The Planet

zatnosk wrote: ↑

Sun 30 Jan, 2022, 8:11 pm

OOC: I'd like to make a social instinct check to figure out if Kavirin lies or is truthful when answering whether he has truth magic. I hope that's meaningfully distinct from Zally rolling a similar check a on the previous page.

OOC: Oh yeah it's fine. Even if Zalian had shared their read, they were trying to figure out more if Kavirin and Drurios were putting over some kind of a con job on them, while Mina's taking the situation at face value but trying to figure out if Kavirin is a sneaky sorcerer with truth magic, lmao.

Anyway, go for it!

zatnosk wrote: ↑

Sun 30 Jan, 2022, 8:11 pm

Mina ponders the information about the cat-napping and the ransom, and then asks, "how do you know there's a random demand, if she wont show you the note? Maybe the cat ran away, and she's just trying to get you to find it again and have made up a grand story about catnappers to avoid embarrasment."

Mina waits for an answer for half a moment before interrupting herself, "Wait a.. How do you know she's lying about it being destroyed? Do you have some kind of truth magic, you haven't mentioned yet? Because that could be handy if we're supposed to go around asking questions and the like." They squint sceptically at Kavirin, trying to determine if he's going to answer truthfully.

Drurios has a sudden, hastily smothered coughing fit!
OOC: You don't need a Social Instinct check to recognize it as "trying not to laugh". xD

Kavirin, however, looks quite frankly annoyed and possibly even offended. "Really! Truth spells! I am a detective, not a mage. If I could not manage the most elementary skill of detecting whether or not someone is speaking truthfully without relying on magic, I would be a sham of an investigator."

(Mina can see no reason to doubt his honesty.)

"Has the lady been informed you'll be subcontracting, and to expect us?"

Hawthorn takes pains not to put any emphasis on the word subcontracting, but she does have her suspicions that Kavirin and co are doing the equivalent of having apprentices do the grunt work on a big carpentry order. Trying desperately to think of the questions a Real Detective would ask, it occurs to her that none of the others seem to be asking the questions a Real Detective would ask either. At least she's in good company!

Zally cringes as Kavirin speaks witheringly of magic. Magic is something they've been working so hard to learn. It had never occured to them that someone might think using it would make them a sham and undermine the tiny amount of expertise they have gathered for themself.

Of course, that's not exactly what Kavirin said, but Zally cannot shake the feeling that it's what they meant ...

It increases their sense of imposter syndrome about this whole situation. They have no useful questions to ask. They already feel they have no investigative skills. And the one thing they thought perhaps they might have to offer, Kavirin has derided.

The tree-like feykin asks a pertinent question and Zally finds themself nodding along. They hope they'll be sent off to look for this cat soon. They don't feel at all equipped for this social situation.

Wysteria wrote: ↑

Sat 05 Feb, 2022, 3:33 pm

"Has the lady been informed you'll be subcontracting, and to expect us?"

Hawthorn takes pains not to put any emphasis on the word subcontracting, but she does have her suspicions that Kavirin and co are doing the equivalent of having apprentices do the grunt work on a big carpentry order. Trying desperately to think of the questions a Real Detective would ask, it occurs to her that none of the others seem to be asking the questions a Real Detective would ask either. At least she's in good company!

Kavirin begins to answer, pauses, and frowns. "I suppose that would be necessary for you to visit her house, wouldn't it. Here." He pulls a small case out of a pocket, takes out a small pen and a card, and scribbles something onto it. That done, he tosses it across the room so it lands on the small table, right next to the partly-emptied tray of snacks.

"My card, with a personal note to Lady Voleria that you are there on my behalf. That should be enough to get you in the door."

InspectorCaracal wrote: ↑

Tue 08 Feb, 2022, 7:32 pm

He pulls a small case out of a pocket, takes out a small pen and a card, and scribbles something onto it. That done, he tosses it across the room so it lands on the small table, right next to the partly-emptied tray of snacks.

Mina leans forward to read the business card. They want to know if there's more than one name on the card, and whether Kavirin is a first or a last name. Mina feels they might as well start getting into practice noticing the small details, if they're going to be successful at any kind of detective work.

Mina doesn't touch the card, though, as they feel it was technically presented to Hawthorn, even if implicitly addressed to the whole group. Mina idly wonders whether the four of them are more of a group, a team, or even a company now. Definitely too small to be an organization, though. Unless one includes Kavirin and Drurios - and whatever other unknown associates they have. Maybe they've become the newest leaf on a huge, secret, dectiving organization .. - Mina's thoughts spiral down several diverging paths from here, including whether "detectiving" is actually a word.

@zatnosk

The card landed on the table with the written note facing up, so while there is, presumably, a business-card sort of printing on the other side, Mina can't see it without the card being picked up.

The written note, however, is signed with just Kavirin. He has very fancy handwriting.

Zally isn't sure about any of this, but it doesn't sound particularly dangerous, and they feel more confident that they have a whole group to investigate with them, as well as these two very self-assured people to back them up.

'All right,' says Zally. 'I'm in.' They feel ready to go, or as ready as they can. 'Where can we find this Lady Voleria?' Presumably it's not too hard to find people with titles, but it seems prudent to get directions before they go.

Hawthorn has run out of clever questions, and is now going to stealthily pretend to be listening insightfully.

She definitely can pull off being the best imposter detective she can be. At the very least, maybe she'll be able to punch someone. That's like investigation, right?