Colcook and Writer's walk across Sigil

"Newer to Sigil than I thought... you've just spent the last twenty or so minutes chatting it up amiably with an Arcanaloth, the middle rank of the three types of Greater Yugoloths, the resident fiends of Gehenna, the Gray Waste, and maybe Carceri. It's not always bad though, it usually works out well for all concerned with her. Just... well, just don't be that little fraction that loses out on a deal. I'd probably have to say that my employer is more businesswoman than fiend, at least during business hours."

Colcook gave a knowing smile and changed the topic of conversation abruptly as he and Writer passed by an Archway underneath which stood three decorated members of the Sons of Mercy, one of Sigil's factions, and the unofficial guardians of the public.

"My name would be Colcook, and as for my race, you've probably seen more of us than you could count since you've been in Sigil. I'm a tiefling. Somewhere down the line in my family tree someone bedded a fiend, willingly or not I can't say. Since whenever that happened the blood has thinned out and left us with an odd and assorted bag of traits. No two tieflings are really alike since that original, some might call it taint, varies from person to person. Some might have colored skin or hair, some might have odd colored or flaming eyes, small horns, a tail, scales, no shadow, any sort of thing like that."

The tiefling shook his reptillian tail slightly. "If I was a betting man, and I'm not, I'm have to say that there was either a Cornugon or an Abishai somewhere lurking down the line. But who can say. We're the mutts of the planes more or less, some of us more watered down from the original stock than others."

Colcook pointed to his left as they passed the Paladins of the Sons of Mercy, his finger lingered for a brief second to point out a woman in the white armor of the faction but who had violet colored snakes mingled in with her hair and a thin tail swaying slowly behind her as opposed to the very much human appearance of her other compatriots.

"As I said, mutts of the planes, and some of us more watered down than others. Hard to tell what to expect for any tiefer, just don't hold preconceptions is the best that I can say."

The woman he had pointed towards kept her gaze on Colcook for an unhealthy minute, clearly she was suspiscious of the other tiefling, or she knew who he was, or both. A moment after Colcook and Writer passed them, Colcook held up a hand for Writer to pause as he turned around the face the woman.

He bowed elegantly and removed his cap with a flourish, "And a good afternoon to you too Paladin, your fellows as well. I'll be sure to tell the missus that you said hello, she does so daily appreciate your efforts to keep the Cage clean of riffraff and crime. You should be proud for the recognition of one of her station."

"The feeling is likewise..." The other tiefling said with a grimace.

He looked up and smiled in her face, "Good day, I have business to attend to."

With one last nod to her fellows he walked off with Writer, continuing on their path to the Civic Festhall. "See? Told you that we can cover all types, blood or not."

Colcook glanced upwards to follow Writer's gaze. "The Cage is fairly large, though much of the berks who call the city kip don't really. Much of the population is transient day to day. It takes all types though."

"As for day, well it's about four hours or so after peak, it'll slowly get darker in about three or four hours. Sigil's day and night, as far as any can tell, created by the wax and wane of portals to the plane of radience. Peak is what most primes call noon, and antipeak is what most would call midnight."

The tiefling continued walking, avoiding a scuffle between a merchant and two uniformed members of the Sodkillers as they walked into the Noble's District. The homes grew more and more lavish and sprawling as the walked down the streets. More and more the homes were fenced in behind iron gates and stone walls, each with their own contingent of guards or soldiers.

"Oh, one detour on our way. Another bit of business I have to take care of while we're here. Should only take a minute." Colcook smirked and walked down an alley towards a gigantic marble mansion with a single small window breaking the surface of its front, the other massive windows and doors being shuttered or closed.

Approaching the gates, but as yet unseen from within, the tiefling opened a small pouch and withdraw a bundle from within that seemed larger than the size of the pouch itself. Holding his nose and wincing, he tapped a ring on his left hand and willed the wrapped bundle to levitate in the air before him. Whatever was in the cloth it was already attracting flies and leaking through the wrapping onto the cobblestones.

"Just be one more second..." Colcook said as it glanced up at a pair of wingtips visible just over the walls to the mansion they stood in the shadow of.

"Three, two, one..." The tiefling whispered to himself, following the wings before he glanced up at the single open window in the mansion and let fly the bundle. Unneringly it streaked towards the window, half of the contents disappearing within and half splattering on the outside marble with a greenish stain.

Colcook smiled and tapped a ring on his other hand before tapping Writer on the shoulder. They reappeared a block over, oriented to pass by the mansion but not along the same street as before. "My employer can be a bit childish at times, but she's usually amusing I have to admit..."

Colcook chuckled, satisfied with himself following his little side job.

"I doubt you will. She seemed curious about where you were from, and she's likely to send someone looking up any sources on where that was, simply to satisfy her own whim or even better for her if the information might be useful to her later. She hordes rumor and fact like a dragon hordes gold."

The tiefling glanced back at Writer, "But don't worry, she's not likely to really involve you in any way beyond what you already agreed to with her. Unless you suddenly turn out to be royalty or the son of an archdevil she'll have washed her hands and moved on to other things. She's like that."

Colcook thought for a moment as they moved past the Noble's district and into the Market Ward. "By the way, watch your purse if we move through the crowds in the bazaar, they'll go for much anything. Not likely to happen walking next to me, not if they know what's good for them, but still it's worth a word of caution."

The crowds milled about in a chaotic jumble of tents, wagons, stalls and permenant structures that sprawled out over the cobblestones of the Great Bazaar like a circus performed by merchants and buyers alike. More so than any other area of the city, the bazaar was a true melting pot where background and blood mattered little in the face of price and demand.

"Ah, I never did answer your question back there... kip? Just an expression for a person's home, or where they're staying at currently. I don't really know the origins of the term. Sigil's slang is rather unique to the city, though you might find bits and portions of it spread outside to the rest of the planes themselves as people move in and out and take it with them. It changes over time so I've heard, and I'm sure that my employer has heard it change a hundred times or more to where you and I might not even recognize the lingo of a few centuries back."

[sorry for the delay, been busy the past week]