Conversations

Meeting The Fox
Cirice wasn’t happy to be going into Nottingham, the mess over who would do it was proof of the failing council system to her mind but she kept this to herself. In truth she hadn’t said much on the walk since she had never really spoken with Silk outside of meetings, though naturally she had heard his reputation and had even attempted to joke about it at meetings on occasion. She wasn’t at all sure what he thought of her.

“You know where we are going?” she asked as they neared Nottingham.

“Of Course, I know these streets like the back of my hand” Silk replied, a grin upon his weasel like face. “I'd follow my lead and stick close, the Fox’s men are always looking for oddballs and those whose interests might align with him. Luckily though we have never met in person, but for a gang leader, his reputation is at least not as bad as those from London.”

“I’m rather hoping he is reluctant to mess with.. children, if only because of the Cats former operation,” Cirice remarked dryly, following Silk’s lead. “Just warn me if you think he is going to try anything, not that I think he will given past reports. I’d rather we make friends, or at least whatever you and him have instead of friends.”

Silk put on a shocked and insulted expression; although the smile still remained. “Mistress Cirice, you wound me… I am a simple man of the world only looking to achieve my very best. If that means having to lie, cheat, steal and occasionally annoy Essel, then it is a sacrifice I'm willing to make.“However, you do raise a valid point. If I start playing with the ring on my left hand as I talk to the Fox, that means I believe we might be in danger. If I start playing with the ring on my right hand, that means I think he wont do anything dangerous as as long as we don't.” “The next order of business I think we need to discuss is, are we going to disguise ourselves in Nottingham? I know they think you're an adult, but it might pay to be extra cautious?”

"I merely meant that The Fox might prefer partners to friends, I guess we'll see." Cirice glances at the ring and nods. "You're the expert at disguise, so we'll do what you think is best. I can always shapeshift if need be but something more down to earth may be better."

“Do you possess any forms that might be inconspicuous in a town? If so, I'd recommend taking it."

“Hardly unheard of for a fox to creep into a town looking for scraps. Heard tales of wolves in some places but that would cause more of a stir,” Cirice chuckles, “I should be able to keep out of sight but I’m fine with you disguising me as long as it doesn’t involve anything too smelly..”

"Fox should be fine. I should be okay with doing the talking. Letting his men know that we want to see him should be easy enough as well, he told the others last time they were here that he was keeping an eye out for people who match our descriptions, he's likely got beggars in his employ for this reason, it's what I'd do after all.

“I trust you’ll be good at talking. Don’t claim to be our leader, just say you’re there for the meeting and see how he reacts..”

“Yes Ma’am! I'll disguise myself as Edward, that will give me atleast some reason to look a little poorer than normal.” Silk replied, taking his disguise out of his pack.

A minute passes... Right then, lets see what the other other Fox wants to talk about?” ‘Edward’ smiled.


 * ~ Passing through Nottingham ~

Taking the lead Silk entered into Nottingham. The guards at the gate initally asked who he was before he recieving the explanation how he was simply a poor merchant down on his luck, how his most recent delivery had been attacked by Robin Hood, how that meant he had lost a good deal of coin which would cause such trouble for his family. The guards hurried him along after that, not having the patience for the sob story, merely informing him to report the theft to the Sheriffs office for information if it leads to Robin Hoods capture.

With that mess behind him, Silk started looking around the entrance way for what he needed; A beggar on a darkened corner of a nearby alleyway. He approached the man and threw him a couple of coins before kneeling down and whispering in a hushed tone. “Let the Fox know the people he wants to speak with are here. Tell him to expect us within the hour. If you do so, there's more in it for you than those few coins”

Without saying a word, the beggar nodded and stood up. With a bit of a limp he started making his way towards the area of the City where Cass, Richard and Falko had informed the council of the Fox’s compound. With a bit more of a leisurely pace Silk started heading towards the Fox’s compound, keeping his eye out for anything that was out of the ordinary as he went.

Having scurried into the town when the guards weren’t looking, the furred figure of Cirice kept to the shadows while following Silk, hunkering down if anyone passed close. Truth was rather than people who might yell or throw stones, her focus was on avoiding any stray dogs which might take an interest. Where able she made a point of letting Silk catch sight of her. She found herself impressed at his acting, almost mistaking who he was on one occasion yet her senses were keener as a Fox thankfully. Unlike him she had no idea where she was going and as usual didn’t pay that much attention to the streets themselves. If they got separated and had to escape she always had the option of flying.

Spotting Cirice as he approached the Fox’s Compound, Silk walked over to a nearby alleyway, after checking the coast was clear, he indicated for Cirice to approach him. Lowering his voice and tone, he nodded to a door that was hard to spot on the right hand side. “That's the entrance to the Fox’s compound. Do you want to transform back, or am I going to have to convince them that I'm seeing their boss called “The Fox” with my ‘pet’ fox?” he whispered a small grin on his face, somewhat masked by the facial contortions he was doing to keep up the disguise.

Within moments Cirice was herself once more. “Handy as that is, the streets here aren’t something you want to be close to.. Shall we head in? I’ll leave the talking to you unless he calls your bluff on being the one here for the meeting.”

“I think we shall” Silk replied, taking the lead towards the doorway.


 * ~ The Fox's Compound ~

Upon reaching the doorway, Silk knocked firmly upon the wooden door. A few moments later a slider on the upper part opened and a gruff voice called out. “Whatta you two want?”

“We are here to see your boss, he is expecting us.” Silk replied, the tone of his voice leaving no room for interpretation.

“Gimme a sec” the voice replied with the slider in the door closing behind the man. A few moments later the door itself opened revealing a large balding thug, a gruesome scar went down the left half of his face leading to a blinded eye. The man looked at Silk and Cirice before gesturing inside. “He’s expecting you, although this ain't the kind of meeting you should bring ya daughter to see”

“She won't learn if I dont show her how it's done, will she?” Silk replied as he stepped into the doorway with Cirice.

The pair then followed the man through the hallways of the house leading into a courtyard within the compound that had been described by Cass before their departure. A table labelled with food and drink was laid out, on one side of the table was The Fox, two chairs were situated on the other side of the table. On a gangway above, several armed men were watching the meeting, bows in hand, but no arrows to be spotted. Silk and Cirice walked over to the chairs and waited for The Fox to address them before seating. Without offering a word, he gestured to the seats indicating them to take a seat. Silk followed suit and took a seat and adopted a relaxed posture, his eyes however were looking around the compound making mental notes of what he spotted.

“So you're the leader of the group which has caught Giscard’s attention? I must say I'm rather surprised by your attire, and the fact you have brought a young girl with you?” The Fox began, looking first at Silk and then at Cirice.

“I’m afraid that I required a disguise to enter Nottingham. Giscard’s men have proved rather talented at locating my assets within the city. I’d be impressed but then I’d have to give him credit, and I’d rather not do that. Furthermore my daughter here rarely leaves my side, and if she's going to inherit my assets in the future, she should learn from experience, would you not agree?” Silk replied, watching The Fox’s face for any clues to his motive or disposition.

“A smart move, although I suspect that one with gifts like yours, that outmanoeuvring Giscard should be child's play, no?” The Fox then stated, staring into Silk's face.

“Of course, I pride myself on my ability to fool the man. A good lie should always be so simple that you don't fall over it, extravagant lies always fail in the end. However we should really get down to business, why have you attempted to repeatedly summon me for a meeting?” Silk replied, trying to move the subject on from ‘gifts’ and the like.

“Not to fast my friend, I’d like to see a demonstration of your ‘gifts’, to know that I'm speaking to the leader. Nothing personal” he stated firmly, gesturing to the men above him with a simple wave of his hand. The men on the gang way all picked up arrows and notched them. Ready to fire on command.

“Whoa now! Let's not do anything too hasty!” Silk calls out, raising his arms into the air.


 * ~ Discovering a Mage ~

Cirice had resisted the urge to glare at the doorman and instead spent her time focused on the house, finding it grander than she had expected. The courtyard and the food was of similar fare but she kept quiet as she awkwardly sat down. True to her word she remained quiet and just watched the proceedings since Silk had given her the perfect excuse to gaze at things and listen in even while looking a little sullen. Anger crept into her expression as The Fox's men reacted to his gesture, bow rising. This wasn't what she expected from hearing how the others had been treated.

Trusting Silk was the focus of their attention; she whispers an incantation, her hands still on her lap, and half the room fills with a thick fog obscuring the table and their side of the room from sight. Even in a divine aura the formulaic spell was childs play for her.

“Haha! Excellent!" The Fox laughed, a broad grin upon his face, "When I got the report from my man in Giscards employ I thought he had gone utterly luny, however as more reports came further and more evidence started to mount I began to take this very seriously.” He signalled to his men and they once again un-nocked their arrows before placing their bows down and started leaning against the wall as the mist started to fade.

Silk quickly capitalise upon this opportunity and took a grave and serious look, he picked himself up and broadened his shoulders, to give him a more authoritative aura. “And you thought the best idea to test this was to threaten me and my daughter was it?” Silk asked, a hint of venom in his voice.

“Of course, I needed to make sure. And I find that people are often more honest when they believe they are in a true sense of danger” The Fox responded coolly, he passed Silk and Cirice two tankards filled with wine.

Silk accepted his and began to drink from it without hesitation. “A brave plan, considering you know what I am. I could have done far worse to you and your men, however we were invited here in order to parlay, so I decided mercy was preferable. So, for what reason do you wish to intercede with my business?” Silk then stated, his gaze never leaving The Fox’s. Beside him Cirice looked wryly amused, reckoning her natural reaction would fit the bluff as much as anything. She didn't touch her drink.

There was then a few seconds of silence, The Fox stared into Silk’s face as the two men tried to read the other, after a few more moments the silence was broken by the Fox who sighed and began to speak. “I do apologise for the theatrics, however I was not really given much choice. Giscard has been causing me alot of problems, too many problems, and individuals with your ‘talents’ are of great use to me. I would like to propose an alliance of sorts; unofficial of course, to manage our mutual interests within the area. I would like us to work together to ruin Giscard and Gisborne and get them removed from Nottingham. Furthermore, I'd like to understand your interests within the area and if a mutually beneficial arrangement could be created where both of our organisations could profit?” The Fox paused, his face was blank as he looked between Silk and Cirice for any sign of weakness he could capitalise upon.

“An excellent introduction to an alliance…” Silk muttered dryly, before regaining his composure and taking a moment to construct his reply. “An alliance could be mutually beneficial, however I am not the only individual within Nottingham with my unique ‘talents’, I would have to pass on this offer to my associates for us to discuss. However I am authorised to at least enter a preliminary alliance with you; consider it a quid-pro-quo basis. We are willing to offer aid; within reason, that doesn't compromise our security in return for similar such favours. Does this initial alliance sound agreeable?”

“Excellent, I agree to these initial terms of the alliance. Do you have an easier point of contact, I'd rather not have to use beggars or listen into Giscard’s men every time I want to try and get a meeting with you?” The Fox said, a smile now upon his lips after listening to the initial offer.

“Send messages to the merchant Giles of Loughborough, you can find him in the northern section of Nottingham; he's a tailor by trade. He will be able to pass messages onto me and my associates” Silk replied, his voice was as cool as the mythical cucumber as he provided this information to The Fox. “With no further business to discuss, I suppose that me and my daughter will return to our associates. Would you please allow us to request our leave?” Silk stretched as he stood up, taking the opportunity to take count of the archers on the gangway

“Of course, I hope to hear from you soon? By the way, what should I call you ‘Master Wizard’?” the Fox then stated

Silk was silent for a few moments just as he was heading towards the entrance way they had initially entered from, he then turned back to The Fox, an extremely broad grin on his face. “You may call me Essel my friend”

“Well then Master Essel… I hope to hear from you soon” The Fox stated, an uneasy look upon his face as he let Cirice and Silk leave the area unmolested.


 * ~ Discussing Events ~

Upon reaching the street, Silk walked with purpose down the street before turning into a nearby alleyway and again turning into another connecting alleyway. He repeated this several times before stopping and turning to face Cirice.

“Well, that was entertaining” Silk stated a bit of grin upon his face.

There was a hint of a grin on Cirices face too as she shook her head. “You couldn’t help yourself at the end there? Bit of a risk given Giscard knows the name and our new friend has spies on Giscard.. Fun though.”

“Not at all, it was totally calculated. I was aware that the Fox has spies in Giscard’s Service and vice versa, thus The Fox likely knew some of the names we went by. This will provide even more fun as both parties now try to work out why Essel is me” Silk lied with a grin upon his face.

“I do look forward to seeing how Essel reacts to the news.. On the plus side, it might take some of Giscards attention off her visits to Farnesfield, but on the other.. Well, it will be pretty funny just to see her face at the mention of ‘Master Essel’.” Cirice thinks for a moment before speaking again. “I'd have asked details about Ariannes sister myself. Do you think we can trust him after that spectacle? I’m not even sure if his men would truly have shot us.. I’m still annoyed about that.”

“Oh the persona of ‘Master Essel’ is definitely going to be entertaining to me… I mean us… However you are correct on the matter of Arianne’s sister, he would be a great ally for us in that regard, just from having access to the guards rotations." Silks grin falls from his face as he takes on a more contemplative look. "I do think we can trust him to a degree. He is clearly desperate, I think there is more going on here than initially meets the eye, he’s got more than the simple issues of a crime lord with Giscard, this could be worth looking into. And don't take it personally, Crime Lords like him rarely get where they are without a bit of theatics. I think he wanted to force ‘me’ to use a little bit of magic to defend myself and that is exactly what happened” “As I said though, trust will take time. He could be very useful in the long run. Which is why I didn't want him knowing about the Red Boar Inn. If I told him to send messages there, then he would know we are within proximity to that location. However my friend Giles owes me quite a few favours, that will at least resolve a security issue for the time being”

"Lucky that I can be pretty subtle with my magic. As long as he doesn't try anything stupid, like kidnapping 'Master Essel's daughter' to try and gain leverage I think we should be fine," Cirice remarked with a small laugh. "The security idea was a good one, you did well. I can see now why you're on the council despite all the jokes people make about your reputation. No need for a meeting as I got full authority on this. I'll just make a note for Haeddi so she can add notes to the record for when Essel and Arianwen return."

Turning to glance back towards The Fox's place, Cirice looks thoughtful for a moment. "For now.. You head home and I'll find my own way back, I'm going to see if I can listen in on what he might be saying to his men."


 * ~ Further Investigation ~

After a quick glance up and down the alley Cirice became a bird, taking to the sky near the rooftops to circle back and land on one overlooking the courtyard and table from a distance. Between the bird's keen eyesight and a casting of Whispering Winds she felt sure she would be able to be her own spy for a few minutes. Below her, the Fox was surrounded by several of his men. These men looked more senior than the ones which where guarding the gangway above his compound.

“I think it went quite well, Master Essel and his daughter showed off their capabilities, or rather Master Essel did. And I showed off mine. I think the mutual threats implied in both cases should at least prevent them from acting against my interests in the future” The Fox's words floated on the wind up to the watcher as he looked at each of his men, having just informed them of events.

“Boss, Why are you cavorting with these Wizards? Don't the priest state that doing that will only attract demons?” One of his men began.

“Yeah, I know you’ve got issues with Giscard, but..” a second man began before being quickly silenced.

“Enough!! I told you when you first started to work under my employ that my vendetta against Giscard would take precedence in certain matters. I will have revenge for what he did to my family and that is my concern alone” The Fox stated firmly, his men nodding in agreement. As he continued he broke into a grin. “Anyways, use your noggins lads. Imagine what accomplishments we could achieve with a little bit of magic on our side. That mist spell Master Essel cast alone could provide us with so many opportunities for loot that we would be fools not to take advantage of the situation”

The Fox’s grin was quickly matched by his men. “So what do you want us to do Boss? We could always grab the girl, would give you a bit of leverage over Master Essel?” One suggested.

“No, You know the rules, we don't act against children or women. That option is not up for debate. Anyway, Master Essel stated that there were more of his kind around Nottingham than just him, and Giscards men report that there are several other wizards in the area. I'd rather not piss them off too much. Keep an eye on Giles' tailor shop, I want descriptions of every person who enters. If we recognize any of the wizard's servants, tail them, they have seen my home, I think it's only fair if I locate theirs.”

At the command the men jumped to attention and began barking orders to others in the compound. The Fox meanwhile slumped back into his chair before reaching into his shirt to take something out which out he stared at for a long moment. Higher up Cirice caught sight of the glint of gold and silver; moving her position slightly to get a better view to catch sight of a locket of some kind. Beside it on the same chain hung a ring, though neither the contents of the locket or details on the ring could be made out from so far. A few moments later The Fox closes the locket and places it back underneath his attire, turning his attention to the papers someone was just delivering to him.

Not wanting to push her luck further Cirice takes flight, rising upwards. It takes her a minute or so to orientate herself before finally heading off in the direction of Sherwood.


 * Final Thoughts ~

Twenty minutes down the road, Cirice located Silk, who was grumbling to himself why is was all the mages have a way of getting around easily while he had to walk everywhere... After checking nobody else was about she lands, shifting back before speaking. “It took a lot of training to manage my forms. It wasn’t at all easy.. Seems you were right, it seems we can trust him. He hates Giscard deeply.”

“Well that I don't disagree with, could you imagine the chaos that would come about if I was able to transform into animals like you? I feel like Essel would create an accident for me very quickly…” Silk began with a grin, his face however once again gained a serious quality too it as he continued. “Any thoughts as to his hatred towards the man? You don't just randomly hate someone, there is usually a cause? Well.. unless your Robin… Also why the change in heart towards his trustworthiness? I assume you have some interesting information?” he finished walking over to a tree to lean on

“You do push your luck with her by the sounds of it.. Pretty brave considering her power.” Cirice fell in step as the two continued walking “Its a personal grudge, more than just business. A family matter. I got a glimpse of some of his more trusted men too, I’ll give you descriptions as we walk. They aren’t as happy with the partnership but clearly stick to his rules. I can’t say I trust him entirely, he wants to find Sagehollow and is going to set spies on your friend for one thing, but I trust his motives.”

“A family matter… and he wants to find us… Right now, we know who he has met and who has been regularly to Nottingham. We should have people outside of those groups go see Giles with a token of mine, get them to buy something and give over the messages and we rotate people every few trips to avoid suspicion.” Silk suggested thoughtfully. “It's also a good thing we have a local crime lord with a code, things always get messy when you have those that will break their rules depending on a situation, especially in the underworld. However if this grudge is a family matter, it might be possible to locate more information about it?”

“That is good thinking. Always nice to be one step ahead of things, I’m not as shrewd as Essel so it is good to have your ideas.” “We might be able to. Its certainly worth a try,” Cirice nods, “I don’t know how would be best as yet, something to talk to others about I think. At the very least it gives us something we can use with him in future, bring up family and make him think ‘Master Essel’ is a seer too maybe? I'll leave that stuff to you.”

“Don't you worry, a few months of dealing with issues like these and we’ll have you shrewder than Essel in no time. Not a bad plan though, however, bringing up that information will have to be done carefully. I'd rather have more information on what his story is before I attempt to fish for information from him, otherwise I feel it could end badly for my health…” Silk had started with a grin but it had slowly fell away. It wasn't gone too long however. “For now at least, we have a path ahead of us. The council will be pleased to hear what information we have discovered and how our meeting went at the next meeting. I will be extremely pleased to introduce myself to the council as ‘Master Essel’. Shall we return home?”

Cirice sighs heavily but nods. “I may have to learn.. I expected to be spending my years wandering, chasing wild rumours and occasionally exploring old caves and crypts, not dealing with lost kingdoms. Politics is not my strong suit. “You make a good point. We’ll have to see what more we can uncover, though I imagine more than a few families have suffered due to Giscard. I'll be glad to hand this over to the others when they get back from Ireland.”

She nods to Silk and the pair head off towards Sherwood and Sagehollow. On the way Cirice makes a point of describing what The Fox’s top men looked like so he could keep a lookout in future. The rest of the conversation was more relaxed, both having a better idea how the other thought by now...