Editing Red Sword Calls-FB Posts (section)

===5261-Doings at Thin Whip's===

After a variety of escapades the scene evolves.
Second Floor of Thin Whip's Place. in the Stick Shop area, we meet our heroes Bleys, Carisa and Nala, as they narrowly avoided being forced to brutally embarrass 5 notable members of CHAD. Custus, a reasonably high ranked Fighter, and his companions Vislar, the half-orc brute, and Grin, the Fighter thief, and Farsk, the half-human, half, something uncertain, and Emilis, the disgraced half elven fighter thief, have all all agreed to split a Tucker keg of dark ale, a couple pitchers of port, some lizard fries and a rack of rats and peppers.

Rats and peppers, it should be noted are actually strips of beef, marinated exotically and spicy, with, skewered with jalapeños and pineapple and grilled. Not actual rats on a stick, like one might find in Chaos. A rack is about 20 skewers.

Custus had invited Carissa to shoot some pool, while Nala watches and Bleys flirts with her.

Despite having introduced himself as Buddy Fish, even the dimmest of the CHAD warriors, for the record thats Farsk, are beginning to think they are having an evening with folks far above their pay grade.

From a corner Thin Whip seems t be overseeing the knife pits but his eyes keep glancing at the power trio, sensing opportunity ahead.

Carissa watches Nala for a moment to make sure she is ok. Finishes off her beer and pours herself another from the keg. She nods to

Custus, “I’ll play you. Have to show my new friend how it is done.” She says casually and calmly. He is clearly good at the game and their choice of recreational locations is clear quickly, he being the little groups leader. You get the impression that he chose to not mention bets or try the hustle, reasoning the 3 of are more then might be seen. He plays friendly, though his eyes do wander 

After a time a trio of dice appear among the CHAD warriors and Bleys. Copper wings cross hands back and forth. Drinks flow. Laughter comes as the game at Thin Whips goes on.

Nala learns the rough points as Carissa and Custus play and trade games.
In Time Thin Whip wanders by, looking over everything, a set of trumps ruffling thought his off hand, a drink in his other. Catching Carissa's eye he nods, "Care for a refill of the good stuff, Have that drink I mentioned? "

Cari plays eagerly. Not surprisingly she is good. She continues drinking and will help Nala learn how to set up shots and the rules of the game. At the end of the last game when Thin Whip comes up, she nods. “I think my new friend could use a break. “. She winks and heads off with Jurt.
Finding an unoccupied booth, that looks like it was torn from a Parisian whorehouse / restaurant in deep and well cleaned but stained red god brocade. He twiddle card on the chipped and scrawled table as efficient waitresses bring over a carafe of wine, clean glasses and large bowl of herbaceous mystery meat fried bites.


Cari has travelled all over the world. As long as it’s not human she is not picky about meat as long as it’s well cooked. She accepts the food and nibbles. She hadn’t eaten during pool play, but now that it is leisure time. “So thank you for your hospitality,” she says looking him over carefully.

""I don't get up to the castle much these days but recently I noticed your card in my deck. I like to make my acquaintance to my kin as best I can. I doubt Ginger would have brought you here unless he expected me to drag you off at some point. His obligation to the crown for past sins is to watch over the cousins. While my own generation is further along then the grandchildren of Oberon I still am ranked in that kinship. You have an earth vibe, as so many of the Cousins seem to have. "

"Earth vibe?" she pauses, "Oh yes, Earth, that is indeed where I grew up. Yes, technological, non-magical, early space age. A gun age. I see the appeal of course, but I like my worlds a bit more frisky. "

"Corwin talks in his ego books as if he is the first Amberite to live in those. Frankly I don't see the appeal. Nu Yark is a far more entertaining collection of shadows with a lot more diversity. High levels of tech, frequent use of sorcery, nearly all the shadow magics. and manno...the rock wails.. stars and crashes and fire and rage...billions of people, hundreds of races, and little oversight...still, it is a bit too close to chaos for me. The last thing one needs is a disapproving lady of chaos dropping by while one is in the middle of a flying J, right? .Anyway... I didn't want to talk to you to encourage you to leave town...

She nods indicating he should continue. Inwardly, she thinks those shadows sound much more her style.

"What I did want to encourage is an open mind once the righteous prigs among the elders start harping on you about the dangers of Chaos, and the wicked foesman of their own blood. Such as me. My brother Despil is the Ambassador to Amber and as such is as much a politically correct nanny as any of them. But there are others. Despite our birthplace there are things about this end of shadow that are much more entertaining, even safer. Life is cheep in Chaos and royal blood is little defense. Here at least one isn't executed without due process and some kind of explanation.

"So, I am eager to put myself in the good graces of any Amberite I might. Some, well, its easy to see will be less likely to be open minded: Military types, fanatics of Ambers. Those that carry ancient grudges that they had no involvement in. Those kind look down their noses at hedonists like me. "
All the while he's been running his hands through card riffs. You notice that he seems to fidget all the time, even in small ways, and is always in movement. Drinking sips of wine almost as breaths. Lastly he flips a card out and it glides expertly in front of you. It has his image.

"Thats my card. So you know, its a logrus trump. One need not be a initiate of the Logrus to use it, nor to transport across it."

flipping another next to it. It looks like a ice cream truck. 
"Thats Houser. A companion of mine. He has everything in his truck. Ice Cream, burritos, shot glasses, fine wines, good gin, assault weapons, cutting lasers. grenades, translation books, medical supplies, orc salves, nearly everything. If you need something quick, give him a call. He may be able to help."

Flipping a third cards, it has an image of a drinking armored bear. 
"And should you want a little muscle. To open doors, move cars, clear away hordes of orcs, This is Doveryat. He is very friendly, jovial even, and has an incredible capacity for honeymead. Just don't call him Pooh, its a sore point. He can rage through groups of foeman like few others. He is willing and able. "

Tucking the four cards together, flipping them around.

"Take those with my compliments. The only string on them is that someday someone might ask your opinion of me. In that unlikely occasion id like to have you think of me in a friendly manner and to have done a tiny service. You may think yourself of little matter in the powers of the universe, the battles between Law and Chaos, but we of the blood, regardless, are creatures of potential. "

He chuckles as he sees Bleys stand and eye the two of you.

"Ginger is about 30 seconds from coming over. One last thing. You've been seen in oracles of Chaos. You and your male companion. And Arloxedra, the dull stick, of all people. The three of you are connected in some work in the future. Should you need my blade or my spells, do not hesitate to call. I have a lot of karmic debt to work off and standing to battle with prophesied amberites would do me well. Don't let Bleys take those away from you. He'll try " 

Standing, full glass in hand, he turns and walks to a group about to fight and quells ill humors then fades from view in the crowds of Thin Whip's Place.

She slides the card towards her and looks each over carefully. “We will talk again. That can’t be all you ask. I like this place. I’ll be back,” she says simply. “This is more my kind of place than the castle.”

She sticks the cards in an inner part of her jacket and finishes her drink and pours the last of the carafe into her glass. She gets up and turns looking at her uncle wondering what he’s really like.
She offers him the glass. “It is quite good,” she says with a murmur.

Bleys steps over and sits on the edge of the table Custus and Nala are playing on. Custus starts to say to Bleys but a tiny glance makes him decide to change his shot choice. 

Bleys chuckles "Quite charming, isn't he? Bear in mind the story of the turtle and the scorpion. Jurt is often his own worse enemy. He's sloppy too. Oh I like him. He reminds me of myself in my youth. He may have a bright future in Amber. He gave you cards...I won't suggest discarding them, but why don't you let me look them over? I'll make sure he isn't eves dropping through them. He easily could be."

She reaches into her jacket. "Seems like charming is in no short supply here." It's offered as an observation not a dig, she puts her hand in her jacket and pulls out the cards and hands them to Bleys. "He seems to want to make friends in high places," she offers by way of explanation. She keeps the prophesy comments to herself.
Manage

Smiling as he takes the cards, examining them closely. Noting the faces with a smile, but quizzically at the lighthouse.

"Want to see something funny?"

Raising a tiny sign of the Pattern, he lays it around the cards. Then flicks them hard, like a hard flick to the ear. 

From the far side of the room is a sudden shriek of pain, and a shout.

"DAMN IT GINGER!!!!!"

Handing the cards back with a chuckle, he turns and puts an arm around Nala and helps her pool shot.

Cari can’t but help laugh out loud. She sizes up the rest of the room and watches Bleys with Nula.

After the current game is done she will ask Bleys, “Play a game with me?”

"Of course. Its been awhile since I played before tonight. Ive been horribly polite and political for a couple decades."

Taking a stick, and sorting the balls, sets and racks them
Cari nods, wondering how boring life must be when everything is too easy. She keeps the stick she was using and breaks. The balls spread with a crack.  "Your break. Otherwise you'll just be watching."

In time, and with some reluctance, the Chad guys shove off, having survived almost picking a outrageously unequal fight and instead making an interesting set of contacts. Curtis say he hope to see you again soon. That he come to thin whips often and can be contacted at the Chad guild hall at the Palace Commons Tavern.

Cari flirts a bit on a low level. Shakes hands with Curtis and says she will be back. She's drunk a lot, smoked some and looks to Bleys and Nula. "Guess its time to shove off?" Somewhere deep down, she's disappointed that there were no fights. She has some energy to work off.

Bleys nods. "Well, I'm sure our Elites are hiding around here someplace. Since they didn't bother to be sociable and join us, let's Trump back to the castle and make them walk. Thin Whips may be a tough place but even here they are on their best behavior when I'm around. I have to go far from Amber to hang out in disreputable establishments and not be recognized. I made something of a well-known ass of myself during what Random likes calling my Drunk Ambition Tour. He's not wrong."

She nods with understanding, "We all have those periods." she says with a slight slur to her words. (Elites?)

Bleys at some point would have said-Elites are officially body guards, unofficially observers. Family members are assigned them and some serve for years, they end up essentially over-trained messengers. The Elites are the First Cohort, First Legion, of Amber military. They guard all the important things in Amber, including us. Every castle guard is an Elite. Trained as best Benedict can, veterans of Nasty Place, some hero's on their home worlds. Officially established by Oberon when he decided to have an army. Triple tough. But guarding us is an honor gig, not really dangerous since the people they protect are often people like Gerard, Caine, and I. No offense meant, you are new here, I recommend you not ditch yours too often.

"Let's go back to the castle and then we can see Nula safely back to wherever she is staying," Cari offers. "So did you like the evening out?" she asks with genuine curiosity.

Nala glances sideway slightly, at belys, then back to you with a small smile, "Oh yes. Delightful. I hope we can go there again without so many chaperones. Let me know when you want to play with those cantrips. Im almost always in hte Rebma Embassy."

"And I'm hanging at the castle, feel free to give me a call...I mean visit or note," she says. 

"Before at the beginning and.." she gestures to her face. "You saw something, what was it,” she is drunk and speaks boldly.

Bleys leans against a wall. "You have not been here long. I doubt Random has walked you through the pattern yet? Nor have you gone to Fantalin for your year of Royal Rights education, correct?"

"I was told that you would be walking the pattern after your year at Fantalin. Its the way its been for the incoming cousins. From everything Random has said you hadn't walked the pattern. So I looked... But you have been through the pattern, Its inscribed in your genes already. So I accessed a certain awareness I have through the jewel. it showed me Gerard walking you through the pattern when you were young. Thats tricky. We sometimes forget Gerard can be clever. He must have had a good reason at the time to do something so radically unexpected. I imagine you probably don't remember it, or it comes as a vivid dream or reflected when you took acid or drank to much as the universe being overly colorful. It would have given you greater dexterity. Powered your endurance. It would give you a sense of internal power that probably fed your normal self-confidence. Im not aware of others who walked the pattern as young as you have. When you walk it again, perhaps you will discover why you don't remember such an experience. Still....Its something you might want to speak to Gerard about"


Cari combs back into her memories but can’t remember ever having met her Father before or having walked the Pattern. She shakes her head. “We will have a talk,” she mutters. “He claims that he didn’t know of me till relatively recently. “. She smiles sardonically, but her words are sincere. “Thank you for taking a stir-crazy woman out tonight. I appreciate it.”

He laughs, "Oh, the pleasure was mine! Till I ran into you my plan was to go check on my horse and make sure they were grooming him to my standards. Maybe get in some sword practice. A visit to Thin Whip was the furthest thing on my mind. As for Gerard....If he lied to you about that, don't hold it against him. We've had a lot of reasons to be secretive over the years."

He gives you a short nod and a wicked smile and goes off on his business.

[[File:Carissa.jpg|250 px]]  [[File:Thin-Whip1.jpg]]  [[File:Custus of Grastor.jpg]]  [[File:Nala1.jpg|250 px]]