Behind the curtained room at the Brilliant Beard, lamplight glints off the family necklace in the client's palm. His payment lies open on the table, enough to carry Rose through the night.
The Client
I found it beneath your silks. That crest is not a dancer's ornament. It belongs to the Rhukkhadevata.
The client is a lean middle-aged man with olive skin, a narrow beard, and expensive wine-red robes. A silver signet weighs down one finger as he turns the necklace between them.
The Client
One more service, Rose. Make this incriminating little secret disappear, and I keep quiet. Refuse, and the whole tavern learns what you are.
Beyond the curtain, the front door opens. Heavy footsteps cross the boards toward the bar, steady and unmistakable. Tyrrus has returned to his post.
Tyrrus
Evening. I trust the house has remained peaceful.
The Client
Then choose quickly, Rose. Your protector is almost within earshot.
✓ Quest Accepted
Keep Rose's identity secret from Tyrrus
“I grunt, furrowing my brow. 'How could someone recognize the crest now? After it's been so long?' I thought to myself. "Of course, nobody has to know a thing," I said with a forced grin. It was customary of me to keep my arrangements with customers secretive anyway, but now I'm balancing both secrets.”
SUCCESS (Fair Oratory, rolled +1)
Mariposo
How could someone recognize the crest now? After it's been so long?
Mariposo
Of course, nobody has to know a thing.
The forced grin settles into something practiced, the familiar mask of a performer guarding a private arrangement. Beyond the curtain, Tyrrus's measured movements continue behind the bar.
The Client
Good. Then we understand one another, Rose. No tavern gossip, no guards, no curious questions.
The client closes his fingers around the necklace, then places it back on the table instead of pocketing it. His shoulders loosen, and the threat drains from his voice.
The Client
The secret remains yours. I will say nothing of the crest, and you will make it disappear before dawn.
At the bar, Tyrrus pauses long enough for the silence to register, then resumes polishing a tankard. The arrangement is sealed, with the necklace and payment still between Mariposo and the client.
Quest Complete
Keep Rose's identity secret from Tyrrus