Game: Great minds think alike

*Ophelia holds the cube in her hand tight. She looks VERY defiant.*

She whispers loudly to everyone, "I will NOT give this cube up. You will have to pry it out of my cold, dead hand."

*Ophelia stands there looking as if NOTHING will make her move twards anywhere,(except maybe out the door ). Her eyes keep darting from one person to the door, to another person to the door, etc.*

She then whispers very seriously, "I say we go. Sorry A'kin, but I personally did NOTHING to ruin your store. Why don't we just say that us cutters were never here, eh? I mean, YOU are the Friendly Feind, you can clean this up on your own, right? Or, would you like a payment for the trouble, one that we CAN afford? Either way we need to leave right away."

-Ophelia

The raises her eyebrows, but gives a shrug. "I suppose you're right. A statement will need to be made." She walks over to the cupboard that A'kin suggested, looking through the items. She'll ask her specific questions once this has all calmed down a bit.

"Okay, so that leaves Blackthornes, Tigerfury, and the Masked Gnoll here to give a statement. So the rest of us will... DAMN!"
"I forgot about the scroll!" He turns to A'kin and says. "If I'm leaving soon, I'm going to need to take the scroll with me, right? You said something about a bag before?"

*To Ophelia*
"well, I am glad another member of the party is with me on the cube.
*To Akin*
I think Ian may need to get outa here...I may not know him well but I've got to suggest that you let him go Akin. Sorta an honor among thieves ya know? after all, I dont want to be involved in a prison break or the killing of any law inforcers... so far I have a clean slate in Sigil, I'd like to keep it that way as long as I can."

The redhead leans out of the cabinet, holding up a few assorted object. I"ve never seen anything like these before, A'kin...What are they?"

She also addresses the rest of the group with a bit of a uppity sniff.
"If you're all trying to stay incognito, I'd suggest you do so quickly. And begin speaking of other things more quickly as well. You never know if someone will be listening at the door before barging on in."

Ian looks around the room and turns to A'kin.
"Could you do me a favor, Akin? Could you roll up The Scroll around the cube? I don't know a lot about magic, but Im pretty sure it would be tough to detect a artifact thats so close to another artifact."

"Do any of you have a gem, or a small, non magical trinket? Ihave a plan." Ian say, smiling.

Ian takes the Earing, and walks over to the Mindflayers corpse. He uses his cloak to wipe off any fingerprints or such, places the earing in the illithids hand, and steps away.
"It would seem that whatever magic he used to open that portal was a single use effect. Pity." He says smiling. Then his smile fades.
"Wait..." he turns toward Akin. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but you still want full price for that scroll, right?"

"True. But it would seem that I am cursed in such a way that, If I do not take it with me, I will die a horrible death. You said so yourself, did you not? And since this curse from the bonding was both accidental, and caused by an attempt, however unnecessary, to help you protect your shop, I did entertain the hope of some form of discount."
"However, since you are a businessman, how about this. I will work for you, for free except what little is required for me to buy food, untill I have earned enough credit to buy the scroll from you. However, just this morning I signed myself on to the expedition to baator that originally brought us here. You let me borrow the scroll in some form of bag or another for safe transportation, and from the moment I return I will be in your service as an indentured servent. However, I would like to hold the right to sign myself onto planewalking expeditions on the requirment that all treasure and payment gained on said travels will be given to you as a part of my paying for the scroll. We can even consider the trip to Baator as the first of these trips. Who knows? On such expeditions, I might even find an artifact or item worth as much as the scroll for you."
"However, since you are a businessman, to reduce the monetary risks of this, you may use any form of magical contract you wish to ensure my end of the bargin, and I will pay you, right now, 5000 gold, with the assurment that, when this original matter is finished, I return to work off my debt."
"This works well for us both. I don't die, you eventually get the payment for the scroll, and the possibility of new magical items to sell in your store. I'm sure we can work out something along these lines?"

OOC: Diplomacy: roll: 13 +16 = 29

"Of course. we can work out the details in private, if you prefere." Ian says, taking a step forward.

OOC: If A'kin heads toward the back room, Ian will follow him.

"Easily done. In my line of work, confidentiality is essential." Ian says.

"If you don't mind, I would prefer to stand." He says, taking a look around the room.
"So, what is that you want me to do thats important enough to clear up our little groups entire debt, earn us free supplies, and require the use of compulsion magic to keep secret?"

Ian sits there, thoughtful. "Hmm. I guess I can expect opposition in this matter, from those who want to use the cube themselves, and from our friend inside the cube as well?"
" I'll do my best. I may not find such a means in my trip to Baator, but I may be able to find such a thing on other travels. But, I must know as much about this cube as you can tell me."

"I agree to your terms." Ian says.
As if I had much of a choice. But what a reward!
"On the condition that I get to borrow the black scroll from you long enough to find a means to destroy the cube. After I finish that task, Ill simply claim the scroll as one of my three artifacts. After all, without the scroll I die, and then this deal falls apart."

"Okay then, you said you knew where I might find out more about this cube? Where might that be? And..."
In leans forward a little bit. "What are the likly effects of the cube being destoyed? If they get trapped where they are... well... thats unfortunate. But if doing this releases the fiends into my immediate vicinity... Id like to know and be able to make planes for that beforehand."

*To Ophelia*
"I am actually rather good at hiding myself, hiding an Item cant be too hard....."
OOC: Do I make a check for hiding items? if so, are there any bonuses/modifiers I need to apply besides my skill mod?
*Again to Ophelia*
"You seemed pretty quick to jump in and tell Ian we needed to keep that cube. Say, in my mind the head said something about me having an important role in what is to come and also that I will find the answers to my questions soon enough. did the face happen to mention anything like this to you?"
OOC: Diplomacy check 10 + 17(mod)= 27(just in case). Oh and just incase I need a check for that cube hiding... Hide check 7+24(mod)=31

Ophelia whispers to Blackthornes so that only he can hear her, "When I did a special spell on the cube to try and read the type of magic it used, I was taken away to this other world. There were voices there that said 'Welcome, Ophelia Whispers, welcome to our world... Welcome to our dance, come and be a welcomed guest....', or something like that. I felt so at peace there, so welcomed, I want to get back there.... somehow. But for now can you please help to hide this cube on me? I am not letting it out of my grasp no matter what. I would hope after hearing what I just said that you would understand, you of all people who want to go back home someday....well that place felt like home to me..." She trails off, and gives Blackthornes a blank stare for a moment, then is back again, in an instant to trying to find a place to hide the cube.

"Ah no, little....light. I believe I'll just stock up on the essentials for now. Thank you for your...assistance."

She places a stack of scrolls and potions on the counter and counts out a few thousand gold. "This should be enough to cover all of that."

((OOC: Priest indeed! I'm the best priest ever!))

*to Ophelia*
"Ok, I'll do my best ophelia, I hope i can hide it on you, because I want to keep that cube on us as well. I have another thing to mention though Ophelia......"
*leans in close and wispers"
".......I dont think me and you should let anyone else lay a hand on the cube.... I mean you saw Ian's reasponce to it, he wanted to get rid of it and leave it with A'kin, and he definately won't protect it like you or I would..... Me and you have some special conection to it I think, and noone else mentioned the face talking to them, so I think this cube was ment for just me and you, ya know."

OOC: I rolled a 12 + 22= 34 for sleight of hand, and a 7+21= 28 Bluff check on Ophelia, to help convince her that we need to keep the cube away from the rest of the party

EDIT: after writing this I read the conversation between Akin and Ian, and I'd like to point out that what I said has nothing to do with their conversation..

OOC: When I wrote that, I wasn't refering to their responses to the face, I ment their private conversation......and if you are referring to that, I have no clue why my statement would be false..... and yeah, Im sorry, I got the skill check messed up. Ill edit that.