Coatleque

As was her habit, the Knight was early once again. Dressed in her full blue regalia, she stood vigilant at the foot of the fountain, watching the shadows grow longer. Master Krell had best be prepared to present a speech tonight. She did not appreciate being played as a fool.

Coatleque stepped off the airship, feeling quite exposed as the cool morning air blew across the landing. She was not accustomed to wearing such clothes in public. In fact, she hadn't worn anything quite as revealing since... well, that was in the past now. The white and black velvet had worked nicely as a choice of under-cover dress while she was away on business. In truth, she would have never bought this herself - but when the great Otto Vann demands the opportunity to dress you, it is hard for any woman to say no. It was his way of showing appreciation for services rendered a few nights ago. She now understood why his clothes were in such demand in this city. Feeling strangely confident now, she strode up to the attendant and flashed the royal seal she carried, that all Sworn carried on official business. The attendant smiled and nodded. "Welcome back, Ser. Did you enjoy you stay in Limsa Lominsa?" "Aye. I did."

Good healer / Bad tank for sure. What most people fail to realize is that aggro/threat/enmity is a two way street. If the tank is having trouble the DPS can always STOP and wait. That seldom happens though. As long as the healer has mana and can keep up with the damage, a bad tank at least has some time make the effort. If they aren't at least making said effort, that's a separate issue entirely.

Not at all! Honestly, she was under-cover as it were, in her new outfit made by Otto. It would have looked weird for a Sultansworn in full regalia to be questioning people in Limsa. As much as she hates the work, I have fun playing her as the Lady Inspector/Ambassador. I hope she comes across as polite and proper in her dialogues.

One of our clients has a conference room with a full-sized video wall. That's right. Not a projector, but the entire wall is a built-in tv. Might be OLED. Not sure, but I heard the setup cost them ~$25-50k The real tragedy is that they are moving out of that suite in a month, and leaving it behind.

Panasonic P50S50 plasma. 50", low input lag. And I sit two feet away. Keeps me warm on those cold winter nights.

FYI everyone, he LOVES to be called Master Oscare. :angel:

$500 should be plenty to buy a bare-bones pre-built off the shelf. You can always upgrade individual pieces later. As long as the system board and CPU are decent, you have a load of upgrade potential. Other pieces that are easily transferred between systems: Sound / NIC / SATA cards GPU's Power Supplies Physical Drives (HD / DVD / Disc)

Welcome! Always nice to see new faces.

Natalie... is THIS your keyboard? http://i.imgur.com/wYREYX5.jpg[/img] ka-chunk ka-chunk ka-chunk (typing sounds)

For a Mac... I'm really not surprised at those stellar graphics :lol::lol::lol:

Uh oh... now we've come down to comparing specs.... http://i.imgur.com/5X2TXFE.jpg[/img] Intel i5, 16 GB RAM, 480 GB twin SSD RAID-0, GTX-680 w/4 GB, 800 Watt. 5.1 SB-ZxR going to Pioneer HTS. 8-)

Well, to be fair I tried very hard to not say that directly. It tends to cause flame wars. I just wanted to explain that it wouldn't be the most 'efficient' use of a laptop. Obviously a throttled back i5 quad is going to out-perform an overclocked core-2 duo.

Well, I went and created said Linkshell the other night. Anyone who wants in just contact either myself (Coatleque Crofte), or Warren Castille in-game. The pearl is called "Sultanswarm" It is an IC channel. The main participants are, IC, members of the Sultansworn and Free Paladins. Higher-ranking officers of the Immortal Flames are also invited out of the interest of unit cohesion. This is not meant to discourage use of the Immortal Flames link, by any means! I'll still be active there for sure, just a little more 'tight lipped' pertaining to matters of security regarding Her Grace See This Post for the IC events that facilitated this.

But who would dare to grief Miss Aya? These are sad times indeed

Coatleque stood pensive at what she was about to do. She found herself before the barracks of the Flame Yataghans as an emissary for the Sworn. It seemed her duties since promotion had taken her far and wide through Thanalan, and this was just another of many stops this day. "Bloody politics.", she muttered. Taking a deep breath, she shook off her personal feelings and focused on the task at hand. Standing at attention she gave a light wrap at the door. Moments later it swung back allowing her entry. She could hear murmuring from inside. "I'll go make myself scar..." - Wonderful... all eyes were on her now it seemed. The Knight entered the barracks and all went dark momentarily. She had hoped this meeting would be rather personal, but as her eyes adjusted to the interior she found an office fully staffed. The Lieutenant sat behind her broad desk at the far end of the room. A grandiose portrait of her Grace hung from the wall behind. The Knight immediately felt comforted at that scene, though still regretted her need for this meeting. And then the woman looked up from her papers, smiling at her. "You were the one ah... over the shell?" "Aye, I was. Lady Coatleque Crofte, of her Resplendence's royal guard. And you must be the Leftennant.", she said with a salute. To this she stood and gave a respectful bow of her head. "I am.. Lieutenant Dweia Delacroix. Here with me is Lieutenant Chalahko my aetheric specialist, Sergeant Moengeim Wistyrmanwyn, Miss Vasha Engelbert, and Private Slagathor Delaph." she said, gesturing to each one respectively. "A pleasure", the Knight replied, bowing to each in turn. They each stood and also presented in their own fashion. Moengeim with her crooked smile commented, "A'yer service.", while Vasha simply appeared very stern and professional. Lieutenant Delacroix then gestured to the chairs before her desk. "Please... sit if you would. I'm curious to know what it is you have for me." Coatleque relaxed her stance. "Aye, my thanks.", she said as she took the seat to the left. She crossed her legs and made sure her tabard was straight before leaning forward upon her arm. "I have asked to meet with you briefly...", she began, "to discuss a small matter of security between the Sultansworn and the Immortal Flames." She glanced about the room once more, letting her words carry what weight they could. "I can assure you all here can be trusted.", the Lieutenant replied. "I have no doubt. The matter of trust is not with them, to be blunt, but with my... erm.. predecessor. Certain channels of communique have been compromised by.. former.. sergeant McBeef." Her words caused a gentle stir of hushed murmuring through the room. "Compromised how, if I may ask?", quipped Lieutenant Chalahko "Former sergeant?", remarked Sergeant Wistyrmanwyn. The Lieutenant spoke up after a moment. "The name is familiar, but I do not know this person." It was then the Knight realized just how bad this state of affairs had become. Had communication broken down to the point that so many were in the dark of recent events? All eyes were on her now as she gently cleared her throat. "Perhaps I should start from the beginning then." "Yes, please." "That would be for the best." "My predecessor, one Madam Natalie McBeef, has been implicated in matters regarding the safety of her Grace." As she began recounting the tale, her words were accompanied by the sound of determined writing at the side of the room. "I am not at liberty to discuss said matters in detail. However she has been long dismissed from her position. She, as well as two other Sultansworn beneath her. The present threat to her Grace has been dealt with. However McBeef is now working for the Brass Blades. Quite adequately it seems." "Can you at least say if it was a dereliction of dutry, or corruption?", Chalahko chimed in. "I'm not entirely sure of the details, sadly. I have not been allowed into that investigation. But it does involve a stolen cerulean core and the Ala'Mhigan resistance." She paused once more to allow the gravity of the situation to sink in, and allow response. "Funny, 'eard naught o'this afore now.", Sergeant Wistyrmanwyn replied. "This to do with the big bomb that was hidden all over the city?", asked Chalahko. The Lieutenant simply sat back in her chair, nibbling at her lower lip in thought. "Potentially, yes.", she continued. "But that is neither here nor there. All of this is to say, the woman can no longer be trusted." "The reason I ask...", he continued, "is that ceruleum cores are typically used in explosives." "Aye, and one is now missing. Or was at any rate. And the mine was set ablaze." "Only ablaze? lucky." "Good fit fer th'Blades. What be ye proposin' we do 'bout th'compromise? Meanin' McBeef'n 'er 'complices may still 'ave an 'ear on th'pearl?" There was another pause. The room was silent save the sound of Vasha's frantic scribbling. The Lieutenant shot glances to her seconds, then back to the Knight. "So we have the danger of an explosive set anywhere.. a woman who knows the inter-workings of the security of Ul'dah..." "The events I have personally witnessed these past few nights convince me that McBeef is no longer herself. Or has fallen quite far from former graces. She and her lapdog have stooped to bribery, extortion, and even murder, all in the name of a coverup. It would be extremely unwise to tip her off that her actions are becoming public knowledge, else she react more violently as an animal recently caged." "This seems to be happening a lot lately it seems..." "And so I come to the ultimate purpose of this meeting. The Sultansworn cannot abide by the decreased security of the Immortal Flames Linkpearl. Yet we cannot afford to disrupt all communique with the Immortal Flames, as we are of like mind. I have commissioned a separate pearl for Sultansworn and Free Paladins only. In the interest of unification I would extend this to Leftennant Delacroix as well, and her alone, within the Yataghans. The ultimate intent of which is that orders and calls of aid may still be given between our respective organizations." "An' iffn she be indisposed?" "Moengeim has a point, there." The Lieutenant arches a brow at the Knight's offer, then glances to her seconds once again before replying in a soft yet measured tone, "I would agree to this only if my officers were allowed methods of communications as well. For the very reason the Sergeant speaks of." And there it was. More political bargaining chips. Why could nothing be simple? Why must everyone have their own demands? The Knight leaned back and crossed her arms. "I trust you, Madam. If they hold the same esteem with you, then I will allow it, but no more. We must keep this as tight sealed as possible. For the safety of her Grace, and to avoid further... embarrassment in the Sultansworn." "I would trust them with my life... I have many times in fact." "Then that is enough cause for me." With that, she leaned forward and dropped a small bag on the desk. "Will other members of the Immortal Flames have access to this or only the Yataghans?" "The invitation is to all officers of the Flames. As I said, the intent is to remain secure yet available." "Very well.. we will come to aid you when we can. But when that times comes.. I will bring who I deem most fit to help, security and embarrassment be damned. I will not endanger my soldiers lives for the sake of security." "That is both understandable, and expected, Ser. The intent is not to limit resources, only to secure communique among higher ranking officials. I am not entirely familiar with all of those in the Flames, so I trust you can distribute more as needed, Leftennant." To that the woman nodded. "You should know also, that I've commissioned these at the behest of Chief Flame Sergeant Melkire. Twas his concern that moved me to action. I do not do this lightly. But the security of her Grace is paramount." "I have yet to meet him personally. He is only a name I have heard over the Immortal Flames linkshell. I hope to meet him one day." The Knight merely smiled knowingly in return. "So it is." Coatleque slowly rose from the chair. "My business is concluded then, unless you had any concerns?" "We will answer when you call, Miss Croft. As soon as we are able to, with what we are able to." "Her Grace thanks you for your loyalty, Ser." They each gave a parting bow, and Flame salute. The rest of the room stood at attention as the Knight turned deftly on her heels and headed for the door. "Twelve keep you, and Her Grace!" "And you."

The #1 greatest impact on computer performance TODAY is the hard disk. It is a physical component with moving parts that has reached the end of it's innovation. Replacing it with an SSD will skyrocket your file access times above any other component in the system. The #2 bottleneck is the GPU (graphics processing unit). You should never be using the Intel HD Graphics for any video playback. This "GPU" is actually built onto the i3/i5/i7 processor and is a very bare-bones sort of graphics solution. It is fine for office work, but dumps out whenever you try to render graphics intensive applications. The #3 bottleneck is people who insist on gaming on laptops. Before everyone rages at me, hear me out first: Don't get me wrong, laptops CAN play games. But you cannot defeat the laws of physics. The more intense your application, the more power it consumes. The more power something consumes, the more heat it generates. Thus its size must increase so it doesn't burn out like a light bulb. Laptops and tablets cannot compensate for this power consumption. Little do you know, but as you play your games on a laptop, the processor, RAM, and GPU speeds are all being throttled back consistently to try and limit their power usage so the thing doesn't explode in a fireball on your lap. Yes, they will play games, but you will never be doing it at maximum efficiency. As for advice: The i3/i5/i7 processor family is one large marketing ploy by Intel to generate sales. All three processors use the exact same die. The difference is that Intel intentionally damages their own product to fit specific price points. The i3 has areas of the chip that are intentionally burned out so they do not work. The i5 is fully capable of hyper-threading, if Intel hadn't burned out the connecting channels. Etc, etc, etc. The best processor you can buy is the i5 series UNLESS you are doing intense graphics editing (Photoshop, etc). There are no other applications out there that make use of the hyper-threading of the i7, and video games are mostly 32-bit which means they only run on one core to begin with. I would not go below 8 GB of RAM. The reason being mulit-tasking. Sure your game may only use 3-4 GB, but all your web browsers, video, and music in the background are using that other 4 GB. I haven't had experience with AMD as far as graphics, but on the nVidia side I can say anything over a 580 series is not usually needed. Video Game graphics have long stopped being innovative since the shift away from the PC market to consoles. GPU makers no longer need to compete so strongly since you can't just up and replace a GPU in a console every 6 months. I hope this may give you a little more insight into any future purchases.

Still nowhere near as bad as grief-ers on WoW or LotRO. I've luckily not seen much in public channels. And usually if someone is just dancing on top of people I can easily ignore their presence. It seems the majority comes from two or three FC's that like to congregate on that center divide. No.3 and Bench come to mind.

The moogle turned and quietly left the palace on it's next errand. Another letter, born from the Sultansworn, which read: Master Krell, I write to inform you that my investigation has born fruit. We should meet once again. Lady Crofte, Sgt. Later... The Knight sat on the edge of the bed. She had sprung for a private room at the Quicksand this night. The barracks were just too public. She had already made ready for sleep but it would not come. Slowly she reached up and removed a thin and fraying piece of twine from around her neck. The one object she had managed to keep hidden from all of her friends. It held an old opalescent ring carved from a sea-shell. She slowly turned the ring over and over again in her hands, thinking back to the events of the past few days. Everything was moving so fast now and she could barely keep track of it all. Try as she might, she could not contain the lump rising in her throat. Grasping the ring tightly she threw herself upon the pillow as the stress poured from her eyes. "Oh John! I'm sorry... I'm so so sorry", she managed to heave at length.

(( Edit: I need to clarify here... this did actually happen, entirely in character. I hope I was able to transfer the shear confusion over to this post. It was extremely fun, very chaotic, and completely fit the mood of the night. Whether Otto and Witchbane new it or not, they were holding Coatleque back from official business that night. )) ---------------------- Coatleque stood in the Quicksand, once again. Her back was to the front door as she listened to the three drone on in front of her, barely paying attention at this point. Something about pants... and possible coitus? It would have been amusing if not for the events already in motion this night. The bodyguard continued to argue, doing what she could to pressure the two to leave. Finally they began to relent as it was clear this discussion was not welcome around paying customers. The girl, a blonde hyur, grumbled to herself with remarks of thieving merchants. "Fine! Outside it is then. If I'm not there in then minutes, start without me!". With that she crossed her arms in a pout and turned her back to continue her interrupted conversation with the man next to her. The other man, bald, bearded, and half naked, stood there angrily tapping his foot and fuming at the guard. He pointed to her several times making his accusations. "You are coming with us!", he demanded. The armored woman calmly shook her head now and grunted. "Not my jurisdiction." Pointing then to the Knight she said "Hers." The man snapped back "Well, we'll just see about that tomorrow once I've consorted with Momodi!". With that he turned on his heels, and giving the Knight a scowl, continued out the door with a 'come hither' gesture. She watched him leave then turned back to the guard with her own scowl at having this dropped into her lap so suddenly. To make matters worse, the woman took up her harp witch had been cast aside, and began singing about bale merchants losing their wits (and their pants), while forced to walk like the poor do. Still within earshot, the man came storming back. "You! Apprehend her, this instant!". The woman stopped her singing to laugh at the man. "Back already? Please... at least finish dressing yourself before you harass me again!". At this, his face turned three more shades of red within moments. The Knight finally decided to speak up and defuse this situation. "Ma'am, please? I just need you to step outside for a moment so I can hear both sides of this." The woman herself fumed, but set her harp down and made for the door. The man was close behind, with the Knight following after. The hot air of Thanalan's night did nothing to help tempers. As the three stood around the fountain, Coatleque quickly assessed the situation, then began her investigation. "Calmly now, please... I would like to hear the girl's side of these events. Ma'am, he claims you stole his... erm, pants?" "And shoes! Together worth more than what most people in this city consdier a month's wage!" "Ah... yes, and his shoes?" "They were made by me in particular, too! She already admitted to selling my pants earlier, and as you can see she is wearing shoes too large for her own feet!" The Knight sighed at his persistence and glanced down. Sure enough the woman was wearing what could only be a man's sized shoe. "What more do you want to know? You see the evidence for yourself, Knight! Would you like to also investigate the depths of how she insulted me? Or how she impersonated a member of the Maelstrom? The men and women who mirror your selfsame status in Limsa Lominsa? Or perhaps I should explain how she left me... ME... in the middle of Thanalan!?" Coatleque looked at the man incredulously. What was she doing here. How did she possibly get tangled in this, on tonight of all nights? "Please, Ser, I would like her to speak. I believe you, verily, but your story may be colored by your anger right now." "Indeed. She is lucky I haven't colored her FACE with my anger!" The woman blushed innocently and looked away. "I-I don't know why this man claims I stole his stuff! Besides... he has gil enough to purchase more!" She looked down at his bare lower half. "Can he at least go buy something to wear NOW before we continue?" Suddenly there was a buzzing in her ear. "So... what happened to my plus one?" "Sidetracked, apparently. Alexei? Or was it Crofte? Gods, I hate managing two conversations at once." The man continued his ranting, snapping the Knight's attention back to the matter at hand. "Madam, I make my OWN clothing. I am a very Brand in this town!" "I didn't steal them! He gave them to me! And I had to sell them just to make my way here!" "I'm sorry? Ma'am, his affluence is not in question here..." "This, this, this... harpee met me in the woods asking for directions." "Ser? I'm sorry... so this apparent transaction took place on a previous night, alone, in a remote location?" "There was no transaction!", he hissed. "Only lies and thievery! And it was earlier this very day!" "What? You asked ME for directions, not me asking you for directions!" More buzzing filled her ear, followed by the rustling of leaves. "sounds like a good place to hit...." "What was that?" "Sorry. Vas busy. Am needed?" The Knight shook her head. This was becoming more difficult to follow. She swallowed and tried to focus again on the facts. "So you met earlier this day in a remote location, removed your pants, and she ran off with them?" "I met her on the roads on my way here!" "Kiryuu's saying we might have a location on Wolfsong." "Fantastic." Coatleque reached up with one hand and pinched the bridge of her nose with two fingers. A familiar ache was beginning to grow behind her eyes. "Yes, the roads, very well. Still.. you removed your pants and she ran off with them?" "He gave them to me!" The girl looked at the man in anger. "He wanted me for the night, but I refused. Yet he still gave them to me hoping for a second meeting!" This was going nowhere. And now her time was being wasted... "Alright... accusations of apparent affection aside... did you indeed give her the pants, Ser?" "I did." The mans expression glinted a hint of truth finally, only to turn back to its accusatory glare. "At bow-point! I mean... sure I'd like to have her alright, but I'm a married man! I have no need for... loose women. She came to me under the pretense of being a simple Bard..." "Belay the airship landing. If you're interested in singin' t'wolves, meet me at Scorpion's Crossing within the bell." By all the hells, that was what she was waiting for. But she couldn't just turn and leave this situation now. "Loose?!", the woman cried. "LOOSE!? You've never even been inside to be able to make such a comment! I should slap you, Ser!" "Don't tempt me young woman to take you into a room and show you, its clear you get around wherever you come from" "Mmmf... Ser, I care not for those details at this time.", the Knight said flatly. Turning to the woman and trying to regain control she asked "You held him at bowpoin?" "Am to come?" "Held? No! I use my bow for protection only. He's of an addled mind. Look at him. His stance is the only thing that's standing at attention! Why would I hold him at bow-point? And besides, I could do MUCH better than HIM if I were to take a man to bed!" Now clearly distracted to those around her, Coatleque tugged upon her ear. "My appologies. I am... delayed... looking for stolen... pants." "...pfffffft. Alexei, if you're not otherwise occupied, yes." "Da." The two continued to bicker and argue until she could take no more. "ENOUGH! Please... Ser...How much were these items worth?" The man did some quick calculations while muttering to him self about materials and other expenses. "About eighteenn thousand gil total. My brand fetches a high price in this city" "Alright, Eighte... EIGHTEEN THOUSAND?" "Yes indeed. A fair price to be sure, but I can certainly work you into something nice later at a discount if you arrest her right now." "I told you this man was a thief! Look at the outrageous price he's trying to charge me.!" She sighed. There was no more time for this. The Knight dug through her gil purse and managed to scrape enough together. She quickly counted out the sum of eighteen thousand gil for the man. "In the name of her Grace, Sultana Nanamo Ul'Namo, I hereby make restitution for this apparent theft of property." "I'm on my way, after I find my plus one." "Now, Ser, I would ask that you do not bait her further. Your debt is settled, and she is my responsibility going forward." At this point another bystander quipped "Is this really how the Sultansworn do things now?" "Alexei. Nat's here. Don't give anythin' away." "Vill say nothing." "Should follow?" "Aye." "Should keep distance or not?" "Your call." The bystander continued, "Well, you've gotten your gill now. Perhaps you should go and replace your pants now, even with something temporary." "Maybe buy yourself a wit too..." "Vhat is role?" "Ace in the hole. If anything goes wrong..." "Since she is your responsibility, perhaps you will consider sending her to work for me at my estate. I assure you she will be scrubbing and cleaning non-stop until she can repay this debt to her Grace." "I will consider it. No promises." "Vill keep distance." Finally the man seemed to be calming down. He turned to the third and said "Yes young man I could use a new pair of pants the last ones we're a few days old" Her business now concluded, the Knight gave the woman a quick salute. "Ma'am" "Y-yes?" "Please take care of yourself." "Yes, and thank you." Tugging upon her earlobe again, the Knight was finally able to report in. "Apologies for my temporary detainment...the problem is dealt with. Where do you need me, Ser?" "Nice of you to join us, Crofte. Follow Alexei. Stay behind him a ways and watch our rear." "Aye, Ser." As the Knight turned and made her way to the Chocobo stables, she did not see the woman she just acquitted strolling away the opposite direction with the same bystander. She confidently tossed a gill bag into the air and caught it with her palm before pocketing the money. "That BITCH stole my gil purse!"

Bored? Never! I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. And I loved Alexei's comments over linkshell the whole time, which you sadly didn't get to hear. I tried to play the stoic observer as Osric's backup. And Jameson, I suppose we'll be having that drink soon now. But I need to give my own Kudos as well. Little did the rest of you know, Coatleque was involved in a rather humorous exchange outside the Quicksand. It's why she was late to the party. I will be documenting it in my chronicles later when I have time. Those involved, Otto Vann, and Witchbane Ceii, thank you. Otto, enjoy the 18k free gil You both had no idea you were holding up a Sultansworn from official business at the time!

If Anelia is Sultansworn, have her look for Lady Crofte. If she is Free Paladin, look for Ser Castille. Both are often found around the Quicksand, though Crofte will move about often on patrol.

The pair walked up the Eighty Sins in silence. He was ahead of her, though only slightly. She kept her respectable distance out of reverence. Certainly not of fear. She had seen death before to be certain. But this... Finally he broke the silence as they neared the gate of the Sultana. "Bad bit of business that was. I'm sorry, Ser, but... you needed to see." "To see what exactly?", she replied curtly. "Her. To see what she has become. What she is capable of." They walked on a few more paces in silence. "Did Natalie murder those Blades?" "No. She ordered Kage to." The Knight scoffed. "Not even the courage to carry out her own dirty work. And he just followed right in line, the whipped cur." More silence. They had passed through the gate by now and were about to turn down the main boulevard when he stopped and faced her. "Look... ah... You heard what I told Alexei to do. I'm an accessory now..." She knew in her gut where this was going. But what could she do at this point? She was also a witness, though not directly involved in the dealings. She took a deep breath. This was not the time to falter. "I hear many things in the desert, Ser. But sometimes the wind does blow hard across my ears..." She could not tell if his expression changed behind his mask. He saluted her, which she returned. "You have my thanks..." They parted ways after that. He turned left... she turned right.

You should find no end to law enforcement officials willing to participate in Ul'dah. Not sure about Maelstrom or Adders though.

The sun was barely halfway through the sky before the Knight had taken to her duties once more. She had slept deeper this last night than most before it, to her relief. It may have been the pumpkin ale, or that stew she had for dinner, but either way her dreams were welcomed. She wore her standard uniform today, not caring for the attention of her Sergeant's tabbard again so soon. Standing at the corner of the Ruby Exchange in full white and silver at noon must have been a hard thing for others to look at. Nobody would meet her gaze today. It felt... unwelcoming. Her stirred from this muse by a voice from above. "Just...standing around? Really? Really!" She turned and lookd to the ledge above to find a man clad in leather. He wore a well-kept black beard and half of his face was concealed by the familiar fly-eye mask of the Blades. That alone was reason not to trust him. "Apparently, it's what I do best." she replied with a tilt of her head. "Well...you do know that you're just a deterrent like that, right?", he continued. "The scum'll just shift down an avenue." The Knight sighed and surveyed the road once more. "That's why I move. Like a farmer places his scare-crows. Eventually the birds get used to them." The man shrugged. "Eh. If you're just lookin' to make the place shine in the right place and the right time, mayhap that's best." "I'm not looking for anything, Ser. I am merely following orders. But since you have such interest, did you need something?" The man looked up from his position and checked the street. "Aye. A loan." Coatleque stared at him in temporary disbelief. Was he drunk? Why was he even up there? "Do I look like a money lender?", she replied curtly. He looked back to her with a rather serious expression. "No. You look like Ser Crofte, whom, if I've heard correctly, is Jenlyn's new favorite. And I... need loan of a 'sworn." Something was not right here. He seemed to know much of her, but she knew nothing of him. "Well then... it appears you have quite the advantage over me. I would know who you serve before loaning such service." At this the man deftly dropped from the ledge in front of her. A good twelve feet from above, he landed with grace that any feline would envy. Dusting himself off, he gestured to his Flame jerkin with a flourish. "By the Twelve, I do believe I serve the Hall. That or I stole some man's leathers in his sleep!" "Or that you've fashioned a suitable replica, no doubt. But this still leaves me at the same disadvantage, Ser..." To this he promptly saluted her as was custom to any Immortal Flame. "Chief Flame Sergeant Osric Melkire, under First Lieutenant Peak, under Commander Swift. At y'service, m'lady. And as I live, I'll serve!" She blinked. So this was the Chief Melkire. He seemed smaller than she'd thought he would. And perhaps not as well kept as she imagined. "Ah, so you are this Chief Melkire I've heard of." "...eh? Not bad things, I hope." Shaking her head, the knight crossed her arms and looked him over again. "Quite the opposite. I know that you've worked with, and not against, the Sworn in the past. And that is enough for me to give you the requested loan. I do believe we may have traded words once before. If that was you in the Quicksand, then I apologize for my abruptness." The man snorted and crossed his arms as well. He seemed to be sizing her up just the same, judging whether she could be trusted. "No offense taken. I was just shocked that there were more of you out and about outside the palace. Lannis had given me a... different impression." "Leaving the palace is of a more recent order, if you must know." He grunted. "So... you don't even want to know what this loan is for first?" "I had assumed your loan request was to serve the interests of the Flame General, or her Grace. But now you've raised my curiosities. Pray tell you have nothing... dubious in mind." He walked past her a step, looking out to the exchange, making sure nobody was close enough to hear. "...I need men and women enough to bring a Garlean scag to justice for poisoning innocents, to rout out a certain corrupt inspector, and to bring Roen Deneith home" The Knight paused at hearing Roen's name. She was one of the three, and her orders were not to involve herself in that affair. "Now that is quite the task. Though I've been ordered not to be involved with the name you mentioned. If you can... change those orders, I would lend you my aid, for Ul'dah." The man did not flinch. He belied no reaction at all. She waited, almost hoping he really could affect her orders, though she couldn't imagine why she would want that. He did not turn to face her. "The name you've been ordered to not be involved with has been turned on by another name you've likely been ordered not to be involved with; Which, despite your orders, you have already been." He paused, letting his words carry weight. "Quicksand? Roughly this time last sun?" She knew it alright. But that was a simple bar fight and she chose to step in to the defense of a Brass Blade no less. "That disturbance?" "Unrelated. I bring it up to make a point." "Point taken." Finally he turned to face her once again. He almost appeared to show genuine concern. "You want a shining lamp to cast the shadows in relief? You want reform in the Blades? This is how we get it done. By bringing Deneith home." "I was not aware she was away. What would you have me do then?" "Free paladins." He paused. "Some are bound by oath to answer the Hall's call. Others aren't. I need every one I can get to bring down the Crimson Mountain. As for the Garlean..." He looked away once more. "I'll be filing my report shortly with the Hall." Coatleque looked out towards the Exchange in thought. Who could she find? Who did she even know? She was still green and she knew it. Remembering her conversation with Lady Hornet a few nights prior, she decided to put the tactic to use. Appearance... yes, it was all about the appearance. "Several names come to mind, though it will take time for me to contact them. When do you plan to strike, so that we may be ready?" Turning back to her again, "For Deneith? We storm the 'Mountain' at a moment's notice - aye, the sooner the better. For the Garlean? Three sun's time. I'm to meet him in person. 'Alone,' was the arrangement." She straightened herself back to attention, as if given a new mandate. "Understood. I shall do what I can in such little time as I have, but I would ask one favor in return." "Name it." "Information on the name 'Ruru'. Possible Lalafell, may be involved in matters of Ul'dahn security." "...I've heard the name, though I don't know'm. Let me check in with my contacts that do. Might take a sun." "My thanks." Osric nodded all the while digging his hand through a pouch on his belt. He brings out a little green linkpearl. "One last thing. I don't trust the official channel anymore. Your predecessor was a little too... open... with it." "Oh. Right. Her." He held out the marble "Aye. This one goes with m'personal shell." "I shall be sure to make use of it over the former then.", she said as she affixed the pearl. "Ser..." he said with a final salute, and before she could respond he was halfway up the Exchange.