Private Tales The Viscosity of Blood

[Margot]

Margot almost yawned as Rai was speaking, his proclamation long-winded and fluffy.

I always wanted to say those words.

"Really," Margot muttered, not trying to hide how over it she was.

She turned her attention back to Falcner. "Good question," Margot said, not loosening her hold on the dreadlord quitter. She leaned in a bit, as if to whisper conspiratorially. "Personally, i don't think you should answer. Because then I would get to bleed you dry for your secrets."

She leaned back, the smile on her face nearly sadistic. She hadn't spent nearly enough time with Rai's secrets, and she thought she rather deserved to read Falcner's blood, for all the trouble he had put her through.

Margot enjoyed the conflicted look on his face. He could tell his secrets willingly and face the justice of the Sovereign Order, or he could let Margot bleed it from him, and he would still end up dead, but Margot would be happy. And gods forbid she be happy.

"You're not stupid, Margot," Falcner started, speaking slowly.

"What an astute observation." she said in a deadpan voice.

"I know you don't like having anyone tell you what to do. So why would you let the Dreadlords boss you around?"

"You're right. I'm not stupid. But you might be. It's not that simple, and you ought to know that by now. I'm not that simple, but I can forgive you for not knowing that by now. I always have a plan, Falcner, and I do what suits me. I'd rather not have the Dreadlords send someone to assassinate me because I got cold feet." She shot back. Was Falcner really trying to convince her to join him in overthrowing the Dreadlords? She thought about it and some pieces clicked into place.

"I'm not stupid. There's something off about that man, and I can't place it or figure out what it is, but I know he's up to something too. You're not the only one with a plan, Margot," Falcner replied cooly, glancing at Rai over her shoulder. "How can you trust him?"

Dauner

 

[Dauner]

Dauner could smell where the conversation was going, as Falcner would bring into question his motives and objectives. He wanted to burst into laughter, but he had a near perfect poker face. Instead, he settled with pointing some things out to Falcner, in a rather demeaning way. So he brought his right fist down on the palm of his left hand.

“Oh! I know this one” he declared. “This is where you try to turn her on me, with some rather well-chosen words, in an attempt to relieve the attention on you, and weaken, or even break, the trust we have for each other” he said, giggling some, as he finished. “Real smooth” he added, winking to Falcner.

Dauner then turned to smile at Margot. It would appear Falcner didn't really know this girl that well. Why else would he think she even remotely trusted him. Unless it was he, who had misread Margot.

“So you want to know why she should trust me, huh?” he said, turning back to Falcner. “It's pretty simple really. She shouldn't” he added blandly. “We only just met this morning, it would be stupid to trust anyone you've only known for that long. Instead, I prefer to think that it is better to trust in the situation you can understand, than in the stranger stuck in the situation with you. For instance, She can definitely trust that I won't be trying to harm her, because she knows I was definitely trying to get under her skirt” he paused for a second, as though in thought. “And would undoubtedly keep trying” he added.

“Well then, you've got your answer, and I've got mine. So I guess I should get down to arresting you now”, he said with a sigh, as though doing so would be quite the bother.

---

Margot​

 

[Margot]

Rai sure loved to hear the sound of his own voice. Margot heaved a heavy sigh, as if this whole situation was just a bother. "He's not wrong," she said to Falcner of Rai.

"Would you?" she said, this time to Rai when he said he would arrest Falcner. "My arm is getting tired." It wasn't, but it wouldn't hurt anybody to pretend.

She wondered if the Dreadlords would really be upset if she brought back Falcner's dead body. He wasn't helping anybody while he was alive. She supposed it would be best to just make sure, so she wouldn't get into any trouble. Or at least any more than she was already in.

Dauner

 

[Dauner]

“Sure!” Dauner responded with an affirmation, as he moved in to apprehend Falcner. But rather than holding him against the wall and cuffing his hands, or tying them, or even just restraining him in any way, he, instead, contented himself with throwing his arm over Falcner's shoulder.

He then pinched the flat part of the blade on Margot's knife, and pulled it away from Falcner's throat. “But let's not tempt the devil just yet” he remarked as he did it. It felt quite ironic to him, though, as he considered himself the devil, and true to the connotation, he'd considered pushing the knife, instead of pulling it. Why he considered that, is pretty much anybody's guess.

“Oh, don't give me that look” Dauner said to Falkner, who was now giving him a weird look. Understandably so. Dauner's actions weren't exactly those of someone trying to make an arrest. “You and I are going to have a lot of fun together” he added.

If Falcner wasn't already worried, now might be the time to start being so. Or maybe attempt an escape. But that could also very well be Dauner's ploy.

---

Margot​

 

[Margot]

Margot blinked at Dauner as he slung an arm around Falcner's shoulders. Falcner shot him a dirty look, which Dauner seemed to enjoy very much. In fact, Dauner was enjoying this a little too much, and Margot wasn't. She wasn't going to get to read any secrets from Falcner's blood.

Margot took a few steps back, lowering her knife to her side. "And now what's your plan," she said to Dauner. While Falcner did not look any more pleased about this situation than Margot, at least he had the decency to not attempt to escape.

"Do whatever you want to him, just leave all mostly in one piece until I find out what the Dreadlords want with him," she added.

Dauner

 

[Dauner]

Dauner shifted his gaze to Falcner, and paused for a second, before shifting it back to Margot.

“I guess I've got to take him to the castle” he said, sounding disappointed. “Honestly, I thought he'd try to escape. Then all I'd have to do was kill him, and save myself a lot of paperwork” he said, quite confident in his skills.

“Don't worry. I'm not known for dismembering my victims… I mean. The order's not known for being that brutal” he corrected himself, looking back to Falcner. “At worst, he'd just get hanged, and still very much be in one piece” he added. One could almost swear he was trying to provoke Falcner into attempting an escape.

He shifted his gaze once again back to Margot, almost looking regretful. “I'm assuming you'll be staying here till Falcner's judgement?” he inquired.

---

Margot​

 

[Margot]

Margot considered Rai's question before answering. "I suppose keep him alive long enough for me to get his secrets out of him. It could help both the Dreadlords and the Sovereign Order," she said with a sigh, but there was excitement in her expression as well. She loved secrets. "Once I have all his secrets, hang him and then I can take his body from there." She added.

"How soon will a trial happen?" She asked, making a show of hiking her skirt up and sheathing her dagger back in a hilt strapped to her thigh.

She really hoped Falcner wouldn't try and escape, she was growing bored already. But if he did, at least she'd have an excuse to just go ahead and bleed him out on the rug in the bedroom they were in. She thought a few splashes of red on the floor and walls could do wonders for the decorations and aesthetic of the room.

Dauner

 

[Dauner]

Dauner's eye slid down as Margot hiked her skirt. She was doing it way too brazenly to have a problem with him looking. Almost like she wanted him to look. At least, that's how it played itself in Dauner's head. At the end of the day, he was still a very lustful man, and one very much unashamed to let it show.

“The verdict should be in, in about a week. 2 at most” he said, answering Margot's question. It would at least take 2 days for a trial to be scheduled, and a few more for an investigation to yield any result. Then there's the hearing. Although one would suffice, more could be scheduled if the trial can't be concluded in the first. All in all, it would take some time, but not too much. The order prioritized speedy decision-making over bureaucratic drag.

“Well then” he said, turning to Falcner. “Let us be on our way”

---

Margot​

 

[Margot]

Margot did not miss Rai's lingering gaze on her legs, but it didn't bother her as much as it should have. She let her dress fall back down to the floor and ran her fingers through her crimson waves.

Two weeks. She would have to stay here for another two weeks before she could come home. She supposed it could be worse- she wouldn't have to work for those two weeks, so she could have some semblance of relaxation. And if Rai was still going to be here, it seemed her two weeks wouldn't be boring after all.

Margot kept her yellow eyes on Falcner as Rai began to lead him out of the room. She would follow them back into the main tavern and out into the town again.

Dauner