NEWS

[Duriel]

So maybe things had gotten a little out of hand, just a little. It was not as though Duriel had ever intended to be trading in illegal goods that happened to belong to a young fellow, Doran Ellows, that fancied himself a commander of a nasty little crime syndicate. He never left the caravan in the morning and thought to himself, ‘I’ve got a death wish today.’ It had never been like that, things just had escalated a little beyond his ability to control them, it happened sometimes. Usually running away fixed things spend a few days sunbaking in Raej, chatting with the locals and getting some gloves made would usually mean returning to clear air. This time, things didn’t really work out and the air had become cloudier than ever.

It really was too bad that Hayll was such a good place for trading, if it wasn’t he would have been happy to head back to the caravan and ride off into the sunset, never to return. But this was Hayll! Most of his business came from the region and he could hardly write it off for the next fifty years, or however long it would take for the silly short lived Warlord Prince to forget him and the slight reallocation of resources that had occurred. This meant he was going to have to take matter in to his own hands, something that Duriel never really liked doing because it mean asking for and giving favours. Favours were dangerous things, very dangerous. They always came back to bite you in the arse at some point.

Knocking on the door, Duriel waited to be called in. He’d met Roman a few times over the years, he knew enough about the man to not like him. He was rude and dangerous…He was also ridiculously tall, honestly what sort of person grew that large…It hurt his neck looking up at the man! The thing was that sometimes his and Roman’s goals were complementary, just once or twice over the years. Enough that Roman owed him one, a little one granted since it had only been the transport of some goods but Duriel was there to cash in the favour, knowing full well that he was probably going to be on the other side, owing Roman, pretty quickly.

Something’s couldn’t be helped and since he didn’t want to die he was going to have to ask for help. So as soon as the door opened Duriel put on his best grin and started quickly, best to get straight to the point, “You heard of Doran Ellows?”

[Roman]

If there was one thing Roman enjoyed more than anything in his life – aside from the vast amount of money at his disposal now – it was the fact that he had people to do things for him now. He left his bed a mess when he left, came back to pristine sheets, tucked in just the right way, pillows fluffed and fresh. If he needed something, he could send a boy to get it. He said one thing and people just jumped to attention.

It gave him a feeling of superiority that ranked high on the list of things he would never get used to, but in a good way. He enjoyed this, deeply and thoroughly. So when he was in the middle of something as important as lunch, he needn’t get up to answer the door. No. He had people for that…!

Seated at his dinner table, all by himself, with two more people to do his bidding standing by, he let the knock on the door go unanswered for a while. As if it didn’t bother him. Just as the footman and the kitchen hand were starting to become uncomfortable, he looked up from his plate to gesture at one of the cronies to go open the door.

The man lacked Roman’s stature, but what he lacked in height, he more than made up for in girth, and the man’s brow was made to glare and brood. He was a man well suited to answering the door during ridiculous times such as lunch time.

The sizable crone gave a quick nod and headed for the front door of the modest house. It probably wasn’t quite what Duriel had been expecting, nor had the crone. The glare he normally wore on his face intensified until it looked like perhaps the two eyebrows were going to touch.
“Who the hell are you?” He demanded to know when the small – little even – man began speaking as if they were old friends.

[Duriel]

Duriel looked up and then attempted to look around the very large man who had opened the door, the very large man who was not the actual large man he was currently looking for. Side stepping around the large fellow, his gaze was not exactly friend, Duriel attempted to get his baring. The last time he’d come to see Roman the fellow Hayllian had a place on the bad side of town, not to mention he’d opened his own door. Clearly someone’s luck had changed, the fact that the building was a nice one should have been a tip off, but now standing between a door and a large door answering man really did make the point stick. This probably wasn’t going to be as easy as he had hoped. Fuck…

Sidestepping around a glaring man wasn’t a good start but Duriel was still willing to make a go of it, or at least give it his best shot. Eyeing the large man, as one might with a bull that could charge at any moment, Duriel attempted to get back on track. “Duriel Markell…We worked together a bit a while back.” A bloody long time ago if the bastard could afford to have servants doing his bidding and glaring down people at the door, clearly legitimate trading was not the way to go. Though he did suppose with all the older Hayllian’s dying out there was probably some good business to be made if you played the right cards, something that Roman had always been rather good at doing.

Finally managing to get around the large man and actually see Roman, who looked very much the Aristo at his dining table of fine cutlery, he stopped. “Good to see fortunes shined upon you since we last spoke though….Nice table….” It was a bit gaudy for his taste but he wasn’t about to go around insulting anyone’s furniture, especially when he needed their help.

[Roman]

Roman couldn’t quite catch all of what happened at the door. The dining table in the dining room just too far away from them that even through the open door it was nothing but a mumble, until his croney spoke and demanded to know who was asking. There had to be some misunderstanding going on and Roman, quite frankly, didn’t care an awful lot.

At least, not until he could see his man having to move to keep the other person out.
“What is it now…?” He asked with a sigh, his voice loud enough to carry the distance to the door.
“There’s some midget her, asking about Dory.” The man said, turning slightly to look at him and get orders. Just then Duriel Markell, a rat of a man, scurried around the proverbial gatekeeper. It took Roman a second to remember the details of this particular warlord and that made for a fantastic awkward silence.

“If I recall, you delivered some goods for my boss at the time.” He surmised. It was hardly working together, Duriel had been a means to an end in a pinch, and Roman had found him in the back alleys of Draega. It was however, enough reason for the rotund, brooding croney to let Duriel pass more easily and the door was closed and locked behind the small Hayllian.

Roman continued to eat, letting Duriel get whatever he had to say out and gave him an unimpressed look – or rather, the unimpressed look of unimpressed looks. He didn’t owe Duriel and explanation, or anything as far as he was concerned.
“What was he asking about?” He asked, speaking over Duriel, to the man that had opened the door. “Dory. Dory Ellows. And if you heard of him, Roman.” Was the swift answer, while the grunt took up his spot by the door again.
“Ah yes…!” Roman replied with a slow nod, gesturing for Duriel to sit, and for the kitchen hand to pour them both some of the wine. It was only polite, after all.

“I’ve heard of him, a good man. Loyal man.” He said pointedly, giving Duriel a look. “What is your business with him. Don’t tell me you’re the little rat he’s been looking for... It would be so cliché if the little part was literal.”

[Duriel]

Duriel huffed indignantly as he was introduced as ‘some midget’ where did people get off with the insults. He was politely knocking the door and not asking for trouble, but the fat bastard still took it upon himself to insult his height. If only he wasn’t trying to win over some assistance or he bloody well would have told the idiot where he could shove his introduction. Instead, he managed to keep his mouth shut and wait for Roman to stop being a complete and utter twat. Typical though, once someone’s fortunes turned they always conveniently forgot about every single person they used to know. Maybe he would have just been better off finding some assistance with people he didn’t know, it would have been easier than trying to make someone with a newly acquired high respect of oneself do anything useful.

The fact that the fat man called Doran by a nickname wasn’t a good sign. Roman didn’t remember him but clearly knew the person he had come to complain about, there was no way that this could end well. Too late to back out now though and he could hope that Roman was just being a typical jackass by making things harder than they should be.

“Yeah something like that…” He replied with a vague gesture finally getting himself around the fat man and getting closer to his goal of actually having a conversation with Roman. “It was a while back now.” It hadn’t been much work but at least it was something, hopefully enough to for a rapport of sorts with the other Hayllian. Though given the way that Roman was so insistent on playing the Lord in his manor, complete with matching footmen, table clothes and cutlery, Duriel wondered again why he didn’t just walk out…Oh that’s right, someone wanted a pound of his flesh, that’s why and he didn’t have any other options. Fuck.

Finally the great lord of wank decided to actually engage in conversation and Duriel took seat to which was gestured. How wonderful, the pleb allowed at the Lord’s table, what was the bet that Roman thought he should be thankful for such an honour? Wanker…At least there was wine, decent wine too which helped sooth his opinion just slightly, at least until Doran was mentioned again.

Durien grumbled slightly, “He’s a thieving, lying shark and he bloody well knows it.” Straight to the point then, no point pussy footing around when Roman already knew he had a problem with Doran. “He ripped me off, I took my share and now his lot want my skin.” He did his best to ignore the height jab, the second in so many minutes; he was still trying to get some help after all. “I didn’t realise he was one of yours.” The last time Roman and he had spoken, Roman hadn’t exactly had many of his own men, not in Doran’s capacity anyway.

“I’d be pretty interested in not letting them kill me.”

[Roman]

What Duriel was or wasn’t supposed to feel honoured about was the furthest thing from Roman’s mind. He mostly found himself wonder – with some distaste – just how the little trader had managed to elude Doran for so long. What little he remembered of the other warlord was that he wasn’t known for doing what was right for him. The other small part of his mind just hoped the little shit had the manners not to drool all over the table.

He drew in a slow breath and put the cutlery down on the plate he’d been eating from.
“Of course he knows it.” Roman responded just a touch irritated but mostly still unimpressed as he let the air escape from his lungs. “Everyone knows that, it’s his job to be such.” He added for clarification, in case Duriel was as dense as he remembered him.
“You should really know better than to try to cheat a cheat, or steal from a thief. It rarely works out well.” He continued, sounding almost helpful, even though he was being anything but.

“But don’t worry your delicate little head. He’s not one of mine.” He assured the man. Roman still didn’t know what any of this had to do with him, or why Duriel was sitting at his table and he gestured for him to go on and state just what he wanted. He had a feeling where this was headed, which suddenly made sense of the unfortunate trader’s claim that they worked together. He needed good will.

There was a snort and a guffaw from the direction of the grunt at the door when Duriel finally got to the point of the matter and Roman’ lips twitched upward for a moment in shared amusement. He looked at his rotund gatekeeper for a moment before turning his gaze back on the guest at his table.

“And you came to me for advice. I’m flattered, very flattered…” Roman said, sounding cheerful, even though he knew full well what the other Hayllian was after.
“Have you tried saying pretty please?” He asked dryly. “Perhaps offer them some lip service? Doran is pretty whipped, I don’t think he’s getting enough at home.” He suggested rather crudely.
“Don’t waste my time playing coy Duriel,” The warlord continued before the little man could retaliate in any way shape or form, and he did not sound light-hearted anymore either.

“Give me one good reason why I should help you, instead of breed some more goodwill and deliver your hide to Doran Ellows?”

[Duriel]

Duriel sipped the wine, he could at least appreciate that while he was insulted and treated like dirt. Perhaps this would end up being his last drink before Doran caught up with him. It was possible, Roman didn’t exactly seem to be in the helpful mood, and his new power had gone to his head. He had always been a bastard, sure but at least he would have helped a man out, especially a fellow Hyallian! Their numbers were running a bit thin on the ground, surely there had to be some sort of racial allegiance to make sure they didn’t go extinct? He was really clutching straws now…It wasn’t a good sign.

“Yeah, well he ripped me off when we had a deal, if I let everyone walk over me every single time I’d be dying of starvation in some gutter. It’s only fair that I got my share, it’s just too bad that he didn’t see it like that.” Duriel explained, still holding the glass of wine. Sometimes you had to take risks, sometimes those risks didn’t pay off and this was one of those times. However you couldn’t go through life letting everyone walk all over you, Duriel knew that more than most. If someone could get away with something then they bloody well would, no matter how nicely you asked or how many agreements you made. In the end you just had to do what you thought was right at the time and hope you could run fast enough not to get caught when the dickheads clued in.

Only for the hope of acquiring some help did Duriel allow the insults to pass, remaining alive was the most important thing on his agenda at that moment. The fact that Doran turned out not to be one of Roman’s lackeys gave Duriel a surge of hope, maybe there was a chance however minute that the other Warlord might render some assistance if it didn’t actually affect someone working for him. It was probably a pointless thing to hope for really.

Duriel watched Roman with a blank look, trying not to be annoyed by the flippant attitude of the Warlord and doing his best to keep his temper under control. He was here for help, not to start another conflict with someone even more powerful that Doran. Yes, wasn’t he hilarious, sharing looks with his rotund servant and giggling, making crude jokes. Roman was a pompous arse but he needed his help.

“I was hoping you’d help out of the goodness of your little black heart.” Duriel remarked dryly, placing the glass back on the table and now wondering if it was to really be his last drink. “On the other hand I have some deals with Doran’s own contacts. You get him of my tail, I’ll hand them over. You can cut out the middle man and make a bigger profit.” Duriel gave him a moment before continuing, “And before you ask why I don’t exploit it myself it’s because I’m a trader and I want the hell away from this city. Managing a bunch of halfwits, isn’t my thing.”

[Roman]

Roman just shook his head slightly and sighed, almost like a disappointed parent. The fact that Duriel wasn’t dying in a gutter somewhere was really the only surprising part of the small man’s complaint. Getting ripped off by Doran was a given, it was as common as shaking hands had once been. Duriel ripping someone off wasn’t a surprise either… Somehow it suited the little rat bastard.

He repaid Duriel’s blank look with one of his own when the warlord mentioned his terms. Kindness wasn’t something Roman dealt in very often, and for someone to expect it was a little foreign and he rather hoped the other Hayllian was joking.

Doran’s contacts were of little meaning to Roman. The man had many and only a few were relevant to his interests. He didn’t have enough faith in random chance to assume the Darkness had blessed Duriel with knowing exactly those few of Doran’s contacts that he would have an interest in.
“Getting Doran’s contact on my side isn’t something I need you for.” He enlightened Duriel with a shrug. “I’m not a trader, I don’t see why I should be interested in them…” He added, leaving a pause for Duriel to interject with some enlightening information to make him care. Not that he was really expecting that to happen.

That wasn’t to say he didn’t wish to help Duriel. The man was a trader, he had contacts throughout Terreille, there were reasons for keeping him alive. He just hadn’t quite worked out the exact reasons why he would need Duriel yet. There were plenty of people he could turn to, but if Duriel owed him… he’d be stupid to pass up the opportunity presented to him. It was the only way of moving forward in life, by exploiting opportunities.

“And if not Hayll, then where do you think to be doing business, in the unlikely event Doran doesn’t tan your hide to make a belt out of you?” He asked, sounding remarkably like he was humoring a man about to walk to his execution.

[Duriel]

This meeting wasn’t going very well. Duriel had imagined the whole thing to take a very different format, though that was before he found out that Roman had moved up in the world. As soon as he walked into the room and saw the servants he should have just turned around and walked out. He might have still ended up dead in a gutter somewhere but at least he wasn’t going to be humiliated but some overgrown, egotistical twat who now seemed to have the impression that he was Queen of his own little Court. The more they spoke, the less likely it seemed that anything was going to work in his favour.

“Then you can sell the contacts on to someone else; delegate them to one of your minions.” Duriel elaborated with a vague gesture. He couldn’t care less about what Roman did with them, just as long as he took them as payment for rendering assistance, he really didn’t have much else to give. “He knows a good deal of people, he’s the only importer of Saffron too, and it’s worth its weight in gold.” If he couldn’t sell this, then what else did he have to offer? Maybe he should have brought that camel from the Pruis lot; maybe Roman would have liked a camel.

“Darkness knows.” Duriel responded with a shrug, “I go where ever I feel the need or where I hear there’s business.” Maybe there was something he could head off with and sell for Roman then? He had no idea, the man’s motivations were a mystery to him and he was not sure what else he could really offer beside his services as a trader. “Though I’m happy to go somewhere specific if you need something sold.” As long as it wasn’t a desert, or somewhere with snow? Hell, he’d go anywhere if it meant that he didn’t have to die the next time he came through Hayll.

[Roman]

“I’m not interested in Saffron, or Doran’s contacts.” He dismissed Duriel’s plan to let him have the contacts of Doran. He had no interest in Saffron or anything the guys like Duriel peddled on a regular basis. There were easier ways to make money that involved less risk and work. The trading business was far too fickle for his liking, Rot was something you could count on to always scare people, that was what made him money.

He drew in a slow breath and took a sip of his drink before thoughtfully putting the glass back on the table. He heard Duriel out about his travelling plans and smiled a little at the man’s eagerness to please all of a sudden. Such a cooperative man when he needed something from you.

“Doran is more useful to me as he is, contact and all.” Roman decided with a slow nod. “But,” He added with a slight shrug. “I could get him off of your back, make sure he doesn’t kill you. Out of the kindness of my heart.” He mused sardonically and finished his drink on one big gulp.

“You’ll owe me.” He pointed out right away, making sure the Hayllian knew there was no such thing as charity and no kindness of his heart… or rather, this was as kind as he was going to get for the little man.
“And you can surely find a reason to go to Raej sometime in the near future, right?” He asked, without actually asking. If he couldn’t find a reason to go to Raej, then perhaps Roman couldn’t find a reason to have a chat with Doran about their mutual friend.

[Duriel]

Duriel huffed quietly, so easily was his original offer completely dismissed; he would have thought the contracts might have been worth something at least. Maybe not worth saving his life, sure but at least worth opening a dialog about further ways that Roman could make money out of the whole situation. The worse thing being that even if Roman didn’t want the contacts, now he knew about them he was probably going to take them, no matter what the outcome. That was the annoying thing about trading things; it was almost like playing cards. Once someone had seen your cards then there was no chance they’d forget them, especially someone like Roman.

The waiting was not helping either. Roman was a dick, purposely dragging the whole thing out to make it even worse on him, when all he really had to say was yes or no. It was really that simple. At least it seemed that his travel plans hit the right spot, which was something at least. Traveling around to certain places was never going to bother him much and he couldn’t really imagine how Roman could screw that up for him. Though Duriel had met men like Roman more times than he cared to remember, just because he couldn’t think of something right now didn’t meant that Roman hadn’t. Undoubtedly he would have something up his sleeve, something not very nice, that’s how it always worked out.

“I never said you have to kill him.” Duriel pointed out, all he wanted was not be killed himself, everything else was negotiable. “Heh, out of the kindness of your heart hey? Well as long as I don’t end up dead then I’ll be greatly obliged if you could work it out with him.” Shock and horror they were actually working toward a deal, though Duriel wasn’t sure he wanted to know the conditions, he probably wasn’t going to like them.

“Raej, sure. I spent a few days there not long ago.” Duriel shrugged, not the most enjoyable place to go visit but it was not the worst thing he had encountered. Though of course it depended what Roman wanted him to do there, that was probably going to be the problem. “You have any idea what you’d want in Raej?”