The conversation was abruptly cut short as Dehart was called
for from the floor above. Eryn was a little confused by what Xera had meant by
growing another laboratory but he had heard of far stranger things and was
still recovering from the encounter with the violent flower beasts. He grabbed
Xera and walked off without looking back, pushing his way through the now
swelling crowd. The market was quiet now, only those that were on the other
side when the fire broke out were still trying to hawk their wares to the few
shoppers still left. To Eryn, the easiest way of collecting the hopefully
deceased copies of Neave , was to barrel them under the cover of night, giving
them a few hours in-between. The only problem was that Eryn had neither the
barrels in question to put the bodies in, nor a way to transport them once they
had been sealed for safety. The only point of reference he had apart from both
sites he had incinerated and the Market was the place where he had been when he
was ejected from his own execution: The Pale Spine. Although Dehart now had all
of his coins it was possible the barkeep could be reasoned with, especially now
as Eryn was officiated with the Palm and in turn, the proprietor. He offered
for Xera to accompany him but he was declined. He was told that although most
of the equipment could be grown a few things needed to be sourced as well as
needing a way to create a sleeping draught for his darts. Xera asked Eryn if he
know of any Narrkonis Atriums in the local area. His laboratory had be previously
furnished by what he could take from his official position within Lyathra but
knew that most of the equipment was designed and sold by house Narrkonis.
The memory of what lay underneath the city made Eryn shudder
a little. He tried to point Xera in the right direction of the one he had
visited when Chloe had begun the process of Untethering. Xera thanked him
before parting ways. The walk back to the Pale Spine was littered with dead
ends and whispers. He wished he had never had to come back down here. The
window Maw had been thrown out of had been boarded up and by the looks of it,
seen a few more caught swindlers. He entered as confidently as he could, lighting
a cigarette as he braced himself for the almost choking atmosphere. His
reception this time was a marked change from the first. The air was still thick
with smoke and liquor but the patrons parted ways and scattered. They were as
scared as they had been when Televaraen had extended a single claw. The men
that had tried to proposition Chloe were back, drinking comfortably, well apart
from one. They retreated back into the smoke by the fireplace as far away from
the bar as possible.
Before Eryn could sit down he was offered a drink with a
request not to cause trouble. This threw many possibilities at Eryn but only
one turned out to be the reason why. The barkeep presented a large parchment
poster noting that Eryn was now part of the Hawk-Eyes. Eryn recognised the
artistry and the signature, Arden. The poster itself however gave no real
context as to why everyone seemed so afraid. The barkeep quickly qualified his
terms, that for the free drink, nobody on the Hawk-Eyes bounty list was to be
taken. Eryn's ears perked up a little, the Hawk-Eyes were not just big game
hunters, they were also apparently bounty hunters. Another drink was followed
by another clarification, his patrons had done nothing wrong that last time he
was here and the Hawk-Eyes jurisdiction was out in the Steadfast and not the
city. They didn't fear the Grapnel coming down here but the Hawk-Eyes did not
care for the trappings of wealth. The fear of the Hawk-Eyes was self evident.
Eryn had only mentioned in passing about barrels and transporting them, when
moments later the three men by the fireplace had dashed out the back and returned
with thankfully blank, casks and two trolleys that compacted themselves into
small pocket sized cubes. He walked out
with his offerings without looking back. As long as they belived he was in the
Hawk-Eyes, he could use it to his advantage.
Xera had kept to himself on the way to the Atrium, the
people around him made him a little uncomfortable. He was worried for his safety
and with good reason. If someone was to
even mention what he was he doing, the words would most likely fall upon
someone with a connection to Lyathra and his life would be in danger on two
fronts. He had been using Styenbeck as a sort of shield against what Lyathra
could do to him but now they had parted ways, he was unnerved and unsure. As he caught the first
glimpses of the Atrium, the glow of the city was caught on the thick cables and reflective dishes that
adorned the sides and the roof of the building. Inside was no different, a
palace of scientific endeavours. As he took in his surroundings he bumped
into a set of twins, one male, one
female, dressed what Xera presumed to be religious robes but could not place
the denomination.
They were arguing about a set of experimental earrings that
had been stolen by a girl with purple eyes and two men. The woman blamed
herself while the man blamed himself for letting them leave with it. Xera
enquired as to their distress but they shrugged him off as not important. He
asked if he could get supplies but they refused him as it was a trivial matter.
The thought then occurred to him that perhaps a gentle nudge using Silas' name could way them.
Their eyes widened in panic before they shouted his name out so everyone could
hear. Within what seemed to Xera to be a few moments he was nearly laden down
with masks, equipment, even the sleeping draught he had casually mentioned. The
last item they gave as a present to Uncle Silas, a matt grey cylinder that
sprayed a coating of something they couldn't identify. It's supposed rarity and
incomprehensible use would prove more than an adequate gift. Although the items
he requested and more were given he thought that perhaps purple eyed girl may
be Chloe. If they wanted those earrings back desperately, perhaps the jewellery
could be used as leverage, if they could be prised off Chloe first.
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