Alley Oops

Log Info

• Title: Alley Oops
• Emitter: Robert
• Characters: Jay, Slixvah, Nemori, Zofija
• Place: A07: Lower Alexandria Market District
• Time: Monday, April 25, 2022, 3:49 PM
• Summary: It's a gloomy day in the lower markets. A misunderstanding with local customs almost leads to a situation... but the misunderstanding is solved with money (as most things are). Acquaintances catch up in the wake of an awkward situation but are quickly distracted by a suspicious-looking conveyance. The conveyance turns out to be transporting fish (red herrings, specifically) but a cry for help draws the group across several blocks. They find a goblin in a pickle. Not literally, though, as that would be absurd. This is a goblin hiding from an animated necktie; which is much more believable!

-=--=--=--=--=--=<* A07: Lower Alexandria Market District *>-=--=--=--=--=--=-

Just west of the Northern Highbridge and east of the arena, commerce blooms. Noisy and bustling, most anything may be purchased here for a price. Vendors from all cultures sell their wares from exotically colored carts, and the smells of different nations and far-off city-states mix with local ones from Alexandria and its riverbanks.

For all its commerce, visitors are advised to keep hold of their purses. Even the merchants possess a certain, cunning look. Most are positioned at carts or stalls as opposed to a formal storefront, with trade here being mobile, and visiting from all parts of the world.

Though the quality of goods suffers here compared to Upper Alexandria, the options are more diverse. Too, the oversight of the Watch is slightly less, and during times events are held at the Arena, chaos abounds. After dark, the square becomes a hangout for bards and other entrepreneurs whose business is best conducted by night; the shadows at the edges of the square often contain furtive figures engaging in their own brand of business.

-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=  Appearing, in Order  =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Jay          5'9"     145 Lb     Eaglefolk         Male      A perky male Blue Jay with a discerning eye.
Slixvah      5'8"     130 Lb     Eaglefolk         Female    A rust red and white Egalrin covered in veils, ribbons, and shawls.
Zofija       5'8"     225 Lb     Hobgoblin         Female    A well-dressed Arvek-Nar with a big hammer.
Nemori       4'10"    110 Lb     Mul'niessa        Female    A tall and slender, dark skinned elf.
-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=  As the GM  =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Robert       6'3"     235 Lb     Human             Male      A middle-aged Cerenzan with a friendly, fatherly vibe.
-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=

Yesterday's gloom is holding and holding firmly. It's been hours of perpetual twilight only interrupted briefly by the dark of night. Cool couples with the grey; the Mourners probably love it up in their mountain temple.

Sounds seems to distort in the open air today. Maybe it's the hint of moisture carried on the cool wind?

Business moves through the markets this Variday but seems to do so at three-quarters speed. Callers sound muffled. A few keen shopkeepers are offering mild discounts on their wares in the hopes of making up for what feels to be a bad business day.

Shop doors are propped open to advertise the warm glow of their interiors. Vendors at their stalls try to smile a little harder.

"He's completely ignoring me." A shopkeeper complains to the help, "look how close I'm getting?"

"I've seen those marks on Tomatoes before, I wondered how they got there."

"Hey buddy! You going to pay for that?" The shopkeeper demands.

A bluejay Egalrin seems completely oblivious to the interruption and pecks at a tomato on display.

An Egalrin woman is about in the Markets, a parasol in one hand as she peruses the stalls.

The commotion grabs her attention, and she slides over. "... heeey Blue," she calls out. "Whaaat'cha dooooin'?"

"What? What? What!" Integrity C Truefeather, esquire, the 'C' is for contemplative, snaps back to the present. "Hi Slix! Hi!" He waves enthusiastically, an arm and a wing.

"Pay for what?" The bluejay's attention switches to the shopkeep.

"For the tomato, that you're eating."

"Eating, allegedly!" Jay immediately counters.

"No, actually eating. It's in your hand, it's on your beak. There are witnesses." The help nods, "You're literally red handed."

"Oh. Oh. Oh! Uh... sure. I'll pay." Jay pulls out some coins.

Slixvah's eyes crinkle in a smile as she raises a hand. "Heya."

A glance-glance between the shopkeep and the tomato causes her to quietly snicker behind the raised hand. "You lost this case, Blue. Hate ta break it to you. Aside from getting caught, what's good?"

The clip-clop of hooves precedes a team of horses pulling a wagon through the street. The driver leans forward with his elbows in his knees, hidden beneath a ratty cloak of faded patchwork. The contents of the wagon are secured beneath a tarp and criss-crossed ropes. The cowl turns idly to consider the exchange but the horses don't slow. A lantern swings to the drivers left turning the world orange briefly.

Closer, Jay comes to with a presence nearby: a meaty arvek in a blood-stained apron. He'd stepped out of his (presumably) butcher's and is working a stained towel through dirtied hands as he looms over the bluejay. Slixvah had watched the whole deliberate approach; maybe that's why she trying to snap the bluejay out of his impromptu feast.

"Good choice," he grumbles when the l'egalrin decides he'll pay. Seems like the community has each other's backs here. There's a quiet slap as the wet towel is tossed over his shoulder and his dark eyes glance to the fruitvendor, making sure all is well.

"Folks tend to pay first..." the butcher suggests, making sure he has Jay's attention. "Pay first and then take their goods. Common courtesy'n all that rot, right?"

The fruit takes the coins without thanks, "and for all these too." He indicates a rack of tomatoes, all with tiny slices in them.

Integrity is clacking his beak at Slixvah in greeting, and then looks back at the wares, "I don't think I did those, they're too small."

"Far as I know, you're the king of the bluejay conspiracy and you can pay for all your little feathery friends having a taste too."

Jay's feathers ruffle, as he fluffs up to look bigger for the approaching Arvek Nar, but he hands over more coins. "I had a lot of things on my mind."

Murder and kidnapping, mostly.

The bluejay's head turns as he stares at the wagon rolling by, then back to Slixvah, "Things are okay."

He looks at the Arvek Nar again, "What, you're still here? Is there something you want me to buy from you?"

Slixvah blinks and relaxes some as Nar gives a bit of a reality check to the l-eagle. She pats his shoulder. "Let's get your snackies and amble about, yeah? Instead of allegedly stealin' some fruit," she hums.

She too glances to the passing wagon, her head cocking to the side. Odd, but not unusual. Perhaps a Varadmian wagon under guise to not spook the public? Ah well.

"Fruit's hard to come by this time of year, little fella, and Jambau has mouthes to feed at home," the butcher tells Jay, shoulders rolling forward when he drops his big hands into the front pouch of his apron. The nostrils of his wide nose flare when Jay's attitude continues. "... just making sure you do the right thing. Fruit's hard to come by. I can always get more meat." That might be a threat.

There's a grunt and the lay of his apron changes when he unfolds the fists he'd made. The arvek nar spares Slixvah a mild glance before shaking his head. A stray bit of offal disengages and falls down to the ground as he turns and walks back towards his shop.

The cartwheels squeak a bit as the conveyance turns a corner, rolling on and out of view.

A few folk that'd stopped to watch the exchange go back to their shopping. A distant caller shouts about his wares a block over but the specifics are lost to the gloom.

From within the butchery nearby, another, much more familiar arvek-nar poked their head out of the shop, curious, but only for the brief moment before they chuckle. "Hey, easy there, the Egalrin is good for payment. Though you should ask before sampling goods you're supposed to buy, I have no doubt they were going to."

"Oh, hey Slix, good to see you here too, how's it going?" She greets afterwards, waving and stepping out into the streets.

"Obviously, yeah, I'm not a thief." Integrity retorts, even if he is a bird-brain. "Good luck with your meat. Hi Muscles. Let's go."

He hops a bit, then holds an arm out for Slixvah to take. He's heading after the wagon for some reason, "I didn't think they did that. There was a wagonload of bad beer a while ago. I read about it."

Slix perks up at the sight of Zofija. "Heeya Muscles. Blue and I here were just about to go on a little meander. Wanna come with?" she offers, taking Tegri's arm and looping hers around it before they're off. "... huh? What'cha on about, Blue?"

Nemori is already meandering, sort of. She'd finished with her chores not long ago and had been chased off by the smithy's proprietor so that he could 'chase his muse'. Well, not chased off. But it was suggested it would be a good time for her to get to know the neighbourhood a little better, so here she is. She'd left her work apron behind, but still wears the work tunic and skirt she's adopted for working at the smithy.. and also the floopy sunhat, a gift which she's particularly taken to.

The hobgoblin butcher just shrugs as he passes Zofija, reaching up to tap the Serriel placard nailed into place above the shop's doorframe as he disappears inside. The matter's settled and he's work to do.

The wagon, meanwhile, is simple enough to follow. Either the driver or the horses are in no hurry and so the team pulls their load where most bipeds can follow at a mild hustle. The lantern settles in its swinging shortly after the corner is turned and the furtive sputtering of the oil-fed flame settles into a steady burn. From the back a bit of the load can be espied beneath the tarp: wood crates and burlap sacks.

GAME: Slixvah rolls alertness: aliased to perception+2: (14)+10+2: 26
GAME: Nemori dons a cape and is now Batman! She rolls perception+1000: (16)+9: 1025
GAME: Zofija rolls perception: (8)+4: 12
GAME: Jay rolls perception: (17)+12: 29

In between the creaking and squeaking of the wagon and its wheels there's an echoed, plaintive cry from some distance away.

Someone is calling for 'help' from about two-or-so blocks from the south. The way it echoes it seems it's coming from an alleyway.

Nemori wonders how this is her problem.

"Well uh, alright." Zofi shrugs, suddenly feeling on the spot awkwardly. "Yeah Slix, I'm done shopping, so I'm free to go walk around and stuff like that. I'm not interrupting anything though am I? Looks like Tegri is in a rush to get going elsewhere."

The Arvek-nar pauses and looks around, frowning. "Any of you hear that? Didn't sound too good."

"Bad beer, had little beer gremlins. There was a civil tort case for third party damages." Integrity explains, although he's still distracted, the wagon has replaced his meandering thoughts.

He startles when he spots Nemori out of context. The work apron and sun hat are unexpected, but understandable. His feathers ruffle again, "Those wheels are loud, the squeaks sound like a cry for help. Figuratively I suppose they are."

Something snags his attention and he looks to the south, "Oh, that's not the wheels. That's a literal call for help. From the alley.""

Slixvah waves a dismissive hand. "Naw, ya ain't," she mentions to Zofi before bobbing her head to Tegri. A blink. Nemori? She looks over, her perking up and giving her a wave from across the way with her wing before its stymied by the cry.

She blinks. "... well, what are we waiting for?" she says quickly before turning that way towards the cry and speed walking over.

Nemori's first impulse is to ignore the cry. More than that, to actively move away from it. She has her reasons. It doesn't necessarily make her a bad person, right? But Integrity and Slixvah have seen her. Marked her, even, with the latter avianoid's wave. So instead of stepping away she hesitates, her mind working. Perhaps imagining the fallout of something bad happening to Robert's good friends, and then finding out she left them to it. So she sighs.. instead of waving back, for the pair.. no, trio, she sees, identifying the Arvek-Nar following them.. have already begun to move, she begins striding swiftly after them, her hand falling to her the knife at her belt. Yes, Integrity. She found another knife.

The cries are irregular and the gloomy day does its best to swallow them up when they do come. It takes a harried couple of minutes to navigate the chaos of the cross streets and backtracking at dead ends. Finally, you find yourselves at the mouth of a darkened alley splitting the storefronts of an alchemist's and curio/pawn shop.

The way the shadows close in it's a safe bet the alley isn't open on the far side.

GAME: Jay rolls sense motive: (1)+8: 9 (EPIC FAIL)
GAME: Slixvah rolls sense motive+2: (1)+3+2: 6 (EPIC FAIL)
GAME: Jay rolls acrobatics: (1)+9: 10 (EPIC FAIL)
GAME: Zofija rolls sense motive: (3)+1: 4
GAME: Nemori rolls sense motive: (7)+3: 10

Integrity starts after Slixvah, "Gliding is faster. Faster!" He demonstrates, breaking into a jog and tripping on a cobblestone just as he attempts his high-jump. He achieves a grand height of two feet, and wings spread, gets 10' along.

About as quickly as the red and white egalrin's landbound hustle. "Never mind."

He finds himself at the front of the Alleyway, staring into the darkness. "So... ah, now what?"

"Wait!" Nemori still can't entirely believe she's doing this, but, still trailing a little bit behind, she has to raise her voice a little bit so it can carry. "Do not jump in so foolishly. That is probably a trap! Whoever is calling is very likely the bait."

Slixvah snickers as Tegri tumbles down. She pauses a beat to help him up. "Smart move, Blue. Need more height next time though."

She's just about to step into the alleyway, but then the mul'neissa woman they helped not too long ago gives her pause. "... huh? What do you mean? Bait in the middle of the day?" she inquires quizzically.

The Arvek-nar blinks and has to jog somewhat to catch up with the rest of the group. "And what if it isn't? I'm not going to leave someone to get mugged or carted off. It's the middle of the day, there's plenty of guards around anyways." The cavalier grunts. "And if they're the bait, you can always take it out on them when we get there, but I'll give the benefit of the doubt for the moment."

Standing at the mouth of a dark alley in the middle of a gloomy, dreary day after being warned of a trap. The mild wind seems to cue in on the mood and stills.

The seemingly-frozen time shatters when the bell above a door tinkles and a Khazad-aul stomps out of the curio shop and down the short flight of stairs carrying an elaborate desk clock of cherry wood and gold. He stops to consider the group from beneath patchy black eyebrows and grunts. He nearly jumps out of his boots when the clock chimes and a painted bird shoots out beneath his bulbous red nose. "Cuckoo! Cuckoo!" it announces.

The dwarf grumbles something and stomps off away from the strange quartet. Maybe something to do with with water waste and his backside. There's a bit of that going around.

With the distraction set aside, the alleyway remains.

"... are you still there?" A small voice wonders finally, sounding unsure. "It's... uh, it's totally not a trap. Promise." They sound a bit strained. They sniff. "I can swear to a god if you like? Pick one." Something creaks.

Integrity is helped up. He's in much the same boat at Nemori, very reluctant to rush in and attack the darkness. His head twitches, flicking from the mul'niessa, to the Arvek Nar, then finally the other Eglarin.

"It's... ah... well it doesn't sound safe, for someone." A glance at the alley, back at Slix, "I can go check it out."

"If I call for..." he shakes his head, "Never mind, I'll call for help when they aren't ready to shoot me."

Jay slips into the shadows.

GAME: Slixvah rolls alertness: aliased to perception+2: (11)+10+2: 23
GAME: Jay rolls perception: (20)+12: 32
GAME: Zofija rolls perception: (12)+4: 16
GAME: Nemori rolls perception: (16)+9: 25
GAME: Jay rolls stealth: (7)+9: 16

The voice is coming from the ground and to one side of the alley. Likely from a basement window. The window would be on the side of the alley beneath the alchemist's shop. There was also the creak of a chair. Behind the spoken words there is also a muffled groan and the clattering of something knocking stuff over.

Nemori just offers a shrug at the much taller than she Arvek. She is by no means being the first on in, and is more than happy to let Jay do his thing. She's more than sated her own concerns by offering the warning. "It sounds as though it is coming from underneath that shop there..." She wrinkles her nose. "Herbalist. Or Alchemy, by the smell of it."

Slixvah blinks as Jay just rolls on in. "Uh... Blue...?" she intones, a hand reaching out to brush against his shoulder. "Stay safe."

Just in case.

She glances to the entrance of the shop, eyeing the contraption before shaking her head and slowly walking in after Tegri. "It does..." she murmurs to Nemori.

GAME: Robert rolls 1d20+2: (9)+2: 11

"Oh, it's in one of the basements out here. That's a bit more dangerous than just out in the open, makes sense." Zofija sighs. "Maybe best to be careful, no clue what they've got going in there." The Cavalier blinks, and squints some. "Weird to be talking like it's not a trap like that too. Your call, but whatever happens, the city needs to be alerted to any foul play like this, no matter the form."

Further down the dark alley, Integrity has found the source of the sound. He's on his hands and knees, peering into a small window that is beneath the alchemist's shop.

He come face to face with a small face, full of sharp, needle teeth. "AahH!" He squawks, leaping back. "Don't shoot!"

"Aahh!" The little voice in the shop's basement window trails off, as its owner falls off a chair, small body and furniture toppling to the ground. Whatever he was expecting, it wasn't a black beak that could take a nose off.

>>CRASH<< >>BANG<<

And the screaming continues, from both of them.

"... you could've answered me!" The little voice complains from somewhere beneath the little ventilation window just above the alley floor. There's a quiet groan and some aftershock clattering as disturbed piles fall over. "Who just sticks their face into someone's window!?"

"I think," Nemori comments, her face curling into a brief grimace as she casts a worried look back over her shoulder, "That they are probably already on the way, judging from this noise." Her hand moves deliberately away from her knife; if the guard do show up, she certainly doesn't want to appear threatening. Or up to no good. Then she looks back into the alley, takes a breath.. then steps in to follow Jay. "Who calls for help when they clearly do not need help?"

Slixvah's pace triples at the sudden sounds. "Everything alright?" she asks worriedly, one hand raised as another goes into her many robes.

"Well... ah... well do you want help?" The bluejay asks, remaining on the other side of the alleyway.

"Yeah, you're probably right there." Zofija nods, before she freezes up at the commotion. She continues on at a light run, slowing down until she reaches the window. "You okay there?" She also asks, peering down. "And just what in the hells is going on here?"

"... ow, I think I bruised my coccyx," the little voice complains. There's the sounds of thinks being pushed around, books falls, and a chair scooting. All of the action is punctuated by the slapping of feet on stone and more than a few "ow"s. Finally, the little creature clears his throat. "Awfdaimlikt!" it intones and a soft blue glow spills out from the window and into the alley.

The grunting resumes and the chair creaks again. A tall, pointed cap with a wide brim comes into view and then the wide-set eyes and large, freckled nose of a gobber.

"I do..! Help, yes. But no watch! They're uh... busy," his little gobber eyes shift. "Busy... with IMPORTANT things. I just need, hm... I need some food, please, and some water. I'm trapped. Also... uh..." broken nails reach up and scratch at his nose. "Something... to put the food and water in when I'm done with it..?"

He curls back his lips and sucks through his teeth in embarrassment at the last request. "Experiment went a little awry... but it's nothing to worry about. At all," he laughs nervously. "Just another day in the office, I mean."

From further into the basement space and through a closed door there's a long and drawn out groan. Then the sound of a door being jostled violently.

"Heh, experiments, right? The, uh, manas are out of alignment and so the circles of the Weave are in jutxaposition with the turbulence of the esoteric dingly majiggers..."

Nemori very much has an expression which seems to say, 'how is this our problem?', though she refrains from vocalising it. "I think he is lying," she says instead, to Integrity, Slixvah and Zofija. "This may not be a trap. But it seems like trouble."

Slixvah's brows pinch as she kneels beside the window. A nod to Nemori and Zofija before she squints through the bars. "The circles of the weave are never juxtaposed, they're circles," she points out, knowing more about the arcane than she lets on.

"What's the experiment, allegedly?" Integrity asks, appearing beside Slixvah and tilting his head this way and that, attempting to see beyond the small face. "Is there someone else in there with you? Some thing?"

"Oh, right, the experiment! Right." The gobber stops narrowing his eyes at Slixvah and turns his head, the wide brim of his wizard's hat blocking the window for a second before he turns back. "I'm a student at the academy and I'm doing some... independent study." He goes up on his tip-toes again so people have a better view of his mouth as he smiles a wide and reassuring smile.

"I'm studying necroooooochantment. Neck... enchantment. Uh..." he chews on his lips. "OH! I made an animated necktie that can tie itself. Have you ever tried tying a necktie? It's tricky! It trick to knot that tie-- to knot the tie right. It's tricky-tricky." He nods his head animatedly.

"So there's an animated necktie flying around on the other side of the door and I can't get out. But it'll wear off... I think. I just need those things I asked for."

"... and no watch!" he reiterates as an afterthought.

GAME: Zofija rolls sense motive: (9)+1: 10

"An animated necktie... allegedly." Jay repeats, his beak closing with a snap. "Does it tie a windsome knot or a gorgian knot?"

He launches into full lawyer mode, "if you're committing a crime it's best not to say anything further. If you need some unspecified assistance, beyond the food, drinks and a bucket request, our rates are negotiable."

"There's also a butcher who has lots of meat, and either likes getting more or could supply some. Allegedly." Integrity crouches down to stare into the window.

GAME: Nemori rolls knowledge/religion: (16)+6: 22

Nemori just folds her arms, looking down her nose at the window. Her eyes shift to gauge the minds of the Arvek and the Egalrin, then a glance back at the mouth of the alleyway. Torn between not wanting to be here when the watch arrive and.. well, that's what she really wants. But, again... the long game. So she sighs. "Necromancy," she says with the confidence of someone with first hand knowledge. "The living dead. Undeath. He is harbouring a zombie. Perhaps created it."

Slixvah sighs, shaking her head. "Then why, as a student, aren't you doing this at the Uni? Because doin' magic like that in the basement of a shop sounds sus, little tricky wicky. Why shouldn't we just turn and leave you to your blatant unwise decisions?" she says, further emboldened by this Idiocracy by Nemori's insight.

"Necrochantment." Zofija grunts, narrowing her gaze down into the window. "Yeah, I've heard enough. You better not even begin thinking about defending a necromancer from the guard Tegri, if you place any value on your name."

The Arvek-nar sighs, keeping an eye on the window. "You can't leave them to their decisions, that's just asking for someone innocent to get hurt as a result of it."

Slixvah wants to tip the guard off.

Nemori has personal reasons not to dissuade Jay from his current 'hear no evil' attitude.

"Hah haha... hah... zombie?" The gobber turns and looks back over his shoulder again. "There's no zombie. It's in your head. In your head, ma'am. Zombie? Zombie! Hah!"

He smiles instead to Jay and puts his hand through the window halfway, batting his fingers up and down to indicate its narrowness. "Don't think you'd fit a bucket..? Maybe... I don't know? A waterproof sack? Like a big waterskin?" He grinds his needle teeth again and sighs. "Sorry... it's gross. I just... have all my stuff down here and wasn't planning on having to hide from... uh, what was it? A flying jabbot."

And then Zofija is chiming in. He takes a deep breath and then sighs. "FINE! It's a ZOMBIE! Are you happy!? It doesn't have any arms, though. Or a lower jaw. I chopped that stuff off to be safe." He sighs and his shoulder slumps. "But it still creeps me out..."

"Ah! No! Not happy. Not happy. I didn't want to know that." Integrity protests, flapping backwards. He stares at Zofija, "Well I can't now that he's confessed. I'm an officer of the court. I can't condone illegal activity."

He crouches low and chirps at the window, "You shouldn't have said anything!"

His gaze whips around to Nemori now, "Oh! I found out, it's not illegal to be an ex-priestess, or even a priestess... of certain gods... but you're not allowed to conduct any ceremonies, or proselytize, or admit to have conducted activities that are disavowed here. Like sacrificing babies..." he leans down to caw at the window, "... or raising the dead! That's somebody's relative you mutilated! People get very upset at that."

He pops up, standing fully, "Oh. I know. We should tell Khepri."

Upon hearing the precautions that the gobber has taken, Nemori seems satisfied. Not so much because of a safety issue. More because she feels any potential obligation she had here is likely done. Dismissing the hapless necroalchemist from her attention, she looks at Jay instead as he reports his findings to her. Her lips tighten a little bit; she certainly doesn't want Zofija asking questions. But then she sniffs. "I would never consider sullying my hands with raising the dead. They are disgusting."

Slixvah shoots a glance at Tegri. It's a new one. A critical appraisement. "You're right Muscles, we can't leave them here."

Still staring at Integrity. "We should tell the Watch instead of circumnavigating the law by telling a Vardamite. Right, /Integrity/?" she says flatly, stressing the meaning of his name more than the actual proper noun.

"A zombie. de-limbing or not, you willingly summoned or are keeping a zombie in your building." Zofija grunts. "Yeah, we're going to have to go and get the guard, and they'll help you get out of there. But you're going to have to answer for what you have done."

"The clerics should be notified too though. To properly deal with the body, and make sure there isn't anything else moved around in the area."

"No, they should have spoken up. Come clean. Most wouldn't though, so I appreciate that."

"Well, it's not really circumnavigating the law is it? They aren't equipped to deal with undead. Finding sweetrolls is more their speed. Muscles is right, they're going to have to get an expert, and someone to handle the body..." The bluejay answers, crouching down to shout in the window, "... after it's respectfully put down!"

He straightens up, "that sounds like a Mourner, or whatever Khepri is, and the golem has been pretty inflexible so he'll dot all the t's and cross all the i's and march him off to the guard all neatly packaged up."

He refolds his wings, "It's not a good idea to get well known with the guard. Especially when people are always saying 'a little bird told me' and you're a big bird always seen hanging out with them."

"Folks get an idea you're a trouble magnet. Or maybe, you're somehow causing all the trouble." He shrugs his wings, "if you think it's best, then sure, let's tell them so we can watch them go for the help we were going to get."

Nemori glances at the window again, then nods her support of Jay's argument. "The guard are likely too busy to deal with something this minor, regardless," she says, in truth having no idea about how busy or stretched thin the guard may or may not be. "Integrity's solution seems to cover everything. I would rather not be associated too closely with the guard, if it is all the same."

Slixvah is still staring at Integrity as he explains himself, still listening to Zofija and nodding along in agreement. But it was something that Jay did, the way he went about it that was just...

"'course. That makes sense. We can go to the temples about this and tip off the guard in the process. Heck I'll tell 'em so ya'll ain't gotta worry about being associated and what not. I'll be the little birdie."

Her attention narrows to just be directed towards her fellow Egalrin. "... you jump at the chance to defend an obvious necromancer, yet once the truth is out, you hesitate to throw the book at them..." she chirps and tweets softly. <Auran>

She turns away to leave, shaking her head and crossing her arms. "Right. Let's GET rockin', as the Khzad say."

"There's a lot that goes into dealing with undead. That's why it's a big concern when there's practicing necromancers around." Zofija nods, stretching up and away from the small window. "There's nothing wrong with associating with the guard within reason. Better to be seen as trustworthy person than one hiding information when it isn't necessary."

"I'll talk them through it, don't worry. You don't even need to be around if you don't want, Nemori. Same for you Jay, but I'm not leaving this be. That's how you get cults taking over your city, and that never ends well."

"I'm not that kind of officer, I don't have arrest powers. I don't throw the book, I'm council for the defense. I suppose I could be a prosecutor but that's a lot more woodpeckery. It wasn't obvious until he admitted it." Jay chirps back at Slix.

"Maybe he deserves consequences for his actions but I'm a little uncomfortable with trying to help people and setting them up for an execution." He resists looking at Nemori, very strongly. "He's not the first." <auran>

He squawks at the window, "Bye Mr. Goblin."

"Sure, let's go." Integrity announces, attempting another leap and a glide out of the alley, and tripping again.

Inspirational Music https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypr18UmxOas