Play on..

Various merchants have been going missing in my district. Either showing up dead, or not at all. In most cases, the death of strangers in the Anbar wouldn't have concerned me with any degree of urgency, but this is different. Those whose shops I frequent and keep under my hand pay me a percentage of their montly take for the privilege of residing here. In exchange of this, I offer the service of ensuring their livelihood is not burnt down in the middle of the night to a pile of cinder. It's a working relationship.

The culling of my herd is cutting into my ends. One of the surest ways to garner my attention, unwanted attention at that. It was this that brought me back to Tendora's Tit. I was looking for answers, answers that can often be found in a paga den when lips are loosened by the swill there. I did not ultimately find those answers, but I did find the Musician. When the den's owner approached, fishing for information, I paid for my drink and the company of Damos. He seemed somewhat uncomfortable, nervous. I'm not entirely sure if it was my presence that did it, or some other fear that never came to light.

Some ahns later into the evening the Magistrate Silenti showed up, taking a seat beside Damos. There was talk of his sister, this woman he calls Amanita. I have yet to meet her, but the more people I do meet, they all seem to have this one strange thing in common; the want to find her. Our discussion led to Damos' residence at Tendora's Tit, and then the coercion into bringing him back to Aria Fori. Damos is a man that seems to balk at little. The decision was made, and I sent Venor to negotiate the return of the musicians kalika, while I myself followed Damos into the pit he called a residence. It was cold in the cellar of the tavern, and small quartered. I could feel the tension crawl into my limbs slowly, memories like disjointed reels of tape flooding my mind's eye. Our sojourn into the bell of the Tit was brief though, and when I arrived back in the main part of the den Venor was in a bit of a fight with the den owner, presumably over Damos.

Maybe it is my advanced years, but when I can buy a man to shut the fuck up, I take every advantage to do so. It's faster, and does not require me to exert myself unnecessarily. Thus when Venor was getting no where with threats, I got what I wanted by way of coin. He was after all a merchant. Their avarice is reknown.

Venor had gone ahead to Aria Fori, and I waited for Damos to retrieve his kalika before leading him out of the paga den and for the streets of the Metellan again. "How did you even end up in such a place," I inquired of him on our walk back through the darkened streets. "I was..unwilling to return to my home," he confided. Home. I never did find out where Damos' supposed home is. We arrived quickly to the gates of Venor's estate, and I situated him and his kalika within the guest room opposite my own.

After he'd gone, I returned to my own bed. Though with a distinct amount of restlessness I was unaware the origins of.