Eventually, the night wore out even the stoutest hearts of tavernskeeps, and they closed their doors. The places left open -- Keepers' delights -- they'd already canvassed. The roe had amassed a collection of tidbits: information and advice both, some of it conflicting. Brindle'd collected the same things, snatching the information deep into the heart of his memory. As soon as he got loose from the big lout, he'd be free with it, and free to find Zhio.
"Can ye let me off now?" His voice was whiny and tired, just the timbre that always made Zhi's ears go back.
Because as soon as he was free, he had places to go.
Places that might have Zhi in them.
____________________
The shop owner of the smoke shop was not unused to seeing a strange parade of customers come in through his door. Nor was he unused to a steady stream of wheedling, threats, and questions. He kept his own counsel, and his wits about him.
He summoned one of his runners.
"Yeah, Eohric?" The lalafel lass' voice was cool and unruffled, same as always.
"Take a message to Litha. The stakes have changed. Triple pay, or the deal's off."
The lass stared at him, eyebrows raised as she waited for him to collect his thoughts.
"Tell her I ain't gettin' meself shived for lack o' information. Her goods got a trail o' n'er-do-wells on it, and it ain't worth gettin' me store torched. You tell her that."
___________
They was after a book. One what was more'n just words strung together. One that the bint would be tryin' to offload. One that the doublecrossed buyer would be lookin' to get back... and could use some help, like as not, from a local Limsan runner. One who had some idea where their crook-tailed thief ran off to, at that.
That was how he ended up waitin' in a hall waiting to talk to Litha, behind some other runner, his ear pressed up to the door. The smoke seller was playin' with weighted dice, was he? Might be someone who could use that information.
Then he heard the name.
Goodfellow.
By the time the runner came out of the office, Solitaire was gone.
He had a lalafel to find.
"Can ye let me off now?" His voice was whiny and tired, just the timbre that always made Zhi's ears go back.
Because as soon as he was free, he had places to go.
Places that might have Zhi in them.
____________________
The shop owner of the smoke shop was not unused to seeing a strange parade of customers come in through his door. Nor was he unused to a steady stream of wheedling, threats, and questions. He kept his own counsel, and his wits about him.
He summoned one of his runners.
"Yeah, Eohric?" The lalafel lass' voice was cool and unruffled, same as always.
"Take a message to Litha. The stakes have changed. Triple pay, or the deal's off."
The lass stared at him, eyebrows raised as she waited for him to collect his thoughts.
"Tell her I ain't gettin' meself shived for lack o' information. Her goods got a trail o' n'er-do-wells on it, and it ain't worth gettin' me store torched. You tell her that."
___________
They was after a book. One what was more'n just words strung together. One that the bint would be tryin' to offload. One that the doublecrossed buyer would be lookin' to get back... and could use some help, like as not, from a local Limsan runner. One who had some idea where their crook-tailed thief ran off to, at that.
That was how he ended up waitin' in a hall waiting to talk to Litha, behind some other runner, his ear pressed up to the door. The smoke seller was playin' with weighted dice, was he? Might be someone who could use that information.
Then he heard the name.
Goodfellow.
By the time the runner came out of the office, Solitaire was gone.
He had a lalafel to find.
