Private Tales In the Pursuit of Power

[Dauner]

As it was, nothing was set in stone. These two men, Dauner had pointed out, were most likely in willingly helping Titus out. But whether they were fully aware of what sort of catastrophe they were helping him bring about was still up to question. And so they would begin an investigation, with a primary goal of finding Titus' hideout. Unmasking his accomplices could always wait until after that was done and over with.

As Kristen picked which one they'd go after first, a knock could be heard from the door, interrupting her sentence. It was none other than Khorvayne, dressed in commoner garbs no less. There was no denying it, this look on Khorvayne felt very attractive. At least it did to Dauner, whose eyes would betray him.

"Of course not" Dauner responded to her question. "There is hardly anything left to interrupt. The bulk of the fun has already happened under the cover of night" he said, winking teasingly at Kristen. Although sometimes, she might have been somewhat dense, but there was no way the implications Dauner had hinted at in his words would fly over her head. Right?

At least Khorvayne wouldn't have known what exactly transpired in that room, considering the fact that Dauner had gone through quite a bit to veil their room from prying eyes and ears. They were right in the middle of enemy territory, after all. Gods forbid their conversations landed onto the wrong ears. Dauner then turned back to Khorvayne as he proceeded to say 'good morning' in his own Daunery way.

"As always, it is ever a pleasure to lay eyes upon you Vey. And might I say, your new attire is quite the eye candy" he said, as he placed a kiss on the back of her hand.

---

Kristen Pirian​

 

[Kristen Pirian]

"Wha—!? Rai!" This time, despite the wild flush and flaring of bashful indignation once again, Kristen was able to keep herself from shouting Dauner's true name another time.

"Late to the midnight festivities, am I?" Khorvayne said, tittering lightly and hiding her mouth with the tips of her fingers.

"If by festivities you mean a good night's sleep and nothing more, then—!" Kristen didn't even finish her sentence. She just crossed her arms, quite firmly, and jerked her chin upward. By the gods, the sorceress needed no magic to torment her!

Khorvayne, meanwhile, drank in the attention, the flattery, the flirtatious kiss from Dauner with an indulgent pleasure radiating from her half-lidded eyes. "That good night's sleep has done you very well," she said, stepping inside the room and lightly closing the door behind her. She cradled her cheek with her offhand and mused, "Oh, you've gotten me all afluster. I am usually quite good at conjuring pet names. However shall I refer to you now?"

Kristen verbally butted in. "I take it that you are here to—" she had a rough time saying it, but it was indeed said, "—help?"

"Quite so," Khorvayne said, turning her gaze back onto Dauner then, and with a grand curtsy she declared, "If you have need of me, I place myself...at your...command."

Dauner

 

[Dauner]

A blushing, nervous Kristen was always a sight to see, which was why Dauner just couldn't get enough of teasing her. Well, to be honest, he couldn't get enough of teasing any pretty girl he'd know for long enough, really. Now that he was thinking about it, he couldn't help but think of how Ayana, Sophia, Vershek, Aizuki, Nika and Miya must be having a field day now that he was going to be away for a while.

It has been an eternity since Dauner last got a pet name. He wasn't exactly one to fuss over such minor details as whether a name is to his liking or not, so there wasn't much that was off limits. "Well, I guess we'll be leaving that to your imagination" he replied flirtatiously.

One thing that Khorvayne had proven to be good at, was arousing Dauner's lustful nature through her suggestive words, and suffice to say, that last sentence sounded just about as suggestive as it got.

"Well then, don't mind if I take you up on that offer" Dauner replied, before trying to focus his mind on the task at hand. "So, how about we come up with a plan to get to Marquis de Sardet. Seeing as we are on quite a tight schedule, I think abducting him and making him talk might be our best bet. Wouldn't want to drag things out and make Titus wait for too long now, would we?"

---

Kristen Pirian​

 

[Kristen Pirian]

"Agreed," Kristen said. A "tight schedule" was one way to phrase it, alright. There was no telling how Titus's volatile vanity might cause him to react now that Yslan and Naya Indigo were two more setbacks for him. Some insane worm of a thought could be burrowing deeply into his mind as they spoke, provoking his delusions of grandeur to ever riskier heights.

If the Marquis was indeed unwitting in what he had gotten involved with (and indeed there was a slim but not wholly forgone chance), Kristen would have preferred the gentle approach. But they could not afford to wait. An even more sobering and uneasy thought entered her mind then. Even if they had the luxury of time and could take the gentle approach...would it much matter? War loomed on the horizon for the Kingdom of Koda, and the Sovereign Order could well have its forces scaling the walls and fighting through the streets in the near future. Say the Marquis is completely innocent of Titus's doings; still he might suffer or perish in the war, such tragedies happened. And the mercy and forbearance of the gentle approach would have amounted to little.

It was a chilling thought, a grim thought, and Kristen crushed it quickly once she had taken a step back and become aware of it. There were, so to speak, lenses through which to view the world, and such a dark lens as was characterized by that grim thought did much damage to the soul.

Kristen crossed her arms contemplatively. "Time is our enemy, but it would be ideal to take him in a place and time that would not cause great alarm."

"And that is where my services will be most appreciated," Khorvayne said. "I have many eyes, many ways of seeing, as I've said."

"Do you know where he is now?"

Khorvayne shook her head. "No, but I can make time de Sardet's enemy as well: he will not be able to elude me forever." Then, unprompted, she reached out and with a forefinger traced the line of Dauner's jaw down to the tip of his chin, "Rai..." she said, having picked up on what Kristen had called him, "...do you have a description of our esteemed Marquis?"

Just that little touch was enough to cause Kristen's lips to purse, her cheeks to puff out, in renewed irritation at the sorceress. Momentary, this face of hers. She had to remind herself again of what was at stake here, and that while she personally might disapprove of the sorceress, lives could indeed be hanging upon her ability to tolerate her.

Dauner

 

[Dauner]

Dauner had long grown used to always being on the dishing end when it came to teasing, so being on the receiving end always seemed to make him somewhat uncomfortable. Not that he'd let it show. Dauner was good enough at playing the part of someone unbothered by the teasing, that unless he expressed how he actually felt about it, it would prove difficult to gleam at the truth.

Instead, Dauner reached out to the hand that was tracing a line across his jaw, and held it against his face, as he leaned into it, slowly dragging across his cheek, till it was right in front of his face, where he took a deep breath in, as if to be sure he'd remember her smell.

"Luckily for us, I have more than just a description" he said, pulling out a sketch, from a pile of several sketches which were attached to the documents he was reading. "This, here, is Marquis Alberto de Sardet" he said, handing the sketch of the middle-aged man to Khorvayne. "According to my intel, he is currently in his mansion in the central district of Ashol, awaiting the next session of the Kodan Grand Council. In hindsight, we can thank the war with the order for ensuring that both our targets ended up in Ashol when we most needed them here"

---

Kristen Pirian​

 

[Kristen Pirian]

"Mmmmm..." Khorvayne purred once her palm was guided to Dauner's cheek. And once it was revealed that he knew much of the Marquis she said, "Admirable preparation."

Kristen made a conscious effort to disregard Khorvayne's little moan and to stay on task. She walked up close to Dauner to peer at the sketches he had produced from his collection of documents, getting an idea of de Sardet's appearance; what a mustache he had on him, it reminded her of Walter Banick to a degree.

"In his mansion, you say?" Kristen said. There was a slight edge of hesitancy to her tone there, for this very specific scenario—covertly seeking a ranking personage within his own manor—brought back to mind very unpleasant memories of the disaster in Salesia. She could still recall the shock and pain of the crossbow bolt to her chest at a whim. "At least he is not spending his day in some thoroughly public affair. This will, I hope, keep our efforts...confined and confidential, shall we say."

"There is nothing quite like what goes on within a locked room..." Khorvayne quipped with an almost sinister glee and accompanying smile.

Again, Kristen paid no mind to the sorceress (oh, but her constant provocations!). She spoke to Dauner. "Has your scouting network informed you of when this next Grand Council session is to occur? How much time do we have?"

It could well be troublesome if the Marquis's presence was notably missed among the Kodan Council.

Dauner

 

[Dauner]

Just like the sword, information was a weapon. The difference was, it was much deadlier than a sword. Information could make and break nations, and could win wars without the shedding of blood. This was one of the reasons that inspired the creation of the intelligence web in the reach. By using any and all information they could get their hands on, the order could potentially become the masters of the reach, ruling it from the shadows.

This was also one of the reasons Dauner requested this much information from the branch for his preparation.

"Three days" he replied. "And after that, the next session will take another five days" he continued. "Having the marquis miss one session wouldn't be alarming. What we should worry about, is making sure he doesn't miss a second meeting. Now that would raise alarm"

Dauner paused for a second, before going off on how to make sure the marquis doesn't rat them out when they're done with him.

"Hmm. I guess we could melt his mind, and make him a mindless puppet. That way, he'd do all we ask of him. No. It would be too easy to notice that something was wrong with him then. How about we engrave his soul with a slave seal. He'd still keep his mind and free will, but will have to suffer great pains if he went against a command. Yes, that would work. Now then. How do we get to him?" he asked, turning to Kristen. He might have known of the norms of nobility, but he was still new to Arethil after all. The standards here could differ greatly from those on Segora. Luckily, they had a noble with them, to help provide the needed information in that regard.

But then a rather devious smile covered his face, as his gaze shifted to Khorvayne. "There was also a pretty interesting piece of information. I got on the nobles of Koda. For example, Count Riario just so happens to be a sexual deviant, more attracted to men than to the fairer sex. And Marquis de Sardet happens to be quite a perverted guy. Easily swayed by the sight of beauty" he said, as his gaze alternated between Kristen and Khorvayne. A young beauty, brimming with youth, innocence and inexperience. And a femme fatale. Sexy, gorgeous, and yet with a degree of refined elegance. He closed his eyes and began nodding to himself, as for a moment, his mind forgot the task at hand and slipped into rather naughty fantasies, before snapping back to the task.

"Yes. That could work"

---

Kristen Pirian​

 

[Kristen Pirian]

"Three days," Kristen commented, nodding lightly. "That is good. Quite good." Here, in this specific instance, divorced from the overall effort against Titus, time was not their enemy. Three days was plenty enough to work with, so said the glimmer of hope and relief in her mind.

Then came all the suggestions on the process itself of extracting what they needed to know from Titus. And while Khorvayne looked more and more delighted with each new suggestion, brightening with raised brow and soaring bosom above her folded arms, Kristen's opinion was...mixed. Her eyes betrayed her on this matter, she knew it, a flash of hesitation sure to be seen in them. Mind melting? Slave seals? For all her involvement with the arcane as a Dreadlord, Kristen admittedly was expecting something more mundane. Just the idea of these things, the knowledge that Dauner could perform them, was surprising in an unnerving way.

In her doubt, she resolved to trust in Aionus. If she had been guided here by His divine hand, if de Sardet was indeed the key to slaying Titus and putting to the grave his dark plans once and for all, then Dauner's methods served His will. Keep faith, Kristen thought by way of reassurance to herself. Keep faith.

Laughter from Khorvayne brought Kristen out of her introspection. The sorceress commented, "Oh, Count Riario, my talents would go to such waste with him."

Kristen frowned a little as Dauner's insight on the Marquis came to the forefront of mind. A vice all too common, but perhaps de Sardet's lechery would prove his downfall.

She set about answering Dauner's question to her. "I suppose we have two broad options in this regard: an approach of stealth, and an approach of deception. The former, though more straightforward, carries with it a good deal of risk. The latter would require some preparation," she looked down at her simple dress, swept her porcelain hand to indicate it explicitly, "starting with quite the change of attire."

"Or maybe not."

Kristen looked Khorvayne's way. "How so?"

"Oh, come now, it is an old story, is it not? The Lord of some Manor sees a new servant girl, young and vibrant, and is simply overcome with his desire to have her. The Marquis seems not above this in the least."

Kristen, as the sorceress's suggestion dawned on her, went red in her cheeks with all the speed of lightning, highly embarrassed and at a momentary loss for words.

Dauner

 

[Dauner]

"Well then. After this is all over, why don't we find some place where your talents would not be wasted in the least?" Dauner asked suggestively after Khorvayne's comment on Count Riario. "I reckon I have ideas aplenty" he added.

Dauner nodded as Kristen explained the two options she'd thought of. She was close to the point. However, it was Khorvayne, whose words perfectly mirrored the idea Dauner had.

"Oh my. Vey, are you perchance reading my mind?" he asked jokingly. "For this to succeed, I'll be making use of one of the characteristic of my nature. You see, not only does the precept of lust constantly try to make me as horny as a rabbit in season, it also grants the ability to mirror that state onto someone else" he explained. He didn't have any worry, telling them a few secrets of his abilities and natural characteristics. Even if they at some point tried to use it against him, these little secrets weren't going to be enough to cause him harm.

"So here's the plan. Kris will sneak into the mansion disguised as a maid, and try to gain the marquis' attention. Once that's done, using Vey's ability to spy into a distance to get a precise location, I'll be able to fire a long range status ailment onto de Sardet, making it hard for him to contain his lust. Kristen then gets him to a quiet room, where she knocks him out. And finally, I'll come get you both out of there quietly. Pretty simple, right?" he finished, looking at the girls.

---

Kristen Pirian​

 

[Kristen Pirian]

After this is all over, why don't we find some place where your talents would not be wasted in the least?

"I yearn for our present business to conclude all the swifter," Khorvayne said. And where Kristen might have cast a judgmental gaze toward the sorceress, she instead was too preoccupied with the plan that had been put forth.

Apprehension flared brightly in Kristen's eyes. She truly knew nothing of this de Sardet, yet what mattered was not the man per se but the situation. Kristen hugged herself hard, her skin seeming to crawl at the thought of being gazed at as Dauner described, let alone anything beyond that! The idea of hands guided solely by sordid impulses reaching for her, touching her, the entirety of the indecorous situation against all notions of proper love and humanity...she almost recoiled right there where she stood.

She nibbled her bottom lip nervously for a moment. Her eyes met with Dauner's and made her earnest plea before she even spoke the first word of it. "If...something happens...you'll come for me, won't you?"

Dauner

 

[Dauner]

Dauner might not quite have remembered what it was like to possess such innocence, but he knew this was his cue to reassure her. So he gave her a gentle, reassuring smile, and said. "With all the fury of the heavens behind me, I can assure you, I will"

That promise was as good as his word could get, because it meant, even if he needed to cast a meteorite shower upon Ashol, or wipe the city off the map, he would make sure she got out unharmed.

Even for the cautious Dauner, this might sound overkill, but the truth remained, that he considered Kristen's company and thus her safety to be of greater importance than their quest. If push came to shove, Dauner could simply turn Ashol upside down, in order to unearth Titus. To add to all this, Dauner had been getting an eery feeling ever since he entered the city, and one could never be too certain of when the unexpected would come to be.

---

Kristen Pirian​

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Kristen smiled, a little satisfactory breath coming from her nose like a weight had cast off from her shoulders. And indeed, a weight had. Kristen was in the Dreadlord Academy training to be warrior, a shield—a weapon, even, if one went by the old parlance—but even the foremost of fighters could be subdued by trickery, and with the particular focus of her part of the plan being what it was, she certainly didn't want to be caught alone with that being a present danger. Gods no.

"Very well," she said, that anxiety dispelled by Dauner's reassurance. "I shall do my part then."

Khorvayne tapped a finger to the side of her chin and mused aloud, "It would be best to short-staff de Sardet's mansion, would it not? To give plausible cause for a new face or two to be seen."

"And what have you in mind?" Kristen asked, her words there made slow and heavy by a wariness for what the sorceress might indeed suggest.

"Quell your adorable worries, young Kristen, it does not need to be anything dramatic, no. All that would need to be done is simply keeping a servant girl or two indisposed for a time. Have we not all had bad days, hmm?"

Kristen glanced to Dauner and to the sorceress and then back again. "I would prefer if you are the judge on this, Dauner."

Dauner

 

[Dauner]

It normally wouldn't prove too difficult to have some servants call in sick. But such a plan would have a number of loopholes, and is bound to fall through, lest they ensured the servants who called in sick couldn't meet with anyone who was smart enough to smell something fishy from that conversation. However, Dauner didn't need to go through that. Since the creation of the Allirian net, which was how the order's intelligence network within the reach was called, emphasis had been made on having at least one agent within every noble and influential household in the reach. Luckily enough, tensions with Koda had made planting moles within it an utmost priority, thanks to which they did, indeed, have someone in de Sardet's mansion.

"I believe I have a plan" Dauner said, rummaging through the documents for the files on the marquis. Among them was a file on the agent appointed to the marquis, along with a sketch.

She wasn't exactly the object of every man's fantasy, but she wasn't unsightly either. Well, it was a good idea to put someone who didn't suit the marquis' taste in there, as a beauty would only find herself in danger with a wolf like him hanging around

"I've had someone summon her, so she should be here any moment now. We can use this opportunity, to have her call in sick, and send Kristen to the mansion as a substitute. This way, no one will suspect anything" he said, as though he'd already this was going to happen. He'd actually summoned the agents in both the marquis' and count Riario's mansion.

*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*

---

Kristen Pirian​

 

[Kristen Pirian]

If Khorvayne was delighted before, she was twice so now. Admirable preparation indeed, and this time with a healthy dose of perfect timing. Written clearly on the sorceress's visage and glowing smile was her pleasure at seeing Dauner's plan play out like a masterfully conducted stage performance. She even lifted a palm and lightly clapped after the knocking at the door was done.

"Here marks your cue," the sorceress said to Kristen. "Let Rai and myself take care of the rest. All you need to be is your young and demure self."

Kristen frowned again, thinking that by "be your young and demure self" what Khorvayne really meant was "be the honey for the flies." But she was resolved to this plan. Blessed Aionus, she needed to make sure she knocked out the Marquis in one shot; she wasn't the best at unarmed combat, gods no, and here would be something of a test for it, arising most unexpectedly, but indeed having arisen and awaiting her to step to the challenge.

She looked to Dauner. Said, "I will see you again soon, then?"

Lord, the less time she had to spend withering under the Marquis's lecherous gaze, trapped in so precarious and potentially scandalous a position, the better.

Kristen went to the door then. Opened it for the serving girl/Dauner's agent.

And the plan would begin to unfold.

Dauner

 

[Dauner]

"And I you" Dauner smiled and nodded as Kristen headed for the door.

On the other side of the door was a young woman in her early twenties. Her hazel eyes held a touch of weariness, while her chestnut hair fell flat. Freckles dotted her face, appearing almost randomly. Her smile lacked radiance and her style was rather plain. Yet, beneath her unremarkable appearance, a hidden sharpness lay dormant, ready to strike at who her target was to be. As was expected of any member of the order's intelligence arm.

The girl had a pretty timid tone of voice, as she spoke. "Good morning, madam-miss, I mean, my lady" she stuttered, giving off an expression that said she was facepalming mentally. She took a bow as she did this.

Dauner didn't know this girl, but he'd seen enough nervous people to know when something was off. Truth be told, he might have been fooled if he didn't know she was an agent of the order's. Which could only mean she was pretty good at her job.

---

Kristen Pirian​

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Kristen, even though having only just been told who this unassuming young woman was, still had it flash through her mind that this freckle-faced girl surely had the wrong door. How could it be the agent of whom Dauner spoke? She seemed every part the servant, nary a cunning impulse in her body, no different than any Kristen had known in the Pirian Estate for all the years of her childhood and early adolescence.

Taken aback by the surprise of it, what brought Kristen round was the follow-up thought: well, what better sort of person to act as the Order's eyes and ears within the Marquis's manor?

Kristen offered her a smile. "We needn't fuss with formalities." Though it did help cool her simmering nerves to be addressed again as "my lady". The familiarity was welcome and reassuring, and this all the more so as she prepared to step into the unfamiliar. Dear Aionus, she could only hope that this went smoothly, that Khorvayne and Dauner were each able to execute their parts of the plan without hindrance; if grave misfortune made itself her companion, then Kristen knew she would not hesitate to use any means to deny the deviant Marquis de Sardet the object of his lechery.

To the "servant" girl, Kristen asked in a quieter tone, "Shall I say that I am a cousin of yours, happy to perform your duties in your stead, to keep at bay the arousal of undue suspicion?"

Dauner

 

[Dauner]

As soon as the agent stood back straight, she noticed Dauner and instinctively stood at attention, and offered a salute, with her right hand over her chest, and left hand behind her back. She did this without giving it much thought, as she felt a haer of much greater purity emitting from Dauner. The purity of haer, was something that indicated rank, making her recognize him as a senior officer.

"At ease" Dauner said, as he turned around and headed for the window. He was going to handle his part of the mission from the rooftops.

"Of course, my lady" she replied to Kristen. "You'll have to present yourself to steward Harrison first, though, before you can be put to work. And here. You'll need to look the part" she added, handing Kristen a servant's outfit. "It would be best to hurry up and get there early". Admittedly, most stewards didn't like it when a servant arrived late.

---

Kristen Pirian​

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Khorvayne followed after Dauner, being the eyes and ears linking the two separate parts of the plan together. By the sill she waited for him to open the window, unperturbed by the unorthodox exit he was choosing.

And this was good, the vacating of the room by Dauner and Khorvayne, for the agent handed to Kristen a particular servant's outfit; black and white, formal, it was different in character from the modest attire she wore now, and the only way she would be able to fit in to her role. She just hoped she could fit into the outfit, gods, her height so often presented some manner of challenge.

"Steward Harrison," Kristen echoed as she accepted the outfit. "Yes, of course. Give me but a moment to change."

And once Dauner and Khorvayne were gone, leaving but the breeze from the open window, Kristen went to one corner of the room, setting about to hurriedly change. For all her worries and misgivings, she needed to just keep in mind the ultimate purpose behind this daring plan of theirs: to stop Titus before he could enact his dark designs. And though dangers of assorted kinds were sure to be found in the Marquis's manor, and the more sordid ones she did fear the most, here rested the essence of courage, to face such fears in the name of good.

Changed now, Kristen returned to the agent, turning her body slightly this way and slightly that way, and asking, "This outfit...it is not too small on me, is it?"

Dauner

 

[Dauner]

"Of course not, my lady. It fits you just fine" the agent responded. The order's Ashol HQ was stocked with a number of items for espionage, among which were outfits of various professions and statuses, each of various shapes and sizes. Suffice to say, Dauner had invested a lot of money into building the order's spy network, and outfitting it with most of what it needed.

"I shall not hold you anymore, my lady. The day has already begun, and you must not tarry" she added, before taking her leave.

Dauner had found a rooftop from which he could have a direct view of the mansion, and was waiting for Kristen to arrive at the mansion. While he did, he decided to have a chat with Khorvayne.

"Now that it's just the two of us, why don't you tell me a little about yourself, Vey"

---

Kristen Pirian​

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Through means mostly magical and slightly mundane did Khorvayne climb from the window to the rooftop in Dauner's wake. And it was a delightful perch, yes, and its height was all the more conducive to her far-seeing arts. Oh, and those oblivious Kodans down below, whose eyes stayed level with the streets and had little need to ever look up—they would be no bother.

In the far distance across the cityscape, Dauner had his gaze set upon a manor which, if one judged solely by its lavish trappings, could be none other than that of the Marquis's. Khorvayne gracefully took a seat on the rooftop; it would be a moment before their redheaded bait arrived at the manor to stir up the loins of the lustful Marquis.

Dauner asked his question, and Khorvayne smiled up at him.

"All life is desire," she said, reclining back on her hands. "This, my dear Rai, is the revelation which set me free. Free from the manacles of supposed morality, free from the fear of the Dark. And how many do fear it! They would have themselves believe that the suggestions, the yearnings, the impulses which come from the deep dark of mind and heart are not in fact their own. Desperately are frivolous distinctions drawn up, setting apart what is deemed to be good and what is deemed to be evil and what is too circumstantial to be neatly classed as either. So much of life among the fearful is spent fretting over such distinctions, now trudging toward this troublesome thing that has been proclaimed a virtue, now punishing oneself for this longed for object that has been proclaimed a vice."

Khorvayne laughed lightly. "There is a play, quite the entertaining one, which has its lead character, a vampire, say: 'What is a man? A miserable little pile of secrets.' A fine line, if ever there was one! And while this is an astonishingly true description of the fearful, my small alteration is equally true: 'What is a man? A miserable pile of desire unfulfilled.'"

She raised one hand and made a dismissive gesture and placed it back behind her.

"That is a fate for the fearful...and I, my dear Rai, am no longer fearful. I have not been for a long, long time now. Do I wish to gain knowledge? I do so, without any restraint. Do I wish to bear a daughter? I have had many. Do I wish to kill? This I do as it pleases and suits me. Do I wish to love? It comes and goes with all the freedom of a bird. Do I wish to become a god, to live forever?"

She smiled pleasantly.

"Nothing will I allow to stop my pursuit."

Dauner

 

[Dauner]

Listening to her, Dauner realised they had more in common than he thought. Their ideologies were very similar, both rooted in desire. Wrath, pride, greed, lust, sloth envy and gluttony. These are the core principles that best describe Dauner's desires, and have shaped his personality over the years, to the point where they sometimes compel action. Not like he wouldn't do those things, even without compulsion.

"You and I are more alike than I thought" Dauner said, his focus shifting from Kristen, as she walked into the building. "Living our lives on our own terms. Unbound by such mundane concepts as morality. Like feathers in the winds of desire. It is the only thing that moves us, and determine where we land"

It didn't show, but the line about desires unfulfilled struck Dauner's memory. The one desire he'd never been able to satisfy, was his desire for revenge. That was the one desire, yet unfulfilled, that he would never let go of. Although it had already been 7000 years, and the objects of his vengeance would have long been dead, Dauner wasn't going to let it be.

As long as he could recover completely and return to his peak, and then find his way back to Segora, Dauner, who had once won dominion over the dead, would hunt their souls, and subject them to eternal damnation in his soul-less flames.

Unbeknownst to Dauner, the thought alone, had brought a rather wicked grin to his face.

---

Kristen Pirian​

 

[Kristen Pirian]

"Oh...look at you."

A thin bed of dark fog manifested beneath her and Khorvayne, still in a reclined seated position, simply floated up to become eye level with Dauner. She reached out and with a finger traced the length of his grin just beneath its curve.

"What could have possibly kindled this delightful grin of yours? What wind of desire gusted through your mind? Why, if I had to say: that, my dear Rai, is a grin which many would call..."

She gave the slightest tilt of her head toward him, her hair swaying ever so gently in the motion.

And she whispered, "...dangerous."

Down below on the street level, a familiar head of red hair was making her way toward the manor of the Marquis.

Dauner

 

[Dauner]

Dauner's grin didn't fade on realization, but simply transitioned into a playful smile. "Oh, dear Vey. It would be impossible to not have dangerous thoughts in the presence of such tempting beauty" he replied, shrugging off his previous line of thought as he focused his gaze on more than just Khorvayne's face.

Instantly, the rage that had boiled in him just seconds ago died down, replaced by an onslaught of lust, which he kept under control, but however didn't try to suppress it.

"Tempting and therapeutic. Vey, your looks alone are a force to be reckoned"

Dauner finally shifted his gaze back to Kristen as she headed towards the Marquis' manor, his smile, not departing from his face the entire time.

---

Kristen Pirian​

 

[Kristen Pirian]

She drank in the compliment with a luxurious smile.

"And yours is a hardy countenance that many, I sense, have rightly come to fear," Khorvayne said. "And I...hmm-mmm-mmmm...so adore those who impose their will upon the fearful without reservation."

* * * * *​

At last Kristen arrived at the gates of the Marquis's manor. One might be able to forward the argument that her nervousness, her genuine nervousness, was a boon. That its inevitable overflowing of her attempts to suppress it lent to her assumed character of a replacement servant an earnest yet innocent air. An alluring air, mayhap, for the right kind of lecherous eyes.

Such a thought, nevertheless, made her skin crawl. Oh, she could not wait for this to be done! She looked briefly at her gloved hands—beneath that right glove, her artificial hand. Hopefully, even if her eventual strike on the Marquis was made clumsy by her lack of expertise, the mere quality of her artificial hand alone—its porcelain and adamantine material, its enchantments—would lay the Marquis out on the floor.

The gate guards came out of their guardhouse when she arrived, and they questioned her. Kristen introduced herself as the cousin of Dauner's Order agent, or rather, the assumed identity thereof. She explained the fabricated situation, bowing, looking almost apologetic that illness had befallen her "cousin" and that it now fell upon her to take up her cousin's duties. The gate guards still seemed dubious, and then Kristen mentioned the manor's steward, Harrison, and it was then that enough of the right names had been put forth to convince them. They opened the gate, let her in, and one of the guards escorted her into the manor.

By Aionus, she truly did not like these sorts of missions. She was a terrible liar, and while that was something with which she usually could adorn herself with pride, here all it would take was one interaction that caught her off guard and things would be made dire.

But she just needed to pass by the Marquis...just once, maybe twice. That was it.

* * * * *​

Khorvayne stood normally now upon the rooftop. Her eyes were closed. Her hands she had together as though scooping water up from a stream, yet cradled above her palms was a small ethereal orb—her magic. For Dauner it gave him a view of what she was seeing, and this was a hazy perspective just above and behind Kristen as she walked, as though she were being followed by an invisible eye.

"Inside the liar of the beast," Khorvayne said, taking a bit of delight in stating the fact of the matter.

Dauner

 

[Dauner]

Khorvayne had a talent for seduction, and Dauner was experiencing it in real time. Although it was a fact, that he was very easy to seduce in the first place, he was also good at keeping his urges in check, not that he'd ever particularly wanted to, but he'd been in a lot of situations where the alternative meant ruining his plans and designs, just as acting on it now would put the plan, and Kristen at risk. Well, it was a good thing Dauner had 7 millennia to learn patience.

"Neat" Dauner commented, after Khorvayne started sharing her vision with him. He'd certainly never been able to watch others from this perspective before. Usually, he can only see through the eyes of his shadow demons, which are usually on the ground. Great for eavesdropping on conversations, or looking up skirts, but not the best viewing quality. Thinking of the idea of looking up skirts seemed to give Dauner a rather perverse idea, which he quickly brushed away, choosing to concentrate on the task at hand.

---

Kristen Pirian​