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-----"How could you upset my father like this?" Dora May says, with a crushed look on her face. "And you, sir," she says, looking at Seth, "I thought you to be so honorable-looking when I saw you earlier. Well, Papa, you send for the watch and I’ll keep an eye on these three."
-----Dora May then pushes her father out the front door amid cries of "Quite right! Quite right!" from the old man. She watches him nervously stagger down the street calling for the watch. She quickly closes the door, turns around to Kazel, Seth, and Gimplefwick and says, "Quickly now, before he returns with the watch, what have you brought for the blue orchid?" Her beautiful eyes sparkle with excitement and a touch of fear.
-----"Quite right, how could you treat your father like this?" Kazel frowns at the scene, a flash of anger in her eyes. "If y'all got your own place maybe the owners needn't be throwing dough and calling for the watch and all."
-----Her voice turns to a friendlier tone as she continues, but her eyes still simmer with annoyance. "Eight crowns, that's what I bring."
-----Seth is somewhat surprised by Kazel's outburst, and makes a note in his head not to upset her too much, "umm yeah, Dora May, and I thought you were such a sweet thing, but I also have 8 gold ones."
-----Gimplefwick shrugs and replies to Dora, "Aye, I bring 8 gold as well for a blue orchid. But at that price it had best be a very fine orchid."
-----Gimplefwick peers nervously out the window, looking for the watch.
-----Dora May points her finger toward Kazel and Seth with an icy stare. "Papa is no concern of yours. He’s a sweet old man and he works very hard. He’s taken good care of me and I’ve tried to . . ," She stops herself with a slight break in her voice. She then continues more quietly staring at the floor, "Besides I thought the directions were to ask for a blue orchid, not bully for one."
-----She looks at them now and the worried look returns to her face. "I’m going to let you out the back door. Papa can’t see well, so he won’t be able to identify any of you. I’ll tell the watch something to cover you. You have the gold you need, follow me."
-----"Him calling the watch is what concerns us," Kazel replies in a cool voice. "Use your own papa for a front, that's real nice of you." She then seems to think better of further words, and quietly follows the rest through to the back.
-----She leads them into the next room, which makes up the back half of the house. They see a stone fireplace with a cozy fire burning therein to their left. A couple of chairs and tables are also in the room. A ladder leads to the living quarters upstairs.
-----As she leads them out the back door, she takes the gold from them. "Here is what you must do. At sundown, look for the fly at the Market Gate. We will then show you, we do have a place. You must go now! I hear the watch coming!"
-----With that, she runs back into the house and closes the door; the sound of a bar securing it is heard.
-----"Papa's the only sweet one around here, no doubt..." Kazel mutters as the door closes. The fire seems to die down in the half-elven girl's eyes, and she turns to Seth and Gimplefwick, sighing. "I'm sorry 'bout that... she just reminded me of something, is all. Now... I have some shopping and prepping to do. Shall we meet in two hours' time?"
-----Gimplefwick glares at the door he was just rushed out of, "Arrr..this had best be a legit operation. If we were just bamboozled out of our hard earned gold, then I be knowin' a little girl who'll be cryin' herself to sleep for several weeks. The more we get run around, the more I begin to think we might be gettin' ourselves scammed. I guess we'll know tonight either way."
-----Gimplefwick begins to walk off, headed back in the direction of the marketplace.
-----In reply to Kazel's query, "Aye, I have some shoppin' to do meself. Shall we meet back at your tavern in about an hour or so? Once we're all there we can proceed onwards together. I don't trust these folks overly much."
-----"Yes, that’s no problem with me, I want to go shopping, find some digs, I just don’t have the money. Oh well, see you all at the tavern." Seth wanders off with an obvious dejected set to his shoulders...
-----"Seth, wait," Kazel calls out softly. "Now that I think about it, I don't really need anything just now." She reaches into her pocket and fishes out her extra crown. "See what you can do with this," she says as she sends it flying at Seth. "I'll see you all at the tavern in an hour's time, then?"
-----With that, she strides down the street towards the west.
-----Seth is very surprised and appreciative of Kazel's gesture. He calls out, "Thanks, Kaz!" and waves at her as she walks off.
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