By the hells, I have never seen so much gold in one room in all my days, and I doubt I ever will again.
It was the morning of the Auction, and I had just finished preparations for the trip to the Port when I saw none other than the old man Janos wobble by, clutching his stick as if it was the only thing holding him up (which....it probably was, hah!). Naturally, I followed him in the direction of the Sewers, and then soon the Drain. He descended into the domain of filth and darkness, unaware that a shadowy Fox drifted along silently in his wake. I did not make a sound as I stalked him, and could not help but feel the itch on my palm...it longing to meet the hilt of my blade and drive the weapon into the temple of the old man's head, feeling skin and bone wither and break as the blade ends his pathetic life. But...it was not his time, not yet. I would yet speak with the man, and see if he can be convinced to give up his foolish game. To surrender to me, and go his own way with his throat quite un-slit, no loner spreading his poison into the minds of others. Before long, we came across a strange woman. She was one I had seen approach me a few nights before and play the music full of sorrow. The notes seemed to draw the feeling from the very air around you, leaving only gloom and shadow. She had come down into the sewers and was headed for the drain, but rats jumped onto her. She fell to them, teeth at her throat, but Janos stepped in and beat them away with his walking stick. He helped her up and they continued inside, - myself still shadowing them. I snaked my way between a pipe and a pillar, watching from the shadows as they conversed. Before long, I heard s small rush of air in the hallway, and heard the quiet footfalls before I saw the man. Around the corner strode none other than the ex-garda vampire, Nicolae. Suddenly no shadow seemed dark enough, and every breath I took seemed to strike out at the room like the shattering of glass. As he passed by where I was, I held my breath entirely. My mind was screaming for me to flee, but I knew he would catch me. I immediately calmed myself...I had been trained for situations like this. I calmly stepped out of my hiding place and approached him, my boots feeling as heavy on me as if they were filled with sand. My legs awkward and tensed, as if my very body was trying to hold me back....yet I approached him. We exchanged a few words, and a deal was struck. It appears Tymora has favored me yet again, he was willing to let past disagreements go if I would only accompany him to the Port and pose as his employer, buying goods for a collection. We set off after that, leaving Janos alone with his caliban woman.
Upon arrival at the auction, it soon became clear that the magic competition was still underway, and most people were there spectating. I was forced to make small talk with a few of the others there, and after what seemed like an eternity, the rest of the guests arrived. We all took seats and watched a few men set up a curious device on stage, casting off lights and other nonsense. I was curious to how it all worked, but I could hardly even think about it on the count of me being on the edge of my seat and using all of my mental focus to try and see what items were being brought out. Owl had taken up a spot on the first row, but due to my....associate...I had to sit off to the side where he would not draw suspicion. The bidding began for the first few items, none of which were of particular interest to me. The Owl seemed to be looking the items over and judging their worth for himself, occasionally making an expression or comment that would show if the item was going for less than it should. I observed some of the others in the room...one person of note was a well-dressed and flamboyant man named Mr. De'Roth, I believe it was. He had placed a few silent bids, one of which was a staggering 250 thousand solars. Another was just over 100 thousand....where was this man getting this kind of coin from? What the hells did he DO? The man from the class I am taking....Magnus was his name...was in attendance. Making an annoyance out of himself as always, of course. I can not for the life of me find out why people tolerate him, but they do. At any rate...the only bid he placed was a generous 5 solars. The man reminds me so much of Victoria, it almost makes me more angry at her just to look at him. Still, as the items passed...more and more coin came forth. Half of the crowd would respond in anger at the prices that some of these items were reaching, the other half merely held tightly to their coin purses, knowing full well what was on the line. And yet another man (They call him Victor, I have met him before with Luca) simply stood off to the side with the most utter look of sheer confusion so thick that it makes a mink look as it could pass classes in the university. He made embarrassing sounds, and spoke out of turn, utterly defeated at the sight of so many people that had so much more wealth than he did. Owl did not bid on many things, which surprised me at first. He simply sat there, content to watch things come and go, placing a few moderate bids and then backing off as others drove the price skyward. He seemed rather keen on a shortsword, yet as Victor flailed himself about in the background, others placed serious bids and the blade was taken away for a modest twenty thousand. After a short time, I began to notice a bit of a pattern. The Owl was bidding on items that seem to be especially useful in a certain line of work. Coincidentally... exactly the line of work I do with him. I thought back to when I first met the Ferret...I had offered him a set of armor at a very low price, and he assured me that what he had was better. The Owl had smirked at this, and I was not sure what it all meant at the time. As I sat there in my seat, reality was dropped on me...and it weighed more than all of the million solars that had been spent in that very room already. The Owl had taken me in as one of his own recently. He was buying gear that was comparable to what he and Ferret use. I knew I had seen that belt..the blade....the boots...all before. They were of a similar make and quality to the ones that they used. And who else did he have to give it to, if himself and Ferret already had them? Fox, of course. He had lost the bid for the belt, but seemed content, as if he was holding back something that only he knew. Knowing Owl, he would have at least three backup plans for any given situation, so all that remained was for me to wait and find out. The bidding reached fifty thousand solars - more gold than I have ever had. Then sixty. Eighty. As they broke one hundred, the room was nearly in chaos. People were making sounds of disgust and outrage, a man who had just taken part in the bidding himself was screaming about how outrageous the idea was. A hin exclaimed that it was enough coin to last him ten lifetimes. I was in near shock...the Owl met every bid swiftly, clearly having no intention to lose. He eyed the other bidders with a fire in his eyes, and it waas clear that he had no intentions of backing down. How much coin did he have? How much was he prepared to spend? "One hundred and ten thousand solars!" Well, apparently that much. Wymmer was clearly beside himself at the idea. He was going to be a very rich man tonight. If I ever did happen to wear these boots, I would almost feel ashamed to let the bottoms of them touch the ground. The damned things were probably worth more money than the entire cost of the Citadel's active garrison, counting armor and weapons.
The auction ended and we all went out own ways. Dragos was not allowed in the Governor's hotel, so I proceeded to the penthouse alone, looking for the Owl to congratulate him on his success. Upon my arrival he was engaged in conversation, so I started up a few of my own with the Ferret soon arriving behind me. We spoke to a man with a rather forgettable name about the most mundane and routine of all topics one could come up with. Blending with the wealthy men and talking the talk of merchants an business was interesting at first, maybe even enjoyable, but I longed to have my blade at my side again and dark leathers over my skin. Here I was vulnerable, I was Valkan. The Fox was sleeping, because he was not invited to the party. Probably best though, as Victoria yet again used the Raven's name to try and get recognition. The damned woman is going to get herself killed like that one day, even if I have to do it myself. She should know better. Some time passed and the Owl come over, joining the conversation for a time. I soon became uncomfortable, everyone's eyes resting on me slightly too long...people staring at me even when I was not speaking...it became too much. I bid them all farewell and as I turned away, the Owl told me to wait. I turned back to him, and he was holding an all to familiar set of boots and a belt. He had that wide grin on his face, that knowing look in his eyes. He told me they were for me, and it was all I could do to keep a level voice as I thanked him. I was smiling like an idiot, I could tell, but I did not care. I was holding in my arms roughly two hundred and fifty thousand solars worth of gear, and all I could think about was getting out of there and putting it on. I must admit, I rather enjoyed the jealous looks of the others in the room as they looked on...especially Victoria. I was right...he HAD been trying to purchase gear for me. He had lost the bid for the belt, so how he came up with one is entirely beyond me, but he did it. The man is a complete mystery to me at times. I had done a few things for him, but surely NOTHING to warrant this kind of generosity. I do not think I was able to wipe the look of pure excitement off my face until I had crossed the street and entered the bathroom of the Golden Fig. I quickly changed into the Fox's armor, and donned my new items. Ducking out of the doorway into the cool night air, I walked the streets a bit. I was not even trying to hide, yet I barely made a sound as I moved. The enchantments on the gear was obvious, I could not have walked with a heavy step even if I tried. I was a ghost in this gear....and it was once again all made possible by the Owl. I owe the man everything....hells...he has even saved my life more than once. I'm still not sure what he saw in me, or even what he dos not to make this as worth its weight in gold as he apparently thinks it is...but I can only be grateful and do my best to carry out his will. This new gear will help me carry out his orders, advance our cause. When the Owl speaks, the Ferret and the Fox make it so. It is that simple. Failure is not an option, and I have no intention of letting up now.
- I recall Wymmer's voice still, with a bit of amusement...
"Und vhere vould you be, vithout friends like zhis?"
And my response,
"Probably not in a hotel as nice as this one."
As I walked out of the room, veins running with excited fire and a smile crossing my face - I was truly honored to work with the Owl. I don't know about what I have heard...the gods being dead to this world and all...but I knew that the man in that room who had done so much for me was the closest thing to a god in this world I was probably going to find, and in that frozen moment, I was actually alright with that. Hells....I think I still am. I owe him everything I have, and I can only strive to be half as skilled as he is one day. One step at a time, I suppose.
