| Logs |
2000-01-23
| Starfall |
| Realms |
Retired
| Reality Fault |
General Info
 |
Meeting with Farwing
The good ship Alewife is pressed into service once again, this time to bring the sibs into Starfall for a meeting with their family's long-time solicitor. Jared remains behind in command of the Mare, with orders to clear out of Ettore Cove in case the overdue family retainers arrive.
The four head up the main avenue of the city toward the Council Square and the offices of the old family friend who lives near the edge of the Tower Hills District.
Council Square
The Trade Road widens out here to a large
plaza. The Council chambers and offices line the eastern side of the
plaza, while the main offices of the Admiralty and the Watch share the
western side. The Ha'sheeran Embassy building, a tall metal and crystal
spire, stands at the northwest corner of the area, diagonally opposite
the Karadan Embassy's more traditional brick and wood complex. The Trade
Road continues south into the Artisan's Quarter and north out of the
city into the mining camps in the mountains.
Dimitri reaches up to his collar to draw on his cloak's full hood, casting his feature in soft gray shadows. His pawfalls are quiet, as Dimitri walks down the street. His sword is laid across his shoulders, both arms looped loosely over it. He watches, quiet and patient. Alex patters quietly and casually along next to her sable brother, her own hood shrouding her face as well.
Horatio peers out at the dark streets of Starfall, his breath a soft cloud of light cotton that hangs in the air before disappearing. This is... strange to him. In times past, this would be about the time he'd be making his way home from the Academy. Now... it feels much different. Like... thieves in the night. He shivers a little, and bundles the cloak a bit more against his neck and face, pausing only to remove his spectacles from his nose, tucking them into a pocket.
Carroll is wearing a rust-brown cloak which trails to the ground, covering both the obviousness of his sword and his clothes and tail, its folds blending smoothly with his russet fur. He's also wearing a hat, ears flat below its brown and gently floppy brim, casting shadow over his face but letting him peer unobstructed at the city. His pace is unhurried, and he walks as if he's merely running an errand, taking care of business, sure and calm.
The foxes duck into a side street a block from the Square, and soon reach their destination. The wide streets are well patrolled in this district, but there is enough traffic to keep them from attracting too much notice.
Tower Hills
The rough granite walls and slate roofs of
this section of Tower Hills rise on both sides of this side street. The
building directly in front of you bears a small plaque with the legend,
'Samuel Farwing, Attorney.'
Alex murmurs quietly, a little anxiously, "I hope he'll see us on such short notice..."
Horatio looks around, trying not to make it seem like he's worried about being seen in case the city guards see him. "We can only hope. I don't see why he wouldn't, though..."
Carroll nods, and murrs, "That's a worry, yes. We may have to schedule and come back." He opens the door for his sister, and quietly ushers his family inside. Alex slips in quietly, looking around warily as she paces into the well-known little lobby. Horatio lowers the hood to his cloak. For once, he doesn't bang himself against the doorsill, and it takes a moment for him to realize why: he's not carrying his sword with him. With a bit of a grin to himself, he pulls his spectacles out of his pocket, and sets them on his nose, blinking at his surroundings. Dimitri steps through the door last, taking one final look up and down the street before entering.
The clerk in the outer office looks up in surprise as the door opens -- there were no appointments scheduled this late in the evening. He looks even more surprised as he recognizes the visitors. "Lord Carroll? What brings you here? In fact... I didn't know you were back."
Alex smiles at the clerk and holds a finger up to her lips. She pushes back her hood and waits for her brothers. Dimitri quietly shuts the door behind him, then reaches up, and with a simple sharp motion folds down the hood of his cloak. Carroll takes his hat off, and smiles politely at the clerk. He murrs, "I'm sorry to be a surprise, this late in the day. Would it be possible for us to see Mister Farwing, tonight?"
The clerk nods. "I'll tell Master Farwing you're here. Please, be seated."
Carroll murrs, "Thank you, very much."
Alex turns and checks Horatio quickly while the clerk's gone... she nods, straightening a few ruffles at his chin and whispers, "Remember... when you're standing up straight you look quite dashing, Horatio!" She grins encouragingly at him, then turns to wait quietly again. Horatio blinks to Alex, then grins softly to her and lets out a breath, trying to remember to stand straight. Carroll hangs his hat and cloak on the coat-rack by the door, and idly smoothes and straightens his outfit, giving a quick shake of his head and tail to smooth the fur out.
The clerk, a young fox himself, heads out of the room. A brief conversation is heard, too low to make out what is said, and then he returns. "Go on in. He's able to see you right now."
Alex smiles her thanks to the young man, and patters quietly in. She smiles at the family solicitor, "Good evening, sir," and sits someplace so there's room for her brothers as well.
Carroll smiles, and murrs, "Thank you,." and walks in to the room, eyes up, ears forward. Horatio glances at Dimitri, waiting a moment for the dark fox to go first. When it's readily apparent that he won't, he straightens (a bit resignedly) and pads in after Carroll, folding his paws behind his back as stands to one side. Dimitri waits patiently, and then follows the other three in. He himself steals a space against the wall, setting his long sword up against it. Slowly he leans back, crossing his arms, just listening.
Mr. Farwing is, of course, a raptor. An osprey, actually, and his bright eyes look back from above the hooked beak. He is well dressed, but not ostentatiously so.
Samuel motions you into the room. "Come in, come in. What in the world brings you here now? When did you get back from Alburtis?"
Alex grins ruefully, and glances at Carroll. Horatio glances at Carroll, Alex, and Dimitri... Carroll smiles, and murrs, "Good evening, Mister Farwing. I appreciate you seeing us on such short notice." He ahhs, and murrs, "A long story, I fear."
Alex nudges Carroll gently, "Tell him, Carroll, please? The whole story... he should know."
Carroll nods. He murrs, to the avian, "We've a long, complex tale. Our path has rather changed. Before I tell it... do you want to know? Not knowing might be handy. I'll leave it to you to decide." Alex gives Carroll an amusedly exasperated glance, but remains silent.
The attorney taps his wingtips together and considers. "Why don't you start with what you want me to do, first? If you don't tell me something, then I can't be required to report it." Horatio shifts his position a little, taking note of the osprey's choice of words.
Carroll smiles and murrs, "I understand. First, we wanted to discuss the situation leading to the family's assets being claimed by various debtors. I recall being surprised by many of them. Where did all of that debt come from? Do you know? What could Father have aboard that missing ship that was worth so much, that I wouldn't have known about? The fact that all of the family holdings were seized so very thoroughly doesn't ring true."
Samuel hmms. "You suspect that the loan papers may have been forged, then?"
Alex nods once sharply, her eyes bright with anger. Carroll murrs, "I'd hate to use such vulgar terms. However, I was relatively involved in the family's finances, and I had no idea we were in such debt. Only after Pravinchandra fudged another set of papers and tried to have us killed did I really begin to wonder when things began to be other than they seemed."
The osprey's eyes narrow. "Can you prove that in court? What happened?"
Carroll shakes his head and murrs, "I doubt it. We were departing Starfall Bay and found a saboteur aboard. At about that same time an unknown ship chased us. It proved its hostility later by trying to alight our vessel. Our cargo was also... unexpected."
Horatio bites his lip. In court. If they could prove that, they probably wouldn't be going through all this of going to Ettore and sneaking around... he blinks, and perhaps the first realization of real politics strikes him. Maybe it wouldn't matter even if we could prove it in court...
Dimitri chuffs out a single sharp laugh at the Carroll's last word. Samuel motions for Carroll to continue. "Unexpected? In what way?"
Carroll ahs, "It utterly failed to match the manifest. According to our informant it was arranged to be part of the fee for waylaying us."
"Interesting..." The lawyer nods. "I see you didn't bring this informant. Do you have him available? With that kind of testimony, we could actually take him to court. Subramayan's House is dominant at the moment, but the other merchant houses would be happy to see him fall if they had a lever to tip him over."
Alex looks glum. Carroll shakes his head, and murrs, "We did not keep him. If he could be found he might be useful, but I doubt it will happen."
Alex says, "He's not a terribly um... reputable type either, remember, Carroll?"
Carroll murrs, dryly, "You could say that, yes."
Samuel sighs. "Probably not useful, then. The mongoose does seem to be very careful about his hirelings. Either they're loyal, or they don't know anything that could incriminate him."
Carroll murrs, "He would probably also claim to have been saying what he wanted us to hear to save his neck; he first said anything as we were about to execute him for sabotage." He adds, "That honestly very well may be true. Even considering this, I can't help but think Pravinchandra really doesn't want this question looked at too deeply." Horatio fidgets a little, perhaps hoping uselessly that Farwing doesn't pick up on that 'execute' bit.
Alex says, "Um... excuse me, I have a question, actually? I was just wondering... how many of the last few families that have been um... bankrupted or disappeared or taken over... how many of them had that done to them by House Pravinchandra?" She glances at Carroll, "Like who took over the old Baron's realms -- the one Miriam's father used to farm for?"
Carroll looks at his sister, and nods. Looking back at the raptor he murrs, "That's a good question; perhaps we're not the first he's used this lovely gambit against."
The osprey nods. "Well, I can certainly lodge an impediment to the foreclosures by demanding to see the original documents. Baron Longvalley? That's the only other estate that's been taken over by House Pravinchandra recently."
Alex frowns thoughtfully, "Have any families sort of um... died out recently? Like ours was apparently supposed to?" Dimitri leans back, quiet. His head tilts for a moment, but then he remains still.
Horatio says, "And what about, well, er, not so recently...? Like, since Pravinchandra's come to the fore in his House?"
Samuel shakes his head. "The Baron was quite old, and died of natural causes. But... it may have given the mongoose the idea."
Alex nods quietly. She's given the lawyer the idea... at least now, if this sort of thing starts happening again, someone will know to look at it with a very jaundiced eye... Carroll murrs, "There were several things that made us wonder. Our crew is made up of Pravinchandra dissenters. Dimitri showed up just before we sailed, bringing the family all together. The strange, mislabeled cargo. The attack. I can't but feel it's all related."
The osprey clicks his beak. "The whole crew? Very odd. Tell me about the cargo."
Alex leans forward and hands Carroll the papers with the list of what was really in the cargo, as well as the 'original' invoice. As Carroll taps them together she says quietly, "Mr. Farwing... can you help us, please?"
Carroll murrs, "Most of the crew, yes, people who've had problems with the House Pravinchandra in the past, and haven't had steady work since. They were thrilled at the position." He takes the papers from his sister and murrs, "We brought the manifest, and the list of what was really shipped."
Samuel spreads the two invoices out and peers at them, especially at the actual contents. "My, my... this is almost too obvious. I'd bet you can't prove what was in the boxes any more, though. They've been opened, the seals cut?"
Carroll nods, "We had to do that to make the list, of course."
Samuel nods. "Pity. If you'd left even one or two of them intact, to be opened in court...ah, well. It can't be helped." He looks up. "I wondered about Timothy's sudden descent into debt. I will hunt for evidence on this end that the loan papers were forged. I don't suppose you have any idea what happened to your father?"
Alex looks suddenly very unhappy, and wraps her arms around herself tightly. Horatio, at the mention of Father, sighs softly and looks down... remembering, however, Alex's admonition to stand straight. Carroll looks down and murrs, "That's a very good point. We'll try to learn from it." Looking back at the solicitor he murrs, "No, we don't know. I gather finding him would be useful?"
Samuel nods again. "Very much so. If he was here to testify that he didn't take out the loans, the case against Chandra is devastating. Even if..." He hesitates, looking toward Alex, then continues carefully, "...that is, if you find evidence that he was deliberately waylaid, that would be useful as well."
Alex murmurs unhappily without meeting anyone's eyes, "We're trying... we're doing our best, sir..."
Carroll hmms and murrs, "The paperwork and my knowledge of the business isn't enough, then." After a contemplative moment he murrs, "I don't know how to begin, but we'll see what we can do to find him. This is merely another reason."
Dimitri blinks, "...that he didn't take out the loans? That is cunning. Write up a handful of documents, get rid of the signer, and then walk with the forged collateral. That is... clever."
Horatio says, "How could that have just... just happened? Documents like that, if they're forged, aren't supposed to pass the courts... unless..."
Alex looks up suddenly, her eyes still bright, "What happened to the accountant?"
Farwing frowns. "I'm not sure. I shall look into that first thing tomorrow."
Carroll looks over to his brother, and murrs coldly, "Not the word I would have used." He looks back to Farwing, and murrs, "Thank you. I don't know what other resources we have, unless the family name would be of use in Jarrow, but I fear that could become... complicated, rapidly."
Alex nods quietly, then uses a corner of her cloak to surreptitiously rub her face. Horatio blinks and says almost to himself, "Unless... someone in the courts was paid by Pravinchandra to approve the loan documents. In which case... this goes a lot farther than just House Pravinchandra..."
Samuel shakes his head. "Not necessarily the courts. But if someone forged his signature to the papers, then the bank officer who supposedly witnessed it would be involved."
Alex sighs softly and leans back in her chair, wrapped up in her cloak and hugging her knees tightly, her ears flattened and her whiskers drooping, looking small and very unhappy. Carroll asks, quietly, "The bank Pravinchandra owns?"
Horatio erps, and nods respectfully. Shows how much he knows of the legal system. Life in the Academy was so much simpler. Exams, the athanor, the almost seasonal departmental verbal brawls over funding... then again, maybe it wasn't all that simpler...
Samuel shakes his head again. "Not his own bank. That would be too obvious. He bought the debts from what was supposed to be a third party. This... also needs investigation."
Alex murmurs wearily, "...wonder when he bought them too... like before or after the news about Daddy's ship..."
Horatio says, "That... might be important, Alex... Mr. Farwing, would the documents be dated?"
The osprey nods. "They certainly would be. They wouldn't be binding otherwise."
Horatio nods a little thoughtfully. All right... they might not be able to go toe-to-toe with Pravinchandra on his terms yet... but then again, if this works out, they won't have to.
Carroll nods, and murrs, "I believe you understand the line of reasoning that needs to be followed. Something is suspect."
The raptor beak isn't capable of expression, but Farwing somehow looks like he's grinning fiercely. "I think the mongoose is getting sloppy. Stay out of sight, my young friends, and we may be able to pin this on him by surprise."
Carroll nods, and murrs, "We shall do our best. Do you want to know how to reach us?" Alex watches quietly, her eyes huge with tiredness.
Samuel flips a wing. "There ought to be a way for me to contact you, and the reverse, without my knowing where you actually are. I suspect you are technically in violation of some laws, at least until we can stop the foreclosures, so it would be best if I didn't know where you are. But -- a message to your Jarrow estate would reach you eventually, I assume?"
Carroll nods quietly, and murrs, "Yes, they will be able to reach us."
Dimitri shakes his head quietly. "We aren't in violation yet. Give it a few weeks before we fail to show up in port with our cargo. For as far as you know, Master Farwing, is that we still intend on making the delivery, and just wished some legal advice as we went on our way. No one has said any different to you, aye?"
Samuel nods with some satisfaction. "Very well. This way, then. I'll let you out the back."
Carroll smiles, and murrs, "I knew you'd understand. Let me get my hat." Horatio takes his spectacles off, and begins to arrange his cloak. Alex quietly pulls her hood back up.
Carroll steps quickly back to the little waiting room, and collects his hat and cloak. If the fox is still there he bows, and murrs, "Please forgive us for not saying goodbye." With a wink he adds, "We weren't here anyway," and goes back through the door to the inner office. He pulls his cloak on and murrs to the solicitor, "Thank you for seeing us like this. It won't be forgotten."
Samuel leads the foxes through the hidden door at the back of his office, through his private quarters, and lets them out into the alley. As they depart they can hear him, faintly, yelling "Giles! Get in here!"
Alex nods courteously as she leaves, and murmurs, "Thank you, sir..." as she passes the solicitor on the way out. Horatio nods gratefully to Mr. Farwing, following his siblings out.
Padding silently, once again Dimitri is the last to leave. He closes the door behind him, and then keeps pace with the others. Alex is standing, waiting for Dimitri right outside the door... she takes a handful of his cloak and patters quietly right on his heels all the way back towards the ship. She doesn't seem to be paying a lot of attention past staying right next to him, to the extent that if he stops suddenly she'll bump into him.
Carroll begins walking down the street, settling his cloak around his shoulders a bit, and murring quietly to Horatio, whom he seems to have in tow, "That went well."
Dimitri wraps one arm about Alex as he walks, his sword balanced on his shoulder with the other. As he walks, he softly considers. "It did. But I realized something else, while I was listening. Why. I was safely out of the way. A campaign could have taken me away for years. Why did Pravinchandra feel it was necessary to go after... me." Alex leans a little against Dimitri, feeling a bit better.
Horatio nods softly, the motion (of course) invisible beneath his cloak. "I think so. At least we have someone who's on our side. But..." He frowns slightly. No, that was from a story he'd been forced to read once, at the Academy; it wouldn't happen in reality. Or was that a history of the Empire? Or... where did he read what he was thinking of...?
Carroll glances back, and murrs to his brother, "Were you to become the heir you'd have been pulled from a campaign and returned to lead the household, I expect. You are a nobleman, Dimitri." He doesn't sound angry, but is simply trying to remind his brother of a fact he may not like. He looks at Horatio, and murrs, "What were you saying, Horatio?"
Alex murmurs in a small voice, "So... so all he wanted to do was just kill us all? It wasn't us, or anything we did... he just wanted to see us all murdered?!"
Dimitri shrugs. "Efficient."
Horatio looks up to Carroll. "Just... if he starts asking questions... I mean, I read this in the history of the Empire, I think... that is, I think it was the history, it could have been something one of the Masters foisted on me... Anyway, I mean if Mr. Farwing starts asking questions he might be in danger. Pravinchandra did send a ship after us. He might not... well, have a second thought about causing an older solicitor to... die of 'natural causes'... I mean... no ethical Master at the Academy would ever teach anyone how to make that sort of thing! But, er, well... secrets aren't always so easily kept..."
Carroll ahs, and murrs, "Horatio, I have to believe Mister Farwing can take care of himself. You don't get to be an older solicitor by being a careless young solicitor."
Alex stiffens slightly at Dimitri's laconic response to her question... she patters along silently for a bit, then murmurs softly, "So... does that mean we have to... we don't have to... to kill all of them, do we?"
Dimitri shakes his head, "Not all."
Alex sighs softly, relaxing somewhat, and wraps an arm around Dimitri's waist, tucking her fingers comfortably into his sword belt, "Okay... good."
Horatio says, "Maybe not, but... one solicitor is, well, one solicitor..." He shivers a bit. "And there are a lot of people on Pravinchandra's pay, it seems..."
Carroll nods and murrs, "True. I recall him saying he was in the military though, as some sort of scout." He glances back at Dimitri and asks, "They tend to be resourceful, don't they?"
The black fox laughs, "Usually. Especially if they've survived a few campaigns." His ears twitch, and there is the lightest jangle of gold rings in the night.
Carroll smiles a half smile, and murrs, "I thought so." After a few steps he asks, "So, shall we go to the bank, or should we lie low as suggested?"
Alex says a little (unintentionally) plaintively, "Can we um... maybe get some food, or just sit for a bit first? Just for a little bit?"
Carroll nods, "Dinner is a must, yes."
Alex sighs softly again, "Good..."
Horatio blinks to Alex, and after a moment nods, "I agree, yes..."
Dimitri softly growls, "Actually, before we answer that question, let's find out what sort of shops there are... across the street from the bank."
Carroll smiles, "Perhaps even a restaurant."
Alex says, "Okay. As long as we can stay out of sight."
It is midmorning on a cloudy, misty day as the siblings work their
way through the busy financial district. As the offices of ITIC come
into view they double check the cloaks concealing their identities from
casual passersby. Gold Street
The main street of the financial district
contains the offices and counting houses of the major banks of
Starfall. From this spot can be seen the main offices of Pravinchandra
Trust, Merchant's Bank, the Imperial Trade and Investments Company,
and Allende Ventures Bank, as well as numerous smaller firms.
Without a word, Dimitri sidesteps, threading a narrow, narrow alley. Quietly he pads along until he can work down the street, and stroll past the backside of the banking buildings. Alex wrinkles her nose and twitches her whiskers to get droplets of water off herself -- then suddenly darts sideways, trying to keep up with Dimitri.
Carroll smiles, looking out from under the brim of his hat, which would help against real rain but not this infernal mist. He comments to Horatio, "I get so tired of the damp..." making idle, unremarkable conversation.
Horatio shakes his head a little, shaking some of the moisture off of his cloak. "Water is life, Carroll," he notes idly.
Alex grins and mumbles under her breath, "All this living falling on me..."
Horatio says, "We're not going to Pravinchandra's Bank, right? He won't be working late, will he?"
Dimitri softly growls, "Rain and mists tends to keep muzzles pointed down, looking at the sidewalk and not the passers-by..."
Carroll murrs, "Yes, yes, of course, but still. It makes my fur all frizzy," as he walks along, looking at the buildings... and how they're sitting near other buildings, and the doors and construction. Alex gives a stifled giggle at that comment!
Pravinchandra, like the major banks, is a huge stone fortress. No windows below the third story, isolated from other buildings, and only one ground-level entrance. Alex looks grumpy, and murmurs to Dimitri, "Stone doesn't burn. Wonder if it goes boom?"
Dimitri shrugs quietly. "Wooden beams, flooring, wall tapestries, papers, wooden stairways, tables... chairs... think of it as a kiln." Alex nods slowly, realization dawning on her face and displacing her earlier grumpiness. She looks around curiously for guards.
Horatio glances up at the massive edifice. "A fortress. That's looks almost as well-built as the Academy, actually..."
Alex grins at Horatio, "And I know that periodically Daddy would give big grants to them to overlook some of your more um... interesting experiments!"
Carroll comments, "Well that never stopped you before, did it?" and grins. He looks over at the doors, well armored, huge.
Dimitri pauses a moment, looking up to the tall windows. His eyes narrow, looking for shutters and bars. Or does the mongoose just feel safe by being high? The windows are barred and narrow. It's widely rumored that there are magical wards in place as well, to protect the moneylenders and their money. Alex says, "Hey, guys? Um... how do we tell if there's any magic in place?"
Horatio blinks at Alex. "That might be a good idea. We don't encounter mages enough to think of them... to check if there's magic, that is..."
Carroll mms, "Ask a mage, generally. Pity we didn't bring one." He continues rubbernecking cheerfully at the building, a little at one on either side. He seems unconcerned that someone might ask him what he's doing. Dimitri slowly walks around, quiet. Then he stops. Just stops. Alex paces alongside of Dimitri, looking around curiously as much at the other buildings as at the bank. Horatio is pretty sure that he doesn't have any magical scrying abilities, and so just looks around with an eye at the architecture.
Alex murmurs at some point, "Um... if we stay here too long we'll stand out, right?"
Carroll agrees, and asks, "Have we all seen all we came to see?" He asks Horatio, "Or do you want to go in to the bank and have a look around?"
Horatio looks to Carroll and bites his lip, shaking his head. "We'd... better not, not now, I think. I don't know what I'll be able to get from in there... And it's such a risk..."
Carroll ahhs, and murrs, "All right, Horatio."
Alex tilts her ears back to hear Horatio, and murmurs, "But... would they even know us? Did any of us get brought here by Daddy?"
Horatio looks to Alex, shaking his head. "I don't remember being here, myself. Carroll? Dimitri?"
Carroll murrs, "Not that I know of, no."
Dimitri looks to Alex and Carroll. "What's the largest coin you two have? Alex blinks? then turns out her pockets, bringing up some change.
Horatio blinks to Dimitri, scrounging in his pockets. "Uhm... I might have some here..." He proceeds to go through just about every pocket he has, including his satchel. Alex giggles softly at Horatio's burrowing.
Carroll looks over to his brother and murrs without looking, "A hundred."
Dimitri frowns, "Let me have a handful of coin, aye?"
Carroll reaches in to his cloak, withdraws his purse, pulls a couple of coins out, and then hands the purse to Dimitri.
Alex counts to herself under her breath, "...seventy five, one, that's one fifty." She looks up at Dimitri and frowns, shaking her head, "No, Mitya... you and Carroll are the most recognizable of us all."
Carroll chuckles, "Exactly why I suggested Horatio go, earlier."
Dimitri hands Alex his long sword. "Let me change this for some larger coin..."
Alex says, "Let Horatio go -- he's the one that needs to see."
Horatio manages to get out a handful of odd coins of a few denominations and mints, including a few marks. He blinks. "Ahh... maybe she's right..." Why oh why is he saying that? Oh, right... because he has to see inside.
Then Dimitri proceeds to calmly walk into the bank. A standard transaction, to change handful of coin for a few larger, easier to manage pieces. He quietly enters the big bank, taking only the few moment there to wait his place and change the coins. As he does he just looks about, nothing untoward, just another furr on a minor task for the day. That completed, he takes his leave again.
The bank's ground floor interior is subdivided into four main rooms in the public section (front half, roughly). Support columns for the upper floors break up the area. In two of the rooms are tellers to conduct normal business (one room for account holders, one for the public), and the other two have private offices for the discussion of more high-powered business. Dimitri takes notes of staff and guards and then, business done, heads back out.
Carroll catches up with Dimitri when he leaves the bank, the siblings following quietly. He murrs, "Let's head someplace and find some dinner," then casually asks, "Anything interesting inside?"
Dimitri shrugs darkly, "Four rooms; the biggest, the front half, for public dealings; one for private accounts. Two more, probably for special conferences and such. It was moderately busy... maybe if we came in with an intriguing investment, just before closing." He considers again, eyes narrow. "But sinking a ship might be more up our collection of skills."
Carroll nods to his brother, "I don't think force is the way in there. If it is... it wouldn't be the way out." He hmms and murrs, "So, that sends us back to our original plan, doesn't it?"
Alex says, "So it would seem. So now what?"
Carroll murrs, "Back home, I suppose. Regroup a bit. Consider our plan B, and if we can find father."
Alex says, "Probably safest." Dimitri takes back his sword, and follows them on their way...