Read the recap of the previous session here!
Yeah, so I’m a little late on this one. Life came up and I was busy. For the sake of simplicity and giving you all something to chew on while I get caught up, I decided to split this one into two parts. Also, I’m trying something a little different for this recap.
Armstrong adjusted the collar of her dress and made sure that her braids were perfect. Where she was going, she couldn’t have a strand out of place. She had one hour before she was due to meet back up with her newfound acquaintances at the Snuggly Duckling. She didn’t have time to move discreetly, so blending in was a must.
Vilkas ignored the stares of his fellow pedestrians as he strode down the street back towards the Snuggly Duckling. It wasn’t anything he was unused to, and there was no time to dwell on it. Sadie needed to know what was happening and he needed to make sure things were in order in case everything came crashing down.
Thallan should have been relieved that he had found Releoch. If there was one thing he had learned during the time that he had known the Kineticist, it was that leaving him unattended was a recipe for disaster. Still, a part of him couldn’t help but wonder what exactly they had been dragged into in the process.
Vin couldn’t have gotten to the library fast enough. It was one of her favorite places; not only was it quiet and perfect for studying, but it contained a vast wealth of knowledge that she had barely scratched the surface of during her two years in Shorehaven. Focus, they quickly scolded themselves. You don’t have time to get lost in the sauce.
It wasn’t that Releoch didn’t care about what was happening. Of course he did! Someone ripping off a church was such a terrible thing to do, and it needed to be dealt with. Yet he kept looking around at his new companions and wondered when the shoe would drop. How long until they discovered what he was? How long until they turned on him? Well, if all else failed, at least he had Thallan. Thallan would never betray him. Right?
Before she learned what was going on, Armstrong had had every intention of ratting out the fight club. After all, snitches got riches. They only got stitches if they were stupid, and Armstrong was not stupid. Far from it, actually.
Now that she had the full story, however, everything had changed. Father Mateo didn’t want to partake in illegal activities. He was desperate, and desperation tended to drive people to places that they wouldn’t otherwise find themselves in.
Moral objections aside, it was no longer financially viable to just rat out the church either, not with a much bigger fish in the sea. Guards being blackmailed? Corruption in the treasury?
Her patron, as expected, ate these newfound revelations up.
“For a small-time criminal,” John mused, “Harlow’s managed to get quite a few guards in his pocket. Impressive, but not surprising. Everyone here has a dirty little secret or two that they want to keep under wraps.”
“Do you know how far this all goes?” Armstrong asked.
John shrugged. “There’s no telling. Could just be the guards. Could go all the way to the City Council.” He looked up at Armstrong, his face hard. “You need to be careful, Armstrong. There are people who will do anything to keep their secrets safe, and they might not like you poking around. Speaking of, what happened with the rumored fight club? Did you learn anything about that?”
Armstrong explained the situation carefully, from the church’s current lack of funding to the political pressure Father Mateo was under. John frowned. “They want a church closed down so badly that they’re cutting funding?” Armstrong nodded and John’s frown deepened. His brow furrowed. “There’s something else going on here. The Treasurer in Shorehaven is in charge of funding and an election is coming up. That can’t be a coincidence. I’d scout around City Hall. Maybe you’ll hear something.”
John gave Armstrong money to eat at the Flower Garden, a high-end sandwich and tea shop. Armstrong headed there next and ordered some food. She ate slowly, listening in on whatever conversation she picked up on and learned that the only reason the mayor has been re-elected as many times as he has is because of the City Council. It occurred to Armstrong that the mayor might have been turning a blind eye to unsavory dealings and covering up scandals to stay in their good graces. The information was troubling, but not surprising.
Armstrong left the Flower Garden after that. She learned nothing new about Harlow, but she learned enough to worry that the party might be walking into a trap. Someone really wants to get re-elected… she mused. And they just might be using a low level thug to get there.
The Snuggly Ducking wasn’t busy, which was good. The less potential eavesdroppers, the better. As soon as he was inside, Vilkas made a beeline for Sadie, who was cleaning a table. She looked up at him, eyebrow raised.
“Can we talk?” Vilkas asked quietly.
Sadie nodded slowly. “Sure. Just give me a few minutes to finish cleaning this table. Is everything alright?”
Vilkas swallowed hard. “Complicated.” And he left it at that.
Sadie quickly finished her cleaning and looked behind Vilkas, eying Releoch and Thallan. “Your rogue friend and … who is this?”
“Oh!” Vilkas looked back at his new companion. “This one’s … Releoch, right? That’s your name?”
Releloch grinned from ear to ear. “Releloch! Yeah!”
“Yeah,” Vilkas continued, “This one’s from out of town. Met him durin’ this outin’. And, well, you know Thallan.”
Sadie nodded again. “Are they coming to the back with us? It’s fine if they are. I’ll just need to move a few barrels.”
“I can stay out here,” Thallan volunteered as Vilkas replied, “Just us two is fine.”
“It’s no trouble at all!” Sadie insisted. “I can just–”
Vilkas cut her off gently. “Just us two. Please.”
Sadie looked up at Vilkas and understanding flooded her round features. “Follow me.”
She led Vilkas towards the pantry, but not before making sure that Releoch and Thallan were settled at the bar and asking the bartender to get them a couple of drinks on the house.
The moment the pantry door was closed, Sadie turned to Vilkas, clearly concerned. “What’s going on, Vilkas?” she asked.
“Well, we found the source of our fight club rumors,” Vilkas sighed. “Nothin’ to be concerned about. Just some fundraisin’.”
“Fundraising?” Sadie raised an eyebrow.
“People on hard times,” VIlkas reiterated, leaving it at that.
Sadie shrugged and looked down at the wooden floorboards. “Well, you gotta do what you gotta do to get by. As long as they aren’t hurting anyone or disrupting business here, I don’t have a problem.”
“No, there shouldn’t be as long as other people don’t make a mess of it. But…” Vilkas’s brow furrowed. “…this fellow. Goes by the name of Harlow. He’s … from where I’m from but he isn’t quite so kind.”
A flicker of recognition crossed Sadie’s eyes, just briefly as she recognized the name and tried to place it. “Where have I heard that name before…”
“He’s been scammin’ and blackmailin’ some people around here,” Vilkas clarified.
Sadie’s green eyes narrowed. “I have heard about some of the patrons over at the Twisted Beaver dealing with that. A couple of people here too. I thought the guards would be on top of it, but then again, he might have some of them in his pocket too.”
“That or they don’t care,” Vilkas pointed out bitterly.
Sadie sighed. “Another very real possibility…”
Vilkas took a deep breath and braced himself for disapproval. “I do have a meetin’ with him.”
Sadie looked up, eyes now wide. “With Harlow? And what exactly do you wish to accomplish with that?”
“Frankly, well, it wasn’t part of the plan at first but it might nip this problem in the bud.”
Sadie’s face softened and she placed a hand on Vilkas’s arm. “And you’re sure about this? I know how hard you worked to leave all that behind.”
Vilkas raised his hands up, almost defensively. “I know, I know, it’s not going to be a habit, but I…” The barbarian sighed. “I can’t just let trash come in here and screw up this town.”
Sadie nodded. “I know. Just… Just watch your back, okay, Vilkas?”
Vilkas chuckled despite himself. “Always am.”
The conversation continued. Sadie promised to keep an ear out for any additional information and to provide a safe room for the party to lay low if things went wrong. Then, after making Vilkas promise not to do anything stupid, they emerged from the pantry.
Thallan was sitting at the bar still, nursing his drink and taking in the atmosphere. Releloch was … doing something with his clothing. It looked like he was repairing it by … spitting on it? Spider silk had built up, forming patches on holes and stitching up tears. It was working, but at the cost of gaining some strange looks.
“You keep some really strange company,” Sadie mused.
“Well…” Vilkas shook his head. “I only just met that one.” He motioned at Releloch, who hopped down from his barstool, approached Vilkas, and placed his hands on either side of his head, as if taking measurements.
Then, he walked away without a word.
With that, we conclude Part 1. I’ll try to have part 2 up soon. We didn’t have a session last Friday due to illness, but I’ll have this all wrapped up before the next one. See you soon!
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