(2022-04-06) Bruuk's Brothers - Priests, Spyglasses, and Poison

Details

Author:	Alli
Summary:	Cinhil, Lucy, Ben and Sil settle down for a beer at Bruuk's, with a conversation meandering through the Stormwind orphanage and clergy, spyglasses, poison, and Outlands.
Rating:	T for Teen

Silvestre sneaks up the stairs, and sits down quietly across the table from Ben.
Bennarin had been slouched in his seat, head bowed as if in — wait, was he dozing? He might have been dozing. He shifts and blinks at Sil blearily, then sits up, looking sheepish.
[Bennarin]: Oh, hey, Sil.
[Silvestre]: Hi. *Sil smiles* Don't fall asleep or Edris might kick you out. Want a beer?
[Bennarin]: Aw, Edris loves me. And -I- would love a beer. *He scrubs at his face and looks around, blinking.*
[Bennarin]: Just the two of us?
[Silvestre]: Yeah, so far. Quiet night, looks like. Unless somebody unexpected blows in.
Silvestre nods over to Edris, who smiles and heads down for their usual beers.
[Bennarin]: Well, weirder things've happened. *He hesitates.* A -lot- weirder things've happened to us here.
Cinhil grunts.
[Silvestre]: Yeah, shame you missed the frost girl. But the bronze dragon guy and… *Sil looks over at the newcomer*
Bennarin glances over at the newcomer. He nods respectfully.
[Cinhil]: That young rascal Cooper around? I heard he comes here sometimes.
[Bennarin]: Cooper? Not that I — wait. You mean Cam?
[Silvestre]: Cam? *Sil blinks.* Not seen him tonight, but yeah, he's around more often than not.
Bennarin peers at Cinhil searchingly.
[Silvestre]: You from the Stormwind orp… Stormwind?
[Cinhil]: That's him, Cambrin Cooper. Strapping lad, never goes around what he can plow through?
Bennarin nods solemnly. "Fine trait in a fellow, yeah. That's our Cam."
[Silvestre]: Strong protective streak. *Sil nods*
[Cinhil]: Ah. I was one of his… teachers, back in Stormwind.
[Cinhil]: Yeah, that's the lad.
[Cinhil]: Mind if I wait for him?
[Bennarin]: You want a beer while you do?
[Cinhil]: Won't say no to a brew, thanks kindly.
[Bennarin]: He comes and goes across the Portal these days, so I can't promise you when he will turn up.
[Silvestre]: Yeah, we just ordered but we can get another when Edris comes back up.
[Silvestre]: We don't have like a regular schedule here, so he might not be in tonight.
[Bennarin]: I mean, me and Sil have a regular schedule here. But we are clean and punctual like that.
[Cinhil]: Aye, he mentioned in his last letter that he's been out there.
Cinhil lets out a hearty chuckle.
Lucílle makes her way up the stairs, smiling.
[Cinhil]: Yes, you appear two fine upstanding lads.
[Bennarin]: That is me and Sil, for sure. And Cam's been — oh, hey, ma'am.
[Lucílle]: Oh, you do seem to be here regularly, don't you! Hello, Ben, hello, Sil.
Bennarin nods respectfully to Lucy.
[Lucílle]: And you I don't believe I've met. I'm Lucy.
[Silvestre]: Hello, Miss Lucy. *Sil nods respectfully to Lucy*
[Cinhil]: Good evening, Lucy. I'm Brother Cinhil.
[Lucílle]: Pleasure to meet you. May I?
Lucílle gestures to the open chair.
Edris comes up with two beers for Ben and Sil. Sil says, "Could you get one more…" He looks at Lucy questioningly. "… or two more?"
Lucílle nods. She'll take one.
[Bennarin]: We are here regularly on Wednesdays on account of that is when I come by Ironforge to visit my folks. *Ben looks earnestly pious. He is full of sh-t.*
[Bennarin]: Please sit, Miss Lucy, you do not need to ask.
Lucílle slides right on into a chair and sits comfortably like she belongs here. "You have family in Ironforge?"
[Bennarin]: I do, that is correct. My parents by adoption. Do you prefer Miss Lucy or Mrs. Lucy or Lady Lucy or just Lucy?
Edris deposits the beers, and heads back down for two more.
[Lucílle]: Oh, whatever you're most comfortable saying. Lucy is just fine. Makes me feel the least like someone's going to try and rob me on my way home.
Bennarin slants her a smile. He glances at the priest. "And you prefer to be Brother Cinhil?"
[Silvestre]: I sure hope that does not happen, *Sil says, nodding at her* But if it does, and you get me a description, I would see what I could do to get your things back.
Lucílle giggles. "It -has- happened, on the tram. But you know, if I saw who did it, I might already have my things back."
Bennarin flashes a grin at Lucy.
[Cinhil]: Or Brother, or just Cinhil is fine. Unless one of the bishops is around, no need to be formal.
Silvestre smiles at her. "I didn't mean to imply you could not take care of it on your own."
Bennarin nods respectfully at Cinhil.
[Lucílle]: It's the risk one takes, taking the tram at the end of the work day.
Lucílle does not seem particularly upset about having been robbed.
[Silvestre]: Cinhil, then, if you don't mind the familiarity. *Sil smiles over to him as well.*
Cinhil grins. "I'm drinking your beer, it's fine by me."
[Cinhil]: I say, young lady, you seem to be taking your bump with crime in stride.
As if on cue, Edris returns with two beers and sets them in front of the gentleman and the lady.
[Lucílle]: Thank you, miss.
Lucílle smiles at Edris. She smiles at Cinhil. She's just all smiles.
[Lucílle]: They stole a bag full of copper tubes.
Cinhil blinks.
[Bennarin]: … a what now?
Silvestre takes an appropriately large sip of his beer, and then looks at her quizzically. "Why did you have a bagful of copper tubes?"
[Cinhil]: You don't look like a plumber, miss.
Lucílle laughs, delighted. "Oh! Well, I'm not a plumber, but I do make things."
[Bennarin]: What sort of things, miss?
Lucílle reaches a hand up into the air and swipes two fingers to the side. There's a faint gap that opens up as she takes something out of an invisible pocket in the air - an [Ornate Spyglass].
Lucílle sets the spyglass on the table. "Ta-da."
Cinhil 's eyebrows shoot up.
Bennarin looks delighted. "A spyglass? Damn."
[Cinhil]: Well, that's a mighty fine trick. And a good-looking piece there.
[Silvestre]: What do you use it for? *Sil looks at the spyglass curiously*
[Bennarin]: Rae has got one. I seen her use it sometimes.
Lucílle beams. "Look through the thinner side of the tube. Just hold it up to your eye and look through."
[Cinhil]: Sailors use'em.
[Lucílle]: The curvature of the lens in the spyglass magnifies what you see.
Silvestre reaches out to take the spyglass. He aims it at Lucy's face, and then says, "Whoa."
Bennarin laughs. "How's the view?"
[Silvestre]: That is… *Sil takes the spyglass away, chuckling* I can see how that is something useful. Bet it'd be good at spotting stuff in Hellfire.
Cinhil grunts and mutters "Youngsters." under his breath.
Lucílle smiles at Sil. "That piece is for sale, and I do take commissions. Two gold, if anyone's interested. A bit steep, but I do have to cover the cost of materials as well as labor time."
Bennarin glances wryly at Cinhil.
[Bennarin]: Brother Cinhil, you done any work out to Northshire Abbey ever?
[Cinhil]: Well, you've got that right, miss. Never give your work away for free or folks come to expect it as their due.
[Silvestre]: I will keep that in mind, Lucy, if I come to need one. *He smiles at her*
Cinhil faces Ben. "From time to time. Spent most of my time as a teacher."
Lucílle picks the spyglass back up. She looks at Ben and Cinhil, in case they want to buy a spyglass.
Cinhil waves a hand nonchalantly. "No thanks, miss."
Bennarin nods respectfully. "I dunno if you might've known my Aunt Niris. She was out there a long while. She … was not much for kids, though, so ain't tend to orphans or anythin' unless they was hurt. She is a alchemist an' botanist."
Bennarin glances at Lucy and gives her a kind of 'hold on a second' nod.
Lucílle sets it down on the table for now and tries her beer.
Cinhil 's face scrunches up as he thinks. "Niris, Niris… Name sounds familiar. Got married to some lordling, didn't she?"
[Bennarin]: That is correct. Just recent. She spent — hell, must be twenty years at the Abbey? But now she is Lady Ference, right here in Ironforge.
Silvestre takes another sip of beer and watches Ben and Cinhil with polite interest.
[Cinhil]: I suspect she's more in the favor of the high clergy than the likes of me. But aye, I remember now. Folks speak well of her.
[Cinhil]: How about you young folks? What's your stories?
Bennarin looks to Sil and Lucy, and takes the opportunity to drink his beer.
[Lucílle]: Oh, goodness, I've never had to condense my life into a few sentences before.
Silvestre smiles amiably. "Not much to tell, really. I'm a bit alone in the world, as it comes to families, except for Cobalt Company." *He nods at Ben, Cobalt brother.*
Bennarin grins at Lucy. He raises his drink to Sil.
[Silvestre]: Oh, and I am not sure I properly introduced myself. I believe you heard me called Sil. I'm Sil Silentstep. *He nods slightly to Cinhil in a seated bow*
Cinhil glances at Sil. "Eh? No family? Don't recall seeing you in the orphanage."
Lucílle taps her cheek with one finger, her face scrunched up in thought.
Silvestre blinks. He did not consider this objection. "Well, no, when I was a kid I had a family."
Cinhil looks a little abashed. "Ah, My mistake. Don't mean to poke a scab."
[Lucílle]: Hmmm. I suppose I could say I'm very interested in the physical and arcane construction of the world and its component parts. I enjoy knowing how to take things apart and put them together again.
[Lucílle]: That's me!
Lucílle does another ta-da gesture, smiling.
[Silvestre]: Oh, no harm done. *Sil takes another sip of beer and looks over at Lucy, impressed.*
Cinhil nods at Lucy.
[Silvestre]: Are you with one of the mage groups? Tower at Stormwind?
[Cinhil]: Mighty industrious of you, young lady. I'm impressed. Most folks take longer to find their callings.
[Bennarin]: Constructions of the world is a pretty ambitious hobby, I got to say.
[Lucílle]: I did some study there, yes, although I never bothered to maintain an active connection once I graduated, I'm afraid.
[Silvestre]: I guess if we're talking about hobbies, I'm into knife throwing and interesting poisons. *Sil pauses, considering whether that is a polite hobby. He shrugs and takes another drink of beer.*
[Lucílle]: What separates an interesting poison from an uninteresting one?
[Silvestre]: Well, I would say an uninteresting poison will kill a person.
Cinhil smiles wryly at Sil. He knows Sil's type.
[Silvestre]: An -interesting- one…. I learned how to make one that makes wounds not heal proper, even with Light. Or one that muddles your head so you can't call on the arcane as easily.
Bennarin raises his eyebrows. He looks impressed.
[Silvestre]: A lot of things you can do with poisons, really. *He shrugs* Even subtle stuff so people might not even know they'd been poisoned.
Lucílle smiles. "I see! Ingested, inhaled, or absorbed through the skin?"
Silvestre notices Ben's expression, and grins.
Lucílle just looks genuinely curious and has probably never poisoned anybody in her life. Probably.
[Silvestre]: I use them mostly in combat, lately, so that's direct to the bloodstream. But, I mean, that's -obvious- poison.
[Cinhil]: Now why would you want to do that to someone? Instead of a nice, righteous stabbing, followed by them writhing around clutching their guts in agony?
[Lucílle]: Ahh.
Silvestre laughs. "Maybe you don't want to kill them at all?"
[Cinhil]: No, just let their wounds fester without healing?
[Silvestre]: But Lucy, really depends on the situation and the poison in question. I can make some of 'em into… them into powders that can be ingested or inhaled.
[Bennarin]: Ben slants a smile at Cinhil. "Oh, see, an' now we know Cam come by it honest."
Cinhil doesn't sound mad or angry, just matter-of-fact.
[Lucílle]: I see!
[Silvestre]: Maybe a soldier can be healed up in an instant and keep fighting, but if you can't heal them… they're out of the battle.
Cinhil turns to Ben for a second. "That boy had a front-kick outlook on life long before I got hold of him."
Cinhil turns back to Sil and grunts, nodding. "Fair enough."
[Silvestre]: I suppose if you need any poisons, I got that on offer. *He smiles at Lucy* If it's not for something really bad, anyway. I don't imagine you'd want poisons for anything really bad.
[Lucílle]: I don't think I've ever needed poisons before! But if I do, I know who to go to, now.
[Bennarin]: I hate to cut it short, y'all, but I been away from home a while now so I am gonna run over and look in on my folks and then get back across. Sil, thanks for the beer tonight. Nice to see you again, Lucy. Pleasure to meet you, Brother Cinhil.
[Silvestre]: See you around, Ben! Probably in Hellfire.
[Cinhil]: Safe travels, young man.
[Silvestre]: Peninsula, I mean. Not literal hellfire.
Lucílle gives Ben a little wave. "Have a good evening!"
[Bennarin]: Maybe literal. Never know, out there.
You wave at Bennarin.
[Bennarin]: Evenin', all.
Cinhil waves at Bennarin.
Lucílle swipes two fingers through the air again, the same way as before, and tucks the spyglass away into that invisible little extradimensional reality pocket.
[Silvestre]: It does not look like Cam's coming around tonight. Sorry about that, Brother Cinhil.
[Cinhil]: So what's it really like out there? I've heard some tales from the folks coming back through. Sounds mighty rough.
Lucílle looks at Sil for that.
Cinhil admires Lucy's dexterity.
Silvestre sits back, takes another drink of beer. "Well, there's different parts."
[Silvestre]: We came through into this place that's really blasted. The sky is… not really a sky? And you can see off the edges into the nether. Most everything's dead, and predators and carrion-eaters everywhere.
[Silvestre]: But then there's also a forest swamp of giant mushrooms with some of the most curious things. Like you would imagine deep underwater, all bright colors and delicate tendrils. But floatin' in the air.
Cinhil grunts. "Huh."
[Silvestre]: And the -people-… they got refugees from all over… the universe?
[Lucílle]: Oh?
[Cinhil]: Even from this young lady's pocket dimensions?
[Silvestre]: There's these bird-like people all covered with feathers, and like these little mushroomy folk?
Silvestre grins at Lucy. "I do not know. You have bird people in your pocket dimension?"
[Lucílle]: Oh, that sounds delightful. No, I'm afraid there aren't any people there at all. I just store my tools.
[Cinhil]: Ah handy trick, that.
[Silvestre]: Also these traders that look like linens all wrapped up. But I think there's nothing inside? Maybe energy.
[Silvestre]: Like… made of lightning? I really couldn't say.
[Cinhil]: Sounds like a mighty curious place. No wonder young Cooper's away. Plenty to keep a young person busy out there.
[Lucílle]: Oh, that's fascinating. I look forward to visiting soon, when I have the time.
Lucílle finishes her beer.
Silvestre nods. "If you'd like someone to show you about, Lucy…" he glances at Cinhil, "… or you, Brother Cinhil… I'd be happy to guide."
Cinhil laughs.
Silvestre takes a last sip of his own beer.
[Cinhil]: Well, I expect the church will send me out there eventually. Can't keep me far enough away these days.
Cinhil finishes his beer as well.
[Cinhil]: I'll be off then. Good meeting you folks.
Cinhil waves goodbye to everyone. Farewell!
Silvestre raises an eyebrow at that last. "Good meeting you too!"
You wave.
[Cinhil]: Light watch over you both.
[Silvestre]: I'd probably better head out myself.
Silvestre grins. "Might need to find a portal back."
Lucílle nods and gets to her feet.
[Silvestre]: It is good to see you again, Lucy.
[Lucílle]: I'm afraid I can't portal you to a place I've never been, but I'm sure someone's doing those.
[Lucílle]: Indeed! You take care out there, Sil.
[Silvestre]: Oh yeah, I bet. I just got to head over to the Mystic Ward.
[Silvestre]: And you take care over here, too!
Silvestre walks down the stairs, and slips into shadow.