Private Tales To Coat Beauty in Terror

[Jana]

Central residence of House Sirl of Vel Anir

***
​

They were painting the ceiling above one of the halls in the northern wing of the residence, or, rather, re-painting it because the Lord Sirl had suddenly deemed it atrocious and in need of a complete transformation. Nobody dared to bring up the fact that Lord Sirl lived in the southern wing. It was also discussed only in whispers that the entrance in the Sirl treasury was in the northern wing, and that there had been long lasting rumors of spies trying to infiltrate the residence under the cover of servants or even guards.
Lord Sirl had dismissed them until a certain point. Until one morning he ordered to bring one of his many beloved artists with his apprentices to paint the ceiling. And it wouldn't have been all that surprising on its own, if Lord Sirl hadn't put not one, but several of his Dreadlords on watch in the hall.

To an outsider's eye it might have seemed as a paranoid gesture, but not one that you couldn't expect from a noble. Jana, who had been one of the Dreadlords ordered here, contemplated, that Lord Sirl had some kind of scheme in mind, one that she couldn't completely decipher yet. If one the artist's apprentices, a folk of young boys and girls trembling at the mere sight of a Dreadlord, or even the slightly less frightened artist himself were to turn out to be a spy, wouldn't they hide their intentions better than ever under the their watchful gaze (or magical senses), not daring to so much as breathe in the wrong direction?
Or, perhaps, it had nothing to do with it? Perhaps Lord Sirl simply did as was his custom: was a patron, who loved to shower his underlings in terror as much as in gold.
Jana couldn't be sure. In the end, all that was left to her was to do what was ordered to her perfectly, trusting Lord Sirl to see further than she could.

And so she stood there, near one of the walls, extending her senses to the entire hall, feeling the glow of many lives hovering near the ceiling, as well as those of her few fellow Dreadlords near her, and the usual guards further away. She had abandoned her staff for today, since it made a poor weapon indoors, leaving only her sword strapped on her hip.
She couldn't see the magnificence that all halls of House Sirl were famous for, but she could feel the fear pulsing through the air. As well as boredom and anticipation, which she could relate to. These would be long, long days until Lord Sirl would find a better occupation for them. If that would happen at all.

Vittorio Vespa​

 

[Vittorio Vespa]

"Boy! I know you're not leaning against my walls!" Lord Sirl could be heard calling from down the halls. Vittorio lazily removed his back from the wall of the northern wings, standing beside his colleague Jana. The two had previously only met in either House Sirl meetings and the one time they both fought against pirates. This current job had to be the most pointless and tedious.

Maybe there was something to it Vittorio could not himself grasp, but a repaint of his already luxurious treasury room? Not that many knew that it was indeed where it was kept. Himmary had let it slip to the young apprentice that this was indeed fact. His mentor was luckily heavily trusted by House Sirl and so information about it was often lent to Vittorio's ears as well. There was no sign of her today however. He wondered where she was.

His eyes glanced down at Jana in wonderment. Trying to decipher this girl was borderline impossible. He'd tried being friendly in the past for the sake of civility but she didn't seem to respond to it at all. Not that it was a bad thing, he actually enjoyed how withdrawn she was in comparison to some of the other Dreadlords from this house themselves.

"Vittttttoooooriiiiooooo."

Or the house members themselves.

"Hello, Jocelyn. Drunk already, are we?"

Jocelyn Sirl was the youngest daughter of the house and while she was strikingly intelligent and devious, she was often considered a bad egg. She could be found drinking, smoking, gallivanting with boys she shouldn't be, the works. She loved her work but seemed to detest her father and therefore acted a fool consistently. Jocelyn let out an uproarious laugh through the silent hallway at Vittorio's retort. Vittorio now being extremely uncomfortable and terrified as to how this would transpire.

"JOCELYN! CAN YOU NOT ACT LIKE A LADY FOR A SINGLE DAY?" Lord Sirl bellowed from across the hallway. Jana and Vittorio now stuck awkwardly in the center of their argument.

"OH I'M SOOOOOO SORRY FATHER, PERHAPS YOU SHOULD TELL ONE OF YOUR WHORES ABOUT IT!"

"YOU DO NOT SPEAK TO ME IN THAT MANNER! BEGONE FROM HERE WE SHALL SPEAK ABOUT THIS LATER!."

Jocelyn then making a crude gesture towards her father before turning around and waving to Vittorio.

"Come see me in my chambers some time, huh?" Vittorio looking straight ahead completely unaware of how to act in this scenario. Lord Sirl's eyes now planted on him with ferocity. Himmary was going to have a field day screaming at him.

Jana

 

[Jana]

She could almost feel the weight of the gaze of the apprentice next to her, but not a muscle in her whole body twitched in any sort of recognition that she had, indeed, noticed the attention directed at her. Blindness came in handy when you had to ignore certain things. As well as that, Jana had little worries about him at the moment. Oh, she had learnt quite a bit about Vittorio, him being an almost certain future Dreadlord of the House Sirl, but lazy chatter wasn't one of her ways of gathering information.
If they had to stay here for a long while, she could as well use this time to properly meditate. A luxury that Jana could rarely afford.

Or, at least, she could try to slip into the proper state of mind, until Lord Sirl and Jocelyn Sirl announced their presence, first by the flashes of familiar life on the border of her perception, then as voices, coming closer and closer. Jana buried a sigh in her chest, as she straightened herself even more, preparing for a scene that she was glad not to see. Hearing it was bad enough.

She would soon become surprised as well as slightly annoyed, as the youngest member of House Sirl called out the name of the young apprentice next to her. Interesting. She hadn't known that they were so close as to be this... familiar.

And soon Lord Sirl announced his presence as well, catching the two of them in the crossfires of loud voices. Jana always admired his ability to come into any situation as almost a completely different man. One day you would talk to him and be completely sure that he never spoke louder than in menacing whispers, the next one, like today, he would be yelling at one of his daughters with rage worthy of a bull.
Sometimes Jana wondered whether this man even had a true face. Maybe his inner flow could tell more, but she had never dared to take more than a short look. It would have been disrespectful, and if there was one man on this earth for whom Jana had never-ending respect, it was Lord Sirl.

As the scene folded out and it seemed that the poor apprentice might get the short end of the stick today, Jana finally decided to step in. It would be unfortunate to have Vittorio replaced by somebody who would like to annoy her with useless banter far more.
"Lord Sirl, everything seems to go on as planned so far," she spoke, lowering her head in a gesture that was far more polite than actually changing anything about her perception. "There have been no problems from any of the workers," she added, thus also avoiding the possible trouble that had almost broke out here from the members of the House itself.

"I would hope so," he replied, not taking his furious gaze off from Vittorio, but in a tone that suggested that Jana was at least somehow successful in distracting him. Not that she would ever think that truly distracting man was under her power. "I would also hope that you are treating your job and position here with full gravity. Wouldn't be much use putting Dreadlords here otherwise," there were very particular accents put in his sentences, and Jana didn't fail to see that they were a bit off from what one could expect.
On one hand, it could seem as if Lord Sirl was simply fussing over his overly luxurious treasury (or rather the hall leading to it), but on the other... Could it be a hint? That he had indeed put them here for a reason, and it was better to keep their focus intact.

"You needn't worry about anything, my lord," Jana nodded as much as her already bent neck allowed. She could sense all the workers in the room, and now she wouldn't let her attention be diverted as easily.
Had this whole scene been a cover for drawing some sort of a reaction? Or perhaps Jocelyn was just being herself. Both were equally possible.

 

[Vittorio Vespa]

Vittorio let out a deep sigh of relief when Lord Sirl finally turned and headed back to his post, his eyes having not left him any time prior. He desperately hoped the man didn't think the apprentice was laying with his daughter. But now thanks to Jocelyn's typical antics the rumor will probably float. It'd be best he just didn't worry about it much.

While familiar with the Sirl faces, he wasn't particularly liked by anyone here but Jocelyn. He was a Dreadlord after all. Most of which get a bad rap for just existing. He was no exception to that rule. As for the purpose of him being here, he couldn't figure it out. It was no secret that something was amiss but without words or images Vittorio was hardly a sleuth. He was a sword if anything.

He kept his eyes forward and spoke quietly,

"Jana, isn't it?" He set his hands in his pockets. "You've any idea as to why we're posted here today? Seems a bit mundane to literally watch paint dry."

 

[Jana]

As Lord Sirl left them to be again, soon enough disappearing from her immediate circle of perception, Jana relaxed a bit, if not in body, then mind. Dealing with the members of her House wasn't a particularly easy or pleasant thing to do, even if, for the most part, she had proven herself to be an asset valuable enough to be worth some sort of respect. Obviously, she had to receive her orders from her House, often Lord Sirl himself, and she was loyal to her post, but the minds of the noble were very different to those of simple warriors or even Dreadlords.
To put it shortly, it was different. Unnerving, having to constantly weight one's words. Even if Jana was quite good at it.

Vittorio speaking to her didn't come as much of a surprise, not after these events and, even more so, the time they had already spent here. She could feel his worry, his confusion and more layers of feeling that she couldn't quite put her finger on, not without going deeper than a surface look. And that he would certainly notice.
"Then, perhaps, young apprentice, one might presume that we aren't put here to watch the paint dry," she stepped back to her initial post, closer to the wall, tilting her head towards Vittorio. She kept her voice even, quite enough that others around wouldn't hear them. At least, if they weren't listening with a particular intent. Jana didn't just drop this hint like that, she monitored every other being in the room as she spoke.
So far, nobody seemed troubled.

"I would advise you to keep your alarm up. Would be sad to fail such an easy assignment, wouldn't it?" there was a distant shadow of a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

 

[Vittorio Vespa]

Her words caused a shift of his eyes towards her. Being called young was a definite surprise, considering her childlike appearance. Was she older than him? Bewildering. It didn't really matter just sort of caught him off guard. But she had a point. There must be some other reason they were here. As to why, besides this being the treasury, he was completely unsure. Yes, if Dreadlords were around then he didn't think anyone would be stupid enough to make some sort of action.

But was it really just preventative? Lord Sirl did not go on about his plots willingly, nor did he trust easy. Jocelyn's interruption seemed genuine based on her father's reaction, but was it actually deeper than that? It was impossible for Vittorio to figure the man out, which caused him great fear, as he could usually figure people out quite easily.

His eyes moved to the painters, and then the other guards. All stagnant and quiet. What the hell was he waiting for?

 

[Jana]

The apprentice seemed to have understood at least most of what she had tried to convey with her words, which was a good thing. Jana had little patience with idiots, especially young ones, who were too arrogant or impatient to learn. Maybe she really wasn't here in the worst company.

The silence was good for more than just not annoying her. As the lingering shards of their dialogue died down, sounds of the surrounding room started to stand out to her more and more. Jana didn't have unnaturally refined hearing, but being blind did make one to lean into other senses more, even if she had her own ways of sensing the world around as well. And right now there was a nagging on the edge of her hearing, as if there was something she should have been noticing but wasn't.
She tilted her head, hoping that Vittotio would take the cue to stay silent for a little bit more.

Jana listened, and listened, and... there it was!

Above them, in the wooden constructions the workers had put up, a series of thuds, leather hitting against the wood. A boot. The rhythm there wasn't obvious, it repeated itself many times, but the pauses between were random, allowing other sounds creep in between them. Dripping of paint, scraping of instruments, the faint sound of a brush brought over stone. And in the middle of it all, again and again, thud, thud, thud.
It wouldn't have meant much just so. People like this tended to have all sorts of nervous tics, and tapping one's feet wasn't the worst of it all. The rhythm could have been a coincidence. Yet, there was something else, thing that she couldn't hear but could sense with her magic. Faster than the thuds, a beating of a heart, pulsating light, a bright spot in her perception. It was almost unnoticeable. But there nevertheless.

Something was coming, she could feel the prediction crawling over her skin, even without divination.

Very slowly, she turned her head back to Vittorio. Then, with a fluid, deliberate movement, Jana laid her fingers on the hilt of her sword.
She was ready to bet that their boredom would be short-lived.

 

[Vittorio Vespa]

Vittorio tried his best to take note of the surrounding signs. The tapping caught his ears as well but it didn't strike him as important. The multitude of sounds more so played an orchestra to mirror his own boredom. Whatever Jana seemed to be deriving from this was far beyond his own comprehension. It was difficult for him to pay attention to things that didn't immediately put him or others in danger, or that he cared about in general. This job was neither.

However, it did catch his eye that Jana had moved her hand to her hilt, as did Lord Sirl's. They both were aware of something that Vittorio was clearly not. Regardless, he did the best he could to ready himself for anything that was to come. Keeping his peripherals on Jana's movements he let his sleeve fall over his arm, allowing his skin and flesh to peel back without anyone noticing. His hand skeleton fashioning its fingers into little knives as his magic channeled.

He his main eye sight went from each and every person in the hallway, looking for any sign of disruption.

 

[Jana]

Jana waited, she waited, breathing steady, body relaxed but ready to spring into action any second now. Would it be magic? Or a blunt, physical attack? Perhaps something else entirely? Whatever it was, Jana would be ready to reflect it, deal with the source of it. And not let anybody step even close to the treasury.

BOOM!

Just as she though that last thing, a loud sound erupted in the air, making most of the workers and guards jump in surprise, some of the men under the ceiling struggling to stay there. Jana just cursed under her breath. It had been a distraction!
"They're getting in through the opposite side," she was swift to go forwards, gesturing Vittorio to follow her.
The hall they were in had the heavy metal door that protected the treasury. On the opposite side there was only a stone wall, thicker than the most in the residence. But with all the Dreadlords currently standing here, others too far away to react, somebody had thought that they could manage get in through the wall.

"We'll need to get in," she turned to Lord Sirl, who was already nodding, expression grim. Perhaps he hadn't expected this as well.
Every second was precious now, and opening the heavy, enchanted door would take several of those.

 

[Vittorio Vespa]

It happened in a flash. The sound of an explosion, the rush of urgency sweeping across the faces of those unprepared. Even a look of surprise from Vittorio himself. He'd known he was waiting for something but he had no idea what it had been. Now, without warning, Jana was demanding he follow her footsteps. He did so without question as she was the only trustworthy person in the vicinity.

He rolled his sleeves as his weaponized body did not need hiding any longer. He watched as patient as he could to the door opening, turning to Jana.

"How many? Your determining will be more accurate than mine." He then went to Lord Sirl's side.

"What do you want boy?" He chided as he worked tirelessly on opening this immaculate gate.

"Nothing, my lord. Nothing other than the assurance that you don't take the first blow."

 

[Jana]

Patience was a virtue, or so they always told, and usually Jana wasn't the one lacking it. But now, watching how Lord Sirl opened the heavy metal doors, all in matters of few dozens of seconds, which seemed a lot longer, Jana found herself tense with the wait. She had to will herself back into a calm, collected state, and that said a lot about it. Perhaps the wait had gotten to her as well, now surfacing in a whirl of distracting emotions.

"Seven," she replied swiftly, barely even putting in conscious effort in determining the number of intruders. "Five inside, moving, two at the breach, still, slightly behind the wall," probably taking watch. Or making sure that there were at least few people covered in case somebody broke in through this side.
It seemed that they didn't quite know that House Sirl had her on duty here. That could be an advantage.

Jana nodded at Vittorio as he approached Lord Sirl, approving his decision to step in first. He could block the first attack, giving Jana the chance to determine full gravity of situation, their positions and possible routes of action before acting.
Routes of action... She tried to slip into the possibilities of the future, but reality wasn't a faithful companion today, leaving her with chaotic sounds and feelings. Curious. There were too many ways this could go. Truly curious.

As Lord Sirl finally opened the door, Jana made sure to guide him backwards, out of any possible immediate danger. Vittorio would have to deal with the first few seconds of their little battle. Or maybe it would be not so little after all.

The treasury was a wide room with low ceiling, built in between two different parts of the residence so that the walls surrounding it would be a thick as possible. It was visible now in the massive hole, gaping in one of them, revealing the Sirl winter garden.
Just as she had said, there were five people in the treasury itself, walking between the many supports for different artifacts and chests with undoubtedly very, very valuable possessions. They froze for a moment as the door opened, turning towards it.

In the next instant, five different knock-back spells flew at the now open door.

 

[Vittorio Vespa]

Seven intruders. That wasn't many, considering they were attacking a noble house. Which meant they had power. Whatever it may be. They were likely going to deal with some pretty tough customers but he had seen Jana fight and vice versa. He wasn't worried in the slightest.

Yet that frozen silence led to nigh disaster. The doors open and the spells incoming time seemed to slow itself down. The spells aimed straight for those in front. Spells that would hurt. He reacted without thinking, and shoved Jana out of the way. At the same time, he configured his hand back to its normal shape and shot his skeletal fingers forward.

All five spells caught Vittorio in the chest. His shirt was ripped to pieces, revealing no skin or flesh beneath the cloth, just a shiny silver skeleton. The hardening he had likely saved him, and due to it his finger bones were able to launch out and grab one of the mages neck. He stayed wrapped around him even as he hit the end of the hallway from the spells. His skin re-grafting as he forced himself up and his fingers seeming stretch to wherever he was pushed to.

He retracted them, pulling the mage by the neck at mach speeds. When he arrived before Vittorio, the apprentice delivered him a straight punch to the mouth with his bare, hard skeleton of a hand. The inertia caused the mans head to let out a booming crack, and he died instantly.

"GET THE REST! I'LL BE THERE MOMENTARILY!"