In Search of Reading Material

[Alec]

It was hard for Alec to say exactly how long it had been since he had seen a new book, and he was getting rather desperate for material. So, driven by this desperation, he had resolved to find at least one new volume to occupy his time with, regardless of the cost. To that end, he had reasoned the easiest way to obtain his goal would be theft - an area his expertise did not extend to. After several bribes, a shakedown or two, and one incident involving a potted azalea and a now-crippled cut-throat, he arrives at the door of Marlena's manor still covered in a fine dusting of potting soil, and one petal stuck, crushed, in the folds of his cloak. Taking the knocker in hand, Alec gives a frantic, crashing knock, with perhaps more force than entirely necessary, tearing the knocker off, entirely on accident, which he sneers at, tosses aside, and continues pounding on the door.

[Marlena]

Her quiet afternoon was shattered with the sound of banging, never ending, loud crashes on her front door. She had begun to rise with the first, moving from the dark wood desk she was working at with the intention of answering with haste, but as it continued, she slowed, if only to annoy the person that was obviously demanding her presence that little bit more.

Marlena made it to the door and winced at the level of sound, her hand reaching to take her knife from her hip and bring it behind her back. Her left hand took hold of the handle and turned it slowly, opening the door enough for her to see who was on the other side. Taking a moment to look the man up and down, she spoke, her voice not harsh or loud. Simply annoyed and rather disinterested.

One knock would have served it's purpose, stranger, what is so important that you must destroy my door?

[Alec]

"Your door's fine. Knocker's not." Ceasing his assault on the door, Alec puts a hand on the door jamb and leans on it, looking evenly at Marlena. "Also one of your boys can't walk anymore. Jonathan, I think he said his name was before the screaming started. Azaleas. Nasty business." Stopping for a moment, he brushes some of the potting soil from his cloak and stumbles across the crushed petal. Cracking a rather ghoulish smile as he lets it flutter to the side of Marlena's stoop. "You run the Tryst, I'm told. I need your services."

[Marlena]

Raising her eyebrows, she flexed her fingers around the grip of her knife before opening her door a little bit more. She had only met Jonathan briefly, one of her many visits the days prior to taking control of the Tryst. He was a good fighter, but apparently this man had paralyzed him from the waist down at least. Whatever he wanted, he wanted bad. Watching him closely, she opens the door and steps back.

I'm probably going to regret this, but we can't talk about such things at the door. Come in. The sitting room please, that door over there.

With that she gestured to a room at the side of the entrance hall, waiting for him to enter.

[Alec]

Nodding, pleased with the invitation inside, Alec skinnies past Marlena at the door and wanders into the parlor off the foyer. Taking up position behind a chair, he places his hands at either side of the headrest and flexes his fingers. Waiting for Marlena to close the door to the room behind her, he shortly begins to speak. "I want a book. Books. I haven't anything in particular mind, no particular target. I just know what I want. Preferably, anything regarding magic, or ancient civilization. I don't know where you should begin, and I don't know where you should look. That's all up to you." He says all this without meeting her eye, then turns at the waist and cracks what he hopes is a rather endearing smile. "How much is that going to cost me?"

[Marlena]

Marlena follows, replacing her knife as she enters the room behind him. Walking to the armchair opposite him, she settles into the seat and listens intently. Shock and anger rose in her as she realized what he was after, what he had injured a man for. Books. Simple books that could be found almost anywhere. Hell, she had a library here in the manor. Whether there was anything there of interest to him was another matter. Lifting a hand, she pushes strands of hair behind her ear as she thinks on his request. Eyes closing then opening slowly, she lifts her head and looks up at him. She was far from happy with this person that was asking for a price on something she herself couldn't deliver. Handsome he may be. But the most charming of smiles wouldn't be able to sweeten her at this moment.

You came to my home after ruining one of my men and demand that I find books for you. I should have stabbed you at the door.

I have a library on the other side of the entrance hall you are more than welcome to rifle through. But I cannot give you a price because I'm not the person you should be talking to. I may lead the Tryst, but I seek to give it order, make sure that it remains profitable and keep anything too unsavory from reaching the streets of this town.

You wish for something that is stolen, you see a thief or a smuggler. I can put you in touch with the right people, or I can put out the word that something is wanted and you can hope that I can get it. Either way, I don't expect either option to be much of an issue.

A word of advice though, I wouldn't go around paralyzing people when you need what their boss can offer. They aren't all as nice as me and you'll end up dead.

[Alec]

"A word of advice for you," he says, voice icily cold but that smile never changing, "I would suggest you teach your men loyalty until death or to give up the information wanted before they are ruined. It does you no great service to have crippled cowards working for you." Pushing off of the chair, Alec claps his hands and looks around, the almost joyful smile still on his face. "Now if you could point me to the library, please?"

[Marlena]

She glared at him then, wishing she knew how to throw knives so she could aim one at this man's smug features. Another thing on the list for Kiga to teach her at some time. For now she stood, lifting her hand and indicating to the door they had come through. There may be something for him in the library, there may not, she had noticed a couple of old leather bound books among the shelves.

Directly across, you cannot miss it, Mr..?

[Alec]

"Alecsander Greenwood, at your service," he supplies, bowing deeply at the waist with a flourish, sheets of hair falling and brushing the floor. He stands and scoops the fallen hair, pushing it back and tucking some particularly stubborn wisps behind his ears. "If I find anything I would like, I shall.....meet you back here? and negotiate a price." Without waiting for a response, he turns and pushes through the door, closing it most of the way but leaving it opened a crack. Making his way across the hall, he slips through the door to the library.

Breathing deeply, luxuriating in the scent, Alec sets quickly to work, dismissing any binding he recognizes, taking from the shelves and examining any he does not, and putting all of them back, somewhat dispirited to find they were just different bindings of old, familiar volumes.

[Marlena]

She nodded her head in return as he bowed, not bothering to reply with her own name as he already knew. Watching him leave the room she thought to follow him, though he could do no harm in the library. She should whistle for Kiga, but she had her knives and Alecsander seemed interested in only the books.

She did leave the room though and ran swiftly up the stairs, taking them two at a time with one hand on the rail, the other gathering up the front of her dress to avoid tripping. She headed straight to the study she had been in before, the desk her destination. She had seen names that would serve a purpose here. Ones that would be able find books for this man.

She hastily scribbled down a few before returning to the stairs at a more sedate pace and as she descended, she could here him in the library. Mutterings she couldn't make out, though they sounded frustrated and annoyed. Instead of going back to the sitting room, she entered the library, standing by the door and leaning back against the wall, her arms folded across her chest as she watched him.

No luck then, Mr. Greenwood?

[Alec]

"Quite the respectable collection, Ms. Marlena," he says, bending over the final few books, shelving them slowly, perhaps a little forlornly. "Never could get your last name out of anyone. That much I will praise your men for." Rising from the crouch, he stretches, languorously, popping joints in his back, and rolls his shoulders and neck before bringing a hand up and rubbing at the back of his neck.

"But no," he mutters, moving the hand at his neck to scrub at the stubble of beard. "No luck. All of these I've seen before." Fetching a heavy, but rather obviously genuine, sigh, his shoulders slump and he casts his eyes up to the ceiling. "I don't suppose you'd have any contacts that could get me what I'm looking for?" he asks, a bit hopelessly.

[Marlena]

Marlena smirked as he looked over the shelves, pushing herself away from the wall and to the table that sat in the middle of the room. Laying the piece of paper she had on it, she pulled out an ornate wooden chair. Another made of dark wood. It seemed all furniture in this house was made of some type of dark wood, or stained to look as if it was. Lowering to the seat, she pushed the paper towards him.

That would be because nobody knows my last name. And neither will you.

On this is four names. The first two are smugglers that specialize in moving artifacts, you be best to let me talk to them. The second two, are petty thieves with some talent. However, it would be a case of you giving them the name of something and them going to fetch it.

None of them will be cheap. But I'm willing to contact the smugglers for you. I won't charge you. I'll take a cut of what they'll get from you for setting the whole thing up. I would, however, expect you to keep quiet of what you know. Who knows, this may become a regular thing.

You asked for books of magic, did you not? I assume you are some kind of mage. From what I've learnt, mages are always seeking more knowledge, and there are only so many books that one can acquire legally before those that are banned must be read.

[Alec]

Stifling a small laugh, Alec nods. "Right, playing it close to the vest. Understandable, in your line of work." He pulls out one of the other chairs and takes a seat, looking evenly at the sheet of paper in front of him. "Petty thieves I'm tired of dealing with. The smugglers, though....." he taps the second name, and looks up. "Cesar Beauregard. I like that name more. Although...." his hand goes up and cups his chin, while he taps his lips. "I'm looking to drop a decently large amount of coin here. I want you to set up a meeting. Now. And I want to be there."

[Marlena]

Marlena leaned back and laughed, black waves falling back over her shoulders. He had already pressed against the limits of her patience with his demanding attitude earlier and what he had done to find her, now he was insisting she do as he said and set up a meeting within mere moments. She could guess this man was not used to hearing the word 'no'.

She calmed and looked to him with an amused smile, shaking her head slightly.

You would have to wait. An hour, maybe two. He operates the other side of Wistvale, the docks. The message would have to get to him first, then he would have to get here.

She tilted her head then, her expression suddenly more serious and mixed with that of someone sizing another up.

But you would rather go to him than wait. And that is what you meant. Isn't it?

[Alec]

"If what you're asking," he suggests, inspecting the immaculately groomed nails of one hand, "is that I would rather inspect his selection myself than have him cherry-pick and keep the best for himself? Then the answer is yes." He blows on his nails, then scrubs them, rather redundantly, against his shirt. "And you know, maybe I'm not even worried about him holding out on me. Maybe I'm just worried he brings me a cussed cook book, or something on botany. While interesting," he says, shrugging and looking at Marlena evenly, "not what I'm after. And if I don't get what I'm after soon....I'm not going to threaten you, but it would not be fun for the people around me when that happens." Standing, he pushes the chair back in rather primly and goes to the door, holding it open for the lady. "After you, Miss."