On the other side of the Grey Market Danton had finally
figured out what to with his sister. Although
he was still angry at her, she was possibly the only person he could get
Nastrond from. He told Jarvan to escort her back to the Ethis Manor and to make
sure she returned safely and ensured she had gave him an ample supply of Nastrond.
He asked Isadora for directions to the Atrium but as she realised she was about
to be pushed to side, she told him to figure it out himself and walked off
saying nothing more. He was still within easy walking distance of the market
and decided that he it was best if he asked there, although what had recently
happened to it, he was doubtful anyone would help.
As he walked through the Grey Market, trying to find someone
to assist him, he noticed the disparagement between even the merchant lords and
the nobility around. They money that the Metricious had, their status and their
influence meant nothing to those born to it. They were scrambling around,
helplessly trying to regain a semblance of their businesses while being mocked
and stared at by passers-by. This came to a head when a Shadowguard had to
intervene in an altercation, placing both the aggressor and the victim under
arrest. Danton dodged behind a wall to
keep observing while unseen. To the far
right he could see a heavily guarded woman strolling the market, keeping a
watchful eye over the Shadowguard as she walked. He noticed that every time a
guard was passing or looked in her general direction, she and her guards would
appear to be interesting in something close to them, a trinket, a painting, or
a performance. He knew all too well the hallmarks of avoiding the law but for
someone who was that heavily guarded, he questioned why she was afraid of the
guards.
She was soon approached by a young girl who Danton soon
recognised as Raneaux followed by Xera, keeping his usual distance. The woman
was at first surprised, but she soon smiled and patted Raneaux on her head, to
which Raneaux seemed to have swallowed something sour. A few more words were
exchanged before he noticed Raneaux looking around in a panic. He knew Xera
wouldn't step in until it was the last resort. Danton decided to abruptly throw
himself into the conversation. Raneaux's body relaxed for a moment, introducing
Danton as her master. The woman bowed her head, although it was more like a nod
than a sign of respect. She introduced herself as Elvira and asked Danton why
his servant had approached her. He of course had no clue but was luckily interrupted
by Raneaux. She told Elvira that Danton had had something stolen from him while
in her possession by a man named Mullen and wanted to get the item back before
her master found out it was missing. She had discovered from some of the
servants up here that Elvira was the woman to talk to.
Elvira seemed to take this as flattery, although her eyes
kept their suspicious stare at the girl. Danton tried to react appropriately
and scorned Raneaux for her actions. The words and the tone he used was
unfamiliar to her, and somehow cut her pride in half and reduced her to feeling
smaller than she had ever felt. Although his reaction was a little suspicious ,
Raneaux's visceral reaction, almost verging on crying herself, proved at least
to Elvira that they were telling the truth. She patted Raneaux on the head
again and told Danton that if they needed her help, then her palm needed to be
graced with silver. He patted himself down in desperation, hoping to find
something of worth. When he realised he had nothing to bargain with, he used
his last resort. He told her in no uncertain terms that if she was to refuse a
son of House Ethis and the brother to the Keeper of Shins, no amount of silver
coin could spare her from her fate. She
turned her head to the side at the threat, taken aback by his blunt tone. Slowly but surely his facial features
were soon recognisable traits of the family. He supported his argument with a
signet ring with the house insignia. She licked her lips and swallowed, now
realising who she was talking to.
Elvira immediately changed her tone and disposition,
offering her help free of charge as long as this altercation didn't reach
Christophe or his father. She revealed that she was looking for Mullen because he
had stolen an item called the Rejuvenator that was originally hers, before it
somehow ended up in the possession of House Narrkonis. She didn't mention how
there was a breach in her own security but she knew for a fact that it was definitely
Mullen who had taken it from the Atrium and wanted it back before it fell into
the hands of the Narrkonis again.
Raneaux had some idea of how the item had ended up away from Elvira,
most likely stolen by someone like Raneaux, employed by Narrkonis for their
ability to retrieve the Numenera, regardless of the impossibilities that faced
them.
Danton pulled Raneaux to the side for a second and asked her
if she knew where Mullen was. She told him the location but also told him that
Elvira was not to be trusted and would dogmatically follow them to the end if
she wasn't thrown off from the trail. Danton readdressed Elvira and apologised
for the disrespect that Raneaux had shown her, to which she was grateful for
the consideration. He told her that if she wished to assist, his servant believed
Mullen to be in the lower floors, closer to the Undercroft than the Grey
Market. He arranged for her to meet them in three hours time, hopefully long
enough for them to find Mullen themselves. Elvira shook his hand with a
surprisingly firm grip and was escorted away.
As she left, Danton's heart started to race, his chest felt
empty and hollow, apart from the violent beating of his heart. His head started
to throb with pain, followed by a shortness of breath. He tried to steady
himself, only to lose balance and fall to the floor. Millions of pinprick,
fuzzy neon lights barraged his vision. His body tensed, his muscled ached as
his jaw started to burn from the pain that was coming from his teeth. He could
taste blood his mouth and was soon spitting it out onto the boardwalk. He noticed that his tongue
was no longer short and flat but had lengthened and split in two. He used it to
check his teeth, his top two canines had protruded an extra inch before suddenly
and painfully retracting back to their normal length.
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