You trail Amake for another few minutes, maybe halfway down this length of Movek Point's boardwalk. He seems to be sticking to the main walkway. He glances around him as he goes, but doesn't seem particularly wary or alert.
Everyone Else
You continue to trail Alierin for another few minutes, maybe halfway down this length of Movek Point's boardwalk. She doesn't appear to be stopping yet, so your quarry must not be either.
Where are you going? Alierin wonders as she side eyes Amake whilst feigning interest in a nearby market stall's catch of the day. As he gets further down the boardwalk, she breaks off, continuing after him.
Dessarius tilted his head, confused at the situation. I hope this doesn't take too long. I'm not sure I want to chase this man all day. He sighs a bit, looking around to see if anyone is watching them. Spoiler
Aeron continues trailing behind Alierin, thoughts racing on where they are being led. Let's hope he's not onto us and leading us into a trap or something. But still, where could he be going?
You continue to follow Amake for another couple minutes. Eventually he breaks off from the main boardwalk toward a smattering of huts and shacks. He approaches one of them, a squat wooden building with a well-furnished porch. Casting a glance around himself, he takes out a key, unlocks the door, and steps inside.
Everyone Else
After another couple minutes, Alierin appears to have stopped for a moment — though she continues to be alert.
Sisera stops short as it appears that Alierin does. While Aeron focuses on their companion ahead, Sisera instead decides to keep an eye on their surroundings, hoping to spot nothing, but being cautious for others who might be similarly stalking them.
Well this is where he was going. Let's home something inside incriminates him, Alierin thinks, with Amake entering the building. With her target now out of sight and presumably contained within the hut, she looks back to see if she can spot the others tailing behind, waving them over if she sees them.
"He went in there," Alierin says as the others rejoin her, pointing to the door. "We should probably have something resembling a plan before we bust in there," she adds, wary this could just be Amake's home and not wanting a repeat of the interaction with Gilo.
Aeron glances toward the shack, curious if it's the fisherman's home or somewhere else. "I guess it'll depend if he's alone," the elf mentions. "But let's keep our heads, alright? And not go angering or scaring him. We want answers, not another blockade."
The building — and those surrounding it — feature no signs that might indicate a shop. However, adjacent to the building that Amake entered is a small shed, enclosed together with the main building by a short fence. You can see what appears to be tools nailed and hanging on the outside wall of it.
Dessarius finds somewhere to lean up against, walking a short way away but not toward the hut. ooc
Is there a spot nearby where I can partially see behind the hut? or would I have to walk past the hut to see properly? I just want a partial angle in case he's got a back exit.
The hut's rear would be facing the beach, so you could leave the boardwalk and approach it from that side. Overall the property is pressed in between others so there is little in the way of going around it without going through it.
"Well let's go say hello then," Alierin says making her way over to the door. "Would you like to do the honours?" she asks Aeron as they approach the entrance to the hut, unsure on if he intends for them to knock or break the door down.
As the others prepare to enter the building after Amake, Sisera hangs back against the exterior wall, where she can remain unseen once the door is opened. She takes her bow, preparing an arrow just in case of an ambush. They can be the cordial, friendly ones. I will be prepared in case anyone seeks to attack.
"Alright, but let's keep our heads," Aeron says, casting a glance at his friends. "Keep an eye around the sides in case he tries to slip out too." Taking a deep breath, he calmly knocks on the door.
Sisera and Vaughn take up positions along the exterior front wall of the building right by the door, keeping an eye out, while Aeron and Alierin approach and knock.
Dessarius circles back to the main boardwalk to find where the backside of this building may lead, with Cymril opting to follow him. Dessarius
You begin to retrace your steps back down the boardwalk. A few buildings back the way you came is a set of wooden stairs that leads over the water to the beachfront. You think from the beach you could get a good view of the rear of the building Amake entered.
Sisera, Vaughn
You hear the squeak of floorboards after a moment, a pause, and then the door opens. A man's voice: "You followed me." A pause, then, "what do you want?" His tone is short and clearly irritated.
Alierin, Aeron
You hear the squeak of floorboards after a moment, a pause, and then the door opens. Amake stands there, his brows furrowed. "You followed me," he says, somewhere between question and statement. He crosses his arms. "What do you want?" His tone is short and testier than before.
"Honesty, for one," Aeron says to the man, wearing a slight frown on his face. He watches the man cautiously, hoping to avoid another Gilo scenario. "Look, we know Ekel was working on a personal project for you." He keeps his tone steady and calm, not wanting to incite the man further. "I'd be willing to guess it involves those nokve. So why don't you tell us the full story?"
Hoping to assuage any further worries, he adds, "And don't worry, Ulungi already asked us not to involve the Clan. All we want is the truth, and maybe some closure for everyone involved."
Amake narrows his eyes, looking between the two of you as you talk. "You can guess all you want. My business is my business," he says to Aeron. "You've got a lot of nerve, following me home from the bar. Ulungi's already talking about the clan on... whatever this is? Well, with Ekel gone, I guess my business with Gold Harbor might have to go elsewhere." He gives the two of you a final look of reproach. "Anyways, piss off, elf kids. And stop following me."
He gives a resigned grunt, before moving to close the door.
Vaughn and Sisera
While you can't see Amake, you can continue to hear him."You can guess all you want. My business is my business. You've got a lot of nerve, following me home from the bar. Ulungi's already talking about the clan on... whatever this is? Well, with Ekel gone, I guess my business with Gold Harbor might have to go elsewhere. Anyways, piss off, elf kids. And stop following me." You hear a resigned grunt.
What an unpleasant man. It seems like every day, all we do is talk to unpleasant men. Does this city not have anyone polite? Sisera continues to listen, waiting for any signs of overt aggression or the start of a conflict, prepared to move should such come to pass.
Aeron puts out an arm, keeping the door from closing. "What do you mean 'whatever this is?'" he mutters, trying to maintain his already-tested composure. "Ekel's dead," he reminds. "Dead because someone else put him up to that business in the nokve caves." He sighs, taking a long breath to steady himself again. "Are you really angry with us, or with yourself? I know you feel guilty. I could sense it back in the bar."
Amake reddens, sputtering for a moment before he seems to recover. "Get the hell off my property, you meddling little shit!" he demands, pushing the door closed.Mechanics
If you are trying to keep the door open, you will need to roll a contested Strength check against him.
Vaughn & Sisera
You hear what sounds like sputtering, before, "Get the hell off my property, you meddling little shit!"
As Amake moves to close the door in their faces, Alierin sticks one of her feet across the threshold, trying to aid Aeron in preventing the fisherman from shutting them out. Mechanics
The door slams shut against Aeron's futile efforts. You can hear the squeaking of floorboards as Amake continues further into the building. A few moments later, you hear the slam of a door.
Dessarius
You continue toward the beach and find what must be the backside of the boardwalk across the water. There are a few ladders from the buildings on the raised boardwalk that lead down to private, tiny piers. As you investigate further, you catch a glimpse of Amake exiting through a rear door of the building he entered. He is holding a fishing rod and a tacklebox in one hand, climbing down a ladder and onto the pier.
Dessarius continues his walk and gets roughly across from where he spots Amake, then half turns to Cymril, "Circle back and tell the others," he points out Amake to Cymril, just in case he didn't see at first. "I'll stay and keep watch."
As you watch Amake, he makes his way to the end of the pier, beginning to string up his rod — presumably to fish.
"Yeah, sure thing," Cymril agrees, taking off back toward the boardwalk.
Everyone Else
After a moment, Cymril returns, somewhat out of breath. "Hey," she manages. "So he's out back, fishing on some sort of pier, I guess. The new guy's watching him. What did you say to him, cousin?"
"Nothing he didn't already know," Aeron replies to his cousin, giving the door a swift kick in frustration. "I just asked him for the full story, and told him we knew Ekel was working on a project for him. And he completely blew up." He turns to Alierin and gives her a shrug. "Maybe the fishing will cool him down and we can try again. Or we can always just tell Ulungi what we found out. An innocent man doesn't say what he did."
"If this lead is going nowhere, best we cut our losses and return to other things," Sisera concurs, as Aeron suggests returning to Ulungi. "This job has been wasting our whole day, and we've another to do after. We should finish and prepare for that one."Rude and secretive, all of them. So many unpleasant people in one day, she thinks, letting out a sigh.
Cymril nods glumly. "Yeah, I don't think we're gonna get much out of this jerk from a conversation, it seems like. Did you see anything in his windows?" she asks Sisera and Vaughn in particular.
"We didn't look in yet, but if he's out on the back pier fishing..." Alierin says, lowering her voice as she talks. "I could see about getting inside and having a look around," she suggests.
Aeron gives Alierin a side eye, not surprised she suggested it but not upset that she has at this point. "You said it, not me," he says, putting his hands up innocently. He looks toward the door and then back to Alierin. "Just... be careful?"
You try the door and find it locked. After a cursory examination, you conclude it's a pretty typical lock, one that you've defeated many times before. Go ahead and make a Thievery check to see how quickly you can do so.
Seeing the basic lock, Alierin draws one of her daggers and slides it into the keyhole, applying some leverage to pop open the lock almost instantly.
"Ta da!" Alierin she says quietly, smiling as she sheathes her dagger. "I'll go take a look around, keep an eye on Amake out back. Make an owl noise or something if he looks like he's heading back in," she says before slowly trying the door. Mechanics
"I did not look," Sisera admits to Cymril. I was waiting for aggression, not watching in to reveal our position. She watches as Alierin effortlessly breaks into the man's home before adding, "I will watch the front, in case someone he knows stops by. Will tell them he's out back if they ask."
Amake sits on the edge of the dock, casting his line out. Even from this distance, he looks like he is sulking.
Everyone Else
Alierin makes quick work of the lock, and the door opens quietly and without issue. After a quick glance around, she disappears inside.
Alierin
Inside, you assume this must certainly be Amake's home. Despite the neighborhood, the inside of the building is well-furnished and quite tidy. The living room branches off into what appears to be a kitchen area, a small closet for a chamberpot, and another room with a closed door — presumably the bedroom.
In this main room, the ground is covered with thick rugs that block the drafts from the planks beneath. There are a couple of chairs near a bookshelf by a window. There is also a desk, clean with only some stationary atop it, yet a cupboard below. There are several candles in sconces on the walls, though none are lit at the moment. A few pieces of art adorn the otherwise plain walls, featuring a couple amateur paintings of Groznid Bay, particularly Alu Koroviz.
Spotting the cupboard beneath the desk, Alierin immediately makes her way over to it and tries to open it, taking care not to disturb anything else or make too much noise.
Aeron can't hide his smirk as Alierin manages to unlock Amake's door with little effort needed. "Be careful," he reminds as she slips inside. Wonder if he'd even leave anything incriminating.
