& sixth

[quu]

With the essentials arranged and the party more or less outfitted, Joffrey led them from the armory. And as they departed, he nodded to his darkling lieutenant, who stayed behind. Evidently she had some words to share with the guards.

"I think it is unwise to rouse any further suspicion," he declares, not to anyone in particular. "We shall have to disguise you, if you are to leave the city unhindered. A troupe of actors, perhaps. Or merchants. Your transport awaits outside."

Attentive members of the team may note that for some reason there are very few persons of any sort wandering the halls in Joffrey's wake. Either he is leading them into a less-used portion of the palace, or perhaps it is only the late hour that was to blame. The torches and candelabrae struggle against the cool black syrup of the night; footsteps echo louder, and the sinister penitent hissing of night-beetles creeps in through the windows.

Eventually a rough stone gallery opens before them. In the overhang outside, the party might espy an empty carriage of six seats, and a team of horses whose color was lost in the low light.



A crisp, brisk thrill hangs in the air: the promise of adventures to come.

Joffrey draws the group into a rather musty little room and shuts the door behind them, which plunges them all into pitch blackness.

Comments

FIRST STEP

[quu]

A flame flickers loose from Joffrey's hand and throws their surroundings into context: it looks like a big, nasty pantry of some sort. Actually it is a coachman's room. There are several large chests upon the floor and shelves filled with all kinds of saddle repair tools, leather thongs, bowls of chalk, and the like.

"Well," he begins. "There's clothing, there." He gestures at the chests with a rakish grin. "Dress up like nobodies and we shall develop you an alibi."

In the chests you will find all manner of very ordinary clothes suitable for carters, wagoneers, merchants more comfortable than profitable, and occasionally an ostentatious sort of garment - yellow silk scarves, wine-hued skirts, satin jockstraps - that suggest the company of gentlemen and ladies of leisure.

(Free for all! Ask questions, get dressed, yell at each other, etc. Assume your character is carrying all their new armaments (if any) and that the carriage in the courtyard is loaded with all the necessities of travel, including all equipment that had been taken from your characters upon arrival in the throne room.)

Re: FIRST STEP

[yowokomete]

Shonagon knows how poorly she will fail, if she attempts to disguise herself as a mere commoner. She snaps up a few of the showier pieces and layers them over the robe she'd chosen from the armory. A merchant's daughter, or a scholar's, she thinks, with pretensions towards standing. That should be an easy enough role to play.

She'd collected a few tiny knives from the armory, and now she tucks them about her person: in her sleeve, in a padded sheath in her bosom, at her ankle. She slips a long, sharp metal rod into her hair, pinning the lengthy tresses up.

[quu]

Joffrey nods approvingly, though he does reach for and carefully arrange the neckline of her robe. To better hide the knife.

"An interesting selection."

[yowokomete]

"Ah, thank you." She smiles wanly. "I thought that knives seemed a bit easier to learn than most else on offer."

Re: FIRST STEP

[tigerbomb]

Browsing the selection, his only thought was 'some of this stuff is just ridiculous'. Grinning, he set about picking out an outfit resembling one of the merchants he'd seen in the grand throneroom they'd been in earlier. At least he thought it was a merchant. He looked merchanty enough. Either way he figured, a merchant would be someone who wouldn't stand out much, but would be able to get around pretty easily.

"What are you guys doing? I'm going merchant chic.", he stated, holding up the outfit. One item that stood out was a blueish purple scarf. He figured it'd be cold where they were going, and a scarf might help.

"Yo, uh... do I put it on over the armor or just carry the armor on the side?"

Re: FIRST STEP

[quu]

"Caution suggests 'over'," replies Joffrey, smilingly.

Re: FIRST STEP

[tigerbomb]

"Yea, that makes sense!", he exclaimed. There didn't really seem to be a place to change, and on second glance, Cludig had both girls distracted, so he figured changing right there shouldn't be toooo much of a problem. The problem was what to do with his old clothes. He really loved that jacket. Undressing and redressing one section at a time, he eventually got on the leather jerkin, light armoring and what he assumed to be merchants gear.

"Where do I put my old stuff? I kinda want to keep my jacket, but everything else.. meh."

Re: FIRST STEP

[hagswallop]

Cludig prods through some of the clothing with an unsure look upon her face. She would much rather patch up her increasingly more raggedy garments, but there wasn't the time. It would be faster for her to just guess how to wear half of these odd scraps.

"My cloth bits are doomed, but at least I can glamor the rest." She mumbles in a resigned sigh."

Grabbing an ugly saffron chemise she sniffs it carefully. It smells a might to laundered in floral soaps, but still has enough stable odor to be acceptable. With little to no warning she immediately starts to cut off her knotted bodice.

Re: FIRST STEP

[yowokomete]

Oh dear, that girl is definitely getting naked right in front of everyone. Shonagon grabs a large flap of cloth and rushes over.

"Ah, would you like some help?" she ventures uncertainly. "At the very least, why don't you let me hold up a curtain for modesty's sake?"

Re: FIRST STEP

[hagswallop]

"'Modesty'?" Was that like a 'desert'? No they were doing clothing things, it was probably that sheet the fancy woman had. "Is that like a robe thing? Do I wrap it around? I think breeches would probably be better for me..."

She looks down at her ratty too-patched up breeches, with a frown. "I need new ones of course..." With a regretful frown she cuts the rope belt holding them up, sending the rag pants to the floor.

[nicecollarbones]

He picks through a few clothes, then quickly chooses a loose shirt and pants, none too new but bearably clean. Over this he layers a worn but warm jacket, and a wide-brimmed hat. The result is cohesive enough; he's not really dirty enough to be pegged as a beggar, but the clothes don't fit him well enough to suggest an overabundance of... well, anything, but mostly funds.

'Migrant labourer' was the image he was going for; all the more so because it isn't exactly far from the truth.

SECOND STEP

[quu]

With the group dressed and prepared, Joffrey addresses them all.

"Now you must arrange for your story. I suggest something simple... ah... act stupid. The real trouble will be the guards at the city gates. They will want to know why such a large party is leaving so late at night."

He goes on to suggest the following options:

* You are a group of jewel merchants, attending the daily market. You stayed overlong at dinner, but must get home tonight. You live in the town of Bergin, fifteen miles to the south.

* You are a group of students and scholars who are returning to the University Of Kettles-And-Netsford, one province (and two days' journey) away. Time is clearly not your primary concern.

(GROUP DECISION: select one of Joffrey's options or come up with your own! The entire group must agree with the decision... or you might run into trouble later.)

Re: SECOND STEP

[tigerbomb]

"Scholars!", he piped up, not a moment after the words had left Joffreys mouth. Grin still etched into face and one fist held up, he continued, "You can do like ANYTHING with that! I mean where else would you find a hodge-podge mix like this, ya know?"

Re: SECOND STEP

[yowokomete]

"I think that such a story certainly smooths over any little... eccentricities," Shonagon agreed. "Students can behave absolutely shamefully and no one ever bats an eye--though even when they're well-behaved, they're not particularly memorable."

Re: SECOND STEP

[tigerbomb]

"Yea, it's pretty sad, but I guess that's how any world works! Want to be noticed, make a scene!"

Re: SECOND STEP

[nicecollarbones]

"It would also spare us from having to produce jewels," Hei remarked quietly, from somewhere off to the side. His smile was wry. "Or the money we took in at the market."

Re: SECOND STEP

[hagswallop]

"Scholars?" She vaguely knew what the term meant. Stuffy bookworms who scream a lot, right? "Do we have to read?"

THIRD STEP

[quu]

With story in hand, goods loaded into the luggage compartments of the carriage (one might note as well there were ample stores of dried foods, wines, rope, axes, fire-stones, and all other sorts of things important when travelling,) the party is at leave to depart.

Joffrey relays the alibi to the coachman. What coachman, you ask?? Why it is the very same nervous peasant that they had seen in the antechamber before any of this nonsense transpired. He is a trifle plump and wearing a stained overcoat of peach brocade, an equally stained linen shirt, and corduroy pants that have clearly seen at least three previous owners. He is stubbly. His voice sounds like a teapot's whistle.

"Well, yer Majersty!" He cries. "Sure as my name is Pizzle, I'll see 'em as far as the border... Except... yer Majersty..."

"Yes, Pizzle, what troubles you?"

"I'm awrfully afeared, yer Majersty."

Joffrey nods sympathetically.

"And... er... beggin yer pardon, but I do tend ter piss when I'm afeared...."

"...I....see."

"I could piss right now, ter be honest!"

"Try to contain yourself." He turns abruptly to the party. "Well well, mount up, off you go. Remember your story! Varrå will join you once you have passed beyond the gates! Fear nothing, and follow her lead! Farewell!"

He waves goodbye as Pizzle whips the horses and the carriage begins its brisk journey to the city gates.

(YOU'RE ALL SITTING SIDE BY SIDE IN A CARRIAGE GOING TO A PLACE. You have ten minutes to discuss amongst yourself and get infected with Cludig's lice or Shonagon's civility or what have you.)

Re: THIRD STEP

[tigerbomb]

Zell quirked a brow at the conversation. At least the guy's honest, he thought to himself. The carriage wasn't cramped, but he wasn't very fond of enclosed spaces. The best remedy was distraction. The best distraction was conversation! ...and a weird odour slowly filling the carriage.

"So where you guys from?"

Re: THIRD STEP

[yowokomete]

Shonagon has fished a tiny compact of solid perfume from the depths of her robe, and she's applying the pale wax to her pulse points as she speaks. What on earth is the smell in there with them? Her perfume can't stand up to it, but damned if she won't make an effort.

"I came from the Emperor Ichijo's court in Japan," she says. "I've been on quite a long journey. This was only meant to be a stop along the way."

Re: THIRD STEP

[tigerbomb]

"Wow, sucks you got stuck in here.. Well hey it can only get better, right? So you a Princess?", he asked, unsure of whether her perfume was really going to help against the dread stench.

Re: THIRD STEP

[hagswallop]

The smell is of course Cludig's musky fragrance, but too bad for you guys she's so used to it that she's unaware.

She fiddles with her hair and checks to make sure her possessions are still secure in it's tangles. "I came from the Flagrent Marsh. The local humans called it 'Death-Howl Swamp'." She pauses thinking on how others might perceive it given the title. "Oh, but don't let the name fool you it, uh, wasn't very noisy."

FOURTH STEP

[quu]

The carriage comes to a hobblety-halt upon cobblestones. From outside, a burly, beefy sort of woman's voice shouts "HALT! STATE YER BUSINESS."

"Er," starts Pizzle. "Students, sir. Returnin' to the college."



Welcome to the city gates. There are four guards here, all of whom were, moments ago, bored. The tall stone wall looms above the carriage and blocks out the moonlight. Behind you there is an open square with a fountain, ringed by a church and a few humble storefronts and cottages. The horses whicker nervously and Pizzle mumbles something. There comes a nasty rapping upon the carriage door.

"Open up in there, 'students'."

It's the burly, beefy guard. She is the night watch captain, as the feathery badge on her breast announces. Visible over her shoulder: a drunk soldier drops trou, whips out his old chap, and begins to piss in the corner behind the guard-house. The gates - two immense oaken doors - are closed before the carriage.

The captain of the night watch sniffs. A look of disgust creeps across her broad face.

"What in Bog's name is that stench???"

(You're about to be interrogated. Free for all, but you may wish RP selecting a speaker as a group.

Keep in mind two things:
1) You don't want to raise suspicions; everyone is already looking for foreigners with bad attitudes.
2) If suspicions are raised, it might be necessary to take forcible action, and that would raise even more suspicions.)

FOURTH STEP

[yowokomete]

Some quiet murmuring ensues before Shonagon opens the door.

"I wish I knew," she sighs. "I'm beginning to think it's the upholstery." She flaps her fan, attempting to force some of the stench back towards the carriage and away from the obviously suffering guard.

[quu]

The guard glowers angrily at Shonagon as if all smells in the world were her specific, intentional fault.

"That's the first time I ever seen a student flap around like that!!!"

The accusation is distinct, aggressive.

"Who's all in there with you, miss?..."

She eyes up the motley crew who hover behind Shonagon's elegant person.