A mischievous smile spread across Aleron's mouth as he questioned her about a plan. "Well, I do have a little something planned out...but first, food! Hey Ajax! Go fix us up some grub, would you? You can't let your friends starve to death in your own tavern, can you? Then you'd have to drag out our corpses."

Ajax turned from the drunken man he'd been chatting with at the end of the bar, arching his eyebrow at Aleron. "Oh, come on Aleron, we can all tell you're far from starving. I wouldn't dream of letting you die in here anyway - I'm sure I'd pull a muscle trying to drag you out." The wide grin on his face let Aleron know he was only joking if it weren't already apparent by they're contrasting sizes. Ajax could probably pick her up, dead weight and all, with only one arm. The man was built like a prize bull.

"You know, Ajax, if I were anywhere close to being a lady, I would be completely outraged right now." Aleron chuckled and watched as Ajax went into the back to get them some food, then turned back to Gideon. "Well, we need to get Ajax's help. He's reluctant to tell me, but I'm sure he knows something about the whereabouts of Beauregard Valdo. Before you'd come in, I'd only just sat down to discuss it, and the way he denied knowing anything about Valdo's presence before I even asked told me something. Through some hearsay, I found out that our lovely would-be duke tends to come here to this side of Old Aether every few weeks or so to partake in some activities that would otherwise put him out of favor with the Duchess. The usual unadvertised activities of a degenerate snob - drunken gambling of what little fortune he has, soliciting prostitution, probably responsible for a few of the random beatings of vagrants. Well, as for that second one, he really only has a limited choice of purchase around here," she made a gesture towards the buxom woman that was still stumbling around, now half drunk herself, trying to get a customer, "so I imagine he goes to Crane's Valley after or before he gets done doing the rest of his dirty little habits here - you know, that wonderful little village west of here, known for it's wide assortment of prostitutes. To put a long story short, I say we ambush him and try to find out something about the heirloom - as he's the only person low enough to take advantage of being close to the duchess in her time of mourning for the duke, and then," she shrugged, "do whatever you like to the little bastard." She poured herself another shot and downed it as the smell of cooking meat began permeating from the back room.