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Message: <blockquote data-quote="JollyDoc" data-source="post: 7108497" data-attributes="member: 9546">INTERLUDE:They stood together in the tavern Lemmy had "liberated" in Sanctum. Lemmy, GrumbleJack, Roger, and Kat each raised a cup and toasted. Normally Kat was not invited to these get-togethers. The dwarf had no great love for, and did not hide his dislike of the Danister's, especially since three of them had voluntarily become vampires, but killing a phoenix together tended to make for strange bedfellows. Grumblejack's deep voice rumbled,"To the death of a mighty enemy and a mightier friend and teacher." Up went the cups of Triple L, aka Lemmy's Ludicrous Lemonade. The dwarf was always trying new names for his rotgut. First it burned, then came tart sweet flavor and finally the warmth. Kat still felt out of place as old war stories were swapped with embellishment among the others. Laughter rang out as more drink was consumed, and before long random bugbears began to wander in to investigate the noise. Within the hour one group of bugbears was playing music, while another brought in food, and soon the party was in full swing. Eventually Kat began using sleight of hand to limit her drinks. A buzz was all well and good but she lived or died by her senses, and she would not have them dulled. Soon Grumblejack drunkenly declared another toast, "To Dorian, whose wisdom and faith made him the strongest of us all!!" Giggling at the drunken ogre, Kat replied, "Dory did always keep us grounded". From somewhere in the crowd a bugbear snorted derisively, "Dory sounds like the name of a weak..."He did not finish the statement as Kat's dagger plunged into his throat. Tears and the fury of Hell in her eyes, Kat screamed, "His name was Dorian to all of you! None of you forget his sacrifice!"A meaty hand fell on her shoulder, and turning she saw Lemmy. Slurring his speech, he proclaimed loudly, "Of all them damn Dannisters other than this one, I hated him least! Now you!" He drained his cup and pointed to the nearest bugbear. "Throw that corpse out of my bar and everyone get another drink." When he turned back, Kat was gone. Out on the streets Kat walked alone with her thoughts. It had been too much. She could still feel the heat from Lemmy's hand. Dory used to do that. It never failed to comfort her, and he would tease her saying, "Well Kat, do I give you milk and scratch your belly next?" She would never protest because he, more than any other, reminded her of their father. As the tears streamed down her face and the sniffles echoed in the darkness memories began to take her once more....__________________________________________________________________The Tavern had not been in the best side of town. It was where the dock workers and day laborers came to drink, find a whore and, when needed, consult a barrister. When Dapper entered the bar with his assistant the music and conversations stopped. His preferred seat was quickly emptied and a cup of his favorite wine was brought to him. Only once he'd casually waved his hand did the tavern go back to its normal merriment. Tardesha's job was to schmooze with the Lords and Ladies of the court, but Dapper Dorian was a man of the people. The very bar he sat in had been saved from being shut down due to a loop hole he had found. If you needed things done, you came to Dapper Dory. Between his legal skill and the Dannisters' deep pockets and connections, nothing was impossible. The best part was that most cases were pro bono, something a low payed dock worker was happy to reimburse with favors such as forgetting to load a certain crate. It was like any other night until two guardsman came in and, without preamble, walked up to the bar. "Jerome your liquor license is expired and we are bringing you in," one of them proclaimed to the bartender.Jerome sputtered, "That's not true! I just renewed it!" "Our records and the warrant I'm carrying say different," the constable replied. Jerome glanced at Dorian, who nodded slightly. "Well you're in luck," the bartender said. "My legal representative just happens to be here this evening, so you can take this matter up with him." The constable turned to look where the Jerome was pointing and ran right into Kat. Sneering and shoving past her, he sauntered over to Dorian's table and cleared his throat."We have all the needed paperwork, as you can see, Sir," he said to Dorian. "No need to make this harder for the good man. You should give him wise council..." The "or else" hung in the air unsaid. He began to fumble around in a heavy silk purse, and a few tense minutes passed as he patted himself all over. Dorian simply continued to drink the wine Kat had returned with. Finally he spoke."It seems Lady Jillian has given you nothing but a bunch of lies and a death wish. Look around you." Every eye in the tavern was cut their way, filled with menace and the promise of violence. The constable paled as Dorian continued."I like this tavern and under Talingard law section 5.6, accusations not backed by warrant can be reported with a minimum of 3 witnesses. I'm sure I have more than enough. You return to your employer and inform her to use another plot of land to build her shop. Also, spread the word to anyone else willing to take her coin how little value it actually has. In addition, I'm certain every one of the patrons in this establishment could use a drink. We would not want a group of angry dock workers with access to valuable cargo that could mysteriously disappear angry at you, would we?"The constable blanched and quickly took the heavy silk purse that should have held the legal documents he had brought with him, and placed it on the bar muttering, "Drinks are on me," and then hastily left. Kat handed him a binder as he passed, the stolen papers now inside. The laughter throughout the bar went unnoticed by Dorian as he resumed reading. He laid a gentle hand absently on his sister's head. "Nice pick," he said after a few moments, "and before you ask how I knew, her maid came in last month, crying and saying that Lady Jillian was trying to take her cousin's inheritance, citing some crazy made up debt they shared. I merely filed the correct papers to have the funds frozen, charged her the full amount and then seized it as my payment two weeks later, after which I returned it to her in full. And to answer your next unspoken question, yes, the maid was VERY grateful. She informed me of this play last week." When all the drinks had been poured, one man stood and raised his glass. " To Dapper!" The chant filled the tavern.______________________________________________________________Kat suddently realized she had come full circle and was once again standing outside the Tavern. As she went back inside, the tears for her fallen brother finally came. The room fell silent as she picked up a full glass and raised it. "To Dapper Dorian Dannister!" The once-holy city shook with the chanting of his name.</blockquote>

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