Private Tales The Viscosity of Blood

[Dauner]

This was a game of wits. A game he hadn't played in a very long time. And to be fair, it was pretty fun. Certainly much more fun than sitting in the castle all day, answering one boring petition after another, reading reports and signing documents.

If Margot was an ordinary peasant girl, the question that followed would have come to Dauner as a surprise. But with what he knew about her thus far, she was anything but a mere peasant girl. She certainly carried herself in a manner that would be discount any such notion. At least to someone who had met his fair share of peasant girls.

"I'd say not nearly as many as the number of men who must be lining up to win your favour" he replied, continuing his flirtatious advances. Though Dauner wasn't one to try hiding his past conquests, he wasn't one to boast about them either. Especially not to a lady he was trying to woo.

---

Margot​

 

[Margot]

So not a lot, then, Margot thought sardonically. She feigned a look of surprise, turning to look behind her as if looking for said line of men. "I see no one but you," she replied, her voice dropping conspiratorially. She took a sip of her drink, keeping her gaze on Rai.

An idea occurred to her but what she would have to do to get there wouldn't be as pleasant. Or perhaps it could be, if she played her cards right.

"If I have had a lot of men, would that turn you away?" she asked flirtatiously, but she let a bit of nervousness creep across her face, as if worried for his response.

 

[Dauner]

"Haha. Now, that... would depend" Dauner chuckled as he replied nervously, putting up an act of trying not to look disturbed by the idea.

Dauner had never really been bothered by how many men any of the women he'd been with had been with before him, Not even with his wives, back when he was still open to the idea of having romantic attachments. He did care about how loyal anyone he'd end up in any sort of relationship with would be. But that was the extent of it.

"As long as they can remain in the past, I can always look past it" he added, visibly regaining his composure.

---

Margot​

 

[Margot]

Margot nearly laughed out loud at the disturbed look on his face, even though there was a chance it was fake. He regained control of himself, or at least pretended to (Margot didn't particularly care, she was having too much fun).

She raised her glass to his, a toying smile on her face that said she really hadn't been with a lot of men in the first place; that she had been messing with him. "To looking past the past," she joked, before downing the rest of her drink, refraining from gagging.

Perhaps that was what the Supreme Monarch ought to do, instead of sitting in his castle preening himself- he should be making sure the quality of the drinks in his taverns were up to par.

 

[Dauner]

Dauner raised his mug to Margot's. "To looking past the past" he said, following suit in downing whatever was left in his mug. He had noticed since earlier that she wasn't too fond of the beverage. Well, he couldn't blame her. He wasn't too fond of it either. But he'd had way worse liquids trickle down his throat, so he was used to appreciating drinks of such quality. He did still have a collection of fine wine, lined up in his quarter, which he'd most likely wash the taste down with later.

"Will the lady at least humour me with the knowledge of from whence she hails?" Dauner continued, after properly letting the ale slide down his throat.

At this point, he was just passing time, as he'd already gather all the information he thought relevant from their conversation. However, despite having a vague idea, information on her objective was still obscure, and he couldn't just ask her. He'd observe some more first. And, who knows, he might get lucky with her, as an added bonus.

---

Margot​

 

[Margot]

She set her mug down, turning back to face the squire.

"The Isles of Sheketh," she replied. It wasn't necessarily a lie- while she didn't live there any more, it was her home land and native country. Which reminded her, she really ought to go back sometime. It had been way too long.

"And where are you from?" she asked, turning fully to look at him. She was gathering bits and pieces about him from the way he spoke and carried himself but there was still something that was dancing at the edge of her consciousness. She certainly wasn't getting her mission done drinking this nasty ale and letting this man flirt with her.

 

[Dauner]

Dauner had been to the isles once before, specifically to Minaris, during his early days on Arethil, when he was still exploring his new world. He didn't stay for long, but he did get to enjoy some of the area's specialities before he left.

"Well, I'm from a land far, far away" he answered. He'd been asked this question more times than he cared to remember. "It's called Segora" he said, pausing for a second. "You wouldn't know about it" he added.

In fact, no one on Arethil would, unless there was a Segora in this world too. He'd been in the void for the last 7 millennia, and given that the void is never still, Dauner had no idea just how far away from home he'd drifted in that time. But he'd rather be open about his origin, even though he wouldn't exactly let them know it was not on Arethil. Most assumed Segora was a yet undiscovered island or continent, just like Malakath once was.

---

Margot​

 

[Margot]

A land far, far away. That certainly narrowed it down. And then he gave a name of the place, one she had never heard of before, but the name unsettled her a bit. What unsettled her even more was that she didn't know why.

"Ah," was all she said, her expression bored.

She considered just leaving- she wasn't having nearly as much fun as before, and this Rai man wasn't nearly as good at flirting as he thought he was.

"Are you off the rest of the day?" she asked eventually. A plan was solidifying in her mind, but mostly only because she was bored.

 

[Dauner]

Dauner noticed the apparent boredom Margot exuded. Apparently, he wasn't being particularly interesting company today. Who knew playing mind games in a tug of war was a bad idea for flirting. Well, Dauner did, but his confidence seemed to have caused him to overestimate his current skills in the art. The last 7000 years in the void weren't exactly good for most of his social skills. Though he mostly retained the important ones, some did deteriorate.

Dauner thought of changing things up a bit, and making the conversation a little more interesting, before her question came.

"As a matter of fact, I am. Aside from roll call at the end of the day, I'm almost as free as a bird" he replied, putting his plan aside to see where this was going.

---

Margot​

 

[Margot]

Margot was tempted to ask just how free birds really were but that was not important right now. "How lovely for you," she replied.

She pretended to think a bit, sipping thoughtfully on her drink. "If you were to... get lucky," she started, giving Rai a side glance and flirtatious smirk, "would you mind if it was just a rebound?"

She spoke as if a one-night stand was not a bad thing but worried that Rai might think it was. As if most men didn't love the idea of getting to sleep with a woman and never having to talk to her again. In this rare case, that's exactly what Margot wanted.

Dauner

 

[Dauner]

Dauner did not expect such a question. It almost felt ominous. Giving the current situation and the last few exchanges, he felt like it was a trick question. That wouldn't change how he answered it, however. As it stood, Dauner never really had any lasting relationships any more, with most of his 'relationships' not going past a single night, and the few others, only persisting a few weeks. His desire to not get too attached, paired with his lack of trust, didn't help much in keeping relationships.

Dauner was surprised, so much so that he almost spat out his drink. Though that part was an act, he was indeed surprised.

"If I am to interpret that as an invitation, then my answer would indeed be a most delighted one" he answered, though rather indirectly. But he trusted that Margot would understand the meaning of his words.

---

Margot​

 

[Margot]

Margot gave him a conspiratorial smile and finished off her drink. She was no longer sure how many cups she had drank of the nasty stuff, but she felt fine. She was stopping now, anyway.

"Lovely," she said. "Does your familiarity with women and alcohol and this tavern in particular get you a room upstairs?"

It was meant in part to be a jab, but she had just been cheated on, after all. She needed a rebound, something to take her mind off of the soldier she had just had a relationship with. She wasn't even sure Rai believed her story anymore but she went along with it either way. Couldn't hurt, could it? It would all work out in her favor eventually anyway.

She glanced over her shoulder at Rai's friend that he had spoken to earlier. He was watching them, and Margot smirked and gave him a wink, before turning back around to face Rai, waiting for a response.

 

[Dauner]

Dauner was a man that was very easily seduced, and Margot's suggestive words weren't going to make resisting the temptation an easy task. Not that it was ever an option to begin with. Trick or trap, she had Dauner, hook, line and sinker.

"Not really. But that's nothing that a few coins can't fix" he responded, sliding a few coins over the counter.

Although looking forward to what was to follow, Dauner didn't quite have his hopes up. Thus far, all he'd seen about this woman were elaborate acts, and the bit of truth he could gleam about, he saw through cracks in her acting, and responses. There was a pretty high chance this rather suggestive conversation, was also all just a playful act.

---

Margot​

 

[Margot]

Margot could tell by the look in his eyes that now she had brought it up, it was definitely going to happen. She could see the eager surprise written blankly across his features and in his body language, even if some of it was an act.

He slid a couple coins to the man behind the counter and he raised his eyebrow at the pair before rolling his eyes and retrieving a key to a room upstairs. "Y'all enjoy yourself now," he said, sarcasm and boredom coloring his voice. So it would seem that Rai had indeed had multiple women; maybe not in this bar, but enough for him to have a reputation.

Margot pretended she couldn't hear the man as she stood up, turning to face him. "Got anything romantic to say? To make this easier?" She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and would follow him up to their new room.

Dauner

 

[Dauner]

Dauner paid no heed to the bartender as he took the key off his hands. Jealousy was an ugly trait, and one Dauner had come to associate with any male showing any degree of dissatisfaction with him flirting with so many pretty ladies. Though he knew some of it was just distaste.

His eyes still locked onto Margot's, he thought of something romantic to say in current context.

"Something romantic, huh?" he pondered.

Just before she could tuck the lock of hair behind her ear, Dauner would extend his hand, and do it for her, cupping her cheek right afterward.

"With a beauty like yours that stirs my heart so, I am at a loss for words" he said. "Now, I may not be of royal blood" he continued, getting off his seat. "But for tonight, I can be your prince charming" he finished with a wink, as he led the way up to the room.

---

Margot​

 

[Margot]

Margot wondered if maybe she would've been better as a courtesan like she had almost been years ago. She had obviously been blessed with beauty and a sharp mind; she could've dealt in secrets from her patrons.

Now, she gave Rai a sweet smile as he tucked her hair behind her ear, his hand lingering on her cheek. His words now were definitely an improvement on his previous attempts at flirting, and it would work for tonight, for what she had planned.

She pretended to blush as she followed him up to the room. She would wait for him to unlock the door and then she would follow him inside and wait for him to shut it. Drawing them in, she was good at. But starting these things, not so much. She remembered how she had made herself kiss the soldier from earlier that morning, but that had been different- she had encouraged him with a bit of magic so she wouldn't have to do much. But now...

She turned a sultry gaze onto Rai, waiting for him to make the first move. Her fingers twitched at her sides.

Dauner

 

[Dauner]

Dauner closed the door behind him, leaving the key on the table, before turning to Margot. Everything had gone pretty smoothly until now, but he still doubted. Not for lack of trust in the situation, or desire for it, but rather because that was just who he was. Dauner had experience betrayal and trickery far too many times to ever be able to consider letting his guard down. But he proceeded nonetheless, because that too was who he was. A man given to desire, and unafraid to take chances.

He took a step forward, extending his right hand over to her cheek, as his left hand gently caressed her waist, as he pulled her in, against his chest. His right hand then slid behind her head, which he slowly pulled closer to his, in an attempt to lock lips as he went for a kiss.

---

Margot​

 

[Margot]

This was working spectacularly. Rai wasted no time in moving towards her, putting one hand on her cheek and the other on her waist. She let him kiss her, and pretended to kiss him back, slowly sliding her arms around his back.

Patience. It would take patience and focus. Patience and focus and cunning and good acting. So she returned his desires, passion for passion, kiss for kiss, touch for touch.

She dragged her hands up and down his back and dug her fingers into his skin, hard enough to draw blood. Her mouth on his was just as intense, disguising the effect of Rai's blood on her skin as desire.

Behind her closed eyelids she saw flickers of his life, and it was a long one with many layers. He had indeed had many women, and he had also been lying when he'd said his name was Rai. She would need more of his blood to see anything else about him, but there was a huge looming shadow in his past that she couldn't make out and despite her instincts, she really wanted to.

So she continued to kiss him.

Dauner

 

[Dauner]

Dauner caressed the woman under his lips like a precious piece of glassware. Soft and tender was his touch, as though he feared breaking her. Yet passionate were his lips, as they rubbed against hers, with Dauner being all too oblivious of what it was she was planning. But whatever her end game was, he paid it no mind, He trusted his defences, from his thick skin, courtesy of both his demonic lineage and years of training, to his mental fortitude and barrier, the latter of which he'd created as a means of protecting his thoughts. That and his acting skills.

But then, he felt the sharp pain on his back, as Margot's nails attempted to dig into his flesh. However, the one thing Margot had failed to realise, was that his jacket was by no means an ordinary one. Simple and light though it seemed, it carried a thickness that would put some of the most sturdy and durable armours to shame. Why else would he go gallivanting into battle after battle with nothing more than a jacket atop his already simple cloths? Its magical nature, hard to detect, was something he trusted in.

The pain, however, would cause Dauner to break the kiss.

"Would you mind easing up on the nails a little" he'd say, putting up an act of holding in the pain.

---

Margot​

 

[Margot]

When he pulled back, she gave him a sheepish grin. "Sorry," she whispered, loosening her grip on him like he' d asked. She was sorely tempted to pull a knife on him but she would have to be patient.

Besides, there was something about the gentle way he kissed and held her that was different from any other men Margot had known. Usually, they could not wait to have their way with her, and did not mind if to get it they had to be rough. A girl who liked it rough was usually more fun, anyway.

She wondered if it was even worth it at this point. She had a mission to complete, and a dreadlord quitter who was up to no good.

Dauner

 

[Dauner]

Dauner felt her body relax in his arms, and he could only barely resist the urge to take advantage of the situation. He revelled in the feeling of her soft and sensual curves against him, and he desired nothing more than to have his way with her. Despite his apparent reservations, he was but a man, tied to lust, helpless against the lure of beauty.

However, he felt it best to stop at that, and not continue any further. He'd, after all, already got the information he needed, and knew what her mission was. Safe to say, he was somewhat assured it wasn't to any detriment to the order. Now, he could just call it quits, head back to the castle, put a few shadows on Falcner, and hand him over to the Dreadlords should his intentions be found to be nefarious in nature.

But, the keyword here is 'could'. And with Dauner being himself, instead, without letting go of the woman in his arms, leaned in for another kiss, maintaining the same tenderness with which he'd first held her.

---

Margot​

 

[Margot]

She could see hesitation in his eyes before he leaned back in. He kissed her tenderly, as if she might break into a million pieces if he was too firm with her. Again, Margot was pleasantly surprised. She let him kiss her and kissed him back. She tucked her mission into her back pocket for later. The chances that Falcner could do anything horrible right now were very low, so Margot wrapped her arms around her neck to deepen the kiss.

Suddenly, there was a hiss and then a bang as the door to the room they were in swung open. Margot pulled away from Rai- or whoever he was- and in the span of a couple seconds, had the intruder pinned to the wall, one of Margot's knives pressed against his throat. Her knee was pressed into his groin, threatening a world of pain from both his throat and his crotch if he tried to get away.

"Falcner," Margot growled, hating his pale skin and even paler hair. His dark eyes bored into hers. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Falcner replied, managing to smirk even in his situation. "Didn't they teach you to not leave a trail? It was easy to find the soldier you had manipulated and it led me straight to you. I shouldn't be surprised at your methods, sex appeal is really the only thing you've got."

Well shit. Margot figured if Rai hadn't been suspicious of her, he definitely would be now. "Aren't you so clever," Margot drawled in a deadpan voice. "You've just made my job ten times easier, you know. Now I've just got a few questions. Why did you leave, and what are you up to here?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," Falcner sneered. "You know nothing about the Sovereign Order. They're quite similar to the Dreadlords in fact, which is a nice bonus. Tell me, Margot, what do you think the Dreadlords would do if I assassinated their Supreme Monarch?"

Margot laughed, but Falcner's smirk didn't falter. "Oh you're serious? That's adorable. Tell me, Falcner, how were you planning on killing a militaristic order's leader and getting away with it?"

It was Falcner's turn to laugh. "Stupid girl. I don't plan on getting away with it, only stirring up enough trouble to bring both the Dreadlords and the Sovereign Order down. If a Dreadlord assassinates the Supreme Monarch, the Sovereign Order will declare war on the Dreadlords. Don't you love war?"

Dauner

 

[Dauner]

As Dauner and Margot shared a kiss, he could feel someone's presence slowly approaching the room. It wasn't anyone he knew, that much he could tell, but it was definitely someone here to ruin the moment, that too, was pretty obvious, seeing the subtle killing intent he was exuding. So, Dauner took advantage of the little time he had left, to relish the kiss.

Then came a banging on the door, which saw it swing right open, and Margot break the kiss, as she drew a knife and held it to the intruder's throat after pinning him to the wall. Whoever it was, he destroyed the lock on the door, and to Dauner, that was not cool. What was even less cool, was him interrupting them and ruining the moment, but Dauner was willing to forgive that part.

The following conversation would make it clear to Dauner that his presence in the room had yet to be noticed or acknowledge by the intruder. Or even Margot for that matter, who now acted like he wasn't even there, revealing what he'd already deduced. But it wasn't like she knew he'd deduced that yet, any way. All in all, the situation had turned from romantic to chaotic pretty quickly, and Dauner was not liking it one bit.

"Don't you love w-"

"Ahem" Dauner cleared his throat, before Falcner could finish his sentence, to get their attention. "Hi! I'm still here, and am quite interested in your conversation. Mind if I join in?"

Dauner was quite confident Falcner was yet unaware of his identity, given how only a very few knights under the rank of silver knight knew what he looked like.

---

Margot​

 

[Margot]

Margot did not turn her head when the knight behind her cleared his throat. Falcner paused mid-word and looked over Margot's shoulder at Rai. He seemed unphased that the man Margot had been kissing was still there.

"Sorry to interrupt," Falcner said, making it sound like he wasn't sorry at all. "But the woman you were so passionately kissing has been lying to you."

"He already knew that," Margot replied. "Give him some credit, he's smarter than he looks. Rai, you're a knight for the Supreme Monarch, aren't you? Well then, arrest this man." Margot went on, addressing the last part to the man behind her.

She would need to bring Falcner back to the dreadlords eventually, but she figured since he had been planning to assassinate Rai's leader, they ought to have first dibs on him. She was a bit relieved she had gotten him before he had done anything stupid.

Dauner

 

[Dauner]

"Oh no. Looks like I was seen right through" Dauner said playfully as he shook his head, looking like he was trying to pout with a sad look on his face, but failing. "And here I thought I was making myself seem dump enough. Or maybe that's what gave me away" he continued, looking thoughtful about what he'd just said. "Oh well, that doesn't matter any more, any way"

He walked over to the two, pausing to stare at Falcner's face rather intensely, turning to Margot after a few seconds. "Yup. He definitely looks like a bad guy". He adjusted himself, trying to strike a professional pose before continuing. "Initiate Falcner. Under the suspicion of intent to assassinate the Supreme Monarch, which is a direct violation of article 1, section 1, and article 7, section 1 of the sovereign charter, and are hereby charged with high treason against the Supreme Monarch, and against the order. As stipulated in section 7, article 1 of the sovereign charter, you shall have the right to a fair trial before the sovereign tribunal, where your guilt, and subsequent punishment, if found guilty, will be decided." he finished, taking in a deep breath. The words flowed off his tongue smoothly, as though he'd been rehearsing them every day.

"I always wanted to say those words" he finished, breaking the image of professionalism he'd just recently donned. He then looked at Margot, which made him think. If Falcner was indeed found guilty, which he (definitely) most likely would, he'd be executed by the order. But she'd probably want to take him back with her, wouldn't she. He shook the thought out of his head. They'll burn that bridge when they got to it. He then turned back to Falcner.

"Seriously though. You didn't really waltz into this room, confidently as you did, with no plan, did you?" Dauner implied, still not moving in to restrain Falcner just yet. "The question thus is... What game are you playing?"

---

Margot​