Tobias
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Tobias was fairly certain that Florie cried all night. She had met briefly with Cyril and Zel upon their return, and it seemed to Toby that she managed to tell them the truth of what had happened while telling the same lies she had been before. It was clear when they left that they both knew what had happened, but both seemed plenty willing to play along. Zel leaned in and said something too low to be heard before he stepped away from Florie, and she looked surprised, but said nothing. And Toby could barely look at her without guilt washing over him, so he didn't try to find out. So they passed a sleepless night, with Florie crying, and Tobias guarding her door and thinking that how in saving her, he had cost them Argent. If he had somehow done things differently... but it was all too late now. All he had was the sorrow and guilt.
They ate breakfast in the largely deserted house. It was quiet with all the servants gone and the family making funeral preparations. It was so quiet that it startled them all to hear a pounding on the main gate, and Toby rushed out to see what the fuss was. A man stood outside with three large and burly guards. The man himself looked a lot like Coll Greyfell, but he was younger, and unaffected by the argeria that had turned Coll's skin silverblue. He was better dressed, too, dripping with jewelry made of silver and gems. He introduced himself as Collard Greyfell, the next in line to be in charge, and demanded an immediate meeting with the remaining Felsward. Toby told him that Lady Florie needed time to get ready, and that he would have to come calling later. He was insistent enough that Collard finally relented, which bought them a little time. The caveat, though, was that they were under house arrest until the talk. Toby had Zel go off to warn Florie, and he went to gather Maester Cyril.
There was nothing much to do then except wait while Florie readied herself, and Toby paced, too anxious to do much else. Florie emerged at last, clean and somber, but the redness was gone from her eyes. She asked Zel to see about sneaking out once she called for a meeting, to see what was going on out in town, and then she asked Sir Toby to go call for Collard to come back. She didn't meet his eyes as she did. Afterwards, Toby went to check on Colin, who had cleaned and oiled his sword. It was clear that the boy knew that Toby had killed the man, but was also willing to play along with their story, so Toby left him to work and returned to the others. When Collard Greyfell arrived, he started the conversation off aggressively, accusing them all of conspiracy and murder, but Florie countered, shaken as she was, and it became one of those political dances where neither said everything they really wanted.
Collard seemed to relent a little at last, and gave Florie a significant look. "I hope thay our houses can get past this rift," he said. But as they discussed it, a commotion rose outside, the guards shouting that someone was trying to get out.
Florie's eyes widened, and she rose immediately and rushed to the window. "Zel!" She called. "Zel! Did you find my dog yet?" She went on, telling the stunned guards and Collard that she'd had Zel off all morning looking for one of her dogs and he hadn't known about the order to stay inside. She looked so earnest that nobody questioned it, and Toby breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe they wouldn't have to fight their way out of this after all.
Drezielle
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Zel's heart was pounding as she made her way back inside after her failed attempt to scale the wall undetected. This was all more cloak and dagger than she liked, and all rather far from her described duties as a highwayman. Of course, her thievery wasn't one of those duties either, and the day before she'd pocketed an enormous sum from a merchant, so she wasn't thinking much of work. She wouldn't even have to stay here, but then she'd come in on Florie a wreck after the attempted rape, without her primary chaperone and surrounded by men. Zel made the decision as soon as she saw Florie to tell her, and she had whispered to Florie that she was a female too, and she understood. It had been a risk, but Florie had smiled a little at her, and hadn't said anything to the others.
So Zel was sticking around, and apparently needed to practice her sneaking. Once she got inside, she saw Collard Greyfell sweeping out to rejoin his guards, and she found the others gathered in the sitting room, grim-faced. They explained that they had been told in veiled terms that they really weren't welcome in the house any longer, and they would be seeking other lodgings in the town until they could find what they needed and leave. Zel packed her things, and they all left the house and walked again through the grimy streets of Silver Hill. A curious thing was happening across the city, it seemed. Plumes of smoke rose in places, and carts filled with lead were being pulled through the streets. They got closer to some of the tailing piles and saw why-- lead was being melted down and poured over the tailings, to create a hard crust over everything. It seemed that now, the only place to get the arsenite they needed was directly from the mine itself.
First, though, they needed lodging, so they made their way to the inn's one public house. It was a slap in the face, Zel could see, to the noble members of the party. Toby didn't even want Florie to stay there, but there seemed to be no choice. Florie would have her own room, the others would all be in a room together. It made Zel nervous, because it was certainly hard, with so many people, to be one of the boys. But they all got settled in, and when asked if they wanted baths, she saw Florie hesitate, and she gave the other young woman something of a desperate look. Florie caught it, and agreed to have a bath brought up despite a few mutters from Toby about the cleanliness of the water. They settled in, and Toby slept almost immediately after Zel assured she would watch out in front of Florie's room. With others resting or occupied, Florie let Zel in to take a bath. Florie still seemed to be despondent, and she didn't say much, except that she was glad she wasn't the only female around. Zel didn't spend much time bathing, and she quickly got back out in front of Florie's door, where she paced back and forth. She saw Corwin leave and come back with mining tools in preparation for going to the mine, but it was otherwise quiet.
Cyril
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Maester Cyril had found himself the supplies they would need to dig in the mines, and he knew, from a bookish standpoint, how it should work. But what he wasn't sure of was how they would even get there. He thought it might be easier to go at night, but they still probably couldn't just sneak in. He mostly went about his own preparations, and waited until Toby was up, and until Florie and Zel joined them to talk. It was clear they would need to find a guide, but this might be difficult in a town that was largely hostile to them. They all discussed for a while, then decided to go to one of the taverns the miners frequented and let Zel try to find them a guide. They set off, and found a table where they could listen to Zel talk. Zel said he was looking to see the mine, and the man Zel was talking to said "Which mine?" That had Cyril listening more intently. Greyfell's tour had implied that there was only the one mine, and certainly the Felswards had known no different. But the miner explained that there were three mines; the Old Mine, which had mostly been mined out and was mostly producing lead, the New Mine, which had much richer silver deposits, and The Hearth, which was the hottest and most active of the mines, producing silver and sometimes gems.
Cyril gave Zel a little nod when the hearth was mentioned. That would be the mine most likely to have what he needed in the greatest abundance. He watched the highwayman posturing and bragging and eventuall making a bet that he could last in the mine, and that he'd like to bring his Maester friend for a taste of what the mining was like. The miner nearly laughed the challenge off, but agreed to meet them at the mouth of the Hearth at dawn. Toby and Florie accompanied them to the mouth of the mine, though both the knight and his lady were quiet the entire time. The miner met Zel and Cyril with a grin and took them into the heat of the mine.
It was interesting to Cyril, but soon, he was mostly trying not to succumb to the oppressive heat and thick air of the mine. He watched the amused miner instructing Zel on how to use the tools to work a seam, and the boy struggled just to chip at the rock. Cyril declined to try, and smirked a bit. "This looks too easy," he blustered. "I'll try when we go deeper into the mine." Their guide just laughed, and after some failed attempts on Zel's part, he moved them on. Cyril looked at the mine walls carefully, and was pleased to see the striations that promised deposits of arsenite as well as silver. He took his turn attempting to dig into the rock, but a theoretical knowledge of what to do and the actual ability to do it in the least were proving to be very different things. Zel had continued trying, gamely, to prove his manliness, but it was soon all either of them could do not to just pass out. The miner laughed at them and began working the seam himself, and had soon broken it open. There was a pocket in the rock, and it was filled with glittering gemstones among the silver deposit, and Cyril saw the crystal structure of the arsenite they needed so much. Their guide was excited, saying that this was the biggest find they'd had in over a year. He found it amusing that Cyril seemed more interested in the arsenite than the gems themselves, but he readily agreed to let the maester take all of the waste mineral from the deposit.
The heat and fumes in the mine were taking their toll, though, and Zel sort of collapsed in a heap as the miner started digging out the gems. Cyril thought to help the highwayman, but his own limbs wouldn't seem to respond correctly, and the mine faded around him.
Florie
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Florie and Tobias stood outside the mine, not looking at each other. They had barely spoken all day. They weren't even looking at one another most of the time. Every time Florie thought she could catch Toby's eyes, he would look away. She didn't know how to feel now, and seeing him so affected made her all the more uncertain. He had saved her, but it had lost them Argent, and she didn't know if she'd ever see her brother again. And she had never seen such a vicious light in Tobias's eyes as when he'd killed Coll Greyfell. Grateful as she was, it scared her. And she really couldn't talk about these things with anyone, so silence was her only option. Maybe, when the damage was not so fresh, she and Toby could meet one another's eyes again.
There was commotion at the mouth of the mine, and two carts came into view. One filled, incredibly, with silver and gems, and even arsenite. The other was filled with Zel Flowers and Maester Cyril, both senseless and looking ill. Florie and Toby rushed to them, while the accompanying miner told them cheerfully that the bet had been lost. While Toby set about reviving their friendds, Florie started asking the miner and his foreman questions. It was her job to arm herself with whatever proof she could that they had been lied to, and here was her glaring evidence. She smiled prettily and asked for one of the small gems to take with her. Since, of course, a percentage of the profits would be hers at any rate. She said she would clear it with the new Lord Greyfell, and the foreman at last consented to giving her a small ruby from the haul. Once the others were roused enough to get back up, they returned to the common house, and left the maester and the highwayman to sleep off the effects of the mine. Florie and Toby had to attend Coll Greyfell's funeral that day. Florie detested that she must, but in order to repair relations with the family, it was a necessary step.
They went to the sept and sat through the rituals, and Florie was a little surprised at how well Toby was able to go through the motions, to pass by the casket and pay his respects when she couldn't even rise from her seat. She had come, and it would have to be enough. After the funeral, though, Florie had her chance to challenge Collard, and she strode up to him outside the sept to talk about what was owed to the Felswards. She had to secure enough loyalty in him to gain a steady supply of arsenite. What they had would last months, but there would have to be more than that. Collard tried to garner sympathy and play the victim, nephew to a murdered man, but his slimy charm was like a poor imitation of Argent's, and Florie would not be dissuaded. It was hard to make all the arguments alone; she was so used to playing off of her brother that it was easy to falter. But she pulled herself together, and covered every point, from the hidden mines to the arsenite. In the end, Collard conceded to every point, even saying that while he would not speak ill of his uncle on the day he buried him, that he would no longer contest what had happened to Florie. He promised her an immediate payment on what was owed to her house, and the arsenite, and asked if she wished anything else.
Emboldened by the victory, Florie couldn't help but ask the question she was sure Argent would want her to. Since Collard was the master of the mint, she said, she hoped he could find her one of the old Gardener coins from before the war.
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