A chat with the good doctor (Signal)

Doctor Mercutio Benitiva, what could a physician have to do with the element of people I would be going after. Well if he's nobility, that would certainly provide the position needed. Oroan thought as he came to the end of the instructions of how to reach Doctor Benivita. Taking a moment to observe the domicile, he gave a small grin and walked up to the door. This wouldn't have been his first choice, but there happened to be a few factors in play here.

First off, Oroan was intrigued. And that in itself was enough. There was also the good faith gesture on the Doctor's part, and even if Oroan hadn't been interested, that alone would have made him feel as if he should at least hear the man out. He had brushed his hair back away from his face and had taken time to make sure his clothing had been cleaned and mended. He didn't alter much, but he was much more presentable, something he often did when he felt there was a chance that there may be quite a bit to do for someone, and also when he was becoming involved with someone in a higher social tier than himself.

In fact the only thing that seemed unkempt about him was the weapon at the small of his back. His sword was maintained and nothing more. He had found that he ran into far less trouble when it was clear his weapon was well-used. It sent a message words couldn't convey. Lifting his hand, he gave a small smile as he rapped on the door. It had been a few days, but he had to think about this and prepare himself for this meeting. Besides, rushing right over would seem desperate, and while this potential arrangement seemed very good he was far from desperate.

The doctor was inside his home reading a book that he had bought at the market this morning. It wasn't necessarily interesting to read, but books were a hard thing to create and deserved to be read. He was just about to take a sip from his wine when the door was knocked upon. He stood up rather quickly and walked toward the door slowly. Good chance it was some sort of person from the town who had just done something silly, or needed some emergency attention. He couldn't be too safe though, and had a knife in his hand behind his back as he opened the door. What stood at the door? "Oh hello Oroan. Such a lovely night is it not? Oh please do come in. I've been looking forward to seeing you again." He opened the door wide and made a sweeping motion with his arm for the man to step inward.

"Well you look rather sharp, It looks rather good." He smiled and walked his way into the study where a few chair were set up. "May interest you in something to drink before business Oroan? Wine, water, a fine squeeze of something a merchant today described as 'Orange juice? It has a surprisingly tart and wonderful taste to it."

Oroan gave a slight incline of the head as the doctor invited him in.
"Indeed it is Doctor Benivita." He said as he walked inside, still keeping on his guard. He doubt there would be trouble, but he was naturally alert around people he didn't know well. Even when drinking with Tanya the night he met the doctor, he had been on his guard around both of them.
"I'm glad to know you've been looking forward to another meeting. Some potential employers don't have much patience, though you seemed like a man who would wait for a few days." He replied.

He gave a chuckle at the comment of his appear.
"I don't often have the luxury of worrying about if I am presentable or not. This was a good respite from my rather weathered look." He said as he looked around the doctor's home, trying to get an idea of what the man was like from what was around. Even if it was all for show, it would reflect something about him.

"The orange juice would be fine, I've had the good fortune to have sampled it when traveling, but it would be a nice treat." He answered, hardly remembering the taste, but he did recall liking it. And the doctor likely had a much fresher and better tasting variant than Oroan had been able to taste.

"Excellent." The Doctor walked from the room and vanished for a few moments before returning with a flask of what looked to be sunshine in a cup. "Here you are..." He grabbed a chair and slid it so that he was facing the mercenary.

"Now then, allow me to tell more about myself for you. My name is Doctor Mercutio Benetiva. I am the healer of this city and a diplomat to the sister cities and countries. I travel far and wide. Now, along with this boring job, comes a hobby of mine. You see, I am a doctor of the mind and of the body. I study both and need experiments in order to create the best remedies for future cases.... What I need, are subjects. Those who otherwise would be killed or jailed forever. Now my experiments may not be deemed.... humane, but we live in dark times. Take the corrupted army for instance. If I could discover a cure for their affliction, think of the lives I'll save. Sure, I'd have to dice up one or two corrupted men in order to find it, but that's a small price to pay, is it not?"

He sat a little closer on his chair and smiled at the man, that predatory smile that was mere inches from his dark interior. "I need you, to travel these lands, and find me subjects of all kinds. Demons, vampires, corrupteds, elves, dragons, madmen, anything. The more interesting it is, the more I'll pay you for your troubles. If the creature will not follow you, then capture it, if you are unable to do so, Kill it and bring the pieces with you. I'll pay more for live subjects though, so keep that in mind. He sat back in his chair and studied his hopeful.

"In exchange for you fighting for me, my home will be a refuge for you at your leisure. A home base if you will. Also, I'll cover your travelling expenses, food, weapons, armor. My work is quite lucrative as you can see. What do you think?"

Oroan smiled as he accepted the drink and took a small sip to test the taste.
"Certainly a better taste than what I previously sampled.." He said before sitting back and listening to what the doctor had to say. When he talked about himself, the situation made more sense and Oroan found himself more intrigued by the man. As for his practices, it didn't matter to Oroan one way or the other. He was in the business of taking lives, and for those that he would be trying to take alive, it sounded like they were scum for the most part and he wouldn't have a problem with that.

He was taking a drink when the doctor mentioned what the payment and benifits would include. He paused for a moment and set the drink down as he swallowed what was in his mouth.
"It certainly seems like a generous offer." He said softly and went silent as he did some thinking.
"Before I accept this, I would like you to know that the chances of me bringing in a demon or a dragon alive will of course be very slim. I'm very good at what I do, but I'm still only human." He said before taking another drink and grinning.
"That isn't to say I won't do my best to accomplish such things, it's just a matter of accepting the reality of the situation." He added.

"Still, I like your offer. It's been harder to find solid work as of late, and I have a personality that wouldn't do well as part of an army. So I will certainly accept. I'm even ready if you have any assignments for me. If not. I will still be in Revera considering I would be on call." He said, wondering just how busy the man would keep him. Oroan enjoyed having work, he was the restless sort that was far more at home when wandering and using his blade.

The doctor waved him off at the thought of bringing in a demon or dragon alive. "Well you see, I have great expectations of you. You don't have to do it all alone of course, I said I'd cover your expenses... that includes if you require a bit of help here and there. Just send word when you need more money to complete the job. I'll find my nearest cohort to you to deliver what you need." He gave a smile and laced his fingers. "Dragon's have no magical powers, yet they create fire from nothing... ever wondered about that? Oh I have..." He smiled and took another drink of his wine.

"Of course, for larger creatures such as that, you could name your own price of it. We will do negotiations on the days you bring those in."

His voice got a bit lower and serious at the next point though. "Oroan, I'm a very realistic person, don't doubt me on that." He raised his glass and took another sip. At the question of any jobs he had lined up, he placed his glass down and grabbed at a paper sitting on his table next to his chair. "A local law office sent word of a vampire that is terrorizing this village every night. Not only does he drain their blood, but he lays them to bed and makes them look as if nothing happened. Now it would seem as though the vampire was trying to hide what happened, yet the walls and even the ceilings are covered in blood... Now why would he care for subtleness when he massacres them so blatantly? The answer... Is that it's not a vampire... It's a man... who killed these people and has an obsession with vampires... I want you to bring him to me. So that I may study him... I'd love to get him in my chair."

Oroan gave a small grin.
'Well with some assistance that might be a different story. Sometimes all one needs is a partner to slow their prey down." He replied, thinking that if he were able to bring along some other people on certain jobs, that it might not be nearly as hard to take in certain targets. Challenging, but not daunting.

He decided not mention anything on the matter of the doctor's expectations of him. He had the feeling that Mercutio could read him better than he could read the doctor.
"Then I don't see any problems in our arrangement.." He said before falling silent as the doctor described Oroan's first job.

"Interesting case, It seems like a fairly straightforward type of job, and if this is a human, they will pose little trouble. Especially if they are as unbalanced as the report suggests." He said, going over the situation in his head.
"Does this target have a preferred type of victim that they target, perhaps someone I could tail and catch our quarry following?" He asked, knowing that murderers often went after a certain type of person, particularly the ones that had what seemed to be a ritualistic way of killing.

He was very keen on bringing this person in. A mercenary like himself or a soldier killing people was one thing. It was business, this was different. People shouldn't have to be afraid when they were in their homes. That was something Oroan would be happy to stop.

"All I have is what the report said to me. Perhaps it has something to do with the various victims. Each one was a family of four... Each one was laid in their beds. Quite vague, but perhaps once you get there, you will have a better chance of figuring out what links them. If you find anything interesting, send word to me so that I can stay updated." He downed the last of his wine and set it to the side.

"Well Oroan, It's good to have you in my employ, of course, if the authorities decide that what you are doing is... punishable, our contract may need to be revoked, so don't get into any trouble!" He gave a grin and stood up. "Officially, you are my emissary, my messenger boy so to speak. Unofficially, you are my collector. I have a great feeling you will do yourself justice here. And do an even greater one to me." He smiled brightly before stretching out his hand. "Feel free to hang around Revera for a few days. Tie up ends, get prepared. Whatever it is that you need to. Do you have any other questions?"

Oroan gave a slight shrug.
"Then it looks like I get to play detective for a little bit." He replied, almost relishing the idea. His investigative skills were not really that exceptional, but he paid attention to detail and enjoyed a good puzzle, so he figured that tracking down some psycho would be perfect for him.
"This person shouldn't be too difficult, people that unbalanced slip up just because their minds aren't working right. I should be able to bring him to you fairly soon." He added. Then the doctor went into other details and Oroan gave a small nod.

"Well that certainly sounds fair. It doesn't do well to let people think you're involved with such a dark element of society." He said with an almost feral grin. He got to his feet adjusted his weapon and clothing.
"I think I'll get right onto tracking this freak down. I would ike to try and get them before any more of these families get attacked. Out on the streets is one thing, but people should be safe in their homes after all." He said before offering his hand to the doctor.

"It's a pleasure to be employed once more. I don't intend to let that confidant feeling you have be proven wrong. Bringing this scumbag in unharmed might be difficult, but I can promise he'll be coherent enough for your needs."

The Doctor held out his hand earnestly and shook Oroan's rather excitedly. "I'm so glad to have you on board." His voice was that of slight pride. "Please, do be sure to leave his mind intact. Break arms, legs what have you, but his mind is what I need. I need him to be able to talk." He smiled and walked Oroan to the door. "My good sir, no one is safe. I'm hoping with your help to at least make them livable again." He grinned and held up a finger before leaving the room and coming back. "more of that Orange Juice. Just a treat of confidence for you. Also," He lifted a pouch of coins."It's an advance on your travelling expenses. Just return back if you need more." He pressed the bag into the man's hand and nodded. "There will be much more if you manage to get what I need." He opened the door for Oroan to leave. "See you soon my friend."

Oroan gave a raised eyebrow at the Doctor’s response.
“Perhaps not, but it’s all about illusions. Without those there isn’t much more than a panic, and that doesn’t do anyone any good.” He said before the doctor went to retrieve more of the juice and provided Oroan with a pouch of coins. He gave a nod as he slid the pouch inside his clothing, into a pocket on the inside of his shirt.
“I don’t think our culprit will provide too much of a challenge to bring in like that. A person doesn’t go far with certain damages. Something you should know as well as if not better then myself.” He said with a grin before exiting the house.

Once out on the streets once more, he donned his dark grey robe and lifted the hood up over his head and began walking to where he was needed. The gleam in his eyes that he saw in the doctor’s that night at the tavern shone bright. The gleam of a predator’s eyes who was on the hunt for his prey. The sick bastard would soon be brought in to have a talk with the doctor. Though Oroan doubted that the experience would be as pleasant as his own.