Chapter 2, Part 2

Porphyria paused for a moment, then answered, "I need you to put me in contact with a Ringwielder by the name of Lethik Nardan. Do you know him?"

"Yes, I do... But I think you might have trouble getting him to help with your plan. He's not known to work exceptionally well with others."

Porphyria frowned slightly, her attention momentarily distracted by the passage of an imaginary fish through a wall of the strange house. The denizen of the Exoma flitted about the air for a bit before exiting through the opposite wall. Finally, Porphyria said, "I'll worry about securing Lethik's cooperation, if you can get him to agree to a meeting. At any rate, I'm banking that he wants to see the Justicars get a black eye as much as I do... The Justicars have been a fly in his lord's ointment for quite some time."

Cynlew nodded. "I'll get you in touch with him then. Although I really would appreciate a little something for my trouble..."

"What did you have in mind?" Porphyria asked, quickly adding after catching a fleeting thought in Cynlew's mind, "And I swear to Eris that if you suggest anything uncouth, I will lobotomize you with a rusty icepick, and I'll do it slowly."

Cynlew quickly popped a piece of the maggot-ridden cheese from his plate into his mouth, as if to stifle any words that might accidentally slip their way out. He chewed pensively before continuing, "In that case, I suppose I'll just have to settle for a favor to be named at a later date." Cynlew finally swallowed, sparing Porphyria any further sight of the crunched up larvae and stale cheese from milk of indeterminable origin. Again, Porphyria wondered what this little creature's charm could possibly be, while Cynlew added, "Is there anything else you need?"

"No. Just get in touch with Lethik and let me know what he says. Pull in a favor or two from him if you must, and you can put them on my account. You know I'm generally good for them."

Cynlew's face crinkled into a genuinely-happy grin, and he cackled, "I know, I'm still recovering from your last one!" Even if Porphyria had not been idly scanning Cynlew's thoughts, the vulgar fantasy behind Cynlew's statement could not have escaped her. Porphyria just rolled her eyes and shook her head. She knew Cynlew was (mostly) harmless, and that his vulgar sense of humor was as inevitable as the tides.

Porphyria stood up and moved towards the door, announcing, "In that case, I'll leave you to your snack. Thank you again for your hospitality."

Cynlew nodded and waved. Perhaps thinking it wise not to push his luck too far with his old friend, Cynlew kept quiet any further ribaldry.

Porphyria exited the strangely-proportioned house back into the streets of Losthaven. She could feel her plan coming together, and she whistled happily as she strolled through the dingy streets of the poor quarter towards the Lost Lamb Tavern.