The Lower Boroughs are not the cleanest of places, but it is busy. People pass through sending commerce to the port, and back again. And then there are the warehouses with cargo stored in them. People pass through on foot and by other means.

Tonight there is a group of young, dirty men leaning up against the wall of a warehouse. Calling out and generally harassing anyone who passes through.

"Hey, hey!" Calls a man with shaggy black hair, to a woman who is just attempting to get from place to another. "Have you paid the tax, missus? Have you paid the tax for this street?"

    Silas was more than acquainted with the Commons Square. If there was trouble reported to the barracks, he knew to come here first unless directed elsewhere. It was a literal breeding ground for criminal scum and this is where Silas learned he should know how to fight without his blade.

    He didn't anticipate this patrol going any different than the last, save for the new addition to his retinue: Officer Ainsley Grayson, his senior. Silas keeps an air of politeness, but it somewhat falters when he hears the men catcall the passing woman. "And here is exhibit a... the Commons Square Dogs." He looks aside to the Grayson guard, curious to what his reaction will be.

Costas would normally pass through this area without much of a second glance afforded for marking the pickpockets and potential muggers, but tonight the sound of raised voices gives him pause. Long enough for him to spot the nearby Iron Guardsmen, and then his interest is piqued. Whether for entertainment or study, Costas diverts his path to bring him into the shadow of a long row of awnings. He continues to move down the street, but at a quarter-pace, attentive on the events about to unfold.

The young weaponsmith passing through the area perhaps looks a bit out-of-place for the lower boroughs, and perhaps that's why she gets yelled at by the shaggy-haired man. Hana turns to look back, frowning. "I think my father already did," she calls back, picking up her pace slightly.

"Nah, nah, missus. I don't think you have." says the shaggy-haired man, stepping away from the wall to approach Hana. A not particularly friendly grin on his face. "Ten silvers." His hand held out toward her.

Meanwhile, Ainsley looks between Hana and the man. He frowns at it and then looks toward Silas before gesturing forward. Saying blandly, "I'm guessing we should break that up, but this is your area."

Meanwhile, coming up the same path as Hana is a haggard looking man. His left arm wrapped with brown stained linen. Dark eyes bloodshot, with a generally poor demeanor.

Settling against a beam in the shadows, Costas flicks his eyes back and forth between the players in this scenario. Counting heads, noting the number of thugs and watching their movements for signs of impending violence.

Hana regards the man warily, as if trying to figure out whether or not he's serious. After a moment, she decides it isn't worth the risk; she fishes a few silvers out of her pocket, and tosses them at him. She's already turning to go, preparing to head for the (relative) safety of the Murder of Crows.

Silas looks crestfallen when Ainsley declines the opportunity to throw his royal weight around, but he doesn't second guess the man's decision. "Indeed it is," the young knight murmurs before stepping forward and approaching the group of men advancing on Hana. He relieves a crick in his neck on the way, but his hands don't seem to be approaching the sheathed blade at his side yet. "Okay, gentlemen, you're only getting one warning: leave the woman alone. You know very well there is no 'street tax'." He glares daggers at the thug who looks to be the leader - there was always a leader, but it was difficult to tell among the ugly. Costas is noticed in the corner of his eye, but he was focused on the scraggly men before him.

The problem is that the shaggy haired man has already grabbed the silver coins that Hana tossed. He looks at Silas and then toward the coins in his hand. He gives Silas a nasty grin and starts to walk backward away from him, "Whatever you say, Watcher. Whatever you say."

Ainsley, for now, simply follows behind Silas, doing his best to look intimidating. Loom.

Meanwhile, the man with his bandaged arm brushes past the two iron guard, and then attempts to move past the shaggy haired leader.

"Hey, hey man! You paid the walking tax yet?" The shaggy hair man demands, sending Silas a wolfish grin. Silas did say leave the woman alone.

Finally recognizing the face of Hana, Costas perks up. Though it seems like she is clearing the area and may not be molested further, he is watchful.

Hana has silver to spare, so perhaps she didn't mind, as long as it got her free. (It's likely her own fault for somehow misplacing the gang member her father originally tasked to follow her around.) But then Ainsley's heading in, and Hana can't help but stop for a moment when she spots her own work hanging on the prince's belt.

Silas seems to have missed that Hana has already paid! More disappointment flickers across his face, but it quickly morphs into deadpan disbelief when one of the men turns his attention on him. He stares back for one long second before answering. "Wow, you're serious. You're even dumber than you look." He was, after all, a guard clad head-to-toe in steel armor. He looks to Ainsley, as though seeking permission, though he normally doesn't care enough to ask his superiors for the go ahead. "We should lock this bunch up for the night. Or perhaps a few nights. I don't think they're the regulars..."

Still watching from the shadows, Costas moves now only the slightest bit. Peering over his shoulder, he fixes the little pickpocket sneaking up behind him with a steel-eyed stare, his cool blue eyes reflecting the moonlight from with his deep, shadowed hood. Only when the boy has run back round the corner does he turn his attention back to the drama, which looks to be wrapping up predictably.

"C'mon man." says one of the others, peeling away from the wall. "There's no need for that. I, uh.." He suddenly takes off down the street at a full out run. Ainsley looks at Silas and then the direction the man went and he says, "I'll go see what's up with that."

"HEY YOU STOP!" Shouts Ainsley, and then he's off down the street, chasing after the runner.

Meanwhile, the man that the shaggy-haired man had started to harass comes to a stop. Looking between Silas and the shaggy-haired man. His lips peeling up in a growl. "Goddamned Watcher arseholes." He points a finger at Silas, "You're the reason arsholes like him-" A finger at the shaggy-haired man. "-are out here all the time."

His blood shot eyes swing around the area. As if searching for something.

Costas checked perception + streetwise against difficulty 15, resulting in 22, 7 higher than the difficulty.

Hana checked perception + survival against difficulty 15, resulting in 19, 4 higher than the difficulty.

Silas checked perception + survival against difficulty 15, resulting in 32, 17 higher than the difficulty.

Hana was about to depart, to head to the Murder to see if she can find her missing guard. Instead, she pauses to look warily at the yelling man; something looks decidedly off there. "What's /wrong/ with you?" She seems about to step forward, and then thinks better of it; she takes two steps backwards instead.

Silas watches Ainsley run off with a grunt, but the man shouting at him demands his attention, and so he receives most of it. He frowns, seeming to concur with Hana's conclusion. "Using dust?" He asks the man, but he doesn't sound particularly concerned.

Now that it's just the one guardsmen facing down the thugs, unnerved about the shaggy-haired man, Costas slips from his place at the side of the street and circles round so that he his closer to where Hana stands.

The man whirls around so that he can bare his teeth at Hana, taking a step toward toward her and then another one. Attempting to get into her personal space so he can push at her shoulder with a meaty palm. "Me? What the fuck is wrong with you! You wanna know what's wrong with me? I'm stuck down here in this muck hole when people like him-" He points at Silas, "Get to live high on the hog."

His arm lifts to shove at Hana again. And when it does long jagged scratches on his arm can be seen. Along with the bandage on one arm which obscures most of his forearm-- something appears to have scratched his man up pretty badly.

Then he's turning back to Silas to snarl at him, "Dust? As if I gotta be on dust to have a problem with Watchers doing in my territory." He takes a step back toward Silas, blood shot eyes wild with rage.

Hana stumbles backwards when shoved, nearly into Costas. She manages to keep her balance, but clearly looks like she's decided this is /not/ where she should be. "Excuse me..." She turns to apologize to the person she nearly collided with, glancing up at Costas. "Oh!"

    Silas's eyes narrow when the man becomes physical and he steps forward now, reaching out to grab the man by the arm and twist - bandaged or not. "Okay, enough. I'll have the Inquisition take a look at you, but you're not staying here." He expects resistance, but his movements are confident.

Costas only takes his eyes off the ranting vagrant for a moment to look Hana over, ensuring that she has not been harmed. "Miss Hana. Stay behind me, please." He instructs her, voice low and even. Sidestepping the girl, he interposes himself into the space between her and the man Silas is taking into hand.

Silas checked dexterity + brawl against difficulty 15, resulting in 21, 6 higher than the difficulty.

The man gives an angry shout when Silas grabs a hold of his wrist and twists it. He whirls around and aims his fist straight for Silas' face. This fight causes the gang members who were hassling folks to take off in different directions. Bothering people is, apparently, one thing. Fighting the Iron Guard another.

Silas checked dexterity + dodge against difficulty 20, resulting in 32, 12 higher than the difficulty.

    This wasn't his first rodeo! His grab is successful and he leans back to avoid the incoming swing, using the momentum behind it to twist the man in his grip even further into submission. His eyes dart around, leery of anyone who may jump in, but it appears they're scattering instead. The desired effect! His eyes attempt to find Costas next, to deduce where he may stand and what -he- might be doing, but it looks like he may not need to worry...

While he -could- intervene in this situation, it's just one vagrant resisting arrest by a guardsman in full armor. Instead he only takes a few steps back now that Hana has gone, content to see how this plays out. The moonlight reaches only the lower part of his face, and an amused grin greets Silas from beneath the deep hood.

The man lets out another harsh sound of rage, more animalistic than human. He wheels around, and attempts to /bite/ Silas now. Despite the armor. He kicks as well. Jerking around trying to get free enough that he can hurt the Watchmen.

Silas checked dexterity + brawl against difficulty 20, resulting in 42, 22 higher than the difficulty.

Silas emits another disgruntled sound when the man attempts to seemingly -eat- him, but the poor sod's teeth find nothing but metal. And they were likely already rotted to begin with. Silas takes a moment to address the their spectator, Costas: "Keep an eye out for Mistress Hana when I can't be around, please? If you happen to be in the neighborhood." The man's interference did not go unnoticed, and at the very least Silas feels confident in entrusting him with that task. He begins to urge the flailing, biting man forward, through the streets and back to the Iron Guard cells. "Stop struggling - it'll be easier for you."

Costas checked perception + streetwise against difficulty 15, resulting in 27, 12 higher than the difficulty.

The man lets out a stream of profanity toward Silas, struggling still but not able to actually get at the Watchmen to do him any harm. Still he's likely pushed, shoved, and otherwise urged uncooperatively away from the commons square.

Silas checked perception + survival against difficulty 20, resulting in 54, 34 higher than the difficulty.

Cailin The Guard arrives, following Cordelia.

The square is abnormally clear at the moment, due to an ongoing altercation between the Iron Guardsman Silas and the ranting vagrant he has restrained. The situation looking mostly under control, a brief exchange of words was made, however as Costas is about to answer Silas he is distracted by movement in the nearby alleyway. After a moment's thought he jogs to the mouth of that alley and looks around, alert, and with a posture that shows readiness for violence.

Silas seems a little concerned when he doesn't get a verbal answer from Costas as he meanders away from the square. As he continues on his trek, he takes a better look at the vagrant's wounds. His brows furrow in consternation. "Just what were you doing before you arrived to prey on your fellow poor?" He asks the man as he continues to roughly shove him forward.

Costas checked dexterity + dodge against difficulty 15, resulting in 65, 50 higher than the difficulty.

The man continues his irrational tirade. Shouting obscenities and blasphemies at Silas, cursing him for every possible attribute; from the color of his hair, to his profession, to his mother's profession and back. He continues to struggle as well but the Iron Guardsmen seems to have him under control. Still it's going to be a long walk back to the Iron Jail. And unsurprisingly the answer to his question is, "I didn't do a damned thing wrong!"

Meanwhile, the alleyway that Costas sprints off to is home of some deep, ominous growling. Growling which comes of the shaggy, dark haired dog that comes barrelling out of the alleyway. Leaping toward Costas, to miss him, and instead scramble off down the street. Snapping teeth at anyone that crosses its path.


    "I told you, I'm just going to have a bit of fun. Sitting trapped in my room all day offers little entertainment. Come on, Cailin. Adventure! Intrigue! You used to love that..." A woman's voice excitedly defines the virtues of entering the Lower Boroughs, while a young male voice retorts, "no, -you- used to love that, and I used to get dragged along because duty willed it." Violet eyes roll as a young man and woman enter the oddly clear square, "well, for old time's sake. Please? Just for a little while?" The man just sighs, and the noise conjures an impish grin on the more enterprising of the duo. Dark of hair and amethyst of gaze, the woman wears a white blouse paired with a burgundy belted brown skirt, its fabric gathered up to her knees to reveal brown laced boots. The man's garbed in a blue and black jerkin and carrying a scabbarded sword at his waist, obviously the more finely adorned of the two. Suddenly, a wild dog charges in their general direction, and it's all they can do to merely stumble out of the way in astonishment.

Silas snorts at the man's assertion. "Disturbing the peace," is the only answer the man gets. But to be fair, he is likely receiving better treatment at the hands of Silas than he commonly would with the other guards. He is too far now to hear the initial growling and animalistic noise, but the commotion eventually does grab his attention and he abruptly halts to see what was happening. "The fuck?"

Recovering the quick spin he'd executed to avoid the gnashing jaws of the mad dog, Costas comes out of the alley at speed, skittering to a stop on the wet cobblestones and peering after the fleeing creature. For a moment it seems he is about to give chase, urged to action by the sudden rush of adrenaline, he soon recalls that he's no dog-catcher. Instead he checks his cloak for tears and, finding none, jogs the distance to catch up with Silas, falling into pace with the Guardsman and his frothing charge.

There are cries of confusion and at least one of pain, as the dog runs off down the street. Someone didn't manage to get away from the snapping jaws in time, it seems. But then the dog is gone. Off around a corner and likely off to give some other person a fright.

Silas watches the dog barrel through the throngs of people, concerned but still occupied. He glances down at the vagrant's wounds - seemingly animalistic in nature, then back to Costas who rejoins them. "The beast may be rabid. The cells may not be the best place for this guy after all..." He muses outloud, taking special care to stay out of the man's biting range now. "The Physicians will have to be alerted first... and we'll have to get that dog." His grip on the vagrant remains firm, but he appears to be going in a different direction now...


    "Elysia forgive me, but that was a vicious looking little creature." Cailin smirks, "no less than you, my Lady." Said Lady scoffs, "thank you. I'll take that as a compliment." Looking at least a little confused, they both watch as a man appears, only to hurry in an entirely different direction as the dog. Curious, the young woman follows at the speed of a fast walk. Inevitably, the sword-bearing man follows with an expression of extreme reluctance. Violet eyes widen in wonder, "my, that poor man looks almost as wild as the dog!"

Nodding along to the guardsman's words, Costas produces a small packet of roasted pumpkin seeds, popping a handful of the little treats into his mouth. "Sounds like you have an exciting night ahead of you." He remarks conversationally, conducting the roundabout change in direction in perfect lockstep with Silas. As he spots Cordelia his brow knits for a moment, and then a mild smile breaks across his face with recognition.

    "Indeed," he grumbles back at Costas, but he appears relieved to have the man behind him. Cordelia is an unfamiliar face, but he nods in her direction. "He likely is, m'lady. Please don't touch him. Buuut if you have an interest in aiding us, I could use someone to track down that dog for us. We're not rangers." He looks back to the vagrant. "But first thing's first."


    A similar sort of reaction makes its way across Cordelia's features with Costas' recognition, "ah, Costas. Nice to see you again, and this time out of the Grotto." She purses her lips, glancing around uncertainly, "I should hope you won't mention my presence here, sir?" Two amethysts swivel to regard Silas, "track down a dog?" Cailin groans, but she grins enthusiastically, "sounds like an adventure waiting to be enjoyed..."

    "Lets meet here again once I've gotten this man properly restrained and seen to. I'll send a messenger when we're ready," Silas instructs the Grimhall lady. "If you could, get yourself some steel armor. If you have none available to you, we can provide a standard suit. It should provide enough protection. I'll alert Prince Ainsley of what we'll be doing, though I have no idea where he is at the moment." It was a little concerning, but that's what fleetfooted messengers are for. He turns to Costas. "Thank you, by the way. Again." Evidently they've seen each other before.

"Lady Cordelia." Costas dips his head to the girl warrior. He pauses for a moment, considering her request. "I don't chat much with your kin, so you need not worry I'll give up your game."

Turning his eyes to Silas he nods easily, pockets his snack. "My pleasure, Guardsman. If you ever need me to stand by and watch you wrestle vagrants, just write." A beat. "Or anything else, for that matter."


    Cordelia shifts uneasily as Silas speaks of informing the Prince, but her brow knits in confusion at the mention of armor, "steel armor? For chasing down a dog?" A shrug, "I'll be prepared, in any case." Nevertheless, a sigh escapes her lips at Costas' reassurances, "good. Best to keep it that way. Nobody need speak my name and the Lower Boroughs together in a single sentence..." She follows the pair of them towards the exit, intent upon getting ready to return. For adventure. And wild dogs.

Silas chuckles just as easily in reply to Costas. "Wrestling vagrants is one of my less desirable job requirements - it can get dicey if they're in groups and they've had a bit of liquid courage." He offers the man within his grasp a sympathetic look now. "I don't think there's much we can do for him, but I'll try. He smells, but he doesn't deserve to go out like this." The discussion over Cordelia's name piques some curiosity from him, but this really wasn't the place.

    And with that, the poor vagrant is roughly escorted to the Inquisition headquarters, where he's presumably thrown into a cell for inspection.