I am out of bed and dressed before the sun even rises. Val, Cross, and Oasis sleep soundly across the bed. I gather up my gear, leaving the Consort weapons here. I sip tea as I read into memory a dozen spells. Daggers, wands, and a heap of pissed off, I slip downstairs and out the back door. I take two aerial servants with me and have them scout around for anyone watching the bookstore.
Hoping it would be easy by finding them stalking around outside doesn't happen. I make my way over to Downer's, Rogue still laying on the ground snoring loudly. I step inside a find a dozen people standing therein heated argument. One of those people being Reaper.
Reaper is cussing out the bartender and a guard from the gate about his shit being fucked with. The guard makes some crass comment and Reaper lays him out in one punch. The bartender backs away as two others grab Reaper. Reaper shakes them off but puts his hands up when a black haired elf points at him as tells him to calm it down.
"What's gone missing? A bundle of knock out and poison incense perhaps?" I ask as I walk up.
"Those hemlock can kill the user quick as the target. Kids don't need that shit. I had it locked in a box with the gate guard and this fuck laughs it off cause my stuffs went missing." Reaper says trying to kick the guard again.
"Well someone dumped a lit bundle of it in the mail slot over at the bookshop last night. Anyone got a guess as to why?" I ask.
"How much?" Reaper asks.
"You think they were after Val, Nameless?" Strike asks.
"About 20. Yeah, Strike I think they were after her. She came over talking about the economy folio I worked up and halfway through the conversation, Cross takes a nose dive on the table. I love my magic. I vented the fumes out the chimney. Tossed the stinks in a bucket of mop water." I blurt.
"She said she was headed over there after giving me the folio. Your plans are amazing and could be put to use by weeks end. Who was here when she left?" Strike asks the barkeep.
"You, Logan, Hecter, a couple of halflings. Reaper and Blade were up on the snooker table. Tim, John and me running drinks Paul cooking in the kitchen. I can't think of anyone else that was here when she left. I mean Cross already clocked Rogue, and that twerp Lorrie and her Loletta's left before she did."
"Of those people, who knew Repear's gear was in a lock box at the gate?" I ask Strike.
"Blade and myself. Stan here. Why?" he asks.
"Well there isn't anyone dead from miss handling the incense so they have to be someone who would know how things get done. Like Reaper locking up his poisons before coming all the way into the Vale." I answer putting the logic of my thinking on the table.
"Right, and if it wasn't someone from here..." Strike says.
"They weren't after Val, she just happened to be there. Good for Val, bad for Oasis or me or Cross." I say.
"Wait Denven, he's been pining for Oasis for weeks now. He was on duty when Reaper came in the day before yesterday." the barkeep says.
"Let's go talk to Denven the gate guard." Strike says pointing at the doors.
Well, we find Denven in the infirmary suffering from hemlock poisoning. What we don't have is who put it in the bookshop. Denven had been in there since early afternoon. It wasn't put in the bookshop mail slot until after sundown. Strike said he'd look into it and that I should let Val know what the facts were up to this point. I agreed and went back to the shop.
As I get to the back door it opens with a barely dressed Val holding the rest of her things. I step in pushing her back inside. Taking her back upstairs I see Oasis start coffee still half asleep. Cross stretches in the bed and not feeling anyone bolts upright.
"Why am I the last one up?" Cross asks.
"Cause Nameless is weird and Val is embarrassed about waking up with cuddly girls," Oasis says.
"Some guard stole Reapers stuff handed it off to someone else. He's laid up in the infirmary half poisoned in a comma. Val, they know you were here but Oasis either you or myself is the target of this person. He was in the infirmary before the stuff was dropped here."
"Did you say anything about what I did last night?" Val asks red-faced.
"I said we were discussing the economics and Cross took a nosedive in the middle of a sentence."
"Nothing else?" Val asks.
"Your kidding right, Nameless kiss and tell, he couldn't. It goes against his 'himness'." Oasis says pouring coffee.
"I might have said something if they were all other women," I say getting a friendly slap from Oasis.
"Yeah, for you that would be advertising not bragging. Horndog." Cross says with a giggle.
"Look, Val, you want to say something, I'll admit to it. You want to tell them you came on to me and I got all wigged out and fainted. Be my guest. I don't think the ones you're worried about knowing would buy it, but it's up to you." I say.
"Your evil." Val hisses over her coffee.
"Clue could have told you that," Oasis says.
"You didn't notice after catching us in the stockroom?" Cross asks.
Val spit laughs into her coffee.
"Well the day is young and we have an attempted murderer to track down. Oasis you think you can handle being bait?" I ask.
"I think so. You won't let me die?" Oasis asks.
After coffee, Val looking little more together heads out to her place. We get a bite to eat and work up a plan for finding the culprit. Word gets all over the Vale about the folio plan and the poisoned guard. There is no talk about Val or the bookshop save how it relates to me and my economic plan.
Oasis goes about her usual activities, not drawing undue attention. By mid-afternoon Denven is lucid enough to answer questions. He describes a young woman in an exaggerated way that does nothing to narrow our list of possible suspects. Meaning we were no closer to an answer of which of us was the target or reason for the attempt. Clue met up with me as I walked the roads getting a look at the available shops and services.
"Hi, there hot stud. What ya thinking?" Clue asks falling in to step with me.
"That Denven was whammied somehow. I know most guys get dumber seeing boobs but his recounting of events where to detailed for just dick-blinded forgetfulness. What have you been hearing? Anything odd, not bad per-say, just the sounds odd wouldn't have thought that kinda way?"
"Just that your some kind of genius and it almost has Val forgetting you're a half-blood." Clue winks saying. "Other than that I ain't heard of anything odd. Just the normal dumb for this place."
I look at her tilting my head, "Like what? Who's crushing who or who's seeing this one and thinks no one knows?" I ask half not wanting a real answer.
"That kid stuff will happen anywhere boys and girls spend more than three minutes together. I'm talking about the candy guilds, baby gangs, and the clicks. Like the Loletta's or Hollows. Groups forming in the school in a shady thieves way." she says matter of factly.
"Which ones have been around longest?" I ask.
"Well, those two and the 505. Hollows are smuggle it for you where the Lola are snuggle it for you," she says.
"And the 505?" I ask.
She busts out laughing. "I'm 505, halflings. Didn't you, wait you're a mage. 505 in scholar numbers, DV, as in Digga-Vine. The ask a halfling for the truth kinda thing." she says with a smile.
I laugh myself, "That's clever, your idea to call it that?"
'No, darn it, it was Vals." she'll admit. "It's why many dirty guilds say 50, or LC, Local Constables."
"So I would drop a coin on the DV to get the skinny on the LC with a BA about HM with BD?"
"I got the bad attitude part but HM with BD?" she asks.
"Hot mages with big dicks," I answer flatly.
She starts laughing so hard I carry her back to the bookshop. She is still laughing as I get upstairs and get looks from Oasis and Cross both. I tell them only to be the odd one out as all laugh together.
"So how does one attract a Lola?" I ask.
"Really, why?"
"I need an inside bitch. With the way Denven is messed up, magic or potion was used. It wasn't a halfling or a male, so that leaves Lolas. And if I know girls, one is running things and three others want to be her." I say.
"You think all... never mind we are," Oasis says. "Us girls is evil bitches."
"Ask Tammy at the tea room, she is one of the appointment setters." Clue says. "Why else would a boy go in a tea room other then get the nob polished?"
"I don't do that stuff. I mean other than you, Nameless." Oasis says.
"I know, I trust you," I say to her. "So, Tammy, Tea Room."
"Get a booth and ask about the hotties specials" Clue says.
"I have a sudden taste for tea and scones," I say heading for the stairs.
"I think they are going to know who you are," Cross says.
"I'm counting on it," I say from halfway down the stairs.
I make my way over to the tea room and find the place crowded with people. I ask one of the halflings what's going on. He says it's like this two or three days every other week. I look in the window and see Loretta sitting at a table with a group of girls. Tammy drops a slip of paper on the table as she passes it. A waitress other than Tammy stops and refills tea cups.
Looking at the booths, two have only one guy sitting in them while the others have a full group sitting in them. A girl gets up from Loretta's table and another takes her place. The one that stood walks over to one of the single occupant tables and sits across from him. I make my way inside, shake a hand or two, answer a question, letting the crowd hinder me.
Tammy drops a slip and Loretta nods at a girl nodding at a booth. The girl stands and before another girl takes the chair I park my ass in it. Loretta looks at me coldly, one of the others starts mouthing off about this being their table.
"Shut up slut, my business is with the madam. Now we can talk nicely or I can get evil and put you out of the Vale. Still, want me to leave?" I ask, not taking my eyes off Loretta.
"Sally could we get a fresh cup for Nameless, please. What business did you want to talk about?" she asks holding up a hand to quiet the other girls.
"Yours. How I can help you make more money, offer more specials without any fear of getting knocked up and giving you a chance to join me." I say flat out.
