Thievery!

Setup: In this scene, Moira stole an extremely valuable item. In this scene (not online yet), she gave it to a guitarist at a festival, Glorifying Onyx, without his knowledge. At some point in between, she expressed her deep concern over the missing item to one of the monks, basically daring terrible things to happen to her, because she's got the thrillseeker nature. Now, a week or so later, she is relaxing in a tavern in the city.

Greyfalls: The Blackened Maw

Shady is probably the best adjective in Creation for this place. From the dark wood furniture, to the smoke and ale soaked air, to the dirty saw-dust covering the floor. And yet, it somehow feels this was made to be the effect on purpose. This place was designed to impress visitors in a certain way. When you look past it, you see the servers are very quick to respond, and all carry small knives in their belts. You notice the keen eyed guard near the stairs which lead upstairs, and you wonder how much you fail to notice.
The room is large, small round wooden tables strewn all around it, accomodation various people all through the day. It is rumored there is nothing you can't get for the right price in the Blackened Maw, if you know how to do it properly. A large bulky counter seperates the main hall from the small kitchens, a fat bartender leaning on it from inside. A small door seperates the main hall from the back room, and it seems it is monitored closely. Undoubtedly, whoever walks through that door must be someone who is allowed, or something bad will happen to him soon.

It is evening, and the Maw is relatively crowded. Moira is seated at one of the tables near the bar, a mug of beer near one hand. She appears to be listening to a friendly argument going on several tables over, though she occasionally looks to the door, warily.

Deep enters the bar, quiet out of place among the Maw's rough patrons. As he walks in, his eyes lock onto Moira and he slips through the crowd directly towards her table.

Moira sees Deep and looks away, quickly. She grabs her mug and heads to a table closer to the back door, trying to hide without -looking- like she's hiding.

-= OOC =- Moira says, "I'd roll for stealth but we kind of -want- Moira to be seen, so... ;)"
-= OOC =- Moira says, "Unless you want to, Deep?"
-= OOC =- Deep says, "You can do it if you want, although it'd be a pretty short scene if you won ;). I don't mind though."
-= OOC =- Moira says, "yeah, let's just assume Deep manages to see through her sneakiness ;)"
-= OOC =- Deep says, "Alright."

Deep following Moira's path, Deep moves to her second table and, with a bright smile on his face, seats himself across from her. "Ah, I was just looking for you. It occured to me we never had a chance to finish our previous conversation. I believe you were expressing your concern over the theft of a small object from the Temple."

Moira nods. "I was," she says, voice a little less steady than she'd prefer. "Has the small object been located? I would think it would have been sold quickly."

Deep continues smiling. "So was my belief as well, but to my great surprise it seems it was not. Fortunately, not all hope was lost, for it seems one of the local men of ill repute knew a lead to the fate of the object and with...sufficient persuasion he was kind enough to tell me."

Moira presses her lips together tightly for a moment. "It's good that the local men of that sort are kind to monks; it says good things for their souls, and their fate in the next life."

Deep steeples his fingers in front of him. "Indeed. Tell me, child. What thought have /you/ given to your next life?"

"Not a great deal," Moira admits, cheerfully. "Hopefully when I die, many years from now, there will be people to pray for me."

Deep nods. "A common enough sentiment. Still, it can never hurt to do small things along the way, can it?"

Moira shakes her head. "Oh, no, indeed not. When I can make time, I often go to the temple to meditate, hoping to refine my poor soul, such as it is."

Deep's smile hardens slightly, turning cold. "Indeed, is that so? I am glad to hear that you take such care of your future, it would be so sad if such a bright young child were to find her soul in jeopardy. I would hold myself responsible if I were unable to prevent such a misfortune."

Moira's hand shakes a bit, but she attempts to disguise it by wiping it on the leg of her trousers. "Greyfalls is fortunate to have monks who feel responsible for the welfare of all in the city," she offers, uneasily.

Deep leans forward slightly, leaning on the table lightly. "Indeed, my sense of responsibility is what has brought me here, you might say. Since the Temple in Greyfalls has been unfortunately unlucky in tracking down the stolen artifact by conventional means, I was forced to use...my own methods."

Moira attempts to look as innocent as possible. "How unfortunate that the Temple has had no luck. What methods could have brought you -here-, though?" She gestures to the dark, smoky room - and the men and women who have quietly left this particular corner.

Deep tilts his head. "So interested? I'm sure I could arrange to explain to you. The Temple is not so far from here, and I would be more than honored to show you."

Moira shakes her head, smiling. "The offer is most gracious, Brother, but my presence would surely not be appropriate among such spiritual things. Surely you have better things to do than to fill me in on the search for the artifact?"

Deep says, "I won't hear of it. It is my /duty/ to educate the people of the Realm in all ways, I would be remiss if I allowed you to remain ignorant. Please, I would be /hurt/ if you were to turn me down, surely you can spare a few minutes."

Moira nods. "All right," she agrees. "Perhaps tomorrow morning, around dawn?" She looks even more nervous now than she did before.

Deep leans in slightly closer. "Child, you have a choice. You can either stand up calmly and walk to the Temple with me, or I can bring you with me. Which would you prefer?"

Moira pushes her chair back. "I'll stand up calmly," she says, "but I have no intention of going to the Temple with you."

Deep stands facing Moira. "Then it seems we are at an impasse. Whatever do you suggest we do to remedy this situation?"

Moira stands as well, taking a single, small step backwards towards the back door. "I suggest you turn around and go out that door, and I'll turn around and go out this door, and you can tell whoever you report to that you didn't find anyone who knows anything. -I- certainly can't help you. If I knew where the cup was, I wouldn't have asked if you had found it!" She stops talking, abruptly.

Deep slides around the table. "This is the last time I will ask. Come to the Temple and convince me of your innocence and you will go free."

-= OOC =- ST says, "Alright, Moira has ahead for 2 suxx. Now, you both roll one roll every 'round', add the suxx to your imaginary counters, if Moira has 5 suxx of a gap, she escapes. If Deep equals her Suxx pool, she's caught. Pose and roll ahead."

With a fair amount of trouble, Moira has been restrained in a cleared-out room that appears to be a converted storage space. Deep has seated himself on a small wooden stool in front, facing Moira. "So, now you are here, and we can continue that...discussion we began. We were speaking of a cup, I believe?"

Deep sighs and leans forward, resting his chin on his hands and stares at Moira for a moment. "You seem to insist on making this difficult, I do not understand why."

"That's what my father used to say," Moira muses. "Maybe I just don't want to help you."

Deep frowns. "And here I thought you were being so sincere in the bar when you expressed your happiness in aiding the Order. Really, these are trying times we live in."

Moira sighs. "You won't believe anything I say; I'm not getting out of here alive; why should I make it easy for you?"

Deep stands fluidly and begins pacing back and forth slowly. "Really, you seem determined to make things hard on yourself." He shrugs, "Yes, some perhaps would take the attitude that you should be killed, and let the Dragons sort matters out, but were I to do so I would be derelict in my duties. To let you face reincarnation when you are so far from enlightenment would do nothing to aid you, and I do only wish to help. But this cannot be a one-way process. You must convince me that you /can/ be enlightened."

Moira rolls her eyes. "If I convince you that I can be enlightened, then you'll kill me. No, thanks."

Deep pauses in his stride, then turns to face Moira. "You seem intent on regarding me as your enemy. If I must, I will turn to harsher methods to persuade you, but I would prefer it if we could avoid that."

Moira shrugs. "I'm not scared of you," she says, bravely, "and I don't want to be killed. Thus, I need to seem unenlightenable, right?"

Deep turns and walks over to a case in the corner, picking it up before turning back to face Moira, a smile on his face. "I would not want you to be scared of me, child, that would be at cross-purposes to your enlightenment. What's more, you /cannot/ seem unenlightenable to me, unless you claim to be one of the Anathema. All things which fall inside the Order may be brought closer to perfection, if one can simply find the right lever."

Moira looks up at the ceiling. "I won't talk to you unless you promise not to kill me when you're done."

Deep raises an eyebrow. "I cannot promise you indemnity, for you may yet have more crimes hidden beneath your surface that I do not know of, but if the worst of your crimes is the theft of a cup, I can promise that you will need to do worse before you warrant death. Death is a weapons of last resort child."

Moira starts humming an annoying song, staring up at the wooden beams above her.

Deep sighs again. "If you will insist on being stubborn I will have to become more forceful. Still, fear not, child, I have not yet given up on you. Despite your efforts, you may yet survive the night."

Moira raises her head and grins at Deep. "You forget, I can't tell you where the cup is, because I don't know anything about it."

-= OOC =- Deep says, "This is about to get messy."
-= OOC =- ST nods. "Duly noted. Shall we skim over the horrible bits?"
-= OOC =- Deep says, "That was my plan."
-= OOC =- Moira says, "yes, please."
-= OOC =- ST says, "Roll whatever manner of check you prefer."
-= OOC =- Deep says, "Alright them, let's see, Perception+Investigation+Specialty, channeling conviction if you don't mind."
-= OOC =- ST says, "All good. You can page a stunt to me if you wish."
-= OOC =- ST says, "Moira, you can man up to torture easy. :)"
-= OOC =- Moira says, "what do I roll against that?"
-= OOC =- ST says, "You don't need to, you just cope."
-= OOC =- ST says, "He failo."
-= OOC =- Moira says, "What would I roll to see if a taunt on Moira's part got under Deep's skin (so to speak)"
-= OOC =- ST says, "Ah, social counter-attacks? :)"
-= OOC =- Moira says, "yeah, but I don't know what to use."
-= OOC =- ST says, "Manip+...Soc, I think."

-= OOC =- ST says, "Okay, so."
-= OOC =- ST says, "Moira, Deep, you spend a certain chunk of time together, each of you attempting to (and failing to) influence the other, in your own special ways."
-= OOC =- ST says, "So, round 2! I'm running from the sea of my pants here, buuut... Declare your intentions towards the other for me?"
-= OOC =- Moira says, "More taunting! Continued lack of helpfulness!"
-= OOC =- Deep says, "Force Moira to tell everything she knows about the cup for now."
-= OOC =- ST says, "Okay, truth time: Deep can read minds. Do you ever THINK about the jade cup and what you did with it?"
-= OOC =- Moira says, "Probably, especially the more she has to come up with clever taunts."

Deep ceases his interrogation after a while. Despite having made little apparent progress, he seems satisfied. "That should do. I apologize for being forced to resort to such measures, I do hope you will reconsider your recalcitrant stance." Stepping outside the door for a brief moment, Deep calls over two acolytes, leaving them with orders to tend to Moira's injuries and see that she is fed and given water, but to make /sure/ she has no chance to escape.

Moira refuses the food, but accepts the water, and even thanks the acolytes who tend to her injuries. "Tell Deep he's an asshole for me, would you?" she asks one of them, smirking.

(We briefly show where Deep goes... and then...)
-= OOC =- ST says, "MEANWHILE"
-= OOC =- Moira says, "MEANWHILE, yes"
-= OOC =- ST says, "Moira, how shall you begin escaping?"
-= OOC =- Moira says, "I'm going to ask if the acolytes will let me lie down on the floor to sleep. And then I'll actually sleep, because being tortured is exhausting and painful. And then I'm going to try to wriggle out of the... ropes, I guess? when I wake up."
-= OOC =- ST nods. "Roll a dex+larceny vs. diff.... let's say 2."
-= OOC =- Moira says, "can I get restored willpower since I'm sleeping? Or at least a chance to roll for the same?"
-= OOC =- ST says, "You may indeed, roll conviction OR valor."
-= OOC =- ST says, "The valor is cause of the torture."

Moira squirms madly out of the ropes, doing her best to keep perfectly quiet. Once she's untied, she heads for the door, and sneaks out towards the main temple.

Moira looks around for Deep's torture tools, to see if she can use them to pick the lock.

Moira finishes picking the lock, stashes her new lockpicking talismans in a pocket, and begins to sneak sneakily across the courtyard(?), through the temple (bowing to the altar and to any meditating monks), and then out to the street.

Moira limps back to the laundry. Once there, she finds Ogron in his office as he's eating a late breakfast. "Okay, you were right that I probably should have skipped town," she says, ruefully, and then pulls out her new talismans. "But look what I got!"