An Unintended Break

A Republican guard casually walks over closer to you and flips fingers against your arm, asking, "Hey, you got a spare?"

Feirenz glances over to a Republican guard and nods, reaching into a utilitarian canvas pack.

You take a bone cigarette case with decorative latticework from a utilitarian canvas pack.
A bone cigarette case with decorative latticework is holding:
Nothing...

A frown wrinkles your brow as you articulate a "Hrm...."

You crumble a dried Demon's Tongue leaf and roughly chop it, forming the base for your blend.
Carefully shaving strips from a coconut, you mix it with your blend.

You set about rolling a thick grey cigarette with tangerine banding, packing the small cylinder with a packet of Lovely Lava and pinching it off with a flourish.

Feirenz grins faintly at a Republican guard as he hands over a thick grey cigarette with tangerine banding, "Fresh one for ya. Guess I was lower than I thought".

With a brief flash of misaligned teeth, a Republican guard grins at you gratefully, reaching for the completed cigarette, "Wow, thanks, man!" Holding it up to her face and looking it over, she starts patting at her pockets in search of a tinderbox while asking conversationally, "You always make your own stash?"

Feirenz slowly rolls a lit thick grey cigarette with tangerine banding between his fingers and nods to a Republican guard, chuckling as he almost instinctively hands over a scarred tinderbox as well, "Yeah, in the midst of stocking up a smoke shop down in Esterport with some goods...though, I guess that's a bit outside of your jurisdiction. And I've yet to find more than a handful of good blends being sold in the city".

Eyes flashing with success as she digs around a well concealed pocket sewn into her lion's pelt, a Republican guard pulls out a tinderbox and glances around surreptitiously, paying particular attention to the gazes oif her on-duty cohorts before quickly lighting the cigarette and taking a long, apparently luxurious, pull from the small stick. After holding it in for a moment, she replies in a puff of smoke, "Yeah the job really doesn't give a lot of downtime for sight seeing. I can't seem to find much of this that isn't pig-dung flavored around here. It sell well, your shop?"

A Syssin Defender squints tighter, looking back toward a Republican Guard suspiciously, but says nothing before sliding more into shadows.

Feirenz grunts softly as he shakes his head, though his gaze is amused as he watches a Republican guard's nervous gaze towards the other guards, "Not particularly. Though I'm being awfully slow stocking it with things" He takes a short drag from a lit thick grey cigarette with tangerine banding and rubs at his forehead in thought a moment, "Think I'm up to twenty-five different blends, but right now we have at best maybe nine or ten in stock, and I haven't even started stocking cigarillos" He laughs shortly and shrugs, flicking his ash away from him before adding, "It's a bit more than I was ready for, in hindsight, but I'm enjoying the challenge I suppose".

Feirenz casually places a lit thick grey cigarette with tangerine banding on the edge of his mouth, peering down the length of it and giving a Syssin Defender a subtle grin.
Subtle movements within your actions conveys to others: If you wanted your own cigarette Comrade, you needed only ask...

A Republican guard takes a hastier pull from her cigarette this time, though she savors the smoke longer before blowing it free, keeping the haze down and blocking the sight from the others as well as her bulky frame and gear can. "Twenty five? Wow, guess I know who needs a hobby, ha!" She laughs heartily at her own joke, seemingly oblivious to your gaze toward the snooping defender.

Feirenz rolls his eyes lightly, but laughs good-naturedly at a Republican guard's comment before shrugging and saying, "Only so much work a Defender can do in times of peace, I suppose" He takes a lazy drag from a lit thick grey cigarette with tangerine banding before smiling up and adding, "Though I dare say it probably makes your job loads easier, too. Only real security hiccup I can think of was those bandits that were raiding shipments comin' into town, and even that seems to have settled down".

After another hearty laugh, a Republican guard's cigarette bounces around within her wind-chapped lips while she answers with amusement, "I kept hearing people coming around, talking about raids down south, kept thinking 'Hey girl, you're going to have to swing that sword for real, soon'." With another amused laugh that draws the attention of her cohorts, she gestures grandly toward the gates, "NOPE. Safe as ever."

A Syssin Defender's hands can just be made out in the shadows, nudging the arm of a Spirean Sciomancer and gesturing over toward the noisy guard.

Feirenz waggles his head unsurely before making a sour face, saying in a slightly louder tone, "No doubt due to all the great work put in by the local guard" He waits for a moment to catch a Republican guard's gaze before widening his own eyes urgently, subtlely looking from a Republican guard towards a Syssin Defender a few times before slipping back into his nonchalance, turning his attention to an unfolding leaf on a lit thick grey cigarette with tangerine banding.

A Syssin Defender stands a bit straighter and starts marcher in closer to the gate.

You think, "Oh boy, someones gonna get chewed out..."

A Republican guard chuckles a few times, her head tilting to the side as she slowly tries to work out your glancing and, only moments before the footsteps become undeniably pointed, do her own eyes fly open with alarm and the cigarette very quickly get yanked out of her mouth, hidden in a gloved palm and tucked behind her back as she whirls to face the approaching defender silently.

"ARE YOU ON A BREAK, GUARD. DID I SEND YOU HOME EARLY?!" a Syssin Defender bellows out authoritatively as the guard turns, a hand flicking the guard's chest before continuing quieter and more privately, stepping in closer and more menacingly sneering, "Do you know what the others are saying to me, Guard? They want to know why you haven't been let go yet. When do THEY get to go slack off with the locals." In the close proximity, the defending takes a quick sniff of the air and asks quieter yet, "Have you been -smoking-?"

As hard as she tries to merely suck air in while replying a raspy, comically unconvincing, "Noo?" a Republican guard still wheezes out a long, streaming haze of smoke from her nose and mouth, shooting you a silent plea for assistance, though cowering from the defender's domineering presence.

You take a long drag from a lit thick grey cigarette with tangerine banding, holding the warm,
relaxing smoke in your lungs for a moment.
The final part of your cigarette burns away to ash.

You exhale a red-tinged cloud of smoke, redolent with thick scents.

Feirenz reaches a hand out through the sudden cloud of smoke, attempting to snatch the cigarette from behind a Republican guard before coughing and offering a hasty, "Ah, that'd just be me, Sir. Apologies for that, and for bothering one of yours with my inane questions" He then offers an almost cloyingly sweet smile to a Syssin Defender.

A Syssin Defender's eyes narrow to thin slits, not pulling back from the guard at first, though the gaze slides over to you and takes you in for several long, tense moments before angling his chin up and looking back to the guard and shoving her to the side and toward the others, "Don't let locals distract you. You're not paid to be distracted and let them die by your incompetence."

A Syssin Defender signs out: Out of deference to you. This would be her fourth strike. Don't let her get caught again, she's decent when she's not being an idiot.

You sign out: Yes, Sir, of course. Won't happen again.

Stumbling back toward the line, a Republican guard nods quickly, trying to find your gaze to flash an appreciative smile and small wave before losing sight and falling into line.

A Syssin Defender nods curtly to you, crossing a few fingers and tapping them over his chest before turning and stalking back to the line while yelling out, "YOU FLEABAGS CALL THAT A LINE? I'VE SEEN PINCHERS MAKE A BETTER LINE THAN THAT!"

A Spirean Sciomancer stands straighter, settling back to attention and into work mode after the distraction.

Feirenz lets out a long breath of relief, slinking down against the wall and giving a subtle thumbs up towards a Republican guard before whistling over to a tiny piglet, which trots over to press its snout against his leg before being scooped up, "C'mon buddy, lets leave 'em to it" He then rises and delicately places a tiny piglet into a utilitarian canvas pack, making sure everything's secure before heading north into the city, smirking faintly to himself as he places the pilfered cigarette into his own mouth once his back is to a Syssin Defender.