Jackal & Hide [EU] - Printable Version

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SpoilerChapter 5

The Jackals met in the arid desert of Thanalan once again on their mission to set things right (for the right amount of coin, of course). Through Myra's connections with the Ul'dahn socialites, they obtained invitations to a private soiree thrown by none other than Papushasu himself. With false identities, flamboyant attire and more than a little makeup, the company headed towards a mansion in the Goblet to crash the party and search for evidence which would clear Yukiki's name.

Inarah and Kilid presented themselves as servants to the doorman and were quickly ushered in, with orders to get immediately to work. Xivrez'to claimed to be the son of a wealthy Gridanian trader, whilst Helia was apparently an Ishgardian with connections to the Holy See itself, and P'etri stood by as bodyguard. Their invitations were given a cursory examination before, they too, dressed to the nines as they were, passed through without incident.

As Kilid and Inarah busied themselves serving food and drink, Xivrez'to got cosy with a hyur noblewoman out on the prowl. Helia, in her glitzy clothing, immediately caught the eye of Papushasu who was eager to tell her of his new business plan. The greedy lalafell spoke of war, and how one might profit from it, with the right investments. The Keeper barely managed to hide her disgust but kept Papushasu talking long enough to obtain some juicy information.

The 'servants' managed to make their way upstairs to the bedrooms and office. Kilid stood watch, making a pretense of dusting ornaments (and pocketing some shiny paperweights), whilst Inarah picked the lock on a very large and very ornate desk. The documents she found within would have to be read later as time was ticking. She moved on to a sturdy dressing cabinet in the master bedroom and, after some prodding and poking, found a false wall with a lockbox on the shelf behind.

A tense few moments passed as she tried to pick the lock, only to hear footsteps in the corridor. The butler found Kilid shirking his duties and ordered him downstairs, although luckily didn't seem to notice Inarah lurking in the shadows. Once the voices had faded, she got back to work and cracked open the box. With naught but her clothes to hand, she stuffed the parchments she found into her top and casually made her way back downstairs.

Xivrez'to's romantic escapades with the noblewoman roused jealousy in another gentleman and it wasn't long before a scene was being made. Papushasu was just getting to the meat of his business proposal with Helia when screams rang out, causing the party to come screeching to a halt. Although the woman involved explained the situation, eyes were now on Xivrez'to and the other guests loudly wondered just who was this man?

Sensing their cover would shortly be blown, Helia 'accidentally' knocked over an oil lamp on the staircase as she left the mansion. A fire began to spread, the crowd went hysterical, and the Jackals took the opportunity to escape.

Once back in the safety of Horizon, Inarah rifled through the documents she found. Her attempts to work out the details fell short, however, and Helia kindly took over to read them. There were a number of contracts, all with merchants who sold armour and weaponry, and an unsigned letter on Papushasu's letterhead to a mercenary company based in Limsa Lominsa. The letter detailed an agreement whereby the company would intercept a shipment travelling from Limsa to Camp Bronze Lake, ensuring they left no evidence of their ties to Papushasu.

The Jackals looked round each other in surprise; the date, time and location matched the shipment Yukiki had asked them to guard and, indeed, it was intercepted. It seemed he used Yukiki as a mule to smuggle the crystals and pin any wrongdoing on her, should the job go awry. Helia suggested Kilid and Inarah present their evidence to the authorities and hope that whoever they speak to wouldn't be easily swayed by a bribe from the unscrupulous lalafell.

With the way forward becoming clear, the company chose to take a well earnt break and spent the rest of the evening relaxing with a bottle of wine pilfered from the mansion by Kilid. "Everythin's comin' t'gether well...mebbe a little too well," Inarah mused as she took a long sip from her glass.