Private Tales A Silver Tongue Turned Gold

[Tal]

Three hours wasn't too much time, but enough that he could at least set up some surveillance on the house. Inara had said that Linus always went there.

Tal knew why too.

It was out of the way, far from any of the Syndicates outposts. He likely thought that no one would be able to see him there. Clever enough, he supposed, using a cutout to get all the dirty work done. Setting up the other underbosses to fail so that he could succeed. "I'd say I'm sorry you got wrapped up in this, but..."

A shrug rolled over his shoulders. "I've never been much for lying."

He chuckled, shaking his head.

"What will you want?" Tal asked. "When Linus is in my hand?"

 

[Inara Irren]

Inara bit her tongue. There was only one thing she wanted but saying it would likely ensure her death.

"I want to dismantle the Syndicate piece by piece. I want to make the three in charge suffer and leave them dying in an alley..."

 

[Tal]

For a very long time Tal didn't say anything at all. The words almost seemed to hang in the air, linger. It was as though something had caught the very manifest of speech. Stopped it from ever entering the air itself.

Tal smiled. "That's quite the demand."

There was no sign of anger. No reaction at all that someone might have suspected from such a grand demand. He had no love for the Syndicate, not ever. They were simply a means to an end, a method for him to get what he wanted.

He watched her for a moment more, then finally spoke again.

"Maybe." Tal teased. "Just maybe, I can make that happen."

But only after He got what he needed from Varo.

The shackles needed to come off. He tired of their weight on his wrist, on his soul. Each day they seemed heavier, more. He was so sick of it. "I'll see what Linus brings me first."

 

[Inara Irren]

Inara scoffed. She couldn't lie but he certainly could. She didn't trust a fucking word that he said and why should she?! He was a criminal.

"I will believe that when I see it," she said.

She eventually went and pulled over the chair that she had been sitting in earlier. Inara had a sneaky suspicion that Tal wasn't going to let her go anywhere and she just didn't have the capacity to try and make conversation with him.

 

[Tal]

Another puff of the cigar, another few minutes past.

The next three hours went by at a pace that some might have called a snails crawl, but for Tal it was just another day.

As far as he was concerned the day didn't matter as long as the Docks were working fine. Every other hour was another step closer to what he needed, another shift towards his own freedom. At this point he could almost taste it.

Even if he was certain the Triumvirate would try to fuck him over before the end.

It was after another hour and a half that Tal finally heard an echoing knock on the door. One of the thugs poked his head through the door.

"Sir. Think its time, we got the mark."​

"Oh good." Tal commented, standing from the chair and motioning towards Inara. "Coming?"

He mused. "Or going?"

The words were cryptic, laced with intent.

 

[Inara Irren]

Inara had taken a nice nap in the silence but she had woken up before the thug had peaked in. She looked grimly at Tal and nodded. He wasn't going to leave her here by herself. That wouldn't happen. He would kill her if she said she wasn't going with him.

Inara stood and followed out silently. She had nothing to say to Linus or Tal. Fuck all this bullshit. He could keep his promise of giving her whatever she wanted. She had decided that she would still be disappearing.

 

[Tal]

They cut through the Shallows once more, this time with Tal at the lead.

Their journey was noticeably faster this time, the Underboss leading them through routes that Inara hadn't touched upon last time. They walked quickly, until eventually Myrus' house once again came into view beyond a corner.

He motioned for a stop just short of the clearing in front of the house. "Now."

With a viper like grasp Tal reached out and grasped Inara's chin.

"You're going to step inside, and lure Linus into place." He told her with a smile. "Tell him you and Myrus had a disagreement, but that the bargain still stands."

A smile touched his lips. "Whisper in his ear with all your little truth, and I promise you'll be one step closer to what you want."

 

[Inara Irren]

Chills ran through her body and she tried to pull out of his grip. "I can't lie," Inara hissed at him. "I can't tell him that the bargain still stands because it doesn't. I know it doesn't."

Usually her inability to lie was frustrating and somewhat entertaining. This time it was going to get her killed. She could make the first part work with some other wording.

 

[Tal]

Tal looked at her, slowly raising an eyebrow.

"I see." He still wasn't entirely sure whether or not to believe Inara. The excuse...didn't make much sense here. If she were simply trying to save herself she would have done it, and yet she insisted.

Lips thinned. "Alright."

Tal said with a calm nod.

"Tell him Myrus crossed the wrong man." That was certainly true. He had died by Tal's hand, his life ended by the right step. "And that you want to end this."

Another truth. "If he asked who killed him, say it was someone close."

A chuckle escaped Tal's throat.

 

[Inara Irren]

Inara nodded and walked towards the house like she didn't have a care in the world. She opened the door and walked inside the house. Myrus' body was gone and Linus looked pissed off. He turned on her as soon as she entered and she just looked at him like he had lost his damn mind.

"Where the hell is Myrus?!"

"Myrus crossed the wrong man and I want to end this..." She said and almost let out a huge breath of relief when the words came out. Thank you! She thought.

Linus looked worried all of a sudden and then it seemed to click as to why Myrus wasn't there. "Who did he cross? Is he dead?"

Inara nodded, "Yes and it is someone close." As she had been talking, she had cornered the traitor like she had Myrus.

 

[Tal]

Tal watched the Elf enter the cabin just a few moments after Inara did. He and his men stood in the alleyway, a serene quiet running over all of them. "What do you think, lads?"

He asked quietly.

"Think we should let her die?' There were a few quiet chuckles, some laughs that might have betrayed half truthful opinions. After a moment though Tal threw the but of his cigar onto the ground and shook his head.

Flanked by three of his men he made his approach to the cabin. He could already hear Linus shouting.

"You stupid bitch! What the fuck do you think you're doing calling me here, do you realize wh-"

Before he could finish the sentence the door to the cabin slammed open, Tal stepping inside with a wide smile on his face. "Oh I think she does, Linus."

He said with a smile.

"So nice to see you again. Especially after Azgren told us to avoid one another." His smile turned into a smirk. "So funny, running into you here."

 

[Inara Irren]

As soon as Tal walked in, Linus lunged for Inara and tried to grab her so he could use her as a shield. She danced out of the way narrowly escaping his grabby hands.

"I was sent by Azgren to take care of you, Tal," he spat.

Inara looked between Tal and Linus with a ooooooh shit look. She didn't have the ability to know if people were lying but this wasn't her fight.

Inara had started to back towards the front door while Tal and his men were occupied.

 

[Tal]

Tal tilted his head slightly, peering at the man. His eyes flickered over him. "No..."

The word was quiet, thinking.

"Maybe..." It was certainly possible. Azgan was a bastard, but like the other two he was only ever really interested in his own gain. Vora had made a promise to Tal, one that the old man intended to keep. He wouldn't have doubted Azghan made a deal of his own.

"Doesn't really matter now." A shrug rolled over his shoulders. "You'll be dead, and he won't know any better."

"Are you insane? They'll ask questions, wonder who-"​

Before Linus could even finish the sentence Tal's blade impaled through his throat. There was a loud and fleshy thunk as the blade sank into his skin. Hands immediately clawed towards the blade, but it was already too late.

His body fell to the floor with a thunk, crimson spilling onto the floor as Inara stepped towards the door. "Ah Ah ah."

Tal said with a wag of his finger.

 

[Inara Irren]

Cold ran through her as she heard Tal speak to her. He had killed two men, she knew she was next. It didn't matter what he said, he was going to kill her. She was the only witness that wasn't loyal to him.

Inara made a decision. Possibly a terrible one and turned her back to Tal. She sprinted towards the door. She had to get away.

 

[Tal]

Before Inara could get too far, before she could make it out the front door one of his men stepped in her path.

He was a massive hulk of the man, a half-ogre many men said. Overgrown teeth, hair as wild as could be. His skin seemed to be made of solid brick, and when Inara crossed through the threshold of the front door she ran directly into his chest.

"Wow." Tal said behind her.

The sound of a chair dragged over a hard wood floor echoed behind her. "That's kind of rude."

The Underboss let out a loud 'tsk', pulling out the metal case for his cigars and looking over towards the girl.

"I thought we were just getting friendly." He said with a loud sigh.

 

[Inara Irren]

Inara looked up at the big man with pleading eyes but he didn't move. She wasn't even sure if he was breathing. "Please Tal..."

She didn't say anything else as the huge man pushed her back into the cabin and closed the door roughly. Every ounce of her earlier bravado was gone.

She slowly turned around to look at the criminal in front of her. The murderer.

"I just...I don't...I don't believe you're gonna let me go..."

 

[Tal]

Tal took in a long breath. "Trust is thin in this business."

He understood that better than most others.

"I guess I can't blame you for that." It was a lesson he'd learned early on, one that had lead to him stepping over a field of corpses. His head shook for a brief moment, as if he were thinking of something far away.

Slowly he stood from the chair.

"You did what I asked." He told her simply. "Brought me Linus, took care of Myrus."

Though he'd been the one to kill both of them. "You can go, if you leave Alliria."

 

[Inara Irren]

And Inara did leave Alliria. For a few months. She hadn't meant to come back. She certainly didn't mean to come back dressed in revealing silks from the Empire. She also hadn't meant to lose so much money gambling without the ability to repay it.

It was some bullshit. A bunch of bullshit.

So here she was at the very illegal, very underground slave market of Alliria. She was pushed onto the stage when it was her turn. Her dark hair was in beautiful waves down her back and the blue silks brought out her hazel eyes.

 

[Tal]

The last few months had been very good for Tal. He had made significant gains within the Syndicate. Had earned more money than most nobles back home, squared away a nice nest egg, and even increased his own base of power.

There was just one thing missing in all of that; the means to remove his shackles.

Vora proved to be exceptionally difficult when it came to the one thing that Tal actually wanted. It was not to the point that he believed the old man didn't actually have it. A problem which presented...many frustrations. Too many really.

He was present at this auction for no reason really save for to show his face.

Tal didn't much like using slave. Not because they weren't useful, but because more often than not they ended up being trouble.

It was no small amount of surprise when Inara was shoved onto the stage, her body covered in silks which barely hid anything at all. His eyebrows rose slightly, a small shake of his head drawing a second later as the auctioneer shouted.

"Do I have five hundred crowns?!"​

 

[Inara Irren]

Inara knew she looked good and all but six thousand crowns was a ridiculous price to pay for her.

Sold!

Inara was led away and the rest of the auction continued. Once it was complete, the girls who had been sold to the same bidder were brought into a room together.

Inara was alone in her her room as she waited for her new...owner...

 

[Tal]

The door swept open with no small amount of charm, slamming against the opposite wall.

It wasn't a sight that greeted Inara first, no, it was a scent. The sweet call of tobacco mixed with a few more delicate touched. Smoke gently rolled into the room as Tal let out a long breath, the smile basically painted on his face.

"Well." The Underboss declared.

A gentle touch of his foot tipped the door closed behind him. It swayed, and then fell shut with a quiet click that denoted the sound of a lock. Tal swaggered closer to Inara, his eyes as easy as they ever were as he approached her. "Isn't this a lovely surprise."

He noted. "As I recall, you weren't supposed to come back here."

As he spoke Tal plucked the leather leash attached to the slave collar, smiling.

 

[Inara Irren]

Inara groaned, "fuck me," as soon as she saw Tal. Of course, Tal would be the one to pay that amount. It did make her a little smug though.

He grabbed the leash and she reached her hand out to grab it back from him but it only proved to pull her closer to him.

"Well, I didn't really want to come back and certainly not in this," she tilted her chin as her outfit. "But I am curious why you would spend so much money on little ol me."

 

[Tal]

Tal chuckled. "Money, means very little to those who have it."

When the Syndicate knew your talents, they paid very...very well. Tal had a fortune that would put some of the Anirian Minor houses to shame. Enough gold that he could have walked away and never cared for anything at all in his life.

But it wasn't gold he was after.

"It was curiosity, I think." Tal mused as he played with the leather leash in his hand, softly tugging it so that she would be forced to step closer to him. "Finding out how you got back into my city."

Tal smirked. "Things have gone very well for me since you left."

 

[Inara Irren]

Inara growled at him as he pulled her closer to him. "Well when you can't lie, it makes card games hard and then you owe people and you can't pay because your con fell through. Look, it's been a bad few months."

"Oh, what have you been up to, Tal? Wait...I don't care. Can we just get the you killing me done now, please?"

She really shouldn't be so bitchy to him. At least she knew he wouldn't force her to have sex with him or anything. Actually...she didn't know that. He was a gang member and a murderer. She wouldn't put anything past him.

 

[Tal]

Tal still hadn't entirely decided whether or not he actually believed Inara couldn't lie. There was no real way of confirming it, least not a method that would keep her alive. Yet it seemed like it had some credence to it.

Especially with how she'd ended up here. "Kill you?"

He echoed with a smile.

"You heard how much money I just spent." A chuckle escaped Tal's throat, his head shaking as though he didn't quite believe it himself. "No no. I need a new maid to clean my place. I think you'll do just fine."

The Underboss smirked. "I'll get you a uniform and everything."