Zarius braces himself against the wall to steady himself. The dizziness was starting to ease a bit, but it would take a little more time for his system to fight off the potent dose. 

The robed cultist gazes upon Issala's hellish visage and takes a step back out of fear. Their magic had failed them and now they stand before a horror from their deepest nightmares. The opening was all they needed to take control of the situation despite Zarius' weakened state. 

Once Issala has made her move and distracts the cultists with the various items at her disposal, Zarius moves towards the corridor where he triggered the trap before activating his smoke cloak.^[1] The tunnel floods with a thick black cloud of smoke. 

He closes his eyes and focuses as best as he can, waiting for Issala to get close enough for him it reach out and tug on her arm.^[2] He keeps one hand against the wall to guide them down the path even though they were both functionally blinded. 

"This way. Quickly."

Pulling the investigator along behind him, they eventually make it into the next chamber. The tunnel opens up into a much bigger space that is mostly natural cavern. There is a trickling underground river with a few boardwalks crisscrossing it. Torches illuminate the path down to some small ships hidden in what seems to be a hidden cove. 

Zarius thinks about where they could possibly be under Zeinav City, they must be more toward the outskirts next to the rockier outcroppings past the Sultan's Port. There was no other place where the water would be at his level while being underground. 

They also weren't alone, there were many more individuals here, smugglers and other cultists by the looks of things moving crates and barrels to the waiting ships. 

Well. Shit.

This was very bad. They had stumbled upon a smuggler's den and were very outnumbered. At least this was plenty proof that the Scorched Ones were up to something.

Too bad they weren't exactly coming in very inconspicuously. 

"Intruders!" The cultist from behind shouts, which echoes through the cavern. All eyes turned their way. 

"Any bright ideas, Miss Arodre?"

---

[1] Smoldering Cape
[2] Fighters Senses

"And then he pulls me into the hallway. Well, if our Prince was smokin' before..." Izzy quips as they run, grinning beneath the hood as she's dragged along, making sure not to use names here, even as she onoxiously narrates while they run. Can't be giving away names in a time like this. She doesn't mind being dragged along any; "I don't mind any; we have to find concrete evidence of what's going on here before we can get the information, and I trust that he knows where he's-- whoa."

As they come to the hidden cove, behind the clever mask of her hood, Izzy's eyes widen. It's an entire set-up, even bigger than she had anticipated when looking into this. It explained everything, the movement, the security, even how little the guards had actually tried to find the culprits-- an operation of this size would be extraordinarily easy to pay off some crooked members of the guard. "Jackpot," she whispers, mouth still open to continue when the voice of the cultist behind them rings out, alerting everyone to her and Zarius' presence.

"I share a glance with my compatriot. They still look a little worse for wear from the poison, but they're not dead yet, so, I'm apt to consider that a plus. A smile crosses my face-- he will have to take my word for it that there's a smile there, as i reach into my bag and hand him something[1], to remember me by," the hood makes the smile look decidedly even more sinister than normal, "and I say 'Well, they already know we're here. why don't we paint the town red?' before I raise my hand."

And she does, a liquid black energy pooling in her palm.[2] Izzy makes a quick finger-gun motion with her hands-- "Here's lookin' at you, boat," and fires, the streak of dark energy shooting like a missle through the cavern and straight into the deck of the ship. Normally, a spell of that magnitude would not be enough to break through the hull.

"But I wasn't aiming for the hull," she says, a titter in her voice, as a one of the barrels on board the ship's deck violently explodes, rocking the ship in the harbour and splintering away part of the hull. Some of the people in the cove deviate from their path to go towards the now smoking, smoldering ship, to either rescue cargo or put out the fire before it gets any worse. Izzy's laugh erupts into a full-blown cackle as she looks round to Zarius as the cultists begin to converge. The ember skeleton visage grins in terrifying glee. "Let's dance~!!"

---

[1] Jolly Bag of Tricks

[2] Chaos Bolt

Zarius gets...

jJoElj4b

Zarius takes a deep breath, a lot of the dizziness has now cleared and his sense of balance is returning to normal. Just in time for all this nonsense.

“Well, here is your evidence, now we just have to survive long enough to pass on the tip.”

Things were not looking particularly promising. There were dozens of goons down here and many of them were well armed. Not to mention the cloaked cultists who were very likely adept in earth domain magic.

There wasn’t exactly a giant sign indicating the best way to get out of the cavern either. He couldn’t run on water and he wasn’t sure Issala could either…though he wouldn’t be surprised if that was a false assumption at this point. Glancing around, he tries to pick out if there are any other passages, though with them possibly being trapped he wasn’t massively keen on taking that risk a second time.

“Wait, we should not aggravate them, we can still talk-” He’s interrupted by Issala shoving what is essentially a picnic basket into his hands.

What…what is he supposed to do with a picnic basket?

"I do not think this will help. But we can still try-"

And she blew up a ship. Zarius shoulders sag and he lets out a long sigh. So much for trying to talk their way out of this situation, any hope of that went up in flames with whatever they were loading onto that boat.

Zarius drops the smoke screen and prepares to defend himself with Issala at his side when there’s a shout across the cavern.

"What on earth is going on here?"

A human woman flanked by a pair of naga steps down a set of stairs off to the side of the cavern that was hidden by a blind corner. She is dressed in layers of fine fabric standard amongst the citizens of Zeinav City with a veil covering her hair. She almost looks out of place amongst the shady goons and the robed cultists, yet they all stop in place in her presence.

She surveys the scene and rubs her temples. "Everyone just calm down. Put out those fires immediately and think for a moment before you alert the whole city."

Her attention turns to Issala and Zarius. She recoils a bit at Issala’s horrific visage, but there’s a look of recognition regardless.

"I know you two, and you are definitely not with the guard. What are you doing here?"

Zarius glances at Issala then back at the woman. She knows them? He certainly has never met her nor does he recall having seen her in his various trips to Zeinav City. Perhaps she meant that she knows of them from their respective reputations. Issala does work with shady folk…perhaps she has done business with them before without knowing? Or maybe she does know this woman personally.

He doesn’t let his guard down quite yet, but maybe there was still a chance to talk. Glancing down at the picnic basket, he lifts it up to show it to the woman as she approaches with her two guards.

“Would you believe we got lost while looking for a place to have a picnic?”

“I would not.”

Ah, well, it was worth a shot.

The laugh dies as a new voice cuts in. "A new player enters; A woman, flanked by two naga (hot) descend towards us, banishing the heat and the tension with a wave of her regal hand." She whispers this part to Zarius, as if he was dying to know. When they are addressed, she grimaces slightly, though it becomes more of a smile as Zarius attempts to bribe the lady with the picnic basket. A solid attempt, A for effort.

But... Ah. Perhaps she had misread the situation. And this woman, who Izzy had definitely never met before, knew her and Zarius?

Time for some damage control.

"'Awful sorry about the mess, ma'am,' I say, bowing," Izzy, still narrating, does offer a bow, a gesture that was normally offputting due to her exceptional height and gangliness now made deeply unsettling by the smoldering bones that made up her visage at the moment. "'I take full responsibility. Y'see, I was in a rush, trying to get me and my companion out of the pickle in which we currently find ourselves, after he was poisoned by one of your traps.'" Zarius seemed more or less fine now, though, but Izzy wasn't about to correct herself, "--'I had assumed urgency, and the last thing I wanted was to put myself, and my dear friend, at greater risk by lingering where we were umwelcome, as evidenced by the previous trap. And so, proportionate to the cavern and the many people you have here, went for the most distracting and deviating approach. You understand'."

She straightens, "'But I believe you have us at a disadvantage; you certainly know who my friend and I are-- would you care to introduce yourself, perhaps, so we might have a better way to refer to you?'" She enquires. It takes a moment for her to realize that she still has the hood on. "And I take the hood off for an extra bit of propriety and neighbourliness." She narrates as she removes the hood. Her red hair frizzes out from the static. It does not make her look more sane.

Zarius elbows Issala sharply in the side, this was no time for her antics. It hardly discourages the woman who steps takes control of the situation by addressing the human who approached them. 

The human woman watches the pair closely as the goons scramble to save the cargo of the burning ship while putting out the oil fire with a bucket of sand. 

"Your friend was poisoned so you decided that moving around more was the right choice?" She asks, with a raised brow after hearing Issala's explanation.

Zarius winces a bit. Hearing it out loud, yeah, she had a point. Moving around got the blood flowing, thus helping the poison spread from its entry point throughout the whole body and possibly impacting vital organs. They had panicked and merely just been fortunate that the poison wasn't something that would lead to death. Seems the woman was all too aware of that. 

She smirks at the pair. "You are lucky it was not intended to be a lethal dose, otherwise you would have just sped your ally towards an early death."

Glancing over her shoulder at the destruction and then back to the pair responsible, she gives Issala a skeptical look. "Well, distracting and deviating certainly are one way to describe what you have done. As are destructive and dangerous."

Though she has every reason to be angry at the pair for their interference and destruction of her property, she keeps calm. Her poise and composure seems to reassure the other thugs that everything is under control, though a few goons hang around, ready to jump to her defense should the infiltrators try anything. 

"Of course I know who you are. Your reputations proceed you. Miss Issala Arodre, professional private investigator. And of course Master Zarius Rha'Oryin, dignitary from the Ash Lands. It should not come as a surprise that I know of you, what is surprising is that in your line of work you do not know who I am. Given the circumstances, I would prefer to keep it that way." 

She flashes Issala a coy smile before parroting the tall fellblood's words. "You understand."

"I think we can assume you are the ringleader of this operation given the context clues," Zarius points out.

Clearly she was the one calling the shots here. So either she a high ranking member of the Scorched Ones, or was the leader herself. Information on the Scorched Ones leader was sparse at best. But...Zarius knew a little due to a complicated family connection with the rebel group. This woman either didn't know about that connection, or just didn't feel any need to draw attention to it.

"You can assume whatever you like," she replies with a shrug, not feeling any need to elaborate. "So, you tripped a trap and that is why you acted as you have. Fine. But that still does not explain how you came to trigger that trap in the first place."

They weren't in a good position. They could try to fight their way out, but it probably wasn't the best idea given the number of people here. Though, they could possibly get the guards' attention if they made a big enough disturbance. It wasn't a great plan, Zarius didn't like having to interact with Zeinav Corps because they often were pains in the ass to deal with. Perhaps it would be better to just focus on getting out of here without further fuss.

"We were investigating an account of vandalism against one of Madam Mohurk's tavern which had a strange tunnel under it," he replies.

The woman frowns then scoffs. "I see. What an annoyance."

Zarius glances at Izzy, would this woman deny having anything to do with it?

She looks at the pair with a tired expression. "Answer me this, why would we vandalize a tavern directly connected to what I am sure you are assuming is a hidden underground hideout?"

That...was another good point. Drawing attention to the tavern lead to an investigation. If they could find the opening, what was stopping anyone else from discovering it and finding all this which is likely a less than legal operation. 

"Think for a moment. That is just asking for someone to find us." She gestures to the group around them and the ships. "A foolish and self destructive act that hurts us more than anyone we consider an enemy to our cause, which Madam Mohurk is decidedly not, I may add. No. That was not our doing, though there are many who would happily frame us for such a thing in an attempt to lead the guard and vigilantes such as yourselves here."


Shit. He glances at Issala again to try and guess what she thought of this new development. He was supposed to ensure the Scorched Ones were incriminated for the vandalism, but while they have caught the group doing something pretty shady, the woman's logic was pretty sound. Maybe he was the one who was set up, maybe this was all to put him in conflict with the Scorched Ones...but why? What was there to be gained from that? Something wasn't adding up. 

"I gotta give credit to the lady; the questions are good ones. FORTUNATELY for me, I'm just as smart as I look," what exactly that meant was subjective at best, "Y'see, ma'am, the two choices were stay put and probably get ganked by one of your looky-loos, or, take a less than ideal shot at running my friend here to safety. Seemed to me that the latter by far and away bested the former.' I shrug. 'It wasn't ideal, by any means, like I said. Sometimes y'just gotta move. It is good to know it wasn't aimed to kill. The world would be at a loss without his pretty face.'" She nods solemnly.

Izzy actually had a contingency in her pocket if things truly had gone South, but they hadn't stumbled upon a door she could use it on. In either case, Izzy keeps that information to herself.

She nods vigorously; destructive and dangerous Izzy would happily cop to. She couldn't deny that. Controlled Chaos, she would call it, but that would be a lie, and she didn't think that telling boldfaced lies was the greatest idea at the moment.

The woman, who Izzy notes has declined to give her name-- interesting, but not alarming-- knows them very well, it seems. Izzy is pretty pleased that her reputation preceeds her. And-- oh. Zarius' surname. She files that away for later.

She exchanges a look with Zarius, one brow arching slightly. Why indeed.

This was just getting more and more indepth. Zarius was having much more luck speaking to the woman than Izzy had so far, and was more than happy enough to let him take the lead on asking those questions. It was actually very eye opening. Zarius would make a decent investigator if he applied himsef, she was sure.

As the question comes up of 'why' Izzy again exchanges a glace with Zarius, this time with a wink on her end as she takes the baton in this investigative relay. "That was my question as well." Izzy pipes up. She starts to pace a little, "The window of the tavern was broken from the inside and the door was locked. There was a little glass on the inside of the window as if someone had made their way back in at one point. My thought was that someone was lookin' for something they couldn't find. Or perhaps as a cover-up for something else that had happened in the tavern itself.

"It was odd that the vandalism didn't fit the usual pattern that had been reported. No interior places have ever been tossed like this as they did in other incidents. That means that either, someone is getting more bold, or, someone wants you to be found, like you said. But if that were true, based on the evidence upstairs, it does have to be someone on the inside who did it."

Izzy ceases pacing and turns smartly to look at the woman and her pair of Naga, "We might not know your name, Ma'am, but someone has your number. Do you have any disgruntled former employees or rivals who have access to this place? Anyone who deviates from the norm within your circles who might be intent on having you usurped so they can fill your niche?" her brows arch slightly, "Someone who may or may not be connected to the Corps? Because that would make sense; if this incident was a tip off for what's down here, imagine the score the guard would be able to bring in. Think of what the newscriers would say. Someone would be a damn hero, if they helped land a score like this for the Corps."

The woman chuckles. “What flattery.”

Zarius sighs, Issala really was not going to drop this narration even while they were surrounded by enemies that could turn hostile at any moment. Still making jokes. Still making him question why he thought it was a good idea to follow her all the way down here.

He winces a bit when she says his full name. It wasn’t like it wasn’t out there. He didn’t have an alias in the Ash Lands or the Zeinav Desert. Still, it was troublesome given the current company. And that isn’t referring to Issala.

The fellblood bites his tongue as Issala goes about her business, suddenly on the case and speaking aloud her thought process.

All the evidence did suggest that someone from inside the tavern caused the damage, rather than someone from outside. Considering the other doors that were locked, that would mean that person would also have the key to said locks, both the tavern and the hideout.

It is possible that someone from the cult went on a late night secret rampage, but it wasn’t clear if anything had been actually stolen from the tavern itself. Issala’s guess of it being a set up seemed the most likely.

A set up. Zarius’ has a bad feeling about this. His contact not only knew of the incident, but also wanted the fellblood to ensure the Scorched Ones were blamed. An odd request if it was their doing in the first place. Could it be that this was all some elaborate ruse all along?

The woman crosses her arms and cocks one hip to the side while listening to Issala run through what they know. She taps her chin with one finger in thought.

“An inside job, then.” Her eyes slide over to Zarius. “Someone who had insider information, and a motive to tip off the guards and get in the Sultan’s good graces.”

Zarius’ shoulders tense. This woman was trying to turn Issala against him, and unfortunately, she had all the cards to do just that. He racks his brain for an alibi, anything he can use to defend himself from the accusations.

“Miss Issala can confirm that I arrived at the scene of the crime the same time she did.”

The woman tilts her head thoughtfully before pointing a finger his way. “Seems like it would be easy enough for someone with your skills to make it look that way, wouldn’t you agree, Miss Arodre?”

The woman looks at Issala expectantly.

"I consider the woman's words, glancing at Zarius with an arched brow. That was a fair enough point; Zarius was very skilled. Why was he involved? It hardly seemed to be his scene... but if not, then what was his motivation. Was it to get in good with the Sultan himself?"

While Izzy reasons this out loud, there's a calculating stare to her eyes as she looks over the ebony Fellblood that doesn't quite match her words, the thing that the facade of smiles and endless bad humour and chaos covers for; a mind like a steel trap.

Because when you set an expectation, that is how people will assume you will behave-- that is to say, within those set parameters. For Izzy, acting on whims as she often did, this whole narrating thing served precisely that purpose. If people expected it, she could keep her true thoughts to herself. If she saw fit, anyway. She was a bit loose about that stuff unless it was close to home, usually.

In either case, wile it was suspect that the place had been vandalized while he was in the vicinity, and she knew Zarius was very skilled-- she had seen it first hand-- he wouldn't do something like this... Not unless he was working for someone. And if he was working for someone, then who was Izzy to intervene in how a man buttered his bread? Made his cheddar? Roasted his beans? And why would he allow a private investigator to go along with the plan if he thought he could be easily found out. Or, more importantly, if Zarius thought Izzy would dime him out?

And if it wasn't, then this was a set-up... and the culprit for that was pretty clear.

Her gaze moves back to the lady, humming thoughtfully. "I look back at the lovely mistress of these Scorched Ones, and do a little thinking out loud. 'I might agree to that. Does that mean Mr. Zarius here would be on your payroll then, ma'am?'

My head tilts as a smile currrls around my lips, while my lanky frame lends to my looming posture as I leans down a little. 'A little slippidy slip of information to a third party source to lure the man in to a trap so you can ruin him? So it can be claimed that the vandalism blamed on the Scorched Ones was some big name who wanted to see you undercut and hurt, who was hurting the businesses and sacred places of Zeinav just to get the guard all riled up and looking at you? Turn the city against a name that is very well known and respected, and mark him as an agent of the Corps or even the crown, so no one will trust him or his business again?

Because that is, honestly, just as, if not more likely as Zarius doing this himself for... whatever reason. Especially since we all agreed that the missive is coming from inside the house.

And I'm thinkin' along those lines because I'm bettin' that not a lot happens in this city without your knowing-- or your say so. Not with an operation this big. Would that be correct?'" Her grin widens. "'Why would anyone cross or single out Scorched Ones if it wasn't already part of your carefully laid out plan to legitimize the Scorched Ones through misdirection through victimhood? It's a brilliant move, frankly.'"

Izzy was a lot of things, but she wasn't about to throw someone she considered a friend under the proverbial carriage.

Zarius listens to Issala closely. He would have to give her some credit, when it counted she was very good at making believable and convincing arguments based on logical trains of thought. It was both a relief and terrifying. This woman could be a very powerful ally, or an incredibly annoying enemy.

For now, it seemed she was more keen on being on friendly terms with him, which...who knows what kind of ulterior motives she may have for that. Something to worry about when they weren't staring down a group of shady rebels on their home turf. 

The two Naga exchange a look between them, skeptical of the two fellbloods and this whole spiel from Issala, though they hold their tongues in the presence of the woman who is presumably their boss.

She shifts her weight to the other hip. “He is not on my ‘pay roll’. Though it may help to inform you that Master Rha’Oryin does have familial ties in Zeinav City and our little resistance group."

Zarius tenses up visibly. This, more than the accusations of him trying to sabotage the Scorched Ones --which is still true--, was something he feared would come up. 

"I cannot help but question if those connections are still at play even to this day.”

“Enough.” Zarius’ voice echoes off the cavern walls.

A few of the goons around them tighten their grip on the hilts of their swords, ready to cut the two fellbloods down if they move a muscle.

The woman doesn’t even flinch and only raises an eyebrow.

Zarius checks his tone and temper. “I have nothing to do with what you are referring to. All contact was severed decades ago.”

She gives stares at him for a tense moment before shrugging, surprisingly dropping the subject and moving on to continue to address the investigator. “Very well. So, Miss Arodre, we seem to be at an impasse with many suspects with many motives. What is your next play here? We cannot simply let you leave without some culprit to take responsibility and without some assurance that you will not just go to the guards afterwards and send them right to our front door.”

Zarius'sudden outburst has Izzy blinking in shock; he always seemed so composed and unflappable. That sort of tone from his lips was completely unexpected.

But even more so are the words. Contact? Several decades? She keeps the smile on her face the same as ever, but for just a moment, her embers for eyes flash.

Now, that

was

interesting.

"What he said," Izzy follows up his words smoothly, backing him up. The woman drops the matter quite quickly, pretty effortlessly, moving on to other things.

"Buh?" She blinks, and then pulls a face, as if she had stepped in something truly revoltinig, "Ugh, no, I'd rather eat the whole ass desert than go to the guard. Way I see it, Ma'am, either way, you've got a rat." her expression clears then, and a slow smile creeps over her face. "And now that I'm thinkin' on it... boy, doesn't that seem likely." Her gaze swivels around the collected crowd, looking for eyes that are especially nervous. "D'you got any members of the guard on your payroll? If I were you, I'd start there. Because the group that would stand to gain the most from you and Zarius here being implicated is them."

Now it's Izzy's turn to shrug. "I could always sign somethin' if it'll make you feel better, but I ain't goin' to the guard. Why would I have to? They already think it's you, they're just waiting on the other shoe to drop. So, if it ain't comin' from me, or Mr. Prince here, it's comin' from one of yours, and they're in with the guard. Oooorrr~ you could hire me on to look into the matter for you instead?" She flashes a wider grin. "Either way, you've got your hands full." She holds out a hand for a shake, not expecting it to be taken. "Whaddaya say~?"

The woman considers Issala’s logic and nods. “It certainly is worth looking into.”

As Issala glances about, she’s met with mistrustful glares and skeptical expressions. No one looks particularly nervous compared to the others, though many still have their hands resting near their weapons in case they need to react quickly.

The woman laughs. “Hire you? You broke in, assaulted my men, and damaged one of my ships.” She lists the crimes committed against her on her fingers. The audacity of Issala was astounding. Though this woman seemed more entertained than insulted.

Zarius starts to doubt that talking will get them anywhere. It seemed like the conversation was just stalling for time, which would be a waste if they didn’t have some sort of backup plan. He glances about the cavern, trying to pick out options for their escape. He glances back at the woman as she scoffs.

“Alright, Miss Arodre,” she returns the grin. “I will take you up on your offer.” Stepping forward, she closes the gap between herself and Issala. It was like night and day comparing them, Issala towering and frightening versus the rather petite

Zarius blinks slowly. Really??? What was wrong with these women?

The woman then looks at him. “Well, Master Rha’Oryin, Miss Arodre has offered me something of value. That just leaves you as a problematic loose end.”

“It is only a problem if you make it a problem," he retorts.

“Cut that shit. We all know how you folk from Darkveil operate. What were you trying to get out of all this?”

“...” he sighs. “Madam Mohurk is a valuable ally. She also has some political pull. Considering the tavern was one of hers, I am certain she would be grateful to know whoever was responsible was no longer a concern.”^[1]

She shakes her head. “Tsk tsk. Taking advantage of a woman in her time of need. Do you have no shame?”

“It is just business.”

“I rather doubt that.”

This was less than ideal. Issala had gotten herself out of dodge for the time being, but he was still surrounded by vipers. How could he convince this woman not to see him as an enemy long enough to escape? He couldn't really piggyback off Issala's offer. That would give this woman too much power in this situation and he already was struggling to hold onto any bit of control. At this rate, he would have to abandon his original goal entirely, but even that might not be enough to get out of here unscathed...unless he let Issala come up with something.

That idea wasn't very comforting either. The ivory fellblood had already stuck up for him plenty and no doubt would have pesky questions for him later. He really didn't want to owe the woman any favors, but perhaps she was the lesser evil in the two choices before him. At least he HOPES she's the lesser evil.

---

[1] Smooth Talking

"'And all in under ten minutes!' I nod vigorously. Truly a new record, and a testament to my efficacy." Izzy narrates, grinning. Either the confidence would work, or it wouldn't. In either case, it at least makes her feel a bit better about the whole thing.

Her grin widens as the woman steps forward to shake her hand, sealing the deal. Izzy sweeps forward into a gallant bow, the gentile brandishing of her arm followed by a cute little display of tiny popping lights[1] a perfect arrangement for her to lower her head and whisper words under her breath. "It is an honour and a pleasure indeed, madame~." she purrs, lifting her head to smile as she gently takes the lady's hand for a friendly shake.[2]

She leans back, the bright grin stretching across her lips, a victory of a deal well made. And a splitting fucking headache.

As the attention shifts again to Zarius, Izzy looks down at her ebony companion and tries to kick the gears of her brain to think of something worthwhile. It was true; Zarius was a loose end by all accounts, but surely that wouldn't be enough of a reason to kill or capture him... would it? He had mentioned he was working for Madam Mohurk initially, so that at least checked out insofar as Izzy was aware. But, in the meantime...

She clears her throat once more, and puts a large hand on Zarius' shoulder. "I decide it's time for me to step in on behalf of the hapless dame. 'Given the current situation of perfectly reasonable suspicion, I think it would best behoove us to keep the as-yet uncleared suspect intact. Knowing the connections he has, someone is bound to miss him if he were to go missing... and potentially come looking'." Izzy drops her gaze to Zarius for a moment, before looking back up to the good lady. "'And in my opinion, that's not a particular heat you and your Scorched Ones can afford-- if you'll pardon the pun.'" She chuckles to herself. "'A loose-end he may be, but Zarius is far from stupid. He knows how the game is played, especially as someone who lives and breathes the Zeinav life.' or, apparently, was from Darkveil. "--'Going to any kind of authority or slipping information out would damn him to the underground community at large, and keeping him here... well, that'd be risky on your part. Besiiiides, he's still part of my investigation! Can't gather good data if you don't have a control group, eh, Your Highness?'" She winks at the group, her smile as jovial and charming as she can manage.

---

[1] Minor Trickery
[2] Reveal Truth

“Yes, all in under ten minutes," she says thoughtfully but with feigned awe. 

Zarius narrows his eyes at the woman, she was up to something. Talking for them this long…was it all just to buy time to think? They were outnumbered, surrounded, and there was no t a clean way to get out, yet the woman still felt the need to be cautious. Perhaps the thugs all around them weren’t as expendable as your every day cult grunt. Perhaps she was more worried about their connections than she was letting on. She was very hard to get a read on which was incredibly frustrating for the fellblood. 

She folds her arms, tapping her finger on her sleeve. “You know, the thing about loose ends is that if you leave them dangling you risk the whole tapestry unraveling. I would rather like to avoid that if possible, Miss Arodre.”

She glances at Zarius again then smiles at Issala.

“So, I have a proposition for you. Since you did all that in nothing more than ten minutes and boast of your efficacy, I will give you ten times that to solve this crime for me.”

The woman takes another step forward, putting herself between the pair of fellbloods. Uncomfortable with how close she is, Zarius instinctually takes a step away. 

That was a mistake, the moment he shifts his weight, she grabs the front of his shirt and pulls him close. “Play along or else I will tell her everything you do not want her to hear,” she whispers in his ear.

Zarius clenches his fists and feels the back of his throat burn with the taste of smoke. He did not take being blackmailed lightly, but the look on the woman’s face tells him she is not bluffing. Taking a breath through his nose, he relaxes his fists.

She smiles and then pushes him back towards her thugs. They’re quick to grab him by the arms and restrain him. A few others raise their crossbows and aim them at Issala should she retaliate. All the while the woman is completely calm and she turns to Issala, looking up at the much taller woman. 

“Until you figure out who is responsible, I will keep our loosen end tied up.”

Zarius looks at Issala. He wasn't keen on putting his life in her hands since he still didn't know much about the woman, but at the same time he still could likely escape on his own. Given that, it would be interesting to see how the private investigator handled herself under some pressure. 

"My apologies, I would help but my hands are tied."

Literally. The thugs have already forced his hands behind his back and have tied them with some rope.

Well, shit.

Of all the ways this could have gone tits up, Izzy had to admit that this one was pretty spectacular. At least no one was dead or bleeding. Yet.

Her hands are too slow to try and snatch Zarius back as the woman drags him forward and away from the relative safety of Izzy. She keeps the confident, self-assured smile plastered to her face while her mind is a chorus of 'oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck,' while the leader of the Scorched ones presents her with a proposition... and puts herself and Zarius into a very tight bind. Him moreso than herself. Her smile flexes at the corners. A hundred minutes to solve the crime, and Zarius being held as collateral. Of all the information that just flooded her head, there was nothing that would be useful at this stage. Except for some names... but she needed to be careful. It was far better for no one here to know what Izzy herself knew.

"...I had to hand it to the lady, that was as good a gambit as any. And reasonable, all things considered. Then again, I was pretty confident I could get to the bottom of this, now that I had permission, access... everything except the dame himself. Now wasn't that a kick in the pants?" Her eyes narrow slightly, mischief dancing across her features. "Althooough, this particular pickle opened me up to new opportunities with the fellblood Prince~. Give him the chance to repay a favour. Now, to just make good on the favour."

"'No worries, friend. I'll be your ears and eyes. As for you, my fair lady... you have yourself a deal,' I say to the lady, and sweep her another bow. 'I'll have this case all buttoned up for ya before you know it. Sit tight, doll,'" she winks at Zarius and, with a flourish of her coat, turns to go and start investigating.

Sweet baby corn, she hoped she knew what she was doing. Izzy didn't even want to think about the unimaginable trouble she'd be in with whomever Zarius was in contact with if things went from bad to worse.

First things first, there are a fair few people to look into. The peer into the woman's mind gave her some of the intel of who she knew was in the guard... but there were bound to be moles, and she had no way of knowing who they were. Though, there was some suspicion, but that seemed more along the lines of good, sensible, criminal paranoia.

She starts by walking between crates, having a look here and there for anything out of place-- something for her to do while she thinks. Someone on the inside that had good access. Not some mook low on the totem pole, someone of relative importance. Someone who generally had no reason to be drawing suspicion to themself. A true professional... someone undercover.

Her gaze shifts back over her shoulder to where Zarius' well-being hangs in the balance, a slow smile.

"Is everyone who works for you here today?" she calls out to the woman. "Nobody who called in sick, by any chance?"

Zarius rolls his eyes. Was Issala really keeping up the narration under these circumstances? Yes, yes she was.

He feels a firm tug as the thugs roughly shove him to move.

The woman glances over her shoulder at him while Issala gets to work. “You might as well take a seat, this could take some time.”

He doesn’t appreciate being manhandled, but relents and sits down on a crate with a huff. Each thug keeps one hand on each of his shoulders just in case he tries anything while another two with crossbows stand at the ready. “Is all this really necessary?”

She turns to face him, folding her arms. “This is what you get for meddling and sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong. Do you think your ambitions justify your actions? That your means justify the ends?”

Zarius remains silent.

“Our work is important, regardless of if you or the Sultan understands that. This isn’t a game to us. This is survival.”

“Really? Seems like you have been having a lot of fun toying with us up until now.”

“It is not a crime to enjoy your work.”

Zarius scoffs. He keeps an eye on Issala as she wanders about, clearly thinking of how to handle this near impossible task. Just over an hour and a half to figure out who was trying to sabotage the Scorched Ones’ operation from the inside. Hopefully Issala has a few tricks up her sleeve. If she can’t at least bluff her way out of this, they will probably have to fight their way out.

The woman also watches Issala closely, but keeps an eye on her own men out of her periphery. She isn’t such a fool to trust anyone wholly, regardless of how dedicated to their cause they have seemed to be up until this point. In her mind, there wasn’t a single person working for her who wasn’t capable of being bought or threatened into selling her out. Depending on the circumstances and the tradeoffs, she wouldn’t even blame them.

“Hardly,” she calls down to Issala. “I have many people all across the city, though everyone here was present throughout the night working on preparing that vessel you so kindly set ablaze.”

“Correction, Misssss, there were three that left for a time to one of our storehoussssessss for extra ssssuppliessss,” one of the snake-folk speaks up.

The woman’s eyes narrow and she looks around at her men. “Those three step forward now.”

There’s a bit of a murmur that ripples through the grunts before three individual step forward. One is a human woman with a pretty significant scar across her face. The next is a stockier dwarven man with a heavy maul at his hip. Last is a wiley looking half-elf in a long cloak.

The woman looks down at Issala expectantly. It was time for Issala to flex her interrogation and deduction skills.