Cogwaggle sits alone at a table in the Shady Corners behind a stack of papers and a plate of cookies marketed to him as the "Finest in the Land!" He mutters to himself as he scribbles away furiously, ocassionally taking a bite from a cookie or a swig from his glass.
"There's money to be made here, I'm sure of it. The Uordeqs bicker and argue among themselves, the nanognomes seem to have gone haywire and have begun to make decisions on their own. It appears to be the plumbing department this time. There's no other explanation for all of the door handles to be replaced by faucets. Baffling because they've always been so reliable. At least their changes are mostly aestetically pleasing, even if they seem to need a copy editor. I wonder who's in charge this time."
Rejecting another idea, he crumples up another paper and tosses it on the ground behind him and begins to furiously scribble into the next.
"Maybe if I can find a way to pit them against each other in a round of secretive backstabbing. They're a lot of adventurers here. I bet I could even pass it off as a sport, give a cash prize to the winner. Oh yes, this is a lovely idea."
Absentmindedly he grabs another cookie from the plate, crumples up another sheet, and begins anew.
The elf reached down and unballed the paper the gnome had thrown on the floor. "I always figured Urodeqs bickering amongst themselves was a common occurance." The elf said to the gnome as he handed the wrinkled paper back. "I suppose you're the new face around here that everyone's been talking about. The name's Galdor." He had his hood down for once. A little breez through one's hair never hurt anybody afterall.
As Glimmer flits back from the kitchen of the Tavern, she sees Snowball out of the corner of her eye. She flits back and forth, giving off a cool breeze as she passes. She then rips a dead squirrel from her bag and tosses it, with two cookies, to Snowball. "Good Kitty!" she says as she passes by.
Glimmer then plops down on the table where Cogwaggle seems to be having a terrible time writing. "Whatcha doinsies? I had to run in the back to my office and make sure all was well. Your little guys have been doing -quite- the work in town, I say I say! I needed to ensure my office hasn't been ransacked as there's pertinent information in there! Now then. Can I help? I write pretty and provide excellent artwork with every letter. Would you like some tea? EAT MORE COOKIES! It fuels the brain. I can make milk with mine. Wowiest thing EVER!"
Glimmer pours more tea and places another pile of cookies on the table. She thoughtlessly reaches into her pouch and grabs a delectible red candy. As she begins to unwrap it, she squwals quite loudly and throws herself across the table, being careful not to spill the tea or cookies. She begins crying relentlessly saying"Oh WHERE OH WHERE HAS MY UNCLE WREYNN GONE! Oh where oh where could he be? With his hat uptop and his vest so strong, OH JUST WHERE COULD HE BEEEEEE!" Glimmer grabs three more candies, stuffs them in her mouth, hiccups, and stares blankly at Cogwaggle as a bit of drool begins to dribble onto her chin.
SIlver's mouth quirked as she watched the fairy recite her strange brand of poetry. Picking up her cup of tea and putting away the papers she was looking over, the Empyrean headed over to the gnome's table. "It appears we have a new face in town. Greetings Master Gnome. I am Silver Dragoran of the Crimson Corsairs. May I join you?"
"Ma'am, you're drooling all over my work. I appreciate the cookies and the tea and the table service, however, you're going to have to excuse me while I finish up with matters of utmost importance."
Cogwaggle casually cleans up the drool spilling from the clearly intoxicated fairie's mouth with a sheet of paper before balling it up and stuffing it in her mouth to cease the flow of spittle.
"Now, if I can get them to agree to sign a mutually binding contract so that they agree to an honor duel with a person of my chosing at a location to be determined. No that's too complicated."
Looking up to find another cookie, Cogwaggle is interupted from this thoughts by the new person sitting at the table and the overly large cat settled beside the boisterous Angori. His normally rosy cheeks begin to glow bright red as he begins to understand his surroundings.
"BOLTS! BLASTED BOLTS! BLASTED BOLTS AND HOT SLAG! What is that beast doing in the tavern? This is a place of respite, thought, and meriment isn't it? How is a Gnome supposed to work with a blasted AVALANCHER no more than 15 feet from his table? A wild beast of legend, and a fairy? Just where did I crash land? And the Corsairs? The sky pirates of Dragon's Cove? Here? Oh dear me."
Cogwaggle begins to frantically pat himself down for his trusty dagger to defend himself. Finding only the spoon on the table to be a suitable weapon, he raises it defensively and backs as far away from Silver as possible.
"I-I-I-I don't want any trouble m-m-m-m-miss. This may not look like much, but I know how to use it!"
Silver gave her most reassuring smile as she tried to seat herself calmly and look as friendly as possible. "Jastery is a most unusual place, but you have nothing to fear from us. If the Avalancher was dangerous, do you not think that with the number of fighters here it would have been dealt with by now? And you have noting to fear from myself or the Corsairs. I simply came by to offer my services as a liason for my Captain, if the need should arise."
She once again picked up her tea and dantily took a sip. "And may I add, master gnome, that most people know the use of a spoon."
"Do you now? Do you truly know the use of a spoon?"
Cogwaggle steadies himself and points the spoon at Silver as if it was a magic wand and raises his other hand to clutch something around his neck.
"Master of the four winds, Guardian of the sky. Arch Mage, cooker of books, the silver lock and the guilded spoon. Champion of rabbits and..... and.... BOLTS!"
Lowering his head in shame knownig he forgot the rest of the incantation Cogwaggle lowers the spoon and slumps his shoulders in defeat.
"I've never been a good mage. You win pirate. I'm Lord High Lord Cogwaggle, Chief Architecht, General Contractor and CEO of Nanognome Remote Industries, Test Pilot and Tamer of Dragons. If its money your captain wants, I have it, if its power, I can arrange it, if its fame - don't you already have enough?"
A sudden shadow crossed Silver's eyes and a strange smile flashed across her face. "Thought the Captain does seak certain things... I seak other things entirely. But that is a story for another time. It is a pleasure to make your aquaintance, Lord High Lord Cogwaggle."
Silver settled back in her seat and took another sip of tea. "The Corsair do enjoy a certain amount of fame and power. Yet that does not interest me in the slightest. I am more interested in what you are doing in Jastery, and if perhaps you and the Corsairs can develop a ... mutually beneficial arrangement, if at all possible."
She smiled as she brushed a lock of white hair behind her ear. "Judging by your reactions to unexpected conversations and people, perhaps a liason like myself would be benifical to you as well."
"Hmmm, a liason would be nice. Someone to deal with the riff raff like the elf so dutifully picking up my trash or interface with the common folk like that Angori fellow with his Blood Ale. Or heaven forbid, should an Uordeq want to speak with me directly. Live and let live I say, and to each their own path, but unless they're wealthy or important I don't need to be seen with them. I have an image to uphold afterall."
Cogwaggle begins to relax his posture, places the spoon back into his teacup and reaches for a cookie. Nibbling slowly on the edge he ponders to himself.
"And what benefit do you get out of this arrangement? Clearly I get an executive assistant while I'm away from the office, something I obviously need in these parts, but you?"
He pushes the tray of cookies to Silver, politely offering her one and waits for a reply.
Silver gingerly took a cookie from the tray and took a small bite. She then took a sip of her tea before speaking. "It always pays to be near the newest visitor. All the information gathers in one place. Not to mention that I might find the information I seek, since you mentioned that you were a tamer of dragons. Dragons spark a certain intrest with me. If you can provide me with the information I seek, I will offer you my services completley free of charge."
She took anothe sip of tea and looked him in the eye. "If you accept, it will be a pleasure to work with you, Lord High Lord Cogwaggle."
"Information always comes at a price, but if you're offering your services for nothing more, consdier the position filled. I'll have the the office draft up the appropriate forms and have the nano couriers. Oh Bolts! We're not AT the office. Perhaps we should just shake on it?"
Cogwaggle extends his hand in a gesture of friendship to seal the contract.
Silver set down her cup of tea and grasped the gnome's hand in her own. "Agreed. And if you should need anyting drafted while you are here, I do have secretarial experience. And the proper writing tools. I am by far the most business oriented of the pirates in Jastery."
She finished off her cookie and tea with a smile. "So Lord High Lord Cogwaggle, where shall we begin?"
The small form of an Uordeq, dressed in deep green robes and a black cloak, with an somewhat decorated black leather masquerade mask on her face and a family crest necklace at her throat, strode calmly in to the tavern. Katerina carefully skirted Snowball and gave Ohren a nod and a pat on the shoulder in greeting. Her gaze, now with a starburst of violet in dark orbs, drifted over to a group gathered around the new Gnome... What was his name again? Cogwaggle, that's it. She took notice of the papers crumpled on the ground behind him.
Her bootsteps were quiet even on the wood as she moved to pick up one of the papers. Her eyes flicked over the writing and she gave a nearly unnoticeable smile. Interesting. Secretive backstabbing, huh? Balling the paper back up and letting fall from her hand, she gave a quick nod to Galdor and turned to the group. "Hello, Mama Glimmer. Miss Silver and... Lord High Lord Cogwaggle, yes?"
At the sound of cookie movement, Glimmer sits up abruptly, spits the ball of paper out and shrieks. "You don't just GIVE her a cookie! Are you mad? Don't you dare touch another cookie Silver. You ask first. And you don't offer Lord High Lord Cogwaggle. Good luck having a pirate for an executive assistant. You could have asked me. I run the mail service in this town and have contacts with every Fae in every shard. Plus, I have the services of my Court and Queen. Choose wisely."
Glimmer snatches one of her cookies and eyes Silver wildly.
"Madam Glimmer, you seem to be upset, is there a problem?" Leofrick speaks form under his mask sitting at a table adjacent to the group. He lowers his fur hood and adjusts his new armor. "Ah, the newcomer, Herr Cogwaggle. It's a pleasure to see you again." Leofrick removes his mask and lays it on the tabletop. He motions the barkeep to bring him his usual, red wine. He pours a glass and procedes to watch with mildy curiousity.
Mac, the barkeeper, approaches Leofrick, a bottle of red wine and a single glass in his hands, a scowl painted across his face. He grunts as he sets down the items on the table. "You have legs. Next time get it your damn self, Uordeq." He walks away, grumbling as he goes. A smile threatens at the corner of his mouth. "And Madam Glimmer, Do play nice with the other kids." He goes back behind the bar and begins wiping it with a clean white rag.
Zwey enters the tavern, looking like somthing the avalancher had mauled, heavy pack strapped to his back. He finds a table, sets his pack down, and watches the newcomer plot, as every good newcomer should. He rummages around in his pack for his tankard and liquor, and settles in to watch the dragon crash.
"It appears the rumors about fairies were true then. Flighty, fickle, and subjet to bursts of irrational anger and mood swings as violent as any pregnant woman. Silver would you be a dear and see if we can find someone to have the fae escorted from our table should she continue to be irrational. And by all means, have as many cookies as you'd like. They are mine after all."
A hint of a malicious smile begins to creep into Cogwaggle's face as he pushes the plate of cookies toward Silver, directly under Glimmer's nose.
"And would you happen to have anything in your bag of tricks that might be able to obscure us in this corner? It seems that some of those unsavory types have come to take notice of my presence and appear to be requesting my attention. Please see what they need from me."
Raising his arms in the air to stretch, Cogwaggle lets out a long yawn, leans back in his chair and kicks his feet up onto the table.
Katerina raised an eyebrow beneath her mask at the Gnome as he disregarded Glimmer and easily prevented amusement from leaking in to her features. No need for her to get a lecture from the Fae if she were to noticed such a thing. All the same, the open maliciousness towards Glimmer... She was sure she'd only seen that a handful of times. She likely shouldn't have found it funny, but then, her humor had always been... less than polite.
Cogwaggle continued and Katri's eyes flickered with something unreadable. She successfully supressed a cringe when he kicked back in his chair and shook her head as if to clear away an old memory or thought. She lifted a hand in a gesture of departure and turned her back to the group to find her own, secluded table. As she moved away she muttered softly, "Watch them dance, indeed..."
As Cogwaggle closes his snippy statement with Glimmer and speaks to Silver, Glimmer sucks in a deep breath of air, turns three shades of pink, and hiccups. She quietly gets up, sits down on the plate of cookies Cogwaggle referred to, and looks at Katri. She winks one eye, nods her head, then flits back to the portion of the table she'd previously been draped across, leaving behind colorful balls of what appears to be chocolate.
Once seated, she turns to Coggwaggle and says 'There's no need for harshities my dear. Methinks Uncle Wreynn would haves your head, methinks! For HE, and HE alone is the one and only person who shall ever speak to me with such words. Methinks you need chains, Lord High Lord." Glimmer gulps from her flask and sits quietly, flapping her wings in hopes to muss Cogwaggle's papers.
Katri let out a particularly undignified snort of laughter from her table when she saw Glimmer's wink and realized what the Fae was doing. She rested her forehead in her palm and shook her head, still chuckling as Glimmer settled herself and spoke to Cogwaggle again. Vindictive thing, that Fairy. She thougth to herself.
She watched for the Gnome's reaction, but she couldn't stop herself from asking, "Where's Tregard? There's Fairy poo to be had and I was certain he had a detector for something so... 'valuable.'"
Silver chuckled as she watched the events unfold. This fey was quite entertaining, if a little quirky. She turned to Cogwaggle with a resigned smile. "I'm afraid that I posess no such magic as would be required to hide us here, however I can offer you a place of escape- of sorts. You would be most welcome to stay at the dry dock of the Crimson Corsairs as our most honored guest, Lord High Lord Cogwaggle." She looked over the tavern at the assortment of people that were present. "I'm sure that the Captain would be happy to have you, and the Corsairs would be more than willing to keep any.... rif-raf.. away."
Ohren grumbles and bursts into the tavern, he sits at the bar and thumps his fist on the wood loudly.
"BLOOD ALE! I WANTING BLOOD ALE!"
The thumps his fist three more times, waiting for the bartender to fill his order, he looks around the bar, glaring from under his brow. He sees the plate of cookies.
"AN' COOKIES! BRINGED ME COOKIES!"
He grumbles more and puts his elbows on the bar, resting his chin on his hands as he broods.