Cat and Mouse - Aerilon

[umslay]

Who: Ales [Open]
When: November 17
Where: Ales' Airship and Aerilon
Summary: Flying to Aerilon to search for the Black Moogle and looking around the city.
Warnings: None.

Good thing Ales was given permission to take one of the Airline's ships to search for the Black Mage Moogle, or else he'd waste so much time getting from one place to another. And taking other Heroes for the search would makes things go more quickly.

Ales spends several hours on the airship, keeping himself in the navigation room and only allowing Mimi inside to relay any messages one of the passengers wants to give him.

After that, he wandered the streets, greeting each member of the crowd that was closer to his size. The shops were filled with wonderful items, but nothing caught enough of his interest to pay for one of those expensive trinkets.

Fortunately, he found himself in front of O'aka XXIV's shop, eyeing one of the computers. He didn't have enough to buy one of those, but for now, looking at them made him feel a bit better.

Comments

[melodiesnpcs]

[ He opened wide eyes and repressed a laugh at the question, before tilting his head. ]

Credit? Then you vanish along with your debt. No thanks, the shop's rule is: no credit, only Gils. And don't try stealing them, the last one who did got his wings burnt off.

[ That's maybe literal. ]

[umslay]

[He didn't know what he was thinking. No competent merchant, especially himself, would consider selling valuable items on credit. It was worth a try, though.]

I see your point. With rare finds such as these, you wouldn't want to lose an enormous profit.

[He turns away from the display and puts on a smile, though still upset at losing the chance to get an upper edge on technology.]

Anyway, I'm primarily here for some other business. There's a thief that's been flying around, he's with the Empire and been causing plenty of trouble with the Heroes of Light. It's a Moogle wearing one of those hats Black Mages wear. He's in hiding somewhere, and I'm helping to track him down.

Just a quick question: seen a Moogle like that around here?

[melodiesnpcs]

A moogle with a Black Mage hat?

[ He stroked his chin and looked up for a moment, thinking, before looking back at Ales. ]

Maybe. How much are you ready to pay to know?

[umslay]

[Oh, now this was a smart man.]

Less than what this computer is worth. [He smiles, putting on all friendly appearances. Even if he'd have to give up most of his funds he already had, he could always make up for it the next time he would run into something as nice as this.

And this information is extremely important to get.]

[melodiesnpcs]

Heh, information are worth a lot but not that much.

[ He nodded then held his hand out to Ales. What he would say would depend on how much Ales is ready to give. ]

[umslay]

[Ales thought for a moment, considering how much to give this guy. He reached into his side-purse and pulled out 2,000 Gil.]

How much will this give me?

[It seemed like a good amount to start with: pretty high, but not so much that Ales would have to reduce most of his spending for the next several months.]

[melodiesnpcs]

Enough for now.

[ He took the money and leaned back in his chair. ]

I've seen one not so long ago. Black Mage Moogles are rare enough that they leave an impression, and that one asked me if I could smuggle him in imperial territories.

[umslay]

[This definitely was important.]

How long ago did he come here?

[melodiesnpcs]

This morning, but he fled when he saw that Shoopuf Airline airship. It's pretty rare when Airships stop by this city, and seeing how paranoid he was, odds are someone's hunting him. [He tilted his head.] Considering your question, I guess his paranoia was justified.

[umslay]

Makes sense, though I wouldn't say he's blameless seeing that he was actively trying to ruin the city of Aqures Ixen and stealing everyone's crystals. [He'll have to relay to everyone that it would be better to find him on foot or use some other mode of transportation.]

Any idea as to where he headed?

[melodiesnpcs]

What he did isn't my business, but there's no way I could have smuggled him in imperial territory with Esdham and Mognet on the watch. At least not for what little money he offered.

[ He paused. ]

I think... Hrm... I have a hard time remembering, but maybe if I had something to help me remember--

[ Like Gils. ]

[umslay]

[Really? He had hoped that was plenty enough. It seemed that Ales would have to cut back on his spending for the next year, or at least sell enough items.

Grudgingly, he pulled out 500 Gils and handed it over to O'aka]

[melodiesnpcs]

[ He took the 500 gils. ]

He went back to the Continent of Balance, or the islands close to it, whichever. You can put a cross on this city or anywhere close for your searches. He really didn't like this place and thanks to you, odds are he won't feel safe any more here.

[umslay]

Thanks for your help. [He took his hand out of his purse.] I'll relay it to everyone else.