[x] Try to push Star a little more on letting you go it alone
-[x] She could remain outside as backup if something screws up with your side of things, intervening on a predetermined signal. If there is a trap then it's less likely that you both get caught in it at once and she can come to the rescue.
Star said she can handle it. I call bullshit. She's been pretty terrible at pretending to be anything LIKE Ivy, and anyone who's actually had more than a sentence with Ivy before would see through that.
[x] Present an alternative to her pretending to be Ivy
[x] Try to push Star a little more on letting you go it alone - [x] She could remain outside as backup if something screws up with your side of things, intervening on a predetermined signal. If there is a trap then it's less likely that you both get caught in it at once and she can come to the rescue.
It seems Star may feel better about not coming along if she has a different useful role to play. Only question is how much distance we should put between Mina and Star, and what the signal should be. Could range from Star shadowing us and listening for a disturbance to Star keeping watch at the inn and checking whether we're late to return. Could leave that up to Star and what she feels best, I guess.
It would still be useful to disguise Star as someone other than Ivy, whether or not she comes along, so also voting for that separately.
Might be interesting to see what disguise Star favors, as a clue to her original look.
[x] Try to push Star a little more on letting you go it alone
-[x] She could remain outside as backup if something screws up with your side of things, intervening on a predetermined signal. If there is a trap then it's less likely that you both get caught in it atonce and she can come to the rescue.
If Star doesn't come along, or follows at a distance, we should also consider disguising her to not appear as Ivy, lest someone notice that "Ivy" is in Salvograd but not meeting anyone there. Might provoke questions, such as why Ivy came all the way to the city but decided not to conduct business in person.
It's possible no one who could recognize Ivy will notice Star's presence in Salvograd while Mina acts as Ivy's agent, but there's no harm in being careful. Alteration is Mina's specialty, and we have confirmation from the GM that a magical or even mundane disguise could hide Star fairly well.
If Star doesn't come along, or follows at a distance, we should also consider disguising her to not appear as Ivy, lest someone notice that "Ivy" is in Salvograd but not meeting anyone there. Might provoke questions, such as why Ivy came all the way to the city but decided not to conduct business in person.
It's possible no one who could recognize Ivy will notice Star's presence in Salvograd while Mina acts as Ivy's agent, but there's no harm in being careful. Alteration is Mina's specialty, and we have confirmation from the GM that a magical or even mundane disguise could hide Star fairly well.
[x] Try to push Star a little more on letting you go it alone
-[x] She could remain outside as backup if something screws up with your side of things, intervening on a predetermined signal. If there is a trap then it's less likely that you both get caught in it at once and she can come to the rescue.
Another option might be to disguise Star. @Gazetteer, would it be possible to change Star's appearance using Alteration magic and/or via other means so that she doesn't look like Ivy's twin? At least enough to pass for a different person? Since Blacktree Academy is an institution of higher learning for both witches and sorceresses, perhaps Star could pretend to be a student sorceress?
Both are definitely possible. Mundane disguises might be simpler, but if nothing goes wrong simple alteration could change enough about Ivy's face to disguise Star well enough to survive a lot more scrutiny.
Changing Star's hair colour would be dead easy, and that combined with some other simple-enough-to-be-easily-reversible alteration could probably do the job. Ivy might be a little bit distressed at Mina messing with her face like that, though, and we don't know how Star would feel about it, and honestly I doubt Mina could ever bring herself to get rid of Ivy's freckles, though, so it is viable but not without certain complications. Just finding her a new outfit and some makeup/hair dye is also easy in a city this size, although the hair dye is weirdly enough going to be less reversible in all likelihood.
Changing Star's hair colour would be dead easy, and that combined with some other simple-enough-to-be-easily-reversible alteration could probably do the job. Ivy might be a little bit distressed at Mina messing with her face like that, though, and we don't know how Star would feel about it, and honestly I doubt Mina could ever bring herself to get rid of Ivy's freckles, though, so it is viable but not without certain complications. Just finding her a new outfit and some makeup/hair dye is also easy in a city this size, although the hair dye is weirdly enough going to be less reversible in all likelihood.
Oh, sorry. I'm not 100% on that. Left to her own devices, probably something exotic and unnatural but "pretty", probably not dark. Just to see how it would work.
Working on an update that should go up today sometime.
-[x] She could remain outside as backup if something screws up with your side of things, intervening on a predetermined signal. If there is a trap then it's less likely that you both get caught in it at once and she can come to the rescue. No. of votes: 4 veekie, mistakenot, ChildishChimera, NemoMarx
[x] Present an alternative to her pretending to be Ivy No. of votes: 1 mistakenot
[x] Just drop it. Star said she can handle herself, and it will be easier if the flesh merchant thinks he's dealing with Ivy directly. No. of votes: 1 SynchronizedWritersBlock
"It's not about what you can and can't handle," you say, slowing your stride in order to speak more or less directly into Star's ear. The upshot of this wind is that even if there were someone else in the alleyway, it would be damn near impossible for you to be overheard. The downside is that the howling wind and rain being driven into both of your faces kind of kills any sense of intimacy that the proximity would otherwise inspire. "It's just… I'm a witch, at least, and I can have Ivy walk me through what to say or do at this kind of meeting -- you can't."
Star seems to tense up a little bit more. Or that might just be the wind. "I don't like… not doing anything," she says, sounding frustrated even over the background noise. "It's 'my' body we're buying, isn't it? I feel uneasy enough about this whole thing without it all taking place… behind closed doors."
"Illegal deals generally do," Ivy quips in your head.
"Well, you don't have to just stay at the inn twiddling your thumbs," you offer. "You could, uh… come along and be backup."
"Backup." Star makes the question sound more like a statement.
"Backup! So… if something goes wrong, you're nearby, and you can come in to help us. With, uh, fireballs, or that really old gun you have!" The wind rises just at that moment, lending your words an unfortunate sort of manic intensity.
"Are you just trying to keep me occupied?" Star asks, squinting suspiciously at you.
"... you are, aren't you?" Ivy asks.
"No, no! I'd actually feel better with you around," you say, trying to sound reassuring. You're not lying, either -- at the very least, if anything goes disastrously wrong, you won't be totally alone.
Star frowns more deeply. "... I'd still like to actually be there," she says. "But... if that's the best we can do, fine, then. ... Say, you can do Alteration magic, right?" she asks, suddenly, pulling you into the dubious shelter of a doorway in order to facilitate conversation better.
"Wait, why is that relevant?" Ivy's voice is suddenly shot through with a slightly panicked suspicion.
"Well, yes," you say, grateful to be a little out of the rain.
"Wouldn't it be safer to have me around just... in general, if I didn't look quite so… Ivy-like?," Star continues, lowering her voice, and leaning in closer, as if worried about being overheard despite how alone you are. "She's done more business than just with this merchant in this city, especially around this neighbourhood, so if I can't pass for a believable Ivy, it's going to cause problems sooner or later. You could… make me look a bit different, right? Temporarily?"
Her being this close in the tight confines of the door frame feels good, a source of warmth amidst the increasingly nasty rain and gloom. You're suddenly having a very hard time remembering why it would be such a bad idea.
"You can't just consider doing things to my body without asking me about it first, Mina!"
Ivy's words give you a terrible fright at first, until you realise she just means the alteration. "We were just talking about it!" you assure her, hastily. "And it'd just be enough to make it hard to recognise you! Nothing I couldn't fix in a hurry."
Ivy gives the mental impression of an unhappy little sigh, and you strongly suspect she's not happy about this idea.
"Ivy doesn't like that idea much," you explain, shrugging helplessly.
"Well… you could talk to her about it, couldn't you?" Star asks. "Now that you've mentioned it, I'll feel a lot better if I don't have to worry about pretending to be someone I've never even carried on a direct conversation with."
"... maybe," you murmur. "I'll see." It's cold, and wet, and despite being cozied up with a cute girl, Ivy has inadvertently reminded you of the awkwardness of the situation. "We should think about getting to the inn, though. I don't know if lurking around in alleyways after dark is such a great idea, after what that cab driver said.
Star doesn't look entirely satisfied with this answer, but she also must be feeling cold and miserable, because she steps back, and lets you continue to lead the way to where Ivy says the inn should be.
Are you going to try to talk Ivy into this idea later?
[x] a. Try to talk Ivy into it, but if she still doesn't like it, you'll respect her wishes.
[x] a. Try to talk Ivy into it, but it's something that should be done whether she likes it or not.
[x] a. Ivy really doesn't seem to like the idea, so you'll probably just let it drop.
You come out of the tiny little side street onto a wider road that comes right up to the steep bank of the Salvo -- in the light of the streetlamps, you can see little jetties down the road a ways, with some buildings built partially onto stilts or piers where the builders seem to have run out of solid ground before hitting the water. The inn is one such building.
The Black Lantern is a large, rustic looking building, but in the dim lighting at least, the roof is cleanly shingled and the paint is well maintained. You can just barely make out the sign -- what looks like a mining lantern in uniform black, with, absurdly, a paint can and brush sitting beside it. The light from inside is very inviting, though, and so are the general sounds of clinking glasses and general merrymaking.
You and Star don't waste a lot of time dithering on the threshold. You have to blink against the brightness as you enter -- the street lights didn't prepare your eyes to deal with cheerfully lit interior of the inn's common room. Immediately, what you see is what you'd expected -- rows of tables and chairs filled with patrons drinking, eating and talking, with serving staff flitting about here and there with pitchers of ale and wine and things that smell heavenly after your time on the road. The clientele you initially see is diverse, as Ivy implied it would be. A table of men in professional clothes is directly adjacent to what looks to be a collection of dock workers who have just gotten off their shifts. Someone in a patched, shabby looking coat sits drinking at the bar, while nearer to the back you see a table with someone who might be a noblewoman.
"It's a lot less busy in here than last time," Ivy notes, critically.
Taking a moment to focus on the area as a whole, you realise that while things could hardly be called dead, the inn was clearly built to house a far greater number of people than were currently using it, at what the large clock hanging over the bar now tells you is supper hour.
"Well," Star muses, taking a few furtive steps into the room. "Inns haven't changed that much. Better lighting these days, though." She spares a furtive glance up at the kerosene lamps hanging above each table. She goes to pull down her dripping hood, then stops herself -- presumably remembering that she would prefer not to be seen with Ivy's face.
You're under no such compunctions, though, and you gratefully pull down the hood of your cloak. "Which one is Valerie?" you say under your breath, noting that there were two women behind the bar.
"The taller one," Ivy says. "With the low-cut top."
Given exactly how eye-catching the garment in question was designed to be, the latter comment was not, strictly speaking, necessary for Ivy to point out. Particularly when 'the taller one' was fairly unambiguous -- the woman in the low-cut top was easily at least half a head taller than the other woman behind the bar.
"Well, here we go," you say, nodding your head in Valerie's direction. Being careful to keep her hood pulled down, Star trails after you.
Valerie is willowy, with wavy hair the colour of honey, and skin of a shade approximately halfway between yours and Ivy's, age lost somewhere in the morass of late twenties to mid thirties. Seeing you approach, she quirks a crooked little smile and gives you a keen, speculative look. "You look half drenched," she comments, looking from you to Star. Her voice is tinged with a slight, lilting accent you can't quite identify -- you don't think it's quite foreign, but it's definitely from a region you haven't personally been to. "How can we help you girls tonight?"
"A room," you say, immediately. As you see the beginnings of a knowing smile creep across Valerie's face, you hastily add: "... separate ones. Two rooms!"
Valerie laughs a little at your quick response. "We can get you two rooms, although we also have a larger one available with two beds. It's quite a bit more spacious if you have things to discuss." She tilts her head to examine the emblem stitched into your cloak, clearly designating you as someone affiliated with Blacktree Academy. "... business, perhaps?"
"One with two beds would be cheaper," Ivy points out.
You look at Star, who is still keeping her face averted. She shrugs, as if communicating that it's all the same to her.
Well, it is Ivy's money. "The larger room would be fine," you say, a little self consciously, fishing out Ivy's purse, and handing over the amount requested. "And… we could both use a meal. And baths. And, uh…" How exactly are you supposed to ask for this part?
"Your friend Ivy of Dunsal sent you. You need to speak with the supplier she dealt with last time, and you need to contact some additional talent, for a very specialised and very discrete task."
Okay, that was how. "... I'm a friend of Ivy of Dunsal," you say, keeping your voice low, and leaning over the bar to keep your words from carrying. You sadly cannot do this as easily as Valerie can, the act requiring an undignified amount of tip-toes on your part.
At Ivy's name, Valerie's eyes widen briefly in surprise, then narrow in interest. You'd call them brown, you think -- but of a shade that catches the light strangely in a way you can't quite pinpoint. "Oh?" she asks, prompting you to continue. Star, meanwhile, is very busy studying a plaque on the wall as Ivy's name comes up.
"Yes!" you say. "And, uh… she told me that you'd be able to help me if I needed… things. Like, uh, what she needed last time."
Valerie's smile seems to lose about a notch of warmth. "You want to talk to the same 'supplier' that I put her in touch with, then?" she asks. One long finger taps against the bar in a thoughtful manner.
"... yes," you admit, glancing around as if there might be someone listening in. Is that blonde girl over there staring at you? … no. Probably just checking the clock.
Valerie nods. "The Partsmonger certainly is popular of late," she notes to herself. "Fortunately for you, you actually have a proper introduction. He won't meet with just anyone."
"That name is so vulgar," Ivy complains. "I just avoid using it." Under other circumstances, you'd ask her how 'the flesh merchant', is really any less vulgar sounding, but Valerie would likely take note of you muttering into thin air at this distance.
"Lucky me," you say, with a bit of a forced smile. "So… my skills are different from Ivy's," you begin. "And I'm also looking to hire, an, uh… expert, at certain things."
"You need a necromancer as well?" she asks. "Ivy did tell you that my contacts are not free, I presume?"
"Yes, she mentioned that," you murmur. "I have money."
"Good," Valerie says. Her smile revives a little. "I like to have a name, when I'm doing this sort of business with someone."
"Mina," you say, automatically.
"Just Mina?" she asks, eyebrows quirking a bit.
"Yes, uh… just Mina," you murmur. "It's not like my family is important, like Ivy's." This is only partially a lie -- your family is important enough that someone in Valerie's line of work might have heard of them, but that doesn't seem all that relevant when you're here trying to buy bodyparts. Or, well, not even parts -- you're here buying a body.
"Does your quiet friend have a name?" Valerie adds.
"Star's just tired," you say, speaking quickly. "Don't think anything of it."
"I'll do my best not to." Valerie straightens then, crooking a finger to catch the attention of a passing server -- a pretty dark-haired boy, bright eyed and leanly muscled, who smiles when he sees you. There are entirely too many attractive people in your life right now. "Claud," Valerie says, "please go run some bath water and, and bring a hot meal up to Suite Two for Just-Mina and Star here," she gestures to you two in one languid motion.
Claud nods. "Right away, ma'am," he says, giving you both another friendly smile. You suspect that Claud makes very good money at tips, with a smile like that.
"The bath's in an adjoining separate room," Valerie adds, passing you over a key for the room in question. "If that matters. You were very insistent about sleeping separately."
"... thanks," you murmur, slipping the key into a pocket. "For, uh… everything, so far. We're probably just going to head up. It's been… quite a trip."
"They all are, these days," Valerie agrees. "I won't keep you, then. I'll take a day or so before my initial… inquiries bear anything out," she adds. "I'll let you know how that all pans out."
Star falls in beside, you, breathing out a sigh of relief at apparently not having been recognised so far. "A bed sounds lovely," she says, sounding a little giddy with anticipation. "Not a bedroll. Or a chair."
"Sorry again about that," you murmur. "If you want, you can have a bath first."
On your way up the stairs, you can't help but take note of the same blonde girl you saw before. She's your age, or a little younger -- her hair is long and platinum, very nearly passing for white in this lighting. She's dressed well, but not ornately, in a style that doesn't quite seem Weissan, from the cut of her jacket to the skirt that you can see is divided for riding. Or fighting, judging by the long, curved sabre that hangs at her belt. She's making her way toward the back of the room, shooting nervous glances -- and here your heart sinks -- in your direction.
"Star?" you say, leaning up to speak closer to her ear. "You see the blonde girl, there? With the sword?"
"The one who keeps looking at you?" Star asks, warily.
"... yes. That one. Did you, uh, notice if she was… overhearing things, earlier?"
"I didn't notice anything but the wall," Star says. "I was trying not to be seen, remember?"
"I think she was definitely listening in," Ivy decides. "I wasn't sure at the time, and I thought she was probably just being nosey if she were, but… Oh. That's not reassuring."
The girl had arrives at the back of the room, opposite the stairs. At the very table which the noblewoman you'd seen before is sitting, in the company of a middle-aged man with the demeanor of either a hard-bitten mercenary, or a career soldier out of uniform. The blonde girl whispers something to the noblewoman… and points directly at you, eliciting the noble woman to shoot up from her seat so excitedly that the blonde girl jumps a little in fright or surprise.
"Yes," Star remarks. "I'd say she probably overheard you." The noblewoman is speaking frantically to the now-more-than-slightly anxious looking blonde girl. You're still assuming noble, although you could be wrong. Her clothing is obviously rich enough -- a military style jacket without rank insignia, but with what looks like a family crest on the sleeve, and more than enough gold braid to justify having two bodyguards. She also has a very fancy looking straight sword at her belt, which would look more in place on a parade ground or at a fancy dinner than on a real battlefield. To your mounting dismay, the blonde-haired girl seems to take a deep breath, steel herself for something, and then scurry over to you.
"We could just run up the stairs," Star suggests, sounding half serious.
"That would just draw even more attention," Ivy mused. "And retainers like that, well… let's just say she'd probably just chase you." Ivy's voice has taken on a degree of experience -- as if she has the blonde girl's number just from a single look. Ivy is a noblewoman herself, you suppose, as non-conventional as her family is in many ways. The Dunals presumably do have human retainers and servants and not just undead creatures at their beck and call, even if Ivy clearly prefers the latter.
"... probably not an option," you say, a little helplessly, as the girl is suddenly standing in your path.
"Um… uh…" the retainer begins, eyes darting back and forth frantically, face tinged with red. "Exc-exc-excuse me?" she phrases it like a question, before taking in a deep breath. Her left hand is clutching at the hilt of the sabre, but given that it's worn on her left side, that's probably just nerves rather than a potential threat. Up close, she's tall -- not quite as tall as Valerie, but enough that you have to look up. Story of your life.
"... yes?" you ask, mind racing with just how bad this could all be.
"M-m-my lady would… uh… w-would like a word." There's a definite accent you can discern, despite the stuttering, and unlike Valerie, this time you're fairly certain that it is foreign.
"Alplandish," Ivy comments. "All three of them. I wonder what they're all doing here?"
Alpland is one of Weissany's neighbours, and like all of Weissany's neighbours, it is not precisely what one would consider 'friendly.' A frequent enemy and rival back in the days when Weissany had an actual, functioning government, from what your parents say, the kingdom of Alpland regards Weissany as something akin to a city infected with plague -- too dangerous to let anything leave or enter, but probably too valuable to just burn to the ground. Not that Alpland has the capacity to burn Weissany to the ground, being a major belligerent in the Continental Wars, a massive conflict entering into its seventh year of official fighting.
The point is, though, given Weissany's 'quarantined' status, the prospect that an Alplandish noblewoman and three retainers might be here is strange, to say the least. Particularly one who for some reason seems to be interested in you.
"Uh… do I know your lady from somewhere?" you venture, utterly certain that this is not the case, but not sure what else to say.
"... no, of… of c-course not," the retainer says, looking faintly shocked at the suggestion that her lady might ordinarily associate with the likes of you. Then, she seems to realise how insulting that sounded. "Meaning… meaning n-no offence! To… to either of you! Just… just… j-just, we're not fr-fr-from here!" She's growing almost comically flustered, waving the hand that isn't clutching her sabre's pommel a little frantically in the air. Over her shoulder, you can see her two companions at the table, and they're clearly watching the retainer's progress with some interest. Her lady is looking on with a fond, half-amused expression, while the man has just let out what is probably a long suffering sigh.
"So what reason could your lady have to speak with us?" Star asks, apparently trying to cut through the awkwardness of the situation.
"About… about… uh… about…" the retainer's shoulders hunch, and she glances from side to side, as if not very happy to be saying this aloud "about w-w-what you were speaking with m-miss Valerie about." She finishes speaking in something like a squeak, face having grown quite red by this point.
Glancing over your shoulder, you can see Valerie watching you, eyebrow quirked decidedly up.
"... this is private business," Star says, making to move past the retainer to go upstairs.
"N-no!" the retainer says, looking almost panicked now. "It's… it's very important! Please!"
"Well, you should at least find out what this is about," Ivy notes. "Otherwise, it's just even more likely to come back to bite you."
She probably has a point, and Star is looking at you in a faintly exasperated way, as if she just wants this all to go away as quickly as possible.
[x] b. Get this over with and just go see what they want now.
[x] b. Agree to talk to them, but not before you've had a bath and had something to eat.
(You don't very well want to have a sudden meeting with a mysterious noblewoman in your current state, after all)
[x] b. Refuse to meet with them. This is more trouble than you need right now.
[x] b. Agree to meet with them later, but plan to avoid it if at all possible.
[x] a. Try to talk Ivy into it, but it's something that should be done whether she likes it or not.
[x] b. Agree to talk to them, but not before you've had a bath and had something to eat.
(You don't very well want to have a sudden meeting with a mysterious noblewoman in your current state, after all)
[x] a. Try to talk Ivy into it, but if she still doesn't like it, you'll respect her wishes.
I actually like this idea. It actually allows more flexibility about Star's meeting people, and it is within our skills. That said, if Ivy really doesn't want it, it's not the end of the world either and it is her body.
[x] b. Agree to talk to them, but not before you've had a bath and had something to eat.
Honestly, part kinda in a power play here, and part because we are tired, dirty and hungry. Both to make sure that's clear to her that we are not her subordinates that present themselves at her convenience in despite of our own comfort, and because we then can meet her in a dignified and proper manner.
[x] a. Try to talk Ivy into it, but it's something that should be done whether she likes it or not.
[x] b. Agree to talk to them, but not before you've had a bath and had something to eat.
Probably best to meet this mysterious caller. It's clear we've already caught their attention, so we might as well know who we're dealing with. Making ourselves look presentable first seems sound, since it's not urgent that we talk immediately.
Donning a disguise would turn the fact that Star behaves in a distinctly different fashion from Ivy:
Once again, you find your eyes drawn back to your bound prisoner. She's in Ivy's body, so of course she technically has all of the physical features you'd admired in Ivy. She wears them differently, though. Instead of Ivy's almost manic energy and contagious enthusiasm, behind the tears, you can see a fiery determination. A will to survive, to do what it takes and endure what hardships she has to. And that thoughtful, troubled frown pulls Ivy's face in a direction you'd never seen before. None of Ivy's abrupt, almost sparrow-like mannerisms and brisk movements. Despite her fatigue, you've noticed that your prisoner moves with a deliberate self awareness. Not self-doubting, but wary. Her voice has a similar quality. She makes Ivy sound older. More experienced. No matter how awkward the situation, you know that you won't feel good about leaving whoever she is trapped or dead. You can't help it -- it's the same thing that led you to come out here after Ivy, overlooking many different, less foolhardy ways to impress a potential mentor: She stirs that instinctive and tragically shallow sympathy you've felt from your early teens for anyone with a winning smile or pretty eyes or a laugh that makes you flush with pleasure. You want to help Ivy, first and foremost -- she's your friend, after all -- but you'd like to also help this woman too, if you can.
from a liability into a potential asset, since it will help sell the disguise. The same mannerisms and other quirks that would make it hard for Star to pretend to be Ivy despite the shared body should make it much easier to appear as someone else.
Ivy may not be enthused, but we are doing a lot for her sake, and the changes would not be permanent, after all. What Star and Mina are asking of Ivy is much less than what Star has already endured, or what Mina and Ivy are asking Star to do in the future.
