FOLLOW THAT BARON

[murderbaby]

WHO: Leander, Isaac, Romain, Athessa & Mhavos (we're pretending no one has last names so the mages don't feel bad.)
WHAT: We're following that baron, lads.
WHEN: Right about... now. And a little later.
WHERE: The infamous Baron Deshaies'... house.
NOTES: Athessa might break her arm again.

To Review,

• Team Polite, consisting of Mhavos Dalat (as a simple servant), Leander (as a normal person), and Romain (as himself), waltz in the front door.
• Team Sneak, consisting of Athessa and her moxie, sneak in the back door to root around; Isaac is acting as a backup dancer.
• Isaac discovers the Baron is already making a run for it! Thanks for putting the pressure on, Daddy Warbucks Romain!
• Team Polite becomes Team Impolite as they race to catch the bastard.
• Mhavos hears that minor nobles Arienne Vérier and Etienne de Pentilion have been sneaking around and being Suspicious.
• Athessa finds some damning evidence, including ciphers and other creepy crap.
• Everyone tries to decide whether they should: Straight up do some murder, tell Celene, all of the above, or none of the above.

Please feel free to make top levels at various points in the mission for maximum versatility.

Comments

[sulahnan]

a.

Athessa, in stark contrast to Mhavos, is so relaxed on the back of her steed that she's laying backwards, resting her head on the horse's rear, feet swaying freely and not in the stirrups at all. She's letting the horse follow the others of its own accord, and just enjoying the ride.

She's only half-listening, too. Not that it isn't important, just that it doesn't apply to her. They won't be introducing her and she won't be going in the front door.

[murderbaby]

Mhavos sighs. Well, that's one way to converse. "Do I want to know how you learned to do that?"

[sulahnan]

"Learned to do what?" She looks over at him. "Lay down? Well you see, you just sort of go horizontal, and let whatever's under you hold you up."

The horse chooses that moment to blow out a harsh jet of air, almost like a scoff.

[murderbaby]

At least the harsh jet of air comes from its front end. The more Mhavos learns of horses, the less he cares for them.

"You know precisely what I mean," he says, rolling his eyes. They're huge, so it's pretty hard to miss.

[sulahnan]

She sits up, mostly just so her shrug is easier to read.

"There's nothing to learn, Mhav," she says, earnestly. She gestures to the horse. "Look at this guy, he's twice as wide as we are, and these ones are trained pretty good so you just...sit on them. And if it's an easy pace like this, you can just--" She demonstrates again how easy it is for her to lay back, as easily as one would lounge on a sofa.

"If you trust the horse, he'll trust you, and you won't have anything to worry about."

[murderbaby]

Telling Mhavos to relax, in any way or form, generally has the opposite effect. He hunches up a bit more, and the horse underneath him huffs. "It bit me this morning. We aren't on good terms."

[sulahnan]

"What were you doing when it bit you?" She squints, dubious. "And where?"

[murderbaby]

He just glowers and pulls up his sleeve, revealing a bruise in the shape of horse teeth on his elbow.

[sulahnan]

"Didn't even break the skin," she says. Her tone says don't be such a baby. "What did you do to make it bite you?"

[murderbaby]

Still glowering. "It didn't say."

[sulahnan]

"It probably did and you just weren't listening."

[murderbaby]

"I'll leave the communication with horses to you, then, seeing as you're an apparent native."

[sulahnan]

Athessa mimics her horse's previous expulsion of air and laughs, delighted, when Mhavos' horse responds in kind, bobbing its head.