Recent content by Mephistopheles

"Stay alert," he answered Saoirse, and moved through to the grand hall after the other guests. He could not help but take quick note of all the windows, the nooks and hiding spots in the ceiling, the small hidden doorways for the servants... all of them security points and none of them his...

With the evening's prelude in full swing, the castle was the liveliest it had been in decades. Servers wove in between guests with quiet dignity to offer appetizing morsels. Some offerings were more macabre than others, but the waiters seemed to know whom to offer which items. For example, no...

Bats were faster than most people knew, and the sky was still inky black when the lights of Trandenshire estate crested the horizon. It was a fine manor, wrapped in lush gardens and a single tiny attempt at a vineyard at one end. Mephistopheles thought it made a great effort to appear wealthy...

He shrugged. "Some prefer not to. Some do it poorly." The gifts of shapeshifting were not equally distributed, and even amongst the gifted there were the skilled and unskilled. Mephistopheles frequently preferred his animal shapes to his own, and he had spent a substantial portion of his un-life...

Mephistopheles was a patient man, but even he could feel a nagging pull to get moving. That the Baron had replied so quickly and scheduled such a rapid visit meant that things had been set in motion far earlier than anticipated. Trandenshire was a pawn, obviously, but in what game Mephistopheles...

Mephistopheles remained in his study for a time after Saoirse had left. The Baron was a tricky foe. Not his motives, those were painfully obvious, but his strength. Rogerre outranked Victoria in both the old world order and the new (which was more or less just money). He commanded more forces...

Mephistopheles raised his eyebrows. "Can you blame me? Knowing what you know?" He gestured that she could stand, if she chose. She had not lied, not that he could detect. "My Lady's personal affairs are... by definition my business but not my place to question. Regardless, you can see how this...

Mephistopheles looked down at her. His pupils had dilated in focus. He paid attention to the minute movements of Saoirse's face, her hands, all the way to her feet. He watched her pupils, listened to her breathing and heartbeat (if either were present). This was not an infallible technique, but...

Mephistopheles gave his head a small tilt as he considered Saoirse's question. "It could be, but..." he scanned the letter again. "...I don't think it is. The Baron wants something to happen quickly and our Mistress is at the center of it." His brow took on a crease of concern. Greyrock tended...

“Well, it has been… surprisingly fine meeting you Saoirse. I should have known our Mistress would not send me someone useless.” It was about as high praise one could expect form Mephistopheles. The black cat had moved silently to Saoirse’s feet and, as if to punctuate Meph’s statement, rubbed...

Mephistopheles's face resumed its stony nature with her story. "My condolences, then, for your family." A coven lost, circumstances aside, was a significant event. Especially for one born into it. For that one sentence, at least, he was sincere. There were, of course, many thoughts and...

Mephistopheles took the parchment and, for the first time, bent his lip into the barest hint of a smile. "A good plan, and one I already conceived. This letter is a copy, the Baron should already have the original." He replaced the roll on his desk as the cat, now risen, rubbed against his boot...

Mephistopheles arched a single eyebrow, the most motion his face had shown since the beginning of this encounter. "Yes," he concurred. "Trandenshire was our primary trade point for silver until our Lady restricted the metal." Looking around Mephistopheles' office and indeed all of Greyrock...

His face didn't move as she spoke, nor did his eyes give any indication that anything had aroused his attention. Her resume was impressive, if it were true, but he should give Lady O'Connor more credit than that. Surely she would not have sent him someone useless. He was a little offended that...

Mephistopheles' dark eyes followed her nod and flicked back to her. "Of course," he answered. "Don't you?" He finally rolled up the piece of parchment that he had been studying and set it aside, rising from his chair with a nonchalant grace. His outfit was perfectly pressed not a seam out of...