Completed A Precarious Rendezvous

[Kristen Pirian]

In the dark of night, away from the taverns from which light spilled and patrons gathered, away indeed from the regular patrols of the city's night watch, an alley, nestled between a closed shop and a warehouse of goods close to Anir Square. Short enough, this alley, to where it would not be very suspicious to see a person entering or leaving, for it providing something of a quick cut-through to the street adjacent.

An ideal place for a meeting meant to be quick and covert.

There Kristen Pirian awaited. Such was the chill of the night that not a second glance would be spared toward someone wearing a cloak, and she wore one now. She expected two particular people. She was prepared to exit the alley, an innocuous excuse forged in half-truth ready made, should an unwanted eye from a patrolling guard or random citizen happen to catch her.

As it happened so far, it wasn't needed. The first of the two arrived.

"I was hoping you would come," she said, offering a cordial smile.

Alistair Krixus

 

[Logan Banick]

"I must say," Logan spoke as he lowered the hood of his own cloak, "that I would have preferred more festive environs."

A mild joke, but, despite the rivalry between House Banick and House Pirian, perhaps it wasn't needed. He and Kristen had gotten along well enough even before the incident at Ostia Anir, whether their interactions were scarce or not.

"I was not able to make the Masquerade Party in Vel Zrada, unfortunately."

Logan waved it off. "It is no matter." He glanced around, and then said, "You mentioned one more?"

"Yes," Kristen said. "You know him as well."

 

[Alistair Krixus]

"I will admit. Not who I was expecting."

A cloaked Alistair slipped into the alley. It was unclear if he was just arriving, or if he had been hidden for some time. His eyes shifted to Kristen quickly, offering her a light smile before his eyes fell on Logan Banick.

The last time they spoke had been during the siege, and the information discovered during those events was...unfortunate, to say the least.

Alistair waved his hand through the air as an almost transparent bubble appeared around them. This would limit how much noise would be overheard by any passersby.

One could never be too careful.

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Both Kristen and Logan turned to regard Alistair as he approached, his appearance in the alley the most covert of the three.

"Alistair," Kristen said, smiling pleasantly (and this was the time for such smiles, given the weight of what she wished to speak with the two of them about). "It is good to see you."

Alistair Krixus

 

[Logan Banick]

Kristen had mentioned a third in her letter, but for fear of interception could only allude vaguely to who it might be. But of course, how could Logan forgot the victory—blessed by Lady Luck herself—at Ostia Anir she and the now revealed arrival of Alistair had helped bring about.

Another piece had come into place, yet the picture as yet remained unclear to Logan as to why the meeting (and all the secrecy) had been requested.

"You're faring well," Logan said to Alistair.

Faring well. In the profession of Dreadlords, to be simply alive was to be faring well—such was Logan's impression.

Alistair Krixus

 

[Alistair Krixus]

"Better than many of my other compatriots. I am ashamed to say I have been given some leeway due to my family name."

It was a sore spot for him that he did not go on nearly as many assignments as the others. Even if he understood the need to get his family affairs in order. It also helped that members of the Vigilite were often freer in their movements than other branches of the military.

"It is a pleasure to see you once again, Lord Banick." He said it with a polite smile, but his smile for Kristen was beginning to ware off given the nature of this meeting.

"May I ask what you have gathered us here for Kristen?"

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

"I shall come to it," Kristen said. She found herself wishing that she could spend more time with Alistair, that the circumstances of their meeting once again could be for something other than a mission as it was in Vel Numera or by chance while engaged in business as it was in Vel Luin or in time-pressed covertness as it was now. She found this to be true of a few people in her former class, but of Alistair especially, and she knew keenly as to why.

But the present called.

To Logan she said, "First, I must ask, for it is all dependent upon this: is it true, Logan, that your father Theodore...collapsed about a week ago?"

Alistair Krixus

 

[Logan Banick]

Logan's brows rose up in surprise. "Yes. How did you know?"

"My father Neil was there when it happened. A small and private gathering of leading noblemen it was, the sort of thing men of their age and stature might do, casually smoking and discussing the politics of the day." With a preemptive grimness, Kristen asked, "How is he? Has...?"

"He is...bedridden," Logan admitted. "It has all been kept as much of a secret as it can be in the hopes that the healers and apothecaries might aid him back to the health and the incident neatly swept under the rug, but it seems as though his age is caught up with him now. No means of mundane nor magical nature have remedied his ailing body. I fear..."

When he said those two words, confronted the stark reality of the situation then, all of the pent-up emotion hit him all at once. The inescapable truth of it: his father might soon be joining his mother. Logan brought a fist up to cover his mouth, stared down at the ground between Alistair and Kristen for a long moment, and after gathering himself said, "I am sorry."

"There is no need to apologize to us," Kristen said gently. "Yet...and it pains me to bring this up in so sorrowful a time for you...but I must, for your sake."

With a glance to Alistair, who already knew, Kristen said then to Logan: "There is something we must tell you about your elder cousin Garron."

Confused, Logan glanced between the two of them. "Garron? What...what about Garron?"

Alistair Krixus

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Alistair raised an eyebrow at all of this new information. He had been away from the city for some time and had not had the chance to update himself on recent rumors and gossip. The patriarch of House Banick was dying? Unfortunate.

His own face went back to a rather stoic expression and further solidified the more he watch Logan nearly come to tears. On a theoretical level, he could understand the love one might have for their father, but...he would never be able to empathize from experience.

Thankfully, Kristen gave him something else to focus on as she finally spoke on the matter at hand. Ah, so that is what this was all about. Alistair nodded in understanding before looking back to Logan.

"Garron Banick is...to simply put it, been masterminding several incidences throughout Vel Anir in the past several years...Including the kidnapping of Kristen when she was younger. We do not know exactly what his goals are, but I would not put anything past him."

After the events at Ostia Anir, Alistair had set his sights on Garron Banick and the results had been...less than stellar. The man was difficult to track, and for a man with such a noble House, many of his influences could not be seen.

Alistair did not want to blow his own war horn, but he was pretty good at his job. Anyone that could hide like that was doing it on purpose. Even so, he had managed to find a few pieces of information that cast concern on the man.

Kristen Pirian

 

[Logan Banick]

The news of this wasn't completely a surprise to Logan, so did his expression suggest. Only was it surprising to know that it was Garron specifically who was involved in Kristen's kidnapping and the subsequent Battle of the Blades.

"For all his airs of being a gentleman, I have had my suspicions of Garron." And then to Kristen: "How did you discover this?"

"Walter himself told me in Ostia Anir, for he, too, was involved in my kidnapping. 'Twould make for a longer story to explain why, but know that I have indeed heard this from his own tongue."

"They used to be quite close, Walter and Garron, but..." Logan put his hands on his hips, recalling even the tiniest subtleties between the two men in recent times; specifically that carriage ride to Mina Pirian's charity gala, "...yes, it makes sense. They've had a rough falling out as of late. But what does all this have to do with Theod—?"

Logan froze.

"You cannot mean to suggest...?"

Alistair Krixus

 

[Kristen Pirian]

"No," Kristen said, gauging by the look of shock on Logan's face that he thought the worst. "Not that Garron harmed Theodore. But rather...that he may intend to take full advantage of the situation, and may have simply been waiting for Theodore's old age to advance before he made any overt move. I fear that Garron may try to wrest the position as Head of House Banick for himself."

Much to Kristen's relief, Logan didn't try to dispute her claim at all—seemed those suspicions he held of Garron had strong foundations. He started instead to work his way logically down the line of succession, "It is widely believed that Cecil will simply abdicate, since he has never shown interest in his position as heir apparent and would rather attend to his fancies abroad. But that would leave Walter, and though they've had a falling out it was not...that grievous."

Echoing what Alistair had said, Kristen replied, "Is it too far-fetched though? I, too, would not put anything past Garron."

And then she looked from Logan to Alistair.

"I have been thinking...what if Commander Vogel's appointment and orders to bring Walter down by force were intentional? What if Garron, taking advantage of the situation, had influenced the Councilors responsible for Vogel's appointment with the secretive intent to remove Walter from the line of succession? Vogel, I believe, was just the right bull-headed man for the task."

Alistair Krixus

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Alistair was very careful to choose this moment to be silent and let them talk. Both of them were so sure that Garron would never go so far as the kill Theodore, to kill family. Alistair knew from first-hand experience that such sentiments were not always universal.

It was not a far leap to figure out what Garron was up to. Logan had just said that Garron and Walter had been close. Both of the men were ambitious, one just had a little bit more honor.

"That's a good analysis Kristen. It would have been easy enough to push Vogel forward...There is no way Garron could have expected two initiates to ruin his plans."

That brought a small smile to Alistair's faith before he continued talking.

"I suspect the next attempt on Walter will be less...forceful. Logan, what has Walter been up to recently?"

Alistair could not imagine the man being given to much free reign, given his history of rebellion.

Kristen Pirian

 

[Logan Banick]

"After the sanctions on his public life, Walter has mainly been attending to the training of Banick-sworn soldiers and aiding House Banick bannermen with whatever small affairs and problems arise here and there," Logan said.

Alistair Krixus

 

[Kristen Pirian]

There is no way Garron could have expected two Initiates to ruin his plans.

Kristen smiled as well at this, and oh would she have loved to been present in whatever private room was unfortunate enough to bear the brunt of Garron's doubtless seething wrath. He may have smiled smugly at her when she and Alistair were being thanked by Theodore, but it was he who lost in the exchange at Ostia Anir.

Which meant, perhaps, that his efforts might be redoubled, especially now with Theodore's rapidly declining health.

Logan gave his answer to Walter's present doings, and it was much as Kristen would have generally surmised.

"If the worst happens, and some 'accident' befalls Walter, then..."

"That would leave myself and Gabriel," Logan said heavily, "before the waters become muddy with potential claims from the eldest Banicks."

Alistair Krixus

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Alistair was silent for a long moment, while his mind ran through several of the possibilities for how this all could. Inter-family fighting never ended well...for the family or those around them.

"With Theodore's death, Walter may be forced back into the center stage...At least, in some ways. I would suggest using that as an excuse to double his security. Don't just add soldiers. Get Dreadlords or others that are specialized in anti-espionage tactics. Walter has enough soldiers to protect him already...And I would do all of this rather quickly."

Garron would not wait around for this chance. The quicker he acted, the less time that gave others to prepare. Of course, maybe he was so overconfident that he did not think the others knew about his schemes.

"I would also suggest security for you and Gabriel, but discreetly."

Kristen Pirian

 

[Logan Banick]

So focused had Logan been on Walter, and even on Gabriel, that his very own words and those of Alistair, suggesting that he, too, ought to be wary and invest in his own security came as something of a grim and sober realization. It was as if there were two opposing camps set up in his mind: one which could easily believe that Garron would indeed stop at nothing to achieve that to which he aimed, and one which refused to believe that family could so readily turn on itself in as ruthless a manner as this.

"I will be among my fellow Knights in the North," he said, then sighed, lamenting how greatly Garron had obscured himself as a threat. "And I will conjure some excuse for a trusted Banick Reservist to keep company with Gabriel in these coming weeks."

Alistair Krixus

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Kristen, knowing precisely what that sigh of Logan's meant, said, "Would that we could confront Garron directly and dispense with this game of cat-and-mouse." She felt much the same herself, for still did she yearn to see justice befall Garron, the man most responsible of all for the Battle of the Blades. To see him become the Head of a Great House? Such would be a disaster for the justice she sought. "And yes, it would be unwise to let our actions reveal our suspicions."

She looked to the ground, and then to Alistair.

"You have far more freedom of movement than either of us, Alistair. If, in your travels and business, you should hear of anything alarming, send word as carefully as you can."

And at this, a pang of guilt. Alistair had come here willingly, yes, but she felt as though she were dragging him down into a mire which could threaten his well-being. One wrong step, and House Krixus could find for itself enemies in House Banick; and already did Alistair have so many concerns as Lord.

Alistair Krixus

 

[Alistair Krixus]

As Kristen looked over she would see Alistair deep in thought, but not a hint of worry on his face, but the unbreaking gaze of Alistair when he began to solve a puzzle.

Alistair, owing to his Dreadlords roots, never even considered the fact that he could lose. If he was going into the battle then that ultimately meant he would win, it just wasn't obvious how.

Kristen was right in that regard. He would be freer to combat Garron's machinations, while he was on his leave, but he did not necessarily have the resources that Garron might.

"I will keep my ears to the ground...maybe call in a favor or two...I don't have many."

The Vigilite would be better suited for this, maybe if Alistair had a year or two within the organization's ranks, then he would have better resources. However, at the moment, he was still somewhat new to much of this.

Kristen Pirian

 

[Logan Banick]

"Then it's settled, inasmuch as it can be at this juncture," Logan said. He loathed being helplessly on the defensive, but with Garron playing his game as carefully as he was, it was all that he could do. The only evidence they had that any foul play was even afoot was all, in fact, circumstantial or inferred through deduction—soft and flimsy, powerless against his otherwise prestigious reputation. Garron held all of the initiative, and Logan, Kristen, and Alistair could only wait on him to make an overt move.

"We should leave one at a time to draw less attention."

"Agreed," Kristen said.

Logan pulled up the hood of his cloak, gave both Kristen and Alistair his farewell, and left out through the opposite side of the alley from which he had came.

Alistair Krixus

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Curse her being stuck in the Academy at so precarious a time as this! When things happened, they would happen fast, so Kristen imagined; tales as old as time of lethal politics the world over were marked by long and slow build-up and a lightning fast execution. But, at least, it was not impossible for Logan or Alistair to get her out of the Academy, crafting some ostensible mission request to be submitted.

She watched Logan go.

Then said to Alistair, "May I...have a word with you before you depart, Alistair?"

Alistair Krixus

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Alistair watched Logan go with a faraway look in his eyes. They were fighting a losing battle at the moment. Images flashed in his mind of Walter poisoned, Logan with a knife in his back, and Gabriel mauled by a wild animal while traveling. So many ways for Garron to do this, and they had very few answers.

They would need to pull off a miracle on the level of the siege, maybe even bigger.

He was snapped out of his thought as he turned to Kristen with a smile.

"Of course, Kris. You can tell me anything." Feeling far more comfortable using that name now that Logan was gone.

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Kristen lowered her head in deferential appreciation for Alistair's receptive grace (and mayhap to hide the sudden flush of bashfulness if only a little). Mother's upbringing and Amelia's refinement weren't far; Kristen's stance automatically shifted with the ease of second nature to one of a noblewoman's dignity, straight posture and hands clasped before her, and soon her chin came up and level and she looked to him again.

"I feel that I cannot thank you enough," she said warmly. "For all that you have done for me, in days gone and in present times; for taking upon yourself great risk for my sake. Truly, you are to me a beacon of light in hours most dire, a comfort in fair weather and foul, and moreover..."

Without thinking of matters of forwardness or propriety or what a lady ought and ought not do, merely allowing herself to act as her heart would have her, Kristen reached out gently and took one of Alistair's hands in hers—one of flesh and one of porcelain—and held it up between them. She put into her smile and in her gaze all the sweetness and warmth she felt humming in her chest.

"...I cherish our time together."

Alistair Krixus

 

[Alistair Krixus]

From the shift in her demeanor, Alistair had first expected Kristen to bring up some sort of serious topic that she did not want Logan to hear. He straightened up in response to her, only to be struck dumb for a moment as she reached out and took his hand.

Thankfully, Alistair kept himself from blushing at her speech as he slowly realized what this was actually about. He could have pulled away from her, in order to maintain some sort of propriety, but he did not. Instead, Alistair let her hold his hand in her own before he looked into her eyes with a soft smile.

"I-...always look forward to a chance to speak with you...and I will always come to help you in your time of need. That's what true friends are for."

That's what they were right? Just friends? What else would they be? It couldn't be anything more. House Pirian had no time for lower houses like his own.

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Friends. Was it true, this word? Were it so, should it not be received by her ears, her heart, without this subtle sting?

"Of course," she said, warm tone smoothing over and concealing that sting she felt, and indeed that sting itself, small and subtle as it was, fading from immediacy in the moment following.

"I just..."

(she remembered Ostia Anir, the thrill of victory, the elation which led to an embrace which led to a surprise)

"...wanted to express my heartfelt gratitude. 'Count your blessings, be grateful, and a better person you shall become.' An oft spoken adage from my mother, and words that I strive to live by."

She became nervous, ever so slightly, as her heart told her one thing and propriety another. And in that nervousness she became more talkative, adding on more where such additions were not necessary, feeling herself that she might be edging toward outright rambling. Eyes up to Alistair, eyes down to her feet, this change occurring every few words or so.

"We simply do not hear it enough, do we? Thy ears," unknowingly she slipped in that sole usage into higher register of speech, "may long for such comfort as a kind word, and ours is a terribly thankless profession. I would be remiss if I did not express this gratitude to you, Alistair, for what you have done."

She felt like she could go on. Go on, instead of—

(just ask him)

Alistair Krixus

 

[Alistair Krixus]

A soft smile broke onto Alistair's face before he could stop himself. It was just too cute. The way that she rambled when she was nervous. The way flowery words came to dominate her vocabulary. The way she hesitated to meet her eyes.

Other may find it strange or even laugh at her, but to Alistair it always made him smile. In a truly just world, Kristen would have been able to become some sort of a priest that spread the word through beautiful poetry. Instead, she had been forged into a weapon...just like him.

He watched her silently as she continued her torrent of words until he finally took a step closer to stand directly in front of her. He did not want to do this. At this moment, this was far scarier than facing off against a swordmaster. It needed to be done, or they would only continue this painful dance of back and forth.

Alistair locked eyes with her and started talking before his brain told him to stop.

"Kristen, I...What happened at that siege, was not the spur of the moment. I still have those feelings for you, and I apologize deeply for that...My attention towards you will not be looked on favorably by your house. My actions only strain the duties you have for your house. I have only made our relationship more awkward, but...I do not apologize for the briefest moment when that kiss happened. I will never apologize for that."

Alistair took a step back as he gathered his breathing. It felt like he had spent several minutes fighting a duel that at any moment would mean death. Had it really only been seconds?

Kristen Pirian