Lunch Buddies
Log Info
- Title: Lunch Buddies
- Place: Lower Alexandria Market District / Fernwood Pub
- Summary: Simony and Magpie meet for lunch, and discuss plans. So many plans!
The Fernwood has a certain charm, a certain something that many places aim for, but few achieve.
On certain days, it is near perfect. The right amount of people, the sun streaming in the high up windows, the smell of good food cooking.
The perfect atmosphere where one can eat and scheme with nary a person being nosy or interrupting. A person-watcher's delight.
Simony has nabbed a table in a more secluded space, darker, with less headroom than elsewhere, away from the door or the stairs leading up. The table, and chairs, are sized for smaller people, perfect for Gnomes and Goblins alike. A small candle allows for the reading of books, while a small teapot sits waiting, two teacups prepped.
While Simony is distracting herself by drawing, it is obvious for those who spot her, that the Gobbo is waiting on someone.
The door to the pub opens, and for a moment the sun shines off a motley of blues, reds, and yellow as Magpie makes her way in. Somewhat more subdued than usual, the gnome shuts the door behind her, and looks around the common room... then her face splits into a wide grin upon spotting Simony. With a wave so energetic it lifts her off the floor a couple inches, she makes her way directly to the table, visibly pleased at taking a smol-sized spot in the common room; they fill up so quickly, often it's hard to not need a stepladder just to have a spot to eat.
"Heyyyy, Simony," she says, blowing an errant lock of hair from her face. "What's up?"
"Hello, Magpie.", the Goblin says cheerfully, her grin full of teeth and mischief. "Please, settle in. Are you hungry, and did you wish some tea?" Simony is already pouring, however, both teacups get filled.
She sips at hers a little, before continuing.
"How are your studies going?" Leaning in a little, the Gobbo lowers her voice. "I thought I would update you a little. Seldan, Telamon and I had a chat. I've some information that might uhm be concerning?"
"*Always* hungry," the gnome chuckles, reaching for her teacup. "Doing okay, thinking that I should move to a different project, given what the field research showe--" Pausing, she blinks rapidly for a moment, then leans in. "Oh yeah?"
"I arranged for some curry chicken over rice. Had to pull the 'Well if Ox can do it...' trick."
Simony waves, and nods, one of the servers by the kitchen nodding and disappearing.
"Er, what is the research showing?", she wonders. Her voice lowers again. "Yeah, that thing we ran into? Echo of a thing that's been dead for a while. Seldan killed it before. It is posited that the city-wide roundel is still active. Possibly... fully functional."
"That it's probably way too dangero-- wait what. *What.*" Magpie thumps back in her chair, eyes wide. Looking for something to do as she processes this information, she sips at her tea, staring at the goblin. "...Okay the echo thing I heard, but like... It's *what?!*"
Her eyes drop to the surface of the table, darting back and forth as if an echo of her attempts to catch her whirling thoughts. "...That's a problem, Simony. Like a *problem* problem."
"Ookay, okay, I did that for effect, but let me explain.
The Goblin's grin is broad, completely spoiling the serious nature of her news.
"So, we were wondering.. well, not me, I think it was Telamon... somehow it came up. The circle has to have had some maintenance done, if this echo is walking around. Eclavdran, the former duke of hell, was tied to this circle."
The Goblin goes quiet as the server arrives with two bowls of curry chicken over rice, a full loaf of bread, thickly sliced and generously buttered, and a full set of utensils. A few coins, with at least one gold one, are slid across the table to the server.
Simony waits for them to step away with the coins, before she continues.
"I posited that if things like the otyuchs exist to keep the sewers relatively clean... there could be a magical means to repair things down there." She pauses to inhale one of the bread slices.
Magpie is listening hard enough that one would swear her eartips are quivering, eyes wide. Only the smell of curry snaps her out of her focus, and that only long enough to lean back and allow the food to be deposited. Once the server leaves, she leans in again, feeling around for a slice of bread and a spoon. Both curry and rice are spooned onto the bread, which is folded over and crammed halfway into her mouth.
"Mmm-hmmmf?"
There's a muffled giggle and snort from the Goblin, and she digs into her curry somewhat, getting in a few mouthfuls before she nods.
"So, if the echo exists, it means the circle if functioning. If it's functioning, it's been repaired."
She sips daintily at her tea before continuing.
"Seldan said a fae was involved. So... the conclusion is, the circle has been repaired, magically it is assumed. It works, at least to some degree."
Her voice drops further, and she practically presses her face to Magpie's, "Since it existed before the wards... it probably allows you to summon, conjurer, teleport... from the sewers, wards be damned. So like, the echo needs to be killed, and we need to test stuff. The worse news? The circle IS the sewers, the sewers is the circle. Can't break it without destroying the city's sewage and drainage systems. You're up kiddo, can you bust the regeneration on it?"
By the time Simony's done talking, three full slices of bread and filling have been annihilated, all of it without breaking eye contact. Settling back in her chair, she scrapes at her mouth with a rag, thinking hard.
Then, the rag is tossed into the air as magpie waves her arms. "Maybe! I don't know! I have to *see* the structure!" Glancing around in case her outburst drew attention, she leans in on the table, voice dropping to an urgent stage-whisper.
"Just to have an *idea* how to do it, I need to map the whole circle. Copy every line, every node, every channel. *Then* get actual masters in spellcraft to decipher all of it, which *whoadang* I am *not.* But then when we know everything there is to know about the circle and how it's built... *maybe* I can figure out how to stop it from regenerating. ...Or slip in a new set of instructions... Hm... Oh heyyyyy..."
Alaryn goes Out <O>.
Alaryn has left.
As Magpie talks, the Goblin takes her opportunity to eat, snagging a few more of the thick bread slices, and shoveling curry into her mouth. She giggles a few times, the Gnome's antics infecting the Goblin with a similar energy.
Nodding enthusiastically, Simony grins, and speaks between mouthfuls of curry.
"So, we will get you support. I think myself, Telamon and Ravenstongue can help with the mapping. The biggest thorn is the creature. Seldan is confident they can take it on. But I think it is a good idea to get him support. Perhaps he has an idea of whom can help him with it?"
"I uh... yeah probably. I... think you could do me a favor, actually?" Magpie says, after gulping down the last of her tea, and reaching for the pot to pour fresh. "See if Seldan has the time and inclination to sit down with me for a bit? I need to pick his brain about this, and see if I can convince him doing anything but ruining it is a good idea. Cos, see..."
She leans back, turning the cup in her hands. "Seldan is Kind Of A Big Deal. People don't talk about him much like they do the Crimson Pen targets, but like... *Guaranteed* if you pass a group of female students, and you don't hear them whispering Telamon's name? It's Seldan's. And a Big Deal like that, I do *not* want to cross. It's just bad manners, y'know?"
The Goblin swallows noisily, almost choking on the half-chewed mouthful that seems to go down sideways. A slurp of tea helps her recover before the coughing gets bad.
"I... I can. Is.. is it okay if I ask Telamon to arrange it. He's got this thing with his eyes that helps such conversations go ... better. 'Cos if you're concerned trying to talk to Sir Seldan... then I am a disaster waiting to happen. But I'll get it arranged..."
"I uh had heard the name, knew he'd saved the city and lots of people... but didn't know much about it. I am... still in the same spot as before, I just now have a face to go with the name."
"Yeah that's a good idea," Magpie says, bobbing her head. "And like... I get it. I'm just, like, gonna try to treat this like a grant application interview. Get as much material together as possible, make a super convincing argument, hope it doesn't get denied... Y'know." Gesturing vaguely with one hand, the gnome reapplies herself to her lunch.
The Goblin stares at Magpie for a few moments, loooong moments, before she chuckles. "My life seems quiet and boring compared to yours. So I'll speak with Telamon, I am meeting him later on... and see if he would convince Seldan to meet with you. Erm. If you need my help with anything else, please ask. In for a penny, in for a pound."
"Oh don't *even,*" Magpie says with a gusty sigh. It *sounds* interesting, I guess, but the reality is 'ten days of hard work and scrambling and rehearsing and memorizing and trying to think up every possible answer to every possible question, all on the strength of a 'maybe.' At least with dice it's less work and you get your answers quicker. But... Yeah definitely. Once I talk to Seldan, I'll have a better idea of what's needed, and we can get started on how to *do* it."
The Goblin laughs, covering her mouth, and then chewing. "The curse of a bookworm, hmm?" She rubs at her cheeks. "But ya know what? How are you doing? I mean, how is Magpie? What's new and interesting that is not demon, circle or death related?"
"So there's this bakery in Goblintown," Magpie says almost immediately. "Turns out the baker lived in Tashraan for awhile. He stuffs curry like this into bread, but it's *spicy* and awesome and they sell this fruit-yogurt drink that cools down the tongue and just... Oh man, it's great. It's on Spark Lane, by the salvage yard?"
The Goblin's ears perk up a little, "I am always looking for new places to eat. Spicy spicy?" She nods, her notebook being pulled out of the bag on her hip, followed by a shiny new pencil. "SPARK LANE, by the salvage yard."
"Thanks, I'll definitely look that place up. So uh hmm. You ever met someone by the name of Ous?"
"Spicy spicy," Magpie confirms, bobbing her head. "And uh... No, don't think I have? I'm bad with names, though, why?"
The Goblin looks away. "N.no specific reason, just curious if you'd heard the name. He's done a few guild missions that I happen to have joined up for also."
"Ohoooo?" Magpie says, grinning wide. "I haven't heard about him, but by the sound of it he's making an impression?"
Just about the only other colour she can make is the flush of blood to the cheeks, and Simony tries to hide this. "Yes. He's.. he's a human. An outdoorsman, has a giant hound as a companion. Heh. Likes to drink at the Ox, when he's not hunting, or slaying monsters that need slaying. Pretty mean with an axe."
"So... yes, he's made an impression."
"Niiiiiice~!" Magpie crows, tipping her head back and laughing. "Good for you, Simony! Don't go asking me for advice, though, I'd be awful at it. But hey if he's making an impression, have fun, yeah?"
She snorts and sighs. "I have no idea what I'm doing.", she complains. "But thank you very much for your encouragement. It has been a fun journey so far." The Goblin inhales and exhales noisily. "Okay, is there anything else we need to talk about? Is there anything you'd like to touch on? I know your time is at a higher premium than mine, so..."
"Ppfffff, nothing like that, really. If I'm not going in fifty different directions at once, I get bored and invent directions to go into," Magpie says with a shrug. "But no, nothing really comes to mind just yet? I'm gonna need to prepare for this pitch, so I'm working out what I'm going to need. Probably gonna need to spend a day in the stacks," she says at the last, murmuring to herself. Shaking her head, she looks up, smiling brightly. "What about you, Simony? Anything I can help with, if nothing else to pay you back for this *awesome* lunch?"
The Goblin giggles at length. "Magpie. The past two times I've come to you, over food, have been to divulge terrible information. Important, sure, need to act on right away, yep... but terrible. What is it you're going to pay me back for?" A pale hand reaches out to lightly pat at the Gnome's forearm. "You need not owe me anything, honestly. However... if you're feeling generous... you can get the next lunch! Fair, yes?"
Simony's expression grows thoughtful for a time as she gives the question serious consideration.
"I will offer up a donation of coin, if need be, but... shall you reconvene the Study Buddies group? So that we can rake in all the information? Maybe refocus on something of more importance, if such a thing is found? I mean, we also need to find some support for Sir Seldan. And perhaps other groups to clear out the sewers pre-emptively before we go down to map the circle?"
"Well I mean, the Study Buddies exist right now to take out Jags, and I don't intend to switch that until it's done," Magpie notes. "But otherwise, yeah, that's a good idea. Once I've talked to Seldan and gotten an idea of what we want to do, I'll pull the Buddies back together. And yeah, I'll talk to the Guild about some sewer-clearing missions, but... I'm not sure if that shouldn't wait until *after* the echo gets taken care of. I don't want people to get hurt."
Simony nods. "I would leave it up to your judgement then. I just wanted to bring up the possibility of such. I expect you have more information over all, so, you would be the best judge of whether or not to reconvene."
The Goblin stands, moving to Magpie's side, hesitating and then offering a little hug. "For now, I shall leave you, yes? Please, enjoy the rest of the curry and fresh bread. Oh, and the tea. It's all paid for, so, please enjoy. I'll take my leave of you, okay?"