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Misa A dispute over trade deals- a suspicion of double dealing. Nothing new in any city, let alone one as varied and helter-skelter as Great Forks. That said, a heavy padlock sliced clean from its latch, and a rather unabashed entry in the midst of a sunny summer afternoon is... less common as a response.

Misa walks out of the building as though daring some guardian of the location to notice and take umbrage, but truth be told the proprietor of the establishment in question simply isn't that cautious. She carries a heavy book- a ledger, in fact- under one arm, a pair of short swords at her hip. Be it ego or a gift, the ledger is striking, a curiously vibrant green leather cover catching the eye. Makes it easy to identify, certainly.

She takes stock of her surroundings at a leisurely pace, before making to join with the passing crowds- if perhaps reluctantly.

Holegn Holly wanders along slowly, part of the crowd, her expression having a faraway look, with just enough attention paid to avoid walking into someone head on. Her eyes cast sideways briefly, as she walks past Misa, dodging 'round the well dressed woman. A slight look of recognition registering before he looks away. Holegn's sandals clatter against the ground and her feet as she is slowly surrounded by the crowd.
Nine Roads Alani It's an axiom of probability that the closer you are to home, the more likely you are to run into trouble. Of course, one can discuss the probability of having one's home and nominal business just a couple doors down from the establishment Misa has just quit so violently, but surely that's a totally separate question. Just ask Alani, who is in fact not a great mathematician but very, disturbingly good at being in the right place at the right time. Maybe it's her destiny.

Regardless, she's just leading a well-fed and groomed pair of horses, tied to a chariot that might cost more than the rather plain storefront's stable she's leading it from. She -was- looking perfunctorily bored until the sound of singing metal crosses the street and she turns to look in curiosity.

Her straw-colored eyebrows raise in surprise as her expression turns into a bit of a conspiratorial grin. She takes a moment to settle herself and leaves the horses behind, right in front of the storefront, and spares them a couple words under her breath before crossing the street and looking more closely at Misa.

Along the way, she happens to catch a glimpse of red hair out of the corner of her eye. It takes a lot to surprise someone whose life -is- weird happenstance, but the blonde looks even more surprised as she sees who is coming their way, just as she positions herself so Misa can see her. Appropos of nothing, she says out loud where Misa definitely can and Holegn might hear.

"Huh. I keep telling people this is the happening part of town, but I didn't know how right I was."

Misa It's been a longish moment since the door was opened that way... but then, there were likely other locks inside to account for further noise.

Misa pauses as she sees the first recognized figure- and then frowns a little as a second calls out. She's quiet as ever, but looks across the way to Alani for a longish moment. She pauses then, stepping back out of the crowd with a nod to Holegn, taking a swatch of cloth from her sash to wrap around the conspicuous ledger for the moment- if she's to pause in the crowd, perhaps time to pretend to worry for pragmatism.

"Well good afternoon, I suppose," she speaks quietly- it's fairly likely only Holegn would be able to hear, being closer, given the crowd and the usual volume of the woman's speech.

Holegn The red-head seemed set to ignore Misa, with only the slightest hint of a nod. But the voice calling out has Holly turning around. Which forces her to weave through the crowd to avoid bumping or being bumped. She slowly arrives at Misa's side, though she eyes 'Elena'.

"Happening? Tis a fine day to be walking the city's er... industrial section." Holegn offers a nod to Misa then, "And a good afternoon to you, too."

Nine Roads Alani Some people are social butterflies, and could probably find a way to involve herself in the conversation in a perfectly natural, believable manner that had people chatting amiably before they knew what was happening.

Then there's 'Elena', the social wrecking ball, who takes the slightest attention to imply invitation and boldly walks up without the slightest regard for Misa or Holegn's implied want-to-be-alone vibes. Social fear, clearly, is not high on her priority list. What she's clearly not good at is making it seem natural. She just walks up, damn the consequences and subtle social cues, and starts talking.

Well! Well met again. I'd ask how the pair of you are doing, but clearly it's somewhere between 'indifferent' and 'total shite', so to hell with it. What brings you two out this way?"

Misa A quirk of the brow from Misa, and she tilts her head a little at the suppositions.

"I am of no particularly foul mood- just in the midst of business, as it were. And not an especially thrilling case thereof, if I may be earnest." She shrugs that off, considering Elena for a moment. "No end of poor business partners who wish to prove the other's treachery in a city of this size. A little disappointment at the ease, perhaps, may be what you are noticing?"

She shifts the wrapped ledger from one hand to the other, glancing back the way she came. "Or if it is the method by which I gained access, if you saw any of that... it seemed more expedient, and I have never much learned to finesse locks to begin with. Hard stone or sharp metal serves just as well, it turns out, when one's locks are made of cheap iron. And then, I suppose, some confusion at the passing of a known face who simply carried on as though worried I would cause her problems or some such," she adds finally with a wry sort of smile, glancing over at Holegn.

Holegn Holly grins at Elena, "I am well, how are you?" She glances around at the area, and shrugs her shoulders. "I was curious about the drug production, actually. But they aren't very eager to allow one to see how it gets made, Trade secrets, I am told."

The red-head shakes her head at Misa then, grinning still. "I saw nothing until I almost barreled you over there. Sorry about that. And it was I who thought I might have cause you some trouble."

Nine Roads Alani 'Elena' gives Misa an unapologetic, vague little smile. "Eh, well, I didn't pick this part of town for its looks, after all. Fact is, I knew what kind of place it was when I set up here, you know? But the price was right, and I...er, wanted to spend more on my own locks, I guess." She chuckles a bit nervously. "Remind me to never make you think I'm cheating you. And as for ease..." She sighs a bit. "Yeah. It's disappointing, I know. I'm very good at actually doing what I do, but running the business end is a whole different set of skills. I'm pretty sharp, if I do say so myself, but it's not like I've ever balanced a ledger. And I'm going to have to teach myself pretty quick."

She turns to Holegn, nodding in understanding. "As for the fields...yeah. I mean, the drug people are pretty ruthless, from what little I've seen. I'll run packages for them just like anyone else, but they don't trust me, they use their own people. Not a surprise, I guess. Maybe once they realize I'm faster than any of their people."

Misa "Perhaps more ease of finding where to get this," Misa notes, gesturing with the wrapped ledger. "Than ease of taking it. That was never going to be difficult, given the lack of care this particular business put into security. Which is to say, very little whatsoever." She shrugs again, head shaking.

"But the failures of petty business owners to provide much of interest to an investigator such as myself is hardly a topic for an entire discussion. What, may I ask, causes someone so new to the area to want to know so much about the trade of qat and the like?" she questions, turning to Holegn with a curious sort of slant to her brow- subtle, but even noticeable with her prodigious fringe, as one might call it. "You struck me as rather more... pragmatically minded, when first we met."

Holegn The red-head nods at Elena, her smile wry. "Ah, you tried there too, hmm? You may be faster, but, you would also cost more. So they are satisfied with 'fast enough', because it's cheaper."

Her arms cross, and she shifts her weight to her left leg, eyeing Elena up and down. "You also look like someone they can't bully easily. Hmmm... you just started your own business? What do you do?"

Holly reaches up to fuss a little with her hair, and she glances to Misa. "I have a feeling of running out of time, and it may cause me to act sooner than expected. So..." She shrugs slightly. "The wait and see approach may have to be discarded."

Nine Roads Alani "Huh." 'Elena' looks quite surprised. "Investigator. I have to be honest, when I met you outside of town, I never would have imagined you had a job other than martial artist. But that's actually pretty neat. I can see where they dovetail, after all."

At Holegn's question to her, 'Elena' just gets a wide grin and turns halfway, pointing to the building she'd come from. It's not much of a storefront, really, with a wide, prominent stable entrance and a smaller, normal door to one side. The three-story structure has a prominent sign over the doors, but with no actual name yet, and the chariot sitting out front, with the two horses in the traces, looks rather familiar. One horse is looking at Misa and Holly intently, while the other is looking away with a distinct air of exasperation.

"That's what I do!" 'Elena' pauses and frowns, realizing that told her audience exactly nothing. "Eh. Well, I'm a courier! Though I admit I -do- need to get that sign finished. Anyway, I'm super fast, reasonably discreet, with reasonable prices." She gives a cheeky grin. You're right, though, I'm not the meek let-myself-be-bullied type. Just like both of you, I'm quite sure."

She pauses, thoughtful, as Holly mentions running out of time. Her expression turns somber for a moment, and she nods, before visibly catching herself.

Misa A pause from Misa as she considers Holly's statement, maaaaybe frowning just a little. "Running out of time? For what? A rather vague notion, that, unless you have been being chased since before I met you or something to that effect." She does, notably, speak as though from experience.

"But, yes. Quiet dojos with no students do not make for full bowls or well-kept training equipment, so I have another profession or two. One picks up a number of things while travelling, as I am sure will not surprise you in the least. Though given what I loosely recall that chariot doing upon your arrival, I am sure you are no stranger to unusual learnings and acquisitions along the road?"

Holegn "Ah!", Holly says, "I feel it should have been obvious to me. Though in my defense, you could be a purveyor of fine horses and chariots, not an expedited deliver service. Without the full sign and all, yes?" She fusses with her hair again, and smiles in self defense. "Do you own the building? That's a solid investment if you do. With luck, and in time, perhaps they will trust you enough to regularly pay you for your time and service."

The red-head looks to Misa once more. "The ones that I chase may move on. Life for bandits around Great Forks has been made more difficult. So patient searching may not succeed. So... being louder might be more effective."

Nine Roads Alani Grinning, 'Elena' shakes her head and crosses her arms, looking up across the street at the building. "Nah. I don't expect customers to be able to divine my business from, well, -nothing-. But I'm just setting this up and I don't have a name yet. Still kind of thinking about it, you know? Usually I have a hundred ideas whirling around in my head but they're all...well, -almost- right. None are perfect, yet. I'll get there. I do own the building, though! That's why it's in this part of town, of course. So I could afford it."

She nods and runs both hands' fingers through her blonde hair as she looks at Misa. "Eh. Well, yeah, of course I do. I mean," She chuckles. "what I was doing was going hell bent for leather, so I'm not sure how much I'd actually pick up on at -that- rate, but...yeah, you're right. I've had to defend myself a few times, and..." She frowns a bit, thinking. "I -have- been known to look through a ruin or two, too, to be honest."

She pauses, studying Holly carefully when she mentions bandits. "Please tell me you're not thinking about hunting bandits by making them come to you?"

Misa "Indeed- I may have a bias here, but I do generally find that tracking someone -else- down, rather than expecting as much from them, is the superior method," Misa chimes in on the subject of banditry and the finding thereof. "I am no expert on the wilderness or any such, but I am certain there are plenty out there who could assist with such a search. Or even a local mercenary group, as I understand it, who may help you resolve the disparity in numbers, or turn it to your favour. You may have more options than you might think."
Holegn To Misa's suggestion, Holly nods. "I've asked Raullaur for his assistance, and I think his men are both happy to do so and quite capable. They may look good out on the parade ground, but they are properly trained also. With the exception of a few... delinquents." She chuckles and shrugs, "I may... be trying to get them to find me. A hint here and there about their murderous past, and of survivors come looking. Looking for a specific tattoo." The red-head makes a finger-guns gesture towards Elena. "I've always found ruins to be hit or miss. Mostly miss. They are either scavenged and empty, or full of hungry ghosts, or creepy critters..." She tries and fails to suppress a shudder. "Why is it always spiders?"
Nine Roads Alani There's a rueful look on 'Elena's' face as she nods to Holly. "I've asked myself the same question a few times, believe me. It -is- always spiders. Every time, you know?" She laughs and shakes her head, smiling. "Maybe if there's a ruin about, we should think about going."

She nods to Misa. "I admit, I'd be more comfortable ambushing them instead of the other way around, but I'm not a battlefield tactician. I suppose finding them might take a while without that. Regardless, I don't make it a habit of -looking- for bandits, butI suppose I could be on hand to lay them a beating. Or if you need me to get you there on time." She grins wickedly. "Don't get me wrong, I've had scrape or three in my day, too...both with my family ages ago, and now that I'm running around on my own. A little payback wouldn't hurt my feelings, and I'm good enough to smack them around a bit. Maybe not on par with you, Misa. Speaking of which, Holly, how are you in a fight?"

Holegn Holly makes a face and shakes her head. "If there's spiders, hells no. I'll pass on that." She can't help but smile at the idea. "I really dislike finding them there, honestly. I'd rather just burn the place down, you know?" The red-head shrugs her shoulders. "If they come to me, it makes it a bit easier, you know? I'm expecting violence, to be attacked. As for a fight... I can handle myself. I am a practitioner of the Snake Style. I know which end of the seven section staff goes where."
Nine Roads Alani Now, 'Elena' smirks and cracks her knuckles meaningfully. "Oh, Holly, if you've been in a ruin before, and you're a martial artist, you should -appreciate- spiders! I mean...maybe not the getting bit part, sure, but all three of us know no matter how much time you spend in the dojo, there's times where letting loose in the real world is the only way to really get better. That's true in kumite, it's true when beating up bandits...and it's true when you're killing spiders. Don't get me wrong, I don't look for a chance where there is none. But I don't have to. Look around...Creation is hurting enough that we have all the chances we can stomach."
Holegn "That's a hard no. I do not appreciate spiders. I'd rather fight bandits with one leg tied behind my back." Holly again makes a face, holding back a shudder. "Besides, the effort to kill them doesn't really require me going all out. It's more of an effort to not run screaming from the place, where spiders are involved."

Holly chuckles, rubbing at her neck. "I am really scared of them."

Misa "Pardon my saying..." Misa muses aloud, head tilting. "But I tend to think spiders are perhaps... less sport, so to speak, than one might want for an opponent to improve one's skills. Poison, certainly, but one is clothed and most spiders are not so fast as the ones people speak of. Perhaps I am simply overly inclined to large dangers?" She 'hm's at that softly, frowning a little. "You even say yourself you have little issue dispatching them. I am not quite sure I understand."
Nine Roads Alani "Good thing I'm not your sifu," 'Elena' ruefully replies. "If I had told my sifu that she'd have made damn sure there'd be spiders, like, -everywhere- until I wasn't afraid anymore. Or had a psychotic breakdown."

"Anyway," she adds, "don't change the subject too far. Ruins might be interesting, sometime, but it sounds like the bandits are at the top of your list. Is there a reason you need to hurry to kill them?"

Holegn "If you never fell into a pit filled with them when you were young, then it's difficult to explain just how an adult might be terrified of them.", the red-head replies to Misa. "But uh, we don't need to discuss it."

Holly turns a little, looking to walk away. "I want to get to them before they move on. Else the chase will continue. And I'm almost done with chasing. And being chased."

Misa "Well, you know them to be in the area, it seems simple enough to go engage the battle then. If they are in the city in particular, I suspect a few industrious afternoons would determine a hideout without overly much fuss. Doubly so if there is some quasi-religious undertone to the group, as I find those tend to lead to rather more patterned, predictable behaviour," asserts Misa- not strenuously, or boastfully, just... as though it were as obvious as the weather. Simple as can be.

"Though, she does make a point- there can be much to gain from quite simply engaging with that fear as much as you can, or any sort of fear, really. A rather important teacher of mine stresses as much constantly. What sense in evading the danger when it could help you, and all that."

Nine Roads Alani Voice at its driest, 'Elena' smirks and replies. "Heh. If they're religious, I wonder how we tell them apart from, uh, every other group in the city. But...enough about that." She frowns and looks at Holly, her face more serious than the redhead has ever seen it. "Seriously, now. Forget the jokes, forget the banter for a minute. Look at me, Holly.

"Before, you said that you had to catch them before they move on. So you think time -is- of the essence." She smiles faintly. "I remember...that was Raullaur who joined us at our last meeting, right? What with what's going on there, I'm sure he'll help you as best he can, but if you need a hand? Let me know. All right? Can't speak for Misa--up to her--, but I'll be there."

'Elena' sighs deeply and looks at Holly, then Misa, then back to Holly. "Maybe we should consider actually striking out and -finding- them. Or someone in this town has to know."