Stepping Stones (Ajax/Closed)

[Steinerman]

Vesper smiled invitingly as she saw Scept enter the tavern, trying her best to look non-threatening. It wasn't hard for her to manage, she almost always had a cheerful demeanor, reinforced by her modest good looks and easygoing manner, it was usually enough to put others at ease. And Scept looked nervous, so she tried her best to reassure him with her smile.
As he sat down she opened her mouth to utter a greeting, and then was taken off-guard by his pointed and urgent question.

Immediately her expression grew serious, a joke might send him running, she decided. So it would be best to answer him truthfully.

"Why should you trust me. Or 'Us', rather. As I assume you're wondering about more than merely trusting me personally." She replied solemnly.

"Well, I'm not sure. We haven't given you much reason to trust us, now have we?" She smiled faintly. "Robert comes on strong, he's that type of person. Most people either love him or hate him. I could tell you about all of his virtues, but that could be a lie, I could be a deceitful nasty woman intent on luring you into our organization."

She cast a quick glance over to Robert as she spoke, He was still intent on ordering food, having apparently taken no notice of Scept's entrance. But it seemed to her that he was a little "too" intent upon the food, indicating he was most likely listening. As a werewolf, his hearing was slightly better than usual, and he was most likely eavesdropping even now.

Robert you sly dog. You brought me along for this exact reason, didn't you. Because when you come on strong, the recruit automatically goes to the other person with you. She thought with amusement.

A bare second later she brought her solemn gaze back to the seemingly nervous boy across from her.

"Scept, honestly, anything I say could be a lie, if you're suspicious." She stated with a shrug of her shoulders.


She leaned forward just a tad, not wishing to frighten Scept, but hopefully enough to show that she was intent upon her subject.

"you're here, that means you're at least somewhat interested in what Robert has to offer. So..." she drew out the question, attempting a friendly smile as she did so. "You tell me, why should you trust us? I think my answer would be...you shouldn't. Not yet. Trust is earned, and I personally will work very hard to earn your trust, if you stick around. Robert will do the same."

She shrugged with embarrassment.

"I'm not very good at this, in case you didn't notice."

[Ribitta]

Scept leaned back in his seat slightly, growing a little more comfortable, though hardly at ease with the whole situation. While slightly less disconcerted now, the boy still found himself unconvinced as a whole, and he responded simply, "I noticed." His questioning of her was done now, though, and Scept had no intention of trying to corner her again. Expecting the other man to return shortly anyway, the boy decided to simply continue speaking.

"So then I ask: why me. I can nearly guarantee you I will not be worth your trouble, one way or another. People tell me I have an authority issue, which probably isn't far from the truth." He paused, recalling the years of his practically solitary life in Minervum, "I've been doing this by myself for a long while, now. Longer than most children, anyway. Between my own inability to work with other people, my history with the Taron Magi thus far, and the fact that I am admittedly not the strongest sorcerer you will find, it seems a pretty brain-dead decision to allocate so much effort toward me."

[Steinerman]

Vesper nodded, "A good question." She replied, resting her elbows on the table and clasping her hands together to form a support for her chin to rest upon.

"And the answer may not be what you think." She continued, her tone wry. "The main fact of it is, it's almost impossible to find good mages these days. The world is gearing up for war. Stamarian Military gobbles up most of the good mages, Taron get ahold of the rest and don't easily let go."

She shrugged, "There are a few bandit and rogue mages, but they're not terribly good at anything. You, however. You were at least partially trained by the Taron, and you're no longer with them. And...though you may still be a kid in body, I bet you've grown up pretty fast. Fast enough to be helpful to our unit."

"And...judging by that very impressive display of power back on the road, you could be a big help to us, if you wanted too. The Outcasts only have three mages, me being one of them. And I'm no combat mage. We sorely need more. You're trained, you're smart enough to have kept away from the Taron, and you've got power. Why wouldn't we want you?" She ended, her eyes intent upon Scept.



It was at that moment Robert came back to the table, carrying two plates of food in his hands. He jumped into the conversation without missing a beat,"And honestly, we were already in the area. This town is a meeting point for myself, Vesper and the second-in-command of our unit, who's traveling here now. We can't leave the port until he arrives, so when my Taron contact mentioned that you, a possible recruit, had been seen in the area. I decided to go find you and give you a sales pitch, which I'm admittedly bad at."

Vesper quickly scooted down along the bench to allow Robert room to sit down across from Scept. He placed the plates on the table and nodded his head towards Scept. "Good to see you again, I'm glad you showed up."

[Ribitta]

The boy rolled his eyes slightly, "Fantastic, so not only did the Taron know exactly where I was, but now they know exactly where I will be for some time now if I join up in your troop. Yes, I have been trained by the Taron Magi to an extent, and yes, I do possess a fairly rare and powerful form of magic, but I am no machine. Wielding magic requires more exertion than any physical weapon, and my stamina is not as superb as it could be. I can win a battle for you, but I cannot fight it for you." He glanced around the tavern warily, "Though perhaps there is something that could be of mutual benefit to us."

Scept paused, not sure if he was truly about to share this information with them. He knew they had contact with the Taron Magi, and perhaps the information he was about to offer over to them would be considered greater than his services among them as a Mage. In truth, it probably would be. Nevertheless, this would be his primary reason for even considering offering them their services. He had no need for a 'family' or a 'home' with these people, but he did have a need for resources. He pulled out the pieces of paper that had been in his pack before, laying them on the table in a pattern and flattening them out to make one complete image. Before them lay a map, and while it was curiously drawn and seeming slightly off from the real world, the image was distinguishable. "There is rumor of several magical items throughout this world, left over from a history long past. I believe I have in my possession a map to the several shards of one of these artifacts, but I lack the resources to get there, and I doubt I could truly conquer whatever lies guarding it. If you could help me get my hands on this thing, then not only would I be willing to help you, but I would be much more effective at doing so."

[Steinerman]

Robert leaned over to get a better view of the map, his eyes sparkling with interest.

"Very intriguing." He murmured after a few silent seconds had passed by.

"So, you need resources to find this thing. From the looks of it, these separate pieces are in fairly remote locations, yes...I believe we could help each other greatly." he replied softly.

He mulled it over for a few moments, though it was mostly a simple show, as he'd already made the decision to help Scept, if the boy would allow it. Vesper had told it true, they were in sore need of mages, and if Scept truly would stick around to help after they'd aided him in reclaiming these shards he spoke of...then it would be well worth the investment.

"So...let's say I agree to help you. What would you need to find these...shards you speak of?"

[Ribitta]

Scept watched him carefully, still cautious with his phrasing. It would be important now more than ever to conserve information. He knew very little about the shards save for a rough idea of how to get to them, but from what he had heard of these items it could take a small army to win them over. If it came down to it, Scept supposed he could simply use them as a distraction of sorts, but there was still a larger pressing problem that he could address in response to the man's question, "The most pressing thing right now is transportation. Securing a ship cross-continent can be difficult to do and almost impossible to do inconspicuously." The Taron knew a lot of things about him, but he was fairly certain they didn't know about the Chronoscepter's map being in his possession. That type of information could make him a huge target in an instant.

The boy glanced around idly, checking to make sure that no one unusual or dangerous had entered before he continued, "I'm afraid I won't know much more until I get closer. Usually the trick is to find them, and that can be done with a clear head or two put together. Or one clear head and two foolish ones.

If they decided to help him with this then he supposed that he could give them more information. By that point he would have invested enough time with them to make any betrayal drastic, so it wouldn't matter too much what grounds it was on. Nevertheless, though, he would do his best to not just throw himself at their feet. He had no desire to show them how truly desperate he was for assistance in this. If what he had heard was true, having the Chronoscepter in his possession could change almost everything. Weapons crafted before history was lost were always tremendously potent.

"If you want to help then we can leave tonight - provided you have the funds to get us across, because if I did then I certainly would not be talking to you. There's a smuggler who's willing to leave within the hour with the right inspiration."

[Steinerman]

Robert clapped his hands together, "Excellent." He proclaimed to the room. "But," He continued, raised a single finger and wagging it back and forth, "Why pay a smuggler to move you across an ocean whilst being cramped into tiny quarters, when I happen to have a sea-worthy vessel waiting at the dock?"

He grinned widely. "Saves money, and you can actually have space to move around with. I'd also wager that the company is better. What say you?"

Next to him, Vesper snorted. "You could have mentioned to him earlier that we have a boat." She chided of her commander.

[Ribitta]

Scept's eyes widened, and he responded incredulously, his guard being completely dropped for once, "You have a boat? How? I've heard you had to pay taxes for those to the Stamarians through the teeth, and even if you're only transporting people that you still have tariffs per person you transport." He shook his head slightly, recomposing himself for the most part.

"Perhaps I wish to travel with a captain who I know will take me where I want to go?" he countered, but there was not true distrust in his voice. They were getting to him now, he supposed, and he was losing the will to distrust every word they said. Nevertheless, though, he kept on his guard. Closing his eyes he let out a sigh, feigning a slight impatience, "Very well. How fast can it make the voyage across the sea? If it's any more than two weeks perhaps I would prefer the cramped smuggling vessel."

[Steinerman]

Robert nodded firmly, "Actually, I own six vessels. Five of them are Sloops, light ships meant to convey small teams of our unit to different areas. One such vessel is docked at the harbor right now."

He reached down to his rapidly cooled food and picked up a piece of meat that seemed to at least be semi-edible, chewing on it quickly and swallowing it a moment later.

"And you would be correct about the fees. They're quite outrageous. But I've had time to develop connections with the Stamarian officials in charge of such things. I pay my fees on time and have all the paperwork to go with it. "


"Plus." He added with a wink, "We have several contracts with Stamarian officials, including two Viceroys. So we have quite a lot of leeway in where we travel."

Vesper chimed in quickly, adding to her commander's words. "The voyage itself shouldn't take longer than...nine days or so. The ship we have here is one of our faster ones."

[Ribitta]

Making a mental note to try and hold the man for ransom if it ever got to it, Scept nodded idly, "Quite the armada you have, I suppose, as well as the associates." He withheld an internal grimace, noting how prepared the man was for all of this. Despite all his intentions he had still seemingly fallen right into this man's hands. Admitting defeat with the promise to continue being cautious, Scept conceded the point, "Very well. When can we leave? Haste would be appreciated. I would suggest stocking up quite well before departure, but it seems you are already prepared well in advance, aren't you."

[Steinerman]

Robert inclined his head in acknowledgment of Scept's seeming acceptance.

"We may leave whenever you're ready." He replied solemnly. A moment later his nose flared, obviously having caught wind of something. His eyes narrowed with concern, and then strayed to the door of the bar.

Exactly at that moment, Vesper groaned as she too glanced towards a figure entering the tavern. "Blast it." she muttered in annoyance, "I told him to meet us at the ship."

The man they were both staring at was a tall, handsome man with brown hair and an extremely distinctive mechanical eye that shone with a eerie purple light. "What," Robert stated softly, "Happened to him? He smells charred."

Vesper spoke hurriedly, realizing Scept would most likely ask who the man was. A newcomer might still be able to spook him off. "Trouble in Tsuminar, big dragon, I..." She reddened with embarrassment, "I sort'of got him into some trouble, he took on the dragon, got burnt pretty bad by it. I told him to head straight to the ship once he got here, to rest." She glared at the figure, who was scanning the room, obviously looking for someone, most likely she and Robert. "But you know how he listens." She ended with amused exasperation.

[Ribitta]

Scept tensed noticeably as they acknowledged the new arrival, suddenly being reminded how vulnerable he was with these people. He was in too far now, though. There was nothing left to do but try and retain a slight bit of apparent leverage, even if he was nearly completely in this man's hands, whoever he was. It was not difficult to put on a tone of irritation now, "And who the hell is this? I don't believe he was mentioned at all. Already keeping secrets from your newest recruits? That's a good way to assure them of confidence, I've heard."

[Steinerman]

Vesper spoke up before Robert had a chance to respond.

"Sorry, Scept. This isn't Robert's fault. It's mine."

She nodded towards the man standing in the doorway, "That's Thomas Saint, he's the second-in-command of our mercenary unit. The reason he and I came to this town was to meet up with Robert. We didn't know Robert was going to try and recruit someone here, else Thomas would have probably been with us on the road to meet you. But I told him to take it easy on the trip, he's recovering from a pretty hefty wound right now. I guess he came looking for us."

[Ribitta]

Scept grimaced but found himself forced to accept the woman's story, hoping that she was indeed telling the truth. Furthermore, he hoped that her reasoning that this Michael Saint fellow was looking for the group as a whole was correct, and that he was not simply wishing a closer look at their group's newest addition. Quite the grave he had dug himself into, now. If these people were not trustworthy then it was virtually the end for him. He could run, but it was Stamarian territory in every direction for hundreds if not thousands of miles.

He supposed as well that it would be wise to drop his sour attitude, seeing as he had invested amidst these people quite a bit already, but the boy simply could not bring himself to do it. "Good to know," he replied with a hint of scathing. With an offhand sigh, he removed himself from the table, having little desire for more introductions; these two alone already knew more than he would care to tell anyone he had not known for months, if not longer.

He adjusted his tone, though, very slightly from antagonizing to slightly exasperated, "If you don't mind, though, I'd really like to just get out of here. Unless there's more I don't know, I don't see any reason to be wasting time here. The travel isn't exactly a short one, and I'd like to get at least a bit of sleep tonight."

[Steinerman]

Vesper shook her head as if to clear it.

"drat, sorry 'bout that. Yeah, you've got to be dead-tired." She turned to Robert, but he had already risen from his seat to allow her to slide out of the booth. She stood as well, smiling encouragingly at Scept, "I think Robert and Thomas have to talk about some stuff, 'least that's what I gather by the look Robert is giving me." She ended wryly, her eyes alight with amusement at Robert's expression.

She held out her hand and swept it to the door. "Come on, I'll take you to the ship, we'll find you a bunk and you can catch some sleep. If everything goes well we should be under way in a few hours."