Intriguing Conversations
"Holy cow!" Wanda exclaimed. "Blondie got some nice lines there!"
Nikolai smirked. He had initiated a telepathic link with Eden before the witch left to investigate the cleric. Joining Jasper, Wanda, Vincent and himself the telepath had formed a mental bridge between their minds and Eden's auditory senses, allowing them to listen to the conversation between the witch and the cleric.
Barring throwing quelling glares at the salacious asides and like commentaries from Wanda, Jasper and Vincent, the blonde man focused on listening in on Eden's conversation with the journeyman cleric in the inn's dining room.
"Did you try reading his mind?" Eden had asked him before engaging the man in question.
Nikolai had shook his head in reply to the question. The other man's mind is protected by a combination of spells and rigid concentration. He wasn't really surprised at the latter; magical training imparted a degree of resistance to psychic intrusion.
Having recalled the earlier conversation, Nikolai spared a measuring look at Jasper, wondering if the empath would be able to pierce the layers of protection that is currently shielding the cleric's mind.
"Eden's not without her advantages," Vincent commented sagely, agreeing with Wanda at the witch's skilful manipulation of the conversation.
"You don't say," Wanda retorted, rolling her eyes at the clairvoyant. "Tall, blond and educated, with a face that could launch a thousand ships. No, definitely not without advantages there." She paused, watching her brother move towards the door.
Nikolai followed her eye, catching Jasper in the act of putting his hand on the knob. "Where are you going?" he asked.
Jasper shrugged. "Walking around," he answered. "I'm bored."
"I'll go with you," Vincent offered, getting up from the bed where he was sitting. "I need to walk off the kinks from the saddle."
"Don't get into trouble," Nikolai said, waving them away. He knew it would have been futile trying to argue with Jasper. Having Vincent along should serve to mitigate any mishaps that may arise. He cocked his eyebrow at Wanda after the two men had left. "Are you feeling bored, too?"
"Are you kidding me?" Wanda asked, her eyes dancing. "Listening to Blondie is better than any episode of Scandal!"
Nikolai ignored the reference, knowing enough of Wanda's world that she was referring to one of the many entertainments available in the Prime Plane. "If you say so," he smiled.
"Besides," the brunette added off-hand, "The company isn't bad."
Nikolai stared for a moment at her, unsure of her actual meaning. Her face however, remainded guileless. He pondered that for a while and returned to listening to Eden telepathically. He shook his head, his smile hidden from Wanda, who had closed her eyes to better concentrate on the remote conversation happening downstairs.
Unknown seemingly to herself, Wanda has some nice lines too, Nikolai thought.
* * *
"This way," Vincent said, motioning Jasper towards the other end of the hallway. The two men moved towards the opposite of their point of arrival; taking the back stairs, near the back portion of the floor where their rooms were located.
"Is there a reason we're taking the back stairs?" Jasper had asked.
"I just wanted to check something out," had been Vincent's cryptic answer.
The two men were now walking towards the covered corral where their wagon and horses had been kept for the duration of their stay at the inn.
"I want you count how many horses, carriages and wagons you can see from your side," Vincent said softly as they were approaching the corral.
"Why?"
"Don't argue with me, just do it."
"I want to know why first."
"Trust me on this," Vincent whispered tersely.
Jasper just glared at the shorter man. The night remained quiet, save the whinnying of the horses nearby.
"Fine," Jasper relented, none too graciously.
"All right then," Vincent nodded in slight relief. The small twinge of wrongness that had been plaguing him since they had arrived had ben bothering him. He had chalked it up to fatigue from being on the road but even after good food and rest he still couldn't shake that feeling off.
They reached the door of the corral and pushed it open. The two stable hands attending to the many carriages and various wagons and carts looked up from they were sweeping.
"Sorry to bother you," Vincent smiled at the two men. "My sister left her purse in our wagon."
Jasper turned from his careful study of the right side of the corral's interior. "We're in rooms ten through twelve," he supplied helpfully.
The taller of the grooms motioned vaguely at the back of the corral. "At the back there."
"I see it," Vincent said, turning from his perusal of the corral's left interior.
The two men walked towards the back, Jasper in the lead. When they approached their wagon, Vincent opened the door to the wagons front even as he produced a small beaded bag from the inner pocket of his vest. Jasper stared at him, unsure of what is going on.
"I'll explain on the way back," Vincent said softly. He stilled and turned as the taller groom appeared from the front of the wagon. "Found it," he brandished the small purse jubilantly. Thanking the grooms, they hastily made their way back out.
Upon exit after a few metres away from the corral, Jasper grabbed Vincent's arm and stopped him. "Explain," he demanded.
Vincent frowned at Jasper's grip on his arm and nodded. "Fair enough," he nodded. "How many horses and carriages did you count?"
"What?" Jasper asked, seemingly confused at the rapid change of topic. "Ten horses, and three carts. Why?"
"Eight horses and two carriages from my side," Vincent countered by way of answering. "Not counting our wagon and five horses."
"Okaaay," Jasper nodded slowly, drawing the last syllable out. "I still don't follow."
"Think, Jasper!" Vincent hissed, pulling away roughly as he turned to walk back to the inn. "How many people does a cart carry on average?"
"Four," came the answer.
"How about a carriage?"
"Six."
"How many people staying at the inn does that make?"
Jasper did a quick calculation. "Around thirty-five?" he stopped walking after the clairvoyant as he started to understand what the other was implying. He started jogging after the shorter man, who had quickened his steps. "How many people did you count at the inn, Vincent?" he asked as he caught up to the other man.
"Fifty-two," came Vincent's answer.
"So potentially seventeen hostiles?" Jasper tried to confirm. "Is that what you're saying?"
"More or less," Vincent grinned.
"Of course," Jasper huffed in exasperation. "Wait, so what made you start thinking about all this?" he asked, sweeping his hand around at the last two words.
"I was lying in my bed, in my room earlier," Vincent started his explanation. He motioned for the other man to move back to the inn. "I was tired and I relaxed my vision. I saw that besides our rooms, only eight others were occupied."
"That doesn't necessarily mean anything," Jasper pointed out. "Some could be people from nearby villages."
"Thought about that," Vincent allowed Jasper his point. "Except for one thing."
"And that would be ... ?"
"Villagers and farmhands don't travel with a well-oiled weapons belt, fully armed with masterwork weapons."
"Those could be heirlooms?" Jasper said, knowing the argument was specious even as he uttered it.
"Ten villagers with duplicate heirloom weapons? Ten farmhands armed identically with a longsword and two daggers?" Vincent countered, his eyebrows raised in mock disbelief.
"Alright, I'll give you that," Jasper relented. "No need to get snarky about it." He paused, levelling a calculating stare at the clairvoyant. "So what's your plan?"
Vincent's answering grin was vicious. "Feel like spreading chaos and mayhem to the deserving tonight?"
