WELCOME

[Blair Uí Nemain]

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Time: Late morning to Early Afternoon
Day: 101 Sneatcha

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Blair rested her chin on her hands, golden eyes half-shut and a subdued expression on her face. The night before had been an interesting one, and the aftereffects were hitting her with full force-she could practically see the edges of her vision throbbing with every beat of her heart and pound of her headache. Ah well, at least her stomach had held out. Her hair made for an excellent curtain with which to block out the light, though, and the Margadh Dorcha wasn’t all that crowded, today. Damn good, too, since if there had been a good number of people about she’d likely have been on the verge of throwing iron into the street to get them to shut up and scatter.

She always forgot about the morning after in the fun of the night before, so it wasn’t anything new-particularly due to the fact that she and Aithne had been out drinking with far more regularity than Blair had managed on her own in over a decade-but it still hurt like hell. Her wares were set out, all the same, and she’d done a little business so far-quick and simple, her tongue was swift even when her head ached, after all-but it seemed that most of those who were wandering through seemed to steer clear of her stall-the fact that she looked to be in a bit of a foul mood probably helped that, of course.

The bag of sweets she’d gotten ahold of helped, of course. Chasing a hard candy around her mouth with her tongue helped distract her, a touch, and the sweet taste rid her of the aftertaste of last night’s alcohol, which was just one more benefit to the delightful treats. They’d brightened her mood a touch-which was helped by a slight lessening of the aching in her skull, but, honestly, the only thing that would sooth her miserable mood would be being able to sleep… But if she ran into Aithne again, she had a feeling she’d be stumbling home late again and collapsing just a few hours before dawn, just like she had this morning-she’d been opening her stall an hour or two later than she liked, recently, and had only been open for an hour or two, so far. It was disgraceful, but when you were asleep before you reached the bed, there was only so much one could do. Although... while she enjoyed the outings, she couldn’t help but wonder if she was going to do some serious damage to her health if she kept things up... Letting that happen in this business wasn’t an option, since iron could weaken even the strongest body.

She'd decided to close a little early and head home to get a decent night’s rest before she risked the chance of partying herself into sickness a little earlier, and she knew it was a good idea… But that didn’t help the fact that she still needed to get through the hours ahead before she could close her stall. Pleasant. At least she had candy.

[Ceana Uí Nemain-Mór]

Everything was so interesting and exciting as of late; the air was practically buzzing with tension, nerves, anticipation, and Ceana was right in the middle of it all with people out everywhere collecting little tid bits for her to nibble on. A few little bits here and there had caught her attention thought, like the discussion of candidates as well as their movements – she’d already heard about the Sun Princess popping up seemingly out of nowhere, that had been interesting in itself. And of course, there was that little incident at the Dal; Ceana was a little upset that she’d missed that bit of chaos. But ah well, such was her luck she’d had to see to a couple of affairs before reaching the city a few nights or so ago, nice and ready for the Dal session to begin soon.

Right now though, she was wandering the Dorcha, crimson cloak resting over her equally bright hair and shoulders whils she drifted through the crowds. A number of Laoch stuck to the shadows around her, keeping a very close watch, but she wasn’t all too worried really. It wasn’t like the woman was completely defenceless and she was older and more experienced than most of those who guarded her anyway. She did have a purpose though, and while her route may have seemed a little random, she knew exactly where she was going.

Just as she was approaching the stall, a smirk tugged at dark red lips as she assessed the condition of the merchant and came to the conclusion that it must have meant there was another night of drinking and revelling that had left her feeling a little less than average. Considering what she’d heard about the company the young merrow kept, it was hardly a surprise really, but then that must also mean she’d possibly been the last one to see... Ceana tucked that thought away for the moment, there were a few reasons she wanted to see this girl, and no point in wasting more time than she had to.

Stepping up to the stall, the woman peered over the wares a moment before lifting her shrouded head to reveal intelligent blood red irises and features that most if not all of her Clann should recognise upon glance. She didn’t have a reputation for her revels for no reason after all, and often hosted ones open to all classes as well as the exclusive ones. Of course, Ceana’d never actually spoken to this young one, but she’d happened to gain her interest enough to know quite a bit about her by now, “Interesting wares. I’ve no doubt that business must be rather profitable for you these days, Blair Uí Nemain.” A smile lifted her lips, though there was something a little darker in her eyes as she studied the girl’s reaction.

[Blair Uí Nemain]

Blair continued to watch the street with half-lidded gold eyes, and bit down on the candy in her mouth, cracking in two as a woman in a red cloak approached the stall. Abhean eyes opened a touch more, watching the woman intently as she moved to examine the wares she’d set out on display-so far she simply seemed curious…if Blair had been feeling a bit better, she’d have asked the woman if she had any questions, but toda-Fuck.

The Ceannaí recognized the woman immediately, and felt her stomach drop a bit-made all the more unpleasant by the fact that she’d had one hell of a time fighting it from doing just that earlier in the morning. The Taoiseach!? Here?! Even though Blair had never had a chance to speak with the Taoiseach herself, she’d been to enough of the revels the woman had held to be able to recognize her well enough, and the smuggler was horribly glad that she was leaning on her stall-if she hadn’t been, she had a sick feeling that she may have fallen to the ground. Her knees certainly felt like they’d weakened enough for it, after all…

Gold eyes bugged out a touch wider, and she forced herself to stand up straight, ignoring the fact that her legs felt as weak as a newborn foal’s. She knew her name?! Oh, Danu, either this was a very good day, or one that was about to be much worse than anticipated. “M-mo Thaioseach…” Her head bobbed, slightly-as did the rest of the fisher, as she gave a quirky little modified curtsy, obviously caught off guard by Ceana’s presence at her stall, though she seemed to be recovering a little now, though the ache between her temples certainly wasn’t helping the situation. As her eyes flickered up now, however, they were a good deal more steady, though there was an unmistakable nervousness in her manner.

Don’t tell me I’ve managed to get myself in trouble now…Danu, I haven’t been doing this for four decades to have things end today, have I? No…get a grip on yourself, Blair, you shouldn’t assume the worst, no matter how much your head aches. For all you know this is a chance to gain the favor of the feckin’ Taoiseach! Don’t blow it before you know what’s going on… “I’d be lying if I claimed anything else, Mo Bhantiarna. Is there anything I can do for you, Bantiarna?”

[Ceana Uí Nemain-Mór]

The instant recognition was enough to possibly make the dark smile grown more on Ceana’s lips as she watched quietly while Blair tried to gather herself it seemed. Of course, she had expected a little surprised, and the other woman almost looked like she might literally turn green at the unexpected arrival. Surprises were quite fun in that respect, and Ceana never minded giving other people a few to remember her by. She was certain that this one wouldn’t be forgotten and would leave a very strong message with the girl – there is always someone who’ll know what she’s up to.

It probably didn’t help the girl that Ceana had addressed her by name, but it was always good to cut a nice impression upon first meeting, and felt she should at least be semi-familiar with her. After all, they were having this lovely meeting right now. Sure, there could’ve been a better time and place for something like this, but what better than someone’s natural everyday environment. Not the kind of place Ceana would usually go to, but she’d deal.

“I see, I see... there certainly are a few very interesting items,” The Taoiseach continued to inspect a few good for a moment as she gave the girl a moment to pull herself together and then glanced up in order to smile as she answered the question. “Oh, I’m mostly wandering. In the city for the Dal session and all that’s coming up soon – but I did hear that I missed an emergency gathering already. I was rather disappointed really.”

Glancing at one object a moment, she picked it up and studied it before setting it back down and looking directly at Blair, “Although I did hear that a couple of mine were there... and out among the chaos that was caused by one foolish young girl.” Ceana continued to stare at the other woman as her lips pulled into a tight smile, “I also heard that no one really knows what happened to a lot of the iron that was spilled... I don’t suppose you might have any idea Blair?”

[Blair Uí Nemain]

Blair tried not to stiffen too obviously as Ceana examined her wares, though the ache in her head and her current feeling that she really needed to just lie down and sleep a bit more didn’t really help where she stood in the current situation. She watched the woman with wary gold eyes, though her own smile seemed to be genuine enough.

“T-thank you, Mo Bhantiarna…” Her voice wavers, slightly, a touch uncertain whether the comment was positive, negative, or neutral. If it had been someone else-and she’d been in a better state-she would have pounced on the comment, all thin smiles and sharp golden eyes, cajoling and guiding the visitor to her stall to a point where they would leave with something, at least. But there was no way she was going to try that on the Taoiseach, of all people, particularly when she was rather worried that this was all a lead-up to a rather unpleasant end or punishment-and Blair was rather afraid of that, though her more volatile wares were concealed in the chest at her feet, and hidden by the stall itself.

She nods, slowly, as Ceana mentions the Dal session-it hadn’t been all that long ago, and Blair wasn’t going to forget it for a very long time, if ever… She follows the woman’s motion, noting what she was examining with a quick dart of golden eyes, mind picking out little details she could recall about it, from where, when, and a proper price to what it was made of, the one brief moment where her gaze moves from the woman’s face. Her golden eyes look nervous, though the rest of her face didn’t show her uneasiness until the woman fixed her with a red-eyed stare. Her own smile faded, slightly, as she did, and as the Taoiseach continued, feeling her stomach tighten further into knots as she did so. By the question directed towards her at the end, Blair’s stomach was not only knotted, but felt like it had been immersed in ice, as well, and her headache was creeping back with a vengeance. There was no way the woman didn’t already have a good idea, if she was here, in the Dorcha, speaking to Blair Uí Nemain, Ceannaí, and, according to the looser definition, Coirpeach, though she didn’t think of herself as anything but a merchant, if one whose wares were a little more difficult to get ahold of and sell safely than most.

She was rather sure that this was a test, or something…if she was asking about the whereabouts of the missing iron, there was little doubt she had a few good guesses at where it was… And, of course, if anyone had mentioned seeing a red-headed woman, there, and especially that she seemed to have a clear enough head when she was in the presence of iron, of all things…well, that might not have been the most intelligent move for her to have made, but between the Goibhniu man, Aithne, and the young woman she later learned was the Tainaste of Ua Abhean, it seemed like someone with a clear head and a pair of lead-laced gloves was just what was called for. It wasn’t good business to let that kind of thing happen, after all, and she could see the effects on the three easily-she had a practiced eye, after all, and she wasn’t about to let Aithne keel over because of some stupid nails. The other woman was far too pleasant for her to stand by and let that happen, and the smith had been doing his best to clean up the mess, it seemed…

“…Ah…I can’t really say, Mo Bantiarna. While I was there, and I helped the young Goibhnu man clean up the mess, I wouldn’t claim to know what he did with it…I’d hoped that it had found it’s way into capable hands-or at least that there would be someone with the presence of mind to ensure that it wouldn’t end up on the floor of the Dal, again…” Her expression is uneasy, but she smiles, slightly, at this, her voice smoothing and steadying, a bit, as she continued, tone holding just enough apparent innocence and sincerity to fool most, though she doubted that it could fool the other Nemain-and the fact that the expression in her eyes belied her tone would probably communicate things well enough. Indeed, she wasn’t really trying to fool her-Blair simply wasn’t suicidal enough to say aloud that ‘oh, yes, I took it and hid it away, so it wouldn’t cause any more trouble-oh, and so that it wouldn’t mean that I’d have to lower my prices, either’. It just wasn’t the sort of thing one did, if they valued their skin, after all. Good business sense was one thing, but a knack for keeping one’s hide intact wasn’t a trait you could survive without, in this line.

[Ceana Uí Nemain-Mór]

It was a careful study of the younger woman that Ceana took while she moved gracefully, inspecting the wares as though she was just another customer – although she was far from that obviously by the special visit she’d made. She watched as Blair wilted slightly once she began speaking of the Dal session and what had gone on there. Ceana had managed to find out as much as possible about what had happened that day, and there were a few interesting results – but then again a number of interesting things had gone on in the city prior to her arrival anyway. It made the woman wonder if she would need to arrive a few weeks earlier in the future just so that she didn’t miss out on the excitement.

Still, she knew enough to know that Blair had been pinpointed not only at the meeting, but assisting in the gathering up of iron after it’d been spilled. She was also seen assisting the younger sister of the old Sun King, seemingly familiar with her. It was all interesting to Ceana really – the connections that had been picked up and pointed out and she always had loved piecing together puzzles and other little bits and pieces.

However, it seemed that this young woman was going to try Ceana’s patience as she began saying that she couldn’t be sure what happened to the iron. The lovely smile on the Taoiseach’s lips remained there, however her eyes grew ever slightly deeper crimson as part of the humour began to drop from her gaze. She fixed Blair with something akin to a dead stare when the girl finished speaking, fingers playing absently with a random trinket that rested on the table in front of her. She could see in the other woman’s eyes that she wasn’t as calm as her tone belied and she was simply silent for a moment before she stopped playing with the trinket.

“So... is that to say that any iron that you collected was given back to the Giobhniu smith?”Ceana’s gaze was locked on Blair intently, not even blinking, as she spoke carefully. Her tone was a gentle warning to the other woman to be careful of what she said – Ceana would not tolerate a liar. “Because I am more interested in what happened to whatever you had your hands on.”

[Blair Uí Nemain]

“It could be said that none of it will be causing any trouble in the foreseeable future, Mo Bantiarna. I assure you, any of that iron that was in my hands that day is not going to be causing any more trouble for anyone. The fact that it was in doors and spilled was enough trouble for all, and if it was left where it could fall or be loosed again it would be bad for all, would it not?”

Truth be told, once she’d seen that Aithne was being taken care of and the iron had been cleared, she’d assisted the staggering smith on his way home-taking care to carry the bag herself. With him in such a sorry state, it had been easy to switch the contents with a few objects of similar weight-and it was obvious enough that he wouldn’t be thinking of opening it soon, especially as he mumbled that he’d have to find a safe place to store it…

Silly boy, he was, and good that Blair had been the one to walk him home, too. Gentry were Gentry, and they rarely acted without political motive-the little show she’d walked in on had been an excellent example, though she didn’t know what the motive behind it actually was… Still, she had no doubt that he wouldn’t be able to find a hiding place safe enough to keep from someone who truly wanted the iron, but Blair could, and had. Letting that kind of quantity loose was dangerous, not only for price, but for stability itself-she didn’t want to even think of that which had escaped the smith’s efforts, though there would likely be signs soon enough of foolish carriers of the nails, ones who would die from mishandling it, or maybe even a botched assassination.

Of course, the fact that someone had managed to talk him into giving the contents of the bag up for inspection again was troubling, especially considering how quickly it had, and that the Taioseach herself had shown up to question her on where it had gone. That in and of itself was quite worrying, though she tried to stay calm, though she couldn’t help a nervous fidget of her fingers.