Out of interest, @EarthScorpion, is he a valid target for having his soul ripped out via our sorcery and used to power our spells like we did to that little goddess?
Well, at present you don't have any dedicated spells that specifically benefit from a fae spirit trapped and bound, but you could use it to make a golem or wear his form. Although that's a bit of a waste as you don't have some specific need for either one.
[X] Seduce him, and enthrall him. Gods of sea and sky, he's a sexy moron. You can seduce him, and hypnotise him so he agrees to yourterms. If you want to keep a fae consort, it might be better to have one who doesn't resent you.
Escorp here with the true patrician taste tbh.
Well. Semi-elite. Maybe he'll wake up to the true justice of monsters and it'll turn out this heavily armed himbo is actually a weird dragon-insect thing just disguised as an animate Chad meme.
You smile to yourself, a bitter and spiteful twist of your lips. Of course chaos is what is needed to bring life to this city. The gods have decided that Cahzor is to be hot and dry and dying; chaos writhes against their dictats and brings life through its gift of impossible water. It's not destiny that brought you here, because destiny is a tool of the gods that enslaves men and tells them to be peaceful when their loved ones die because 'it was for a reason'. But a city like this… it needs someone like you. It is begging for you. It just doesn't know that yet.
This isn't the first time this has come up explicitly or implicitly, so it's probably worth paying attention to 'cause a notable undercurrent in the way this quest is set up is that...we aren't micromanaging Rena. She goes in the direction of the selected option, but the How She Gets There and What (Who) She Picks Up Along The Way tend to be pretty her. It's notable, fr'ex, that "hide" wasn't one of the choices offered and so- I guess what I'm saying is that ultimately, actually getting a peak at what's going on in Rena's brain is pretty important. Because we're not 100% in control. And here, this bit here is...
Indicative? Would be the word I think. Indicative of the way she works. Nature is ruled by corrupt gods, the world is fundamentally a celestial tyranny. Everything evil is, ultimately, wrought from above and in the fact of that, in the face of that cosmic hypocrisy and that petty warring, how can consorting with those Outside really be that bad? At it's worst it's about on par with what the divine do, and there's plenty of wiggle room for Rena to work with before it hits that point. And it's-
It's very much a Smart Person's Self Delusion if that makes sense? The facts of what she's saying aren't inherently wrong: gods war, gods slave, gods murder, gods rape, gods impose corrupt hierarchies on a world that either can't resist them or is actively complicit. But she's willfully ignoring the fact that Cahzor isn't the way it is because of the Gods. Cahzor is the way it is because of the people. It was the people of Cahzor, the Deimo and the jansi who made it what it is. Just like what's wrong with Rena's world isn't that she's, ultimately, a product of circumstance who's actually incredibly intelligent for recognizing how the game is rigged: it's that she's selfish, narcissistic, callous, and ruled largely by her appetites and impulses.
Admitting that everything isn't the fault of some vast uncaring bureaucracy means admitting that Rena Did Some Shit Wrong. And if there's one point that the narration keeps bouncing back to, sometimes humorously and sometimes with deadly seriousness, it's that Rena can't bear to accept responsibility. Much less guilt.
Rena can't think of herself as having done anything wrong, because that means that she'd actually have to self-reflect. And Rena's smart enough that, on some level I think, she knows that she's not going to like what she finds.
The door that leads back into the halls is a tall archway, flanked by frankly excessively curvy female statues. In theory this should be alluring and tempting - if you're into that sort of thing - but the years have not been kind to them. Time has eroded away almost all the details, leaving only smooth curves and an open mouth in a sand-worn, featureless face. In the half-light of the storm, the spread-open arms which once welcomed an embrace now look like they're reaching out to trap passers by.
Now you're up on the rooftops, you can see the disorder of the Kinzira fortress. There has been no effort in the sprawl outwards to maintain architectural unity. No two towers are the same height, even the ones which were built at the same time. The copper domes are covered in verdigris, and the water that rolls off their flanks is adding new colours to the blue-green layers. The buildings are crudely connected by walkways. No one designed them to slot together. The roofs themselves are only shallowly sloped. It's nothing like Cherak, where the snow means roofs must be built tall or the building collapses in the cold months under snowfall.
Wind-worn statues flank the edges of buildings, their features missing. Many of them are rotund and squat. They bring to mind the looming statues of the gods of the Kinzira, but they are too eroded for you to tell who they once were. You run your fingers over the sandstone of one which has survived a little under cover. There are hints of gold leaf in the places where the hungry wind has not been able to reach. Once they must have shone in the sunlight. They would have probably been visible all the way from Cahzor-upon-Dam. And there are traces of paint on the walls. Was this entire fortress once painted in bright, glorious colours?
This is actually just an interesting motif that shows up a lot in the Kinzira stuff, this kind of...anonymity through gluttony. Insatiable hunger bloating you until you're unrecognizable, distinct identity effectively obliterated by your overwhelming need. You can see it with their estate, see it with their family, see it with their god. I wouldn't be surprised if it was something more than "just" cannibalism going on behind closed doors to be honest. If there wasn't a heavy element of rite and ritual to it all, with all the setting-ramifications that has.
Perhaps it is simply the rain, but you're left feeling melancholy by these revelations as you pick your way across the walkways, looking for some easy point of ingress. You know well from your lost Odat holdings the pain of knowing the decline of one's family. But the Odat declined because they served too valiantly. So many of your ancestors, your relatives gave their lives in the name of Cherak, fed to the jaws of northern barbarians and the hungry fae. And Cherak praised them, because praise is cheap. It doesn't do anything in the months and years after the brave sacrifice.
She just isn't good at losing; losing friends, losing family, losing the things she holds dear. So she tried to find a way where she'd never have to lose anything she cared about and did everything she could to stack the scales in her favor.
[X] He might be exactly who you need to waive all suspicion from you. Pretend to bargain on the terms he's given you, and then take him inside and publicly defeat him - and accuse him of killing Haitham. He's too stupid to see it coming, and you'll be able to get in the good books of the Kinzira by killing such a monstrous chaos prince who murdered one of their guests.
Yeah, voting this one - I know, I know, it's not the most irresponsible option of the ones presented. But it should work, and if we're collecting pretty boys, I'd rather collect ones that are smarter than the average hammer.
[X] Seduce him, and enthrall him. Gods of sea and sky, he's a sexy moron. You can seduce him, and hypnotise him so he agrees to your terms. If you want to keep a fae consort, it might be better to have one who doesn't resent you.
Because pinning the blame on someone else is not the backstory we grabbed. Besides which, WE NEED SUPPORT! We need our entourage of Princes should something go wrong and these barbaric Cahzor people try to pin the murder on us!
[X] Seduce him, and enthrall him. Gods of sea and sky, he's a sexy moron. You can seduce him, and hypnotise him so he agrees to your terms. If you want to keep a fae consort, it might be better to have one who doesn't resent you.
Pinning the blame on the fae seems real fuckin' dumb. And it will make us look bad when the real murderer strikes again.
Why do you think the murder will strike again? I see no indication it's a serial killer, since it probably was a crime of passion or over some political goal.
[X] Seduce him, and enthrall him. Gods of sea and sky, he's a sexy moron. You can seduce him, and hypnotise him so he agrees to yourterms. If you want to keep a fae consort, it might be better to have one who doesn't resent you.
Why do you think the murder will strike again? I see no indication it's a serial killer, since it probably was a crime of passion or over some political goal.
Eh, just a hunch. I legit don't think it was a crime of passion, and if the killer is doing it for political reasons, that means they're a willing killer in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity where everyone's trapped inside with them and engaged in bickering politics and finger-pointing.
[X] Seduce him, and enthrall him. Gods of sea and sky, he's a sexy moron. You can seduce him, and hypnotise him so he agrees to yourterms. If you want to keep a fae consort, it might be better to have one who doesn't resent you.
Well, with wind-blown sand blocking out the sun, he'll have an easier time than normal.
A knife, buried in the garden? Yeah, that's suspicious. Let's not keep that one... but burying it again... gah!
We only broke one lockpick, but we only had one lockpick. That sucks. Let's get more!
Iron-rich tinctures seem like something we should get.
Ok, then, on to the vote!
I love the idea of the gazelle-snake alone; without the ability to turn Sei into a giant flying housecat, the mobility is amazing! But a fresh cataphract? We've got a combat-focused Raksha here. Let's keep him!
Framing him is stupid. There's still a real murderer there, and A) They'll know, B) They might try to frame us, and C) Framing a prince of chaos is totally what a murderer would do.
And since stupidity can have limits, let's not go with the game of chance. Plus, Rena likes him, so binding him would be uncharacteristic compared to:
[X] Seduce him, and enthrall him. Gods of sea and sky, he's a sexy moron. You can seduce him, and hypnotise him so he agrees to your terms. If you want to keep a fae consort, it might be better to have one who doesn't resent you.
The problem is our pet Scavenger Lord. Still, if he hears about Haitham, he'd have the same problems. Let's get a Raksha! Finally!
[X] Seduce him, and enthrall him. Gods of sea and sky, he's a sexy moron. You can seduce him, and hypnotise him so he agrees to yourterms. If you want to keep a fae consort, it might be better to have one who doesn't resent you.
[X] He might be exactly who you need to waive all suspicion from you. Pretend to bargain on the terms he's given you, and then take him inside and publicly defeat him - and accuse him of killing Haitham. He's too stupid to see it coming, and you'll be able to get in the good books of the Kinzira by killing such a monstrous chaos prince who murdered one of their guests.
[X] Seduce him, and enthrall him. Gods of sea and sky, he's a sexy moron. You can seduce him, and hypnotise him so he agrees to your terms. If you want to keep a fae consort, it might be better to have one who doesn't resent you.
[X] Seduce him, and enthrall him. Gods of sea and sky, he's a sexy moron. You can seduce him, and hypnotise him so he agrees to yourterms. If you want to keep a fae consort, it might be better to have one who doesn't resent you.
Look, when it literally starts raining men, you take the hint that Heaven/the Wyld's throwing down.
[X] He might be exactly who you need to waive all suspicion from you. Pretend to bargain on the terms he's given you, and then take him inside and publicly defeat him - and accuse him of killing Haitham. He's too stupid to see it coming, and you'll be able to get in the good books of the Kinzira by killing such a monstrous chaos prince who murdered one of their guests.
Once again, this chapter contains explicit sexual content. The most explicit content is placed within a spoiler box, and the narrative has hopefully been structured such nothing totally plot-vital occurs in the explicit content, serving instead as characterisation (ie, if you choose not to read it, the rest of the chapter should be comprehensible).
You know how to play the game. He's a man. Or, rather, maleness is something he has taken on and cannot cast off without reforging himself in the crucible of chaos. And that is what the princes of chaos do when they take on attributes of this ordered, shaped reality; they lock themselves up in little cages so that they can interact with this world without it crushing them.
Therefore, it is without shame you tell him, "Well, you know, you are very handsome… oh, what is your name?"
He stretches like a cat at the praise. "You can call me Rabbit-and-Tiger, lady," he says.
Damn, that doesn't have the ring of a true name. "I'm Meira," you tell him, swinging your legs down and rising, "... and would it offend you so much if I called you Bunny?" You smile at him, to show it's all in good humour. But it's not, because you don't want to think about him with a name he's chosen. Names have power - so nicknames are a way of thwarting that power.
"That is below me."
"Oh, of course," you drop a mock curtsey, "then… Kitty?"
"Also, below me."
"Then I'm calling you Blue, and that's that - no objections!" He looks like he's about to protest, so you push on anyway. "Blue, you are a very handsome man." You lick your lips, and it's the best kind of lie because it's made of the truth. But there's reluctance in your voice. The reluctance of someone captivated by him, curious but "But I hardly know you. It really ruins a lady's reputation to rush into things." You pause, just long enough to let his face fall. "But I really couldn't let you get hurt. You stay here, and get your strength back. And I'll keep an eye out for your enemies."
He inclines his head to you. "I am greatly indebted to you, lady," he murmurs. With a sigh of disappointment, he slumps back in his seat.
You pace out to one of the arches, shielding your eyes against errant gusts of sand and flashes of lightning. But the frequency of the flashes has died down. You suspect the divine army in the skies was directing them against the fae. Or maybe it was the other way around. Regardless, you can't see any irises or element-flowers in the wind. They must have moved on, having slain the great flying beast. Maybe they're hunting down any survivors in the distant, aurora-lit city in the valley.
Good news for you, at least. You have some privacy.
You lick your finger, and trace a complicated symbol that doesn't mean anything in any of the languages of Creation on the nearest wall. "Sei," you whisper.
There's a white deer-cat painted among the flaking frescos. "Yes?" he murmurs into your ear, as if he's sitting on your shoulder.
"I want a taste of your power. Enough to seize this princeling."
You can hear the amusement, the delight in his voice when he says, "Of course, for the usual price."
"My dear familiar," you tell him, "of course I'll let you feed from him when he's mine."
With a chuckle, he's gone. Your eyelids prickle, as his gift takes root. Well, that's your make-up done. Now, what to wear for this?
After last time, you decide you'll need to make sure to take your bra off before he does, because you can't trust men to remove it properly. You brush your damp hair forwards, in the most meaningless and cursory attempt at modesty that only serves to tantalise, and then sneak up behind him.
Your seduction goes nearly as planned. Well, of course it does. You're you. And the only slight break from how things were meant to go, as you feed passionate whispers into his ears and set things up so he thinks he's propositioning you and wearing down your resistance, comes right at the end when you're just about to seal the deal.
"You're so handsome, and so brave," you whisper into his ear, letting your long black hair drape over him. You're a warm presence at his back, your breasts pressed against his shoulders. You ease off his helmet, and let that mass of silky black hair fall freely. Oh, he has beautiful hair. You want to pull it. "Let's go to bed together."
"Mmm. Yes." He looks around. "Where's the bed?"
You bite your lip. Gods. Gods. What a sexy idiot. Trailing your hand around his shoulders, you drop your bra on his head, and then swing yourself over so you're sitting in his lap. He doesn't look at you, when he should be staring wide-eyed at your revealed beauty. He… he's still trying to find the god-damned bed!
"Is it behind you or is it-"
"Shut up and kiss me, Blue," you growl, mashing your lips to his. When you come up for air, you add, "And then we'll fuck."
And thank the Dragons, he gets the message.
Blue's jacket is the first thing to go, and you coo over his wound - "So brave to fight through the pain!" - while admiring the sleek lines of his body. The best thing about the princes of chaos is that their bodies are lies wrought from dreams and fantasies. And that means they have none of the little flaws of actual men; no ingrown hairs, no pimples, no unwanted flab. Not unless they want them, or some other being forces such imperfections on them.
His kiss is a drug. It fans the heat inside you, and drags you into a waking dream. There are things in the room that shouldn't be there. Sapphire-shelled beetles crawl over the walls, except sometimes they're flowers instead. And the pavillion now stretches over a desert oasis. His touch under you is a cool relief that frees you from dry heat. You shiver, arching your back as you feel someone else kiss up and down your spine. A gasp breaks your lips as a phantasmal mouth begins to lick your inner thighs.
You can tell those things aren't real. He isn't a master of this art. Not against you, who has walked through the northern wyldwoods and whose blood is that of Sextes Jylis. But such illusions are an amusement to you. So even though you could wriggle out of his arts, you let him think you're caught up in his dream-weaving.
"I'm so hot," you moan in his ear, pressing your lower warmth against his well-defined abs.
"You are," he murmurs back.
His last garment to go is his loinguard, and it leaves him fully exposed and naked before you. His maleness is fortunately human, apart from the colour, and he is warm and soft to your stroking. He is already half-hard, and as you sink down between his legs to favour him with kisses and licks, he stands impressively before you. He smells of sweet things and star aniseed as you trace your tongue around that adorable triangle of muscle where his legs meet his body.
"Oh," you lie shamelessly, eyes wide, "I've never seen someone so big." Truthfully, he's above average, but not outrageously big. And then you wrap your lips around him, and you can't really say much. But you can listen to him; listen to those little gasps and those grunts and those shuddering breaths and whimpers from the back of his throat.
There's nothing quite like it. It's the best bit of having a man in your mouth - the sheer feeling of power as you reduce him to something to the rough consistency of warm honey. His big orange eyes are even more empty of thought than usual, and he helplessly squeezes up against your arms with his trembling thighs. His armoured hands knot in your hair as you bob back and forth. The fantasy of a desert oasis wavers and shimmers in a heat haze as he struggles to maintain it. "It's so good, so good," he chants, sounding like a monk with a favourite mantra. "Please!"
You slide back and let him pop out of your mouth, which draws a choked gasp from his lips. "Do you like that?" you ask him innocently.
"I…" his nose sounds blocked, his throat dry. "Yes."
You lick up the trail of saliva that ties you two together, and plant a kiss firmly on his deep blue tip. And another one. And another one.
Only he groans, twitches, and suddenly your world is orange, warm and stinging. You clamp your eyes shut, and try to direct him away from your face.
"Oh. Oh. Sh-shinma," he says huskily, cupping your face with one hand. Below you, his legs tremble; his breathing brushes your hair. "You're beautiful like this."
"You could have warned me!" You try to scoop the clinging, sticky semen out of your eyes, but it's in your eyelashes and… urgh. You - sigh - didn't see it coming.
"I… I didn't expect it to… I am sorry. You were just… just too good." He pulls you up him, leaning in not to kiss you, but to lick your face with a velvet-soft tongue. "There you are."
You open your eyes hesitantly. You can see again. "Urgh." Looking down at your arm, you can see his semen is orange, and glows in the gloom. Well, when he wove that body, he certainly chose a distinctive colour. It's like his eyes, and stands out when you smear it on him. "Please, say something!"
"I never expected a human to be that good," he says awkwardly. His cock hasn't softened at all, and presses into your belly. "I have courted the desert houris of Wahat Jamila and lain with Rna of the Silver Wind, whose beauty is matched only by her skill with the lance, and to think one of your kind could bring me to such passions so easily."
… is he so stupid he doesn't realise you're a dragon child? Questions for later, because right now you're blushing from the compliment. He thinks you're that good? Oh, that darling, stupid boy.
"Oh, I suppose if you really did like it that much," you whisper to him, slipping your hand between the two of you to grasp him, "I suppose I could forgive you. But you'd owe me. At least if you want that again."
"Of c-course," he trembles as you brush against his tip, "of course I do."
"Thank you, darling." You're straddling his thigh now, grinding against his leg, and you're plenty wet. "Are you up for another round, or do you need a rest?"
He rises, all as one, and you squeal as he lifts you up easily. "What do you take me for?" he asks. "I am a rider of the wind. I do not tire. I do not relent. Not until my mission is done."
You wrap your legs around him. "Am I your mission?" you ask coyly, clinging to him. His shell-armoured gloved arms aren't human, but they're so strong when they're holding you.
"No."
You pout. "What if you were to make me your mission? Would you do me tirelessly, relentlessly, and whatever else you said?"
"I always do!"
"Then," you kiss him, "why don't you give it a try?"
He's stronger than you - much stronger than you - and maybe that's just what you need right now.
Blue fucks you up against the wall of the pavilion, the howling storm laden with change rain a stone's width from your back. The danger, the touch of chaos is a turn-on that ignites a fire inside you. You let his thrusts push away any trace of grief for Haitham, any sense of longing for men you've loved and lost, because now you have someone else in your arms. And regardless of what else he's doing, he's filling all the holes in your heart. At least for a little bit.
It is probably around midnight when you actually get around to acting. It's enough time to get your thrills, and he's getting antsy while you pretend to nap. Blue has given up on his phantasms, and resorted to raw carnality. He's pacing around the outer edge of the pavilion, glancing out into the storm without lingering in any one place. You admire his well-defined muscles and those flexing shoulders, but you smile to see how he's hunched over and leans on the walls for support.
Dear Blue was tired and hurting even before he came across you, and he spent a lot of his remaining strength on you. And in you. And even though he's an idiot, he must know that he's tired. If one of the divine soldiers should find him now, would he be able to fight them off?
Foolish boy. The danger isn't outside. It's inside, in the form of a sticky and sore woman he's just spent his lusts into.
"Darling," you call out, from where you're sprawled out.
Blue glances back towards you. His mistake. You mouth Sei's true name. His mind falls into your eyes, leaving his body there slack-jawed.
You pick yourself up, and pad up to him. You take it fairly easily, because you're a little sore yourself and your legs are aching. Reaching out, you run your nails along that handsome jawline, then trace them down his chest.
Things aren't quite as easy this way. More fun, and maybe safer, but there's only so much you can do to an enthralled mind. It's like a string - put too much tension on it and it'll just snap free. You can't risk making him tell you his true name, for example, because most fae guard that secret above all else. It gives a terrible power over them.
There's a reason you want it, after all.
But then again, he's already shown his weakness. He thinks he's awfully clever, but he's an idiot. And men like that are easy to handle. Once they're hooked, they'll dig themselves further onto the barbs you set out if they can avoid realising they made a fool of themselves.
So you set your bait as you bear him down onto the ground, straddling him.
"Darling," you purr down at him, letting your scent register in his nose even when his mind is lost within your gaze, "I'm a wonderful lover - and a wonderful patsy for you to take your pleasures in Cahzor. You have a brilliant idea to use me as your pawn to sneak into Cahzori society - but you won't want me to know about it. So you've decided to try to persuade me to take you as my lover, and you'll swear that you won't harm me as long as I don't tell the gods about you. You'll listen to me and do what I say, so I don't realise how you're using me." You smile. The light from your eyes plays over his features. "After all, you can so easily control me if I'm your lover. How could I resist you?"
His lips move slightly, your words sinking into the empty spaces where his mind should be. Those thoughts will be waiting for him when you release him.
You lean down, and kiss him deeply, and only then do you close your eyes and let him go. He stiffens for a moment, as some fleeting sense of wrongness leaves him wondering how he got here - but you can feel exactly when he throws those thoughts away because that's when he kisses back with all the passion he showed earlier.
And the knowledge of your success certainly has fanned your own desire.
Sticky, aching, tired; the two of you lean against a fallen table and watch the storm. You're snuggled up against him, head on his strong shoulders, and his jacket is tucked around your shoulders for warmth. His nostrils are flared wide, to inhale more of your scent of a woman and of the northern forests. He struggles to keep his eyes off you.
As well he should. And he's reminded you of how much you've missed your darling princes. Mortal men like Amigere and Haitham just aren't as fulfilling as bedding one of the handsome princes of chaos. In a world with more dragon children, you might be able to stay away from the fae, but the world is what it is. You can't be blamed for looking for pleasure and happiness.
"Excuse me, lady," he says, "but you are not from around here."
"I'm not," you agree. "I'm a traveller from up north."
"You have no allies here? No husband? You are no one's mistress?"
"No," you say, truthfully. You're not Amigere's mistress. He's your toy boy. If it comes to it, the two of them will have to learn to share.
"Lady… sweet, sweet Meira," he says, cupping your face with his hands. The black chitin is smooth and warm against your bare skin. "I am a prince of my people, a fallen prince wounded and scarred. And in time this storm will pass, and I doubt I can return to my homeland before cruel fate lays its knife-like hands upon me."
You look at him, your expression one of ingénue sympathies.
"Meira, be my mistress in this land. Hide my presence from those cruel, watchful gods - and in return I will keep you safe and will never harm you." He inhales your scent, holding you close. You snuggle up close, your damp and sticky body rubbing against his. "Your nights will be filled with my love; I, your princely lover from a foreign land."
"So unexpected an offer," you say, wide-eyed. "Do you mean it, Blue? Is this an oath?"
"This I swear on my heart and my name," he says.
You beam at him, though he can't tell that your smile is far less innocent than he thinks. Oh, this little fool. He can't harm you now. It's not the leash you'd have on him if you had his name, but you can't push too quickly. So you'll dig your hooks into him, deeper and deeper, and he'll be yours.
"I accept," you say, voice cracking.
"Wonderful!" He kisses the side of your neck, shifting down to your collarbone.
"I love you," you gasp. "I… I can't believe I'm saying this because I've only just met you and I never normally sleep with men I've just met. I'm not the kind of woman who does this sort of thing. I'm not… I'm not a disgraceful woman. But I think I love you and I'll always love you."
He smiles at that, not knowing your little giggle is one of self-satisfaction. So many lies are sweet to your tongue. "I love you too, my northern queen."
"We'll need to get inside," you say to him softly. "I'm here for a party, and I don't want them missing me. You can come inside with me, and we can hide you inside my bedroom. When the storm dies down, I'll be leaving, and you can come with me."
He stirs, helping you to your feet. "Yes, my love."
You kiss him, enjoying his taste and the warmth inside you, then go looking for where you left your underwear. "Now, due to an accident, I'm stuck outside. So we're going to have to sneakily break a door open and creep back to my room. But you're a lovely strong man. Surely that won't be a problem for you?"
He flexes for you. "Of course not."
Ah! There's your bra! "My hero," you say, giving him a doe-eyed look.
It is late at night in the Kinzira fortress, and there is no one to hear as he breaks open a set of shutters high in the building and carries you, bridal-style, protected by his jacket from the rain. The party-goers have drunk themselves to stupor and the few you pass on your way back to your room are in no state to even know there's someone else there, let alone recognise them.
With the aid of your small washroom, you do the least necessary to clean yourself up somewhat, and then, exhausted, collapse into bed with your new lover.
You stir the next morning, snuggled up to Blue in your bed. You didn't dream. His smooth arms are wrapped around you, his breath is warm against the side of your neck, and his star aniseed smell is much more pleasant than the way the room had smelled before he got here.
And what woke you was the rapping at your door.
You squeeze out of his arms, and shuffle out of bed. "What is it?" you call out, bleary-eyed.
"Are you up?" Sadia's voice comes through the thick door.
Your heart skips a beat and cold fear clutches your stomach. "Keep it down," you say in a forceful whisper. "I have someone here and he's asleep."
"Ah." You can audibly hear the smirk in Sadia's voice. "Was he good?"
"Quite good," you reply, "but I'm going to need that bath you offered." Indeed you are. You're a mess. A matted, sticky mess. "And possibly a change of clothes."
"Oh my. What on earth did you get up to?" She chuckles. "I'll see what I can pull out of the Kinzira wardrobes. It'll probably fit like a tent. I'll give you a little to get up and make yourself vaguely presentable, and then we can go off to the baths. And you can tell me what you found out last night."
Oh yes. The investigation. You'd been able to put that out of mind. Your eyes fall on the knife you found outside the window - and you think of the knife from the case. And the burned ashes in Hilmi's fireplace.
As you nudge Blue awake and coax him into hiding in the closet, your mind is whirring. Planning for your talk with Sadia and for the day ahead.
"I said I'd keep you safe," you whisper to him, kissing away his protests. "And right now the safest thing you can do is stay inside here. And don't make a noise."
That handsome face is so easy to read, as he has the cunning thought - that you put there - that obeying you is an easy way to get you to trust him. "Of course, lady," he says. He takes your hand and kisses it, and you have to stifle down giggles.
It's all lies, everything about your romance with him. You lie to him and he lies to the world. But damn, have you missed this. It feels wonderful to be courted in this manner.
Article:
Do You Tell Sadia Everything Of Your Investigations?
[ ] Yes - well, you keep quiet about the bits that led to you getting laid with a handsome idiot fae. But you found the contents of the chest and the knife outside the window, and the suspicious ashes in the fireplace that looked like someone had burned clothing.
[ ] No, you conceal...
- [ ] Write-in what evidence you hide from her, and why.
This Morning, What Do You Do?
[ ] Look into Zia's actions. You know he doesn't have the jadesteel knife, but you know he said some very suspicious things - and he's interested in you, making Haitham a rival.
[ ] Yasmine was looking at him with hateful eyes, and you know she's romantically interested in you. Focus on her and her brother Fatin to establish if she has an alibi - or if either of them as dragon children have any talent to getting away with this.
[ ] Look further into Hilmi - try to reconcile what he was up to on the night.
[ ] Counter Inaam's rumour-mongering against you. It won't further finding out who did it, but it will maybe take some heat off you.
[ ] Suck up to the Kinzira, because you ruffled feathers with the public accusation.
[ ] Accuse…
- [ ] Who do you accuse? This is an irrevocable step.
[ ] Write-in
Hmm. Not sure about what to tell Sadia yet. I'm considering telling her most of it but keeping quiet about our escape through the wyldstorm. What to do, however...
[X] Look into Zia's actions. You know he doesn't have the jadesteel knife, but you know he said some very suspicious things - and he's interested in you, making Haitham a rival.
Rule Zia out, and that's the two big suspects out of the way. Assuming we can get some kind of evidence for or against from him, that's the two main points of the investigation down before much evidence can be hidden. Then we can start looking at less obvious leads and doing some damage control with the rumour mill.
I feel like hiding the part about the wyldstorm from Sadia, yeah, but going for Zia is a pretty good lead-in. Tenfold's point about the jadesteel nipple ring is a pretty good thing and ruling out Zia means more suspects eliminated. And hey, if we can't rule him out, then it might stop Rena from exacting vengeance on someone undeserving.
[X] Look into Zia's actions. You know he doesn't have the jadesteel knife, but you know he said some very suspicious things - and he's interested in you, making Haitham a rival.
Hmmm. Telling about the knives to Sadia is likely safe, and she can maybe reveal it to the rest without arising much suspicion.
Unless, of course, she is working with Himli. Which is unlikely but i can't completely rule it out.
[X] Yes - well, you keep quiet about the bits that led to you getting laid with a handsome idiot fae. But you found the contents of the chest and the knife outside the window, and the suspicious ashes in the fireplace that looked like someone had burned clothing.
[X] Look into Zia's actions. You know he doesn't have the jadesteel knife, but you know he said some very suspicious things - and he's interested in you, making Haitham a rival.
[X] No, you conceal...
- [X] The second knife from outside, and that you escaped through a Wyldstorm. There is no need to reveal that you are quite that adventurous, not when you're still trying to play the (relatively) young traveler.
[X] Look into Zia's actions. You know he doesn't have the jadesteel knife, but you know he said some very suspicious things - and he's interested in you, making Haitham a rival.
[X] Yes - well, you keep quiet about the bits that led to you getting laid with a handsome idiot fae. But you found the contents of the chest and the knife outside the window, and the suspicious ashes in the fireplace that looked like someone had burned clothing.
We are not hiding perfectly good data from a detective who has valid reason to believe we are innocent. If she's going to do some of the hard work of clearing our own name, we are going to help!
[X] Counter Inaam's rumour-mongering against you. It won't further finding out who did it, but it will maybe take some heat off you.
Yeah, investigating is important. But people seem to be voting against investigation into Yasmine, Zia seems like he'll be defended, and more importantly, Rena has a Prince of Chaos (finally) to ensnare. We are NOT getting run out of town on a pike, or worse, failing our end of the bargain (keep him safe) and freeing him up to harm us again. Plus, Rena was recently betrayed. She is NOT letting public opinion turn against her again if she has a say in it!
I am so sad I fell behind enough to miss the vote for What Do We Do With The Fairy Himbo, but I see people made the right choice.
[X] No, you conceal...
- [X] The second knife from outside, and that you escaped through a Wyldstorm. There is no need to reveal that you are quite that adventurous, not when you're still trying to play the (relatively) young traveler.
[X] Look into Zia's actions. You know he doesn't have the jadesteel knife, but you know he said some very suspicious things - and he's interested in you, making Haitham a rival.
[X] Yes - well, you keep quiet about the bits that led to you getting laid with a handsome idiot fae. But you found the contents of the chest and the knife outside the window, and the suspicious ashes in the fireplace that looked like someone had burned clothing.
[X] Look into Zia's actions. You know he doesn't have the jadesteel knife, but you know he said some very suspicious things - and he's interested in you, making Haitham a rival.
[X] Look into Zia's actions. You know he doesn't have the jadesteel knife, but you know he said some very suspicious things - and he's interested in you, making Haitham a rival.
I just realized - Zialoves ancient artifacts. If the jade nipple ring (I can't believe we're getting this excited about a freaking nipple ring) is something important, he's more likely than anyone else to be able to identify it, and want to have it.
[X] Yes - well, you keep quiet about the bits that led to you getting laid with a handsome idiot fae. But you found the contents of the chest and the knife outside the window, and the suspicious ashes in the fireplace that looked like someone had burned clothing.
I'm not too worried about @Imrix 's concern - I feel like we want to look capable. Plus, I think Sadia is a good person to keep as an ally when all is said and done. Sure there's a chance she'll betray us, but I think as long as we can find a good murder suspect to offer up to the Demio she won't do that.
[X] Counter Inaam's rumour-mongering against you. It won't further finding out who did it, but it will maybe take some heat off you.
[X] Yes - well, you keep quiet about the bits that led to you getting laid with a handsome idiot fae. But you found the contents of the chest and the knife outside the window, and the suspicious ashes in the fireplace that looked like someone had burned clothing.
