Opportunity Taps

Things had not been going well.
Halmond winced as he rubbed his right shoulder. While not dislocated anymore, it still felt as if rust had built up inside of it and caused every motion to give off a constant rumble of pain. He was in an alleyway just outside the market district, the sun was giving away as much light as it could over the horizon, slowly covering Halmond in shadows as he sat was his back propped up against the outer wall of a house. He reached into his pocket and took out a small flask, one fluid motion of his arm flipped open the top and brought it to his lips as he took a gulp of the dark liquor.
Wiping his mouth with his sleeve, he started to stand up, using his good arm to balance himself onto his feet. He shoved the flask back into his pocket and started walking briskly down the alleyway. This was Halmonds third day in a row without a successful score, and the money he had from his last one was already starting to wane, causing Halmond's frustration to climb gradually over the week. He was no stranger to streaks of bad luck, but it seemed that his luck had all but recently disappeared altogether, leaving him to struggle above the chaos that had been suffocating Mythrite over the past month. The goblin attacks were helpful with turning heads away, though it also was making people more diligent, their attention focused on the next immediate threat, which in Halmond's case would be himself.
Turning a corner and walking out of the long alleyway a building came into view: The Thirsty Coin. Halmond licked his lips subconsciously and turned himself on a direct path to the door of the tavern. Upon stepping inside he could feel the warmth from the fire surround him. The tavern was a hive of energy with patrons were packed into every corner, they huddled together like they wanted to block any light, hiding their discussions in shadows. As Halmond weaved a path through to the counter, the smell of stale mead and smoke slithered into his nostrils, holding the viscosity of warm soup. Instead of choking, Halmond instead breathed in deeply, letting the familiar senses overwhelm his battered spirit as he walked over to the bar and took plopped himself down in front of it. He looked at the bartender and gave a nod while holding up a coin, the bartender nodded back as Halmond placed the coin down and leaned forward onto his arms. 
At least this is nice... he thought to himself. Thoughts of the week still rattled around in his mind, but the longer he sat at the bar the calmer the storm got. He could sit and listen to the conversations going on around him for hours, to him it was a cathartic activity that showed him a new perspective with each new person. Tonight, the dwarf next to him was going on about money, and what little he had of it. From what Halmond could tell through the coughing and drunken stuttering, gambling was the cause of the problem. "AH'L TELL YA WHAT AH'VE GOT THOUGH" the dwarf spat out. So he's got a plan... Halmond perked up and listened closely, but before the dwarf could mutter his scheme, Halmond felt a hand on his shoulder. He gave a labored sigh before gripping the knife at his waist.
Moving quickly, he reached over with his other hand and grabbed the wrist before spinning around and drawing his knife. Though when he laid his eyes on the face of the instigator, he stopped suddenly and relaxed his stance. 
"Kimdo." He said flatly. "You have quite a sense of humor, sneaking up on someone in this shit-hole." He let go of her wrist and put down his knife. Kimdo took a step back, taken aback by Halmond's actions. "It's hard to keep a sense of humor these days, looks like you've fallen victim to that."
"It's been...rocky recently. You know you can't been too careful with goblins at the gate. I hope that isn't why you're here..." Halmond said while letting out an exasperated sigh. Kimdo stood unfazed and responded, "Calm that thieving mind of yours, I'm here because I knew I'd find you here eventually. I'll get right to the point, I have a proposition." She reached into her pocket and withdrew a folded piece of paper. Reaching past Halmond to the counter, she placed it down beside him. "Gaulder Rougash requests your council."
Halmond turned and looked at the note before turning back to Kimdo with confusion and suspicion clouding his face. "Rougash? The captain? Do you think me so dense as to walk into a trap this transparent?" As he was finishing his question a loud crash from his right startled him. The dwarf had knocked over his mug in his drunken stupor, he fumbled with trying to save the mead inside but was unsuccessful in saving his drink, he switched to his next plan of yelling out for the bartender.
Kimdo shook her head. "It's no trap, he merely wants to talk." She gestures to the note. "I suggest you see what he has to say." Halmond reached around and picked up the note, the beginning lines being revealed as he opened it fully. As He read the note, the bartender walked toward the dwarf and on the way placed Halmond's drink on the counter behind him. Halmond's eyes darted back and forth across the page, after a number of seconds he finished skimming the note. He stuffed it into his pocket, and grabbed his drink before finally turning back to Kimdo. "So" he said before taking a few gulps from the glass. "Where are we headed then?"

---

 Night had taken over the town as Halmond walked through the sleeping town, the clock minutes away from striking midnight. After walking for several minutes, he saw a dim light in the distance shining over a figure standing next to a doorway. It was Kimdo, already there and waiting. Halmond quickly made his way over to her and slid himself against the same doorway. "This discretion isn't necessary, you know. Not at this time of night." He said to Kimdo, who walked over and knocked on the door four times. "Captain Rougash takes discretion with utmost importance. He can't have anyone knowing about his meetings with people of your...stature" Halmond opened his mouth with a retort, but the chance was taken away from him by the figure who opened the door. "Ah...Kimdo." The figure spoke in a soft and somewhat horse tone. He then turned and looked at Halmond, his voice notably picking up with excitement "...and Sir Mire, please, enter. He'll be overjoyed that you chose to come." Halmond followed Kimdo as he stepped past the figure, intrigue keeping his eyes fixed on him.
They reached the end of the entrance hallway and entered a sizable room where Gaulder sat holding a drink and talking to two others who looked to be high-status with clean, pressed clothes and multiple pieces of gaudy jewelry. Smoke filled the room, swirling and coiling against all four walls, it billowed and spread across every surface, like a convict trying to find the smallest crack in a jail cell. The girls in the center of the room seemed unbothered by it all, instead, letting it tendril over their scant outfits and radiant skin as they danced. Halmond couldn't make out the conversation Gaulder was having, but soon enough the captain let out a small chuckle and his two friends got up to leave. Gaulder stood up and turned around, spotting Kimdo and Halmond a grin spread across his face as he walked over to where they were standing. 
Kimdo stepped forward and greeted the captain. "Galdar Rougash," she said with a sweet smile, "It's my pleasure to introduce you to Halmond Mire. I'm sure you gentlemen have plenty to discuss so I will take my leave." She offered a dramatic low bow and sweeped out of the room. "Thank you, Kimdo. Your help is greatly appreciated as always." Gaulder said, he then turned to face Halmond and smiled widely. "Mr. Mire, a pleasure to finally meet with you. I've heard a lot about you." he said as he put out his hand. Halmond hesitated for a moment, but returned the gesture and shook the captain's hand. 
"The pleasure's all mine"