#elsewhere

"Perhaps so, but do we want to be found with him?"

"I see pros and cons to that. He might be a useful ally, but an even more useful lightning rod. What do you think?"

"I think we have little time to decide and can always return." he pulls the RV away and heads back to the motel.

And the vehicle runs smoothly!

"Wonder what's wrong with it now" She jokes

They park back at the motel and he slumps back in his seat. "We'll re-approach him. Although I admit I'm not certain how to turn this into getting May Maude out of jail."

"im not sure either. he's almost too open in his defiance"

"And yet," She pauses "he's doing a lot of smoke... where's the fire? Not his place, Ispeak metaphorically"

"That's an idea, though...." dryly.

Smirk

A sigh. "We cannot go into the jail and break her out. The local lord won't allow us to bail her out. We could try hiring a lawyer. I don't know if I trust that nocker's venom against nobels."

"You think it's faked?"

"You said yourself you thought he was too open in his defiance and there may be a lack of fire for all his smoke."

"I suppose I did" A frown

"Are you feeling well, Dearest?" with easy concern.

"Feeling rusty, back when I worked for the court I'd have the nocker around my finger by now and be half way in the hold of the target," She blushes "Guess I'm not as good as I once was"

"Well, we chose the wrong persona for that, I think?"

"Not that I object to the tactic, mind you."

A smile "Oh this can still work.. we've proven we're harmless I think. The noble or whoever was Scrying now sees you as a timid man, and me as an appendage... there's an advantage there"

"Granted, but it doesn't move May Maude in the least."

"You're right. We need a hook. Go into the lion's den and beg for haven? And talk about how we have NOTHING to do with that treasonous nocker?"

"And once there, how to get May Maude?" he asks again.

"mmph.. I am skipping a crucial part aren't I? truth to tell I was hoping once you foot was in the door we'd be able to wing it"

"Hmmph." sourly "That's how one gets caught, in my experience, Dearest."

"You're right" A pause "What if one of us got caught? Deliberately?"

"By mortal law or by this lord?"

"This lord. Get an inside thing? It's dangerous depending on his resources but it might have us in a cell for may maude"

"Mm. I'd prefer my freedom but a cell of the lord's would be better than a mortal jail. That would surely destroy us."

"Point"

He sighs.

"And there is the added issue that she may not recall us at all, by this time."

"We should break out the dross and scry her maybe?"

They have some, not a lot

"Do you think it would work, where she is?"

"Iffy" She says "But we know the target wel, that helps"

"She's in jail, after all. We have a good idea of what she's doing and we have limited dross."

"Alertnative ideas how to get her out of the jail with minimum banality?" She asks

Another sigh. "Well. A lawyer could look into it. She -is- mortal, after all."

"Boring" A huff

"Well??" frustrated.

"Sorry. Mmm" She ponders.

"Perhaps there's no one plan or approach." he muses "Perhaps... an effort on many fronts? Do you recall what the lord's mortal guise is? His income?"

"GO on" curious

"An attack on him, his mortal cover story.... a lawyer to try to release May Maude.... a plague spreading through the local lord's seat...."

"A plague..oo tis the season"

"Distract him sufficiently that he's no trouble to us, and get the lawyer to have May Maude released. Truthfully, I can't recall just now if she's had a trial or what she's charged with!"

"She said the locals were rigged, but if he's distracted, we can cantrip mortals as well"

"Yes." he turns the ideas over in his mind, looking for the more obvious flaws.

"Should Phlan have a part in this? Once we're sure of his distaste?"