The group find out Milo is missingThe group eat their fill of the warming stew, and continue idle chit chat. Around them, the last of the stragglers disappear, leaving them alone with the sole bar tender, who waits patiently for them to finish. After about a further half hour or so, the Concierge re-appears to announce that hot water was now ready for those who wished to bathe.
Ceely glances towards the uneaten bowl for Milo, starting to feel concern for his absence. Milo has been absent for nearly an hour now.
Ceely grows increasingly concerned at Milo's absence. "Where has that priest gone? He must have fallen asleep or something" She said trying to convince herself that nothing is wrong. She stands, her hand wresting on her sword for reassurance. "Thanks Luc, I appreciate that" She looks at Yv and bites her lower lip. She heads towards the stairs taking them two at a time as she walks down the hallway looking for the right room, finally stopping at her door.
Ceely, and any others who happen to go with her, can see that the door to their room is locked. Ceely unlocks it with her key (she and Milo got one each), and can immediately see that everything is just as they had left it when they first put their packs and travelling gear there. It looks like Milo never came back to the room.
Cleo makes a silent curse as she thinks longingly of the hot bath and bed waiting for her.
"Ceely, what did he say to you when he left?"
Ceely looked around the room. "It looks untouched" she says getting more worried. She looks at Cleo and Vaslin. "he said he'd be back in a minute...That he was going to check our room and see to something else, but he never said what." Ceely thought a moment "Merrill what were you and he whispering about when we first got to town?"
Again Merrell looked towards Luc, then he turned to face the others in the group. "Milo is in danger in this place. Did he mention where he was going?"
The skinny mage looked again at Luc, "You may as well tell them of what you dreamed, Luc. It is after all what we called a group meeting for after dinner. It's just going to be earlier it seems."
Lucretia mentions how a voice which probably was the amulet speaking to him told him to go to the town of Sundarbar, to a man, who is not what he seems, as he is secretly a priestess of Loviatar, the lesser power of pain and suffering, and has caused much evil in the area. Seek him out; unmask him for the evil woman he really is. He also mentions that the Loviatan, pretends to be the right hand man of Helm Dwarf-friend - Sundabar's ruler. She is so confident in her subterfuge, she even goes by the name of Naip Grinber! And that if he has have trouble finding her - to speak to Milo - as he knows about Loviatans.
Once again Luc shrugs and says, "that is all... now I know Milo is smarter than that and knows not to tackle something like that on his own! Let's ask the concsciergie... or whatever the hell that guy is called... if he has seen Milo, and when!"
"What?!" exclaims Blondung angrily. "And you only tell us now? After we came into this city? Sheese!" He glares at Merrell and Lucretia accusingly.
Turning towards his room, he stalks away. "Well if Milo has got himself into trouble, that's his own fault!" he says over his shoulder, pausing at his door to look around at Lucretia and Merrell. "Or yours!" he snaps.
Unlocking his door, he opens it and disappears inside and almost slams it behind him.
Yvandel listens in horror as Lucretia describes the "dream" he had whilst unconscious. "I thought you were mad to have that thing embedded in your chest!" he whispers, shuddering at the thought. "You can't trust anything it says to you!" he blurts, speaking up and wringing his hands. "And what does Milo know of Loviatans?" he asks, turning to Ceely as if she would know the answer.
The
concierge is found downstairs in the main reception area. He looks up as
the slightly depleted group approach him, some obvious concern and agitation
on their faces.
"Good evening sirs, madams. Is everything alright?" he asks smoothly.
"Have you seen our friend Milo the Painbearer?" blurts Yvandel. "The big guy...."
"Um..." hesitates the concierge. "He mentioned something about having a bath when I spoke to him last..." he starts, though it is fairly clear he is not telling the whole truth.
Luc puts on his most frightening face as he tries to intimidate the man, "I feel you're not telling us the whole story here, the baths were ready a short while ago an our friend has been gone a long time... so if you do not start speaking up..." he leave the rest to the imagination of the man.
The concierge stiffens as Lucretia tries to intimidate him. "Sir," he says, emphasising the honorific. "I have been the concierge for Baldiver's for the last fifteen years, and I pride myself on my discretion. If a resident of Baldiver's wishes to slip out alone to attend to some private business in the middle of the night, and prefer not to have others, even his own companions" - at this he glances specifically at Ceely, obviously having picked up earlier that they were a couple - "know where he has gone to, then that is his prerogative, and it is certainly not my place to question him!" He smiles a sugar coated smile towards Ceely, inclining his head briefly. "But I'm sure someone else will do that!"
He glances towards another of the famous Neverwinter water clocks that rests on another large mantelpiece nearby before stifling a small yawn. "I'm sure your missing companion will turn up sooner or later. Might I also remind you that the water recently heated will be cooling..." he adds with a faint smug smile.
Merrell's eyes narrowed, "I believe you know more than you are speaking sir." he said moving closer to the concierge. "We have no time to suffer fools. Speak what you know or suffer the consequences" he said nodding towards Luc.
The man looks to Merrell and smiles a tight cold smile. "I'm sorry sir, being a law abiding citizen, I really couldn't say I have any idea to what you are referring. Oh, I've just remembered, you are new to the city. Can I perhaps provide you with a copy of our local laws - just so you too can be as well informed as other citizens such as myself?" he says, pulling open a draw and putting a hand inside, looking up at Merrell and raising an enquiring eyebrow.
Merrell having just been tongue lashed by the rest of the group was in no mood to take any more foolishness. "So what you're saying is you know where he is, or know where he was, and are bound by some form or another of your stupid laws in this city. And that you are under obligation not to reveal Milo's where abouts?" The half-elf mage was very quickly moving from being concerned for the well-being of a friend to rage. "Have I ascertained the situation correctly, mister law abiding citizen?"
Merrell paused before stepping closer to the man. "Listen to me you smug little twit. If something happens to my friend, because you're protecting your arse due to a technicality in your local laws, you won't have to deal with my muscle-bound friend here. I will personally take an interest in making you suffer." Merrell looked the other man in the eyes.
"I will ask you again, and please listen carefully; I will speak slowly to make sure my dialect isn't confusing you. Do you or do you not know where my friend went? Was he taken, or asked to "accompany" the local authorities?" Merrell paused waiting for an answer, then added "He would not have wandered off by himself without letting someone know where he was going."
The Concierge leans back as Merrell steps closer to the man, looking at the mage with barely contained disdain. "Perhaps you do not know your companions as well as you thought you did" he says. "And no you have not understood the situation correctly Mr Greenwood. Your companion, Mr Davidston, asked me to tell you that he was in his room having a bath should you happen to ask. What he did not ask was for me to tell you where he might be going, what he might be doing or who he might be seeing, and I did not ask him for this information either, since that is his business not mine."
The man slowly raises his left hand that he had pulled out of the draw. It holds a hand bell. "My reference to the laws of this city were an attempt to remind you and Mr Lucretia here of the severe consequences of crime." He smiles coldly. "Now do you want me to ring this bell and summon the guards, or do you wish to simply return to your rooms or the common room as you wish, to await the return of your companion from wherever it is that he has gone?"
Merrell stood by quietly for a moment considering the Concierge's words. The mage was sure the man knew more than he was telling, but getting arrested for disturbing the peace wasn't going to help Milo out, if he did indeed need helping.
The skinny mage took a moment to calm himself before speaking again. "There will be no need to summon the guards. I apologize for my behavior. I am concerned for the safety of a dear friend, and am angry, mainly at myself, for not seeing the truth of the matter."
"I apologize to you all, I should have ignored Milo's wishes and told you of the situation we now face before we entered the city. Standing here berating this gentleman for doing his job isn't getting us any closer to finding out where our friend has disappeared to, any more than having all of you ranting about why you weren't told."
Merrell turned again to the concierge, "Again sir I offer my most sincere apology. You have been a most grateful host and have went out of you way to make us feel welcome here."
The man replaces the bell back in the drawer and slides it shut. "Not a problem sir" he says, inclining his head politely to Merrell in acceptance of the man's apology. "I understand your concern over your companions absence, however I can assure you that the crime rate in Sundabar is very low, so I doubt he has come to harm and I am sure he will turn up again soon."
Ceely remained quiet during the confrontation. Had she been a clinging damsel in distress type, she might try tears or seduction. But as much as she loved her Milo, she never thought to resort to womanly wiles. It was just not something she did. She knew she couldn't sleep with Milo missing. "You guys get some rest, I'll wait up for him down here in the great room." She said as she moved to a seat by the fire, settling herself in.
Luc stands amazed... "what! you're all just going to sit here or go to bed and do nothing! I am going out to look for him! Who's coming?"
Luc taps Merrel on the chest with the back of his hand, "hey it's you and me then... let's go, we may need your magic... I hope you have more of the fly and invisibility spells stacked!"
The concierge coughs politely. "If you wish to go out, then of course that would not be problem. Merely ring the bell when you return and I will unlock the doors for you. Would you wish me to give Mr Davidston any message should he return back before you do?"
Cleo sighs, Merrell is going nowhere without her backup.
"Tell him to stay here." snapped Cleo. "Vaslin, Please, see to my pack," She turns to Luc and Merrill, "Come on boys let's go find him."
Ceely looked at the trio. "You guys are going no where with out me" She said standing and grabbing her weapons. She looked at the concierge. "I know it's late, but is there a stable hand or kitchen lad that knows the town and can help us?"
"You should stay - to be here when Milo gets back" suggests Yvandel to Ceely. "Otherwise, if he arrives back and finds you gone, he might be worried and go out and start searching for you again!" he adds. He looks tired and anxious. "At this rate, people could be walking the street all night!"
As the group prepare themselves to go out, the concierge sighs then heads to the door, unlocking and unbolting it to allow everybody who wishes to go out, out. "Good luck" he says. "Just ring on the bell when you need to get back in" he says, with only a hint of resignation in his voice.
The group have barely stepped out onto the street when they spot a large figure walking towards them. Milo! The concierge, warned by the exclamations of surprise and greeting, reopens the door he was still in the process of locking and ushers everyone back inside the warm before Milo has a chance to answer any questions about where he has been or anything. Ceely, seeing him, rushes forward to give him a hug. (OOC: Artistic licence - work with me here!:-). Stepping back to look at him, she notices several things.
- his breath smells of strong ale
- his cheek smells slightly of perfume
- he has lipstick on his neck
After hugging him, she took in his appearance, then took a step back. "Where the hell have you been?" She said with anger growing in her voice. "You reek of ale and perfume." She pokes at the lipstick on his neck. "Who have you been kissing!?!" She yelled not caring who hears. With her voice still raised she continued "I have been worried sick, we all have, while you sneak out and go cavorting with who knows? I'll not have someone else's seconds!"
Luc holds Ceely by the shoulder from bahind as he says, "easy now girl... ket's hera him out first. Then, if you're not satisfied, you can inflict pain on the bearer"
Milo had appreciated the hug, and returned it, unwilling to let Ceely go. When he did, and she noticed the things that he had not, he simply stood still and looked as his feet like a little boy being told off by his mother. He let her go on until the last comment, and then stood upright and looked her in the eyes.
"You are my one and only, Ceely. That will never change. The marks are a consequence of dirnking in a tavern, trying to find out what afflicts this city, if anything." With that, he tries to touch her shoulder, hoping she will calm down enough to let him explain. He doesn't blame her, for he would worry as much about her going missing he realises now. He also began to realise that Luc and Merrell must have told them about Luc's vision.
"Lets rest, and talk in the morning." Milo says to those present, hoping to skirt the trouble he knew he might be getting from Luc and Merrell at going off without them. In the morning, he would tell everyone what he had found, and try to get them to either help, or move on quickly to their next journey.
Luc raises an eyebrow at Milo's words, "should we be expecting any trouble tonight?"
Looking at Vaslin's petite frame he decides whatever would happen could wait for one night...
"If not then let's get to the hot tubs before the water gets cold!" he concludes.
Milo shook his head. "I was careful enough, so unless magic is being used, I do not expect any trouble tonight. If I did, I'd have warned you immediately. but take the usual precautions." With that, Milo offered his arm to Ceely and hoped she would let him explain why he had done what he had that night. At least the Concierge had been discrete. He had no idea what would have happened if the man had told him his cover story.
Ceely remained angry as Milo tried to convince her that he had been faithful to her. But when he tried to touch her shoulder she pulled away. She didn't take his arm either, simply turning and heading towards the stairs. "I am going to wash up" she muttered as she moved. Then she stopped on the stairs. "You have a lot of explaining to do priest" she added before continuing towards their room.
The group finally, after some semi-warm baths, make it to their beds, exhausted after the two hard days of travelling. They are so tired, the beds so comfortable, that deep and dreamless sleep comes easy.