Sins of the Past: A Confrontation

Winter in Alexandria City and the Theater district is covered with a blanket of white snow, recently dumped by the skies. It is the perfect backdrop for the second day of the Angorite tournament festivities and the riot of colors that come from vendors, decorations, and questionable mascots of star athletes...

... and the street food vendors. One of which is currently playing host to Skyler Skywalker, former pirate turned adventurer. He's dressed in a fine jacket trimmed in fur, snug pants and knee high boots. He's frowning dubiously at the offerings. "And do the gladiators know you're selling meat pies shaped like them?" He asks, squinting, "Seems kinda weird. Like do people buy their favorite athlete? Or do they buy their favorite's rival so when they're biting the head off the pie it's like they're symbolically eating him?"

The vendor, bless his heart, just stares. "It... it's a meat pie?" He says, confused, "I'm just trying to make some money here, man."

Skyler shakes his head, and says, "Well, I'll take an Ale-wyn-braised handpie and... Anything for you, Jarik?" That to his companion.

Jarik meanwhile is dressed as he always is, like a woodland hobo. Okay, not quite that bad, his clothes are well taken care of and he's groomed. They're just basic, and his cloak is that bristly boarhide that doesn't look all that warm, even if it seems to work for him.

"I think you're.. and gods know this isn't a term I'd normally use with you.. you're overthinking it."

"I'll take one of the round venison ones that don't look like a person." He looks to Skyler. "Yours is gonna be all crust and no filling." He says confidently, shrugging at the vendor though he doesn't look overly apologetic. Greywing hoots his agreement. Maybe.

Skyler, being unable to talk to animals, decides to take it as agreement... with *him*.

"Right, Greywing!" he declares, "It's about supporting the athletes and the festivities, Jarik."

The bemused vendor is paid, pies are handed over, and Skyler begins to lead Jarik deeper into the festivities, "I think it's about celebrating one of the Gods or something? Alexandrians are weird, man." He says, as he munches on the pie-head of a Dragoon, "But they pay good, and there's plenty of jobs if you aren't too picky."

"Well, it's the Angorite Tournament so I would assume... Angoron, yes?" Jarik says levelly as he takes a bite of his pie, doing that sucking in air thing, half-chewing, that people do when they take a bite of something too hot.

"Back home.." He continues when he finally manages to swallow. "Mostly we follow Althea or Gilead. I mean, recognize them all, but those were the big festivals." He plucks out a small piece of meat and offers it to the owl, who sucks it down greedily.

He nods his agreement. "Well, thank the god they do or the inn-keep would have tossed us out weeks ago."

"Never was much on theology." Skyler says with a shrug of his shoulder and a chuckle, "Even with the band I ran with, we may have tossed a coin to Rada or Tarien, maybe the occasional devote to Maugrim, in secret. Growing up..."

He grimaces. One of the things he so rarely discusses is his life before becoming a pirate. Oh, sure, it's obvious his name is a pseudonym (and not a very good one) and that he had parents that were impossible to please, but the details?

Well.

He plays those close to the chest.

"Speaking of pay, you get in touch with the Ygdrassil Union?" He asks, cocking his head, "I've heard good things about them, and have seen a lot of jobs that require membership."

"Kinda." Jarik says after another bite of pie. The winter weather is cooling it quickly, and now it's perfect to eat and he wants to do so before it gets too cold.

"They're not hard to find if you know how to read the woods." He murmurs. "Or maybe that was a test." He adds after a moment with a shrug.

"I'll need to do some stuff to prove myself before I'm official but they seem to be okay with me hanging around at least. So having a safe spot in the woods to crash if I'm out there is a nice thing to have. Whole new forest to learn."

"Gross." Is that directed at the pie or Jarik's description of getting in touch with the Union and having to take a test? Or, possibly, both? "Read the woods? A test?"

Skyler blinks, and shakes his head, "Sounds difficult. I tried to get in with the Sky guild, but they're suspicious of my past as a privateer and gave me a test, too." Which, obviously, he failed. "They did give me a nifty badge, though!"

The two (three, sorry Greywing!) move companionably through the festivities in silence, before Skyler speaks up again, "I hear the forest's kind of dangerous in parts. You run into any of that yet?"

"Only what you were there to see." Jarik admits with a half shrug. "If you really pay attention and try to avoid anything that seems like trouble you're probably going to be okay." Sometimes, he seems to forget most people didn't grow up running wild through the woods like he did. Especially a city boy.

"Well, there was a pretty testy boar, but he didn't want to tangle with one three times his size so that spooked him off."

The redhead's face goes mischievous and sly as the human bumps his hip against Jarik's, the expression a familiar one from the road: a suggestion that Skyler is going to say something possibly filthy, usually entertaining, and always inappropriate...

... But he's interrupted by a tall, muscular figure in a breastplate and masked helmet, emblazoned with the symbol of Kor. On the figure's back is a battle axe and a shield, and he purposefully blocks the path of the two adventurers. "Skyler Skywalker?" He asks, voice harsh and merciless, "I have questions for you on behalf of House Ashewell."

Jarik, close as he is, can sense the spike of fear and tremble in his companion, even as the usually brash and careless man's expression suddenly closes off.

Jarik isn't used to people standing in his way, so when someone does, he's not quite sure how to deal with it. Especially once the man speaks and Skyler reacts. The half-oruch stands right next to Skyler, staring at the man. He may not be in armor, but he's no slouch, at least not with some people. Behind their cloaks and out of view of the man, Jarik slips an arm behind Skyler, giving his waist a light squeeze to say silently, "I'm right here and will follow your lead."

The man doesn't seem the least bit intimidated by the half-oruch, crossing arms over his chest as he glares through the eye holes at the two men. And, having said his piece, waits for Skyler to respond.

The witchman's touch helps still the tremble, but Skyler remains closed up, expression wary and guarded. It's an unfamiliar expression that somehow seems very familiar, like a fine outfit that hasn't been worn in a long time and doesn't *quite* fit. "Aye, I'm Skyler." He says quietly, "But I have nothing to do with House... Ashewell, you said?"

The man rumbles, "But you did run with a... crew... that does." He says sternly, "My temple in Myrrah was contracted to assist with the investigation of a missing person for House Ashewell." He glares down, "You *will* accompany me back to Myrrah to answer questions."

And he reaches for Skyler...

"Run if you need to, he doesn't want me.." Jarik whispers into Skyler's ear, right before stepping between him and the large man. "Back off!" He shouts, not in trade but in yrch-speech, the far more guttural and Jarik believes intimidating sounding language of the oruch. He's a little rusty, but the armored man might not know that.

As if in an attempt to intimidate the man more, Jarik keeps eye contact, raises his meat pie to his mouth, and takes another bite, chewing slowly.

GAME: Jarik rolls intimidate: (6)+2: 8

The inquisitor frowns at Jarik as he steps up, eyes hard and cold behind the mask of his helm. But the hand that was reaching for Skyler is lowered, and he takes a step back. "I am attempting to keep this... civil..." And the word is said with a twist of his mouth, as if he is saying something distasteful, "But I will not hesitate to involve what passes for an guard in this place. Your companion is a member of an known criminal organization."

"Former member." Skyler interjects, from behind Jarik, voice surprisingly hard as if the half-oruch's support has given him resolve, "And we are simply enjoying the festivities." Beat. "And we are expected at the Temple of Angoron. It is a celebration, and I dare say the Temple of Angoron would be unhappy to hear that an Korian Inquisitor is getting in the way of their worship." He turns to Jarik, and the witch can see the hint of panic in his eyes, "Shall we?"

"Really?" Jarik says, his tone dripping with skepticism. "We've been travelling together for well over a month now and I've not seen him with this.. organization." A lucky bending of the truth and a quirk of meeting in the woods outside of town. "He arches an eyebrow as he looks back to Skyler, maybe a touch impressed with his quick thinking." He nods, and then lopping his arm with Skyler's, enough that if the inquisitor did make a grab for the red head it might be a bit of a tug of war, he nods. "Let's go, I'm sure our friends are worried."

GAME: Skyler as the Inquisitor rolls 1d20+8: (10)+8: 18

GAME: Jarik rolls bluff: (12)+0: 12

GAME: Skyler rolls bluff: (12)+9: 21

"Really." The Inquisitor's voice is flat, so utterly devoid of inflection that there's an entire conversation within that single, flat word. He doesn't make any move to grab at Skyler, even going so far as to cross his arms over his chest as his weight settles.

And then he adds, in a rather... silken... tone, "This particular brand practices infiltration as part of their piracy." His eyes bore into Jarik, "Often times they send an specialist of sort to infiltrate a town. Sometimes, it's to scout out for targets. Other times it's to open doors that might otherwise be closed." Beat. "A common method being a random meeting, pretending to be a victim..."

"Enough!" Skyler's voice is harsh as he interrupts the Inquisitor, and turns his back to the man, "C'mon, let's go. He's lying." Is he? "That isn't my life anymore." Anymore? Suspicious, but it's said so sincerely...

Skyler tugs on Jarik's arm, attempting to pull his friend with him towards the Temple of Angoron.

Jarik does what men like that often find to be the most annoying thing possible, he ignores him. The information on Skyler's old crew, the implications of it. Nothing, not even a blink of an eye. Instead he looks to Skyler once the man stops talking and says, "I think there might be a candied apple stall ahead, I haven't had one of those in years. Not since I got one stuck on a tusk." He says, popping the last of his meat pie into his mouth. He strolls along, though Greywing does turn his head 180 to fix a yellow-eyed stare on the inquisitor, because that's just what owls do.

This is where the Inquisitor would probably say something ominous and foreboding. 'You haven't seen the last of me!' or 'I will get you.. And you're little green man too!'. Except he's not about that life, and instead simply watches the two leave until a large man with a wobbly belly and a tray of freshly baked bread steps into everyone's line of view...

And when he moves past, the inquisitor is gone.

"Well. That was creepy." Skyler says cheerfully, eyes travelling over the crowd frantically, "Let's get some candied apples and go hide in the Temple in case he's watching like a pervert."

"That might imply we were planning to do something perverted.." Jarik points out as he leads Skyler to the stall in question, digging out a couple of coppers from his own stash this time. He pauses for a moment, then looks over to the red head. "We're not, are we? Certainly not in the temple." He picks one of the more gooey looking apples for himself, apparently trying to get it stuck to his tusks again like some filthy animal.

"Well, that depends." Skyler says cheerfully. Almost too cheerfully, "Are you going to ask awkward questions I have to distract you from, and do you consider wrestling in oil perverted or just a holy act of worship?"

Jarik blinks a few times. "I don't know, I guess I'll have to watch and figure it out."

And that, apparently, is that.

Hail Angoron! And, apparently, oil wrestling.