<div class="floatright">(http://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/7/7d/Doc21.jpg)</div><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Dylan Silverheart</strong></span>(http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=190719.msg9238263#msg9238263)<br/>(Stats) (http://plothook.net/RPG/profiler/view.php?id=13032)<br/><hr/><br/>"I thought you people were supposed to be jolly!"<br/><br/>The yell was a little less intimidating than it could have been. Dylan couldn't rightly bring his height to bear, as he was currently lying on his back in a garbage strewn alley with an extra-large boot on his chest. The target of his shout stood nearly six feet tall, if you bothered to count the three foot stool upon which he was perched. Delanius Thrack never went anywhere without his two burly bodyguards and his speaking stool. He was possibly the meanest gnome in Skyport, though not the brightest by a long shot. That deficiency didn't seem much of an advantage to Dylan in his current position.<br/><br/>"Time's up, Silverheart.  You got any last words?"<br/><br/>This deep into the Wrecks there wasn't much chance of friendly patrol wandering by. Not that Dylan could afford the bribe to spur them into action even if they did. He still had the tools of his trade, but precious little else. It was why the appointment with the Heuras Prospecting Company was so important. An appointment that he was now missing thanks to this little bit of unsettled business. For such a thriving metropolis, Skyport sometimes felt pretty damn small.<br/><br/>"The bag at my belt, the gray one. There's over two thousand gold worth of emeralds in there. It's less than I owe you, but it's a start, and there's more where that came from. Give me another two weeks -- I've got a big job coming up. Honest."<br/><br/>The brute who was not currently serving as a Dylan-weight, at a nod from his boss, bent and removed the pouch from Dylan's belt. The two bigger men gathered around it as the gnome cut open the strings. The explosion was sudden, deafening, and accompanied by enough sneezing powder to drop an ox. Which was just about enough to disable the hired meat. One was obliging enough to stumble into Thrack's stool, pitching the gnome into a convenient pile of garbage. Dylan didn't pause to gloat. With a scramble and a jump he was over the fence at the end of the alley and onto the back of a passing milk wagon. Luck was with him again, if only barely.<br/><br/><em>Might be a good time to take a little trip to the surface,</em>Dylan mused.<br/><br/><hr/><br/>Long leather coat, smelling only slightly of garbage... another tincture would take the edge off of that, at least long enough to get through the corporate meeting. Alchemist's kit, shotgun, revolver, rapier at his side and all the rest of the tools of his trade. He'd buckle under the weight if it weren't for the enchanted braces, silver and rune-lined, that he wore on arms and legs. A disease-ridden childhood had rendered him a little less than able but had given him plenty of time to become addicted to books, his first love. Dylan finished checking himself in the haberdasher's mirror, ignoring the pointed glares of the salesman inside. Tall, slim, with dark hair and a thin black mustache. He flattered himself that he still wore the mantle of respectability, or could at least fake it well enough. With a tip of his lucky hat to the commissionless merchant Dylan turned and crossed the busy Skyport street, dodging the heavy commercial traffic. The headquarters of the Heuras Prospecting Company loomed over him.<br/><br/><hr/><br/>No point being subtle. Dylan pushed through the double doors into the meeting room ignoring the daggers being stared into his back by the steward who had shown him the way. The invitation was still good despite his tardiness, it seemed. The investigator scanned the room quickly, taking in the unfamiliar faces and ranking their owners by position and posture. It wasn't hard to tell who was in charge -- he recognized Lady Estelle Heurassein instantly, though he'd be surprised if she could return the favor. This was important indeed.<br/><br/>Of the rest he counted a trio of hired guns, coincidentally all knockouts. Dylan didn't have anything against working with women but there was only so much distraction a man could take. He'd seen chorus lines with worse gams. Then there was another elf in a chair off to the side. Judging by her lounging she was standing on the other side of the management / labor divide. An old man with a pile of papers that Dylan would have loved to get a look at. A kobold -- there was a little bit of a surprise. He'd hired them before, even bought one on occasion -- though he freed it later -- but had never had one as a teammate.<br/><br/>And lastly... Was that Eva? From the Red Herring? Now what were the odds of that? Seeing her brought back all kinds of memories, even a couple of sober ones. Take it from an old prospector -- some things ought to stay buried.<br/><br/>"Ladies!" Dylan announced himself as he swept his hat off his head and bowed low. "And the rest of you. I hope you haven't been waiting long? Seems there's more than one company interested in Dylan Silverheart this morning. Luckily my schedule's now clear to be here with all of you. I hope I haven't missed anything important?"<br/>