Connie
*Likewise holding a poster in his hand, Captain Jones looked around the Tavern room. The Captain, dressed in his normal captain's suit, spotted the gathered individuals talking. A motley crew, but surely skilled enough. He checked that he had remembered bolts for his hand crossbow, and walked up to the gathered crowd. He had gotten bored and it would be a few more days before the Thunderhead could put to sea. An expedition into the swamp certainly was the kind of adventure he needed to get his blood flowing while they fixed his ship. As he sat down nearby, he said,* "Aye, so at least I won't be having to face the swamp alone now. I'm Captain Jones of the *Thunderhead.* I figured I may as well go on a quick adventure into the swamp while she's under repair. So what's the current situation, I know a missing person, but have ye been told any more than that yet, I'd rather not go in blind."

*He leaned back as he spoke, fiddling with a compass. He didn't seem to mind the potental danger, in fact his several scars stood testament to the fact that he lived a dangerous lifestyle. While he appeared layed back, he was sizing up who they were dealing with. None looked like warriors, although he guessed from their apperance, at least two of them were acustomed to violence and killing. He really hoped that should it come to a straight fight, that he wouldn't have to be facing whatever it was alone while they all ran for the nearest shadow. But other than that and subtly checking his coinpurse was still there, he was relaxed about the whole endeavor.* "Surely you have some lead as to where the poor bloke's wound up."
Dwain
She didn't appear bothered by his opinion of her, nor decided to rebuttal the insult to her intellect for a joke that worked on lesser minds. Though he was proving many stories of himself correct for being as equally sharp tongued as he was on guard. Good, this would mean Shy was in good hands and the money she was going to pay him was worth it. Despite his demeanor, there is an inkling of respect for the way he conducted himself. She did loathe when another decided whether what she stated was true or not, but let this slide for the sake of business. Her expression remained neutral with him without giving away these thoughts however as the lass propped her elbows on the table and glanced his way. **"If it pleases you. Your business is yours and mine is mine. We never have to see each again after this, but that root will exchange hands whether you plan to do so or she follows you to me. That is the end of it."**

For the reward money she made no gesture or desire for any of it. It was information that kept her at the table while waiting for the individual that was going to provide the details. The Tiefling hadn't expected another in similar attire to settle down beside Shy. Lifting the mug of mead again, a smile was hidden for the show she knew was about to unfold, but listened and watched the others intently. For the new lass, Zelyvia knew when she was being appraised for her danger level from too long on the streets. She didn't bother to react to this in any capacity outside of leaning back in her seat while she returned the gesture in kind. Unlike the very verbal Rylkyn, the lass kept her mouth shut. Any identifiable features that could place her near any crimes of any type was why she hid herself. Giving the stranger the benefit of the doubt for now but made a note to ask around later if she could discover a single hint of the lass from her network.
_ _

She placed the nearly empty mug down in front of her while finally answering Faelyth's question on her own behalf. **"You'll probably find pieces or something to identify him, nothing more. Luckily I'm not a part of this expedition I'm afraid, so I'll leave it to you thr."** That's when the new lad sat down at the table too. Lose a pair and gain a pair, perhaps fortune smiled today. **"Four."** She grinned some while lowering her head so nobody could see the expression on her features before shaking her head. **"There's little by way of information as to whom it is so much as the individual looking for them instead. As this doesn't deal with anyone important to my knowledge I haven't delved into it."**

Lifting the mug back off the table, the lass only offered her work name as she had everyone else here. Her own name wasn't of importance in any capacity, but it always felt safer hiding behind a persona. **"You may call me Indiscis."**
Matthew
Listening to Rylk and Indicis converse went about as well as the elf had thought it would while settling Bramble back into her pocket. There was no way in hell she was going to argue about any of this, lifting the bag back into her lap, the word *Middle man* Used to describe her did make the elf roll her eyes. *This is going to be one of **Those** Days.* Fishing through the bag in her lap, the lass withdrew a small vial and chugged the tonic's contents to stop the headache that was forming already. They argue like siblings and just met. Her money was on that they might either kill each other if the Tiefling didn't have a prior engagement to this. A visible shudder given from the other thought that crossed her mind coupled with the bitter flavor of the potion.

While replacing the vial in the bag Shy froze when she suddenly felt someone's breath on her face. The mocha elf gazes directly into the Heterochromatic gold and blue eye of the lass next to her. Light grey eyes slightly mesmerized by the rare trait of the lass as a whole, it took her a second before her cheeks dusted a faint shade of pink from embarrassment before quickly looking away. Occasionally glazing back her direction hoping it wasn't the tattoos she was trying to verify. After a few seconds and after Rylk confirmed that they were already discussing pay, she grinned a bit nervously while nodding encouragingly. **"An even split, though I'll take a bit less as I'd prefer to do so for the family as a whole instead of the gold. So I don't mind pooling some of mine into what's left for the two of you. I'm not exactly eager to fight, but will do what is necessary if there aren't any more options available to me. As such it's only fair to offer more to those who will earn their keep, I'm here to mend should anyone require it."**
_ _

It took a lot more than a few seconds for her to recognize the smirk beneath the mask as flirtatious when she noticed the blue snake instead. Her nervous demeanor shifted to one of curiosity for the creature as she canted her head a bit to the side, Shy's hands cupping the small rabbit beneath the cloak out of habit when she felt him tremble in fear. **"Shynoata. The pleasure is mine Faelyth."** Unlike Rylk, she didn't mind the lass's attire considering she too tended to hide her features for her own reasons. Instead gushing a bit over the snake since did actually have some of the venom from one back home, but the species escaped her at the moment. **"What species is he? I've only seen one and know they're poisonous from the markings across their scales. Is he docile? Wh."** Recognizing she was ranting, she took a deep breath. **"My apologies, he's beautiful."** She held out her hand for the lass to shake if she was so inclined, despite her awkwardness it was a bit firmer and more assured than she appeared. If not, awkwardly lowering her hand back into her lap while fidgeting with her thumbs.

Her gaze shifted to the floor when she pointed out a body with the other two, hoping for the family's sake it wasn't the case. Shy didn't meet any of their gazes again for a moment, nodding and waving for the new gentleman before clutching her bag tight across her chest. The thought of someone else losing someone dear to their heart was obviously bothering her.
Joshua
**"Unless you intend on removing it yourself, I won't be removing a single piece of clothing."** Faelyth's eyes noticeably stayed glued to Shy's, not so much as offering the fellow dark elf so much as a glance. Listening intently to the elf ramble about her beloved snake, Zafeiri, Fae reached for Shy's hand as she extended it, and allowed her snake to slither from her own arm to the elf's before her. **"A sapphire viper, from the gemstone viper family. And yes to your question, she is indeed docile. Well, when I want her to be of course."** Faelyth's eyes grew a bit lazy from the conversation going on around her, and once Zafeiri was completely off of her arm and onto Shy's, she pulled away, leaving Shy to her own devices with her very venomous pet snake. Zafeiri on the other hand made her way around Shy's neck, and simply rested there just like she did when resting on Faelyth, her tongue flicking out to tickle Shy's neck and cheek, if only to get a good smell of her. She probably had interest in the rabbit, but unless told otherwise, she'd stay put.
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Turning her eyes to the newcomer, Faelyth gave the obvious pirate a quick up and down before rolling her eyes a bit, a snarky comment snaking its way out of her lips toward Captain Jones, **"Aren't pirates best on their ship, Captain Thunderhead? Or Jones, was it?"** Faelyth's yellow and blue eyes rested lazily in her skull, not particularly interested in anyone here other than Shy, and that was only because she honed in on how vulnerable the poor elf was to being toyed with; Fae's favorite method of entertainment. Honing back in on the mocha skinned elf, Faelyth rested her chin onto a palm, her eyes dancing between Shy's once more, though her words were aimed elsewhere, **"You have awfully pretty colors for a tiefling, though I don't think I can get you to blush as quickly as I did with this one, can I?"** If only to get under Shy's skin more, Faelyth began to allow a small magical trick to play within her eyes.
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Almost as if a small storm formed in her yellow eye, lightning began to crackle and pop, though no sound was heard. In her other, it almost looked like a snowglobe as small white dots danced around like snow. *Oh this was going to be fun, one way or another.* **"Yeah we can make all the stops you want to, big man."** Faelyth was rather dismissive of Rylkyn, which was a bit strange given they shared a race and most likely both faced the same amount of bigotry as the dark elves usually do. No, there was definitely an ulterior motive to Faelyth's actions, and as shady as she was, Fae hadn't offered up too much in terms of information about herself. After all, she had refused to remove her mask at his request. Finally, Faelyth's words were directed at Shy once more, almost cutting off any other conversation that was thrown her way should there be any.
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**"You like animals, hm? I have a faequus outside if you wish to meet her. Its been quite some time since I've taken an elf for a ride."** Her eyes continued to dance, but as she looked away to allow Shy a moment to breathe and take in the snake around her neck and flirtatious dark elf in her face, Faelyth's expression became much more dull. Her eyes returned to normal, and sensing the tiefling was close with the elf, she offered nothing more than a wink Indicus's direction.
Richard
It only took a few words, but the absolute feeling of this dark elf set off every single warning bell in Rylkyn's head. He had grown up in the slums, he had seen predatory people seek out the young, the naïve, and the vulnerable before. And this one was absolutely a predator. Under normal circumstances, Rylk had at least one degree of separation to rationalize not getting involved. However, this one was staring him right in the face. This Shy absolutely had good intentions, her tiefling friend was dodgy but ultimately seemed to have a use for the material she requested in some capacity that wouldn't threaten him, plus she could take a jab as well as she could give one. Captain Jones, while appearing to want to go for nothing more than the thrill, wasn't the oddest reason he'd see someone want to go into the swamps. Those, he could live with. But, this one exhibited some of the most classic predator behavior he'd ever seen. From scammers, to murderers, to the most loathsome, the behavior wasn't hard to pick out if you knew the tells or just listened to your gut. Intense focus on a single person, check. Keeping others around them at bay to make them feel isolated, check. Putting them in an uncomfortable situation so they could alter the power dynamic in their favor, check. Despite the more survivalist of his brain saying that this was not his problem right now, it absolutely was going to become his problem once they hit the swamp, and his conscience couldn't let him in good faith let this dark elf anywhere near them. He'd been jabbing before, more out of habit and irritation at his hangover than anything else, but now it was time to put his foot down.
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"Alright, let me just make the air nice and clear here. This job felt weird when the poison got involved, that's fine I can work with that. The missing person case is added risk, but whatever I can still mitigate that. But, I'm not an intelligent elf, I don't particularly like underhandedness or ulterior motives. So, here's what I think right now. Shy, you obviously are doing this for genuine reasons. Almost all of the ingredients you listed off are healing additives and you at least believe there's someone alive out there. That last one's a bit optimistic, but I can respect it. You, Indiscis, I don't know why you want to poison, but I can take some guesses. While I may not be wholly on board with you, the healing herbs you're bankrolling at least have a second order benefit. Captain Jones, yes it will be an adventure, I can't promise it will be the most exciting because I do not like to play games with the Blackwater but weird things happen in there and I can guarantee you will at least leave with a story or two. But you" He explicitly pointed to Faelyth as he said this, "I have seen predatory behavior before, I've learned to pick up on when someone has malicious ulterior motives. You probably have too, since people like us tend to come from the same place. It's been maybe a minute and you've already thrown up so many red flags that I could make a carpet out of them. These two," Gesturing towards Shy and Captain Jones, "I'd guide through the Blackwater without many complaints. Hell, I might even take Indiscis on a good day. But you, are a predator. I will take you to your herbs, Shy. You will have an adventure, Captain Jones. We can even look for the missing person along the way. But, I cannot in good faith let anyone go into the Blackwater with her."
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Placing his hat back on his head, whatever jabs or idiosyncrasies he'd shown up until this point vanished. He sat bolt upright, his focus jumping from Faelyth, to the snake, and back again. Being a fellow animal lover, he knew at least which serpents were particularly venomous and didn't want to let it get a drop on anyone at the table. Whatever haze he had felt from the night before suddenly drained into stark sobriety, actually appearing every bit the consummate professional his reputation said he was.