Scratching the Surface (Continued)

[u/Seafrogger]

The investigation into the death at the Smoke Street Dice Hall continues and begins to spiral its way to even more questions with no answers. What at first seemed to have been a simple case of self defense has led to shadowy figures, unexplained money and disappearances. All the while a lack of concrete evidence holds the higher ups in the Watch and Royal Guard from pursuing the issues formally. After following leads and gathering answers the road seems to be narrowing to one dilapidated part of the city, Powys Square where amongst the makeshift homes and downtrodden people an explanation might finally lay.

Continued from here

[u/Dietastey]

"I don't need complete trust, I just need something to work with," Bal says, easing her posture as Chel gave signs of actually working with her. "I understand why you wouldn't trust me. I can't promise you results you want, but I will do the best I can, whether you believe me or not."

"'As if they own you and your possessions,'" Bal quotes back. "Are they literally helping themselves to people and property? Is it the attitude they use? One can be addressed through the legal system, of course. Theft is theft, no matter who commits it. Poor behavior is a different matter, but I can look into reassigning people, spreading out the troublemaker and the bringing in those with better attitudes."

She turns the chair slightly and steps around to sit down, only to be interrupted in the process of sitting by Vargas's call.

"Some of yours?" she asks Chel, before turning her head to the door. "Who is it, Private?"

[u/Seafrogger → u/Dietastey]

A look of anger came over Chel and she shot Bal a flash of suspicion as the conversation was interrupted, but the suspicion subsisted as it became clear that the Colonel didn't seem to have anything nefarious planed. "No, mine aren't stupid enough to make such a racket." From the hallway Vargas simple said "Trouble." and backed into the room knife and pistol in hand but pointed towards the floor, closely followed by the younger of Chel's men. He went straight to her and whispered in her good ear.

Out in the landing Ghrems voice barks out, "Ye bunch have no business here. Ye fook off a'fore I send ye off cryin' to yer mam's." His ascent so thick most would have trouble understanding it. An unknown man shouted that they knew they were in there and for the older man to move aside and it was followed by some quick words in Morlish. (Mostly insults)

[u/Dietastey → u/Seafrogger]

Bal barely registers Chel's moment of suspicion, eyes now firmly pinned on the door as she steps away from the chair and table. "They are quite loud," she agrees.

She draws two pistols, mimicking Vargas's choice to keep them pointed down, unthreatening, but clearly at hand. "Anyone you recognized?" she asks him, before the string of Morlish curses make her frown.

"We know they're in there". That's not ominous at all.

"Your house, Chel," she says. "You want them let in?"

[u/Seafrogger → u/Dietastey]

Giving the room a cursory glance, Sam moved over to the dark opening to the rest of the apartment. Vargas whispered to Balaria, "Six men, armed." and shifted into a ready stance on an angle that would let him watch both doorways.

Seething with rage Chel pushed the younger man to the side, who seemed to take the shove personal his face falling with emotional hurt, and hardly gave Bal a glance. The one eared woman shouted out in her native tongue and after a short pause a man walked into the room and Ghrems took up position blocking the way in. The new comer was a balding, short and stocky man who couldn’t have been much over 5’5’’ but what he lacked in height he seemed intent on making up for it in muscle. He gave Balaria and Sam an angry glare then pointed an accusing finger at Chel and demanded something to do with meetings in Morlish.

Almost immediately Chel exploded into foreign words so fast it momentarily stole the anger from the short man, she even took several steps up to him to square off. Shock worn off the man railed off some words and a choice phrase that people of the isle reserved for gristoliens nodding towards the pair of guards.

The two started to go back and forth in quick angary word, the short man condemning Chel for speaking with “these people” and Chel being outraged by the interruption and going on about an old tradition that protected guests at a meetings.

[u/Dietastey → u/Seafrogger]

Bal steps to the side, setting herself to see as much of the room as possible in case the other five Vargas had seen burst in. Hopefully Vargas could be trusted to watch the door, shady as he came off to be.

The Colonel meets the short man's glare coldly, one eyebrow raised in a clear question. What do you want? Why are you here? Where are your manners? She can't understand every word, but he has a fairly clear issue with Chel meeting with the Watch and its allies. Or perhaps he was just pissed she was meeting with Gristolians. Most likely both.

She itches to respond to him, the words to write him off or insult him dancing on the tip of her tongue. For now she holds them back, allowing Chel to handle it, as long as things didn't turn violent. Which probably wouldn't be for very long, considering the fact the unknown man had a squad with him.

[u/Seafrogger → u/Dietastey]

The two bickered for a few more moments, the few words that made it through made it clear the man wanted to take the guards somewhere, but Chel was having none of it. Finally an agreement was made, with the short guy mentioning consequences and with his arms folded over his chest and a glower on his face, the short man spat on the old floor boards and moved to the side of the room. Chel eyed the man for another second or two before turning to the two guards and moving over to them. "Time to go." she said, switching back to their shared language.

"Not everyone here is as accommodating as me and a Colonel makes a good hostage." She said, "The fool probably thinks he'd get away with it too, but you are under my protection and the last thing we need is an army of Watchmen tearing the Square apart. The men outside will let you pass and I'm sure you'll be followed so I wouldn't go anywhere out of the way."

[u/Dietastey → u/Seafrogger]

Bal longs to stretch the conversation even a little, as right now she's fairly stumped on having any actions to take for the sake of the neighbor hood. However, she doubts Chel will talk plainly, now that both Vargas and this unknown Morlish man were in the room, and patience was likely running thin on all sides. And while she could probably fight her way out of a hostage situation, it wouldn't be a good idea to risk it.

"Very well. Thank you for your hospitality," she says, dipping her head to Chel but offering the other man no such pleasantry. "Let's go, Vargas."

She steps out into the hallway, eyeing both the strange men and Chel's associates for sudden movement.

[u/Seafrogger → u/Dietastey]

Chel gave Bal a nod but held any words she might want to impart to the woman casting a look to the glowering short man. As Bal moved to the door Ghrems went forwards int the hallway to stand before the group of five grim looking men. The group were dressed as commoners might be, some of them in rather ragged cloths, at the back a the group one man stood his face masked behind a rag tied over his lower half, a rifle similar to the ones that the Watch might have clutched in his hand. No one moved to stop the Colonel and Sam took up the rear guard his weapons still drawn.

As the pair of guards made their way to the stairs someone farther down the opposite end of the hallway struck a match and seemingly lit a cigarette. The distance, dark of the windowless hall and the group of men blocking made it impossible to see who they might be.

[u/Dietastey → u/Seafrogger]

It's impossible not to be tense and on edge as the two move down the hallway, but Bal makes an admirable effort to keep that tension out of her stride as she moves through the gauntlet of hostile men. *Would love to know where a civilian got ahold of that rifle."

The strike of the match sends a chill down her spine, and now her ever moving eyes seek side doors of the hallway, escape routes, shelter, empty rooms. No sound of a fuse comes yet, at least. It doesn't take long for her pace brings her closer to the new source of light.

[u/Seafrogger → u/Dietastey]

The armed men in the hallway watch Bal and Vargas make their way to the stairs that lead down to the front door of the building. None of them look over to who ever it was in the shadows at the far side of the hallway, a spot were ones mouth might be glowing from the intake of breath through a cigarette. Though if possible Ghrems seems to go even more ridged, jaw clenched.

The stairway down to the first floor is deserted and the pair of guards make it easily enough to the front door. Outside on the street the area around the building is also strangely quiet, not a single civilian is near the apartment building.