Private Tales Finesse

[Rafael]

Vel Luria

"Madame!" His voice echoed out over the reaches of the courtyard.

The cage they had trapped him in was surprisingly spacious. Ordinarily, at least back home, these sorts of things had no trappings of comfort or even leg space. Yet the iron room he found himself stuck in was large enough for him to nearly lay down in. He had wondered at first if it was some sort of mistake, but the Anirians had hoisted him up, and simply left him there dangling.

It had only been after the second day that he'd realized the cage he was hanging in was not meant for one, but a dozen or more.

Vel Luria had, two years ago, been a center of conflict and war. The fortress city lay near the border of Cortos, and before the Republic had turned it's sights more inwards had been both a Fortress of the Northern Army, and also a bulwark of Anirian Tradition. There had been plenty of prisoners to stick into the cage Rafael now found himself in.

Now?

Now there were few.

The war had brought stability. Less crime, more calm, so now instead of a cage of a dozen there was only one man. One man accused of murder. "Hey!"

He shouted across the square. "You, the beauty who resembles the Tulips of Oban! Belle who resembles a thousand stars!"

Rafael called. "Please, bless me with your ears! Me, a desperate, deserving soul! I beg of you!"

 

[Trix]

"Whose dog is this?" Beatrix Umbra asked with surprising warmth and crouched down to pet the sad looking dog. A heft chain ran from the collar around his neck to the wall but he hadn't snarled or bared his teeth at her when she had entered. He hardly seemed so vicious he needed such a hefty restraint. The Captain who had been left in charge of Vel Luria raised a surprised brow at her as she scratched behind the dogs ears and lost herself for a second in the simple joy of an animals company. When she caught him looking at her however, her face quickly schooled into a deathly glare that had the grown man swallowing his words before he said them.

Everyone here knew Trix's reputation.

Her poisons that could torture a man to the brink of death were a elegant and easy solution to the sudden dip in staff at the fortress. There was not enough men skilled enough to physically torture a person to the point they were willing to confess without dying but there enough skilled enough to slip the right amount of Traitor Tongue into the food that would have a man writhing in enough agony he would have confessed anything to the Gods in order to make it stop.

For the special cases, however, Trix came herself.

"Show me her."

* * *
​

There was a certain, satisfying feeling when Trix was able to break a fellow Dreadlord. Especially one much older than her. She had been awarded a Level Three when she had left the Academy and she had taken it as a personal insult, an insult she took out on those who had higher ranks by turning them into simpering, pathetic heaps. Each one she broke was another step closer to proving she belonged at the top. She carefully wiped her instruments clean as the woman hung there panting and put away the different seeds and saplings with great care back into her bag.

"Do you feel good?" the woman croaked, her head lifting slightly to look at her. "That you do this for their... republic," she spat out a tooth. She would be doing that for the next few hours whilst the Rugwort worked its way out of her body.

The door behind her opened and a guard stepped in.

"Dreadlord Umbra, you are to report," Trix watched the woman with a lazy smile then turned to go, collecting her things.

"ANSWER ME!" the woman screamed, yanking on her chains. "ANSWER ME YOU FUCKIN--" the door slammed shut behind her.

"Well, do you?" the guard asked and Trix cut him a look that made the smile wither on his face. "Kress, I thought we were meant to be friends now," he muttered. She pretended not to hear.

They were cutting across the square when the shouting started; it wasn't unusual for prisoners to try and petition her. Perhaps if they saw past the figure and the long dark hair they would see the lethal edge to her stride and the iciness of her eyes. Then they might not waste their breath. In truth Trix didn't really mind, she hardly paid attention anymore, but for some reason this time she found herself slowing.

"Dreadlord Umbra?" the guard asked when she came to a stop and fixed her eyes on the hanging man.

"He's new," she mused. Most of the time the prisoners didn't change here. Not anymore. Not unless you had really fucked up. "What did he do?"

 

[Rafael]

–

"He is accused of Murder, My Lady."​

The answer came from the Guard almost immediately, his eyes flickering up towards the floating cage in the center of the Courtyard. It was clear the Anirian wore no small amount of disgust.

"That's a lie!" The shout echoed out from Rafael without much thought or consideration. After all what man did not speak his peace when he could. "I did no such thing. My Darling, I assure you, I am a man of peace!"

"We found him and his dog covered in blood, quite literally."​

"Okay that part is true!" Rafael called, the Guard rolling his eyes.

"But I didn't do it!" The Cortosi quickly added. "I would never have hurt the man, we were friends!"

"The two were seen fighting in the Silver Scrape earlier that night, he threatened to kill the man."​

There was a moment of silence. "Okay that's true, but Marcus was known to be a bit of an asshole. Ask anyone!"

The Guard looked at Trix for a moment, and then slowly shrugged in confirmation of the prisoners words. Marcus was a bit of an asshole, the whole town practically knew it.

"It was a vicious Murder, Lady Dreadlord. The Victim was practically torn to shreds."​

He glanced up at the prisoner in disgust. "See! That's how you know it wasn't me. I am Cortosi! We fight with grace, elegance. Battle is a dance for us, unlike you brutish Anirians."

Another long pause. "No offense."

 

[Trix]

"So the dog belongs to you," she murmured quietly to herself.

Marcus...

Trix listened to the back and forth with an amused smile toying with the corners of her lips but the name niggled in the back of her mind. It was a fairly common name, perhaps it had no connection at all to the story the Cortosi was spouting.

"I'll teach you the meaning of brutish," the guard growled and unsheathed his blade an inch as he took a step forward but Trix through out a hand to stay him. Her eyes never left the hanging man who she regarded with the type of curiosity a lion did prey, debating whether or not it would be worth the effort to engage any further.

"The Cortosi are famous for their gilded tongues, I wouldn't let one get to you in such a manner," the guard huffed and slammed the sword back home into its scabbard.

"I hope it works for you with the hangman, monsieur," she inclined her head then turned and began to walk away.

 

[Rafael]

"Ah the cruelty of the fairer sex." Rafael said to himself, voice not loud enough to be heard as he leaned back and slouched against the bars.

As far as cages went this one wasn't too uncomfortable. It was large enough for him to lay down in if he really wanted to, though the nails sticking up through the metal weren't exactly kind on the back. Of course he wouldn't be staying here for long.

There would soon be a trial, and quickly after that he would be executed.

One could say anything about Vel Anir, but they most certainly weren't inefficient. "Wait!"

Suddenly Rafael snapped upwards, a thought striking him like a bolt of lightning. He scrambled forward and clapped his hands a dozen or so times. arms waving at both the Guardsmen and the mysterious woman with him.

"Wait wait wait!" He called. "I can prove it wasn't me!"

The Cortosi shouted. "Really! I can prove it!"

Rafael wasn't entirely sure why he hadn't thought of it before. Though, it probably hadn't helped that he'd still been sleeping off a hangover when they'd brought him in.

 

[Trix]

The guard took three steps before he realised Trix wasn't following him and he turned back with an exasperated sigh; he couldn't understand why she was wasting her time listening. By her own admission he couldn't be trusted. But for Trix it wasn't about truth it was about how amusing she found it to hear someone beg. Like the Dreadlord had begged in the end to stop the poison running through her veins. Or maybe she was just in a really good mood. She stopped and turned smartly back to him with a smile that bordered on cruel.

"And how, pray tell, can you prove it? Or better yet, if you are so convinced you should wait until your fair and just trial. You'll be given a chance after all to defend yourself before they hang you - oh, actually, is it a beheading for murderers, Gavin?" she asked of the guard curiously.

"I believe it's a beheading, Dreadlord Umbra."

Trix feigned a sigh.

"Much less excrutiating than a hanging. Unless of course the butcher is off his game. I hear sometimes it can take five slashes before a head is completely removed."

 

[Rafael]

"Really not helping yourself in the argument of brutishness." Rafael murmured to himself as the woman called up to him about beheadings.

He was no stranger to violence, obviously, but was there really a need for such barbarity? Honestly.

At least the Solar Choire burned pe-wait, maybe people were just barbaric everywhere. A frown touched his face, and he shook his head as he continued to flatter. "Because, Madam!"

"As quick as your wondrous justice system is, it's not quick enough." He pulled himself up against the bars. "I was just arrested last night, the crime scene is undisturbed, yes?"

Rafael looked at the Guardsmen who gave a rather strained and annoyed nod.

"Tavern owners been complaining about wanting his stable back, we were going to clear it tonight."​

"Don't do that!" Rafael said with a panic, waving both his arms. "Just..."

He looked back at Trix. "Give me one hour, at the crime scene, I'll prove it couldn't have been me!"

Then he added. "Also I need my dog."

 

[Trix]

Trix's lips parted but it was the guard who spoke first in a sarcastic, unamused tone.

"Yes, why did I never think before of letting those accused of a crime out of their chains to go meddling at their own crime scenes?" It was hard not to smile but the dreadlord had practise enough to keep her face blank and unreadable as the guard continued. "You're staying in there. If you think you're innocent, you can submit your evidence and the authorities will look into it," and then with that he turned and began to march towards the door. Trix lingered and then gave a shrug that said what can I do? and half turned to follow in his footsteps.

"I will look after you dog for you, monsieur, if you don't manage to convince them otherwise. And I will send a clerk to come and hear what you have to say. It is very rare the Guard arrest the wrong man and I would hate for them to ruin that streak," incredibly rare. But wasn't fairness the foundation of their new republic? She had hitched herself to that wagon for better or for worse and she would champion it even here.

With those parting words, the pair crossed the rest of the courtyard and made their way to the Captain's office.

 

[Rafael]

"Ah! Such a dissapointment my beautiful Belle." He called after the woman as she walked away. "Perhaps another day!"

Fuck.

On the one hand he couldn't really blame the woman, or the Guard for that matter. They were just doing their jobs. On the other hand though?

A little HUMANITY. A little HELP. A little CARING. Would have gone a long way.

This is exactly why nobody liked dealing with Anirians. "Guess I'll just have to do it myself."

Rafael said with a long, markedly drawn out, sigh. His fingers flickered towards his belt, ripping a piece of the leather cord and pulling out a small needle length piece of metal. He smiled at it, and then crawled on his belly towards the exit of the cage.

Within seconds he was at the edge of the large steel contraption, the length of steel slipping into the padlock keeping him inside. He fiddled with it for a moment, and then there was a quiet metallic click as it came undone. He shifted the lock, and after a moment more the sound of his boots thudding against the ground echoed beneath him.

"Now I just..." Rafael said to himself, frowning as he searched. "Ah."

He intoned, and then quickly began to creep towards the kennels. Moving fast enough not to be seen, freeing his trusty hound before making his way towards the Barn that he had been found in that morning.

It wasn't like he was breaking out of prison, he was just proving himself innocent. Exactly like they said he he should do.

 

[Trix]

"With all due respect Dreadlord Umbra, why should we waste our time on an open and shut case?"

Trix tried to resist the urge to roll her eyes and failed. That was a lie, she didn't resist at all. She wanted the Captain to see what a fool she thought he was. The fact he reddened meant he did. Good. Yet still the ape continued.

"He was seen quarrelling with the man, found over the body covered in blood with a weapon, there are various witnesses - what more do we need?" his question had a touch of whining to it which made her want to grind her teeth together. He was part of the Guard! And now, for better or worse, were the Dreadlords. She wouldn't let this scrote bring the whole organisation down with him.

"The point is, is that he claims there is evidence to prove he is innocent. He will harp this from the prisoners pit until it is completely destroyed and there will be people in this town, people looking for some underdog hero, who will believe him. They will whisper you hang innocent men, that we are brutish and savage, and then we will have a rebellion on our hands where countless will die because you," she said calmly whilst putting on her gloves as she stood. "Could not be bothered to send a little Clerk to hear this story."

The Captain's hands were braced on the desk and he looked caught between screaming at her and screaming at the world. In the end his lips twisted on his blotted face and he looked away from her.

"Fine, send a fucking clerk to hear this ridiculous stor-- where are you going?" he asked as she left her position in front of his desk and made for the door.

"I've finished my job here, Captain. I don't believe I report to you any longer," and with that she shut the door behind her.

 

[Rafael]

It turned out that freeing Tulio had actually been more difficult than freeing himself. Not because of the chain around his neck, it had actually been fairly easy to get him out of the collar. No, the difficulty came because the cheerful little mutt had nearly barked his head off in excitement.

Rafael had basically needed to clamp his muzzle shut, not offering a rebuke, but instead whispering to him. "Listen buddy, sometimes we can't always shout about how excited we are."

Then he'd proceeded to slip the collar off Tulio's neck, picked up his dog, and summarily carried him directly out of the small Prison. How did a single prisoner carrying a dog manage to escape from what was ostensibly a well Guarded Anirian jail?

Mostly through the help of a very lovely, and very kind clerk whom he'd had...conversed with several nights before that had told him about a secret passage that had been built in case of a siege upon the city.

Very helpful. Rafael was just glad of his tongue's extraordinary...conversational skills.

By the time anyone would notice he was gone, the former Mercenary would already find himself in the small barn where he had been picked up and arrested. Tulio was standing besides him, happily wagging his tail and looking up at his best bud expectantly.

"Right buddy." He said looking down at the dog, then to the massive bloodstain that had already started to brown. "We both know my nose is better than yours."

Not that he could ever have explained why to the belle in the prison nor any guardsmen. "And I'm pretty sure..."

A serious expression flickered over his face, and slowly he sniffed the air. "Yeah...someone else was here."

The mercenary said, slowly stepping further into the barn. Tulio following along at his side.

 

[Trix]

Trix would have very much liked to have been around for the moment the Clerk reported to the Captain the prisoner was no longer in his cell. Not only because it was always funny to watch the mans vein attempted to detach itself from his forehead, but because she would have gotten the rather smug satisfaction he had followed her orders despite his affront to them. But either way, Trix did not know for she was just arriving at the barn herself.

Since her graduation she hadn't had to stick to the stock of horses stabled by the Guard and with her families connections and money had purchased herself something much more appropriate. The black mare was war-trained and one of the prime specimens from the Luana's trading stock. She could cover miles without tiring and had a nasty attitude Trix loved, which was why she didn't tell the mare off when it snapped at her fingers as she tied her to the post.

"We'll be on our way after this," Trix assured the beast before checking her sword and wandering inside.

 

[Rafael]

Rafael sniffed the air, taking slow and steady steps until he found himself near the back of the barn. His lips thinned for a brief moment, eyes flickering around. Behind him Tulio let out a quiet whine, whimpering ever so softly.

"Yeah...I know buddy I smell it too. There's something...wrong here, it's no-" Before he could finish speaking there was a loud creak as the door of the bar began to open. Un-oiled hinges screaming as Trix began to pull them open.

Rafael looked down at Tulio, and the mutt looked up at him. Panic flickered over their features, and quickly the werebat motioned to his companion. "Hide!"

He whisper yelled

Seconds later both of them jumped into a large pile of hay that stacked against the far wall. Quickly digging in and tucking themselves away to a point where they would hopefully not be seen. Although, as soon as he saw Trix, Tulio's tail began to wag.

Slowly shifting hay back and forth.

 

[Trix]

Trix paused when she stepped inside the barn and glanced around. There was an odd feeling here that made the back of her neck prickle slightly. It was the same type of feeling she often got when she sat in a warm chair but had not seen the person who had just occupied it. Had someone just been here? Who? Her steely gaze roamed over the room committing every little detail to memory lest it change and betray that person was still here whilst stalking to the middle of the room. She should have asked the boy more about what this supposed proof was but if it was very clear then surely it would present itself?

Blood still clearly marked the area where this man had died and there were various marks of some kind of scuffle surrounding it, but the body at the very least had been removed which was a shame. Though, the smell would have been bad by now she conceded. It did not take long for a human body to start to decay.

Her fingers ran through the dried blood before bringing them to her nose. Was that a hint of Purple Iris? Had the man been drugged? She made out as though she were taking out her notebook to make a note, but then tore up the page and tossed it in the air once, keeping the amusement from her face when the tail out the corner of her eye stopped its wagging.

Then she threw it.

 

[Rafael]

Tulio burst forth from the haystack like a shot of lightning. Darting across the barn and chasing after the crumpled paper ball as though it were the most valuable thing in the world.

"Ah, you stupid little dog." Rafael said with a heavy sigh, hand coming up to rub at his face. Head shaking as he cursed whatever gods had given his mutt the intelligence of a walnut. A happy bark echoed in the barn, Tulio having caught up with the ball.

He happily trotted back over towards Trix, wagging his tail.

"Ah!" Rafael said, bursting from the Haystack and brushing off the errant straw as though he had just fallen down. "Fancy meeting you here, Madame."

A winning smile drew over his lips. "Turns out, el capitane was well pleased with my arguments and let me go."

The lie slipped from his teeth without a second of hesitation. "Funny that, no?"

 

[Trix]

The Dreadlord didn't answer Rafael straight away though she gave him a bemused smile. Instead, she bent to take the paper ball from the dogs mouth with great care. The dogs eyes fixed upon her and his tail began to wag all the more excitedly. Putting a finger to her lips she made sure the dog was entirely fixated on the ball from which slowly began to sprout vines that wrapped around and around, strengthening the ball so it would not perish in his jaws quite so easily. The wait made the dog spin round on the spot with a whine.

"Ready?" she pulled back her arm and Tulio was already running backwards before she let go sending it flying.

"It's funny, because he hadn't changed his mind when I left, and for you to get here first..." she tapped her chin as if mentally trying to work out the math.

 

[Rafael]

Rafael let out a chuckle, as though she had told an amusing story. "Really?"

The mercenary mused out loud, still laughing through his thick accent. His head shook, lips parting as he took a slow step away from the hay and so he was more positioned in front of her. Eyes flickering for a moment as he caught that scent again.

"Well, I'm very fast." Tulio went bounding for the ball, quickly rushing to catch the paper before happily trotting back. Rafael glanced at him briefly, shaking his head. "Traitor."

He hissed in a whisper, and then suddenly caught sight of something.

It was small, tucked in the doorway of the barn. Caught on a nail, a scrap of cloth sometime. One short sniff, and Rafael knew the scent. "But, it is so good you've come here, my beauty. For I have PROOF!"

Rafael elegantly flourished. "Of my innocence."

 

[Trix]

"A... piece of your tunic?" Trix motioned from the scrap of fabric he held to the tunic he wore; they were an awfully similar shade. She bent once more to pick up the now vine-wrapped ball and threw it even harder for the dog who went bounding off after it with an excited bark. In her mind she wandered if she could pretend not to have found the dog when she took him back to jail and keep him for herself.

"Monsieur, this has all been very amusing and I applaud your... demonstratable skills in having somehow got yourself free from an Anirian jail cell, but I do not have time to listen to your wild stories," she took a step towards him and reached for the cuffs hanging at her belt. "Please, just come peacefully."

 

[Rafael]

"Ah your elegance betrays your lack of knowledge, Belle." He said with a smile, holding the scrap of cloth.

It was an easy enough mistake to make, and only someone who knew about textiles would really be able to understand. It was a lucky thing that he was of that sort, always enjoying an accessory or two that could hang over his shoulder.

Taking two practically prancing step backs he kept her at bay.

"This is Cortosi Night Cloth." He said flipping it over so she could see the other side. The dark color on the other side mimicked there, but somehow dark. Almost seeming to consume the light around it. "See?"

Rafael said, waving it in front of it own cloak where the difference could not have been more opposite. "Very rare, worn often by assassins in Cortos and Vel Anir both."

He motioned to Tulio who was just turning back from his latest round of fetch. "It must belong to someone, and I bet Tulio can find them."

Meaning he could find them.

 

[Trix]

It was like a tango. Each step back Rafael took, Trix took one forward to match and tugged the cuffs free of her belt. She only paused when he flipped the cloth over and she could see what exactly it was he meant. Her head cocked to one side as she listened to the rest of what he had to say then proceeded not to say anything for some time afterwards, though it was clear from her body position she would move like a viper if he used the opportunity to run. If what he said was true and this killing was not him, but something bigger, committed perhaps even by someone like an assassin, it was her duty to find it and bring it to justice. There was still lingering doubt some common fool would require an assassin who wore Night Cloth, but she would be failing in her position if she didn't at least investigate it.

With a sigh she put the cuffs away.

"Fine, your... Tulio will lead the way. Then we shall either find your phantom murderer and we'll take him back to clear your name, or you will return with me without argument."

From the tone of her voice this wasn't a conversation more a statement of fact.

 

[Rafael]

"Of course, of course!" No argument fell from Rafael's lips, mostly because he thought the better of it. He doubted very much she would listen anyway, and most everything he would have said would have been a lie anyway.

Best not to lie, his mother had always said.

"Tulio." A whistle passed Rafael's lips. "Come here boy."

The mutt wasn't particularly smart, or well, maybe he was maybe just a bit too friendly, but he did know a few tricks. That was why he kept him around in the first place. A fantastic cover if he needed one, after all, dogs did tend to be useful for this sort of thing. "Let's find em."

Tulio almost immediately straightened.

His entire body became rigid, and in an almost comical fashion his head turned, eyes briefly flickering towards Rafael.

"Ah! This way." Rafael said dramatically, pointing at the far barn door. "Follow him!"

He continued as Tulio began to move...slightly ahead of the mercenary. Both of them parading out the front door.

 

[Trix]

The Dreadlord watched the two strut off with a small shake of her head. It was like babysitting two seven year old initiates, the kind who nowadays were given fake maps and told to find something the Proctors had hidden in the woods. She had no way of knowing this was her own version of that meaningless task. Rafael was still her number one suspect, even with this shred of cloth as proof another person was near the scene. She had not seen the body so perhaps the scrap had belonged to him. Or any of the other patrons who frequented the inn.

Still, she didn't really have anywhere else to be but back in her home awaiting the next assignment.

With no intentions of letting a murder suspect get away, Trix set off after them before they got to the door and a chance of out running her.

"Why would someone frame you for murder?" Trix always found there was a shred of motive to these things even when they seemed random.

 

[Rafael]

"Me?" Rafael echoed, trying to follow the scent as sneakily as possible. Tulio remaining glued to his side and sniffing the air, acting as though he were the one leading the small back. "I have no idea."

The Cortosi claimed with a shrug. "I am everyone's friend!"

That was, of course, decidedly untrue. He owed no small amount of debts to several people, some intrinsically involved in crime and gambling while others were more meek and mild. Though he hardly thought any of them would frame them for murder.

How would they get their money. "Perhaps it's simply a plot against an innocent foreigner!"

Rafael said.

"You know how Anirians ar-" He stopped himself, smiled, and then rephrased. "How some of you are!"

There was not a beat where he let her have a word. "An outsider like me? I make the perfect scapegoat. No family, no roots, no one will ask any questions!"

As he continued to speak Rafael lead them out and away from the barn, following the trail through the center of Vel Luria. A path which took them curiously closer towards the cities small central Keep.

 

[Trix]

Or maybe it was because someone got fed up with him talking, Trix thought to herself. The Cortosi had a reputation for being able to talk themselves out or in to any situation they wanted, but she hadn't ever considered that was because they just didn't stop talking. Maybe people simply gave in to get them to shut up. It was an amusing joke but just that; a joke. Rafael could have been an innocent target picked because someone had seen him fighting with the victim, but it could also be something deeper. If it was then she was pretty certain it had nothing to do with where he was from.

"What about your... friend then, any enemies? Was he caught up in the wrong kind of crowds?" motive was the key to uncovering most crimes.

 

[Rafael]

Rafael continued to walk. "Him?"

There was a brief moment of consideration, one where he actually had to think. The night was still hazy, to say the least. A cloud of alcohol and whatever had been slipped to him still clinging to the edges of his mind. Frowning, the Cortosi continued slowly.

"I don't know." Not a promising beginning. "He was certainly a connected man, eh? Had more gold than someone wearing his sort of clothing had a right to."

Which of course, would make a robbery the most obvious motive. Trouble was, the body had been found with it's plethora of gold still on it. Something that the Guards had of course dutifully noted. "He was also rather glad, before our little traipse of course, buying more than one round in fact."

Meaning he had been spending the money like wild.

"But aside from that I know nothing of the man." Rafael finished, very subtly sniffing the air and taking a left turn down an alleyway.