In Vino Veritas [Evening 1]

[Emcas]

"Truth is we do not have much but we cherish what we do have"

And thus the plates and drinks came to the table. The fish had been cut and sliced into long thin and narrow strips, reminiscent of noodles.

The smell...the smell was certainly there. There was a fishy nature to it but it was far more pungent and agressive.

Emcas immidiately dipped a finger un the Big Juice and coated his upper lip with it.

"It helps with the smell" he explained

"The juice helps

[Laila Bridger]

Well, it certainly had an... aroma, but so did some of the cheese Laila had been able to get her hands on back on Ecaz.

"A bug juice mustache, huh?"

She actually grinned a bit as she followed suit.

When in Xenion, and all of that.

[Hadrian Martikova]

Hadrian... hesitated. His constitution wasn't anywhere near what there's was. But ultimately...

"You are our guide on this journey. I will defer to your wisdom."

A few tentative bites later and he found the taste acceptable enough to continue. Whether it stayed down would ultimately be the trick.

[Emcas]

Emcas seemed to enjoy his meal...as much as he enjoyed anything else. He frowned less.

Between two mouthful, he began to speak

"Do you have to be anywhere else tonight? My employer talkd about speaking with you both as things are visibly going faster then expected."

[Hadrian Martikova]

That was unexpected.

"I... would be very interested in talking more with your employer."

He found himself saying a silent prayer that Xanthe is still the correct bet.

"I miiiight have another stop. But I can absolutely put that stop on hold this evening and make your employer the priority if it's an option."

[Emcas]

Emcas shook his head.

"Go to your meeting first. She knows patience."

[Laila Bridger]

His owner, Hadrian. Employer makes it sound far too kind.

"And is probably still assessing the situation with the information she has."

Chomp.

"Besides. She's a noble. They never do anything straightforward."

[Emcas]

''You can trust me when I say she'd prefer this affair to be straightforward. She is her father's daughter, no matter how much her mother tries to move her around on the board.'' he replied

[Laila Bridger]

"And yet she can't even tell us her purpose, just promises we'll get along fine so long as we don't cross it."

[Emcas]

"Her purpose is to have a house in order. No more, no less."

He scowled

"But as you witnessed, there looks like there might be rats in the walls"

[Hadrian Martikova]

"Yeahh, lot of that going around."

He said with a tired sigh. Then thinking for a moment about the snippets of information floating about. What he knew prior to meeting Xanthe was that she's a by-the-book hard ass. Which made sense given her station. What he knows about her father is even less outside of his official duties. There's the rumor that he's pro-Atreides, but so what? If he's anything like his daughter then he's a businessman. Which means he'd happily leverage the Atreides if the stakes were high. And given the hits they're taking, the stakes are indeed pretty high. But if Emcas is being candid, and given what Hadrian had observed earlier...

"Alright." Hadrian leaned in, his voice below the din of the restaurant as he continued, "I need to figure out some things and you might be able to help. My next stop is an associate's. I need to figure out how we ended up in that situation earlier this morning. Cause believe it or not, we shouldn't have. I'm meticulous with my trades, perhaps as equally so as your employer."

He thought a moment more.

"There are a few ways to go about it. If you tag along he'll be tight lipped. And it would signal that we're working together, your employer and I. So that's no good. And even if you're not a known quantity, I can spin having Laila with me but not you I'm afraid."

He shook his head.

"Cause eventually you would be a known quantity... and he'd think I'd sold him out. But if you're hanging back and observing that would do three things. First, it'd allow you the chance to observe - catch something unexpected perhaps. Second, it'd keep us safe from ambushes. And third, I'd have plausible deniability even if you were spotted."

He smirked.

"That's option one."

[Emcas]

Emcas quirked his eyebrow

"And the others?"

[Hadrian Martikova]

His smirk broadened into a grin.

"That would depend on how much clout you can throw around. Basically we could scare him. Question him regarding an ongoing investigation into a known associate you've detained. See which way he winds up running, and who he runs too. But scaring him would be a trick. He's got more money and connections than I do, exponentially so. And you saw how hard I am to scare. So we'd need to dig first."

[Laila Bridger]

Laila didn't regard herself as clever enough to venture an opinion on any of it, so while Hadrian and Emcas talked, she went at her food with a will.

After all, it never hurt to be ready.

[Emcas]

He shook his head

''No. That would be far too out of the ordinary and quite suspect. The first option is the better one''

[Hadrian Martikova]

"Ahhh, well it was an idea. An expedient and potentially profitable one too." He shrugs easily. "Now I'll have to parse his bullshit instead. I hate to admit it but he's a better negotiator than I."

Hadrian finishes his meal and nods.

"That was certainly different. Not the weirdest thing I've eaten, though perhaps the second weirdest thing I've drank."

[Emcas]

''Let him spew his bullshit.'' Emcas replied, finishing his meal ''If this place goes tits up, as they say, so will his affairs. Furthermore things are seldomly settled in the first meeting and he might not be aware that my lady is on your side.''

He downed his bug juice in one gulp

''Lure him into a false sense of security''

[Hadrian Martikova]

Hadrian chuckled, "I might very gently remind you that some merchants profit from markets in flux. If it weren't for the fact that my trade profits from stability rather than upheaval that is."

He looks to Laila for a sign that she's finished eating.

[Emcas]

"When the flux is elsewhere, yes. Not when the flux is at home."

Emcas gave this some thought

"Let's play under this scenario: the customs flagged you as a smuggler but you managed to charm or bribe your way out of it. Xanthe, clearly not having to checked herself since she had Bene Geserith to entertain, got wind of that later and is now trying to make à quiet investigation as to not bring further scandal to her house. That is why her bodyguard is trying to spy on you from afar."

[Laila Bridger]

Laila was long done eating, and was quietly amused by turning over "tits up" in her mind. She had heard it before, of course, especially from men she'd served with, but it had always struck her as funny.

There was just one thing...

"And how do we explain to him the three of us tag-teaming a lion? The footage isn't exactly being kept quiet."