"You didn't think to mention you had a healing potion on hand when we were all in the tent yesterday?" Calvorn grumbles darkly.

"Come, come, Calvorn, there's no need to be petty. You know perfectly well too that yesterday, you would not have paid me so much as a geld for this. These potions do not cost me nothing, you know, and it is not like His Highness was going to die if he did not get it."

Calvorn does not seem to be able to deny Falnis' statement, and contents himself with a peeved glare at the varim.

"All right, given the urgency of current predicament, why don't we just skip to the part where you tell us how much this additional service is going to cost us?"

"10,000 carens," Falnis says, showing no guilt at all about naming such a staggering (indeed, exploitative) sum.

"5,000 carens," Calvorn counters flatly. "We're desperate, not deranged."

"Stingy of you. But very well. Under the circumstances, I will be understanding if the Royal Budget is stretched. Up front, or IOU?" Falnis extends a hand expectantly.

"As you know, you have cleared out my gemstone supply. However, I am sure that Tyronius would be willing to authorise such a debenture for the life of his brother and future king of Thane...?" Calvorn replies, glancing questioningly at Tyronius.

Tyronius' lip curls as he considers the proposal.

"Assuming this supposed potion actually works," Tyronius allows at length. "Kill my brother, varim, and I will hold you personally responsible."

Falnis accepts both gems, securing them in a pouch.

"Wonderful. Save him, and I am sure you will also hold me personally responsible and be suitably grateful to me, being the consistent and fair human all Thanian nobles of course are."

With this, the varim rises and pads soundlessly over to Marabir's sleeping form. With the air of someone who has experience in this, Falnis tilts Marabir's head up (not without an apologetic murmur to Tyronius and Aerendir, who Falnis also keeps a wary eye on while he does this) and pours a small sip of the blue liquid into the prince's mouth.

Job done, Falnis steps back, watching expectantly

For a moment nothing happens. Then a series of dark blue lines begin to snake their way up Marabir's veins, first appearing at his neck and then moving swiftly up across his face his hands.

"That's just the Gothin making it's way through his system," Calvorn assures him in the varim's defense. "I've seen it used once before. The stain disappears after a few hours."

"It had better," Tyronius replies dangerously.

A moment later Marabir gasps awake, coughing as he sits up and glances about. He seems to be fully alert and not at all in pain as he takes in the arrival of Calvorn and Falnis, blinking blankly for a moment before turning his attention to Aerendir.

"I take it I missed something?"

OOC: Marabir Carendil healed 16 wound points.

Aerendir grunts something noncommittally and certainly not gratefully to either Calvorn or Falnis.

"And speaking of missing things," Falnis says, smiling at Tyronius and Marabir and Aerendir expectantly. "Now you are awake, if I may ask: Where are my poisons?"

"I hardly think that's the priority right now, given a varim shouldn't have been walking around in Thane with poisons in the first place," Aerendir says cuttingly. "How are you feeling, Marabir? Because according to Calvorn, we are short on time and you are going to need to descend a wall."

Marabir sits up and lifts half of his bloodied and tattered shirt to examine his bandaged wound beneath. His eyes widen in surprise as he pulls back the bandage to reveal not even so much as a scar where his wound used to be, though his skin is still lined with the darkened blue veins.

"I feel... no pain at all," he says, climbing nimbly up, frowning down at his discoloured hands. "But will someone please tell me what is going on?"

"Falnis just administered a healing potion," Calvorn explains curtly.

"A rather expensive healing potion," Tyronius adds darkly. "So it would be appreciated if you did not rush off to get yourself sliced open again too swiftly."

"Not anywhere near as expensive as those poisons of mine, however," Falnis drifts back over to the door, peering out. "Which you will also be compensating me for, should that evasive answer of yours be another way of saying you have managed to misplace them. I am sure Calvorn here knows exactly much market rates are these days for four vials of Black Lotus Extract. Not to mention the potential political implications if anyone murders a Thanian with my poisons. You will all be required to vouch that it is you who took those poisons from me, should that happen, and you who lost them."

"You're exactly where you were before you fell asleep 3 hours ago," Aerendir takes pity on Marabir's bewildered state. "Calvorn has knocked out the door guard which saves me the trouble of doing that myself once someone got around to opening the door, and for reasons unknown to me has decided to hire the varim who probably landed us in this mess in the first place for his rescue mission."

"Yes, knocked out..." Calvorn repeats with a glance at slowly expanding pool of blood beneath the collapsed guard's throat. "And the discolouration will fade in a few hours," Calvorn adds impatiently to Marabir who continues to examine his darkened veins, clearly feeling the prince could do with a rearrangement of his priorities. "For now, we need to leave."

Tyronius has already moved forward to the doorway, scooping up the fallen guard's mace as he moves out into the narrow landing at the foot of the steep staircase outside. He gives the mace an experimental swing, frowning as he sends the weapon a distasteful glance. Still, he holds it at the ready as he begins to pick his way up the stairs.

Falnis moves silently after the prince.

Aerendir mutters something uncomplimentary about Vard's agents and the allies they choose to hire, waiting only until Marabir is upright before striding after Tyronius. He seems to trust that Calvorn will have no trouble bringing up the rear.