Mr. Assumed Name (Moist von Lipwig)

Moist stayed at the wake for as long as seemed both polite and respectful.

Almost no one deigned to talk to him, apparently he wasn't acting mournful enough for them but there was only so far he would go for satisfying any of them.

As the bonfire was starting to burn down, he walked inside, stopping to refill his drink before heading inside to find someplace to sit. He'll have to launder his suit because now it smells of woodsmoke, another reminder of Urquhart and his way of making everything messy.

The door opens in the waiting room of an elegant bank with marble and that beautiful gleam that lots of money brings.

Moist adjusts his suits and spectacles before turning to find a clerk, "I have some new information to bring to the table. My accountant, Mr. Donovan has turned up to answer any questions."

Moist takes care of the door and kisses David as they enter the room.

Its fairly neat today though the rug is rather muddy, Franz has been enjoying the rain, "Out of those clothes and I'll get a robe for you."

He numbly opens the door to his room, lets Urquhart in and locks it behind him.

Then pours them both large drinks from the bottle and sinks into a chair before saying, "I really do hate her."

Once Lady Margolotta goes outside, Moist orders a shot of whiskey, which he downs. Before going to his room he orders some garlic and some bolts for his windows. The habits of a lifetime come into play as he enters his room and bolts his shutters and the windows before hanging the garlic just behind the curtains. He makes sure that they're not visible and that the smell isn't too overpowering.

Then he sits on his bed and sighs. This isn't fair, he left behind all this fear when he left Uberwald. No more hiding, no more worrying about going out after sunset, he's been taking risks and chances for years and now she's here.

Lady Margolotta, who can read your mind, who rules Uberwald with her politeness and her Black Ribboners. Never let her know about you or else she'll find out everything. Don't call attention to yourself, keep safe behind fences and walls.

His grandparents taught him well how to fear the world and how to train dogs to keep you safe from it. Beyond Uberwald was a chance to do more, to take risks and not be hunted simply because you're human but instead because you did something. Moist knows how to do things, he knows how to control his life, she won't ruin things for him here.

Since he doesn't even want to try and sleep, Moist gets out a deck of cards and builds house upon house of cards and plays patience. Finally he sleeps, but his dreams are full of dogs barking, wolves howling and the leathery sound of bat wings.

The cabbage farmers of the Sto plains are rather renowned for their lack of imagination, it gets in the way when you're dealing with cabbages. This group had traveled to the nearest city for them, which might count as a few blocks in Ankh-Morpork, Tooting.

Outside the rather impressive Tooting Standard Bank, they met John Watson, they knew he was a good man, because of his firm handshake and nice but not too nice suit. He wasn't a fancy type trying to take advantage of them, just a man who knew about something worth investing in.

Over cabbage stew and beer at the Tooting Arms, they discussed how profitable the fat mine that John had inherited might be and looked over detailed maps with fascinating spills on them. By the time they left, they'd given John a quarter of each of their savings and in exchange had a map to share and dream over. John said that he'd write them with their profits when they struck fat.

* * *

Moist made sure the farmers were well gone from Tooting before he rode out the other way and chuckled as he rode towards Ankh-Morpork. He'd have to buy John Watson a drink next time he was in Bar, he'd never had that scam go down so quickly.