Morning in Goblintown

The sun streams brightly through cracks and holes in the shutters, illuminating motes of dust floating gently in the air. The room is spare and clean, warm and dry. Outside one can hear the noises of Goblintown, as merchants, smiths, and others of all stripes trade, barter, haggle and argue. A noisy hubbub that makes for a constant background noise.

The bed, the room's main piece of furniture, is occupied by a Half-Orc, whose size takes up most of it.

But the occasional, squeaky snore does not come from the man, who slumbers peaceably. Squeaky, and with a hollow tone to it, the sounds seems to come from under the floorboards. At times, it is voluminous enough to threaten to shake the window shutters, and some of the dust appears disturbed by a light wind.

Mercifully, it stops. Briefly. Something rustles and moves. A yawn is heard. Then slowly, the snore starts again, slowly growing in volume once more.

Rangy and lean, Harshad sleeps the sleep of... well, not the just, but at least the sleep of someone used to catching his rest wherever and whenever he can. The snoring doesn't even make him stir. But the light shining through the tiny holes in the shutters... gradually wandering across his face... that causes him to mutter.

Slowly, the half-oruch props himself up, reaching up to rub his eyes and the bridge of his nose. "Guh," he mumbles. Dressed only in breeches, he sits up on the bed, absently scratching the thatch of dark hair on his chest as he peers around the room. Gradually, the realization someone else is in here sinks in, and Harshad smirks faintly. "How does someone that -small- make that much noise?" he comments to himself.

The snore stops once more. A lengthy yawn is heard, followed by the sound of joints and vertebrae popping. Then the Half-oruch feels more than hears the thud of someone hitting their head on the underside of the bed.

"Owwwww.", someone complains.

A shuffling sound is heard, and messy brown hair comes into view. Followed by the rest of the Goblin. Her back is bare, and she practically dislocates an arm to scratch at it vigorously. Seemingly oblivious to Harshad's presence, she peers around the room blearily. "Where... where am I?" Groaning faintly, she rubs at her head. "Oof. Sake. My one weakness."

Harshad actually blinks a bit. He'd been looking in the corners, not expecting her to curl up under the bed. "My place in Goblintown. How the hells did you wind up underneath?" Harshad yawns as well, reaching back to scratch the back of his head. "You snore like a thunderstorm. Didn't bother me, but I imagine everyone else would notice."

The room is pretty bare, aside from the bed, a small chest (locked), and a little table with a chipped ewer, bowl, and a couple mismatched cups. Harshad gets up, padding over to the ewer to pour some water into his hand before rubbing it on his face.

Choler jumps off the ground, and turns around, looking quite startled. She blinks and disappears under the bed, returning a short time later, pulling her shirt on. "Scared the heck out of me...!" She huffs, and then gives the room another look over. Padding quietly over to stand next to the Half-orc, she dips her hands into the water and smacks her face with it.

"Seems cozy. I uhm... I think you pushed me off." The Goblin shrugs, running her wet hand through her hair, which doesn't change its messiness appreciably. "I tend to fall asleep in odd places anyways, so don't worry about it too much." She blinks again, her cheeks coloring. "I do not snore.", she proclaims, crossing her arms.

Harshad squints. "If I did, I'm sorry. I don't usually do that." He smirks. "Ah well. At least we slept it off." He reaches down to pick up his tunic off the chest, pulling it on. Shaking his head to clear the cobwebs, he actually laughs at Choler's denial.

"Look, Choler, no offense, but you -do- snore. I ain't gonna lie to you about it." He pauses. "I knew a couple mates of mine who did, but they slept on the other side of the den." Sitting down at the edge of the bed, he starts to pull his boots on. "If it helps, it's kind of comforting. I know gobbers tend to sleep in... packs? Groups? We didn't do that precisely with my old crew, but it's nice to know there's someone else with you."

The Goblin looks only slightly mollified, her embarrassment still evident in her expression. "Well, maybe it was getting too warm, so you pushed away the blanket... meaning me. But uhm..." She looks away. "Sorry if it woke you. Yeah, if you're out in the wilds somewhere, you tend to sleep in a pile because it's warmer. Find a little cozy cave or make a burrow, and then just pile in." Cholor sighs. "It is nice knowing you're not alone. Maybe you'd not be watching my back, but you'd object if someone crashed in here, right? That's comforting."

The half-orc glances at the very sturdy oak bar across the door. "If someone comes through that, we definitely have problems. But yeah, it's why my sword sits next to the bed." Indeed, the well-crafted rapier is propped against the wall, near at hand. "'Cause leaving it in the lock-box is just asking for trouble."

Once his boots are on, he grins. "You always need someone to watch your back. Whether you're home, or... well, some place you shouldn't be." Harshad shakes his head. "Never did a lot of stuff outside the city, but you always need a bolthole."

Eyeing the bar across the door, she nods. "Indeed, that would take a hefty shoulder or two. But uh, I'm more worried about the window." Choler gestures to the dubious shutters. "Those probably have trouble keeping the rain out, a person's coming right through. Even *I* could make it up the wall to here." Her mouth suddenly splits into a noisy yawn, and she stretches once again, before scratching her chest.

"Do you have anything to eat?", she wonders, her stomach chiming in with a noisy gurgle. Which is manages to look embarrassed at.

Harshad nods. "True. And they don't like putting bars over the windows -- looks too much like a prison. But..." He moves the shutter a little bit, and there's a soft jinging from a small set of bells attached to it. "Someone coming in is going to make a little noise. Might make all the difference."

He pulls on his armored coat, before slinging his weapon belt on. "Unfortunately, no. But there's a pretty good eatery down the block, run by an arvek named Targlen. He's always got something served up and it's not expensive." He grins suddenly. "C'mon, I'll buy the first plate, at least."

The Goblin looks overjoyed at this prospect, her stomach growling once more as she moves to the door, grunting as she makes to unbar the door. "The bells are a good idea. Even if it doesn't wake you up, someone trying to break in should get scared off."

As she struggles to let the bar come down gently, she shakes her head. "No, let me get the first plate? You did let me stay here overnight, after all. Though I expect I am not very heavy to carry for a lad such as yourself!" Choler cackles lightly. "I do wonder about the looks you must have gotten, though, some Goblin draped over your shoulder."

Harshad helps lift the heavy bar off, setting it to the side. "I don't have magic, or money, so I have to improvise." Once it's off, he opens the door's lock, before swinging it wide so they can leave. "Eh. It's Goblintown. Nobody notices too much. One fellow did ask but I just told him you'd been drinking and I was taking you home."

He laughs. "Which was the honest truth, y'know?" Soon, the mismatched pair are heading out the door of the boardinghouse and onto the Goblintown street, already swarming with people.

The Goblin struts along as if she owns half the place, and also, as if she knows where they're going. simply walking along til their course is corrected by Harshad. "Does this Targlen serve bacon?", Choler wonders, a hopeful expression on her face. "And I suppose it's the honest truth, but it muse have seemed funny though. I bet the women that go home with you are usually your size." The Gobbo seems immensely amused, laughing at length.

"So what do you do, then? Smithing? Mercenary? Gladiator?"

"He serves whatever he can get. But he does get bacon a couple times a week. I know he's been trying to get some business out of the poultry farms, but I think he's out of luck trying to get anything from Granaulg. That guy makes money hand over fist supplying the rich folk with huge eggs and chickens." Harshad shrugs. "But hey, gotta make a score somehow."

At Choler's question, he pauses, then seems to mentally toss his hands up in the air. "Freelance security specialist. Or 'thief' if you like. I'm trying to lay low here, after all, and there's no Guild, so it's not a good idea to go independent in a place like this."

Choler visibly salivates. "Eggs?" Now her expression is supremely hopeful. "Scrambled eggs would go nicely right about now. With some spicy sauce and butter." Her stomach helpfully provides another noisy gurgle.

"Maybe we can help him out somehow?" She rubs at her chin thoughtfully, but then raises an eyebrow.

"A what?" The Goblin unconsciously pats at herself, seeming relieved at finding whatever she's got hidden is still there. "Ahaaaaah, creative troubleshooter, hmmm? If you can't acquire it, no one can?"

The pair come within sight of Targlen's soon enough. "Eggs he can get. He's just trying to branch out, and probably make his place more attractive to groups. I imagine you could feed a whole family of goblins with one of Granaulg's giant chickens." Harshad chuckles. "Still, he's usually got good stuff, and he stocks pepper sauce for those of us who like that sort of thing."

Targlen's is a busy place, and the trestle tables are a blur of plates being put down from the counter and picked up by the eatery staff. Harshad opts for scrambled eggs, slices of ham, and brown bread with butter. "Don't ask me how, but coffee comes with the meal. I think Targlen knows someone who can get it for him."

Once the two are seated, he snorts. "No, I actually was -- well, am -- a thief. Maybe I ought to start from the beginning?"

"Just how big are these chickens?!", Choler asks, sounding incredulous. "I dunno, my bothers and sisters and I can eat a lot of eggs in one go. This chicken'd have to be big enough for you to ride into battle." She cackles, and as the place comes into view, her eyes widen.

The Goblin orders scrambled eggs, bacon, and pumpernickel bread. Wrinkling her nose at the thought of coffee, she instead gets a glass of orange juice. And, as with the previous night's demonstration proved, she is quite quick when it comes to eating.

"Might not want to say that too loudly, though I suppose people here won't give a damn. But uhm, so like... what was your best score? Crown jewels? A rich lady's baubles? The Maltese Falcon?"

"Man-sized," Harshad says. "Not kidding. I talked to a guy who worked out there. It's actually kinda dangerous because they're also aggressive, except around this one weedy fellow Granaulg hired." He begins eating as well. "Weird stuff."

"The fuck is a Maltese Falcon? Anyways... I guess it was the one before everything went to shit. We found out a merchant was smuggling goods into Tashraan to avoid import duties -- evidently they're really stiff down there. So we, ah, rearranged the shipping schedules." He tugs on his goatee. "Weirdest heist I've ever done, and it took a week of sneaking in and rewriting paperwork. But it paid off."

Watching the Goblin inhale food is either a joy or horror to watch, depending if you're the proprietor or a guest.

"It's uh.. uhm... an expensive thingamajig. Worth tens of thousands of gold, a gem encrusted statue of a falcon. Some Veyshan artifact of a forgotten time. Said to be cursed, too." Amid the carnage of her breakfast, Choler sips daintily at the orange juice.

"So uh, when you said thief, I did not think you meant... import tax fee dodgers. So like... how did that work?"

"We got the stuff he was smuggling sent somewhere else. Fenced it off. He was probably pretty pissed when he discovered he'd shipped rolls of woolens to Veyshan, instead of the silk and gemstones he was smuggling." Harshad grins. "Even if you only get a twenty-percent cut, it's still a good haul." He takes a pull from his coffee, before continuing.

"We never robbed people who didn't have anything to spare. We always went where the money was. Hells, sometimes we even worked with the guard. We weren't monsters. It's one thing to lift a purse, but there's always some bastard who thinks he's getting a better deal with unnatural stuff."

"Ah, I see, so you rewrote contracts or shipping labels or maybe moved some boxes around? And the like... the 'good stuff' disappeared? And you fenced it and gave everyone their cut, and moved on?" The Goblin cackles. "Did he know you? Like, had he hired you, or did you guys sneak into his organization at night?" Choler begins to mop up the remnants of her breakfast with the pumpernickel, filling her cheeks before chewing and swallowing.

"How long did it take to infiltrate his organization? And uh... do ya think he will come for you, some day? Come looking, at least?"

Harshad shakes his head. "As far as I know, he never knew who conned him. And it was a month before he found out." He chuckles grimly. "It took a while, too. But we'd laid down some false leads, and faded after it was done."

He finishes cleaning his plate as well, leaning back with a satisfied look. "The next job though... that was the one where everything went wrong. We were going to do a case and maybe some sneaking into this mansion on the outskirts of town. Supposedly it was owned by some no-name noble from the other side of Myrddion, summer home I guess." He pauses, staring into his coffee. "I think we were just unlucky. They were just as surprised to find us as we were to find them, but we'd uncovered a Thulite cult." He reflexively makes the old folk-gesture against evil.

Choler pales at the mention of a Thulite cult, and she nods slowly. "They'd probably been eyeing it as a cozy place to hide, maybe steal some stuff to hawk for gold to support their dealings. Or maybe something worse." The Goblin nods her head, "Very unlucky. But you made it out." A little hand pats at Harshad's arm.

"But you're free of that, yes? All except the bad memories, and faces remembered. A fresh start, yes?" Another dainty sip of orange juice is had. "Your schtick wasn't half bad, cheatin' the bad guys. And I was serious, I'd work as part of your crew."

Harshad nods. "It was... pretty messy. We scrambled out, but we were noisy. Then the guard came in, and the cultists came out, and it was this wild brawl." He rubs his chin. "We scattered. In a year, we'll reunite at a specific spot, and see how many of us survived. Then we'll see what happens."

He snorts. "We were never -good- guys. We were thieves. But like I said, we went where the money was. Copper-stealing's pathetic." Harshad grins at Choler. "Well, if I start putting a crew together again, I know where to go for my first recruit."

The Gobbo nods. "Oh, I can see a three-sided fight going poorly for everyone." She cants her head slightly. "Oh, you had a pre-arranged plan for when things go horribly sideways?" She taps at the side of her head. "That's a smart plan. If you want someone at your back for that, I'd be pleased to go, and meet your old crew."

Her grin is broad and toothy. "Hey, I'm not into taking from those who are already on the down low. Take from the those preying on society, give back to society, with a tidy little cut for me, for doing the good work, the hard work... That sounds rewarding."

Harshad hehs. "It's still hard doing Adventurer's Guild jobs, though. They're all -weird-. And sometimes you've got no idea who you're teamed up with. Could be some knight-in-shining-armor type, or a finger-waggler, or something else. Hard to make plans when you never know who your crew is."

He offers Choler his hand to shake. "It's a different life, for now anyways. But at least it pays well."

Her handshake is firm and enthusiastic, and she whaps him on the shoulder. "So can I share you bolt hole, then? I'll show you a few of mine, though some of them are uhm... a bit small for you, yanno? But I've got a primo spot on a rooftop, it's hidden, warm and mostly dry, and it's out of the way."

Choler grins. "Are you ready for round two? I think I'm up for a few of those pancakes I've heard about..."