“We have to stop. We’re done here. It’s over.â€
Despite his usual composure, Gerchon couldn’t help but grimace through the words. He hadn’t enjoyed saying them any more than he was sure his partner did hearing them, in spite of ensuring that they could be spoken in as palatable a fashion as possible; Didino out at some nameless soiree and unable to interrupt, a good meal compliments of the Dino estate’s head chef (eft tail, cooked slow so the gristle turned to grease), and a pilfered bottle of Ishgardian red, one of the last bottled before the snows. A pair of lovers could not have asked for a better final meal.
Better, however, did not mean good, and the puzzled look in the No-Eyed Man’s “good†eye (why did he insist on wearing the patch when he was out of the public eye - haha, very amusing) bespoke the start of a longer conversation. “So soon?â€
The grimace remained, and Gerchon cradled his goblet in his hands. A nice one, golden. Didino refused to touch them now, and given the rumors around the city, Gerchon could see why. He preferred the risk, however, and drank deeply before continuing. “It’s gone wrong. That’s all there is to it.â€
“As it has several times now. And we have always found another opportunity. So you have said yourself. Was it the Seeker? I did warn - “
A raised hand. “You did.†Now that had been a mistake. Enticing some half-mad feral cat to stalk and nearly gut the pair before they’d left the Sagolii, only to convince her it was in her best interests to stalk the dragoons in the city and take what they were hiding to “bring their Nunh†power. She had been easy to sway; a mere mention of pleasing her master, however much it had made Gerchon shudder, had made her pliable. But since then, they’d received no word. Either she had failed, or, worse, succeeded and not shared the proceeds.
“You did,†he repeated. “In other circumstances, I’d wait it out. We had the benefit of time. Now, though - “
He paused, loath to admit what came next. “We’re not tipping the scales. Not anymore. If anything, we’d be helping to keep them stable. Tell me - you’ve been out amongst the people? Riling the crowds?â€
“From time to time. A good appearance here and there, offering payment to the ‘right’ person. All as planned.â€
“Right, right.†Gerchon glanced away, his grip tight on his wineglass. For once, his thoughts were muddled. The song had been ringing strong in his mind of late, and when it had reached a crescendo he had fought the urge to drop the plan entirely and take flight to Ishgard. That had subsided, but the sound was there even now, the beautiful keening of glass on slate. “And you’ve seen the swaps?â€
“The meets? Yes, a few. Locals trading in trash.†The No-Eyed Man’s snort was small and slight, too harsh to be written off as a mere scoff. “I made an appearance at one. Paid the thousand for a ‘rosary’. It seemed to be keeping their interest.â€
“Then you haven’t seen the buyers.â€
“The - what?â€
Gerchon nodded, and drained his drink. “Buyers. Monetarist purchasing agents, from the sound of it. Snapping up relics at twice our offered price. Halone’s arse, I’ve heard last night there was a woman offering ten times the amount. They were never interested before, you see? It was all trash to them - not worth their notice, in spite of all the accidents and trouble. Then there’s . . . whatever happened at that feast, and now they’re clearing the markets.â€
Oh, to have been at that party, as a guest or a gnat on the wall. Didino Dino hadn’t been influential enough to secure an invitation, which was not a problem in and of itself. It was his middling pull with the Syndicate, and the Dunesfolk’s desire to increase that pull, that had made him ideal for the original plan. But it did mean that the rumors he’d heard were all that he’d heard, and the tales varied from the plausibly wild to the implausibly likely.
“So there’s that. And then Dino’s interest in the particulars. The angles, the move with Primrose, the last resort - almost every day since the feast. He wants it to happen, and soon. Between the two? Power’s shifted, I think. Dino isn’t keeping us under wraps to surprise the Syndicate and show them what he can do - he’s getting us ready to act to prove that he’s worth keeping around.†A quick shake of the head. “It won’t hit them both anymore. We’re tools now.â€
Quiet passed between them, broken by wine hitting metal as Gerchon refilled his goblet. The No-Eyed Man, he noted, had yet to touch it. “So it’s done. We declare the problem solved, the threat ended, and we leave. We’ll try again elsewhere. Limsa, Gridania, Vylbrand, mayhaps Ishgard if there’s a turn in the battle.†He tried to smile. “You wanted this, right?â€
“You offered me an end.â€
Ah. There it was. He kept the smile, tried to keep it from turning brittle. “I did. You’ll still get it. I’ll hold to that. But not - not here. Here, it’s no end, you see? You overturn nothing, no matter how it looks. But elsewhere, matters are less stable.â€
“You offered me an end.†His tone had dropped. Though Gerchon knew the source of it, the menace in the No-Eyed Man’s voice still made him shudder. “This is not a recurring role.â€
“What - where, where is this coming from? A week ago in the desert you wanted to flee!â€
“And you wanted to stay.â€
“I did when staying might tip the scales. Now, though? If the Monetarists have taken the city? It’s futile. It would change nothing. Harden the anti-Ishgardian sentiment, perhaps. Give them more justifcation to have expelled those knights - “ That much he had heard, repeated with glee by panicked citizens sure of a reprisal, clutching “rosaries†and necklaces hammered into wings as if they were proof. “And use the one man crusading against them - “
Ah. There it was. “I see. It’s futile.â€
“It is. You see precisely.â€
“I won’t be party to this. It’s exactly why I left Coerthas.â€
“You needn’t be. Flee; disappear. Leave the last resort, and all will be well.†The No-Eyed Man rose to his feet. Despite being indoors, his trenchcoat managed to billow. Gerchon always puzzled over that.
“There are better endings, Leofric,†he said as his partner left the table. “Better than this.â€
Despite his usual composure, Gerchon couldn’t help but grimace through the words. He hadn’t enjoyed saying them any more than he was sure his partner did hearing them, in spite of ensuring that they could be spoken in as palatable a fashion as possible; Didino out at some nameless soiree and unable to interrupt, a good meal compliments of the Dino estate’s head chef (eft tail, cooked slow so the gristle turned to grease), and a pilfered bottle of Ishgardian red, one of the last bottled before the snows. A pair of lovers could not have asked for a better final meal.
Better, however, did not mean good, and the puzzled look in the No-Eyed Man’s “good†eye (why did he insist on wearing the patch when he was out of the public eye - haha, very amusing) bespoke the start of a longer conversation. “So soon?â€
The grimace remained, and Gerchon cradled his goblet in his hands. A nice one, golden. Didino refused to touch them now, and given the rumors around the city, Gerchon could see why. He preferred the risk, however, and drank deeply before continuing. “It’s gone wrong. That’s all there is to it.â€
“As it has several times now. And we have always found another opportunity. So you have said yourself. Was it the Seeker? I did warn - “
A raised hand. “You did.†Now that had been a mistake. Enticing some half-mad feral cat to stalk and nearly gut the pair before they’d left the Sagolii, only to convince her it was in her best interests to stalk the dragoons in the city and take what they were hiding to “bring their Nunh†power. She had been easy to sway; a mere mention of pleasing her master, however much it had made Gerchon shudder, had made her pliable. But since then, they’d received no word. Either she had failed, or, worse, succeeded and not shared the proceeds.
“You did,†he repeated. “In other circumstances, I’d wait it out. We had the benefit of time. Now, though - “
He paused, loath to admit what came next. “We’re not tipping the scales. Not anymore. If anything, we’d be helping to keep them stable. Tell me - you’ve been out amongst the people? Riling the crowds?â€
“From time to time. A good appearance here and there, offering payment to the ‘right’ person. All as planned.â€
“Right, right.†Gerchon glanced away, his grip tight on his wineglass. For once, his thoughts were muddled. The song had been ringing strong in his mind of late, and when it had reached a crescendo he had fought the urge to drop the plan entirely and take flight to Ishgard. That had subsided, but the sound was there even now, the beautiful keening of glass on slate. “And you’ve seen the swaps?â€
“The meets? Yes, a few. Locals trading in trash.†The No-Eyed Man’s snort was small and slight, too harsh to be written off as a mere scoff. “I made an appearance at one. Paid the thousand for a ‘rosary’. It seemed to be keeping their interest.â€
“Then you haven’t seen the buyers.â€
“The - what?â€
Gerchon nodded, and drained his drink. “Buyers. Monetarist purchasing agents, from the sound of it. Snapping up relics at twice our offered price. Halone’s arse, I’ve heard last night there was a woman offering ten times the amount. They were never interested before, you see? It was all trash to them - not worth their notice, in spite of all the accidents and trouble. Then there’s . . . whatever happened at that feast, and now they’re clearing the markets.â€
Oh, to have been at that party, as a guest or a gnat on the wall. Didino Dino hadn’t been influential enough to secure an invitation, which was not a problem in and of itself. It was his middling pull with the Syndicate, and the Dunesfolk’s desire to increase that pull, that had made him ideal for the original plan. But it did mean that the rumors he’d heard were all that he’d heard, and the tales varied from the plausibly wild to the implausibly likely.
“So there’s that. And then Dino’s interest in the particulars. The angles, the move with Primrose, the last resort - almost every day since the feast. He wants it to happen, and soon. Between the two? Power’s shifted, I think. Dino isn’t keeping us under wraps to surprise the Syndicate and show them what he can do - he’s getting us ready to act to prove that he’s worth keeping around.†A quick shake of the head. “It won’t hit them both anymore. We’re tools now.â€
Quiet passed between them, broken by wine hitting metal as Gerchon refilled his goblet. The No-Eyed Man, he noted, had yet to touch it. “So it’s done. We declare the problem solved, the threat ended, and we leave. We’ll try again elsewhere. Limsa, Gridania, Vylbrand, mayhaps Ishgard if there’s a turn in the battle.†He tried to smile. “You wanted this, right?â€
“You offered me an end.â€
Ah. There it was. He kept the smile, tried to keep it from turning brittle. “I did. You’ll still get it. I’ll hold to that. But not - not here. Here, it’s no end, you see? You overturn nothing, no matter how it looks. But elsewhere, matters are less stable.â€
“You offered me an end.†His tone had dropped. Though Gerchon knew the source of it, the menace in the No-Eyed Man’s voice still made him shudder. “This is not a recurring role.â€
“What - where, where is this coming from? A week ago in the desert you wanted to flee!â€
“And you wanted to stay.â€
“I did when staying might tip the scales. Now, though? If the Monetarists have taken the city? It’s futile. It would change nothing. Harden the anti-Ishgardian sentiment, perhaps. Give them more justifcation to have expelled those knights - “ That much he had heard, repeated with glee by panicked citizens sure of a reprisal, clutching “rosaries†and necklaces hammered into wings as if they were proof. “And use the one man crusading against them - “
Ah. There it was. “I see. It’s futile.â€
“It is. You see precisely.â€
“I won’t be party to this. It’s exactly why I left Coerthas.â€
“You needn’t be. Flee; disappear. Leave the last resort, and all will be well.†The No-Eyed Man rose to his feet. Despite being indoors, his trenchcoat managed to billow. Gerchon always puzzled over that.
“There are better endings, Leofric,†he said as his partner left the table. “Better than this.â€
Verad Bellveil's Profile | The Case of the Ransacked Rug | Verad's Fate Sheet
Current Fate-14 Storyline:Â Merchant, Marine
Current Fate-14 Storyline:Â Merchant, Marine
