The Wisdom of One's Elders

[Glenn]

The social circles for men of a certain disposition as it pertained to the law were not that large in a place like Myrkentown, not really. Still, it'd been a year since the last talk between Suede Roschen and Elliot Brown. Perhaps that was not too surprising. The older man rather kept to himself, seen where and when he wanted to be, on his terms, in his own unique and remarkable way. The teenager had the social skills of rock that was somewhere between lumpy and jagged. Talking to him was often akin to poking one's self in the eye. Despite certain hardly coincidental overlaps, they simply hadn't encountered one another.

There was a need, however, and thus there was a note that threatened to change that.

"Swayde Rotchon,

If you can spare the time i would apresiate to talk to you about some things that are important to me and that you might know alot about though i can't promise that it will really be worth your time cept for helping some one who is younger and could use the help and to talk to you and it is up to you. If yes I am sure you will find me when you want to find me so i will be expecting you and will not throw a knife at you even though i bet you could do a pretty good job at not getting hit which is part of why i want to talk to you because of her.

Elliot Brown"

The note would be sent through a messenger and as such things went, would very likely end up in the tailor's possession before long.

[Suede]

What do you do when you get a barely legible note from Elliot Brown? Wonder just what it was the boy was bothering you about, of course. Suede could manage the words, but that hardly meant he had a clue what it was that had actually been said. This was why he decided to just go see what the boy wanted. Suede didn't generally do things that provided no benefit for him. They at least needed to be amusing. A discussion with Elliot Brown might be that, but it was more the curiosity.

Curiosity that might get the cat burglar killed, being that Suede left immediately after reading the note, intent on the little puzzle despite it being in the middle of the night. And that was when he would show up by Elliot Brown, likely in the middle of one of his small escapades but dressed like he intended to go to dinner at a nobleman's house. At least he had the sense to keep the clothing in muted, darker shades of greens and greys.

[Glenn]

List of things not to do when Suede Roschen appears beside you while you are dangling from a balcony by your feet:
1.) Do not touch the tailor. Ever.
2.) Do not fall to your death.
3.) Do not drop whatever it is you just pilfered.

Elliot managed all three, somehow, though it was a tricky thing as not doing one managed sort of a chain reaction which almost called the second, which then, in the prevention of such, led to a near thing on the third, which, of course, started the whole process over again. Still, he managed all three, and couldn't help but laugh a bit. "I wasn't expecting you yet! I would have picked something more interesting." He liked to show off, but more than that, he thought that showing off would be necessary in keeping Roschen's attention. While this took some very honed muscles and wild amounts of focus, it wasn't exactly much to look at. "Still, thanks for coming, Suede." First name basis too, even as he hung there.

[Suede]

The fact that people never wanted to touch him was somewhat offensive, he bathed on a regular basis. At least a few people let him get away with it. Maybe he'd give Elliot a hug before he could get away at the end of the conversation. Suede was not dangling from the balcony, he was standing on a window sill in front of the boy, far less work that way. If Elliot's reactions and reactions to reactions were any indication he thought he had made a good choice.

"I have no idea what you wanted in your letter. And what, precisely, do you suppose would be more interesting?" If he was thinking of robbing a vampire or werewolf instead, just to keep Suede interested, then he might show the better part of valor and leave. "What is it you wanted, Mr. Brown?"

[Glenn]

He had Whelp and Pantha near him lately, not to mention Gloria. Suede was a dapper gentleman and smelled much better than any of them, but that was hardly the point, now was it? There were consequences to actions and consequences to a reputation. It had taken Elliot a while to realize that, but he knew it real well now. Maybe that reputation, as flimsy or well-built as it may be, was what brought Suede here tonight, was what made him curious. "Not hanging from a balcony like this? I don't know. Something elaborate. Maybe causing some sort of diversion with twenty constables so i could sneak in some where." He was pretty good at planning these things with his strange, teenaged lizard mind. It was easier to work out elaborate plots than actually interfacing with other human beings.

What did he want then? Well, first and foremost, he wanted to get his footing back, so there'd be some working towards that. He had his loot. He had his health. And now he just had to get down, or at least to a more useful vantage point. He'd crawl his way towards the wall. That'd be a start, at least, something to bridge up against. "I want to talk about you and Jirai. She stabbed me once, you know. Bad. and I've seen her. Not just the stories, right? I've really seen her. And you love her and spend your life with her, and I want to talk about that, so I can understand, ok?"

[Suede]

Suede did use soap with impressive consistency considering where they were. There might be consequences, the tailor thought he might have tried to explain it to the kid once, but he couldn't rightly remember. More significantly, he didn't particularly care himself. He knew there would be reactions, impacts, changes; but that didn't mean he was going to pay any attention to the results of anything he did unless he was in the mood. "Seems like a waste of time. Just sneak in without getting seen, then you don't have to risk agitated constables seeing you on the way out."

Truthfully, and he'd not say it to the boy's face unless asked, he barely knew Elliot had a reputation. He was some cat burglar being taught by that annoying elf. He didn't like pink elves much. He sniffed, one eyebrow going up very slowly as Elliot spoke, the only show of surprise on his face when the boy's question was presented. "I..." No, stopped to rub his chin and think a moment, a small grin appearing on his face. "Are you saying you're interested in my dear Qu'essan, Elliot Brown?"

[Glenn]

"I guess, Suede, it depends a little about why you're doing what you're doing. Take Niall," he'd say with a practiced casualness, because they had to go there eventually. He had to confide something in Roschen, because what was the point of this otherwise? Elliot was mainly on solid footing now, physically at least. It let him go off on a ledge in other ways. "She hunts, but it's not always to find food to eat. She's from a real dangerous place and she needs that thrill, that danger to remind her she's alive. Maybe I do a little too. Maybe not. Maybe it's because of her if I do. But sometimes creating a big crazy spectacle is its own reward, right? Especially if you have an audience?"

The tailor had grinned and the teenager wasn't quite sure what to do about it. "I don't know what that words means. We're talking about Jirai, right? And you. I'm not just interested in her. She almost killed me once! I'm interested in you and her. In how it works, because she's difficult, right? You're not going to just go talking about your feelings with her. Like, let's say you made someone an alteration and they really didn't like it and you felt bad because of it. You're not going to go talk about how you feel bad about it to her, would you? Best case, she'd laugh in your face. Worst case, she'd probably kill the person!"

[Suede]

"If that's your own goal, perhaps, but really the audience shouldn't dictate what you do. If you don't have a reason for doing it beyond getting people to look at you, it's a bit of a waste of time. Wasted energy." You could have been productive with all that effort. Like killing off an entire forest. Now that was productivity. He saw the smile and held back his amusement, or even a knowing look.

"She's almost killed everyone once. In how what works? Copulating? Well really with a woman like Jirai you need to get a few whips and chains. She has a thing for sharp objects, mostly daggers. You really need to expect a bit of blood. It doesn't hurt to start things off with a good meal, either." By the way Suede was beginning to move his hands it was clear he was ready to go into rather explicit detail of just how to handle a woman like Jirai in bed. He only paused at Elliot's comment about her killing the person. "That would be best case."

[Glenn]

"Well, it's not like you're just any audience, Suede." Elliot had just about made it to solid ground. "You're a former Councilor, which I don't really care so much about, but you also survived with Jirai for a long time. I think she only killed you once, and then there are... well, you know." He gave a quite overdramatic wink. "A few years back, well, a guy hears stuff. I wanted you to know what I could do, that I'm not just some kid." The black market. It wasn't what it once was maybe, or maybe it was and none of them knew it. The government had a piece of things now, people said, and Suede had moved on to other plateaus, but every thief had just a bit of respect for ol' Suede Roschen.

"Not in couple-lating!" He wasn't entirely sure what that word meant but he could guess and... okay, maybe he did want to hear about that, but maybe not here and not now. And he didn't want Suede to think that's why he asked him here. "Not like that. It's just, she's got to bring out something nasty in you, right? And she's got to be happiest when you're at your nastiest. Just all the darkness inside of you coming out. And maybe that's okay, right? Maybe it is." He seemed to be trying to convince himself. "But is it alright forever? Does it last? Is it a real base for something important over time? Or does it make everything hollow?"

[Suede]

"Rumors of my death were greatly exaggerated, even if 'back from the dead' looks good on one's resume." It was an effort not to roll his eyes at Elliot's idea of being subtle on a topic... and that wink. His face was almost straight... almost, as he had the good grace to make certain Elliot had room to stand on the sill as well if that's what he intended, though it might be a touch cramped. "You're still young, no offense, but you're competent, I'll give you that much." Breaking into one house really wasn't that great a display, if he was trying to impress the tailor, but speaking of Jirai, she had quite obviously influenced his idea of impressive over the years.

"Pardon me, perhaps I've said too much." He didn't look or sound the least bit apologetic. He did stop discussing it however, unless Elliot DID decide to bring it back up for further consideration. It sounded like the boy had a serious question, even if it wasn't quite on the grand scale one could hope for when talking with a teenager.

"Of course, she's a drow. I didn't always used to be known for my secondary hobbies or a massively wanted man." Just a marginally wanted one, since he did deal in black market affairs even before he came to Myrken. "She's more happy when I'm... amendable to her desires. I find it perfectly acceptable to satiated my inner desires as much as I manage them. Jirai, dear Qu'essan that she is, is a bit of a loose cannon." Just a small understatement. "As much as she pulls on me, I pull back. And that's perfectly fine, I'm happy with who I am. And what I have is quite what I want, quite pleased with it and all that. You just have to learn how to push back and when. A woman like her, if you aren't subtle she'll kick your ass unless you do it in just the right way to amuse her.

You need to get in her head... why do you ask, did you find yourself a drow?"

[Glenn]

Competence. He'd take that. Solena was extremely fair in her praise. If he earned it, she'd give it, within reason. If he failed, he'd be rebuked, within reason. She often mentioned how hard she had it, during her training. That generally consisted of beatings and what not. Once she had tried to install proper fear in his heart and it had worked for a time but now things had gone far too far past that point. There was no reining in Elliot Brown. "I am still young, Suede. Imagine where I'll be in three years, ok?" If he wasn't dead or in a cell of course. That sort of went without saying.

The tailor would have quite the attentive audience in the teenager, surprisingly so, perhaps. This seemed, whether he believed it or not, to be exactly what he wanted to hear. "Isn't it hard? Pushing back, especially if the only time she's really alive, really that full of emotion, is when she's at her very worst! That's got to be the very hardest time to push back, because it's when she's really responding the most and you want to enjoy that and.. and revel in it!" For a hypothetical, this had gotten rather personal, and it wasn't surprising that Suede asked his next question.

Elliot looked away. "Not a drow." Now he was rather banking on the fact that Suede ignored him most of the time. Once, though, he and Niall had confronted the poisoner about the chocolate, but that had been years ago. "It's just she's from a place that's a lot worse than here, like their caves, and she's different when something's HAPPENING."

[Suede]

Competence was about as good as one could expect from Suede for anyone the tailor didn't find a particular attachment to. Honest and straightforward, but unlikely to inflate any young egos. Fear Suede didn't know much of, or if he did it wasn't a topic he ever addressed. A small shrug of his shoulders was the first sign he'd even heard what Elliot had said. "Even odds you'll be dead or running for your life. Overconfidence and over eagerness are the two things that will waste whatever talent you might develop."

It was fun being listened to without suspicion or politics bouncing between the ears of the audience, especially with the intensity Elliot showed for the effort. "That..." He held out a hand before him as if pushing against the air itself. "... is precisely why you push her at that moment. It might be hard, but I like a challenge. If you do it right it just livens her up more, and fills her with more intensity, and if you know how to steer yourself through the rapids, well the white waters are the end are worth the tumble." Had Suede ever been down a river rapid in his life? The look on his face was avarice and fervor for whatever he was seeing. "That is precisely when you revel in it, because it's all for you then." He paused for a moment and his face returned to a thing more neutral.

"Everyone is different when something is happening." How much did Suede know? He at least appeared ignorant for the moment. "You're missing out if you aren't with a drow, but it sounds like you got fairly close. If you don't like what she is or the world she's from, leave her. Otherwise, embrace it."

[Glenn]

Well that wasn't a sparkling recommendation. He'd not be asking Suede for any personal references anytime soon. Of course, then again, who did. There were more pressing matters at hand, though, and he'd move on to his questions about Jirai and about his own situation.

He was listening intently too. Why wouldn't he? Maybe it was against instinct and common sense and every bit of a proper Myrken rearing to heed what Roschen was saying, but he was the one who invited him and it was very much to hear these words spoken. He hadn't seen it as a challenge, or even the right thing to do. To make a game of it, to redirect her.. passions as they were. Suede's metaphor was dubious at best, but the teenager got the picture, or a picture, the picture most useful to him.

"That's what I need to do. Embrace it and push. It's not like rapids," and he had a vague, drugged memory of rapids which probably never happened. He should be angrier at Roschen for the chocolate, but after all these years he finally had some doubts about that entire situation. "It's like a waterfall. She's the strongest swimmer in the world, but I could push us both over it at the right time." He made a sudden splash noise, which was probably terribly inappropriate, but in the moment it really did make sense.

[Suede]

It was sparkling when coming from the tailor. What did the boy want, a medal? It didn't matter, there were bad analogies and women to compare them to. Just because he wasn't the most well respected member of society didn't mean he lacked in good experience. With any luck the boy would appreciate the rare chance to learn from one greater than himself. A rare thing for a person with such a large head. Suede's just happened to be larger.

"Every woman is unique to herself. A waterfall and a swimmer if you prefer. For my own life I am threading the rapids or risking getting dashed against her agitation." The wet sound gets a vaguely disgusted look considering what they had been talking about. "Just make sure you push her over the edge when it'll lead to you both falling into bed, and not to her killing someone..." He left it unsaid that the suggestion was moot if he WANTED her to kill someone.

[Glenn]

A medal wouldn't be so bad. Granted, he could steal a medal, and only a fool would accept one from Suede. It'd probably be poisoned! A poisoned medal; that was a pretty good idea. Anyway, Elliot did appreciate Suede's presence. He'd requested it after all. It wasn't that the teenager revered the tailor but he did have specialized knowledge on this topic and it created a rather attentive audience.

Attentive and appreciative. He was nodding. Somewhere in there, a connection had been made and with it, a decision. "I think I've got it. Yeah, okay." Still nodding. Perhaps one of his neck tendons (were there tendons in the neck?) had been severed by the older man's wisdom. No, eventually it stopped and there was silence. "Alright, I'm going. Thanks, Suede. So, good luck with that dashing agitation thing." Yes, Elliot obviously understood everything he'd just been told.