The young wizard blew out the lamp without pause. A thick and uncomfortable darkness filled the room, and all further words were stilled. Only the rain showering on the windows and cobble street, and heavy and nervous breathing, were audible.
As their eyes adjusted to the darkness and their ears to the quiet, the sound of footsteps began to drum through the cold air. Glasia, pressed to the wall but still able to see the figures, watched them approach. The low ring of their footsteps grew louder and clearer as they drew closer.
Then, abruptly, the sound died. The figures stopped in the street across from the shop, turning to face the storefront, one pointing. As all those within collectively held themselves as still and quietly as possible, even the bugbear, the two figures’ voices drifted through the sound of the rain, too muffled to understand.
After a few aching moments of this exchange, the two figures turned and continued on their way, sloshing through the rainwater puddles. They turned at the next cross street, and began to stride in a safely different direction. As they passed under the light of the corner lamp, Glasia saw that they were indeed guardsmen.
All around the room, pent up breaths of air were released, and there was a rustling as people relaxed. Vhir returned his attention to the bugbear, seemingly unperturbed.
Craning his head to look past the kobold, the bugbear whispered, “They gone?” The kobold only nodded silently, and the bugbear gave him another nervous glance before going on in a hushed tone.
[sblock="( Doral: )"]There's no bargaining with 'im, he ain't gonna play but I gotta live somehow, can't let them drop me offa dock with a dagger—no, maybe they won't let 'im, they know I can still help.[/sblock]
“Prince's manor's, it's, it's got a tall fence all 'round. Always two guards in front, in nice armor an' the works, fer show. Then, uh, two at th' manor front doors. Yeh'll run in'ta more inside—I don' know how many, it changes, see? Might be five, mebbe ten. They stay close ta th' front, though; they ain' allowed upstairs, 'less the Prince or the Brothers say so... but they won' just sit on their arse if yeh break int' the secon' floor, either.”
“And the wards? The Prince?” Vhir said sharply.
Eager to please, the bugbear babbled on. “Prince's floor stays locked, most'a the time... don' know if there's no wards. Ah don't go tryin' t' look in 'is private rooms. He's like as not to feed yeh to his sharks for it... this one, uh, maid girl. She gets light fingers wi' his things... she lef' without an arm, an' we all knew where it went.” He stopped, breathing deeply and still looking up at the kobold.
“More. You’ve only told us ways not to go in.”
The prisoner whined quietly, but continued. “Oh—the place got a big double doors, on the east side by th' fencin'. Bit 'eavy fer just sneakin' through, but there ain't any pirates guardin' it. Leads in'ta the kitchen. Prince Kolberkon don' like 'is servants trackin' mud through th' halls when they bring th' groceries...”
At that point the kobold cut him off with a threatening glance and a visible flexing of his clawed fingers. The bugbear, afraid to break eye contact, sat in fearful silence, awaiting his fate now that he had at last revealed something of use.
[sblock="Doral:"]Doral finds that besides the front door and the door to the second room, there is also a door leading outside and a staircase to the apartment above in the back room. Other than the steel front door, all the doors were simple and wooden, including the one at the top of the staircase.[/sblock]
