(no subject)
OOC: Krummolt log: More CSI Pern.
Living caverns
"Right, right, but I just think you should keep that in mind when you're selling publically -- uh, just make sure someone trustworthy's watching your stuff at all times, and be /very/ alert," Eitanex continues and continues, because giving someone unwanted and obvious advice is just that much easier than trying to sort out what to do about his wares.
"I'll be careful." Jak sounds a bit amused, but selects a gold ring from the table and holds it up, tilting it to catch the light. "This is a nice one, not terribly pricy... see the engraving along the band?"
Krummolt comes into the living caverns in uniform, looking sober and attentive; if he is not on duty, he still has the proper mindset. He enters just ahead of Uriala and, just inside the door, holds up a hand just in front of her and slows to a stop. "Uriala? Does that guy look...old but not old to you?" His voice is kept low, unusually so for Krummolt.
Uriala is in a similar state to Krummolt's, looking faintly dusty from a long shift. As Krummolt's hand moves, she halts automatically, her balance shifting to a posture of heightened readiness. However, it appears immediate physical action isn't required, just attention; her eyes move to Jak. "Eitanex is talking to him," she notes, her voice quiet. "I'd say that elevates the chance we'll be arresting him by a few points." A brief pause, and then, "Yes. And the jewelry display..."
"Well, I'm sure you'll be careful. I'm just saying it's a heightened -- engraving?" Having made that segue midsentence, Eitanex leans forward to get a peer at it. "Mind you, your not-terribly-pricy might be my savings for the turn," he adds. The guards, true to form, are not yet noticed.
And they are not noticed by Jak, either, more's the pity. "This piece here," he says, considering for a moment and examining the ring, which admittedly does have the look of value about it. "This piece here I could probably part with for... a mark and a quarter?" His tone invites haggling.
Krummolt gives a little snort under his breath at Uriala's commentary. "Remind me to stop talking to him," he mutters quietly. "You circle around behind and left, I come front and right." Simple plan; he starts with the basic assumption that his presence will be considerably more likely to attract attention than Uriala's. He starts to move, slowly enough to give Uriala a chance to move subtly around Jak's back.
Yes, Krummolt is definitely better at attracting attention than Uriala. She doesn't much bother trying to sneak; she just plots a course that will take her around him without looking at him. In a crowded room like the living caverns, aiming for stealth is prone to attract more attention than the direct approach.
Sadira walks in from the kitchens. She hasn't seen anyone, or more to the point, her focus is on the food stuffs. Sadira isn't really paying attention to anything else.
"Okay, so you're parting with that for a mark and a quarter?" Eitanex asks incredulously. "Is it real? I mean, not that there's /anything/ wrong with cheaper made rings, but it looks fancier than it probably is, right?" Eitanex is better at haggling when he's quite sure of what he wants. I.e. less likely to try to convince people he's ripping them off. Still unnoticed are the guards.
Yeah, generally people don't try to convince Jak he should sell something for MORE money than he's asking. His lined face crinkles into a smile for a moment, and then he says, "Hey, if you're looking to give me more, I'll take it. I've got some debts being called in. Looking for quick marks."
Ruvenn slouches inside, absently brushing at his sleeves and then hands, and aims himself at the nighthearth for a pass-by eyeing of the stew there.
Krummolt waits for a minute to let the haggling play out, keeping Jak occupied and in the end, he comes off just off of diretly behind Eitanex. "Mark and a quarter?" he interjects, clapping a hand down on Eitanex's shoulder. "Not a bad sounding deal, that. What's your name, friend?" In the mean time, his grip on the teenager's shoulder is firm and starts slowly drawing the young man back away from the merchant. His eyes are locked on Jak, and while most of his affected nonchalance is well acted, his dark eyes are a mite more intense than they ought to be for a genuinely nuanced performance.
Uriala is moving into place already, sliding in behind Jak's shoulder, prepared to forcibly redeposit him in his chair if necessary. This whole 'seated miscreant' thing is a fair sight easier than the 'standing and defensive miscreant' thing.
Jak is troubled now. The close attention from the guard is a bit of a disturbance for him, but he makes an effort to bluff through it. "You're looking to get something yourself?" he tries. "A gift for someone special? I have some lovely pieces for any price range."
"Quick marks? But sir, that /must/ have cost you at least a mark more, probably a lot more than a mark, and if you /recently/ went into debt over it, well, I guess some marks are better than none, but--" Although Eitanex is very so focused on correcting this poor addled merchant that he's still got pronounced tunnel vision and sees nothing, a hand on his shoulder is a more difficult to ignore. And although he initially mistakes the hand for a friendly one (or a ... drunken one as the case may be, one and the same with Krummolt?) being drawn back is, again, more difficult to misinterpret. Oh /shards/, Eitanex should start charging marks. This is the third time, he's just /talked/ to someone, only to end up "interrupting arrest." Perhaps the guards just secretly follow him around all day. That Jak continues to talk can only provoke a response from Eitanex, a slower and belatedly knowing one, "Those didn't cost you anything, did they?" Of course, he /should/ be taking his leave, as usual, but ...
Ruvenn veers off from the hearth with only a heel of bread and bit of cheese to show for it. It seems to be enough, though, and now to settle down to chew.... His roaming gaze lights on at least one familiar face, which leads him straight towards Eitanex and whatever the current knot of trouble is.
Krummolt draws Eitanex behind him rather inexorably...at least barring a concerted attempt at resistance. Krummolt really wants the young man behind him, even if his eyes are focused on Jak. "No. Just suspicious such generous bargains. And you still haven't told me your name. And you're going to. 'Cause we need to have a conversation about a few wandering possessions." And now, his pretended friendliness is gone, leaving a looming angry hulk in front of the trader. "Back at guard HQ."
And before Jak can make any movements, Uriala's hands fall onto his shoulders heavily, keeping him where he is through that initial moment of potential miscreant panic. "And try not to do anything foolish," she puts in mildly. Her eyes lift to Krummolt for a brief second of eye contact.
It's just as well that Uriala moves fast, because Jak's brief flinch in the chair looks more like a response to her hands than Krummolt's words. He tries for a quick smile, but it comes across a bit forced. "Look... I'm sure this is just a misunderstanding, right? You're thinking of someone else. I'll just move on quietly, no harm done?"
Sylara walks into the room looking for someone, and sees a commotion. "Oh, my." The woman sits down in a chair in a -flop- motion. She covers her mouth with her hands, and her face reddens considerably. "Oh, dear." She stammers again.
If Eitanex were terribly attached to Jak, he might put up some resistence, despite Krummolt's considerable advantage on weight, strength, and size. As stands, he's piecing together that this man is an audacious thief which in the current atmosphere could mean he's something else, but might not and suddenly he's looking at Krummolt's back. Hello. Eitanex blinks and half averts his eyes, which land back on Ruvenn's. Oh. Well. Eitanex shrugs, because no form of verbal communication comes to mind.
Ruvenn blinks back at his friend; he's looking not quite as poleaxed as he could be, but Sylara seems to have the right idea. Sit. He will sit. Near Eitanex, with an eye on the Jak situation. And he gnaws at his bread pensively.
Krummolt's eyes flicker up very briefly to meet Uriala's a faint smile briefly touches the corners of his mouth. Plan well executed, job well done. Pinion the unsuspecting suspect. Then the smile disappears as he looks down at Jak again. "Not this month," he replies with relish. He moves around to Jak's side, the one which does not have Uriala's hand on the shoulder. "Now, you'll find I'm not hard to deal with. As long as you do /exactly/ as me and my partner here say." He moves to go take ahold of Jak's upper arm, the better to keep him from doing anything stupid as he follows the next instruction: "On your feet."
Uriala's grip tightens on Jak's other arm as Krummolt gets his firm hold, and she adds to his commentary, "Do move slowly, sir. Krummolt can get easily excited by sudden movements." Her voice is mild and bland, but her eyes flicker to her fellow guard with some faint humor behind them.
Jak... doesn't really have much choice. So he stands. And lets himself be bustled off. He does not, however, stop talking. "Look, I haven't done anything wrong. This is all a mistake."
Sylara watches the whole scene with interest, but seems in a state of shock. "That--that's him." She mutters, softly , though audibly. She leans back in her chair, the shock lessening, and a scowl replacing the surprise on her face.
Ruvenn's prescence right there lets Eitanex recover from his silence. Either Ruvenn is acting as support, or Eitanex feels an increased need to show off. He clears his throat. "You know, he'd have to be /really/ stupid to come back here if he's /that/ thief," Eitanex provides as Jak stands, partly thinking out loud, partly defending the outsider, and partly trying to be useful. Really. "And set up shop in the living caverns." This is, of course, Eitanex's business.
Sadira has finished filling a couple of plates. Now she notices the goings on around her, and yeah. Sitting down somewhere is probably the wisest course of action.
And woe be to he who muscles in on it. Stalwart, supportive Ruvenn nods as he gnaws, and when he swallows, he wonders, "Why'd he do it, then?" He sneaks a look past Eitanex at Sylara, with some innocent sympathy.
Krummolt snorts at Eitanex's commentary and opens his mouth, but decides against following up the impulse. "Well, then, I'm sure we'll sort it out," he assures Jak instead. "So long as you don't do anything stupid and force me to beat you." Because Krummolt can hardly relinquish his 'bad guard' stature. He leads the way toward the exit, his fingers tight around Jak's bicep and his eyes darting from Jak to his path.
Uriala sticks to her 'good guard' role, then, issuing warnings like: "Careful, there," and "Mind the sill." She doesn't, however, comment on Krummolt's offer of beatings; as if she could control him? Pfft. And off they go.
Sylara is glad to see the thief be carried off by the guards. She sighs a sigh of relief, and shakes her head slightly. "Well, /that/ lesson cost me a mark and a half." She shrugs her shoulders, continuing to watch. "Thank you for taking care of this, guards." She calls out.
Living caverns
"Right, right, but I just think you should keep that in mind when you're selling publically -- uh, just make sure someone trustworthy's watching your stuff at all times, and be /very/ alert," Eitanex continues and continues, because giving someone unwanted and obvious advice is just that much easier than trying to sort out what to do about his wares.
"I'll be careful." Jak sounds a bit amused, but selects a gold ring from the table and holds it up, tilting it to catch the light. "This is a nice one, not terribly pricy... see the engraving along the band?"
Krummolt comes into the living caverns in uniform, looking sober and attentive; if he is not on duty, he still has the proper mindset. He enters just ahead of Uriala and, just inside the door, holds up a hand just in front of her and slows to a stop. "Uriala? Does that guy look...old but not old to you?" His voice is kept low, unusually so for Krummolt.
Uriala is in a similar state to Krummolt's, looking faintly dusty from a long shift. As Krummolt's hand moves, she halts automatically, her balance shifting to a posture of heightened readiness. However, it appears immediate physical action isn't required, just attention; her eyes move to Jak. "Eitanex is talking to him," she notes, her voice quiet. "I'd say that elevates the chance we'll be arresting him by a few points." A brief pause, and then, "Yes. And the jewelry display..."
"Well, I'm sure you'll be careful. I'm just saying it's a heightened -- engraving?" Having made that segue midsentence, Eitanex leans forward to get a peer at it. "Mind you, your not-terribly-pricy might be my savings for the turn," he adds. The guards, true to form, are not yet noticed.
And they are not noticed by Jak, either, more's the pity. "This piece here," he says, considering for a moment and examining the ring, which admittedly does have the look of value about it. "This piece here I could probably part with for... a mark and a quarter?" His tone invites haggling.
Krummolt gives a little snort under his breath at Uriala's commentary. "Remind me to stop talking to him," he mutters quietly. "You circle around behind and left, I come front and right." Simple plan; he starts with the basic assumption that his presence will be considerably more likely to attract attention than Uriala's. He starts to move, slowly enough to give Uriala a chance to move subtly around Jak's back.
Yes, Krummolt is definitely better at attracting attention than Uriala. She doesn't much bother trying to sneak; she just plots a course that will take her around him without looking at him. In a crowded room like the living caverns, aiming for stealth is prone to attract more attention than the direct approach.
Sadira walks in from the kitchens. She hasn't seen anyone, or more to the point, her focus is on the food stuffs. Sadira isn't really paying attention to anything else.
"Okay, so you're parting with that for a mark and a quarter?" Eitanex asks incredulously. "Is it real? I mean, not that there's /anything/ wrong with cheaper made rings, but it looks fancier than it probably is, right?" Eitanex is better at haggling when he's quite sure of what he wants. I.e. less likely to try to convince people he's ripping them off. Still unnoticed are the guards.
Yeah, generally people don't try to convince Jak he should sell something for MORE money than he's asking. His lined face crinkles into a smile for a moment, and then he says, "Hey, if you're looking to give me more, I'll take it. I've got some debts being called in. Looking for quick marks."
Ruvenn slouches inside, absently brushing at his sleeves and then hands, and aims himself at the nighthearth for a pass-by eyeing of the stew there.
Krummolt waits for a minute to let the haggling play out, keeping Jak occupied and in the end, he comes off just off of diretly behind Eitanex. "Mark and a quarter?" he interjects, clapping a hand down on Eitanex's shoulder. "Not a bad sounding deal, that. What's your name, friend?" In the mean time, his grip on the teenager's shoulder is firm and starts slowly drawing the young man back away from the merchant. His eyes are locked on Jak, and while most of his affected nonchalance is well acted, his dark eyes are a mite more intense than they ought to be for a genuinely nuanced performance.
Uriala is moving into place already, sliding in behind Jak's shoulder, prepared to forcibly redeposit him in his chair if necessary. This whole 'seated miscreant' thing is a fair sight easier than the 'standing and defensive miscreant' thing.
Jak is troubled now. The close attention from the guard is a bit of a disturbance for him, but he makes an effort to bluff through it. "You're looking to get something yourself?" he tries. "A gift for someone special? I have some lovely pieces for any price range."
"Quick marks? But sir, that /must/ have cost you at least a mark more, probably a lot more than a mark, and if you /recently/ went into debt over it, well, I guess some marks are better than none, but--" Although Eitanex is very so focused on correcting this poor addled merchant that he's still got pronounced tunnel vision and sees nothing, a hand on his shoulder is a more difficult to ignore. And although he initially mistakes the hand for a friendly one (or a ... drunken one as the case may be, one and the same with Krummolt?) being drawn back is, again, more difficult to misinterpret. Oh /shards/, Eitanex should start charging marks. This is the third time, he's just /talked/ to someone, only to end up "interrupting arrest." Perhaps the guards just secretly follow him around all day. That Jak continues to talk can only provoke a response from Eitanex, a slower and belatedly knowing one, "Those didn't cost you anything, did they?" Of course, he /should/ be taking his leave, as usual, but ...
Ruvenn veers off from the hearth with only a heel of bread and bit of cheese to show for it. It seems to be enough, though, and now to settle down to chew.... His roaming gaze lights on at least one familiar face, which leads him straight towards Eitanex and whatever the current knot of trouble is.
Krummolt draws Eitanex behind him rather inexorably...at least barring a concerted attempt at resistance. Krummolt really wants the young man behind him, even if his eyes are focused on Jak. "No. Just suspicious such generous bargains. And you still haven't told me your name. And you're going to. 'Cause we need to have a conversation about a few wandering possessions." And now, his pretended friendliness is gone, leaving a looming angry hulk in front of the trader. "Back at guard HQ."
And before Jak can make any movements, Uriala's hands fall onto his shoulders heavily, keeping him where he is through that initial moment of potential miscreant panic. "And try not to do anything foolish," she puts in mildly. Her eyes lift to Krummolt for a brief second of eye contact.
It's just as well that Uriala moves fast, because Jak's brief flinch in the chair looks more like a response to her hands than Krummolt's words. He tries for a quick smile, but it comes across a bit forced. "Look... I'm sure this is just a misunderstanding, right? You're thinking of someone else. I'll just move on quietly, no harm done?"
Sylara walks into the room looking for someone, and sees a commotion. "Oh, my." The woman sits down in a chair in a -flop- motion. She covers her mouth with her hands, and her face reddens considerably. "Oh, dear." She stammers again.
If Eitanex were terribly attached to Jak, he might put up some resistence, despite Krummolt's considerable advantage on weight, strength, and size. As stands, he's piecing together that this man is an audacious thief which in the current atmosphere could mean he's something else, but might not and suddenly he's looking at Krummolt's back. Hello. Eitanex blinks and half averts his eyes, which land back on Ruvenn's. Oh. Well. Eitanex shrugs, because no form of verbal communication comes to mind.
Ruvenn blinks back at his friend; he's looking not quite as poleaxed as he could be, but Sylara seems to have the right idea. Sit. He will sit. Near Eitanex, with an eye on the Jak situation. And he gnaws at his bread pensively.
Krummolt's eyes flicker up very briefly to meet Uriala's a faint smile briefly touches the corners of his mouth. Plan well executed, job well done. Pinion the unsuspecting suspect. Then the smile disappears as he looks down at Jak again. "Not this month," he replies with relish. He moves around to Jak's side, the one which does not have Uriala's hand on the shoulder. "Now, you'll find I'm not hard to deal with. As long as you do /exactly/ as me and my partner here say." He moves to go take ahold of Jak's upper arm, the better to keep him from doing anything stupid as he follows the next instruction: "On your feet."
Uriala's grip tightens on Jak's other arm as Krummolt gets his firm hold, and she adds to his commentary, "Do move slowly, sir. Krummolt can get easily excited by sudden movements." Her voice is mild and bland, but her eyes flicker to her fellow guard with some faint humor behind them.
Jak... doesn't really have much choice. So he stands. And lets himself be bustled off. He does not, however, stop talking. "Look, I haven't done anything wrong. This is all a mistake."
Sylara watches the whole scene with interest, but seems in a state of shock. "That--that's him." She mutters, softly , though audibly. She leans back in her chair, the shock lessening, and a scowl replacing the surprise on her face.
Ruvenn's prescence right there lets Eitanex recover from his silence. Either Ruvenn is acting as support, or Eitanex feels an increased need to show off. He clears his throat. "You know, he'd have to be /really/ stupid to come back here if he's /that/ thief," Eitanex provides as Jak stands, partly thinking out loud, partly defending the outsider, and partly trying to be useful. Really. "And set up shop in the living caverns." This is, of course, Eitanex's business.
Sadira has finished filling a couple of plates. Now she notices the goings on around her, and yeah. Sitting down somewhere is probably the wisest course of action.
And woe be to he who muscles in on it. Stalwart, supportive Ruvenn nods as he gnaws, and when he swallows, he wonders, "Why'd he do it, then?" He sneaks a look past Eitanex at Sylara, with some innocent sympathy.
Krummolt snorts at Eitanex's commentary and opens his mouth, but decides against following up the impulse. "Well, then, I'm sure we'll sort it out," he assures Jak instead. "So long as you don't do anything stupid and force me to beat you." Because Krummolt can hardly relinquish his 'bad guard' stature. He leads the way toward the exit, his fingers tight around Jak's bicep and his eyes darting from Jak to his path.
Uriala sticks to her 'good guard' role, then, issuing warnings like: "Careful, there," and "Mind the sill." She doesn't, however, comment on Krummolt's offer of beatings; as if she could control him? Pfft. And off they go.
Sylara is glad to see the thief be carried off by the guards. She sighs a sigh of relief, and shakes her head slightly. "Well, /that/ lesson cost me a mark and a half." She shrugs her shoulders, continuing to watch. "Thank you for taking care of this, guards." She calls out.