---

A'lythana pinched the bridge of her nose as she watched the spectacle her fellow Miqo'te put on, glaring at the display with the occasional twitch of her tail or ear. As much as she wanted to slap him upside the head, she couldn't deny that it was an effective move, albeit a very conspicuous one. Granted, the group hadn't exactly come up with a plan together so she couldn't be too mad. With a sigh, she turned back to the Lalafell as he spoke.

"Very well. To be quite honest I was hoping to be a bit more discreet about things but I suppose you just have to work with the cards you're dealt with. Twelve have mercy..." She glanced off towards the crowd again, taking note of where J'torha and Tilma were heading off to. "Well, I suppose I best be off. If you ever need some help with things be sure to drop by Ul'dah and ask for The Blessed Twelve." She looked back to where the Lalafell was, only to find that he had already left. In fact, he had been gone for a few moments already and she just didn't notice. "And I'm talking to myself..." She rubbed her face for a moment before letting out another sigh and heading off towards J'torha and co to shadow the group.

Theodore's thoughts raced at a mile a minute as his eyes, ears, and head darted their attention to and fro betwixt J'torha and his quarry, along with his quarry's apparent quarry, who's own quarry was jeopardized by...at this point, quarry metaphors weren't working in his mind, so instead Theodore began thinking instead of something more like a strip mine. Plenty of angles and turns, rather than a neat little box. ...Wait, none of this had anything to do with mining. One could see at a glance that the gears in Theodore's head were rotating a mile a minute, sawdust burning rapidly as he just tried to wrap his head around what the hell just happened in that scene straight out of a drama play.

Closing his eyes, Theodore would just...feel the tiniest bit of shame by being associated with that whole scene. He couldn't even bring himself to say anything as his fellow adventurer went off to collect payment for...Gods knows what. All that he knew was that none of that was his business, and as such he would do his best to not dwell on it. After all, if a debt needed to be paid, it best be paid in full. He'd heard tales of how shrewd many Thanalan merchants were, with many willing to scam people like how the Blessed Twelve had been. Resolving to resume his search, half for the lead he had gained prior, and half to forget about that scene, he would push back and out from the crowd, heading off to investigate more about this Highlander that had sold the Free Company's possessions.

As for the where, he would first question the Brass Blades stationed nearby. After all, it was their job to keep the peace. More or less. Part of him considered wandering back over to the Scorpion Crossing in order to question some of the merchants in the area, but felt that a man so known now wouldn't just be gallivanting about with other, more legitimate merchants at a trade outpost.

J’torha followed the pair of merchants to the building, tail still twitching in mostly false outrage - though that “desert kit” comment did help him keep up a good facade. Still, he held himself proudly, arms crossed as he followed into the building.

Inside, the building held only a table in the centre of the floor and walls lined with shelves. The shelves were lined with books, and one such book was open on the table, full of figures that he took to be sales records. Lucky, that; the page was covered in some pretty big numbers, and it gave him an idea of just how much he could leverage out of the poor fools.

As the door closed behind them, J’torha kept his back to it, allowing the merchants to settle where they may and regarding them both coldly, perching a hand on his hip and letting his tail swish behind him. He glared between the merchant and his dark-haired friend a moment before speaking, just to let a little tension settle over the room.

“My payment, then?” he demanded, keeping up the charade a little longer. The brunet was still swallowing it, after all. He eyed Tilman. “With interest. I think you owe me that much for my trouble.”

He hadn't expected a smile in return, or for her to accept the circumstances as is, but she appeared the finer for both as she walked down the dock. "A lay hand is one that has yet to learn. A willingness to act is all it takes." X'gihl muttered beneath his breath. His lips curled again, as they did much today. Every time the privateer turned, it seemed something or other was moving at his heart. For this woman and her choice, he was overjoyed. "Thank you."

Hard work was a valuable thing, the way X'gihl was raised. Your actions carried your weight and that of others. If one didn't know how to perform a function, experience became a fine teacher. Persistence, its pet. Together, they forged fine laborers, and labor was exactly what furthered the goals of the many, what made those who learned into competent workers. In that same vein, X'gihl observed that the lancer had removed her hand's armor. Once hidden, now laid bare were a pair that had clearly seen much and more of a fair share. Calluses and scars. This one may be a pleasure yet.

Turning those thoughts aside the same as the previous ones, X'gihl brought his flask up for a swig and refocused himself. A boat was coming in with a large haul of fish as the fisherman spoke of Lyveva and Aidric's situation growing up. He stepped forward to do his part in guiding it into port as the fisherman took its lead. Once in place, the lancer moved quicker than he had, but he followed her lead all the same. Plunging hands into the nets against the squirming fish within to get a firm grip, he awaited her count and heaved with her to bring the fish to the cart.

While the adventurers handled their side, the fisher had continued his conversation. X'gihl listened with half an ear, considering it fortunate that the lancer had opened the dialogue in his place. Orphans. Many and more like them these days. Still a shame. Wonder how? Blond hair, Highlander, roughly early twenties. Another refugee from the Mad King's War? Maybe not. But a similarity he couldn't quite deny. Yet it was none of his business, and unlikely something Lyveva would want to be asked about. No, sleeping griffons should be left to lie.

Chocobos on the other hand, were a different matter. X'gihl scanned his surroundings while the fisher and lancer conversed, and while tasks further down the docks seemed to he getting taken care of, the sounds of "warks" and "kwehs" came from the front of the wagon that the adventurers had just loaded, along with a voice that sounded irritable. Turning his head that direction, X'gihl observed the two chocobos meant to pull it seemed to be slipping from their saddles one at a time while the poor groom was trying to secure them back in place. The privateer let out a short chuckle and tapped his companion on the shoulder for her attention. He pointed a thumb toward the chocobos and began walking that direction, hoping the message would be clear to her. I'll be up there if you need me.

"Seems the birds want themselves a game. Might I offer you a hand, lad? Offer a scratch, mayhap?" X'gihl asked the groom upon approach.

---

---

---

River winced as Kajins staff landed upon his head. Rubbing the spot afterwards as he noticed how much the pink haired Lalafell liked to hear himself speak. At the very least his insult were decently clever, making all of this much more amusing than it probably should have been. He had half a mind to tell the Lalafell off and lecture him on how much of a piss poor excuse it was that he just used for the sake of the Silver Bazaar. No the only silver thing here was the people's tongues as their hands slipped into your pockets and robbed you blind. One shouldn't make an honest living out of thievery but that was neither here nor there as it didn't help with the task. Content with letting the oink haired brat lead the negotiations with Kikipu, River stood quietly as his eyes shifted towards the padjal, noticing his finger in the air before he finally spoke. "Well? What is your concern horned one?"

---

@Achronum @Trainerblue192 @Bounce

---

Kikipu pursed her lips, rolling her eyes as she tried to think. She didn't seem to appreciate River's comment, though she would hold back any retort she would have had as Kajin dealt out justice on her behalf. There was something of a fond smile on her face, watching the interaction with unbridled amusement. The two lalafel were much livelier than the poor padjal, and she seemed to take pity on him as she sighed.

"Tillman over there--the guy that apparently rented out that bodyworkin' cat--would have seen him last since he tends to deal with the goods directly. He would've inspected everything before giving the okay to sell," She gestured over to the building opposite of them before looking up at the horned humanoid. "What troubles you?"

---

@Obscene Symphony @Amalyra

---

A grumpy Tillman and his mate continued to exchange glares, although Tillman tried to wave him away once or twice. Finally, the wordless argument seemed to cease, his companion choosing not to hover and instead deciding to throw J'torha one last look before occupying himself at the bookshelf. Tillman himself sat down at the desk nearby, giving J'torha a dark look.

"Had your fun? Or are you still planning to make a bigger fool of me?" He asked him, unamused with the scene that was caused.

Outside, Lyveva caught up with A'lythana, slinging a rucksack across her back as she looked around. Her look softened as she watched everyone converse before turning her attention to the miqo'te. "Hehe, glad to see everyone taking this so seriously! We might just regain our bearings sooner than later!" She said, running a hair through her bangs. "How about you? Any luck on your end?"

---

@EvictedElement@Alfhedil

---

The hyur paused, thinking carefully as he mulled over the description Isabella gave him. "Otkar...can't say I've met the man, but I think I know who you're talking about," He spoke slowly, snapping his fingers as he thought of who she was talking about. "He usually comes by boat, but I think I saw him when he came to drop by what he wanted to sell."

He motioned for Isabella to come closer, lowering his voice. "Most around here go by a 'don't ask, don't tell' creed, but I'll be honest, his character was mighty questionable," He admitted. "Don't judge a book by its cover, but that cover basically screamed 'suspicious as all hells'."

Straightening up, he looked towards the bazaar. "There's this persistent rumor about a up-and-rising group of thieves doing some real shady shit," He said. "Some...'merchants'? Can't remember. But dressing up as an Immortal Flames soldier seems right up their alley.

Meanwhile, the handler was having a difficult time trying to corral the pair of chocobos. The two seemed awfully mischievous today, pretending to be compliant until the attention was off them and scurrying about. At X'gihl's approach, he whipped his head around, eyes wide.

"Ah, they're good birds, I swear!" The panicked response came out, calming down when he realized he didn't recognize the miqo'te. "Sorry, thought I was in for a scolding! A-Actually, maybe a scratch with this one would help," He sheepishly apologized, the chocobo currently in his reach letting out a chirp of glee. "They're feeling more playful than usual! Which, given I've only one last trip, is alright, but...I just need them to behave a little longer!"

---

@The Irish Tree

---

The pair of Brass Blades standing nearby had apparently enjoyed the show, muttering to one another and passing commentary before noticing Theodore's approach. They were almost completely at ease, in uniform but obviously more slack than the ones usually stationed in Ul'dah.

"...that's what happens when you try to swindle a cat," The Hyur of the pair chuckled. "Can't blame the bloke, been itching to try one out for myself, but the female variety tends to be a little more slippery."

"The Wood Wailers are more experienced in catching those," The other, a Highlander, mused.

---

@Valor

---

Suki carried Rika in her arms as she looked around the rest of the ward. Its size wasn't terribly huge, but considering how crafty the children were, it was difficult to know where to start. Rika let out a quiet, muffled whine, practically burying her face in her mother's shoulder, though hesitantly curious eyes did occasionally glance up at Byssu. Suki'a seemed more grumpy than anything, arms crossed tightly as he let out a huff once in a while, though he offered no help and hovered near his mother.

"Honestly...where could those two be hiding?" Suki seemed exasperated. The sound of a slight whimper caused her ear to twitch, Rika looking up and letting out a gasp. Her jaw dropped as she followed Rika's gaze to the roof. "By the gods! Nikulas! Is that you up there?!"

A young boy slowly got to his feet, now in full view. A young hyur with dark, messy hair and a pair of serious-looking blue eyes inspected the small group, unimpressed as he watched Suki'a shrug at him. "Foiled, were we?" He sighed.

"Nikulas!" Suki's voice was sharp. "What in the world are you doing up there?!"

Nikulas crossed his arms for a moment, though he dropped them as he hung his head in defeat. "...I can't get down," He admitted sheepishly.

---

---

---

A'lythana trailed the group, using the small crowd to her advantage and hiding in plain sight before watching as they entered a nearby building. After a few moments, she walked over to the building, casually leaning back against it near the door before taking off her hat. Her ears twitch a few times, happy to be out of the confines of her hat before trying to hone in on the conversation inside the building.

While eavesdropping, A'lythana wasn't particularly paying attention to those around her as she was more focused on listening in to the conversation. As a result, she jumped a little in surprise when Lyveva seemingly appeared out of nowhere and spoke to her. Her hand flew to the handle of her rapier out of instinct, nearly drawing it before realizing just who it was that was speaking to her. Seeing that it was Lyveva, A'lythana let out a small sigh of relief, her hand falling from her rapier before she looked to the FC leader."Twelve, don't sneak up on me like that Lyveva... Anyway, I didn't find out too much other than that Tilman and Kikipu are definitely our leads to finding out who's behind this. J'torha's inside with Tilman at the moment." She replied, gesturing to the building behind her while her ears twitched again as she continued to listen in. "I'm just making sure that he won't be alone if things go sideways, you know how these 'merchant' types can be."

Byssu walked along behind Suki as they searched for the missing little ones in the housing district. Byssu knew all too well how crafty younglings could get in reaching places that most thought impossible, and so she took to looking in small nooks and crannies that would normally be ignored by those looking for someone. However, these proved fruitless. It wasn't until a small whimper caused Suki and Byssu to look upwards at one of the now-located missing ones. Byssu stood silently as Suki and Nikulas engaged in a brief duel of words.

However, when Nikulas admitted that he could not get down, Byssu almost sighed in relief. That was something she could easily fix. Youthful days sprinting through The Wood and jumping across its treetops had given Byssu the exact skillset that she needed for this situation. Stepping away from Suki and anyone else that happened to be present, Byssu began to study the roof that Nikulas was on, as well as the surrounding buildings. Her ears also contributed knowledge of wind and bird movements, which aided her trajectory planning.

After a few moments of careful consideration, Byssu squat low to the ground for a moment before kicking herself upward into the air. This acrobatic move was accompanied by a small flip to position herself over the roof where she landed with another squat in order to soften the impact. The flip Byssu had used caused a brief but notable glare to come from beneath her traveling cloak as sunlight reflected from her gunblade. Byssu's jump, while impressive, was rather short lived as she was not keen on damaging the roof with a harsh landing, which would certainly cause quite a lot of yelling and cost more than needed to fix.

Standing from her squatting position, Byssu turned to face Nikulas and gave him a brief bow, just like she had given Suki not too long ago. Straightening, Byssu would explain her plan of action to Nikulas as she introduced herself. "Greetings Nikulas. My name is Byssu. Since you stated that you are stuck, I figured I would come get you. If you would allow me to hold you for a brief moment, I can get us both to the ground without incident."

With that, Byssu would squat once more so that she was closer to Nikulas and would hold out both arms for him to climb into her embrace. A drop like this was nothing to Byssu, so she could simply drop from the roof to where she had jumped and reunite Nikulas with Suki and the rest of her kits.

X'gihl froze in place when the youth turned on the privateer with his panicked remark. The miqo'te's ears and tail briefly flicked in agitation; arms, legs, and fists alike tensing before reassuming his casual posture again. Poor lad seemed on edge with his feathered friends misbehaving, and woe would he be had X'gihl given him a firm thumping for a short-lived and accidental fright.

No, the privateer composed himself again; a friendly grin, soft-eyed expression, and a light flick of the tail. His shoulders shrugged in response to the youth's words. "Well, either we get these companions of yours settled and saddled, or we pull this wagon ourselves. I know my choice." X'gihl took a lively set of steps to a jaunty tune hummed under his breath. He made his way around the lad and his chocobo and spun to face the other with a mock bow. The privateer offered his hands up and scratched at the chocobo's chest. "Sooner you start acting right, ol' bird, the sooner you can let all that energy loose. What say?"

J’torha shrugged smugly, but finally did allow his habitual smirk to make its way back onto his lips, posture relaxing a bit as he let the act drop. But he only allowed himself one proud swish of the tail before he had to grow serious again, but this time sincerely. He braced his hands on the desk and eyed Tilman for a moment.

“You’re auctioning items from a house in the Goblet that was recently sold,” he finally addressed the heart of the issue. “Problem is, the house was swindled off its owners. Now. I can’t say I care where you got your other wares—” well, J’torha wasn’t fond of thieves, but he wasn’t concerned with the other wares “—I just want every item you still have from that house, and the money you made from the items you’ve already sold. And… maybe the names of the people who bought them, if you’re feeling generous.” He straightened up, hand on his hip, and flashed a wicked grin. “Do that and this whole fiasco goes away. Sound fair?”

---

@Obscene Symphony @Amalyra

---

Tillman remained as grumpy as he was before, raising an unamused eyebrow at J'torha as he spoke. "How is that my problem?" He huffed out, clearly unhappy with the terms presented to him. "First you humiliate me in front of my crowd, then you cause issues with me and my man, now you have the balls to ask for all that and more? Either your brain was sizzled by the sun or Ifrit himself has you under his thrall while you spit out that lunacy!"

After venting, he let out another huff of annoyance. "Listen, people give us their shite, we sell and make profit. Whatever happens before that isn't my business--if you got a bone to pick, you'd have to take it up with that Otkar, not me!" He replied, quite adamant in his words.

Outside, Lyveva grinned, entertained that she managed to surprise A'lythana. "Oh? You think there's gonna be a fight?!" Despite the alarm in her voice, she put up both her fists, undeterred by the idea of a fight. "Then it's good that we're here to back him up! Just say the word and we'll go barging in!"

She giggled to herself, bouncing in place. "It's been a while since I've gotten into a good fight! Ul'dah's coliseum is fun, but there's usually a lull in-between tournaments," She laughed.

---

@EvictedElement

---

The chocobo was endlessly entertained by X'gihl, watching him with an insatiable curiosity. It was hard to tell if it was actually listening or if it was distracted by the Mi'qote and his scratches, but it chirped happily in his direction. It seemed wholly satisfied, content to stay put as the wrangler managed to get the other chocobo in place. He was massively relieved, although he could have sworn the other chocobo was mocking him.

"Many thanks, friend," He thanked him properly. "Do you have experience with chocobos? They seem to like you."

---

@Valor

---

Nikulas' yell could probably be heard from the next ward, the terror and exhilaration from the jump entertaining him to no end. Once he touched the ground, he looked up at the Viera with wide eyes. "Ah...thank you," He bowed, grateful. He looked from the Viera to Suki, bowing his head in shame as he caught the look on her face. "Please, don't be mad. We just wanted to get our home back. And I couldn't just let Suki'a and Eji go without me."

Inhaling slowly, Suki seemed to calm down a little. "I said I would handle it. I really need you guys to trust me on these things," She sighed, exasperated. "Now, where is Eji? Not on any roof, I hope."

"Eji's too much of a baby to do that," Suki'a muttered, wincing slightly as Suki leveled a look at him.

"I'm not sure where he is. I think he hid somewhere," Nikulas frowned.

---

---

“How is that your problem?!” J’torha repeated indignantly. How thick was this auctioneer? “I just made it your problem, if you didn’t notice. But I can make it go away if you do as I tell you.”

He crossed his arms, tail swishing in aggravated disbelief. Did this man not understand the concept of extortion? He worked in Thanalan for crying out loud, it was practically a cultural tradition. “Listen, I don’t give a marmot’s tits about Otkar or what you do with whatever else comes across your podium, all I want is whatever’s related to that property, no more. After that it’ll be as if we never met, I’ll announce I was mistaken, clear your name, the Brass Blades will be none the wiser, and you’ll be back to peddling stolen goods before you know it.” J’torha was just as adamant as Tilman, giving no ground and hoping he didn’t need to push much harder.

The trip down from the roof had been as uneventful as Byssu had expected. Nikulas yelling was somewhat amusing to Byssu, though she didn't express this. It reminded her of some of the more squeamish Viera that she lived with in her youth. They would timidly climb to the top of a tree and then not have the bravery required to jump down. When Nikulas bowed in thanks to Byssu, she returned the bow in kind as a sign of respect.

Byssu now waited while Suki and Nikulas exchanged a few barbed moments with one another, and when Nikulas relayed that Eji had probably hidden somewhere Byssu nearly gave a sigh of relief. The many memories of reuniting a lost child with their parents in a busy marketplace surfaced for a moment before Byssu reminded herself of the here and now. Tapping her chin, Byssu looked to the rooftops once more before she looked to Suki and asked an important question. "Suki, pardon the interruption, but could you please describe Eji to me? Or give me a picture if you have one? Getting onto the rooftops is simple for me, and I might be able to spot them from above a bit easier."

As she waited for Suki to reply, Byssu mentally planned out her next actions: The first would be leaping back onto the roof and scanning the surrounding area for anyone that matched whatever description she was given. If Byssu didn't find them nearby, she would jump to another rooftop in order to get a new vantage point and repeat the process. The main downside of looking from the roof was that the other buildings would be in the way, but Byssu figured that if Eji expected people to look for them at ground level they might have left the top of their hiding space exposed. Hiding in a barrel was a good way to make sure that nobody on the ground saw you, but if you didn't put the lid back on anyone above could see that it was occupied.

Hopefully Byssu wasn't going to have to check every stray barrel around the housing district. That would be incredibly tedious.

"Technically, anytime you pay for physical labor, one could argue that you've rented a body. Choosing a laborer is primarily based on their physical capacity, assuming this isn't a task that demands a beast of burden, and you are far more likely to hire a Roegadyn in peak condition than a lalafell in peak condition to haul sacks of gyshal greens. Although, I suppose renting a body doesn't explicitly exclude beasts of burden either. They also have bodies. I wonder if that does count." Kajin frowned thoughtfully as he considered the idea, tapping his foot as he thought. It was more of a habit than an yuh thing else; a question posed around him had him immediately reaching for a response, conditioned from an early age in a family that enjoyed playful arguments. However, now was not the time for that and he beamed at Kikipu. "Thank you very much for the information. Next time you're in Ul'dah, send me a letter and I'll buy you lunch!"

"Onwards to Tilman and…" Kajin frowned and stopped, trying to remember the miqo'te's name but he was drawing a blank. "And our promiscuous kitten. He's probably gotten a tick more information and if not…" Kajin sneered at the idea of the auctioneer telling him no. He twirled his staff cheerily as he made his way where the auctioneer and the miqo’te disappeared to after his little stunt. He waved at Lyveva and the miqo’te Seeker who accompanied them from Ul’dah. “Let’s not laze about like gil turtles at the zenith. Listen up. I’m going to pop in, see how the kitten’s doing, and then adjust accordingly! If you hear a few thumps, come in quickly. You’ll only have a fraction of a bell to find what we need.” Kajin barely waited a moment before opening the door, with a little more effort than he’d care to admit, and blinked at the scene inside.

“Does he have what we need yet?” Kajin asked the miqo’te. “Deed, swindler, inventory of goods, record of sales, etc? And lets keep note of any of that he doesn’t have. May as well get in good with the Blade after this debacle.”

There was a certain charm in seeing how people of other cultures acted when something unexpected happened. But erm...well...

This was definitely not a very charming time to observe the Brass Blades. He'd overheard fellow soldiers' groaning wishes of needing to bed women before they explode plenty of times in the Haillenarte barracks, but...in public? And within clear earshot of someone else? He did his best to keep his disgust from showing on his face, managing to simply pull off a serious countenance as he approached the two Brass Blade members. It seemed that since this area was of low priority to their benefactor, the less..."upstanding" ones. Regardless, Theodore wouldn't let etiquette stop him from helping those who needed him.

Striding up betwixt the two "gentlemen", Theodore would greet them, saying: "Hello there. Have either of you by chance seen a Hyur man, goes by Oktar? He has two scars on his face, and has swindled my friend of the deed to her home," the Paladin would say, keeping his tone friendly, body language relaxed, and eyes upon the two Brass Blades standing before him as he awaited an answer. It was worth a shot if nothing else to question those who probably saw many coming and going throughout the day.

"I wonder how the others are doing in their search. I should reconvene with one of them, and ask if any information has surfaced on their ends," he would think as he waited for his response.

J’torha’s ears twitched toward the sound of the door being tampered with behind him, and he turned in time to see a pink-haired lalafell strut in, rattling off a laundry list of things that needed finding as if he was the one in charge. And completely shattering J’torha’s own proposition at that! He vaguely recognized the diminutive intruder from the carriage ride over, but was quite certain he never learned his name, not that he could really claim concern in that regard. Figures. He puts himself on the line to lay out the groundwork for this negotiation, gets within words of an agreement all on his own, only for some self-important popoto to burst in, giving orders as if these were his machinations all along. His tail twitched, but J’torha controlled himself, giving the lalafell a dark look rather than the punt back out the door that he really wanted to deliver.

“As a matter of fact, we were just talking about how we didn’t need to get the Blades involved,” he painstakingly clarified to his apparent new foreman. “After all, what happens to an auctioneer’s goods before they come across his podium really isn’t much of his business, isn’t that right Tilman?” He gave the midlander a knowing look.

“That said, now that my friend here has so prudently intervened, I suppose I can’t very well stop him if he decides to go to the authorities.” J’torha rolled his shoulders and sighed, looking disappointed. “‘Course, the sooner you give me the goods and information I asked for, the less time he has to inspect these lovely books of yours for any discrepancies…”

Byssu took mental notes of Eji's appearance and created a small mental imagining of how he looked. With that in mind, Byssu thanked Suki for her description and the advisory that Eji was skittish. That would certainly complicate things since Byssu's tactic of looking from rooftops would certainly cause him to panic and run if she attempted to drop down next to him. Perhaps she would have to find Eji and then quickly find Suki once more in order to tell him where he was hiding?

When Nikulas and Suki'a interjected with additional information, Byssu added it to her mental considerations. It would probably not be hard to locate the pool from the rooftops, but what if there were multiple pools? Byssu dreaded the idea of having to check all of them since it would probably take several hours considering the size of the housing district. Additionally the idea the Eji might just be hiding due to his skittish nature, as presented by Suki'a, made this problem even worse since if Byssu had to spend all day checking every pool that was present while Eji was hiding in a flower pot then nothing would get accomplished.

Needing some more information, Byssu turned her attention to Nikulas and began to speak. "Nikulas, if I might bother you with a question, you mentioned that you all agreed to meet by a pool. Do you happen to remember which pool in particular it was?" After that question was asked, Byssu turned her attention to Suki'a and Suki with another question. "I apologize for the rather abstract nature of this question, but since you two know Eji I must ask if you know of any hiding spots that Eji tends towards more than others? Anything that can help to narrow my search would be appreciated."

With those two questions asked, Byssu could only wait for Nikulas, Suki'a, and Suki to respond and would then append her plan as needed.

---

---

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The exchange between the padjal and pink haired Lalafell was...unique to say the least. Did it truly matter if one could rent a body? Or how it was done? It had nothing to do with the current predicament and every second wasted in this god forsaken desert was another moment where he was away from the flats of Cartaneu. But River did suppose that these were small steps towards getting him closer to his goals. No sooner had their stray thoughts emerged than they had gone away, like wind disappearing foot prints in the Thanalans desert. Good. Now to get back to busine- oh? It appeared that the pink haired Lalafell has decided to barge in on their miqote friend without any assistance. That is, unless they were to hear a commotion stir up. River began to follow close by, preferring to wait outside the doors, ear pressed against the wood as he listened in on what was being said. It appeared that all this time spent with the Tillman gave J'torha little information besides what Kajin had just dug up.

Good, the Tilman was smart enough to know when he has been outmatched and outnumbered. Perhaps this would teach that scum of Thanalan not to mess with a guild in the future, keep his sights set low and ensure there wouldnt be numbers behind the theft. River leaned back against the wall of the building, looking up upon the expansive blue sky as the sun burned bright and a few aviary beasts flew above them. He took a deep breath, feeling the heat enter his lungs and some dust fill his throat before coughing a bit and reaching for some water. This was far from his sea salty air and humid atmosphere. The breeze carried relief but it didn't bite like Limsa's. Finally he looked dead ahead "I believe they have it under control. Let's go guard that the caravan he was selling out of, make sure no more of these swindlers get their hands on any items with they're soft paws." River could hear Lyveva excitedly speaking of a potential fight, and he would be lying if he said he didn't itch for one as well.