Fiona Arasgain looked down at his notepad. Despite being dressed in a feminine manner, the Miqo'te was using a slightly masculine voice to go over the it, one line at a time. "Salmon, mahi-mahi, shrimp, tuna...", Fio had a quill, making additional notes all the while. "Going to have to get this stuff on ice for his birthday tomorrow. Ah, right, that Doman seaweed crap. Have some of that. Sticky rice won't be hard to find. Just a stroll down to the market...". He rounded the corner of the strip to the location the letter had sent him to.
Coatleque was sitting at her desk in the small and barely lit office. Still no bigger than a closet, the Order had no need to move her to more spacious surroundings despite her increased work load. She looks up from what she was reading as Fio rounded the corner, her door being open. "Lieutenant Arasgain!" Fio snapped out of the list and nearly dropped it to the ground. He yelped rather loudly, really bringing out the masculine edge before switching into something more feminine. "Ah, yes, Miss Crofte? What can I do for you this evening?", he replied while tucked the paper away in his chef's uniform. Turning, the Miqo'te's sky blue eyes met with the Sultansworn. There was the odd spot or spill staining Fio's apron.
She smiled and gestured for him to come into her office, or what would pass for 'inside' the doorway of the cramped space. "I had written you a summons, I assume you were here to answer it?" He nodded once, a hand drifting up to his face. "Yeah. Got a little distracted planning a birthday meal for a friend of sorts." A slight blush tinted the blonde's cheeks. "Of course, he wants foreign cuisine from Doma, so I had to go out and do a bit of reading and trading to get the necessary skills and tools. What's going on, Miss Crofte?"
Coatleque nodded politely along as Fio spoke trying to feign interest in some stranger's birthday dinner plans. "I had two matters we needed to discuss.", she replied, "The first is in regards to the last time we had a proper discussion. Something about going to Coerthas, and the transfer of ceruleum if you recall?"
"No, I transferred it at a dock warehouse in Limsa Lominsa. No idea what became of it. It was shuffled out pretty fast, according to my sources."
She nodded and folded her hands on the desk in front of her, trying to emulate the manner of how her Captain had grilled her so many times before. "Yes, I understand that. I had hoped to observe the exchange and follow them. You never contacted me to let me know when it was happening." "Yeah. Sorry about that. The target got a hold of me and rushed me on it. There was nothing I could do. Seriously, I was wearing a dress something like you are now, waiting for the okay, when he comes up to me all rushed-like. I didn't even have time to change into something better for manual labor."
Crofte sighed and looks down for a moment before raising her gaze back to Fiona's level. "I understand, sometimes things just do not go as planned. With the death of my comrade, you are the only remaining lead I have on the whereabouts of the Pirate. If you have anything else for me, please let me know as soon as you can." It was a half-truth, of course. She did have another lead which was being followed-up on by someone else. But the information there had not yet pointed back directly to the Pirate. Fiona did not need to know this, and having a sense of importance in the matter may provide faster results. "Unless you prefer I blindly search the cliffs of Providence Point for a hideout that may not exist?", she asked.
Fio nodded once. Upon hearing her question, his head shook. "The location's been broken down. No need to trek out there. I'll let him know I'm looking for more work on the linkpearl he gave me. Oh, and another thing I need to discuss. If you catch him, I need total immunity from anything he tells you. Mostly because they're lies." Fio waved a hand dismissively at the notion. "My goal is only to stop him. I care not for whoever else he tries to implicate in whatever scheme is his hatching.", Coatleque replied. "Thank you for understanding. To my second point then... I have been charged with settling the estate of Ser Natalie Mcbeef. She had set something aside for you."
The Knight removed her glasses and pointed with them to a crate sitting just outside her office. It was a wooden crate with the top pried off so the contents could be examined. The smell of a strong, flowery perfume emanated from it, wafting into the office. Fiona blinked a few times. "Huh. He may have tasked me with taking her out. Thank the gods I don't have to do a damned thing or force her into hiding.", he said, not overly shaken up over the news. Or even shaken up at all. How much death had this Miqo'te seen in his days to be able to shrug off the death of acquaintance? Fio walked over to the crate and took a look inside, sniffing on the way over. "It's soap. Laundry soap. She tried to teach me how to do laundry. For some reason, it's one of the things my brain just doesn't get. Like math, counting, or business. I have to hire an accountant to take care of it all for me. Sorry, you must think I'm a little slow after hearing that." He just looked back up at Crofte. "And how in the hells am I going to haul it out?"
Coatleque shrugged at her desk. "That is your problem now, unfortunately. You need not do it now, of course. The guard in the hall has been notified you will be collecting it at some point. I'm sure you fan find some strapping young lad to help haul it away." She wrinkled her nose. "The sooner the better, if you please. The scent is giving me a headache." "Of course, Miss. I'll try to get somebody to haul it to a place where I can give it to the woman I pay to do my laundry and clean my room." Fio paused for a few moments. "Gods, I really am pathetic." The Miqo'te's voice dropped from it's matter-of-fact tone to something rather pitiful.
"Some of us have not the hours to spare for such things. You need not explain yourself to me of course. Gratitude for your promptness though." She paused for a moment. Had she really just said Gratitude? Her thoughts went to Roen briefly before shaking her head. "It's not that I didn't try. It's like I'm mentally incapable of such things, Miss. And don't worry about that. It's the least I could do on the way back to the tiny room I rent out here." Coatleque smirked to herself. It couldn't possibly be worse than the hole they made her work out of here. She returned her glasses to her head. "Thank you, Lieutenant. Please keep in contact."
"Of course. I'll send somebody by for the crate. A damned shame you lost a comrade, though." He stepped forward and around her desk at these words and gave her a hug from the side. An unusual display of emotion from him. Coatleque found herself leaning towards him but was in no position herself to return it from where she sat. "Thank you for your condolences. It was very unexpected." Fio took a step back and re-adjusted his glasses. "The hells were you expecting?", an eyebrow lifted curiously. "I do not know what I was expecting, but what I was not expecting was an improvised explosive before negotiations could be completed."
Fio's head jarred rather quickly as he was taken aback by the news. "Improvised explosive? Negotiations? What were you all up to, Miss?" The Sworn shook her head in disgust. There was plenty she could tell him on the matter, but the question was more of what she could trust the Maelstrom Lieutenant with. He was not yet aware that his own background had been recently suspect. "I cannot discuss it further right now, though you should find what you need to know from your superiors back in Limsa Lominsa. Ask about recent mishaps at Moraby Drydocks. I am sure Lazarov will need help replenishing some stock."
"I'll do that, Miss. Thank you.", he said taking another step back, then cursing loudly. "Fuck!" Those slender fingers of his wormed up under the glasses to pinch of the bridge of his nose. "I'll be hearing about this from Nero, soon enough. Probably going to have to replace that ceruleum. Getting more's going to be a pain." The Knight's ears perked up slightly. "Yes well, perhaps you can keep me in mind this time again." "I will. But I'll need to get creative with procurement.", he replied in thought. "I'll need to check my sources. Getting my hands on such a material is difficult, to say the least." "And rightfully so.", Coatleque interjected. Then an idea sprung to mind.
"The name Lucaniel Clarke may interest you though. Yet another smuggler I have been keeping my ears open for. May be transporting ceruleum in bulk for resale. You did not hear this from me, of course." He nodded quickly, pulling out a small pencil and the scrap of paper that had been used before. "Lucaniel Clarke. Thanks. How do I get a hold of them?" "If I knew that, he would be in the gaols.", she remarked in amusement. "May have gone to ground. It is the only lead I have that could help you, though. Trading one evil for another as it were. Lazarov is the bigger target in this case, and if it gets the stuff OUT of my city, all the better." "Hm, right. Can't blame you. I'm not fond of smugglers, either. Oh, and one thing. Lazarov said he wants to use this ceruleum for mining so he can muscle his way in on Ul'dahn trade. Almost forgot to mention that. I had to tell him one hell of a huge lie to get that far." Her expression turned to a smirk. "I doubt he would say what he really needs it for. A highly controlled explosive fuel? I am tired of dealing with the stuff myself." "Of course. I wouldn't be in this job if I was stupid enough to believe everything somebody says. Well, I am stupid, just not that stupid.", he said with a grin, but the slight furrow of his brows betrayed his conflicted feelings about self-deprecation. "We all are in our own ways I suppose.", she said as she leaned back in her chair. It creaked loudly as if the wood is ready to snap, but still held for some reason.
Fio nodded quickly. "Right. Sorry to bore you with the details. I'll get that immunity, right? This is going way deeper then I had anticipated, and I may need to do some unsavory things to get to the bottom of this." "Just don't do anything too unsavory? I would be remiss if the Bismark should lose one of their prized chefs. I should get back to my reports, though. The less glamorous side of my job..." Fio looked a little antsy upon being denied. "And risk getting myself killed? Miss Crofte, I may have to leave you with no leads if you can't guarantee my safety here in Ul'dah. I hate doing this, but still." She looked back up with a slight curl of her lips. "T'was merely a suggestion, Lieutenant. We all operate how we see fit, Aye?" Fio's lips thinned. "Right. Good evening, Miss." He was quick to leave, clearly agitated. She may have seen the Miqo'te toying with a knife on the way out. "Twelvespeed, Master Arasgain."
Coatleque was sitting at her desk in the small and barely lit office. Still no bigger than a closet, the Order had no need to move her to more spacious surroundings despite her increased work load. She looks up from what she was reading as Fio rounded the corner, her door being open. "Lieutenant Arasgain!" Fio snapped out of the list and nearly dropped it to the ground. He yelped rather loudly, really bringing out the masculine edge before switching into something more feminine. "Ah, yes, Miss Crofte? What can I do for you this evening?", he replied while tucked the paper away in his chef's uniform. Turning, the Miqo'te's sky blue eyes met with the Sultansworn. There was the odd spot or spill staining Fio's apron.
She smiled and gestured for him to come into her office, or what would pass for 'inside' the doorway of the cramped space. "I had written you a summons, I assume you were here to answer it?" He nodded once, a hand drifting up to his face. "Yeah. Got a little distracted planning a birthday meal for a friend of sorts." A slight blush tinted the blonde's cheeks. "Of course, he wants foreign cuisine from Doma, so I had to go out and do a bit of reading and trading to get the necessary skills and tools. What's going on, Miss Crofte?"
Coatleque nodded politely along as Fio spoke trying to feign interest in some stranger's birthday dinner plans. "I had two matters we needed to discuss.", she replied, "The first is in regards to the last time we had a proper discussion. Something about going to Coerthas, and the transfer of ceruleum if you recall?"
"No, I transferred it at a dock warehouse in Limsa Lominsa. No idea what became of it. It was shuffled out pretty fast, according to my sources."
She nodded and folded her hands on the desk in front of her, trying to emulate the manner of how her Captain had grilled her so many times before. "Yes, I understand that. I had hoped to observe the exchange and follow them. You never contacted me to let me know when it was happening." "Yeah. Sorry about that. The target got a hold of me and rushed me on it. There was nothing I could do. Seriously, I was wearing a dress something like you are now, waiting for the okay, when he comes up to me all rushed-like. I didn't even have time to change into something better for manual labor."
Crofte sighed and looks down for a moment before raising her gaze back to Fiona's level. "I understand, sometimes things just do not go as planned. With the death of my comrade, you are the only remaining lead I have on the whereabouts of the Pirate. If you have anything else for me, please let me know as soon as you can." It was a half-truth, of course. She did have another lead which was being followed-up on by someone else. But the information there had not yet pointed back directly to the Pirate. Fiona did not need to know this, and having a sense of importance in the matter may provide faster results. "Unless you prefer I blindly search the cliffs of Providence Point for a hideout that may not exist?", she asked.
Fio nodded once. Upon hearing her question, his head shook. "The location's been broken down. No need to trek out there. I'll let him know I'm looking for more work on the linkpearl he gave me. Oh, and another thing I need to discuss. If you catch him, I need total immunity from anything he tells you. Mostly because they're lies." Fio waved a hand dismissively at the notion. "My goal is only to stop him. I care not for whoever else he tries to implicate in whatever scheme is his hatching.", Coatleque replied. "Thank you for understanding. To my second point then... I have been charged with settling the estate of Ser Natalie Mcbeef. She had set something aside for you."
The Knight removed her glasses and pointed with them to a crate sitting just outside her office. It was a wooden crate with the top pried off so the contents could be examined. The smell of a strong, flowery perfume emanated from it, wafting into the office. Fiona blinked a few times. "Huh. He may have tasked me with taking her out. Thank the gods I don't have to do a damned thing or force her into hiding.", he said, not overly shaken up over the news. Or even shaken up at all. How much death had this Miqo'te seen in his days to be able to shrug off the death of acquaintance? Fio walked over to the crate and took a look inside, sniffing on the way over. "It's soap. Laundry soap. She tried to teach me how to do laundry. For some reason, it's one of the things my brain just doesn't get. Like math, counting, or business. I have to hire an accountant to take care of it all for me. Sorry, you must think I'm a little slow after hearing that." He just looked back up at Crofte. "And how in the hells am I going to haul it out?"
Coatleque shrugged at her desk. "That is your problem now, unfortunately. You need not do it now, of course. The guard in the hall has been notified you will be collecting it at some point. I'm sure you fan find some strapping young lad to help haul it away." She wrinkled her nose. "The sooner the better, if you please. The scent is giving me a headache." "Of course, Miss. I'll try to get somebody to haul it to a place where I can give it to the woman I pay to do my laundry and clean my room." Fio paused for a few moments. "Gods, I really am pathetic." The Miqo'te's voice dropped from it's matter-of-fact tone to something rather pitiful.
"Some of us have not the hours to spare for such things. You need not explain yourself to me of course. Gratitude for your promptness though." She paused for a moment. Had she really just said Gratitude? Her thoughts went to Roen briefly before shaking her head. "It's not that I didn't try. It's like I'm mentally incapable of such things, Miss. And don't worry about that. It's the least I could do on the way back to the tiny room I rent out here." Coatleque smirked to herself. It couldn't possibly be worse than the hole they made her work out of here. She returned her glasses to her head. "Thank you, Lieutenant. Please keep in contact."
"Of course. I'll send somebody by for the crate. A damned shame you lost a comrade, though." He stepped forward and around her desk at these words and gave her a hug from the side. An unusual display of emotion from him. Coatleque found herself leaning towards him but was in no position herself to return it from where she sat. "Thank you for your condolences. It was very unexpected." Fio took a step back and re-adjusted his glasses. "The hells were you expecting?", an eyebrow lifted curiously. "I do not know what I was expecting, but what I was not expecting was an improvised explosive before negotiations could be completed."
Fio's head jarred rather quickly as he was taken aback by the news. "Improvised explosive? Negotiations? What were you all up to, Miss?" The Sworn shook her head in disgust. There was plenty she could tell him on the matter, but the question was more of what she could trust the Maelstrom Lieutenant with. He was not yet aware that his own background had been recently suspect. "I cannot discuss it further right now, though you should find what you need to know from your superiors back in Limsa Lominsa. Ask about recent mishaps at Moraby Drydocks. I am sure Lazarov will need help replenishing some stock."
"I'll do that, Miss. Thank you.", he said taking another step back, then cursing loudly. "Fuck!" Those slender fingers of his wormed up under the glasses to pinch of the bridge of his nose. "I'll be hearing about this from Nero, soon enough. Probably going to have to replace that ceruleum. Getting more's going to be a pain." The Knight's ears perked up slightly. "Yes well, perhaps you can keep me in mind this time again." "I will. But I'll need to get creative with procurement.", he replied in thought. "I'll need to check my sources. Getting my hands on such a material is difficult, to say the least." "And rightfully so.", Coatleque interjected. Then an idea sprung to mind.
"The name Lucaniel Clarke may interest you though. Yet another smuggler I have been keeping my ears open for. May be transporting ceruleum in bulk for resale. You did not hear this from me, of course." He nodded quickly, pulling out a small pencil and the scrap of paper that had been used before. "Lucaniel Clarke. Thanks. How do I get a hold of them?" "If I knew that, he would be in the gaols.", she remarked in amusement. "May have gone to ground. It is the only lead I have that could help you, though. Trading one evil for another as it were. Lazarov is the bigger target in this case, and if it gets the stuff OUT of my city, all the better." "Hm, right. Can't blame you. I'm not fond of smugglers, either. Oh, and one thing. Lazarov said he wants to use this ceruleum for mining so he can muscle his way in on Ul'dahn trade. Almost forgot to mention that. I had to tell him one hell of a huge lie to get that far." Her expression turned to a smirk. "I doubt he would say what he really needs it for. A highly controlled explosive fuel? I am tired of dealing with the stuff myself." "Of course. I wouldn't be in this job if I was stupid enough to believe everything somebody says. Well, I am stupid, just not that stupid.", he said with a grin, but the slight furrow of his brows betrayed his conflicted feelings about self-deprecation. "We all are in our own ways I suppose.", she said as she leaned back in her chair. It creaked loudly as if the wood is ready to snap, but still held for some reason.
Fio nodded quickly. "Right. Sorry to bore you with the details. I'll get that immunity, right? This is going way deeper then I had anticipated, and I may need to do some unsavory things to get to the bottom of this." "Just don't do anything too unsavory? I would be remiss if the Bismark should lose one of their prized chefs. I should get back to my reports, though. The less glamorous side of my job..." Fio looked a little antsy upon being denied. "And risk getting myself killed? Miss Crofte, I may have to leave you with no leads if you can't guarantee my safety here in Ul'dah. I hate doing this, but still." She looked back up with a slight curl of her lips. "T'was merely a suggestion, Lieutenant. We all operate how we see fit, Aye?" Fio's lips thinned. "Right. Good evening, Miss." He was quick to leave, clearly agitated. She may have seen the Miqo'te toying with a knife on the way out. "Twelvespeed, Master Arasgain."
