Chisaibu spent most of the day before finding a place that he felt comfortable leaving his stuff. After noon, about halfway to dusk, he found a few loose bricks on a wall in a disused alleyway. A half hour of work allowed him to enlarge the area behind the bricks enough to contain his prizes. After first being sure that he was unobserved and that nothing could approach from the backside of the wall, he set his things within and prepared a simple deadfall trap from nearby debris. Nothing too obvious or deadly, but if anyone messed with the loose bricks the debris would probably knock them out or at least give them a headache.
Now that that's taken care of and since there are a few hours before the meeting time, that party place sounds inviting. The magic shops never seem to be open when you, or anyone else comes around. You watched one for the better part of yesterday and ran right up to the door after another person walked in, but the door was locked and the closed sign up when you tried to enter.
A casual stroll near the grounds where the party will be held reveals six guards patrol the grounds on a regular route in teams of two. Each team also has a large dog that one of the guards holds the leash of. The guards are dressed in blue and green uniforms with metal gauntlets, a breastplate and half helm. The dogs are mongrels the size of German shepherds with slobbery muzzles. The guards carry short bows and short swords. They are conscientious about their rounds but bored.
From his place on the outside of the eight foot wall surrounding the estate, Chisaibu hears the guards within pause as the dog sniffs and growls at your presence.
"Whotssup with him?"
"Probably just some drunk sleeping against the wall again."
"I didn't see you at the pit matches last night, Warren."
"Avon, you know I don't go to those disreputable places anymore, I'm married."
"Just as well. I lost half my last wages on that stupid half-ogre in the third match. Whotta ya make of this party Old Rednose is getting up? Sounds like a lot of bother for us and we don't even get to enjoy it."
"Yeah, but he pays us an extra five drepners each when he has these parties. For that I can walk his dogs around the yard at night for a while."
A moment of thought reminds Chisaibu that a drepner is the local silver piece. Scarpa, Drepner, Shuture, Glom: Values from least to highest. Each is worth only half to three quarters of an equivalent Daleland coin because the coins here aren't pure metal. The locals don't use an electrum based coin.
"Say, Warren, If we got ourselves on horse detail we could check a few bags for our trouble. I mean, just to make sure nothing falls out on the ground o'course."
"With your hands there to break its fall if it does, eh? Avon, You're nice enough company on these watches, but I got me a wife that isn't all ugly, and me oldest is almost apprentice age. The Master puts us up and pays us on top and doesn't whip us more 'en needed. It ain't much out of life, but it's worth more t' me 'en a hanging. That's all you'll get out of those fool plans of yours. 'Sides, I hear Darseis is soon to retire, bein' almost forty-three an' all. That means, once everyone moves up, There'll be an opening on the Masters own guard staff."
"What? And you think you'll get it?"
"Why not? I'm good as the next man!"
Warren and Avon then carry their argument out of your hearing as they walk on. You have about ten minutes before the next guard team walks by. You quickly let yourself over the wall. Keeping to the shadows and the far too many bushes on the grounds, you make your way to the main house. It's still daylight so climbing to the upper floor or the roof might be too much of a risk. Besides you have an appointment. Looking discretely in a few windows gives you an idea of the ground floor.
The house is made of stone. It looks like granite, probably from the mountains outside of town. The main doors enter into a wide hall some twenty feet long. The hall has four very old tapestries, two showing the deeds of a knight slaying things unknown to you in a forest, one shows a well dressed man overseeing the construction of several buildings and the last is of a younger man leading an army against invaders. Two full suits of armor with weapons stand in the hall, their shields obviously bearing the family crest. Heraldry isn't your greatest field but you know that you should be impressed.
After the hall you look into a small library, perhaps no more than fifty books. There is an ornate desk here with papers on it. Two upholstered high backed chairs and a bar finish the room. Through the open door you can see a ballroom that connects to the entry hall. In it are a large piano and space for a band. The wooden floor is highly polished. You see overstuffed furniture set around what walls are visible. The door on the far side of the ballroom seems to lead to a dining area, but it's hard to tell from here.
The next window is the ladies' drawing room and has comfortable sofas, small tables and many flowers. There is a bell cord here and two doors; one from the ballroom, the other on the east wall is shut.
After this there is a twenty foot section with no windows or doors, then comes the corner of the house. Peering around this you see the next team of guards coming.
You have a little time to think. The guards are obviously in need of excitement and it is only your duty to provide it. Not too much. After all, you're pretty sure you can handle this security if you want to, especially if you can remember who is here with you. Why give them a reason to beef it up?
Still, just for fun, you stop here and there on your way out to roll around on the grass. Then let yourself out the way you came. Waiting by the wall, you hear the dog catch your scent. You look around. You don't find what you were looking for but an adequate substitute comes along. As the dog drags the guards to your spot at the wall, you grab the rat you found nearby (you were hoping for a cat) and toss it over the wall. The dog takes of after it, dragging one of the guards along from the leash. Not up to your usual level of mischief but you were in a hurry.
You get to the tavern a little before sundown. You wait out back until you are unobserved, then clamber up to the roof. This is not one of the best places in town. The shingles are loose and you almost slip twice. However, this does allow you to loosen enough shingles and boards to slip inside. This is only a tavern with no rooms, so you enter into the first floor. Not being entirely without brains, you chose the side away from the setting sun so that little light would enter with you. So far no one seems to have noticed, but you've been fooled before.
You find a comfortable spot in the rafters to survey your surroundings. The barkeep is a sturdy looking fellow. Human, thirtyish, a little pale but he looks like he could swing a club and mean it. The table wenches are the buxom type with flowing low cut gowns and enchanting smiles. There seem to be more than a place of this size needs. This is soon explained when one of the girls goes in the back room, and is followed after a few minutes by one of the patrons.
The tavern is obviously an open cover for a gambling hall. Card games, bone throwing and tests of weapon skills are going on at many points in the room, all are being wagered on. A haze covers the room and drifts up to you. The smoke is only partly tobacco, the rest is a local narcotic. Relatively mild, but you should think of leaving your perch before you start to like it too much. That still gives you maybe fifteen minutes to continue looking. The patrons are an even mix of locals and passers through. Many rugged adventuring types are here and a few that follow your own vocation. If any of the people here are spellcasters, they are hiding it well.
The room is sixty by forty with its long dimension set north/south. The roof was pitched slightly and you entered around forty feet from the door and fifteen feet from the nearest wall. Light in here is from candles set at each table and an occasional lamp on the walls.
One of the patrons seems to be ignoring all the festivities. Several people have approached him, male and female and he has turned them all away including one burly, apelike man that he stared down. He is dressed the same as everyone else here in dirty, torn clothes in drab colors. His hands and face are covered in dirt also. But his dark hair is too neat and the dirt on him looks recently applied, not ground in enough. Even the tears in his clothes seem recent, not frayed, and the fabric isn't stained or faded. He seems very impatient and every so often looks at a table nearest the front window. There three drinking buddies catch his eye. One of them looks out the door to a fourth lounging on the stoop, then looks back at him and shakes his head.
It's now a little past sundown. You have over five minutes left before the smoke starts to get to you. Suddenly you notice that the guy that just now sat down at the arm wrestling table looks for all the world like Shaft. Now you're sure you didn't come to town with him. Mostly sure. Kinda sure anyway. I mean you'd remember if it were Shaft you were to meet. Right? Wouldn't you?
Well, you have other things on your mind. like the fact that this Shaft-like person apparently doesn't know this grift. You've been watching and you can see that the guy taking on all comers in arm wrestling is working with one of the cut-purses. Elegant scheme actually. While the mark is concentrating on the match, his pockets get picked or his purse cut. Even if the accomplice loses the match they get away with some profit. And if the pick pocket is noticed then the mark will be distracted and probably lose the match. Which will allow the accomplice to righteously restrain the mark by demanding payment on the wager while the rogue slips away.
You know, you should probably tell Shaft about this. If this is Shaft. Of course that may upset your plans for your appointment and you hate to let curiosity go unsatisfied. But Shaft does look out for you and you should return the favor.
Chisaibu has had enough of this smoke. He's high on life and needs no artificial additives. Furthermore, he wants to alert Shaft. He's sure that's who it is. It could be no one else. In fact, there is no one else. Everyone else in this so-called "tavern" is illusory. Here Shaft wrestles not with flesh and bone, but with the devils that afflict his soul. As a holy man, Chisaibu knows that no other man may aid Shaft in his struggle; he must defeat his personal demons alone. However, as a matter of principle, he cannot sit idly by and watch a clumsy thief.
Therefore, Chisaibu will slip quietly to the floor, keeping an eye on the pickpocket as much as he can. He will then approach the table, in his priestly garb, and try to get behind both Shaft and the thief. He does not want to attract Shaft's attention yet, lest he distract the mighty warrior from his struggle with the minions of darkness. Besides, Shaft may not recognize him in his guise as a mendicant (begging) priest. So, when the thief is distracted (attempting to pick a pocket or some such thing), Chisaibu will attempt to pick his pocket.
He should be successful; his skills are pretty good in this. Besides, all that he can see in this building is illusion, maya. Illusions can easily be bent to conform to the minds of the strong-willed. And Chisaibu's will is strong because his heart is pure. He is a man in the service of his god-- even more so while picking pockets. Tinginchkgoonk loves men who steal almost as much as he loves those who are mad. Chisaibu is both, and he possesses a perfect faith. In fact, since the target is illusory, it is not as if he is picking a pocket at all. It is more like reaching into his own pocket. Or like finding something in a pocket he didn't know he had.
If there is trouble-- the mark notices the theft, etc.-- Chisaibu will deny everything. (He is a priest, after all. A holy man. He is not interested in filthy mammon.) Hopefully, he can make enough of a ruckus to attract Shaft's attention, and then slip out in the ensuing brawl. All this also might attract the attention of the man who keeps to himself. And if the pick goes well, he will then go over to this man who sits alone and see if it is his contact, after first giving Shaft the high sign and telling the warrior to watch his back.