Logs:Having Priorities
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| RL Date: 8 July, 2013 |
| Who: Aishani, Jo |
| Type: [[Concept:{{{type}}}|{{{type}}}]] |
| What: A blue convict rider and a goldrider in disguise do some shopping in a black market down south. Topics involving the past, present and future are covered. |
| Where: Southern Boll Docks, South Boll |
| When: Day 10, Month 3, Turn 32 (Interval 10) |
| Mentions: Z'ian/Mentions, Telavi/Mentions, Sabella/Mentions, Alida/Mentions, K'zin/Mentions, K'del/Mentions, Azaylia/Mentions, Sisha/Mentions, Iolene/Mentions, Seani/Mentions, Devaki/Mentions, Jyani/Mentions |
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| Arranging time for certain activities can take time when it requires the presence of multiple busy parties, but eventually there's a night where there's nowhere else that either bluerider or goldrider are expected to be, so arrangements are made to meet somewhere near the docks; near enough to walk, but far enough that the dragons won't be immediately obvious when the pair of women turn up to do business. Iesaryth is content enough to doze behind a convenient hill while Aishani waits beneath a tree, wearing baggy men's-type clothes, a slouch, and her weird dreadlocks hat. The evening isn't too warm yet this time of turn, the breeze soft. It's a place that Tacuseth and Jo was familiar enough with, so the blue is smooth in his descent from Between. Since it's Southern Boll, it's warm enough that Jo's actually not in her black leathers. She has on one of her usual tank tops, bearing her scarred up arms and shoulders, and pants that cut off at the knees. Her wicked knives can be seen strapped at her sides as she walks, approaching the disguised goldrider and pausing before her as she gives said disguise a once-over. "We're gonna need to invest ya in some better headgear," she notes in greeting, busy replacing her riding gloves for ones that cut off at the knuckles. Looking around, "Ya been here before?" she asks now, watching her blue meander behind the hill where Iesaryth has settled. Touching the wooly lengths attached to the hat, which she's tied back, Aishani wrinkles her nose. "It's good enough in the dark to make it not look like me, yes? Though I don't know if I can manage an accent without losing what I have at this point." The goldrider only has one knife visible at her belt, beneath her baggy shirt, but that doesn't mean there aren't more concealed on her person. Glancing off in the direction they've got to walk in, she shakes her head. "Not around the docks much, in the bar, such as it is. It's difficult for me to poke around." A quirk of her lips as she glances back to Jo. "Have you?" Chuckling, "I can get ya somethin' better," Jo offers certainly. Jo can always get something better, right? She nods to the answer given on the market, then returns it with, "A couple of times. Had to chase down a target in here one of those times and ended up pushin' him off the dock. Had to get him back out, too. It's not a bad place." Yeah, right. "Come on." She starts off walking with her, giving off the casual gait of one that has all the time in the world today. Her gait is much less predatory than it usually is, the woman altering her demeanor the closer they get to their destination. Along the way, as if they were going to a picnic, "How's it hangin' in yer neck of the woods?" she asks, her steps easy as she watches any of those walking by up ahead. Grudgingly, "Fair enough." Apparently Aishani has some strange attachment to her hat, despite the manginess of the thing. It does make her look far less like the well-groomed weyrwoman she's more recognizable as; so does the slouch she's managed to fall into as they walk along. "If not bad means we can find a few of the necessary staples at a decent price, then I'll be satisfied. There's little else I need." Sliding hands into the pockets of her pants, she shrugs Jo's way, pursing lips. "All right. I'm managing, but I think I need a project. Closer to home." A sidelong glance. "Something you might be interested in." Jo eyes Aishani for the grudging tone she hears on the first before she's laughing to herself and moving on. "'Not bad' for me usually means ya'll at least leave the place still walkin'," she points out far too jauntily. It's probably apparent that she loves her off-beat, violent places. "Whatcha lookin' for?" They get past the entrance into the main portion of the market, all sorts of types that don't like being looked at too closely in the eye wandering about them from one shoddy stall to the other. The market - a black market, if one needed to be honest - was bustling enough that one can slip in and out without anyone noticing too much. Jo guides Aishani down between the stalls slowly, looking at the wares before she answers, "A project." Dark gaze finds Aishani's before she says, "Ya know I'm open. Whatever it is. Whatcha got in mind?" There's a faint smirk for the bluerider's description of the place, but Aishani doesn't look too concerned as they pass into the market; though she does allow quietly to Jo, "There's a what, but there's a who. Or a where, perhaps. I've heard I'm to look for a red-striped awning. I don't think they'll have all of what we're after here this evening." A pause. "I don't know what we can afford, to be honest." Her attention on the stalls as if there's nothing specific she's looking for, she tells the other woman, "This arrangement your wing had with the Hold had me thinking... there must be people like your employers that could use couriers. Transport. Other things that might make enterprising riders some marks, were they people we trusted. Less a... brokerage fee, of course." Of course. There's a stall of a greasy-looking vendor selling knives, curved with a sharp barb that has Jo slowing down to study the wares as she listens. "Red-striped," she echoes, looking to the goldrider for confirmation. "Here, huh? Well, the wares do change almost by the night. I guess they need to with the nature of this place." She falls silent as Aishani speaks on the project, her eyes on the roam before she answers. "An arrangement I wish I knew the full details about," she states wryly, looking at her sidelong. "Still. There are people like my employers out there, looking for a few good, discrete, loyal riders. Transport. The prices seem fair enough to me, dependin'. Lookin' to be a courier yerself, or is this somethin' yer lookin' to start up at the Weyr? Beyond the eyes of our new actin' Weyrleaders, of course," she tacks on, a touch wry. "I'd imagine people come and go when they feel the need," Aishani murmurs, looking over the same way Jo does, gaze curious. "Thinking of adding to the collection?" she asks, with a nod to the knives before flashing a grin. Wry as well, "You and me both. I felt that the Weyr should be getting a cut. In our case..." She shrugs, unconcerned with that right now at least. As they continue along, "I'd like to do more arranging than anything. I'd trust the two of us to keep the employers quiet; we could give the people we work with the details they need to know, more if they prove useful. I know you found more than a few bright young things in this graduating class. There's a couple of riders that'd be likely. It could make us some money... and keep you closer to home now and then, if there were people to delegate to, yes?" "Decidin' if it's even worth hagglin' him," Jo answers, jerking her head back towards the stall they didn't stop for. "They're too showy, though, for what I use them for." Aishani likely knows what she does use her knives for, since there's no explanation. As they walk, the bluerider keeping her gaze on a group of burly men haggling a shopkeeper over a pair of swords, "I work for more than one," she admits after a moment, since the weyrwoman is talking about employers. "His name's Kimren. Works out of Crom and has a trackin' business. He's the one that's been feedin' me where Deetan is." Looking at her now, "Ya been meetin' with the weyrlins', right?" she asks with an arched brow. "Any ya think would be amendable? Yer opinion," for she certainly has some names herself. It's the last though that has the convict rider drawing smirk to her lips before she looks away and resumes checking out the stalls they walk past, stating, "I believe Z'ian did the same in keepin' me Weyrside more. I suppose so. Will have to keep eyes towards those that pay me beyond, but, yes," she looks over at Aishani again. "I can be agreeable to that." She's interested. "I suppose some people think the look is enough to scare people off? There might be some purpose to the make of them, but..." Aishani's likewise doubtful. She arches brows Jo's way for the information, with interest. "I'm not surprised," she allows. "That you'd keep yourself busy. If he's work that he might need riders for..." There's a little shrug. Her attention passes the haggling men to a stripey-type awning just beyond, and she nods that way, but her steps don't quicken. "I've met some. The lot you picked up seems bright enough. I like Telavi, and Sabella... doesn't like me, but that's not necessary for business." With a quirk of her lips for the bluerider, "Those that pay you beyond could only benefit from an organization within the Weyr seeing to their needs, rather than just a person or people. I can recruit caverns workers easily enough as well." Chuckling, "Yeah," Jo remarks on the first, shaking her head as she pushes past a couple of rough-looking women. She looks about to add more to that, but instead, she continues on, speaking about one of her employers. "He always needs riders," she says on Kimren. "It might not be the sort of work for most, though. Talkin' heavy-duty type of transportin', though that don' come all that often. Been runnin' for him for turns, so, he's pretty solid." Dark eyes skirt over some grubby looking children towards where the goldrider nods - the striped awning has her gaze fastened, but only for a moment. Her steps don't quicken either. Hands slipping into pockets as they meander in that direction, "Anyway," she continues on. "He's always lookin' for new business, even though I hardly bring him any. Telavi, Sabs..." she cuts to the next subject smoothly, seeming to consider the names. "Sybile, Canie." There's a pause before she puts in, "K'zin has potential." It's said matter-of-factly. "Don' worry about Sabs," she says off-handedly now. "I keep her under my wing." The last has her falling silent once more, the woman nodding once before saying, "Kimren could appreciate. Perhaps the others, too. More than ya know. Once they meet ya...whenever that will be." Even she hasn't heard back from them yet. "There's some cavern workers I know, too," she goes on to say. "Seek out a man named Dov. He was in my candidate class and hasn't left the Weyr. Many of those I talk to look to him." "We'll see." About what sort of work it might be for whom. As for the names, Aishani seems to agree, silent until that last. With a wrinkle of her nose, "He's an idiot and obsessed with truth. Hardly the sort to trust with lies. I'm surprised you'd even think that." She has to give Jo a bemused look, fine brows arched, as if there's something she's missed about the bluerider... until she seems to make a leap of logic-- and smirks. Even so, "I won't worry about anyone you say you've go handled. But let's keep it to the girls for now. At least we know they usually know how to keep a secret. And I'll do that." There's not much more to say as they get to the stall with the striped awning. There's a grizzled woman manning it, keeping an eye on the meager sacks of flour, beans and meal for sale. "He came to me," Jo admits on the bronze weyrling, studying Aishani's face side long. "Apparently he's had some sort of fall down with his dragon until things got patched up. He seems to be wantin' to see things...differently." That look going Aishani's way is significant, letting that linger before she continues. "His bronze has our way of thinkin', from what Tac tells me," she goes on to say as they walk. "He thinks I can sway him further. I'm hesitant," she admits quietly. "He's...clean, but so was I, once. His need to find the truth on a murder does make me suspicious, I'll admit. In this life that he wants to learn so much about, ya don' ask questions if someone disappears. Even when yer the one makin' someone disappear." Snickering now as she looks away, "Maybe not K'zin. I'm curious how far he's willin' to go. I'll see how much he can take before he scares. I agree on keepin' it to the girls, but I remain certain that his Rasavyth has potential. It remains to be seen if Rasavyth's rider does, too." Now they're at the stall, and her focus turns on the grizzled woman and her meager wares. She shucks a nod her way but remains silent, letting Aishani do the talking. Quietly, "Ahh... I think I know what that might be about. He asked me about Iolene and Ysavaeth, and didn't much like the answers. Perhaps the dragon is the grand-dam's, but from knowing Io... it doesn't mean the rider will be at all similarly inclined." Perhaps that's why Aishani's expression is somewhat skeptical, her intimate knowledge of that situation and the cleanup required. "Who wants a life in the dirt? He's obviously seeing some glamour in you or the life that there isn't, or he's his dragon's creature by now. Neither of which I'd be surprised by. Though." She pauses to admit, "Iesaryth likes Rasavyth. It's just that truth and justice have no place near what I'm proposing." Once the woman's done waving off a pokey shopper, she fixes both riders with a shrewd glare. "What do you want?" Shani, ever efficient, produces a list. "In order of priority," the dark woman tells the bean-vendor. Jo looks fully at Aishani now as she explains, realization dawning on her. Blinking, "There's no tellin' why dragons pick the way they do," she muses on that subject briefly. On the life, "He wants to see the other side of this world," she states far too lightly. "I think he wants to see what his dragon sees. He's not use to that way of thinkin'. Of bein' willin' to manipulate others to get what ya want. That murder is commonplace in this way of life. I'm interested in seein' if he'll no longer want to hunt for Seani's killer, if he gets this glimpse he wants. I do have a glamorous life, though," and she provides a cheeky smile for the weyrwoman, all resplendent in sarcasm for those others. "I'm sure they all think so back there, or think that I'm some skirt-chasin' man-eater. It's better they do than see that my hands are covered in blood. I don' want them lookin' in on my extracurricular activities, in other words." She doesn't need such pretenses with Aishani, evidently, to speak so boldly. "But I'm interested to see where this goes. Ya know me," and there's a brief flash of a dark grin. "I'm more than happy to introduce anyone to a life of the corrupt if they want it so badly." Jo then regards the woman as a list is passed over before she starts flicking a glance about them at any that happen to pay them more than a second glance. For all intents and purposes, she seems to be posing as Aishani's bodyguard, one hand having been placed too casually on one of her sheathed knives. While the woman looks over the list, Aishani leaves it at: "I get the idea that the one most accused in that death is least interested in any discussion about it, and we hardly need to cause more issues in that direction." There's a pause, then, grouchily, "You should at least get something out of it. If K'del says he has a big mouth..." Her look for Jo is significant -- and drawn away by the vendor-woman's harsh laugh at the list. Waving it Shani's way, "Even if I had all this, you're looking at more than the likes of you can afford. Full marks worth!" The faux-dreadlocked goldrider gives the woman behind the counter a withering look before, "Just write down what you want for all of it; we'll go from there." They begin to confer over the list, but it becomes clear that what's being haggled over is staple foodstuffs -- many of which are running low in stores. "Hm," Jo huffs quietly, hearing what she does from K'del. "I agree on the accused. I tried to dissuade him from bone diggin', but he seems determined. I'm all for findin' answers, so long as those answers stay covered. Those with big mouths don' live very long in our sort of life, otherwise," she notes darkly in a murmur, shaking her head. "If he's as foolish as K'del says in that direction, he better hope Rasavyth cares more for his own hide than K'zin is doin'." When the shopkeeper laughs at the list, the look Jo gives her could singe hair. She continues to study the wares and the list when she can glimpse it, looking from one woman to the other and taking in the haggling. She doesn't interrupt, of course. A passing man eyes the pair of them as he meanders along, and now he has that gaze enough to get him to turn away. The bodyguard on duty is quite enough to keep most people moving on, and even the grizzled woman will take a moment to eye Jo suspiciously. But she hasn't gotten to where she is in life (ha!) by worrying overmuch about threats when she's doing business, so she and Aishani continue to trade a pencil back and forth, crossing out items, adding them in, subtotaling, pricing. The darker woman is oddly animated for all this, dark eyes bright despite her all-too-sober demeanor -- she loves to make a deal, and the grizzled old woman seems to get a kick out of it too, which might account for the length of the transaction. Eventually, they have something; the old woman grunts and nods. "Three days. Let me give you the location." She ducks in behind the stall's curtain, and Shani can finally tell Jo, "That's what they're for, I suppose. Looking out for us when we're not bright enough to." If she's giving the bluerider a pointed look, it's at least fondly pointed. Despite all the back and forth of the sale, Jo remains as vigilant as her dragon usually is. When she's not looking over what's being scratched out or written in, she's looking out at the passing crowd, watching the pickpocketers dart in and out among the unsuspecting. It's only once the woman goes behind her curtain that she turns to regard the goldrider, and the words given on their paused conversation getting a wry, "Mine is, for sure. The number of times Tac's pulled me outta a jam back before I graduated. He's untried, but, that don' mean he can' change. Rasavyth's rather ambitious for a weyrlin', and I want to think he had chosen K'zin on those sands for a reason that most can' see. Still," and she gives and shrug, watching stall curtain where the woman had gone. "There's Alida," another female, not having forgotten her. "Though, with her guard background, I dunno if she'd be willin' to lean that way. She's another one with potential that's uncertain. Those supplies all for the Weyr?" It's smooth how she tacks in that question, right behind candidate suggestions. Wryly, "Sometimes, we never see. But it's possible. And I'd thought of Alida, but her background concerned me as well. I'm not sure if she's inclined toward the sketchy so much as investigating what looks sketchy. Quite helpful with the pirates so far; she might have some questions for you about your adventures in unconsciousness." Aishani glances Jo's way, noting, "It wasn't my tale to tell." As for the supplies, the goldrider doesn't want to meet the bluerider's gaze for that; she eyes the curtain as if she can make the woman return with her stare. "Not if anyone else asks me. But when they turn up in stores in a few days time, I can hardly deny it. Just don't tell anyone." Grizzled vendor-lady does appear finally, waving a piece of hide Shani's way and demanding thirty percent upfront. There's an eyeroll for Jo before she makes the transaction, shielding her mark pouch with her body. "Is it possible that this class is worse than mine?" Jo remarks in humor upon hearing that Alida may have questions for her about her investigations. "It would be a feat. We hardly rebelled so openly like they seem determined to do. I think yer right about Alida. Her talents may lie more to investigative work than behind-the-scenes. I think she'd be useful for Glacier, even." As if she'd have a say in it, really. She looks sidelong towards Aishani when she does answer on the items bought at the stall, the hard study evident perhaps even when she's not looking at the convict rider. Then, "It won' be heard from my lips," she drawls out with incline of her head. "I would wonder if certain folks would even notice the addition, or even look towards yer ledge." Dark eyes cut to the woman once she appears, passing the weyrwoman a hitch of one corner of her mouth as demands are being made in payment. With a short laugh, post-payoff, "At least you were quiet about it? Sneaky? They do seem particularly... determined, yes. And I can see Glacier working well for Alida, if she wants to continue on her current path." Aishani doesn't really have much more say in it herself, but it doesn't stop anyone else from speculating, so why should it her? Starting away and along the stalls like they're still shopping, she doesn't respond to Jo's study, expression neutral. Nodding once as well, "I appreciate that. I imagine the additions will be noticed, but I am certain no one will seek to blame me for it." Her tone is dry, but not bitter; she adds, "Jyani's quick enough about helping get things in and most people are concerned with what's going out." Nodding, "Sneaky. Quiet," Jo confirms on that firmly. "We knew where to cause trouble and where not to. Then again, we weren' weyrlins' in a time when politics and chaos in the Weyr were so interestin." She wanders away from the stall with a fleeting nod going to the shopkeeper as they leave, now letting her gaze linger on other stalls of note. "I imagine more talk will be on the new chosen actin' Weyrleader than blamin'," she notes idly as they walk, hands now tucking back into pant pockets. "I find it curious that K'del wasn' named." Beat. "Haven' met this Jyani," she adds a touch wryly. "How's she likin' the Weyr, anyway?" "Mm. I knew enough to keep my head down until I graduated, myself. But I suppose we had something to lose. Some of this lot... don't seem like they know what it is to lose in the first place." Aishani doesn't seem to necessarily blame them for that, but there's a weariness to her tone; why don't they get it? Even if she's supposedly not worrying about the issues of the Weyr at large anymore. But then, why would she be buying food if that was the case? And with whose marks? Giving a little unladylike snort, "K'del seems to find it a bit curious as well. And she's around, just... in and out and all over. She likes it, so far. She finds it more interesting." Giving the stalls a cursory glance, "I can't even pretend to be interested in any of this, though. Let's get a drink, see if we can hear anything before heading home. Talk about some leads for future business." More profitable than this, hopefully. "A lot of us in our class did," Jo readily agrees on that - them having something to lose. "Keepin' our heads down was just better for the lot of us. I few of them in this one knows what it is, and ya likely haven' been hearin' their names associated with trouble these days." Names she's not naming since the weyrwoman was smart enough to figure them out. There's a light snort on K'del, but she's nodding when it comes to Jyani. "Hard to catch. Good girl," she notes with a smirk going Aishani's way. Dark gaze does gives the latest stall a glance that's bordering on boredom before she turns for the direction of another path, gesturing with her chin as she says, "Don' expect any good drinks, darlin'," almost dryly. "Ya might choke on the ale, but the barkeep's friendly enough. If there's anything worth knowin' about this day, he'll know about it. Come on." Everything sounding good to this bluerider, she starts leading them past the thick of the crowd towards one of the dock shacks dotting the area. |
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