Caught!

[20:26]C'kayah Polaali: The house stood, a stone block in the cool shade of the hollow. The air was still in the heat of midday, and a strange and not entirely pleasant smell greeted the noses of the pair who approached the door. 'Knock once', the voice on the linkpearl had said, 'pause five heartbeats, then knock three times, then pause ten heartbeats, and then knock once again. The door will open for you.'
[20:29]Zazanther Rerenther [Kakase] listened to the intstructions while trying to ignore the odd smell comming from the building. To be honest, Little Ala Mhigo had its own odd smell so the building almost fit right in. Still, she was nervous a bit going forward but didn't let it show. She followed the instructions with the knocks and pauses and waited for the door to open.
[20:30]C'kayah Polaali: There was a muffled click, and the door swung open by a hand's breadth. No light shone from inside, but the unpleasant scent grew stronger, coming from inside. It smelled like a kitchen that hadn't been cleaned in the heat of summer.
[20:31]Zazanther Rerenther motions to her guard to follow and both enter the house.
[20:33]C'kayah Polaali: They entered into a large room, the air thick with corruption. Light shone from the few small windows, showing the room to be richly appointed, but otherwise empty. No one had opened the door for them, and no one stood in the room to welcome them.
[20:35]Zazanther Rerenther [Kakase] could feel the corruption in the air and it unsettled her some. That and the fact that there was no one there. Probably a spell was placed on the door to allow it to only open when the appopperate knock was done. She wondered what would happen if the wrong one was done but decided not to dwell on it. "Hello? I have your supplies for the week." she said.
[20:37]C'kayah Polaali: Something skittered from deeper in the house, an unsettling sound like tiny claws upon stone. Kakase's guard looked around, frowning, and loosened her sword in its scabbard. "Something doesn't feel right", she muttered, half to herself.
[20:40]Zazanther Rerenther [Kakase] nods. "I know but I've promised them their supplies and as a trader I won't back out of it even under the current conditions. I just wonder what this place is...but best not to ask that type of question if I want to keep this delivery job."
[20:41]C'kayah Polaali: "You do what you need to do", she said, frowning. "Just be careful."
[20:43]Zazanther Rerenther [Kakase] was unsure what to do. Should she procceed forward or wait for their host, whoever it mgiht be, to meet with them. She taps her pearl. "What do you want me to do now?"
[20:45]C'kayah Polaali: "What do you want me to do now?" She spoke the words into her pearl, but she was rewarded with only silence over which could be heard a tiny pattering deeper in the house.
[20:48]Zazanther Rerenther [Kakase] is now pondering what to do. If anything, she could always just leave the bag on the groud and trust her payment would show up at some point in the week. She did not like the feeling of this place but started to step forward some, hopping that maybe someone will show.
[20:49]C'kayah Polaali: Kakase moved deeper into the house, the strong scent of corruption troubling in the air. To her right she could see some sort of common area, but it was in disarray, with large lumpy sacks strewn on the floor, impossible to make out in the darkness.
[20:56]Zazanther Rerenther [Kakase] still could not see anyone around, the building mostly dark though her eyes were now adjusting to the low light of the area and oculd make out a room to her right but the contents impossible to tell still. She really wished there was more instructions for her. She stepped forward some more, fighing the scent of corruption as it got stronger and nodded for her guard to follow just to be safe.
[20:57]C'kayah Polaali: She followed the little Lalafel, her frown deepening as she peered to the right into the room. The sacks. There was something about them. As her eyes adjusted, she blinked, taking a step towards them. "Bodies", she whispered.
[21:00]Zazanther Rerenther [Kakase] nods. She could smell it now, her training to hone on her senses picking the scent up. "Just...what is going on with these people? Best not to know.", though in her mind she did have a good idea. "I wonder if we should just leave the sack and leave if we can."
[21:01]C'kayah Polaali nodded, looking back at the door. "Boss, I think that would be a good idea."
[21:03]Hawk Okhota: The door suddenly swung open even more, a figure casting a long shadow along the floor, some bit of the light. Green eyes scanned the two pairs before her, blinking "Halt! In the name of the Brass blades! Drop all weapons!" she declared.
[21:07]Zazanther Rerenther [Kakase] cursed a little...she could of sworn the Blades were warned about her activities in dealing with this mage cell. Informed by the Sister branch she was a part of. Thankfully she really didn't have any weapons, save for her harmless looking book. She could still cast spells but their potency would be lessened without a proper focus, cept for the jewel on her forehead which she had been trying to find a way to use as one. Still, for now she complied with raised hands and an annoyed ---
[21:07]Zazanther Rerenther look on her face.
[21:10]C'kayah Polaali: The guard's hand strayed to her sword, until she saw Kakase raise her hand and turn around. She had been assigned to protect the Lalafel, but that didn't include killing Brass Blades in cold blood. She turned, unbuckling her sword belt and setting it on the ground before she raised her own hands.
[21:12]Hawk Okhota marched furthur in, green eyes looking at the two very much so intensely. She got close, using her foot to slide the blade away from the guard. "What business do you have here?" she asked sternly as she glanced about. Bodies, the stench didn't even seem to bother the woman. She walks over to a body, lowering herself to inspect it.
[21:15]Zazanther Rerenther [Kakase] also had a few questions for her too but the one that came to mind came out first. "Well...I'd like to know how you got past the door unless you knew already. Still...I'm here on business."
[21:16]C'kayah Polaali just watched the new arrival, biding her time. It was good to be underestimated, after all. Or, at least, as much as an armored Ala Mhigan sellsword could be underestimated.
[21:17]Hawk Okhota: "*Business*. It's what they all say." she murmured, her gloved finger poking at the deadbody nearby. "Hm. Interesting." she murmured to herself as she stood up straight. "Where is my damned maggot? She better be here soon." she muttered before she looked to the little lalafell. "The door was open, darling. Anyone could stroll right on in. What sort of business are you on?"
[21:21]Zazanther Rerenther [Kakase] was worried that the mages might have this place...bugged...with listening magic and thus didn't want to blow her cover here. "Well...offical and to be honest as a simple trader I had hopped the Blades were paid off enough to let me work quietly." She knew the Sister branch had to pay the Blades to look away though she now wondered if not all got the memo or didn't care. She didn't want this parnership with the mages to end this fast. Even the last guy lasted longer then this. --
[21:22]Zazanther Rerenther she wondered if the Blades were keeping a closer eye now that they had captured the previous supplier. She still cursed her luck for now and hopped it could all be sorted out and fast.
[21:25]Hawk Okhota tightened her lips, staring at the lalafell. "A trader, hm?" she asked as she looked to the newcomer. "Oi, Maggot. Search them and their belongings. Take anything that looks suspicious. This is declared as a crime scene."
[21:28]Zazanther Rerenther [Kakase] with her hands still up made a few...movements with her fingers causing the contents of the bag to be switched with another placed away from the building just incase something went wrong. Her clients would still get what they needed. The moments would of ment nothin to the Blades.
[21:42]C'kayah Polaali: The Brass Blade entered the house, wrinkling her nose at the smell. The inspector was here already, dominating the room as she glared at the merchant and her bodyguard. She clanked over to the pair, starting with the big one. She was an Ala Mhigan, rough and muscular, but she carried nothing out of the ordinary. The little Lalafel, on the other hand. "A linkpearl", she said, holding up the item. "And a bag of some sort of... potion?"
[21:43]Hawk Okhota: "Anyways..." she murmured as she looked to the pair, placing her hands on her hips. "We got a call about this location. I show up... and I find you two here, nosin' about. Tell me, what does picture say? A picture is worth a thousand words afterall." she said before she turned to her minion. "Throughly search the little one. Then search the surrounding area for anything suspicious." she murmured before she moved her glaring eyes to lalafell.
[21:44]Hawk Okhota: "Anything suspicious that is not the dead bodies over here at least." she murmured, jerking her thumbs over her shoulder.
[21:48]F'yuha Bearsmaul [The Brass Blade] followed the inspector's eyes as soon as she was about to get handsy with the Lalafell, freezing in place and recoiling.  "Oh, Thal's b-  ... *hurk!*"  she quietly suppressed a retch.   She went to pat the Lalafell down while listening to her inspector rattle off about the situation, keeping mostly silent with a scowl painted on her face, permanently dimpling her jaw, the only part of her face not covered.  "Up with yer arms, please..."
[21:50]C'kayah Polaali blinked, listening to Kakase talk. Was she really going to play the "but we give you payola" card? She bit her lip, watching the armored Blade pat down her boss. "I was just hired to protect her for this job", she muttered.
[21:53]Hawk Okhota: "Yes, coin does usually give you what you want... But I'm afraid I have no choice but to uphold my *duty* when I get a call about a location with many dead bodies. And I find you two... Well that only raises questions." she purred, grinning as she turned back to the dead bodies. "Potions, you said? All of them appeared to have been poisoned." she observed, her green hues scanning along the bodies before she prods the nearest one with gloved finger.
[21:54]C'kayah Polaali: A cloud of flies took to the air as she prodded the body. In a hot climate like this, it didn't take long before the dead began to decay.
[21:55]Zazanther Rerenther [Kakase] shrugs. "The bodies are just as much of a mystrory to me as to you."
[21:59]Hawk Okhota seemed to not be bothered by the decaying or the flies. "Come closer, little one. Perhaps you can help me figure out this *mystery*." she says with a smirk before she glanced over her shoulder. "Oi, look for anything that resembles potions around here. Take them all and put them into a bag. We'll have to do some testing. I'll be taking samples from the bodies." she ordered.
[22:00]F'yuha Bearsmaul nods to Hawk Okhota.
[22:01]Zazanther Rerenther [Kakase] had no choice but to obay for the time being. She just hopped the real things were safe and able to be delivered to...them later. "Fine...what do you want me to do?"
[22:04]Hawk Okhota: "Does the becaying bodies not bother you?" she asked, her eyes staring at the lalafell as she prodded then shook the body, the flies surrounding the two. She then took out a empty bottle and a sharp scalpel. She took the sharp edge, sinking it into body's flesh, slicing a sliver of the decaying flesh. She puts the knife bac before taking out tweezers, picking up the flesh and dropping it into the vial.
[22:04]Hawk Okhota: decaying* I kan sperl))
[22:06]Zazanther Rerenther [Kakase] gives a small nod. "Some. To be honest it did take me a while to notice. I'm no stranger to odd smells..."
[22:09]Hawk Okhota raised her eyebrow before nodding. "I see." she murmured, closing the top of the vial to encase the small cut of the flesh. She then takes out a small notepad and a pencil. "Tell me what's your name and where I can conctact you if I have any other questions." she said, smiling.
[22:09]F'yuha Bearsmaul rifled through the bag searching for potions, tucking anything simple and clean into a small satchel by her side, presumably brought for evidence.  "Gods, what samples can ye take from that?"  the Blade cursed under her breath.
[22:10]F'yuha Bearsmaul: || Anything broken, first went into a burlap wrap.
[22:11]Zazanther Rerenther {Kakase] sighs. To be honest...finding her soon to contact will be...fun soon. "Names Kakase Kase and..." reaching into a pocket and pulling out a piece of paper with contact info of the Sister branch, "this is how you can conctact me."