Lovely 003a

Hunter, 6:40 PM You head downstairs!

Hunter, 6:40 PM There are a fair number of people in the restaurant area, many of them looking quite hung over!

Chance, 6:40 PM I would like to order some mackerel and eggs!

Chance, 6:40 PM Chance says this to whoever is behind the bar.

Chance, 6:40 PM Put it on Ulisse's tab.

Hunter, 6:41 PM It's Verandis again.

Hunter, 6:41 PM He nods. "How's he doing?"

Chance, 6:41 PM He lives! And has no visible hangover, alas!

Hunter, 6:42 PM Verandis shakes his head. "Wish I could say the same for Shihan. I'd avoid him for the next few hours if I were you."

Chance, 6:42 PM Fair enough. He didn't even seem that bad off last night.

Hunter, 6:44 PM Verandis: He really wasn't, until after you lot left. … it's his way of helping out. Shihan is very good at making other people happy.

Chance, 6:44 PM That speaks to a yawning emptiness in his soul.

Chance, 6:44 PM Do you have mackerel?

Hunter, 6:46 PM Verandis: It does, but if you tell him that you're likely to get into an argument and he'll make you sorry you ever existed. And I'll go and ask Bastion.

Hunter, 6:46 PM Verandis heads back into the kitchen briefly.

Hunter, 6:48 PM Then he pops back out. "We do have mackerel. One of these days we're not going to have something and Shihan will die of shame, but today is not that day."

Chance, 6:48 PM Hah! Perfect. Some eggs as well.

Hunter, 6:50 PM He nods, and puts the order in for that too.

Hunter, 6:50 PM Verandis: I really was afraid this wasn't going to work.

Chance, 6:51 PM What wasn't?

Hunter, 6:54 PM Verandis: This. All of it. Most restaurants fail, of course, but with a bar, the brothel and the rooms to rent... if one doesn't work, we have the others. And of course we do have some backing.

Chance, 6:56 PM Well, it seems very busy. I was not even aware there was a brothel until Lola showed up!

Hunter, 6:57 PM Verandis: We separated out the two wings, so that we'd have options for... tamer people.

Chance, 6:58 PM Kids parties and the like.

Chance, 6:58 PM You want a brothel the whole family can enjoy! Wise.

Hunter, 6:59 PM Verandis: Children, no. Tired travelers and pilgrims, yes.

Hunter, 7:01 PM He goes back and fetches Chance's eggs and fishies.

Chance, 7:01 PM Chance looks around the room!

Hunter, 7:02 PM The fish is expertly filleted with a delicate sauce drizzled over the top, dressed with a couple little herb sprigs; it's pretty fancy.

Hunter, 7:02 PM The eggs are also nicely plated and have come with a couple of sausages.

Chance, 7:04 PM Chance digs in! He is not a delicate eater.

Chance, 7:06 PM Also could you prepare fish for my comrades-in-arms! For Pharo and Ann Nesia, and the bird girl.

Hunter, 7:07 PM Verandis: Three more? Sure.

Hunter, 7:08 PM A short, stocky young human man sits near Chance at the bar. He's got dark brown skin, short hair, and is wearing a little pair of gold-rimmed glasses, a gray vest, gray pants and a white shirt.

Hunter, 7:09 PM Human: Good morning.

Chance, 7:09 PM Chance chews on fish. "Morning!"

Hunter, 7:09 PM Verandis: Kiroth! I wondered when you'd turn up. I'll go and see about breakfast.

Hunter, 7:09 PM Verandis heads back into the kitchen.

Hunter, 7:11 PM Kiroth shakes his head. "Half an hour behind my time."

Chance, 7:13 PM What is holding you up?

Hunter, 7:14 PM Kiroth: I started checking our operating cost-ratios and got distracted.

Hunter, 7:14 PM He glowers. "You'd think they'd be grateful."

Chance, 7:15 PM Oh! Are you one of the owner types?

Hunter, 7:15 PM Kiroth: My brothers and I are all part-owners. Some of us just work a lot harder than the others.

Chance, 7:19 PM So, what is the list? I keep meeting you guys and not knowing.

Hunter, 7:20 PM Kiroth: The list?

Chance, 7:22 PM Of the part owner brothers.

Hunter, 7:24 PM Kiroth: Why, are you with the newspaper? I suppose it doesn't matter. Verandis is the oldest, you've met him. He's obnoxiously easygoing.

Hunter, 7:24 PM Kiroth: Tython is probably holed up in his room somewhere experimenting on magic. This whole endeavor is just an excuse for him to tinker.

Hunter, 7:25 PM Kiroth: I'm Kiroth, I'm the one charged with the impossible task of making all this pencil out. A bunch of businesses and a temple all squashed together! It's a nightmare. They don't even know how to read a ledger.

Chance, 7:27 PM Me and my friends got hired by Vittorio to deal with your haunted lake.

Hunter, 7:27 PM Kiroth: Ylyndar, it's all his fault. It's his harebrained scheme and he can chalk it up to divine inspiration all he likes but he probably just ate a bad potato or bit of corned beef that night and had a weird dream and now we're all in for it.

Hunter, 7:29 PM Kiroth: Who's Vittorio?

Chance, 7:30 PM An assassin.

Hunter, 7:30 PM Kiroth: One of the others must have arranged it. I've never heard of him. I hope they're recording their expenses! I'm sure they aren't.

Hunter, 7:31 PM Kiroth: My brother Bastion is the head chef. My only worry there is that someone will complain about their food and then there'll be a fight.

Hunter, 7:32 PM Kiroth: Have you ever seen someone clubbed on the head with a frozen halibut? Well I have, and it isn't pretty.

Chance, 7:33 PM Halibut, no. Tialapia, yes.

Hunter, 7:33 PM Kiroth: What's the difference, it's all fish and assault charges.

Chance, 7:33 PM Technique, perhaps.

Hunter, 7:34 PM Kiroth: I don't know, I've never clubbed anyone with a fish in a fit of offended rage.

Chance, 7:34 PM Me neither!

Chance, 7:34 PM Waste of good fish.

Hunter, 7:35 PM Kiroth: That's right! And fish isn't cheap these days.

Hunter, 7:36 PM Kiroth: Then there's Taggett. I didn't even see him last night, gods only knows what happened to him. He can work when he wants, he just doesn't usually want to! He'd rather hang around with his fanclub soaking up the adulation.

Chance, 7:36 PM Fan club?

Hunter, 7:39 PM Kiroth glowers. "I'd call them groupies if I didn't know Taggett! He says he's trying to cultivate a brand, and I know damned well he got that nonsense talk from Shihan."

Chance, 7:40 PM Marketers.

Chance, 7:41 PM Chance shakes a fist in the air. Whether he is being sincere or just politely co-miserating with his new acquaintance is down to interpretation.

Hunter, 7:41 PM Kiroth: Yes! Yes, exactly.

Hunter, 7:41 PM Kiroth: … though I must give him some credit. I really thought he was talking nonsense all along but we had a very good soft opening last night.

Chance, 7:43 PM It was quite busy!