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[Doom]

Heading to the Academy when the sun breaks will put you at mid day of Day 2. Where do you go or who do you seek?

[R^2]

Millicent Tousk.

[Malikial]

Karvan will secure himself a room before going to meet with Latir outside of the academy to accompany him in to meet with Millicent, he's never had a personal problem with her and wishes to hear here 'debate' or whatever this will be with Latir.

[Niku]

Drat!  Seen right through!  Shrewdly acknowledging that perhaps the quaint little shop had in fact seemed a little shady in hindsight, Tikka dropped the matter of retrieving an Artifact or few from Latir's hands for the time being while spending much of the rest of her day trying to think up a new ruse to get the Artifacts into the safekeeping of Millicent's hands.  Of course, learning where Latir planned to go the next morning -- two birds, one stone!  An awful exchange rate in her estimation, but still fitting enough.  Accompanying him and the others would make it easy enough to seem as though she had done exactly what Millicent asked, no?

[Doom]

By hook or crook, everybody catches up to Latir after he spends a leisurely mid-morning-night waiting to head out. For the sake of convenience and due to Tikka's involvement, let's assume all other party members are now aware of Bertram's plan and have access to his Doctored Records from Lawyer Thistleweave. That's one thing gone right.

As the three of you enter Academy grounds and get an uncharacteristically decent amount of directions and help from anyone you care to ask, you're guided to the Academy Towers and tasked to climb stairs to the top floor of the Silver Tower. You step into quarters not prepared for storage or classwork where the stone beneath your feet is caked in soft, velvety bits of... snow? The temperate is calm and temperate, warm and accommodating. Where one might set torches in the wall or candles upon tables, soft will'o'wisps drift back and forth within an inch of space, hovering quietly. There are no lobbies, bouncers, secretaries or hurdles. You cross through the hall and come to a large, open-air room with a set of fine leather sofas set about, an exquisitely crafted and rare oak-wood table with matching set of seven chairs and a few small, Dwarf-sized book-shelves, Dwarven-made for Dwarf-Records. There's a single door at the middle of the room and sitting in the eight chair next to it is Phous, who seems to have abandoned his previous practices of garrish outfits for the standard pitch-black guard uniform with no honorifics, joints protected by floating bits of armor encircled by glowing runic script. He looks up from his copy of a trashy space cowboy dime-store novel.

"Fools-Errant. I can only hope this is about doing the right thing." He dog-ears a page and closes the book, setting it on an adjacent sofa. "There's something pitiable about those of you with dignity and strength continuing to serve Holsten."

[R^2]

"Ilex Holsten was the first to flee from Firebrand, and Fools-Errant is no more. I did bring the item. May I see Miss Tousk, please?"

[Malikial]

Karvan cocks his head and growls deeply, "I do not call you Academy, I have a name, human, use it." He rolls his shoulders slightly and steps behind Latir protectively.

[Doom]

Phous ignores Karvan entirely and rises, knocking with the back of his hand on the door. It shimmers into an entirely different style of door, a light metallic with the characteristic green-white hue of mythril and opens a crack. Millicent peers through briefly, audibly prestidigitates and then steps out with her hair in a neat pony tail and wearing some fine shimmery soft crimson pajama casual-wear, like made outta elf-silk or something. Ya know, fancy.

"Latir, Karvan... Tikka." Polite smile with eyes closed, eyes open. "These are odd hours, but I can only assume..." A hopefulness lights up the smile. "It's important."

[R^2]

While I had intended to come by during the day, I didn't mean to come at the asscrack of dawn. Oh well.

"Indeed. I would like to negotiate a price for the Hand of Entropy, if you would be so kind. If you are... er, not prepared, we will wait until you are ready to give us a moment of your time."

[Bongo Bill]

With the most inconveniently scrupulous member of the company occupied, Bertram rounds up the [Forged Documents], a [Conservative Suit], and [Anybody With A Good Charisma Score], and prepares to commence the critical phase of Operation: Throw Ilex Under The Bus.

"It's very simple," Bertram explained to all the party members who wish to be an accomplice to this scheme. "Here in this briefcase, I have (utterly specious) evidence proving that none of us is liable for that debt to one Finneus Firebrand. Moreover, we (quite genuinely) have no idea where the fellow has gone who is liable. We have only to go out and establish our innocence to someone whose authority Firebrand will heed - the very same he was hoping to use against us.

"Firebrand knows better, and if it's our word against his, the truth will out. So what we're going to do is take these false documents to the magistrate, and seek His Honor's reassurance that the law is on our side. Then, we'll fly the coop - by the time Firebrand has untangled the mess we're leaving him in, we'll be long gone. Have I forgotten anything, Wanda?"

[Doom]

Millicent waves off your offer to postpone. "This is too important to wait. I spoke with Morgiana and Tikka earlier and the offer still stands. In exchange for the Hand of Entropy, I will clear your debt in full and lend you the Academy's full support, including it's Vote at your hearing."

[R^2]

"That is... not exactly what we need. Ilex Holsten has fled, or been captured, or something along those lines -- Holsten Holdings (and incidentally its petty grudge against your Academy) no longer exist. I have no intention to retain any of the company's property; it all belongs to Firebrand now in order to make good on Holsten's debt. I have every confidence in my man Bertram's choice of an advocate to convince the courts that we, as individuals, are not the property of Holsten Holdings and thus cannot be taken to make good on the debt. Firebrand can track down Miss Holsten himself and take the rest of her liability out of her hide."

"In any event, you and I are both aware that the artifact I hold is beyond any mere monetary price. So first, my request: what I ask is for your advocacy not only in our upcoming trial, should it be necessary as a failsafe, but for your cooperation moving forward in meeting my goals of improving this humble city we live in. I am, I regret to say, not a well-educated dwarf. As I plan for public works and the greater good, there are doubtless details that I have overlooked. I would request the resources of the Academy be made available, at your discretion, as I plan and execute my ideas."

[Niku]

Tikka makes a few gestures from behind Latir's back, indicating that she has succeeded in the mission that she had set out to do when last she left Millicent -- vague motions with her hands somehow indicative of pride and resourcefulness -- only for her face to become the closest thing it had ever become to sour moments later when Latir rockblocked her.  Well hmmph, she had done her best!