The Upper City, North End
The Royal Crown Inn
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The Royal Crown Inn is dubbed as the first tavern and inn in the Royal City, better known even than the Luxurious Victoria. The building itself is very large, much larger than an Inn could get now in the crowded Royal City. The bottom floor is an open floor plan complete with a large bar on the right side and a stage on the back, thousands of pictures, mementos and knick knacks adorn the wall. It is customary that every student that graduates from the Royal School of Engineers leaves his mark on the walls of the Royal Crown inn on some way or another. The floor is dotted with a dozen long oak tables from before the winter, each complete with six to eight heavy chairs. On the right side of the inn, opposite the bar, there's a heavy staircase leading both to a few private halls and the rooms where patrons of the Inn might stay. Walking though the inn, one can see hundreds of years lof Daguerrian history displayed on the walls, as well as dozens of hopeful engineers from the Royal School, drinking and eating in between class and waiting for the day they can leave their mark there as well. Anyone who wants to deal with the engineers, their projects or expeditions, knows many of those deals come to be over a mug of ale at the Royal Crown Inn.
Stepping into the inn,
Accalia paused just inside to scan the crowd, looking for someone that looked like they might be in need of her services. After this first look around the room she entered it proper and took a seat at an empty table. Most folks could recognize a ranger, especially if they had need of one.
A few minutes passed after Cali had taken a seat at the table, she began looking around to see if there was anyone around she recognized. Barely a minute had passed before one of the wenches from the inn approached her, though. She was a very busty, slightly overweight young woman with a wild mane of brown hair on her and a small gap between her front teeth. She simply plopped a mug of ice cold ale in front of Cali and, with a smile, said "Courtsy of the house, ma'm"
Accalia lifted her head to look at the woman, a some what disdainful expression on her face as she took in the woman's appearance. However, the offer of a free drink seemed to lighten her up and she gave the barest hint of a smile and a nod. "My thanks." She replied , then took a large drink from the mug. The young woman licked her lips as she swallowed and directed her attention back to the bar maid with raised brows. "Would you happen to know if anyone around here was looking for a ranger's services?
As Accalia took a long drink of the ice cold mead, she noticed a piece of paper stuck to the frosty bottom of the glass, neatly folded into a square. "Engineers are soft, squishy types, dear." replied the barmaid, placing her hand on her hip, "If they ever brave to go outside, they always hire some muscle, so I think you're in the right place. You could check the posting's too." she added, pointing towards the far wall right before she walked away. On the opposite wall of the bar there seemed to be a large cork board with several dozen pieces of paper posted up. It served as a news board, a job posting place and a means of communication for many engineers and rangers alike.
The sight of the paper gave
Accalia pause. She gave the woman a suspicious look as she pulled the paper from the bottom of the mug. "Aye? Good advice." Came her dismissive reply. Later, she would do that, but for now- She set down her glass and slowly unfolded the paper, not able to imagine why someone would send her a message this way.
The paper was wet from the condensation on the glass and the ink on it had been slightly smudged, but was still clearly readable. It had been writing on a flourished, very well deliberate handwriting. Probably the writing of someone with quite an education under their belt. The message was short and simple. "Upstairs. Room 202." and was signed with a single letter. "R"
Accalia snorted loudly. What was this about? She glanced about the room for a moment, wondering who it was that had sent her this note via busty bar maid. When she’d first come in she hadn’t noticed any familiar faces. Scowling a little, Accalia finished off her ale and stood from her seat, tucking the little piece of paper into her coat before heading up the stairs. R- She wracked her brain as she followed the hallway and scanned for the doors for room 202, but came up with nothing.
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Private Rooms
Everyone in the inn just went around their business as Accalia looked around, as if none of them even knew she was there. Perhaps it was purpose or perhaps this stealthy method to get in touch with her was getting into Cali's head. The woman walked up the stairs unobstructed and walked into one of the slightly darkened hallways, lit by the dim yellow of faint galvanic lights. Finally, she came to room 202, a private room, not one of the simplest in the inn, nor the most luxurious, but perfectly plain instead.
The young, dark hair woman stopped in front of the door and scowled slightly as she took a moment to eye it up as if it were her opponent.
Accalia didn't like not knowing who or what was waiting for her behind it. If they had some legitimate problem that they needed her help with or that concerned her they wouldn't have had to have a piece of paper slipped to her under the guise of generosity from the house, she felt, whoever
they were, and she loathed surprises of any kind. Narrowing her eyes, Cali glanced around again, then stepped a little closer and silenced her own breath, pressing her ear to the door so as to listen to what was going on inside the room.
One didn't get to be a very good ranger without a handle on stealth and sharp senses. Accalia managed to keep quiet as she leaned against the door, the wood under her feet letting out a tiny creak which almost made her heart jump to her throat. It seemed whoever was inside missed it though. Pressing against the door, she started to pick up fragments of a conversation. "-taking too long, we don't even know if she got it." said one voice. It was the kind of voice of a man who must have been commanding and powerful in his youth, but now had been made fragile by age. "I can assure you she's gotten it, sir." said another voice, younger and jovial, coming from closer to the door. "She's probably in her way... if she's interested." there was suddenly a knock on the floor of the room. "I just think we shoul--" said the older voice again, but it was hard to make out what came after. "-- and simply told her about her father, and what we--" this time the noise coming from downstairs made it hard to hear again, but the younger voice intervened again. "That would have been ideal, Milord, but it's impossible to know who might have been listening.", to this, the older voice simply replied, "- Don't 'lord' me-" followed by an unintelligible bit, "--still remember what your name used to--".
The young woman's nostrils flared as she realized it was her they were discussing inside and it only further infuriated her. To add to this was the mention of her father. Why in the gods names should they be discussing her and her parent? Straightening herself,
Accalia drew back her fist and pounded roughly on the door heedless of the whatever intention it could bring to her, letting her anger get in the way of what little intelligence she had. Her face took on an expression of determined indignation, her dark eyes hardened and her mouth set into a grim line.
Immediately after Accalia had pounded on the door, the voices inside the room abruptly stopped. She could hear some footsteps rush hurriedly across the room and finally, some very determined ones head towards the door. Whoever was inside had the door locked and secured. She could hear two or three bolts be opened and a chain removed before the door opened. On the other side were two men, one she had never met before and one whose face seemed vaguely familiar. The man she had never met before was the one who stood closer and had opened the door. He was a young daguerrian with longish brown hair tied in an orderly ponytail. He seemed somewhat frail and wore a pair of square glasses, a long sleeved shirt and a black vest with an inlaid silver pattern mimicking a vine on it. He also had a black cane with a silver head on which he was leaning heavily, apparently having a lame leg or something of the sort. The other man was much older, but also Daguerrian and sitting on a large burgundy arm chair on the far end of the room, right next to a galvanic heater. He wore a long coat, he had a straight and narrow face, sharp grey eyes and thinning grey hair slicked back. "Ah.. Cali." said the older man. "Please, come in." he added. "I don't know if you remember me... I am Lord Alastor Raleigh... this is Vincent Blackwood." he added, pointing at the other man who bowed his head slightly. "I was a.. uhm.. friend of your father's."
With a stern and slightly aggrieved expression
Accalia waited for the door to open and walked into the room once it was without giving pause to better take in her situation. "What's this about?" The young woman demanded, positioning herself so that she had both men in her view and looking them over briefly before replying again. "I don't." She replied instantly when he indicated that they had met before, though despite her answer she was, in fact, wracking her brain to try and figure out how she knew him (
Memory). While her eyes shifted to the younger man when he was indicated, she then largely ignored him and focused her attention on the lord who was giving the orders. "How do you know my father?" It was less of a question than a demand for answers, her voice hard edged as she stared hard at the old man in the chair.
As much as she tried, Accalia couldn't remember where she knew the older man from, all she knew was that he seemed very familiar. "Please do come in." added Blackwood, putting his hand gently on Accalia's shoulder and nudging her towards the room. Then he took a quick glance around, as if to make sure she wasn't followed, before closing the door. "I understand you must have a lot of questions..." said Raleigh, the older noble. "I was a friend of your father's, as I said. Believe it or not I used to be quite an explorer, and your father was my top guide several years ago. I worked with him until quite recently... before he disappeared into the blizzard..." he concluded, a tone of sadness in his voice. "Your father and I had one last contract, you see. He told me that if anything happened to him, you could be trusted to fulfill it."
Accalia's scowl only deepened, jerking away from Blackwood's touch with a glare in his direction. "Don't touch me." She stepped away from the younger man, once again directing her attention to the elder of the two. Her eyes narrowed upon hearing news that her father was missing, but Raleigh continued right past that as if it were hardly of consequence compared to his unfinished contract. "Forgive me my lord," she hastily replied, her voice dripping with venom. "Are you telling me that my father is gone?" Her jaw tightened and she took a step forward, crossing her arms over her chest. Though she was a great deal more interested in what happened to him, there was a brief flare of pride when he told her that her father had named her to finish the job in his place.
But what could be so damned important that he would have to?
When Accalia glared at Vincent Blackwood, he simply took a step back, resting his weight on his cane and bowed slightly, letting out a simple, "My apologies." as he took a respectful distance and let Lord Raleigh speak. The old man took a deep breath, almost like a sigh, apparently trying his best not to do anything to set off the young woman in front of him. "Yes." he said simply, and softly, letting the words sink in before he continued. "Your father might have been many things, Cali, but he was always a good ranger. Probably a better ranger than he was anything else. And if a Ranger is not there when he needs to be, then something has happened to them." there was a hint of sadness and fear in Raleigh's voice. "I knew him before you were born, I saw you patter around in the Parapet when you were too young to step off the mountain. I trusted him and I trust you because he said if anything happened to him, I could trust you." Raleigh look as if he was going to continue speaking but was cut off by Blackwood. "-The question is... can we trust you to take this job in your father's stead? If you do, I can try to find some information on what his last job was. Maybe you can still find him."
The young woman let out a soft huff of breath, shifting slightly on her feet. Lord Raleigh's words seemed to have quieted the ranger for the time being while she struggled with the torrent of emotions that flickered behind her dark eyes.
Accalia knew he was right, but the idea that her father, the man she'd idolized growing up, might be dead? It was too hard for her to swallow. "Let's leave the past where it is please," She finally responded as he brought up the length of years he'd known the man,
as if this lord should know him better than his own daughter, "I'll do it, but I'm holding you to your word." She finished, her head swiveling to stare coldly at Vincent Blackwood. "And I mean that. I don't accept
I tried. If I do this task I expect information in return."
"I can't make a promise which I don't know if I can keep." replied simply Blackwood as he walked past Accalia, and stood by Lord Raleigh. "But I CAN promise that which depends on me. I will search for that information in earnest and prove we will provide you with whatever we find." he added with a small, courteous bow. "Good then." added Raleigh. "Have a seat, Cali." said the old man, extending his palm forward so as to point out a pair of red cushioned wooden couch chairs across the small tea table from the chair on which he was sitting. "What do you know of the Queen Kateryn?"
Accalia responded with a scowl cast in Blackwood's direction, not much caring for his talk of promises and tries. However, it seemed to be the best she was going to get from the man with the gimp leg. It was with that same expression still on her face that she took her seat in the chair offered to her, leaning back with her arms crossed, as seemed to be her default stance, even when sitting. One of her brows arched high as he asked his question, the sullen glare momentarily fading as she tried to think which he meant. It took a couples long seconds before she finally puzzled it out that he probably didn't mean the actual queen, but the train, which had been what first came to mind. "You mean the train, right?" She still ended up asking with pursed lips. "The one that people disappeared from?" It was something she'd heard earlier that had caught her interest.
"Yes." replied simply Lord Raleigh, seemingly glad Cali had heard SOMETHING about the train. "If the information is out on the streets, then we have less time than we thought." sighed simply Blackwood as he took a seat on the remaining couch. "You see, Accalia, there are a few things that went missing on the Queen Kateryn. Some of the passengers actually made it to the station, but many didn't. Of the people who didn't make it, only three were passengers, however, and we have reason to believe they were all after the same thing." Suddenly, a single knock was heard on the door. It was surprising, as whoever had knocked managed to go completely undetected by Cali or the two men until they were close enough to call. Blackwood turned to the older Lord, a hint of urgency in his face. "Lord Raleigh." he said simply, as if reminding him of something previously discussed. "I understand, I'll be brief." replied the lord before turning back to Cali. "Listen Cali, take this." he began to hurriedly speak, taking out an envelope and setting it down on the table in front of Cali. "Put together a team, just a couple of people you can trust and supplies. If anyone asks, you say you're going to Ajdanen, to look for Majai relics at the behest of Lord Vincent Blackwood. He's your cover, Blackwood is an antiques salesman." to this, Blackwood simply nodded and smiled politely. "In reality, you head the opposite way, follow the tracks towards Ordon. Whatever happened to the Queen Kateryn, it happened along those tracks. One of the passengers that went missing was a woman, find out what happened her and if you can bring her, or her remains, back to the city. For everyone's safety, be discreet about each of these things."
Pleased that she already had some information and now intrigued,
Accalia leaned in slightly as she listened, giving a nod in the appropriate places. Most of the smaller details she discarded, not thinking them important, but a curious expression formed on her face as he hinted that the three missing were all after something. However, just as she was about to ask him what that something was they were interrupted by a knock at the door and Cali straightened, her hand moving to the rondel strapped at her side. There was a sense of urgency now between the two men that was difficult to miss, but she hadn't really time to ask what was going on when Lord Raleigh pushed an envelope her way and quickly went over the details with her. "To Ajdaene for relics," She repeated, doing her best to commit it to memory, even as she bristled at the idea of having to find companions to bring along. "But I'm going to Ordon." A pause as she repeated it again, only to frown at the older man. "Who is this woman?What is her name? What does she look like?"
Lord Raleigh had began to stand up, while Blackwood already had one hand on the doorknob. When Cali asked her questions, Raleigh nodded, speaking as he put on his heavy coat and a small, grey bowler hat. "When I met her, her name as Lydia Thorne, but she was a smart girl. I sincerely doubt she kept using that name." he said simply, now taking his scarf from the back of the couch where he'd been sitting and putting it around his neck. "She was a slight thing, with bushy, strawberry blonde hair and green eyes. She would be hard to miss." he added. Raleigh walked to the door as Blackwood opened the door. Outside, Cali caught a glimpse of a stunning young woman standing by the door. She had long red hair and deep blue eyes, and was wearing a strange kind of chauffeur outfit. "Scarlett, dear? You'll see me home?" said simply Lord Raleigh, to which the woman nodded with a smile. "Goodbye, Cali, my girl. Be careful, I could not forgive myself if harm came to my friend's daughter on my account, but unfortunately we have no one else to turn." with that, Lord Raleigh left, walking down the stairs followed by the woman. "We will leave separately, I will go last." said Blackwood to Cali after Lord Raleigh was gone, still holding the door open.
More information to file away,
Accalia did so the best she could, softly repeating it to herself over and over; later she should write it down, maybe, possibly, just to prove to herself she would remember it. For some reason she felt drawn into this now, despite her initial resistance, and not just because she'd gotten Blackwoods word that he would help her find her father.
Who isn't dead. They're both fools, rich, pretentious fools prattering like women. Father probably just got turned around in the storm is all, holding out inside of a cave, there's not a chance in hell he's dead. Her eyes flicked up, a scowl on her face again, but not for long when she saw the red haired beauty in the door. Interest lit up in her eyes and her expression changed slightly, whether she realized and wanted it to or not.
Quite a sight. Was all she admitted, though there was a brief surge of envy for Lord Raleigh as he took his leave with her and she said nothing in reply to his well wishing, brushing them aside with little thought. The strange looking chauffeur and lord gone, Cali merely cast Blackwood a stern look. "You just be certain to get the information I need
sir."
Because my father isn't dead, he couldn't possibly be taken out by a damned blizzard, not him. With that she stepped out of the room and headed down the stairs and out the door into
WoW - Sevenoaks Street with scarcely a word or a look to any other patron in the inn.
Post here
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WoW - Sevenoaks Street
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