Job Hunting at 5a Breadoven Street

[bookity101]

Miri Talian muttered as to herself as she ducked another blow to her head. "Easy job, he said.." She returned the punch, socked the other beast in the gut, and continued complaining under her breath, avoiding the others.. "Easy job, in get the piece, get out.." She ducked behind an open door so she could grab a moments rest, checking on the piece that she had put in her bag.

It was a pretty thing, an emerald set in a background of sea green with some sort of family crest in the carved directly onto the stone. Miri shook her head as she reached for two heavy handled knives, inverting them so she wouldn't kill anybeast. She glanced at the thing again. All this trouble for that!? It didn't make any sense the thing couldn't be worth more than a couple guinea's... She shook her head. It wasn't her problem what this guy put so much stock in this piece of rock. She was not going to get her head blown off for it, if she could avoid it that is...

********
Miri stood on the front porch of a large-ish sized house outside of the town. She was sporting a rather large bruise across her forehead, another to her upper arm, which was visible because of the shortened sleeves that she most always sported. Along with variuose aches and pains from being thrashed around one to many times. She rubbed the back of her neck, which was also sore, "I am never, ever, ever, going into a situation with that little information again..."

After about the fifth time she knocked, the door finally creaked open, and she was met by an older weasel dressed in a butler suit, his fur almost blending in with his white shirt. "Ah, Jis Talian, you have returned, do you have the.. ahem, item?" Miri walked past the old beast. "Jenkins, you know I do, I've dealt with you and your boss so many times that you know most of what I like by now..." She tossed these words ever her shoulder, but they held a smile. The old weasel was almost a friend after all..

Miri barged into the room, with out bothering to knock, an action she regretted instantly. Quickly averting her eyes, she reached into her pouch and pulled the piece from within. She set it on the desk in front of her, hiding her eye's with a paw. "I'll get my normal price from Jenks on the way out, sorry for disturbing you Jal and Jis Marxle..." With that she beat a hasty retreat out of the study.

Minutes later she was on the porch again, this time with a heavier purse than expected, Jenkins had included a sizable bonus for all the injuries that she had suffered. She waved over her shoulder at him from the porch, still shaking her head as she remembered his gruff goodbye, reminding her to see a vet... as if. What she considered more important was clenched in her fist. It was an address for the guy who had figured out where the piece was in the first place, a chap named Montegu Sylver. She looked at again, memorizing it before she let it fall to the ground. It read; Montegu Sylver- Detective, 5a Breadoven Street in Gusted Manor.

*******

A couple of days later she stood outside the door of Montegu Sylver, raised her paw, and rapped on the door, quite loudly. Then Miri settled down to wait, not knowing if the detective was even home…

[Ladorak]

The streets of Muggidrear could get noisy during the day, but fortunately Gusted Manor was a rather secluded stoat neighborhood that wasn't terribly far from Whistleminster Palace. The Right Honorable Montegu Sylver was probably the only weasel aside from Bryony Bludd to actually live in Gusted Manor. Everybeast else was a stoat, and tended to regard the two weasels with suspicion.

The door to Monty's apartment was past Jis McFail's place. Jis McFail was his landjill, the one he rented from. She was a kindly soul who always seemed to be looking out for her curious weasel tenant by constantly reminding him to put a coat on if he left the flat without it, or put on something to wear that matched better, etc.

She had showed Jis Talian up to Monty's apartment, and had trotted back down the stairs to get to attending her tea. The weasel detective was busy sitting on a rather plush armchair in his well adorned flat, chewing on the end of a long, white chibouque. The pipe's stem was curved like a scimitar, and though Monty had never actually taken up smoking, he would often chew the ends of the clay pipe when he was deep in thought.

He was clad in a plain green vest with green pants, a black bowtie around his neck that wasn't tied due to his never having gotten around to it today. He was contemplating things....things that dealt with his dark cousin Spindrick. That weasel had to be plotting something.....it had been too quiet as of late. Then too there was the beautiful Countess Borginski...or Sveltlana as she liked to be called.

She was one of the only females to have truly caught the attention of the detective, who normally was immune to the charms of the opposite sex. She had been too quiet as well....but then too she was back in Slattland now.....which come to think of it some disturbing news had drifted to Galdea's shores from Slattland. The King, Gustav, had recently been assassinated at a masquerade ball. The assailant was deemed insane but still.....the whole thing smelled like Sveltlana to him. She would do anything to place herself on the throne of that nation so she could lead it in a punitive war against Galdea. As of right now though, Gustav's son Gustav II was on the throne, though he was rumored to be quite young....only 14 or so....and he would be in need of a regent.....

A knock stirred Monty out of his reverie. His half lidded eyes prying themselves up to fully open, he rose from his chair. His hind paws had nothing but spats on them as he walked over to the door. Cracking it open a bit, he poked his angular face out to see a jill standing on the other side of his door. "Yes....what may I help you with?" he asked, opening the door all the way now but not moving aside. He wasn't sure if this was a client or not....probably, but maybe she just had a question too.

[bookity101]

Miri moved back a little as a face appeared behind the door, then his full body as he opened the door fully. Miri did a quick glance at the prospective employer. He was well dressed, and a bit rumpled, "Must've been taking a nap" she thought. Beyond the fact that he seemed to have a honest face, she couldn't tell much... well besides the fact that he liked the color green...

"I'm Miri Talian, your landjill showed me your rooms." She said as she stuck out a calloused paw to him. "I'm a mercenary, working in the the small sized towns outside of Muggidrear, recently I've had a string of jobs from a certain weasel, a Jal Marxle, a semi-well to do merchant, of noble heritage... So he claims.." That last bit was muttered under her breath as she didn't quite believe the guy. "He, well his butler said, that you have been useful, I think is what he said, in the past, for finding the odd stolen thing or missing beast."

As Miri was talking to him, she strained a bit to see the interior of the house, not caring if he noticed are not, but all she could see was the warm glow from the fire splashed in the walls. She turned her attention back to the Jack in front of her.

"I was just wondering if I could be of any service to you? She shifted to an easy-ready stance that had become an unconscious habit of hers for some years now. As Miri waited, she tried, once again, to see beyond the weasel in the doorway, at a different angle this time though.

[Ladorak]

Monty was rather disappointed that she had went to great lengths to describe her profession and background to him. He prided himself on being able to pick out very minute details about those he met and tell them things about themselves that often astonished them, but it was really just his sleuth like powers of deduction at work. Fundamental, as Bryony would say.

He had taken immediate notice of her callouses on her paws and deduced from them that she did some sort of manual work....though from the positioning of them it was more likely she pawdled weapons. However she had to go and ruin his game by explaining herself to him, and he had no recourse but to take her paw and shake it in a rather strange way of saying hello. He was used to kissing jills' paws at fancy balls and such, and there was something....he found appealing immediately about this particular jill.

Monty never would openly admit this, but contrary to what most thought about him, Monty actually preferred the rough, outdoors type jill to those classy, frilly jills that he normally encountered at all of the royal galas and balls. There was Sveltlana of course....but she was different....classic in a way. Monty wasn't able to put his claw on what he liked about her, but every time he saw her.....well she just had a habit of getting under his pelt. With this jill though he found he respected her immediately, as she was more of the hard working sort from what he could tell, and he always found that appealing in a female.

Chuckling at her obviously curious nature as to what his apartment contained, he stood aside for her to move past him. "Please go in, my door is never closed to a potential client." but he had to stop himself. Wait a minute.....client....hadn't she said something about working FOR him and not hiring him? That was odd...he hadn't caught that initially.

Shutting the door behind her, he gave her a moment to look around as he moved back over to his armchair. His flat was filled with all sorts of odds and ends. Some chemistry sets of test tubes and burners littered a bench like table on the far wall. A very finely carved mantle piece in which a good fire was going lay off to the jill's right. On top were some glazed porcelain pots that seemed to serve no real purpose to the common observer.

Straight ahead, where the jack detective was now sitting, were two plush red cloth armchairs with two ottomans at the base of both of them. Behind the seated Monty was a canopy style bed with green drapes. To Miri's left, close to the chairs, was a table with a stoatlitaire board on it. It was similar to what humans would call chess, but it had carved soapstone pieces and had animals instead of the representative generic set that humans used. Beyond the table was a bookshelf built into the wall filled with all sorts of volumes from criminal records to histories of nations to voyages by famous explorers and even books on chemistry and mathematics. There were philosophy books and foreign language books as well, with a smattering of economic and "teach yourself" guides for good measure.

There was a desk behind Miri, cluttered in a sort of "organized mess" type way with papers, quills, ink wells, books, and odds and ends, including Monty's cane-sword which at the moment looked like nothing but a cane. He lived in a haphazard manner, but in such a way that he always knew where everything was at any one point in time in his room. A window next to the bed looked out to the courtyard of the rest of Gusted Manor; nothing too spectacular about the view from here.

"Take a seat." he gestured to the the chair opposite him. "It's still morning I think, and I just got done with some boiled eggs. I could make some more if you like." he offered politely. "And if you're not hungry or have already eaten....then we can get down to business." he laced his fingers together, looking at her with a studious gaze. "You mentioned if you could be of service to me. I'm intrigued by this offer. In what way would you wish to help me? I normally employ the services of two friends of mine, Scruff and Maudlin, and I do receive assistance from Jis Bludd, the vet who lives across from me....but rarely do I actually get beasts asking me if they could lend me a paw."

The fire revealed the rather prominent white lightning streak of a scar on his forehead. It lanced from his left eye up to the crown of his head, and was actually a birthmark of all Sylvers. It gave him a rather distinguished look that got a mixed reaction from most beasts. Blinking, he kept his eyes on her as he continued. "As it just so happens.....there's a rather....interested potential case that has just come up....and I may need a good mercenary like yourself with me. I do recognize the name of your employer and yes.....he has provided me with work on a few occasions. Tell me......how do you feel about solving mysteries? Crimes that often baffle the normal authorities and have almost always a flair of danger in them. The hours can be long and the days demanding at times, but one can get quite well paid doing this, though normally I don't ask for compensation for my work. My family fortune makes it such that I don't need to be paid for doing what I do."

He waved a paw off at this (still maintaining humble airs), showing that money was the least of his concerns. He had used to be nobility after all, but had given up the title as something he felt he did not need. "I can however pay you....and very well if you do a good enough job." he finished, bringing his rather deep eyes back to hers. "Provided of course that money is what you're looking for. Would you be interested in such work as I've described? There is a delicate situation that has come up, and it involves travel to a foreign and at this point in time rather chaotic country. Tell me Jis Talian, is this something you would wish to do for employment?" he asked her now, reaching over for a piece of half eaten toast and finished it off as he waited for her reply. Ah yes the eggs....if she wanted any he would be happy to get up and start boiling a few for her if she so wished.

The buttered toast crunched in his mouth as he listened to what she had to say.

[bookity101]

Miri gave a tuneless whistle as she followed the Jack in side. The place was packed full of all kinds of stuff. Her curiosity got the better of her and she looked around at all the odds and ends he had everywhere. She listened with half an ear as he explained things to her, deciding to forgo the seat he had offered for the time being, opting to wander around the the room looking at things.When he mentioned some food, she shook her head. "No thanks, But if you have something hot to drink, that would be great." After he got to the job he was considering she walked over and took the seat that he had motioned to earlier.

"I'm not a big fan of politics, as my experience with politicians has been mostly negatives..." She paused here, staring at the fire for a minute, lost in thought it seemed, in reality she was remembering a painful time that involved an idiot politico with a bow. Shaking her head slightly, she look back at Monty, this time taking note of a rather peculiar scar.

"As to the solving crimes bit," She continued with a shrug, "In my past, I've had to use common sense more often than not, to get out of situations," She grinned a little at this "Tell the truth, I'm an expert at getting information from people who don't want to talk." She shook her head, remembering the last job she had and rubbed her still sore left limb, ruffling a small blue ribbon that was tied there.

Miri sat in silence for a moment, thinking about what he had said, and how to say that she could care less about the job, as long as she was doing something... but she didn't want to rush, that hadn't worked so well in the past. Finally she decided to stick to being plain with what she said. "Jal Slyver, in reference to what you've told me of the job, I have gone into things with sketchier details, and come out on top, but with many bruises case in point, my last job," She said making a vague gesture towards her face and its still fading bruises. "Before I say yea or nay, could you explain the situation a bit more?"
She asked, settling into the chair a bit as she did so.

[Ladorak]

As she talked, he swallowed his toast and went over to where the chemistry set was scattered about. On one of the burners he had set up a tea kettle for brewing, and he poured her a cup of steaming raspberry tea. "Hope you don't mind raspberries, I find they can be bitter but add a good bite to the drink." He came back to her with cup, the smoke curling out of the top as he set it down on the table next to the jill.

Sitting back down across from her, he took note of the obvious beating she'd taken from all the bruises that pockmarked her countenance. He knew what it was like to be in a situation like that....and sometimes one just had to endure the physical scars until they receded. As far as making others talk....Monty would have to make it clear to her that he might be a bit of a vigilante in terms of the law, but that he never broke any law by mistreating his antagonists, no matter how dangerous they were. He had been pushed close but.....he preferred the honorable fight to the dishonorable one.

Monty tended to lean on the lawful side when he investigated, so he would probably have to bring that up with her at some point.....but first the job. "Well....glad you asked. If you're familiar with the country across the Channel from us, Rosferia....the Crown Jewels have recently gone missing, and from what I can tell nobeast really knows what happens. I have my own suspicions...namely Spindrick, my anarchist cousin, as it's just his type of crime to commit. He's recently returned to this country, and Rosferia isn't terribly far. It wouldn't be out of the question for him to have committed a crime like this. Of course...." he paused, giving her a minute to process all of this.

"No real way to know until we get over there. I've been thinking of taking the case....whether the Rosferians want me to I want. I want to rule out my cousin's involvement first and foremost. If he is involved well....then I intend to pursue it to it's conclusion. Rosferia is rather....chaotic though given the recent Revolution, and I certainly wouldn't mind hiring one such as yourself as I'm sure your services would be invaluable to me."

His mind briefly wandered back to her very curious nature. He found that.....interesting. Most beasts didn't care about the furnishings of his apartment but this jill seemed to have almost a sort of respect for what he owned. It piqued his own inquisitive nature and the fact that she was definitely more of the outdoors, hardy, independent jill types well....he found he was already tolerating her presence quite well.

"Also do be aware....I know you're a mercenary and probably used to breaking a few laws here and there....but know that I try to always operate within the bounds of the law when I'm on the job. Just figured that would be something you should know before agreeing to work with me. So....the stolen Crown Jewels of the Kingdom of Rosferia.....does that sound like something you could work with?" he asked, wanting gauge her response based on what she said now. He was a very good judge of character, and already he was working on a rough mold for this jill, trying to figure out her preferences and see where they lined up with his in order to determine job compatibility.

[bookity101]

Miri nodded her thanks to him as he handed her the cup, "Raspberries are just fine." Miri sat in silence for the rest of the job outline, though she very nearly choked on her tea when he mentioned how being concerned about how she made beasts talk. She understood completely what he meant, and she didn't do things that way. She continued to listen and nodded when he mentioned Rosferia, she was pretty familiar with the place. Miri sat silent for a moment, thinking on all she had been told. After a moment she made her decision,

"Jal Sylver, before I sign a contract or anything, I should probably explain my methods." She had already decided that she would join him, if he accepted her methods. "You have taken, a rightly assumed, position on how I get my information... If I did it as most Merc's did." As explanation, she pulled a small stoppered bottle from one of her belt pouches. "This is how I get my info," She said, holding it up in front of his eyes for a moment, then she set it on the table between them. "And before you ask, its simply an herbal mixture that my master found that 'compels beasts to tell the truth' is how I think he said it," She shrugged her shoulders here "I've found that it works best if you loosen their tounges with some brandy before paw. As to the rule breaking," Here she pulled something from the other side of her belt pouch. "The most I could be accused of is breaking and entering a confirmed bad beasts house, ware house, flat." What she held in her paw was a rather expensive set of lock picks.

Tucking them back into her belt, she spread her paws wide. "If you have no objections to how I go about my business, I'd be happy to join you in your line of work." She grinned and stretched surreptitiously in her chair, though the slight movement caused her specially made brass knuckles, the addition being small knives that were attached to the side handle.

Reaching down, Miri just grinned a little wolfishly at him, not at ashamed that she carried them. She straitened and held them both out in her paw as she turned to face him again. "Of course not every one will be very.... helpful in the retrieving of the beast or item... and those guy's you've got to brain, before they brain you..." She was, of course, referring to the ones that took the things in the first place, not the beasts that she got information out of.

[Ladorak]

Monty was relieved at hearing her methods on information extraction. Good...he personally didn't believe in torturing other beasts to get what he wanted. It seemed she was....far more clever than that, a real weasel after his own heart it appeared.

Watching her as she stretched out a bit in his chair, his eyes did pick up the brass knuckles she carried. She seemed to be a bit embarrassed, like a kit caught with its paw in the cookie jar, but he really didn't mind the fact that carried a weapon like that with her. He smiled at her explanation, shaking his head.

"Of course....one must protect oneself after all. I too carry a weapon that might not have been so obvious to detect at first." He stood up, walking over to the personal desk he had where his cane had been tossed. Picking it up, he twisted it, sliding the bottom off to reveal a long, thin blade underneath. The silver handle was not just decorative for the cane, but it served as a convenient pawhold as well for the weasel detective.

After re-sheathing it, he took it back over to the chair with him. "I generally carry a flintlock pistol with me as well, for the added punch when dealing with more....determined enemies." He grinned as he sat down across from her again, resting his cane against the side of his chair. "So no....I do not have any objections to your methods. You seem a right upstanding sort, but one who knows the risks of her job and will take the necessary steps to ensure her safety and protection. I'm much the same way you see. I can appreciate all that you stand for....and I think....seeing you now in a different light than is generally cast on mercenaries...."

He paused, a smile playing about his lips as he said this. "That I would have no qualms about working with you on this next case. So.....I am willing to extend to you an offer to be employed by me until the conclusion of this case. I don't...really believe in contracts or anything like that as I'm generally freelance myself. But if you want to sign something I suppose I could draft a letter or contract up, just in case you wish for something solid in writing. If you could tell me though....what is your going rate these days? How much do you expect to be paid for a job and what do your clients generally pay you?" he asked now, figuring that even though she may not have been the typical mercenary one would run into on the streets, she would still be interested in money.

He wouldn't mind paying her, it wasn't as if he lacked the funds. He was one of the wealthiest beasts in Galdea after all, though you probably wouldn't be able to tell from just looking at either him or his apartment. Money, for him at least, would not be an issue, and he felt fairly certain that he could trust this jill mercenary, as she had demonstrated nothing so far that had turned him off to her personality or demeanor. She meant business....the same as him. Montegu therefore doubted her trustworthiness would not be brought into question. After working out the monetary arrangements, he intended to move on to the next step.....provided she said yes to the job of course.

[bookity101]

"I could care less about the contract stuff," She responded, waving a paw dismissively, "It just keeps the more slippery beasts that I deal with honest." Here she returned his earlier grin, "But I don;t think that I'll be needing one while I'm working for you." She paused a moment to finish off her tea, then she set it on the table, returning the vial and knuckles to her belt.

"As to my going rate, it depends on the beast, but.." Here she glanced around taking in how he lived and comparing it to how he lived. She turned to look at him. "Usually I go by how dangerous the job is combined with how much effort it will take to finish every thing up, and any injuries i receive on the job." She spread her paws. "So my rate is flexible, and I get more freedom to shave off a shilling or two for the beasts who deserve it. But if its a fixed hire, meaning a certain amount a day's, week's ect. the rate is three shillings a day, plus any extra expenses, for example, hiring a buggy." Miri had sat up a little while she explained things, now she leaned forward and rested her paws on her knees,

"Well, what do you think??

[Ladorak]

He listened to what she had to say. Three shillings a day...not bad at all, very affordable. He had heard of some outrageous sums these days, but she was at least very reasonable with her salary. Nodding, he stood up, stretching a bit. "Well you needn't worry about travel expenses, I always pay my companions' way. Three shillings a day sounds fair. I can do that, and we may be on the case for a month or two, so you'll stand to gain a good amount." he said, smiling down at her.

"I think that that is all squared away then. I officially accept you into my service." he said, bowing a bit in a somewhat playful manner. He never was one for all those formalities and such, and knew that this jill probably wouldn't mind that.

"Now that my good friend's wedding is over and I'm back in Muggidrear, I was figuring on booking passage to down to Bray on the next packet tonight. Though please...." he held up his paws now to show that it was no big deal. "If you require more time, I would be more than happy to grant it. The packets tend to leave once a night after all, so there's no real immediate rush. It will take us probably a few weeks but we'll be in Cosnair in time to start tracking down those thieves and hoping the trail won't run cold whilst we conduct our investigation. If that is satisfactory to you then I will meet up with you here say around....oh 6 PM or so. Would give us time to get down to the docks and purchase our tickets on the packet. Does that leave you enough time then Jis Talian?" he asked her, not wanting to rush her in case she wanted to prepare for her departure more in depth.