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Malic leaves his Circlemates at the door and walks in, giving a nod to the proprieter. "Evening."
"Yes?" The Djala at the desk has no interest in pleasantries.
Malic notes this and changes his strategy slightly. Saves him some words. "I want to see Spring Snow for the night."
"Right. Do you have a tab, or will you pay in silver?"
Malic produces a handful of silver coins and drops them on the Djala's desk. "She'd be..where now?"
"End of the hall on the next floor."
Malic raps on her door and walks in, looking around.
"Hello." Spring Snow's popularity has obvious provenance. She is almost offensively gorgeous.
Malic studies her for a moment, then smiles. "Unless you object, it's time to go. The brother of your master sends his greetings and asks that you join him, though it will yet be a while before you join him in death.."
"What?"
"Master Gebhard, the dead one. He has something I want and the deal was that if I get his brother to let you go, he'll tell me what I want to know."
"Oh, that one! I understant. What do I have to do?"
Malic shrugs. "Not much. Just wait, mostly. My friends will be along shortly to complete the ruse. Make yourself look as if we'd been in bed. They'd question if you looked all fresh and such. Oh, and do you have some sort of amulet? Necklace? Ring? Such thing?" Malic looks her over for one.
"I have this." She fingers a pale chain; a large stone with a hole bored in it hangs on it.
"Do you wear it all the time?"
"More or less. I only take it off when I'm alone."
"Good, good. That'll do perfectly.
"There is a risk, that if Dead Master Gebhart is not strong enough, the curse I am going to lay upon you will drive him away as well as your owner. The other option he suggested was to bring you together in death." Malic gives her a few minutes to digest this fact as he unbuckles his belt and strips off his shirt, tucking it into the waist of his pants. Watching her the whole time, Malic makes himself look like a just-cheated brothel customer armed with a firewand and large sword.
"That seems a little...sudden. Let's try your other thing."
"I thought so. That's all, it's done. Now we just wait."
Malic suddenly finds it a lot easier not to ask for a reward for his help.
Malic storms into the common room and flings Spring Snow's necklace at the Djala so hard it smacks the little panda-woman almost off her chair. "YOU EXPECT ME TO PAY FOR THIS?!"
Outside, Osprey hears Malic's shouting and nods to Arkadi. The two men head into the brothel's parlor.
Malic is red with rage under his tanned skin as he roars at the tiny madame. Hauling Spring Snow along by one withered and nastified arm, he looks unhappy. The bouncers look none to eager to take on a man so obviously and heavily armed.
"What the hell are you talking about?" asks the Djala. "And who is that?"
"Who is that?" the tall Southron spits. "THIS is the beautiful Spring Snow!"
Osprey stage-whispers to Arkadi. "What's a hag like her doing in here? Did SHE pay to spend the night with HIM?"
"...I think it was the other way around..." Arkadi replies.
"What? Get the boss in here!" commands the madam. One of the bouncers runs down the road.
"Someone's ripping SOMEONE off..." says Arkadi.
Alisair arrives shortly. "What's going ⚠ <i>couch coung splat⚠ </i> on?"
Malic practically shakes Spring Snow in front of his nose, snarling. "THIS! I paid silver for a woman, not an animated corpse a half-breed cynis spawned from his sister's womb wouldn't touch!" Malic is being careful not to hurt Spring Snow too badly, while making it seem he does.
"This is Spring Snow?!"
"I will certainly be telling everyone I know to stay away from this place," Osprey keeps up the act. "Using sorcerous trinkets to make their women appear lovely, when actually they are obviously just lepers dragged in off the street. I wonder how many others like her are here?"
"Under ⚠ <i>that⚠ </i>!" Malic waves contemptously at the necklace "Did you think you could do something like this and get away with it? Mela's frozen tits if I'll let you!"
"Mela only knows...glad ⚠ <i>I⚠ </i> never wasted money on this place," Arkadi feigns indignation.
"Snow...have you been a fake all this time?" demands Alisair.
The girl cries crocodile tears. "Yes! Yes! And now I'm ruined! What will I do?"
Osprey recoils from Spring Snow, a look of disgust on his face. "Gods only know what kind of diseases she's carrying."
Malic snarls, throwing the girl to the floor (with her help) and reaching for his sword. "I should have your head for this..passing THAT off as a healthy woman! How many men has she contaminated! What if I'd done more then touch her before noticing!"
Osprey places a hand on Malic's arm. "Hold, friend. I understand how disgusted you must be, but let us not bring this to blows."
Malic glances up at the tall Easterner, face still flushed with anger. A glint of mirth dances in amber eyes and he snarls at the other man. "Then let him fix it another way."
"I'll refund the price for services, of course." Alisair pauses. "I'd like to see that bauble you've got there."
Arkadi scowls and fixes the girl in his eyes. "Sir...she's ruined."
Osprey pulls Malic off to the side and makes a great show of "calming him."
"She's not going to be able to make a living after this....however, I might be able to find some use for her in my estate. Someone to clean the stables, perhaps. It will at least be sufficient for her to earn some sort of living."
Osprey turns away from Malic to look at Arkadi as though he's gone mad. "A scarecrow in the fields, maybe? Something to frighten off tresspassers?"
"Perhaps."
Alisair is baffled and upset by these proceedings.
"Perhaps I could buy her off you?" suggests Arkadi.
Malic snarls, muttering curses under his breath as he pulls on his shirt and vest, belts his trousers and otherwise arranges himself properly.
Arkadi continues. "Ensure that word of this never emerges for you...in respect for our previous business dealings, and fill a hole in my domestic staff at the same time?"
"Yes, that would be---excellent," agrees Alisair.
Arkadi pulls out his money pouch. "I trust that the price will be equitable?"
Malic plants himself in front of the fat little pimp. "No. First, you return my payment. And give me that necklace. I'll not have you pulling your diseased wool over some other man's eyes." Osprey looms behind Malic, supporting the shorter man's bluster with quiet menace.
The man reluctantly waves away the necklace, and indicates to the Djala to pay Malic back. "Yes, that price is just fine." His eyes glitter with shortsighted greed.
Arkadi nods and pays the man
Malic shakes a few more silvers from the coffers, daring the panda-woman to protest with a glare. Satisified, Malic storms from the whorehouse and makes for the temple.
Arkadi looks at the woman "Come, I will show you to your quarters."
As the group leaves the brothel, Osprey doubles back to make sure they are not being followed. The three men meet at a predetermined spot, in a narrow alley between two buildings. After quickly disguising Spring Snow in a plain, bulky cloak, they continue to the temple. She looks relieved to have her keepsake necklace back around her neck.
Malic smiles at Spring Snow and releases her from the curse of the Smiling Lady. "You are returned to normal, Spring Snow."
The lovers disappear under the cloak for a moment in an embrace. They thank the three men heartily, and Snow waits while the ghost gives them the information he promised.
Osprey smiles slightly at the affectionate reunion.
The three men leave the town with the names the ghost has given them, and head back up the road to the heavenly gate. Malic returns to the Bazaar after re-entering Yu-Shan for some much needed quiet rest; Osprey goes to visit Gia at her sifu's palace, and tell her what has happened.
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