14 days after the explosion – Back alley

The paper the old man gave the prince took him to a brothel near his place. He almost thought it was a joke, but after thinking for a minute he realised it would be a good place to gather information(or so he hoped, since it really could be a joke from the old man)

It was still open at this hour since the door had guard, so it probably was the type that stay open 24/7

“Hello, I am looking for Roxanne”(prince) asked the guard

“She is still working tonight, 1 silvers to enter, service does not include”(Guard)

Expensive, I hope it’s not a joke from the old man or he is going to pay later(prince)complained in the inside but still gave the coin to the guard

“First time right?”(Guard)prince node

“Don’t cause trouble and enjoy your stay”(guard)give the prince a “charming” smile that made the prince shiver since he was really ugly

“thanks”(prince)

The prince could understand the silver coin since the place was kind of luxurious but not the best since that type probably cost 1 gold coin to enter at least.

She saw an almost naked girl in what probably was the reception desk so he went there. He notice some girls trying to grab his attention(and a boy) probably looking for a new client, but he didn’t come here to have fun and he wasn’t sure how safe this place was. He had money so if he wanted to hire a hooker, he could afford the best in the city, and even if this place wasn’t bad, it wasn’t the best either

“So, you are looking for a girl a boy, elf, dwarf, beast?”(Receptionist?)

“I am looking for Roxanne”(prince)asked the receptionist

“She is available right now but there are other girls and boys available if you are looking for something different”(receptionist?)

“That's fine, a friend recommended her and he said she was great”(prince)

“Fine, second floor, last door to your left”(receptionist?)

“thanks”(prince)

“Come back if you change your mind and enjoy your stay”(receptionist?)

The prince went to the second floor and walked to the door while looking around since it wasn’t a bad sight. Some doors were open showing the merchandise, and the prince had to admit there were some pretty girls there, of course some doors were closed with noises inside but some were open while being occupied with the “clients” that probably liked being seen.

Strangely, the last door was close, it was of better quality than the others and the room looked bigger than the rest. The prince could guess why and that was probably a good sing that he wasn’t in the wrong place. He decided to first knock the door and see if someone was inside

“Roxanne?”(prince) asked through the door

“It’s open”(Roxanne?)came a voice from the inside

The prince open the door and found a girl within 16 and 20 resting on a double bed with only lingering. She had red hair and blue eyes and in prince standards she was probably a 9 with a c cup, so she probably was a premium in the place, if she also worked as an “entertainer” here.

“Roxanne I presume”(prince)

“Yep! looking for some fun?”(Roxanne)

“Nope, information”(prince) a little tempted

“pity, I don’t usually get young a cute clients”(Roxanne)pouting a little

“The old man recommended you, I hope you are as good as he said”(prince)taunting her a little to see how she react

“The old man eh? He must trust you if he sends you to me here. He knows I don’t usually deal with people I didn’t check first, especially here in my side job”(Roxanne)

“Well, we do get along just fine and we work together quite often. Besides, I doubt this is just a side job if you are what you say you are”(prince) smiled at her at the end

“Well, at least you are not dumb, I give you that. What is your name”(Roxanne)

“Jarvan, nice to meet you”(prince) extended his hand

“Oh! the alchemist! I alway thought you where an older guy”(Roxanne) shake his hand

“I didn’t know my real name was know”(prince) a little surprised

“Well, information is what I do, and it’s not like a lot of alchemists are going around the city. Besides, I doubt that's your real name”(Roxanne)smiled at the end

"As real as Roxanne probably"(prince)winked back ;-)

"Well, let's stop screwing around, do you need something?"(Roxanne)

"I thought that you loved to screw around considering where we are"(prince)

"Cute, but that doesn't answer my question"(Roxanne)

The prince chose to look for a chair first since it was kind of awkward to start a serious conversation while she laid on the bed while he was standing.

"Can I sit first"(prince)said while pointing at a chair

"Go ahead"(Roxanne)said and the prince sit there

"Well, how much do you charge exactly"(prince)

"I deal with information as a currency. I get pay if I tell you something and I pay if you tell me something, simple. The amount that is pay change according to the value of the information"(Roxanne)

So, if I don't have enough, I need to tell her something or go away(prince)

"Well, I am looking for any information you know related to the royal family situation since the explosion"(prince)

"Oh, political information, can you tell me why?"(Roxanne)

"I thought you paid for getting information"(prince)acted smugly

"-tsk- Fine, anything specific"(Roxanne)clicked her tongue

"Do you know anything about their whereabouts?"(prince)

"Besides Prince Julian right?"(Roxanne)

"Of course"(prince)

"100 gold coins if you want to know more"(Roxanne)

"Expensive!"(prince)was surprised at the price

He didn't know how much the usual rate was, but 100g was a lot of money, and who knows how much would have to pay for more details.

"Remember that finding 1 alive is worth 5000 gold coins, you can live comfortable for years with that amount of gold"(Roxanne)

"Still, how do I know it is useful or you won't demand more after telling me some of the information"(prince)

"I take pride in my judgment of the value of the information, and I never scam my clients. If the information I give you doesn't please you, I will return the money or part of it if you think I over charged"(Roxanne)

"Fine"(prince) took 100g from his pockets

Roxanne took the money and after counting it, she put it on a table near the bed.

"Thank you for your patronage"(Roxanne) Gave the prince a big smile

"And the info"(prince) a little annoyed

"There is a rumor that a strong warrior is doing all kind of difficult missions for the adventure guild in the north"(Roxanne)

"That's it? for 100 gold?"(prince)

"Well, I don't have his face description since it looks like he usually wears a helmet, but his body build looks like Prince Paul and he started to take request 10 days ago and already killed a cave full of goblins and a dragon alone"(Roxanne)

Interesting, it is possible for the adventurer to be him, but why is he doing adventure work instead of coming back(prince)

"and no one ask him if he was the prince or tried to take his helmet?"(Prince)

"No one thought about it since what most people think is that a strong adventure suddenly seem to make a name for himself, why would they think he is the prince?"(Roxanne)

What she said made sence to the prince. If you didn't know the strength of the prince, that the explosion could have sent him miles away(or that the theory he have being working the last few days), how long have he being working as an adventure and a way to know what was happening miles away, it would be impossible to think about. And that make the prince wonder how could she thought about it

"And what makes you think he is Prince Paul? It makes no sense"(prince)

"Because the adventures strength, timing and description matches. I don't know why he would be there and since I am not 100% sure because of that, it only cost 100g. The price should be at least 1000g otherwise"(Roxanne)

It makes sense(Prince) agreed with her way of thinking but she could know more that what she was saying or so the prince thought

"Can i have the name of the city he was last seeing?"(prince)

"Sure"(Roxanne) wrote in a paper something and handed it to the prince

The prince saw a new, probably of a city but since he didn't know it, he just put the paper in his pocket

"And do you know anything more?"(prince)

"Of the Royal family whereabouts? sorry but not right now"(Roxanne)

"and the explosion?"(prince)with a little hope

"Sorry, nothing there also"(Roxanne)

"sh*t"(prince)

The prince was happy to finally find a clue to someone from his family, but he wouldn't have complained if he found even more information. He was thinking of getting out of there, but Roxanne stop him

"Wait, before you go, I think I have something else that might interest you"(Roxanne)

"Oh! how much?"(prince)

"I will give it for free, prince Julian"(Roxanne)

The prince almost have a heart attack when he heard the last sentence. He did manage to smile while trying to feign ignorance with a poker face, but he was panicking inside and was thankful he didn't sh*t his pants

"Eh? What are you talking about?"(prince) trying really hard to play dumb

"No use in playing dumb, your reaction confirmed my theory"(Roxanne)

"It makes no sense, why would you think I am prince Julian"(Prince)refusing to admit it

"Well, your look is really similar to his description, both of you have an interest in alchemy and both of you have the same age"(Roxanne)arguing

"So? you can probably find at least 4 guys with similar looks in this town alone, and just because both of us like alchemy doesn't make me the prince"(prince) counter arguing

"True, but you also have a real interest for the crown whereabout, enough to come and visit me, and you pay an enormous amount of money to guisu just to know about some stuff he stole, that just happen to belong to Princess Rebecca"(Roxanne)

"How do you know about guisu and Rebecca?"(Prince)

"where do you think guisu expended all that gold? and lets just say the coroner has a hard time finding a girlfriend"(Roxanne)smiled

Sh*t, can't those idiots keep their d*ck in their pants and their mouth close?(prince)

"Fine, I am prince Jorge body double"(Prince) Refused to go down without a fight

"nice try, but you can't fool me. I have being paying close attention to your body language and not only do you move like a noble, the reactions you showed to the information I gave you would only make sence if you were prince Jorge instead of an errant boy"(Roxanne)

The prince was f*cked, she was sure he was the prince, and the prince couldn't think of a way to convince her other wise. He could tell the truth and try to get something out of it or deny it, and he didn't like either option.

"And what would you do if i was the prince?"(prince) testing the waters

"Well, for starters, I would tell you some information that the prince REALLY should know as soon as possible"(Roxanne) put empathise in the "really" part

"And then?"(prince)

"I would try to become your good friend, since for an information broker there isn't a better friend that someone in high places"(Roxanne)

"Fine you win, I am the prince"(prince)Give up

There was no point in playing in playing dumb any more, she already knew and if he didn't make some kind of deal with her, she would sell the information to the highest bidder

"Yay! I knew it!"(Roxanne) make a celebrating dance

"Good for you, now tell me the information"(Prince) Annoyed

"Fine, just go to this address at 18hs today"(Roxanne)stopped dancing and wrote something in a paper

"Thanks"(prince) grabbed the paper and after watching the address, he put it in his pocket with the other paper

"No problem"(Roxanne)

"Now what?do I need a new alias to go around?"(Prince) find it annoying losing 3 years of reputation but it was better than getting exposed

"Don't worry don't worry,if you promise to come visit me from time to time and come here if I ask the old man to fetch you, and I will keep your secret"(Roxanne)

"Fine, but don't betray me, I do have the power to send you to prison"(Prince)warned her just to be safe

"Scaryyy"(Roxanne)acted scared and then laughed at the prince since threatening her with prison wasn't really a treat to her

"Laugh all you want, I am use to it"the prince shrugged "but don't screw me over" warned her again and Roxanne took it more seriously now

"No sense of humor"(Roxanne) complained

"Well, this humorless guy will leave the girl alone now, unless you got something else?"(prince) get up from his chair but waited for her to respond

"Na, I have nothing else right now but if you want anything else, you know where to find me"(Roxanne)

The prince said goodbye to Roxanne and left the brothel before he could help himself and follow the example of guisu and the mortician. He was happy that he found 2 pieces of information, but a little mad at himself that someone found his real identity.

He was thinking what to do know until 6 pm when suddenly all went black

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