DoT: Aftermath, part one

Vallista Greycloak sat in the upper-city shop, sipping at her tea. She had security in the area, some from the gang that was now hers and some freelancers who would be harder to recognize. She watched as Lynna Catseyes approached, two of her obvious security detail with her. One of the Tabaxi leaned and spoke to the half-elf, but she shook her head. 

The two of them peeled off and took seats at a nearby table as Lynna approached the table where Vallista sat. Vallista kept her arms on top of the table, one hand curled around her tea cup and the other palm down: this was a meeting, not a murder.

Lynna pulled back her chair, seated herself, and put her arms atop the table as well. To most appearances, she was a half-elf, but her eyes were feline: green, with vertically-slit pupils. That was what had given her her name. "Vallista," she said. 

"Lynna," Vallista acknowledged. 

"It wasn't one of mine," Catseyes said directly. "Or if it was, I will find them and hand them over to you. None of my people should ever have been involved in something like this."

Vallista waited a moment before she spoke. "I believe you," she said. "My father trusted you. And it doesn't make sense for you to move on our territory, not unless you think you can take over the whole mid-city... and even if you could, why push this way? It makes no sense."

Lynna nodded. "I'm relieved to hear that." She hesitated. "Gareth will be, too. I... I think this is more of what we've seen with the lower-city gangs. Someone is trying to set us against each other."

Vallista nodded back. "Yes. Which is why we're going to attack you."

Catseyes tilted her head. "Draw them out? Get them to show their hand?"

Vallista nodded. "A small band of disgruntled Greycloaks, with nothing more than clubs and knives, in... three days time. I can shake loose some of my troublemakers that way, and it looks like we're really at war even though that's ridiculous."

"All right," Lynna smiled. "I'm game. I'll set a small group of my own troublemakers to patrol for anyone looking to move in on our territory." She grinned. "And I'll let Gareth know, so he doesn't panic too much."

"Thank you. It's still going to create some bad blood," Vallista admitted. "I'm sorry about that."

"Oh, we'll end up being called before the Voice before this is over, but if we keep the fights small I think we can weather it." Lynna  was still smiling. "And it will buy us time to figure out what's actually going on."

"I've got somebody working on that," Vallista admitted. "I haven't heard back yet, but if this isn't all of a piece with the robbery at that furniture-carver, the rumored hit on Telk's place, and the trouble between the Redblades and the Mist Eyes, then I'm a ship's deckhand."

Lynna nodded thoughtfully. "Yes... Yes, that does seem likely. Upstairs will see it too, I bet."

Vallista hesitated, then said, "One more thing... would you be willing to surrender Gareth to the Greycloaks? Not as a prisoner. I'm thinking that when we 'reconcile' we'll need a marriage to seal the peace."

"Oh?" Lynna grinned. "Oh. Oh, that's brilliant. I'd been wondering how you two were going to manage..." She laughed, an unexpected peal of sound that perked the ears of the two Tabaxi guards. "Yes, absolutely. You have my blessing. I'll... let Gareth know as soon as it's safe for him to know."

"Thank you," said Vallista. "Deeply. Thank you."

"Your father and I spent a lot of time trying to show each other up -- from swordfights to pinching each other's noses with little crimes in each other's territories, to striving to run our gangs better than the other one could. Neither of us would ever break ranks with our gang, or even admit that we might be more than enemies and rivals. So believe me when I say I think he'd be proud of how you're handling this." She leaned in. "And when the time comes, somebody is going to burn for your father's death."

Vallista nodded. "They damned sure are."