The Search for Skamos (Sunrise, Glen, Sithani)

Sunrise produces a small card engraved with words from a pouch and hands it to Shantai. "In a couple days, perhaps?" Then she looks up at Skamos. "So. Think you'll be able to walk?"

"I can help you, if you need, sir." Glen offers his arm.

The man blinks at them both, then leans heavily on Glen's arm. "Th-thank you. I'm Skamos. Did I say that already?"

If Sithani is still paying attention to the chips, they are being cashed out and the money left at the edge of the table for the visitors to take or not as they please. The amount isn't much to Sithani's standards, but Sunrise would've gasped at the amount when she was younger and hungrier.

Sunrise pockets her winnings matter-of-factly and nods at Skamos. "You didn't, but I knew it. Come on. Let's get you home." Nodding her goodbyes, keeping her arm around the shaking man, she helps Glen lead him out of the bar.

Once they're outside, she looks him over again, more urgent this time. "Are you okay? Have you been hurt?"

Glen pauses a moment to grab his winnings with his free arm too.

Once they're outside, he gives Skamos a gentle squeeze. "It's okay. You're safe now."

Sithani pauses at her winnings. "Am I more of an asshole if I take this or leave it?"

Whichever answer she's given, she'll go along with it and leave with her companions. To Skamos, she asks, "Do you need something to eat? Drink? Somewhere to sit down?" Maybe we shouldn't have taken him out of the bar just yet?

Skamos still seems faintly confused by all this. "Y-yes? I mean, no. I'm not...hurt? Should I be? I'm...yes, hungry. Thank you. I need to...Mother Reverence. The temple."

"Yes, of course." Glen, quick as a whip, pulls out a water skin and a little paper packet of dried fruit, nuts, and jerky from his pack. He hand hands it over to the dazed young man. Without waiting for a response, he turns and forcefully hails a cab, waving a gold coin in his hand to make it clear it's worth their while.

As everyone piles in, he hops up next to the driver, which seems to be the place that he just fits these days. "The temple of Sehanaine, please, and quickly." He hands the driver his fare up front, along with a couple of extra gold pieces to sweeten the pot.

Sunrise helps Skamos settle into the back of the cab, her arm still firmly around him. "We're friends of Thorn," she explains. "He's safe; everyone's safe. We made contact with that gang when we were rescuing him; together with what you'd managed to tell Reverence, it let us figure out that they had you. I'm so sorry we didn't find you sooner." She gives him a small smile. "Hi, I'm Sunrise."

"Sunrise," the tiefling man repeats slowly, dazed. He seems unsure of Glen and Sithani, as well as what to do with the nuts which roll around his lap as the carriage rattles forward, but he focuses on her. "I'm Skamos. I'm..." He hesitates. "...I don't know any Thorn."

She frowns, looking more concerned for him than anything else. "The half-orc boy with the babies? Reverence said you were the one who brought him food and supplies. Are you sure you're okay? They didn't...?" She touches his head gently, still frowning, but then her expression clears. "Oh. You don't know if you can trust us. That's okay. We'll be at the temple soon."

"Did you go through... what's his name. Nerull's boy?" Sithani asks. "Help me out here."

Glen, not listening on account of being outside, keeps an eye out for danger - in case Boss changes his mind, or in case up-and-coming crimeworld entrepreneurs want to return the tiefling to Boss for a reward.

((Nat 20 perception roll = 24))

"Oh, he's a dark elf, and their names are always so weird," Sunrise remarks. "Quen- no. Quivyll. And a last name that sounds like someone clearing their throat." She smiles. "But he's been held captive for days by people who were very interested in finding Thorn, Sith. We could very easily be a trick."

Yay, I merit a nickname! - no. Focus. Bad Sithani.

Sithani frowns in response. "Good point; that is a possibility. One does have to wonder about dark elf linguistics; how far back did their languages split from those of, let's call them light elves for convenience? Did they deliberately push their phonetics away from the bordering-on-saccharine mellifluousness of their cousins, or were their languages influenced by whatever else dwells in the deep places of the earth? Dark elves themselves tend to be infuriatingly secretive, light elves get very awkward if you bring the topic of their cousins up - and I recommend you try it on the more uptight ones someday, it's hilarious - and most of what we know of the Underdark is varyingly reliable and doesn't go into nearly enough detail about those darling psychic jellyfish. I must say, your fellow storytellers really need better priorities."

Sunrise looks amused. "Tell you what, you talk Quivyll into sharing dark elf lore and I'll write some stirring epic songs about it."

Skamos watches all this warily, unsure what to say. He merely nods politely to Sunrise and fumbles with the dry food Glen left him.

Glen does indeed spy no less than three ambush attempts, perhaps in part not merely because of their passenger but brought on by witnesses to the extravagant amount paid to their driver. Each time he readies for the fight, however, the attackers seem to melt away at the last minute.

On the third aborted attempt, he's certain he sees a wisp of violet hair jutting over a low wall. They seem, perhaps, to have a guardian deva clearing the threats away for them so that they are not further harassed on the way out of the slums.

Glen takes out his bow and nocks an arrow after the first attempt, but never has reason to draw it. If he sees Violet again on the road, he will give her a grateful nod.

He is not sorry to see the slums start to give way to the temple complex as they continue up the road.

Sithani smils back. "If we're talking song commissions, this whole job sounds like inspiration for a burning satire on the equivalences between organised crime and the aristocracy. It's a shame this wasn't more in advance of Olidammara's festival, or you could have performed it in honour of the god."

Glen, realizing he should probably give his companions some heads up, calls back into the cab. "Stay sharp, I've seen a few suspicious characters, but it looks like Boss has made sure we're not disturbed."

Sunrise nods. "Welcome to Westside," she calls back wryly. To Skamos she adds, "We'll be out soon though. Temple district up ahead."

Settling back, she gives Sithani a grin. "Honestly, that Boss guy was more pleasant to deal with than some respectable upper-class citizens I can think of. Would that our social elite could be even half as sensible and straightforward."

They eventually turn into the temple district and their passenger relaxes a little more in his seat. The driver lets them out at the doorstep of Sehanine, and Skamos climbs shakily out.

Glen nods politely to the driver and flips him an extra coin for a job well done. He hops down and holds his hand out for Skamos. "Can I help you inside?"

"Yes, thank you," Skamos says quietly, accepting his arm with a grateful nod.

Sunrise leads the way inside, looking around for Reverence or her daughter with a sharp eye.