A Safe in the Hole

After her trip to the gem merchants’ district in the centre of the city, Sereena returns to ‘The Hole in the Wall’ adorned in expensive looking jewellery.

‘Wow Sereena… You look… Great!”

Marlon is incapable of hiding his feelings for his sorceress companion but he knows that she doesn’t feel the same.

“Thanks”, she replies, “But I didn’t feel that confident riding back here alone.”

Marlon looks embarrassed.

“Sorry Sereena. I 'ad a chore of me own that I had to take care of.”

It’s only then, that the bejeweled sorceress notices the carpenters and blacksmiths, working in the backroom where Rosey keeps the food stock and keys.

“What have you done Marlon?”

The huge warrior smiles.

“Well, I thought about what you said abaut carryin' around all our gold. I still had a lot left over after I paid all me debts, so I thought I’d leave it here wiv Rosey.”

Sereena looks skeptical.

“You can’t expect Rosey to guard your gold for you.”

Marlon smiles again.

“That's what she said but after talking abaut it, she suggested this.”

With a gesture, Marlon points to the large, heavy, wrought iron box about to be lowered into a hole in the floor.

“You’ve bought a safe?!”

Marlon continues to smile.

“Yep.”

Sereena looks stunned.

“You bought a safe to sit within a low rent tavern, bordering the West-side slums?”

Marlon’s smile falters.

“… Er… Yes.”

The sorceress sighs.

“You realise that the safe you’ve just bought, probably costs more that the building it’s going to be cemented in and that it’ll be a target for every lowlife for miles around?”

Marlon’s smile brightens a bit.

“What else was I ta do wiv it all? Anyway, I still has hundreds of gold coins left and no-one’s bovered Rosey since we got back.”

Sereena sighs again.

“And when we’re not here?”

Marlon’s smile fails.

“… Oh.”

Marlon paid 200gp for a top quality safe and gave the spare key to Rosey.

He also visits Captain Lowe, his old friends in the Nom Pariel regulars, where he ‘donates’ 50gp to their ‘relief fund’ in exchange for them extending their patrol to cover Rosey’s tavern. 

Lastly, Marlon gives Rosey another 50gp to cover the ongoing costs of a beer and a hot meal for whenever the Nom Pariel regulars drop by.