smile, the way his spiked hair was extremely bright, his blue eyes showed that he liked her, but Rose could also tell that like any man, he had his hidden skeletons. Turning to take a sip of her ale, she let the bitter liquid wash down her throat. It gave her a bit of a reprieve for a moment of responding to Molotov's flirting.

The bitterness reminded her of her past, it made her think first. She very well remembered what happened when she had been innocent, she had blindly chosen her target, had tried to steal a rich man's personal things. She then had been raped and left naked for dead. If it hadn't been for Seth, well the honest truth would be that she would not be here now. Staring into the amber liquid, she couldn't help but feel remorse, if her thoughts had been better, then maybe she could respond, but to flirt with another man was not her style now.

Looking up from her glass sanctuary, she stared into Molotov's blue eyes, in a plain voice she replied "Cute answer, but" letting half a smile form on her lips she finished " you could do with a bit of a smile!" She then quieted down as the mutant begin to speak. Her eyes rolled a few times, when she heard his business-like approach to the matter at hand. She felt as if she was a student, being told school rules, obviously she knew that some she could break, and some were unbreakable. However, from the stern tone to Molotov's voice, this Bandit Brotherhood he belonged to meant business.

However, when his tone lightened to a more mellow one, she felt shock when he asked her to join his own guild, furthermore, he offered to help her get her magical powder without paying a scent. The cat had her tongue as she tried to find the words to reply. Darith had told her to buy the powder, but now she was being offered the bloody thing for free. Licking her lips, Mariah opened her mouth to talk, but air came out. Closing it, she tried to say something again, this time a little hiccup came out. Finally she managed in an awed voice "That is very kind of you Molotov. I'd, love to join your Bandit Brotherhood, perhaps together my guild and yours can help make this world a more free place."

She then turned back to her ale and took a quick swig, her mind was racing though as she thought I hope Darith doesn't kill me for this, he said that stealing is fine, but we more steal from the rich to help out the poor. This...I don't know if this would be within the rules.... her hesitation was evident on her face, as Mariah bit down on her lip, hoping that her agreement to join this Bandit brotherhood would not get her into trouble with her own home guild...