Open The Market The Mysterious Vixen. Witch, Fortune-Teller, or Fraud?

[Madame Lorelei]

Madame Lorelei smiled and nodded, looping one arm around Marianna's. "You're too kind to a stranger like myself, dearie." Her one good eye twinkled with just a hint of mischief. She could tell that Marianna was being careful around her, and she intended to take full advantage of it. The fact was, Lorelei knew her mind was fading. There were days she couldn't even recall if she had eaten. She needed to take advantage of whatever remnants of her mind were still functioning, and nestling herself into the safety net of the criminal underworld was her best bet.

Her mind wandered as she continued to lead Marianna to her stash. She still hadn't heard from Chokra. Could he still be looking for Silvertongue? She wasn't sure. Although he was close to the Songfoxes, he was a former captain under Ironpaw. Part of her wondered if there were some secrets he was still hiding.

"Ah, here we are!" Madame Lorelei said as they eventually arrived at an old, abandoned-looking hut near the docks. "I found this place empty, so I decided to stash my things here."

Madame Lorelei lead Marianna into the old hut, and they saw that the walls were lined with her 'knick-knacks'. In reality it was all a bit gruesome. There were various animal bones, jars of brine, some with eyes floating in them, others with more indiscriminate organs. The less disgusting of them consisted of many different plants and herbs in various jars or hanging from the ceiling. There were a variety of star and moon shaped decorations laying about, along with other strange symbols.

"Oh, my sweeties! I'm home!" Madame Lorelei declared to no one, shuffling over and picking up one of the jars. "Not to worry, my lovelies, we will get you all some much needed sunlight soon enough!"

 

[Marianna Furotazzi]

Well, the collection was certainly... something. Marianna was glad that it had been a while since she'd had breakfast and she hadn't found time for a midday meal, because otherwise she might have lost her lunch. Somehow, surveying the grizzly collection, she found herself thinking that sunlight was the last thing it needed, if only because the sun itself might retreat at such a sight.

"It's certainly impressive," she commented politely. It wasn't a lie; that Lorelei could not only stomach but treasure such objects spoke to a well developed mental fortitude... or at least extreme desensitization. She peered at a jar of what appeared to be assorted eyeballs, and found herself disquieted at how they seemed to be looking back at her. "This will certainly set an appropriate ambience." She straightened up, looking to the elder vixen for permission. "I can have my brother and his crew come by to pack up the collection and transport them to the shop - once it meets your approval, of course." She hoped it would; the shop was perennially vacant due to a history of hosting some of Bully Harbor's most noteworthy and prolific murders and murderers. Such a gruesome reputation would only bolster the mystique of this vixen, or so Marianna hoped. Everything she had was riding on the success of this job.

 

[Madame Lorelei]

"Oh, but of course!" Madame Lorelei sat a jar down. "I want to get to work as soon as I can. The quicker, the better!" She turned to Marianna. "I have not much time left in this mortal shell. I'd rather not spend it withering away in squalor."

She hummed to herself, starting to make her way back to the door. "Come along now, show me this shop of yours. And I'd also like to meet this brother of yours. If he is going to be hauling all my beloved trinkets across town, I want to be sure he is a strong and able-bodied beast."

She sighed and opened up the door. Despite her eagerness to get going, she felt her legs starting to ache. She had to remember she wasn't her young self these days. Meeting Marianna reminded her of the antics she had gotten into in her youth. Oh, how the seasons had gone by.

Despite this, she tried to hide her weariness as she walked back out onto the street, leaning more heavily on her cane.

 

[Marianna Furotazzi]

Marianna noted the woman's fatigue, and offered her arm again for support. "The shop isn't far," she noted gently, "Nor is it far from there to our base of operations. Knowing my brother, that's exactly where we'll find him..."

---

The Lilting Lily was the kind of tavern that aspired to seediness in the same way that a teenage boy lounging against an alley wall with a toothpick in his mouth did. There were stains on the floors from spilled drinks of old, but no loose food - that would attract roaches, after all. There were assorted trophies from Furotazzi heists of legend hung high on the walls, including a framed contract signing over ownership of The Saturday Evening Smelt to Vito Furotazzi, a golden statue of a mackerel, and a chunk of what appeared to be the fresco decorating the ceiling of the Bully Harbor Opera House. All of these trophies were neatly dusted and polished, the cobwebs similarly cleaned out of the rafters. The ale available on tap was the cheapest possible and the mugs were of such imperfect make as to appear filthy, but all were actually neatly cleaned and the ale was, while not pleasant, at least inoffensive. The entire tavern would have given off the impression of 'trying too hard' had it in fact made any effort to try in the first place.

At a table in the corner, Falun Furotazzi was in the midst of a game of poker. The fox was smoking one of his awful cheap cigars as he obverved his opponent, a green-eyed (singular) rat with a truly impressive collection of prosthetic limbs and eye patch. The fox considered his opponent for a moment before setting his cards down in front of him. He leaned in and pushed his sizeable stack of chips into the middle. "All in," he declared.

Marianna sighed as she entered the tavern with Lorelei, spotting her brother in the midst of a game. "Best to let him finish this round," she advised. "He's useless if he's interrupted mid-game."

 

[Greeneye]

The rat sitting before Falun glared at his considerably smaller pile of chips. He looked at his hand. He had two sixes, and right now there were a six, a seven, and an eight on the table. He had at least a three of a kind, but if the cards were in his favor, he could get a straight or even a full house. Of course, he was about three ales deep, so he had a nice buzz going on, but not enough to entirely cloud his judgement. "I'll 'ave me another ale. Cuz I'm about to be filthy bleedin' rich." He chuckled, pushing his chips forward. "All in, then." He flipped his cards over. "Two sixes!"

 

[Falun Furotazzi]

Falun raised an eyebrow, recognizing the rat's reason to celebrate. "Three of a kind," he mused. "Potential for a full house. Very nice." He flipped his own cards, revealing a four and a five. "A straight," he commented. "So, the deciding factor is... do we flip a six, seven, or eight downriver?"

Falun reached to the deck, raising an eyebrow at Lilly, the somewhat sour waitress for the bar. Right on cue, she offered Greeneye his bottle of ale - a Varangian import at that - and Falun made his move. He slipped a card from within his sleeve, flipping it from above the stack and onto the table. "Ace," he noted. "Not so lucky. But, there's one more."

Falun had a rule for himself, one he kept in situations like this. He would cheat a little, keep one card in his sleeve to help tilt the odds, but whatever the last card was, that one was played honest. He might thumb his nose at Lady Luck occasionally, but he always let her have the last word. He flipped the card -

"A three," he noted. "Bad luck, friend. That means the pot is all mine... and you owe the house ten gilders for that ale." He leaned in and raked the pile of chips to himself, keeping the self-satisfied look off his face. Gloating was bad form, he'd learned through experience. His eyes gleamed as he looked at the rat, remarking, "Now, maybe we should talk about how you're going to settle your debt."

 

[Silvertongue and Greeneye]

"Oh, Hell's Teeth!" Greeneye cursed, swiping the bottle and popping the cork off with his hook, greedily guzzling it's contents down in a matter of seconds before slamming it down and wiping his mouth. "I ain't out of it yet. We'll go again, an' I'll beat ye." He reached into his pocket, as if to pull something out. "Uhh... hold on... I'm sure I got it somewhere in 'ere." He stood up, laughing a bit nervously. "Hold on... hold on, just a second..."

He fumbled about in his pockets, patting himself down, before looking at Falun and giving him a weary grin. "Well... looks like I emptied out my coinpurse. What a damned shame-"

Greeneye didn't even finish his sentence, sprinting madly for the exit. "Ter Hell with the lot of ye bastards!" He shouted.

As Greeneye rushed for the door, he saw Marianna and Madame Lorelei. "Huh- what are ye doin' 'ere, old lady?!"

Not paying attention, he slammed into Silvertongue, who had just poked his head into the tavern. The two of them went sprawling to the floor.

"Silvie- what der hell?!" Greeneye groaned.

"Greeneye, I've been looking all over for you-" Silvertongue said with a wince as he sat up. "Ugh, have you been drinking? And why were you in such a rush?"

"Ah, well- um- I'm sure this fine gentlebeast will be more than 'appy to explain!" Greeneye looked towards Falun as he realized the window of opportunity to escape had closed just as quickly as it had opened.

Silvertongue looked over, seeing Falun, and gave Greeneye a confused and concerned look. "What did you do??"

 

[Falun Furotazzi]

As Greeneye sprinted from the table, at least as quickly as a beast with a peg leg could do, Falun got up and, cracking his knuckles, followed after Greeneye. He stopped, raising his eyebrow as he saw Greeneye collide with that fox from the Bilge, what was it... that's right, Silvertongue. Falun looked between the rat and the fox, putting the pieces together. Oh. ...Seriously? Him?

"Yer friend here," Falun remarked, striding forward and hiding his fists in his pockets, "lost a game a' chance, an' 'appens t' owe me fer my winnin's. We were jes' abou' t' settle 'is debt." He glanced toward his sister and the elder vixen, raising his eyebrow. "Who's this now? Don' tell me this is your first recruit to the Furotazzis, Anna."

 

[Silvertongue and Greeneye]

"Gambling- Greeneye, I've told you before this never ends well." Silvertongue stood up. "Falun- um," Silvertongue started. "How much is Greeneyes' debt? I'll pay for it." His muzzle scrunched up as the putrid stench of stale ale assaulted his senses.

He pulled out a coin purse. "I do apologize for him. He's a bit of a brute, but like I said before, I like having some muscle around." It was clear that he was trying to distance himself from Greeneye. Greeneye couldn't help but glower at this.

Without warning, Greeneye snatched the purse from Silvertongue. "Screw that- I ain't payin this bastard another coin more! Look at him. If'n he gets any richer, 'e might turn into a livin' gold statue!" Greeneye said, referring to Falun's golden fur. "I say we keep goin'. I can buy back in wif' dis, right? Then I'll win back everyfink I owe, and then some!" He walked back to the table.

"Now, Greenie, don't be rash." Silvertongue protested. "You've already gotten a debt, let's not make it any worse!"

 

[Falun Furotazzi]

Falun raised an eyebrow at the offer of gold, and at the presumption of his riches. He could just take the purse; that much gold could fund another operation, possibly lead to a bigger score... but then again...

Falun grinned, suddenly all welcome and charm. "Come now," he invited, "why not let him have a little more fun? Why, the best stories are about snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. In fact, why don't you join us for a game? With those keen eyes of yours and that silver tongue, I'm sure you'll be a natural." Both of them in his debt would be even more delicious. He might be a gentlebeast, and he would never improperly pressure or coax someone under his power, but then... Well, keeping the silver-tongued fox around for long enough might just be enough for Falun to win him away from his scarred and disfigured lover. Why settle for warped piece of flotsam when he was there, sleek and striking as the figurehead of a ship-o'-the-line?

Marianna watched this exchange, her hopes already giving way to exasperation. Her brother never knew when to quit and take a win. That gold could have put her well on the way to her first real operation, and it was about to just walk out of here. Still, she didn't miss the mention of the minstrel fox's nickname as she led Lorelei away to a table that would have the perfect vantage of the sordid penny opera unfolding. "I don't suppose," she inquired, "that would happen to be the fox you're looking for?"

 

[Silvertongue and Greeneye]

"Unfortunately, yes." Madame Lorelei grimaced, sitting herself down at the table. "And that idiot boyfriend of his, dragging us into trouble as per usual- damn him. I've half a mind to go over there and knock some sense into Silvertongue's head." Madame Lorelei wasn't particularly fond of Greeneye. Him being the son of that dangerous warlord meant that wherever he went, bad tidings followed.

Meanwhile, Greeneye nodded fervently. "Yea, yea, we'll both play! It's a two versus one situation, that's double the odds!" He sat down at the table, tapping his fingers incessantly against it.

"Greeneye, I wish you wouldn't. Poker- it's the Devils' card game! Vulpez has gripped your mind with his cursed paws, warping your thoughts! You never behave like this unless it's with gambling!" Silvertongue lamented. "Just pay off your debt and let us be done with it!"

"Silvie- now ain't the time fer ur spiritualist mumbo jumbo!" Greeneye snapped, grabbing Silvertongue by his arm. "I know I ain't der best wit numbers, but I do know cards. An' yew know cards, too. I taught ye, remember. Now sit yer ass down an' help me win dis!" He growled.

Silvertongue's face paled. He knew it wasn't wise to keep arguing with Greeneye when his temper flared like this. So he sat down. "Alright, I'll play to settle your debt. But only that. As soon as we break even, I intend to withdraw."

 

[Falun Furotazzi]

"Now that's the spirit," Falun encouraged. He returned to the table, scooping up the cards and, as soon as the purse was on the table, pushing half the chips across to the pair, splitting the piles evenly. "Let's see if you two can win back all your money," he invited. "In fact..." He made a gesture, and Lilly brought over a tray with another large stack of chips on it. "Maybe you can even manage to double it," he remarked, pulling the chips down and setting them in his own pile.

"Oh dear," Marianna sighed from her own table. "He's hustling them. Just watch, this next hand, he's going to bid them up, and then fold. He likes to get his marks confident, give them the taste of winning to get them hooked, before he starts taking them for everything."

 

[Silvertongue and Greeneye]

Greeneye glanced at his cards, and he has to hold back a smile. An Ace, and a Queen! Already his luck was turning. Seems like having Silvertongue by his side was the right move. He looked up at Falun and grinned, baring his teeth.

Silvertongue, on the other side of Greeneye, was less than enthused. A two and a five. He didn't quite remember all the rules, but he reckoned that having random numbers was probably bad.

The dealer gathered the blinds and antes; then, he dealt the flop. An Ace, Queen, and three. This was going swimmingly for Greeneye. He already had two pair, and there was potential for a three of a kind, four of a kind, or a full house. "Alright, I'll check."

As for Silvertongue... he had no idea what he had, but it wasn't looking good. "I'll Fold." He placed his cards aside.

Greeneye glared at him. "Yer not serposed ter fold so early! Why would ye- ye know what? It's fine, it's whatever." He rolled his eye before turning his attention back to Falun. "Well? Do ye check or bet?"

 

[Falun Furotazzi]

Falun smiled as he looked at his cards. He had nothing: a three and a four. With the current cards, that was a low pair, practically worthless. "I'll check," he confirmed, grabbing a small stack of his chips and setting them before him. He watched the exuberant rat and the more subdued fox. Neither had a good poker face; the rat's was better than Silvertongue's, but the set of his shoulders gave him away as being pleased. Falun couldn't raise on him, though; too much confidence would provoke suspicion, and would cause the rat to either raise on him by too much, forcing Falun to fold, or would scare him off and make him fold instead.

Falun's eyes drifted to Silvertongue, noting the uncomfortable body language. "Relax," he drawled. "We're all friends 'ere, right?"

 

[Silvertongue and Greeneye]

Greeneye didn't seem to notice the blush forming on Silvertongue's face. He was far too invested in the cards. "Come on, come on, be good to me- ye damned cards." He muttered. The dealer played the turn... a five. He checked again, as did Falun. Biting his lip, Greeneye anxiously watched as the dealer played the river. Another Ace.

Greeneye slapped down his cards. "Full House!" He declared. "I'd like to see ye beat that, fancy pants!" He jeered at Falun, gloating in a none too respectable manner.

Silvertongue hid his face in his paws in embarrassment.

 

[Falun Furotazzi]

Falun nodded in respectful acknowledgement, turning over his own cards. "A pair of threes," he stated. "I misread you; I was sure you had nothing."

Marianna sighed at her table as she put her face in her paws. "If he butters him up any more, the rat will be too slippery to stay upright in his chair."

Falun gestured for the dealer to deal a new hand as Greeneye took his chips. Falun reached into his pocket and took out a cigar, putting it in front of him on the table. "I'll sweeten the next hand with this," he offered. "Alkamarian import. Technically illegal, but the sweetest things in life often are." He resisted the urge to wink at Silvertongue as he did. Peeling the fox away from his partner would be a long game, not the work of a few minutes.