Ruingate: Via Caspius
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This street has been paved neatly, though nothing else about
it is neat. Trash and dirt has gathered in the corners of the
street, at the curbs, and in the doorways of the many commercial
buildings. Some are cleaner than others.
Signs hanging above doorways or sitting outside depict the
merchants' wares, inviting anybeast who has money burning a hole
in their pocket to come and take a look.
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[S]word [D]ancer's [G]uild -- Warden: Cathal Ruairc Auley
[I]ronfist's [W]eapons [S]tore -- Owner: Ironfist
[U]dat's [A]pothecary -- Owner: Udat
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Exits: Description:
[M]ain [S]quare Out to the Main Square of town.
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Merdez walks over from the main square.

Merdez has arrived.

Swiftblade walks out of the weapon shop onto the street, toying with a new dagger he bought. The fox tosses it a few times in the air and catches it neatly, then sticks it into a sheath in his belt. Whistling to himself, he draws three knives from his vest and starts juggling them, the blades glinting. Swiftblade does some fancy patterns with the knives, crossing his arms and flourishing the knives.

Merdez strides into the Via Caspius from the main square. His eyes rove from shop to shop, seeking, and finding the weapons shop. The foxlord sees Swiftblade immerge, and his face brightens as he sees the trick with the blade. The Lord Regent calls out, "Hail there, tod-brother!"

Atma walks over from the main square.

Atma has arrived.

Qamar walks over from the main square.

Qamar has arrived.

Swiftblade looks away from the pattern he's juggling and raises an eyebrow at Merdez, looking him over. "Tod-brother?" Sneer? "I ain't yer brother...sire." He throws the three high up in a row and spins a full rotation before catching them and continuing to juggle. He grins and murmers, "Tha's the first time I've done that!", but he then catches one of the knives by the blade and yowls, dropping them on the road, barely missing his footpaws. He winces and sucks on the cut on his paw.

Atma wanders quietly into the square, holding two pieces of parchment.

Merdez smiles, nodding to Swiftblade, "I consider all tods brothers of mine, as fellow members of the greatest breed of beasts that live." he extends a paw, "I am Merdez Soulslash, Regent of this City. What is your name, tod-brother?"

Luckily, Swiftblade had cut his left paw, so his absentmindedly shakes Merdez' paw, growling "I'm Swiftblade," as he examines his paw. He binds the wound and gathers the daggers into his paws before looking again sharply at Merdez. "Merdez? Th' Lord Regent? Oh, tod-brother, sorry 'bout th' lack o' respect, I didn't..."

Let's leave all details behind at the moment.. Kay, /somehow/ has escaped.. again. Whether she conned one of her feeders into letting her out or not, she's escaped. She's done it three times already.. it really shouldn't be anything that difficult to imagine.. But regardless, the ratmaid exits the guild hall, the cloak given to her by Darkmane earlier, tossed over her shoulders and covering most of her face, as she pauses against the wall upon hearing voices.. ".. crap.." is a murmured curse from the spy.

Merdez raises a paw to cut Swiftblade off, smiling, "Worry not, brother Swiftblade. I take no offense. I would be a poor lord indeed if I executed every beast that forgot their manners once in a while." he grins, "Especially when I rule a city of beasts who don't value manners much above the dirt beneath their paws." the foxlord cocks his head to the side, "Are you a new citizen of my fair city, or merely a traveler, passing through?"

Swiftblade says, "I, ah, was recruited by th' Sword Dancers guild recently, an' I'm still pretty new t' the city, but I'm'a hopin' to stay 'ere a while." The fox smiles, returning the knives to under his vest, "I'm hopin' to improve my jugglin'.""

Kayoss remains paused against the wall, breathing a bit heavily as she tries to discern where to go from here. Likely, the OSD will realize that she's gone soon enough, and she'll have to get out of here before that. The ratmaid takes in a breath, before making sure her cloak covers most of her and moving determinedly past the group. Silence..

Qamar is moving in the opposite direction of Kayoss. Ho ho. His eyes are already narrowed, and, let's face it. The cloaked beast does draw some attention. His gaze moves directly onto her.

Merdez raises a brow, "The Dancers, hmmm? Yes, they're a very strong presence in this city. The noble Warden Cathal wields power second only to my own, so seeking his favor is a wise idea." the foxlord winks, "But it cannot hurt to be in my favor either. Are you much of a warrior, or more a troubadour?"

Shuffle, shuffle.. Curse. Kay keeps this curse silent, as she spots Qamar briefly from beneath the cover of her hood. Her steps begin to carry her a bit quicker, and this time, at more of an angle away from Qamar's approach. At least it's not Merdez.. She wouldn't mind fighting Qamar once or twice!

Qamar smiles. Her hurried pace, as well as her change in direction, is more than enough for him. He changes his own pace to match hers, at an angle to intercept her. "Hold a moment there..."

Swiftblade shrugs, "I'm a entertainer fer th' most part, sir, but I'm not," He flourishes a paw and a knife appears, then with a second flourish, it disappears. "Unskilled in th' art of fightin'." He grins a bit, yellowed fangs showing. He toys with the handle of the dagger he had bought. "So, why's th' Most 'Igh Lord Regent doin' out on the vicious streets, with all the evil..." The fox trails off as he glances to Qamar and Kayoss.

Merdez glances over to Kayoss and Qamar, following Swiftblade's gaze, and seeing those two cuts off any response he way planning. The good natured smile drops from his muzzle and his eyes narrow very slightly.

Shoot shoot shoot.. Kay slows in her steps, slightly, despite the fact that she should just make a run for it. She doesn't have a weapon at the moment, either. "I'm in a bit o' a hurry.." Kay's voice murmurs, another accent covering her usual Liverpool accent, as she continues on her way.. albeit slower.

Swiftblade's eyes dart between Merdez and the other two beasts, his paws on the hilts of his two favorite knives. He mutters, "Wha's th' matter?"

Qamar turns, now moving with her. "I won't take long." His smile has only broadened. While she's using a different accent, it's still a female voice. And he deliberately slows his pace a single step, so that she will walk past him.

Merdez eyes the proceedings, and says, low to Swiftblade, "Citizen Qamar seems to be...pursuing that beast?" his tone reveals he is not entirely sure what is going on himself. He is content to watch, for now; just in case, his paw moves to the pommel of his sword.

Kayoss is tensed, ready to send out a kick that will likely disable Qamar for a few needed seconds, if anything else.. "'portant errand ta run, sah.." she murmurs, still not stopping completely.. and probably walking ahead of Qamar in the process..

"Oh, I imagine..." Qamar murmurs. And...she walks ahead of him. Which is just what he wanted. Nimble fingers reach out and pluck at the top of her hood, then yank it down.

And a young haremaid stands before Qamar!! ... Well, okay, no. Amazingly, as Kay's hood is pulled down.. it reveals .. Kay. The spy. Who escaped. AGAIN. Though she's not really thinking this at the moment, and the moment her hood is pulled down, Kay's spinning around with a kick toward Qamar.. Kick and dart.. this is her plan.

Atma narrows his eyes as he watches the spectacle from afar. He doesn't move to assist Qamar. Yet.

Merdez instantly recognizes Kayoss, and makes a plan of action. He barks out, "HOLD! No brawling in the streets!" striding over with a stern expression.

Swiftblade, who had started to draw his dagger in surprise, sheaths it and watches with a kind of bewildered look on his face.

Qamar still has hold of Kayoss' cloak. He merely holds it tightly as she spins, a move that may well serve to choke her. The kick can't be avoided. He turns his hip into it, taking the blow along his upper thigh. It takes him this long to unsheathe his saber, but he has it pointed at her by the time Merdez shouts.

Kayoss isn't really liking the way this is going, especially considering the spin and her cloak /did/ choke the ratmaid a bit. As Kay kicks Qamar, her next move is to try to free herself of her cloak. A paw reaches frantically to try to untie it, until Qamar's saber is pointed at her and Merdez speaks. Kay's eyes narrow to slits, and she calls Qamar that word she calls him, again, as she pauses..

Merdez steps up to the two beasts, frowning thunderously, "What is the substance of this?" he asks them both, and then, before an answer can be given, he looks at Qamar, "Do you care to explain, citizen Qamar?"

Streakfeather walks over from the main square.

Streakfeather has arrived.

Qamar releases Kayoss' cloak, keeping his saber firmly pointed only an inch from her neck. "Certainly, Lord Merdez. Allow me to introduce Kayoss, an admitted spy from the Army of Northern Mossflower, and apparently escaped captive of the Order of the Sword Dancers. Darkmane has been keeping her for the past few nights. It seems she got out again."

Kayoss kind of tilts her chin back a bit.. just for maneuverability in case Qamar should move his saber in the least. "A lie.." she states, coldly. "Just tryin' tah get some crumpets for t'warden Cathal, sah.." She's going to kill Qamar.. Forget Merdez.. Qamar's /dead/..
"Y'know 'ow 'e loves 'is crumpets.." Kay adds, in an afterthought.

Merdez regards Kayoss with cool interest, "Indeed?" he says, then looks back to Qamar, "She seems to disagree, citizen. And if she is, as you say, a spy, why was she being held by the Order at all? Why was she not handed over to the proper authorities?." his voice is cool and calm, but there is a clear undertone of anger.

DeBoule walks over from the main square.

DeBoule has arrived.

Qamar's smile hasn't so much as twitched. "It's funny. She was quite proud of the matter when we spoke last." He looks to Merdez. "Sir, I am uncertain as to why she was not turned over. I was under the impression you had been informed, but I would have surely brought it up when next we discussed matters. You have been very busy..."

Kayoss lifts her paw to sort of try to push back the blade a bit.. "Sah, Mistah Cathal'll be wantin' 'is crumpets.. May'ap I should go.." She doesn't really agree or disagree.. She frankly just wants to get out of this scenario.. /now/.

Qamar flicks his saber as she tries to push it. "You are not a member of the Sword Dancers, and I'm sure Cathal can confirm that he never gave you an order for crumpets."

Merdez nods, soberly, "Indeed. Forgive my harsh words. I am very glad that the Order saw fit to apprehend a potential spy before damage could be done. It is this sort of concerned citizenship that will keep this city alive and well. Thank the Warden for me." his eyes move back to Kayoss, "And as for you, rat, you will be held in the Hall of Law under armed guard until your true identity is confirmed. For your own sake, concoct a better story than a crumpet order when you plead your case before the Lawkeeper."

Qamar's smile broadens. "Your words are already forgotten, Sire. I will pass on your compliments when next I see the Warden."

The Lord of Roses is making his way towards the ruckus and... Hr. Merdez, weapons, and a rat. Aap, lawgiving. The ferret's eyes roll slightly. He makes his way towards the scene but at a slower pace.

Kayoss cuts her hand a bit as Qamar flicks his saber, and she curses momentarily, before lowering her paw.. Her eyes shift toward Merdez as he speaks, and she states soberly, "You're making a bloody mistake, you know that?" Kay looks like she could possibly kill one or the other.. or both, as she holds her cut paw in the other hand.

Merdez stares levelly at Kayoss, "That remains to be seen, rat." he glances at Qamar, "Citizen, would you care to escort the prisoner to the Hall of Law with me? Unless you have business to attend to, that is..."

Qamar nods slowly. "Certainly, Lord Merdez." His blade lowers only a fraction, now aimed at Kayoss' chest.

Kayoss eyes both of them, before shrugging slightly.. "Fine, sobeit.. I haven't got anything better to do, anyway.." The accent is replaced, of course, but she adds, "Though if Mister Cathal doesn't get his crumpets soon, I'm sure it'll be /both/ your bloody heads.."

Merdez smiles at the prisoner, "I'm sure the Warden can go crumpetless one day, if only for the sake of this city." he points towards the main square, "Let us go. Time waits for no beast, least of all spies." The foxlords nods to Swiftblade, "Good eve, tod-brother. We must speak another time. Affairs of state press." Merdez heads towards the main square, gesturing for Kayoss and Qamar to follow.

Qamar keeps his saber on Kayoss, moving when she does.

Kayoss pauses, just long enough to irritate Qamar, before giving a sigh and following after Merdez. Not /again/...