“I will hurt you for this. I don't know how yet, but give me time. A day will come when you think yourself safe and happy, and suddenly your joy will turn to ashes in your mouth, and you'll know the debt is paid.”
― George R.R. Martin, A Clash of Kings
Ashes to Ashes
Moderators: Bailey Raptis, JewellRavenlock
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JewellRavenlock
- Legendary Adventurer
- The Empress
- Posts: 2475
- Joined: Thu Apr 13, 2006 5:26 pm
- Location: Little Elfhame, Old Market
- Contact:
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JewellRavenlock
- Legendary Adventurer
- The Empress
- Posts: 2475
- Joined: Thu Apr 13, 2006 5:26 pm
- Location: Little Elfhame, Old Market
- Contact:
Her mouth tasted like ash. Dry. Stale. Old. It tasted like fire and death.
The paper crinkled as Ishmerai unfolded it and began to read, “Lady Empress, we regret to inform you--”
Jewell was no stranger to sorrow. It had been her constant companion for many years now. Her parents. Her children. Her marriages. Her life.
“On Wednesday, Ms. al Amat started an altercation with two other guests without provocation--”
Pain, death, and tragedy had dogged her footsteps.
“--resulted in considerable and costly damage to the bay of Dionysus.”
So why did this still hurt so bad?
“Although we have been unable to locate any debris, we must assume--”
The words were a buzzing in her ears. She stared at her reflection in the window, thoughts a million miles away. Far beyond the streets of Little Elfhame below. Beyond the city bustling with afternoon commerce. Beyond the woods and the spaceport into the autumn blue sky.
Are you out there?
“--wish to express our heartfelt condolences and our sincere hopes that this incident does not cast a pall over your meeting with Mr. L’Vanis tomorrow.”
The Empress ran her fingers across her forehead, digging them in hard to stave off the oncoming headache. It was no good. “I should have gone with you last night.”
“Mira,” the knight’s tone was kind. He set the letter aside on her desk. “You did not know.”
“But the messages yesterday... I thought it was a mistake.” She added in a miserable, quiet whisper, “I wanted it to be a mistake.” Jewell had soothed away any of her initial uneasiness in the Outback, in the ring, in the bottom of a tequila bottle, in Kal’s arms. She told herself that everything was fine. This was just a routine meeting. Nothing could happen to Lirssa. Not Lirssa. Please not Lirssa.
“Perhaps it is a mistake.”
“But the rumors.”
While Jewell had lost herself in body shorts and tequila kisses, Ishmerai had gone to work. The knight had prowled through countless Stars End dive bars last night. The rumor mill was churning.
Someone had blown a hole in the side of the luxury cruiser Dionysus after stealing a fortune from them.
Pirates had attacked Dionysus. Hundreds had died!
There had been an epic space battle against system invaders.
An entire fleet had entered system space, bent on taking over RhyDin.
A rogue space pirate had tried to attack Dionysus and had been foiled by RASG.
A local transport had been blown out of the sky by RASG pilots by mistake.
Some local hot shot pilot had flown into the sun.
“And what if that is all they are, rumors?”
Jewell had tried to tell herself that lie already. She had told it to Margo too when the girl arrived in Little Elfhame yesterday with her messages from Ortiz. It had been an easy lie to believe because they both wanted so desperately to believe it: Lirssa was all right; this was just some misunderstanding; if something really bad had happened, then they would have received word from Dionysus.
Now official word had arrived to snatch away false hopes, comforting lies, and empty reassurances.
She lifted her hand, resting it against the glass and curling her fingers into a fist. What had been the last thing she said to Lirssa? Something stupid, shallow, meaningless. She had been standing in her office doorway, and Jewell had wished her luck on the journey. They may have even made a joke; she couldn’t remember. It had been a conversation of polite courtesy, used to hide the tension that was still alive and well between them.
“Mira, I--”
“Please,” she stopped him, eyes still trained on the streets below. She couldn’t see anything through the blur of tears. “Just don’t.”
The paper crinkled as Ishmerai unfolded it and began to read, “Lady Empress, we regret to inform you--”
Jewell was no stranger to sorrow. It had been her constant companion for many years now. Her parents. Her children. Her marriages. Her life.
“On Wednesday, Ms. al Amat started an altercation with two other guests without provocation--”
Pain, death, and tragedy had dogged her footsteps.
“--resulted in considerable and costly damage to the bay of Dionysus.”
So why did this still hurt so bad?
“Although we have been unable to locate any debris, we must assume--”
The words were a buzzing in her ears. She stared at her reflection in the window, thoughts a million miles away. Far beyond the streets of Little Elfhame below. Beyond the city bustling with afternoon commerce. Beyond the woods and the spaceport into the autumn blue sky.
Are you out there?
“--wish to express our heartfelt condolences and our sincere hopes that this incident does not cast a pall over your meeting with Mr. L’Vanis tomorrow.”
The Empress ran her fingers across her forehead, digging them in hard to stave off the oncoming headache. It was no good. “I should have gone with you last night.”
“Mira,” the knight’s tone was kind. He set the letter aside on her desk. “You did not know.”
“But the messages yesterday... I thought it was a mistake.” She added in a miserable, quiet whisper, “I wanted it to be a mistake.” Jewell had soothed away any of her initial uneasiness in the Outback, in the ring, in the bottom of a tequila bottle, in Kal’s arms. She told herself that everything was fine. This was just a routine meeting. Nothing could happen to Lirssa. Not Lirssa. Please not Lirssa.
“Perhaps it is a mistake.”
“But the rumors.”
While Jewell had lost herself in body shorts and tequila kisses, Ishmerai had gone to work. The knight had prowled through countless Stars End dive bars last night. The rumor mill was churning.
Someone had blown a hole in the side of the luxury cruiser Dionysus after stealing a fortune from them.
Pirates had attacked Dionysus. Hundreds had died!
There had been an epic space battle against system invaders.
An entire fleet had entered system space, bent on taking over RhyDin.
A rogue space pirate had tried to attack Dionysus and had been foiled by RASG.
A local transport had been blown out of the sky by RASG pilots by mistake.
Some local hot shot pilot had flown into the sun.
“And what if that is all they are, rumors?”
Jewell had tried to tell herself that lie already. She had told it to Margo too when the girl arrived in Little Elfhame yesterday with her messages from Ortiz. It had been an easy lie to believe because they both wanted so desperately to believe it: Lirssa was all right; this was just some misunderstanding; if something really bad had happened, then they would have received word from Dionysus.
Now official word had arrived to snatch away false hopes, comforting lies, and empty reassurances.
She lifted her hand, resting it against the glass and curling her fingers into a fist. What had been the last thing she said to Lirssa? Something stupid, shallow, meaningless. She had been standing in her office doorway, and Jewell had wished her luck on the journey. They may have even made a joke; she couldn’t remember. It had been a conversation of polite courtesy, used to hide the tension that was still alive and well between them.
“Mira, I--”
“Please,” she stopped him, eyes still trained on the streets below. She couldn’t see anything through the blur of tears. “Just don’t.”
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JewellRavenlock
- Legendary Adventurer
- The Empress
- Posts: 2475
- Joined: Thu Apr 13, 2006 5:26 pm
- Location: Little Elfhame, Old Market
- Contact:
“Mr. L’Vanis.” Jewell stepped around her desk and offered the man her hand. “I’m so happy I could still find the time to meet with you today.”
“For me, it is a pleasure.” He took her offered hand and brought it to his lips.
Jewell cheeks didn’t even hint at a blush. She had been ready to meet the coxcomb. Lirssa had described L’Vanis as incredibly refined and extremely charming (when he wanted to be).
The Empress took that as a personal challenge.
She could be more charming, and she could use that charm to get exactly what she wanted.
It was a game. Just the kind she needed to keep her grief at bay. “Please, sit.” Jewell waved to the small seating area in her office. “We don’t need to stand on ceremony; I know you have come a long way.”
He smiled, choosing a seat on the small couch with views of Little Elfhame below. The streets were busy, full of late morning commerce, so different than what they had been only two years before when The Empress first set up shop. A few of the young ladies who worked for House of Summer were entering the Royal Rabble Club to work out. Rosemary stepped out of the apothecary, a delivery in hand. Éimhín, the courier, dashed down the street before entering the building they were in. He worked for Jewell now, as did many of the local businesses either directly or under contract.
“I had originally considered putting off our meeting all together considering recent events, but I couldn’t resist coming in person to express my condolences.” Jewell didn’t hesitate to sit next to him on the couch. Her legs, bare despite the cool weather and the short, black lace dress she wore, brushed against his when she crossed them. The way his eyes gravitated down was unmistakable.
“Yes, the loss of Lirssa has been a heavy blow to House of Summer. Good, trustworthy help is too difficult to find.” It hurt to talk about Lirssa as an object, to regulate her to nothing more than a business asset, something that could be replaced rather than an irreplaceable part of her life.
But The Empress was playing the game right now, and there was no room for sentimentality.
“It truly is.” He forced his eyes back up to her face and shook his head sadly with a remorse (over the trouble of finding good help rather than the loss of Lirssa) that only the rich and ridiculous could manage. “And while I would hate to force the discussion and handle this matter indelicately, I also do not wish to waste your time as I am sure you are very busy.” She nodded her acknowledgment. “Shall we get right to it and discuss the matter of our unconcluded contract and the price of repairs?”
“No need to hesitate. I’m sure you understand just as well as I that business must go on. But first, I owe you an apology! I’m a shameful host; I didn’t even offer you a drink.” Her hand briefly touched his knee as she stood. “What would you like, Gregory? Can I call you Gregory?” she asked over her shoulder as she walked over to the mini-bar.
“Certainly,” he paused, as if tasting her name on his tongue before trying it out for the first time, “Jewell.”
She smiled back at him before leaning down to choose a bottle of spirits. When she straightened up, it was deliberately slow, like she somehow knew his eyes hadn’t left her yet.
They hadn’t.
“Scotch okay? It’s from beyond the veil.”
His well shaped brows rose in surprise. “Absolutely. Though, if I didn’t know any better, I would think you were trying to drug me with one of your people’s famous aphrodisiac laden drinks.” She didn’t offer him any reassurances that that wasn’t her plan. Instead, she flashed him a rather daring grin and poured. When she came over to hand him his glass, their fingers brushed against each other.
There was more space between them when she sat down the second time, the better to allow him to gaze at her while he waited for her to drink first. There was plenty to admire: the low neckline of her dress; the barony ring nestled between her breasts; the tousled blue waves spilling over her shoulder that looked like she had come from the bedroom rather than the boardroom; and those warm, inviting grey eyes lined with thick lashes.
He needed that first sip of scotch to cool down. “Mmm that is very nice.”
“I’m glad you like it.” She gave him that smile that had taken her years of practice to perfect. It was slightly touched by glamour and engineered to make men’s pulses race. “Now,” she leaned towards him a little as if they were having a nice, confidential chat between friends, “about those repairs?”
“For me, it is a pleasure.” He took her offered hand and brought it to his lips.
Jewell cheeks didn’t even hint at a blush. She had been ready to meet the coxcomb. Lirssa had described L’Vanis as incredibly refined and extremely charming (when he wanted to be).
The Empress took that as a personal challenge.
She could be more charming, and she could use that charm to get exactly what she wanted.
It was a game. Just the kind she needed to keep her grief at bay. “Please, sit.” Jewell waved to the small seating area in her office. “We don’t need to stand on ceremony; I know you have come a long way.”
He smiled, choosing a seat on the small couch with views of Little Elfhame below. The streets were busy, full of late morning commerce, so different than what they had been only two years before when The Empress first set up shop. A few of the young ladies who worked for House of Summer were entering the Royal Rabble Club to work out. Rosemary stepped out of the apothecary, a delivery in hand. Éimhín, the courier, dashed down the street before entering the building they were in. He worked for Jewell now, as did many of the local businesses either directly or under contract.
“I had originally considered putting off our meeting all together considering recent events, but I couldn’t resist coming in person to express my condolences.” Jewell didn’t hesitate to sit next to him on the couch. Her legs, bare despite the cool weather and the short, black lace dress she wore, brushed against his when she crossed them. The way his eyes gravitated down was unmistakable.
“Yes, the loss of Lirssa has been a heavy blow to House of Summer. Good, trustworthy help is too difficult to find.” It hurt to talk about Lirssa as an object, to regulate her to nothing more than a business asset, something that could be replaced rather than an irreplaceable part of her life.
But The Empress was playing the game right now, and there was no room for sentimentality.
“It truly is.” He forced his eyes back up to her face and shook his head sadly with a remorse (over the trouble of finding good help rather than the loss of Lirssa) that only the rich and ridiculous could manage. “And while I would hate to force the discussion and handle this matter indelicately, I also do not wish to waste your time as I am sure you are very busy.” She nodded her acknowledgment. “Shall we get right to it and discuss the matter of our unconcluded contract and the price of repairs?”
“No need to hesitate. I’m sure you understand just as well as I that business must go on. But first, I owe you an apology! I’m a shameful host; I didn’t even offer you a drink.” Her hand briefly touched his knee as she stood. “What would you like, Gregory? Can I call you Gregory?” she asked over her shoulder as she walked over to the mini-bar.
“Certainly,” he paused, as if tasting her name on his tongue before trying it out for the first time, “Jewell.”
She smiled back at him before leaning down to choose a bottle of spirits. When she straightened up, it was deliberately slow, like she somehow knew his eyes hadn’t left her yet.
They hadn’t.
“Scotch okay? It’s from beyond the veil.”
His well shaped brows rose in surprise. “Absolutely. Though, if I didn’t know any better, I would think you were trying to drug me with one of your people’s famous aphrodisiac laden drinks.” She didn’t offer him any reassurances that that wasn’t her plan. Instead, she flashed him a rather daring grin and poured. When she came over to hand him his glass, their fingers brushed against each other.
There was more space between them when she sat down the second time, the better to allow him to gaze at her while he waited for her to drink first. There was plenty to admire: the low neckline of her dress; the barony ring nestled between her breasts; the tousled blue waves spilling over her shoulder that looked like she had come from the bedroom rather than the boardroom; and those warm, inviting grey eyes lined with thick lashes.
He needed that first sip of scotch to cool down. “Mmm that is very nice.”
“I’m glad you like it.” She gave him that smile that had taken her years of practice to perfect. It was slightly touched by glamour and engineered to make men’s pulses race. “Now,” she leaned towards him a little as if they were having a nice, confidential chat between friends, “about those repairs?”
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JewellRavenlock
- Legendary Adventurer
- The Empress
- Posts: 2475
- Joined: Thu Apr 13, 2006 5:26 pm
- Location: Little Elfhame, Old Market
- Contact:
“The bottom needs to go to Lamont and the top one out to the papers,” Jewell pushed the pile towards Anne. Since Lirssa was gone, Anne had received an unexpected promotion to Empress Assistant this morning. Jewell had to take over a lot of the responsibilities for Kids of Summer (in addition to all the work she already did for House of Summer), and she needed some help to keep things from falling to pieces. “And these can be filed,” Jewell gathered the papers together and tapped them on the desk before handing them over to the red-headed girl. “Got it?”
“Yes Lady Empress.”
“Just Jewell,” the faerie sighed after the girl as she left the office, shaking her head. Anne passed Ishmerai on his way in, shying away from the fearsome knight.
“So, will you be meeting with L’Vanis again tonight?” He asked his lady as he closed the door behind him.
“Nope.” She answered him without looking up, scribbling a note to herself. “It’s done.” Only then did she spare him a glance. Jewell had no smile though, not even for the way his eyes widened in surprise. She set her pen down and gave him her full attention. “As usual, Ishmerai, you underestimate my skills.”
“I did not think you were in here long enough for him to experience all of your charms.” She rolled her eyes and didn’t even deign to respond to that. The knight crossed the room and took a seat at her desk. “Come now, Mira. I know you do so love to brag. Tell me how it was settled.”
She hesitated a moment, glancing back at the pile of paperwork and chewing on the inside of her cheek. “Fine.” This was what she had an assistant for anyway, right? She sat down, slouched low in her chair; the weight of the last few days settled on her shoulders. “My new friend L’Vanis has agreed to our terms of trade.”
“At the inflated prices you showed me earlier?” She nodded slowly. Normally, she would be grinning, but all the usual pleasure had been sapped from the situation. “Unbelievable. What about the repair costs?”
“He will be covering the repairs to their ship. In addition,” she sat up and leaned forward, “he will be paying reparations to me for the loss of one of my most valuable employees.”
That was too good. “You must be jesting!” She shook her head no, slouching back again. Despite the depressing, unmentioned reality--that no amount of money could possibly replace Lirssa--Ishmerai had to laugh. “Mira, you are truly incredible at times.”
“I know.”
“And so modest.”
She shrugged. “The reparations were the tricky part. Once he agreed to that? The other stuff was just details. I do have to pack my bags though.” He raised his brow in question and she nodded, finally showing a hint of a smile.
“He invited you to Dionysus?”
“He invited me to Dionysus.” That had been a part of her plan since yesterday afternoon, but all their initial inquiries showed the luxury cruiser booked for months. “Apparently, I’ll be ‘a beautiful star amidst the stars,’” she imitated the fop before snorting. “I wonder how many times he’s used that line before?”
“Well done, Mira. Please just tell me you did not agree to go alone with him.”
“You insult me, Merai.” She sniffed delicately. “You should have seen him. The whole arrangement was rather comical. I dropped my hints so subtly about how stressed I was after this horrible week and all the trouble it has caused me. L’Vanis made his offer, surely hoping I would come alone. A weekend away on the cruiser was the answer to all my problems, you know? The poor man floundered a bit when I agreed that it sounded like just the thing and that my inamorato and I would just looove a weekend away.”
He smiled a little at the scene she described and the way she was willing to mock her own performance, but his tone remained serious. “I hope you do not intend for me to go with you and play as your lover. That worked so well the last time.”
She rolled her eyes. “I told you that you were acting too stiff. But no, we’re not trying that again. They know you as my knight anyway.”
He nodded, frowning. “You plan to ask Lord Ar’Din, then.”
“Already asked him.” He frowned. This was a part of the plan that she had not bothered to share with the knight. “We talked about it last night. You can’t deny that he’s well suited to the task, Merai. We don’t have to play at being lovers, and he’s sly enough to be useful,” she paused, “with the right incentive, of course.” The knight’s expression darkened. She knew he didn’t want to hear about whatever incentives she had offered to the shady half-elf, although Kal had been easier to negotiate with than expected last night.
“I do not like this at all. The situation is dangerous, Mira. You have no idea who or what could be waiting for you up there.”
Jewell tried her best to soothe his worries, “Don’t forget, Merai. Kal can get us out of there quickly if there’s trouble.”
“Get himself out, you mean.”
Jewell shrugged. She had a little more faith in Kal than that, although it was likely misplaced. “Be hell for him if he came back without me.”
The knight conceded grudgingly. “Does L’Vanis know why you really want to visit the ship?”
“Doubtful. You know I can play a role when I need to, Merai. He thinks I care as much for Lir as I do a speck of dirt on my heels.
But I’m not leaving Dionysus until I find out what really happened to her.”
“Yes Lady Empress.”
“Just Jewell,” the faerie sighed after the girl as she left the office, shaking her head. Anne passed Ishmerai on his way in, shying away from the fearsome knight.
“So, will you be meeting with L’Vanis again tonight?” He asked his lady as he closed the door behind him.
“Nope.” She answered him without looking up, scribbling a note to herself. “It’s done.” Only then did she spare him a glance. Jewell had no smile though, not even for the way his eyes widened in surprise. She set her pen down and gave him her full attention. “As usual, Ishmerai, you underestimate my skills.”
“I did not think you were in here long enough for him to experience all of your charms.” She rolled her eyes and didn’t even deign to respond to that. The knight crossed the room and took a seat at her desk. “Come now, Mira. I know you do so love to brag. Tell me how it was settled.”
She hesitated a moment, glancing back at the pile of paperwork and chewing on the inside of her cheek. “Fine.” This was what she had an assistant for anyway, right? She sat down, slouched low in her chair; the weight of the last few days settled on her shoulders. “My new friend L’Vanis has agreed to our terms of trade.”
“At the inflated prices you showed me earlier?” She nodded slowly. Normally, she would be grinning, but all the usual pleasure had been sapped from the situation. “Unbelievable. What about the repair costs?”
“He will be covering the repairs to their ship. In addition,” she sat up and leaned forward, “he will be paying reparations to me for the loss of one of my most valuable employees.”
That was too good. “You must be jesting!” She shook her head no, slouching back again. Despite the depressing, unmentioned reality--that no amount of money could possibly replace Lirssa--Ishmerai had to laugh. “Mira, you are truly incredible at times.”
“I know.”
“And so modest.”
She shrugged. “The reparations were the tricky part. Once he agreed to that? The other stuff was just details. I do have to pack my bags though.” He raised his brow in question and she nodded, finally showing a hint of a smile.
“He invited you to Dionysus?”
“He invited me to Dionysus.” That had been a part of her plan since yesterday afternoon, but all their initial inquiries showed the luxury cruiser booked for months. “Apparently, I’ll be ‘a beautiful star amidst the stars,’” she imitated the fop before snorting. “I wonder how many times he’s used that line before?”
“Well done, Mira. Please just tell me you did not agree to go alone with him.”
“You insult me, Merai.” She sniffed delicately. “You should have seen him. The whole arrangement was rather comical. I dropped my hints so subtly about how stressed I was after this horrible week and all the trouble it has caused me. L’Vanis made his offer, surely hoping I would come alone. A weekend away on the cruiser was the answer to all my problems, you know? The poor man floundered a bit when I agreed that it sounded like just the thing and that my inamorato and I would just looove a weekend away.”
He smiled a little at the scene she described and the way she was willing to mock her own performance, but his tone remained serious. “I hope you do not intend for me to go with you and play as your lover. That worked so well the last time.”
She rolled her eyes. “I told you that you were acting too stiff. But no, we’re not trying that again. They know you as my knight anyway.”
He nodded, frowning. “You plan to ask Lord Ar’Din, then.”
“Already asked him.” He frowned. This was a part of the plan that she had not bothered to share with the knight. “We talked about it last night. You can’t deny that he’s well suited to the task, Merai. We don’t have to play at being lovers, and he’s sly enough to be useful,” she paused, “with the right incentive, of course.” The knight’s expression darkened. She knew he didn’t want to hear about whatever incentives she had offered to the shady half-elf, although Kal had been easier to negotiate with than expected last night.
“I do not like this at all. The situation is dangerous, Mira. You have no idea who or what could be waiting for you up there.”
Jewell tried her best to soothe his worries, “Don’t forget, Merai. Kal can get us out of there quickly if there’s trouble.”
“Get himself out, you mean.”
Jewell shrugged. She had a little more faith in Kal than that, although it was likely misplaced. “Be hell for him if he came back without me.”
The knight conceded grudgingly. “Does L’Vanis know why you really want to visit the ship?”
“Doubtful. You know I can play a role when I need to, Merai. He thinks I care as much for Lir as I do a speck of dirt on my heels.
But I’m not leaving Dionysus until I find out what really happened to her.”
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JewellRavenlock
- Legendary Adventurer
- The Empress
- Posts: 2475
- Joined: Thu Apr 13, 2006 5:26 pm
- Location: Little Elfhame, Old Market
- Contact:
Jewell turned from the windows that made up almost the entire wall of their spacious suite. It was an impressive sight, stars that went on forever, but the faerie wasn’t much fonder of being in space than her companion.
And she was frustrated.
Interviewing Ortiz hadn’t yielded anything useful. Vague descriptions of the two men that had chased Lirssa and nothing about what had initiated the altercation. Spending time on the casino floor most of the previous evening had been even more useless. Jewell had easily struck up pointless conversation after conversation (filled with nothing but rumors more outlandish than the last) with the different patrons and staff while Kal had spent and then at least doubled her money.
“I guess we could go back to the tables again,” she admitted as she moved towards the couch. “I just don’t think we’re going to hear anything useful there.”
Being in space had him on uncharacteristically on edge. Kal distracted himself from the view out those giant windows, practicing sleight of hand tricks with a deck of cards he’d picked up at the gift shop. The king of diamonds between two fingers, then gone, then replaced with the king of spades. “I’m not convinced we’re like to find much useful in the places they allow us to go, darlin’. In my experience we either need to consider a private conversation with someone, maybe a lad close to Ortiz, where we ask somewhat more pointed questions,” the king of spades vanished to be replaced with a throwing knife that had come from gods know where, then it too vanished again having completed his innuendo, “or we explore some less public venues.”
Rather than be appalled at the suggestion and the more subtle implication, she grinned. “I like the way you think, handsome.” She poured herself a glass of scotch at the side table--there was a good supply of it in an attempt to make Kal more comfortable--before taking a seat next to him on the couch, her feet tucked comfortably beneath her. Her high heels had been abandoned in a location where he wasn’t likely to trip on them. Hopefully. “I may have already used just an itty bitty bit of glamour to make sure Ortiz was telling us everything he knew,” the admission was coupled with an apologetic smile. She wasn’t at all sorry she had done it, but maybe a tad bit sorry to kill his first idea.
“The less public venues are probably the smarter choice.” She swirled the liquid around in her glass, untouched. “I’ve been thinking about all the cameras they have set up in this place for our safety. There were cameras in the bar Ortiz works at. They’re in the hallways. They’ve got to keep records of stuff like that, right?”
He heard "cameras in the bar" and his first thoughts were how best to avoid them while picking out someone they would tort... question. He'd spotted at least two blind spots while in the casino last night and was pretty sure if he ducked just right when crossing past the bar on the left he could avoid his face being captured. She continued though and the rest of that train of thought was left to drop as he picked up on what it was she was thinking. "Security tapes. Aye, I suppose that's possible."
They had gotten a tour of the security center earlier in the day, so he knew where it was located and had a rough idea of how they secured it. Given it was the security station, he'd been somewhat disappointed at the time, but as it turns out that might work to their benefit. "Shouldn't be too hard." His mind vectoring through a few possible options.
"Let's head to the casino after all. Wear something that'll get attention, then you can pick out a random stranger for me to punch." He was grinning now, this trip to space suddenly becoming far more entertaining.
She got to dress up and incite violence? A girl couldn’t ask for much else, and it was certainly much more fun than glamouring everyone silly to get her way. Her laughter was full of delighted wickedness. “Like I said, I like the way you think.”
((Many thanks to Kal for working on this with me!))
And she was frustrated.
Interviewing Ortiz hadn’t yielded anything useful. Vague descriptions of the two men that had chased Lirssa and nothing about what had initiated the altercation. Spending time on the casino floor most of the previous evening had been even more useless. Jewell had easily struck up pointless conversation after conversation (filled with nothing but rumors more outlandish than the last) with the different patrons and staff while Kal had spent and then at least doubled her money.
“I guess we could go back to the tables again,” she admitted as she moved towards the couch. “I just don’t think we’re going to hear anything useful there.”
Being in space had him on uncharacteristically on edge. Kal distracted himself from the view out those giant windows, practicing sleight of hand tricks with a deck of cards he’d picked up at the gift shop. The king of diamonds between two fingers, then gone, then replaced with the king of spades. “I’m not convinced we’re like to find much useful in the places they allow us to go, darlin’. In my experience we either need to consider a private conversation with someone, maybe a lad close to Ortiz, where we ask somewhat more pointed questions,” the king of spades vanished to be replaced with a throwing knife that had come from gods know where, then it too vanished again having completed his innuendo, “or we explore some less public venues.”
Rather than be appalled at the suggestion and the more subtle implication, she grinned. “I like the way you think, handsome.” She poured herself a glass of scotch at the side table--there was a good supply of it in an attempt to make Kal more comfortable--before taking a seat next to him on the couch, her feet tucked comfortably beneath her. Her high heels had been abandoned in a location where he wasn’t likely to trip on them. Hopefully. “I may have already used just an itty bitty bit of glamour to make sure Ortiz was telling us everything he knew,” the admission was coupled with an apologetic smile. She wasn’t at all sorry she had done it, but maybe a tad bit sorry to kill his first idea.
“The less public venues are probably the smarter choice.” She swirled the liquid around in her glass, untouched. “I’ve been thinking about all the cameras they have set up in this place for our safety. There were cameras in the bar Ortiz works at. They’re in the hallways. They’ve got to keep records of stuff like that, right?”
He heard "cameras in the bar" and his first thoughts were how best to avoid them while picking out someone they would tort... question. He'd spotted at least two blind spots while in the casino last night and was pretty sure if he ducked just right when crossing past the bar on the left he could avoid his face being captured. She continued though and the rest of that train of thought was left to drop as he picked up on what it was she was thinking. "Security tapes. Aye, I suppose that's possible."
They had gotten a tour of the security center earlier in the day, so he knew where it was located and had a rough idea of how they secured it. Given it was the security station, he'd been somewhat disappointed at the time, but as it turns out that might work to their benefit. "Shouldn't be too hard." His mind vectoring through a few possible options.
"Let's head to the casino after all. Wear something that'll get attention, then you can pick out a random stranger for me to punch." He was grinning now, this trip to space suddenly becoming far more entertaining.
She got to dress up and incite violence? A girl couldn’t ask for much else, and it was certainly much more fun than glamouring everyone silly to get her way. Her laughter was full of delighted wickedness. “Like I said, I like the way you think.”
((Many thanks to Kal for working on this with me!))
-
JewellRavenlock
- Legendary Adventurer
- The Empress
- Posts: 2475
- Joined: Thu Apr 13, 2006 5:26 pm
- Location: Little Elfhame, Old Market
- Contact:
It took almost two hours before they actually found their way back to the casino floor. Wearing something that would attract attention inevitably got Kal’s as well, but at least she knew her choice of dress was effective. Very effective. Backless, sleeveless, cut down to her navel and up past mid-thigh, Jewell didn’t need a smidge of magic to turn heads.
But the shimmer of gold on her eyes and shoulders was likely bespelled anyway.
As Kal took a seat to play cards, she bent over his shoulder to kiss his cheek and draw the attention of every other man at the table. “I’m going to get a drink.” It would have been easier just to order from one of the numerous servers, but this way she had to pass by two other tables full of players and could have her pick of a victim.
Lingering at the bar while the tender prepared her drink, she mused over whether the tall brunette or the burly bald guy would work best. She checked out the bartender, but decided he was too old. Lost in thought, she didn’t even notice the man behind her until he settled his hand on her hip and his lips close to her ear. “Buy you a drink, luv?”
Jewell jumped at the unexpected touch and his closeness. She really didn’t care for strangers putting their hands on her these days, not after her time in the Temple of the Divine Mother last winter. Unfortunately, she wasn’t the one who was supposed to punch a guy in the face, so she quickly suppressed her initial reaction and uncurled her fist. With a bit of breathy, embarrassed laughter, she twisted around to face her admirer. He was shorter than her half-elf companion, although he still loomed over her, and a little on the puny side. Hardly a challenge for Kal, but at least he wouldn’t give him much trouble.
And he had clearly volunteered for the job when he touched her without consent.
“Oh no, I’m good.” The faerie flashed him a tentative, nervous smile. Few people would dare call The Empress a damsel in distress, but she knew how to play the role of vulnerable female well enough. “I was just going to take my drink and--”
He took a step closer, cutting off her excuse and any retreat by forcing her back up against the bar. Then he brushed a piece of blue hair off her face. “Maybe dinner then? Or perhaps just desert? Pretty thing like you shouldn’t be alone.”
It took a lot of restraint not to break his stupid nose right then and there, and she did her best not to gag on the scent of the sweet liquor he must have been drowning himself in prior to accosting her. Instead, she laughed uneasily. “Well aren’t you sweet? Unfortunately, I really am good at the moment.” His eyes widened as she moved quicker than expected, twisting smoothly to the side to escape him.
Full point for a fancy side step perfectly executed.
“Another time, perhaps.” She brushed past him to return to the table, abandoning her drink on the bartop. She’d get another.
But then he wrapped his hand around her wrist to stop her.
That’s when things got a little messy.
But the shimmer of gold on her eyes and shoulders was likely bespelled anyway.
As Kal took a seat to play cards, she bent over his shoulder to kiss his cheek and draw the attention of every other man at the table. “I’m going to get a drink.” It would have been easier just to order from one of the numerous servers, but this way she had to pass by two other tables full of players and could have her pick of a victim.
Lingering at the bar while the tender prepared her drink, she mused over whether the tall brunette or the burly bald guy would work best. She checked out the bartender, but decided he was too old. Lost in thought, she didn’t even notice the man behind her until he settled his hand on her hip and his lips close to her ear. “Buy you a drink, luv?”
Jewell jumped at the unexpected touch and his closeness. She really didn’t care for strangers putting their hands on her these days, not after her time in the Temple of the Divine Mother last winter. Unfortunately, she wasn’t the one who was supposed to punch a guy in the face, so she quickly suppressed her initial reaction and uncurled her fist. With a bit of breathy, embarrassed laughter, she twisted around to face her admirer. He was shorter than her half-elf companion, although he still loomed over her, and a little on the puny side. Hardly a challenge for Kal, but at least he wouldn’t give him much trouble.
And he had clearly volunteered for the job when he touched her without consent.
“Oh no, I’m good.” The faerie flashed him a tentative, nervous smile. Few people would dare call The Empress a damsel in distress, but she knew how to play the role of vulnerable female well enough. “I was just going to take my drink and--”
He took a step closer, cutting off her excuse and any retreat by forcing her back up against the bar. Then he brushed a piece of blue hair off her face. “Maybe dinner then? Or perhaps just desert? Pretty thing like you shouldn’t be alone.”
It took a lot of restraint not to break his stupid nose right then and there, and she did her best not to gag on the scent of the sweet liquor he must have been drowning himself in prior to accosting her. Instead, she laughed uneasily. “Well aren’t you sweet? Unfortunately, I really am good at the moment.” His eyes widened as she moved quicker than expected, twisting smoothly to the side to escape him.
Full point for a fancy side step perfectly executed.
“Another time, perhaps.” She brushed past him to return to the table, abandoning her drink on the bartop. She’d get another.
But then he wrapped his hand around her wrist to stop her.
That’s when things got a little messy.
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Kalamere
- Black Wizard
- Devil's Advocate
- Posts: 1824
- Joined: Mon Oct 31, 2005 10:45 pm
- Location: Dragon's Gate
- Contact:
I blinked a couple times as my eyes came back into focus. Bleary vision clearing slowly, I could make out the bars of the holding cell around the same time the headache pounded its way into my consciousness and the muscles in my back where the stun baton had struck screamed in protest as I moved. I hadn't counted on the baton. I hadn't counted on the guy I clocked having a pair of friends jump in either, but the black eye that I was sure to come out of this with wasn't nearly so bad as the far-too-many-volts-to-be-healthy (that's a technical measurement) the security goon delivered when he showed up to break us apart. It was supposed to be a simple "Bad elf, come with us." arrest and detention.
On the bright side I was where I wanted to be. I know, the holding cell of a pleasure space liner sounds less than glamorous, but I had my reasons. And in truth the cell wasn't that bad. There was a nice padded bench and even a pillow, plus a TV built into the wall. Real incarceration would be done in cells a few levels down. This one was more the playboy drunk tank. A place to get high value guests out of sight while their senses or sobriety came back, not a place to lock up somebody truly dangerous.
The other nice bit about my current location, and the whole reason I started a fight to get in here in the first place, was that it shared space with the surveillance desk. Two guards sitting at a bank of monitors watching over the casino floor and the bar area primarily, but with two dozen tunable screens they could rotate to anything on the station. What they couldn’t see? Me. No cameras inside the security center. Crazy, right?
For a moment I considered just trying to bribe the guards into getting me the footage. These guys are notoriously underpaid and I’m sure that would have worked, but I was still pretty peeved over the stun baton and just happened to notice a few spare on the inventory rack by the door. Also lacking in the security center? Anti-magic wards. Seriously, who were these people?
Of course most magic can be hard to pull off in space due to a lack of ley lines to repower from. This probably explained not having wards and was going to make my life a little more difficult. I had to be pretty precise with the spellwork and give up our easy ticket back to RhyDin proper once I’d spent what stored magic I had. I might have forgotten to mention that part of the plan to Jewell. In all, I needed enough to bring up two portals within eyeshot distance and then a very small, very brief one back to RhyDin, so it wasn’t exactly magical gymnastics. The only trick was forming the first two in a way that didn’t disperse the air so rapidly it caused noise. I refer you to Night Crawler. Not stealthy.
Portal one: reach through and very quietly grab a pair of those stun batons. Portal two: apply newly acquired electrical force to the base of the skull on each guard. This, naturally, to be done after turning them up to as high a voltage as they allowed. There was a bit of smoke and the scent of burnt hair as both guards fell over, crumpling out of their chairs and onto the floor. They’d live. Well, I thought they probably would anyway. The odds were reasonably not bad.
Once the guards were down, I grabbed a set of keys off one and closed the portal down after drawing my arms back through. The next steps were pretty straight forward, getting footage off the computers and covering my tracks a bit I’m not really a technical guy. Back on my world ‘medical advancements’ means breeding bigger leeches. But I’ve been in RhyDin long enough to pick up a few things, so I was able to navigate the computer terminals well enough to find the footage Jewell wanted and copy it to a drive. I got a couple of the surrounding days from the same camera banks since it was a sizable drive and I didn’t know exactly what might be useful to her. Then, to hopefully throw investigations off my scent, I shutdown the cameras overlooking the large stakes poker table and the entrance to the back room vault. I also found a control for the laser grid covering the floor of the safe room and turned that off too. Let them take a couple days to do inventory and figure out nothing had actually been stolen.
After wiping away my prints and replacing the batons, I dropped the drive through a portal to Jewell’s desk back in Little Elfhame and then locked myself back in the holding cell. The Dionysus moves and moves fast, so I couldn’t just open a portal to her suite and drop it there, I had no frame of reference for where it might be now. She’d have to wait to view it until we got back to RhyDin.
I tuned the TV to the Universal Sports Network and grabbed the pillow as I lie back down on the bench. Tomorrow was going to be a long day of questioning over the break in that just happened. I figured I should get a good night’s sleep and think up just what it is Jewell was going to owe me for this.
On the bright side I was where I wanted to be. I know, the holding cell of a pleasure space liner sounds less than glamorous, but I had my reasons. And in truth the cell wasn't that bad. There was a nice padded bench and even a pillow, plus a TV built into the wall. Real incarceration would be done in cells a few levels down. This one was more the playboy drunk tank. A place to get high value guests out of sight while their senses or sobriety came back, not a place to lock up somebody truly dangerous.
The other nice bit about my current location, and the whole reason I started a fight to get in here in the first place, was that it shared space with the surveillance desk. Two guards sitting at a bank of monitors watching over the casino floor and the bar area primarily, but with two dozen tunable screens they could rotate to anything on the station. What they couldn’t see? Me. No cameras inside the security center. Crazy, right?
For a moment I considered just trying to bribe the guards into getting me the footage. These guys are notoriously underpaid and I’m sure that would have worked, but I was still pretty peeved over the stun baton and just happened to notice a few spare on the inventory rack by the door. Also lacking in the security center? Anti-magic wards. Seriously, who were these people?
Of course most magic can be hard to pull off in space due to a lack of ley lines to repower from. This probably explained not having wards and was going to make my life a little more difficult. I had to be pretty precise with the spellwork and give up our easy ticket back to RhyDin proper once I’d spent what stored magic I had. I might have forgotten to mention that part of the plan to Jewell. In all, I needed enough to bring up two portals within eyeshot distance and then a very small, very brief one back to RhyDin, so it wasn’t exactly magical gymnastics. The only trick was forming the first two in a way that didn’t disperse the air so rapidly it caused noise. I refer you to Night Crawler. Not stealthy.
Portal one: reach through and very quietly grab a pair of those stun batons. Portal two: apply newly acquired electrical force to the base of the skull on each guard. This, naturally, to be done after turning them up to as high a voltage as they allowed. There was a bit of smoke and the scent of burnt hair as both guards fell over, crumpling out of their chairs and onto the floor. They’d live. Well, I thought they probably would anyway. The odds were reasonably not bad.
Once the guards were down, I grabbed a set of keys off one and closed the portal down after drawing my arms back through. The next steps were pretty straight forward, getting footage off the computers and covering my tracks a bit I’m not really a technical guy. Back on my world ‘medical advancements’ means breeding bigger leeches. But I’ve been in RhyDin long enough to pick up a few things, so I was able to navigate the computer terminals well enough to find the footage Jewell wanted and copy it to a drive. I got a couple of the surrounding days from the same camera banks since it was a sizable drive and I didn’t know exactly what might be useful to her. Then, to hopefully throw investigations off my scent, I shutdown the cameras overlooking the large stakes poker table and the entrance to the back room vault. I also found a control for the laser grid covering the floor of the safe room and turned that off too. Let them take a couple days to do inventory and figure out nothing had actually been stolen.
After wiping away my prints and replacing the batons, I dropped the drive through a portal to Jewell’s desk back in Little Elfhame and then locked myself back in the holding cell. The Dionysus moves and moves fast, so I couldn’t just open a portal to her suite and drop it there, I had no frame of reference for where it might be now. She’d have to wait to view it until we got back to RhyDin.
I tuned the TV to the Universal Sports Network and grabbed the pillow as I lie back down on the bench. Tomorrow was going to be a long day of questioning over the break in that just happened. I figured I should get a good night’s sleep and think up just what it is Jewell was going to owe me for this.
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JewellRavenlock
- Legendary Adventurer
- The Empress
- Posts: 2475
- Joined: Thu Apr 13, 2006 5:26 pm
- Location: Little Elfhame, Old Market
- Contact:
Jewell set her bags down in the foyer with a “oomph!” and then quickly shook her arm out. She really regretted turning down Kal’s offer of bringing the bags upstairs for her, but the poor man had already had a rough weekend. “Merai?” she called out, weary and heartsore.
The knight appeared from the direction of the kitchen. “Mira.” He looked her over once, making sure Kalamere had returned her safe and sound. “Anything?”
She shook her head as she lowered her chin, focused on kicking off her high heels and losing a good five inches of height. “Sent a security guard to the infirmary.”
It had been easy enough to stay out of the casino fight, although she was still sorry that she hadn’t been the one to punch the guy in the face. Even when the other two men jumped in against Kal, Jewell had stayed back, feigning horror.
But she had quickly lost her cool when the overzealous security guard had stunned the half-elf.
“They said I broke his wrist and may have done permanent damage to his windpipe.” She nudged her shoes somewhat out of the way.
The knight sighed. “Anything useful?”
She dug into the bag on top of the suitcase, pulling out the drive she had retrieved from her desk on the way upstairs. “Security recordings for when Lir--” Jewell hesitated, struggling to say the words aloud, “went missing.”
“For the whole ship?”
“Mmhm.”
“Impressive, Mira.”
“You can thank Kal for this one. He was indispensably helpful.” Jewell could have probably pulled it off on her own, but Kal’s way had been pretty efficient.
A little violent but efficient!
“Well, at least he was useful.” His tone was hardly glowing with approval, as it had been when he thought she had been the one to secure the recordings. There was likely nothing Kal could ever do to earn the knight’s friendship, but he showed begrudging respect for the half-elf’s skills at times. “Is there anything helpful on there?”
“I don’t know yet.” He followed her as she padded into the living room and collapsed onto the nearest couch. “We’re going to have to go visit Acid Burn this morning.”
“We?”
“Yes, we.” Any other time, she would have been extremely diverted by the expression on his face. Today, she was too busy thinking of the next step. She was trying to order her thoughts and focus on what needed to be done. Dionysus, although technically work, had been a diversion from reality.
She was back in RhyDin now and Lirssa was still dead.
He took a seat across from her. “And after that?”
“Depends on what we find on the recordings. We’ll have to talk to Janel. There was definitely someone chasing Lir. I want her to Find them.”
“And if she cannot? You have to realize, Mira, that they would be rather stupid to return to RhyDin.”
“Then… I don’t know.” She collapsed forward, digging her elbows into her thighs and scrubbing at her face with her hands. “I have to keep looking even if… even though Lirssa’s not coming back. I just… I want some answers?” The faerie looked up at her knight beseechingly. “Something?” Her desperation was clear. “Who did this? Why? Why Lirssa?”
She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter if Janel can’t Find these people. I’ll call in every favor I’m owed and then some until I get a lead.”
He nodded. “All right.” The knight knew better than to argue with her when she set her mind to something. “Perhaps you should rest before we go out? You look… tired,” he finished lamely.
Jewell laughed a little, releasing some of the tension building up inside. “I am tired, but no. I’m going to shower and then--” she was interrupted by a big yawn. “Unh, then I want to catch Acid Burn early because you know she likes to sleep during the day. And at some point, I’m going to need to talk to Aric. I can’t put that off even for a nap.”
There was no use arguing with that either. He knew the young man deserved to be told what had transpired. “I will go make coffee.”
The look she gave him was pure, adoring love. “You’re the best, Merai. Don’t let me ever tell you different.”
The knight appeared from the direction of the kitchen. “Mira.” He looked her over once, making sure Kalamere had returned her safe and sound. “Anything?”
She shook her head as she lowered her chin, focused on kicking off her high heels and losing a good five inches of height. “Sent a security guard to the infirmary.”
It had been easy enough to stay out of the casino fight, although she was still sorry that she hadn’t been the one to punch the guy in the face. Even when the other two men jumped in against Kal, Jewell had stayed back, feigning horror.
But she had quickly lost her cool when the overzealous security guard had stunned the half-elf.
“They said I broke his wrist and may have done permanent damage to his windpipe.” She nudged her shoes somewhat out of the way.
The knight sighed. “Anything useful?”
She dug into the bag on top of the suitcase, pulling out the drive she had retrieved from her desk on the way upstairs. “Security recordings for when Lir--” Jewell hesitated, struggling to say the words aloud, “went missing.”
“For the whole ship?”
“Mmhm.”
“Impressive, Mira.”
“You can thank Kal for this one. He was indispensably helpful.” Jewell could have probably pulled it off on her own, but Kal’s way had been pretty efficient.
A little violent but efficient!
“Well, at least he was useful.” His tone was hardly glowing with approval, as it had been when he thought she had been the one to secure the recordings. There was likely nothing Kal could ever do to earn the knight’s friendship, but he showed begrudging respect for the half-elf’s skills at times. “Is there anything helpful on there?”
“I don’t know yet.” He followed her as she padded into the living room and collapsed onto the nearest couch. “We’re going to have to go visit Acid Burn this morning.”
“We?”
“Yes, we.” Any other time, she would have been extremely diverted by the expression on his face. Today, she was too busy thinking of the next step. She was trying to order her thoughts and focus on what needed to be done. Dionysus, although technically work, had been a diversion from reality.
She was back in RhyDin now and Lirssa was still dead.
He took a seat across from her. “And after that?”
“Depends on what we find on the recordings. We’ll have to talk to Janel. There was definitely someone chasing Lir. I want her to Find them.”
“And if she cannot? You have to realize, Mira, that they would be rather stupid to return to RhyDin.”
“Then… I don’t know.” She collapsed forward, digging her elbows into her thighs and scrubbing at her face with her hands. “I have to keep looking even if… even though Lirssa’s not coming back. I just… I want some answers?” The faerie looked up at her knight beseechingly. “Something?” Her desperation was clear. “Who did this? Why? Why Lirssa?”
She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter if Janel can’t Find these people. I’ll call in every favor I’m owed and then some until I get a lead.”
He nodded. “All right.” The knight knew better than to argue with her when she set her mind to something. “Perhaps you should rest before we go out? You look… tired,” he finished lamely.
Jewell laughed a little, releasing some of the tension building up inside. “I am tired, but no. I’m going to shower and then--” she was interrupted by a big yawn. “Unh, then I want to catch Acid Burn early because you know she likes to sleep during the day. And at some point, I’m going to need to talk to Aric. I can’t put that off even for a nap.”
There was no use arguing with that either. He knew the young man deserved to be told what had transpired. “I will go make coffee.”
The look she gave him was pure, adoring love. “You’re the best, Merai. Don’t let me ever tell you different.”
-
JewellRavenlock
- Legendary Adventurer
- The Empress
- Posts: 2475
- Joined: Thu Apr 13, 2006 5:26 pm
- Location: Little Elfhame, Old Market
- Contact:
There were several monitors and screens in the dimly lit room. Each of them showed the same thing from different angles: the Motley Moxie disappearing into the sun.
Jewell, eyes narrowed as she watched the recordings Kal had so kindly obtained for her, leaned against the back of Acid Burn’s beat up chair. The girl’s real name was Kate. She was a twenty-something human with square glasses, pale skin that rarely saw the light of day, and short, dark hair. Her fingers whirred over the keyboard, in between quick sips of some sugary drink from a can, playing the Motley Moxie’s demise over and over again as requested.
Ishmerai stood in the center of the room, as far away from all the technology as he could. After the tenth loop of the recording, he cleared his throat loudly enough to break Jewell out of her stupor. “Enough,” she told Kate as she straightened out of her lean, her voice thick with emotion. It was hard to see in the dark room illuminated only by computer screens, but there was the glimmer of tears in her eyes. “Go back to the bar part. I want to see that again.”
Kate obeyed unquestioningly. They watched Lirssa sit down and chat with Ortiz in the same bar where she and Kal had dined on Saturday. They watched the two men join Lir. Jewell touched the one screen, “There. Stop it. See? He grabbed her arm. And you can see from her body language that she was already defensive.” Not for the first time, Jewell vented her frustration, “I wish we could hear what they said to her. Useless technology.” Kate just smiled, used to such outbursts from the faerie. “Can we follow her through the hallways again?”
“Sure thing, Empress.” Kate opened up several cameras at once on the different monitors so they could see Lir run from the bar, dash towards an elevator, and finally dart through the bay. “There anything else you wanted to see?”
“No. Not now.” She ran her hand through her hair, trying to think. “Is there a way for you to like… watch the video without watching it all?”
Kate rocked back in her seat, spinning it about so she could face Jewell and Ishmerai. “Maybe. Depends what you’re lookin’ for.”
“I want to see what those guys were doing before they ran into Lir.”
“Oh yeah, no problem. I’ve got some new facial recognition program that uses--”
“Kate.”
The girl’s eager smile turned bashful. “Sorry Empress.” She knew Jewell could care less about how it worked. She just wanted to know that it would work. “Sure, I can do that for you.”
“Can you also make their faces bigger when they’re in the bar? And the guy in the bay too. I want printed copies of them.”
“Yep.” Kate didn’t even hesitate, spinning back to her keyboard and opening some program on one of her monitors to work on the task. “Anything else?”
“Two copies of the recordings made.” Kate only nodded, clicking on another screen and plugging two additional drives into one of her “contraptions” as Jewell would call them.
“Two?” Ishmerai asked.
Jewell looked over her shoulder at him. “Yeah. I can’t be the only person who wants to see this. Aric might. Cane might. I don’t know who else. But I’m going to bring one of them to Matt and Koy later.”
“Ahh,” the knight nodded. “The space pilot.”
She flashed him a smile for following her line of thought.
The printer whirred, spitting out a series of images, enlarged and clarified as much as Kate could manage. “How do these look, Empress?” She handed one off to Jewell.
She held it up, scowling at the man who had grabbed Lirssa in the bay.
The last person to see her alive.
“Perfect.”
Jewell, eyes narrowed as she watched the recordings Kal had so kindly obtained for her, leaned against the back of Acid Burn’s beat up chair. The girl’s real name was Kate. She was a twenty-something human with square glasses, pale skin that rarely saw the light of day, and short, dark hair. Her fingers whirred over the keyboard, in between quick sips of some sugary drink from a can, playing the Motley Moxie’s demise over and over again as requested.
Ishmerai stood in the center of the room, as far away from all the technology as he could. After the tenth loop of the recording, he cleared his throat loudly enough to break Jewell out of her stupor. “Enough,” she told Kate as she straightened out of her lean, her voice thick with emotion. It was hard to see in the dark room illuminated only by computer screens, but there was the glimmer of tears in her eyes. “Go back to the bar part. I want to see that again.”
Kate obeyed unquestioningly. They watched Lirssa sit down and chat with Ortiz in the same bar where she and Kal had dined on Saturday. They watched the two men join Lir. Jewell touched the one screen, “There. Stop it. See? He grabbed her arm. And you can see from her body language that she was already defensive.” Not for the first time, Jewell vented her frustration, “I wish we could hear what they said to her. Useless technology.” Kate just smiled, used to such outbursts from the faerie. “Can we follow her through the hallways again?”
“Sure thing, Empress.” Kate opened up several cameras at once on the different monitors so they could see Lir run from the bar, dash towards an elevator, and finally dart through the bay. “There anything else you wanted to see?”
“No. Not now.” She ran her hand through her hair, trying to think. “Is there a way for you to like… watch the video without watching it all?”
Kate rocked back in her seat, spinning it about so she could face Jewell and Ishmerai. “Maybe. Depends what you’re lookin’ for.”
“I want to see what those guys were doing before they ran into Lir.”
“Oh yeah, no problem. I’ve got some new facial recognition program that uses--”
“Kate.”
The girl’s eager smile turned bashful. “Sorry Empress.” She knew Jewell could care less about how it worked. She just wanted to know that it would work. “Sure, I can do that for you.”
“Can you also make their faces bigger when they’re in the bar? And the guy in the bay too. I want printed copies of them.”
“Yep.” Kate didn’t even hesitate, spinning back to her keyboard and opening some program on one of her monitors to work on the task. “Anything else?”
“Two copies of the recordings made.” Kate only nodded, clicking on another screen and plugging two additional drives into one of her “contraptions” as Jewell would call them.
“Two?” Ishmerai asked.
Jewell looked over her shoulder at him. “Yeah. I can’t be the only person who wants to see this. Aric might. Cane might. I don’t know who else. But I’m going to bring one of them to Matt and Koy later.”
“Ahh,” the knight nodded. “The space pilot.”
She flashed him a smile for following her line of thought.
The printer whirred, spitting out a series of images, enlarged and clarified as much as Kate could manage. “How do these look, Empress?” She handed one off to Jewell.
She held it up, scowling at the man who had grabbed Lirssa in the bay.
The last person to see her alive.
“Perfect.”
Last edited by JewellRavenlock on Mon Oct 24, 2016 9:49 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Koyliak
- Seasoned Adventurer
- Fashion Police
- Posts: 426
- Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2004 11:14 pm
- Location: The Heavenly Boutique - Where Dreams Become Realities
Jewell stopped at the garden entrance, staring longingly at the strip of water she could see around the house. The setting sun was setting the crest of the waves to a brilliant, inviting gold. She wanted to kick off her high heels and walk into it. She wanted to let it embrace her, wash away her cares and worries, and take this burden away.
With a sigh, resigned to her fate, she started up the path to the front door. She hadn’t come across the city, with a dozen other people to still speak to and desperately in need of sleep, just to go for a swim in Matt and Koy’s back yard. There was work to do. Besides, her black and cream dress, with the metallic detail along the neckline and waist, was too nice to ruin with an impromptu swim.
She knocked on the door, hoping her friends were home even though she hadn’t sent word ahead of her. It was quickly apparent that the Simons were indeed at home when she heard the loud wailing of Thia on the other side of the door upon hearing the knock. “MAAAAAMA, SOMEONE’S AT THE DOOR! CAN I GET IT? SOMEONE’S HERE!”
When the stained wooden door opened it revealed an annoyed Koy with her head turned as she spoke to her daughter. “Wha did I tell ye ‘bout usin’ yer inside voice, bee?” Having not expected company, Koy was wearing a strangely casual (but still fitted lest she forget herself) outfit of a black tank top tucked into black jeans with a tailored denim button down thrown over it and left open. Her sleeves were rolled up and the gold bangles on her arm clattered as she waved Jewell in despite the surprise apparent on her face. “Iffn it isn’t the Empress herself! I’m ‘fraid ye’ve jest missed dinner, did I mix up a dinner date? Where’s Kal?” The Masochistic Fashionista peered around behind Jewell to make sure she wasn’t about to shut the door in his face..
Jewell’s smile, born of Thia’s shouting even if her little voice always gave her heart a twist, turned apologetic for Koy when she opened the door. “So sorry to barge in on you tonight, Koy.” She mustered a little laugh at her question, although it sounded tired. “It’s just me this evening, but we really should do dinner again if I can rope Kal in for it. He certainly prefers your cooking to mine.” The pleasant, light, small talk carried her over the threshold (only after Koy’s nonverbal invitation) and into the Simon household. “Unfortunately, I’m the bearer of some bad news tonight.” That’s all she managed to convey quietly, safe from small ears, before she was bending down to greet Thia. “Mother of Nature! Look how tall you’re getting.”
Thia took advantage of getting close enough to greet Jewell to also examine the detail in the woman’s dress and shoot off everything in her almost-eight year-old brain. “Who made this? It’s lovely. I’ve been eating all my greens. That’s what Uncle Beld said to do if I want to get big and tall. I’m going to be as tall as Svetliana, Miss Jewell!”
“Oh my, Svetliana?” was all Jewell managed to squeeze in before Thia ran the short distance to pluck one of her mother’s fashion magazines, an older copy of Couture Magazine, flipping it to a well-worn and earmarked page. The intimidating yet intriguing face of the model Svetliana, dressed for drama and clocking in at what could be approximated as at least eight feet without heels on in the editorial spread, would meet Jewell as Thia held up the glossy magazine as a visual aid.
The Empress smiled encouragingly, “She is beautifully tall!”
“Thia, ye know Svetliana’s tha tall ‘cause she’s got giant’s blood in her veins. Ye’re goin’ ta grow but it would take some kinda miracle or magic spell fer ye ta reach her height.” Koy’s initial smile at Jewell tightened at the bad news comment but Koy masked her concern, instead reminding her daughter of a matter they clearly had talked about before. “But no matter how tall ye get, ye’re not goin’ ta get very far iffn ye’ve got feathers in yer head. Go on and finish up yer math fer school tomorrow. I’ll come and go over it with ye in a lil, aye?”
Thia started to pout but Koy gave her a pointed look that sent the young girl on her way. She did close the magazine, not returning it to the table she snagged it from but choosing to sneak it into her room with an impish grin at Jewell as she went. The faerie winked in return.
Waiting and listening for the girl’s small footsteps to carry her far enough away that Koy felt they were out of earshot of Thia, Koy let the forced smile drop. “So does this bad news call fer us drownin’ it in a drink?”
Jewell’s smile melted away quickly as Thia took off to battle math homework. She looked tired like the faerie rarely ever did. “A drink would be great unless you want to get into a fight here and now?” The hopeful look was playful, a bit of levity she didn’t really feel as she alluded to the coping mechanism both women shared: pain.
Koy winced at Jewell’s response. As much as the Masochistic Fashionista enjoyed sparring inside a ring with the Empress, the answer told Koy that nothing good could be coming with this unexpected visit. She skipped over the daintier options in the limited bar selections they kept in the house (now up high in the kitchen behind a locked cabinet because Koy’s other vices had put Thia in enough danger when Koy was pregnant with her that she dare not slip up by being careless with her liquor) and went straight for freeing a stronger whiskey from a local Dockside brewery. Pouring the amber-hued alcohol over two glasses filled with ice, she returned to offer one to Jewell.
“Ye’ll forgive me iffn I skip over any other small talk ta get straight ta the heart of the matter, grim as it may be. I’m guessin’ ye’re not here ta tell me ‘bout some horrid fashion crime ye saw in yer travels.” It was a lame attempt at levity as Koy braced for whatever was to come.
Jewell accepted her glass gratefully, pressing her back against the edge of the kitchen counter to better face Koy or perhaps because she just couldn’t stand upright much longer without assistance. The directness of the Fashionista's question was appreciated almost as much of the drink, which she took a sip of first. “Lirssa’s dead.” It was the first time she had said it out loud, and she quickly decided another sip of whiskey was in order. There probably was not many subjects quite as painful to the two women in the kitchen as a young girl dying. Jewell had to make it a bit worse by explaining, apologetically as if she had done it herself, “Her ship skirted too close to the sun and was lost.”
Koy barely managed to put the glass down on the counter before she dropped and shattered it completely. There were so many echoes to the simple, dread news that made Koy visibly blanche, suddenly nauseous.
Lirssa. Her own daughter, Lirisa. Both dead now, both so close in names. Like many women who frequented RhyDin’s more social venues, Koy had watched Lirssa grow up and felt a maternal warmth towards her. It was hard not to imagine the enthusiastic acrobatic girl with the loudest ringside cheers instead of the more poised young woman who would have piloted that ship.
And another ship lost in this very kitchen where Robyn Pemberton once visited her with similarly bad news about Matt.
But Matt came back.
She wouldn’t admit it out loud but it was hard for Koy to discern her own inner dialogue from MoonBeryl’s words that frequently coated her mind over the years. The opal had given her a strange hope then, mainly he claimed so that he would not have to listen to her defeatist thoughts which irritated him, but now she wondered if the reminder came from his past advice or her own newfound optimism. She had witnessed her own miracle. Matt came back, more fragile with new broken edges that she had vowed her own life time to repair. But he came back even when all other signs pointed to him being dead.
“Mebbe she’s still out there somewhere hard ta see? It could happen.” Was it cruel to divert from the more possible reality that Jewell’s first statement, the simplest explanation that Lirssa was indeed dead?
Jewell bit at the inside of her cheek, where the skin was becoming a jagged hole from all her abuse. “I thought maybe. I just… I wanted to believe she was still somewhere?” Instead of nowhere because that was the alternative.
She didn’t like that: A universe where Lirssa was nowhere at all. Where she had ceased to exist.
“I really did.” She took a deep breath and then let it go, releasing the foolish hope before it could take root. “But Kal and I went up to Dionysus this weekend.” The faerie suddenly remembered the purse hanging over her shoulder. She set her drink down so she could rifle through it, producing a small drive device. “We got the security recordings from the ship, including external.” She held it out to Koy, the truth hanging between them. “It’s pretty hard to watch, but I thought maybe Matt might be able to help? There was someone chasing her. I want to know who.”
Koy accepted the drive, another nauseous pang at what awaited Matt’s more knowledgeable review. “Wha’s tha phrase when ye’re seein’ somethin’ tha ye’ve already lived through ‘fore? De-ju ye or somethin’? I’ve done this ‘fore, but it was Matt’s ship on the tape.” Koy rambled, shaking her head. She wasn’t fully processing everything Jewell relayed but one new question seeped in that hadn’t occurred to her at the onset. “Wha ‘xactly was Lirssa flyin’ fer ye tha someone would’ve wanted ta harm her? This wasn’t random was it?” The last question held more doubt. Jewell carried not only sorrow but a burden with her that tinged the air with guilt.
She motioned for Jewell to follow her as she led them to Matt’s study.
The faerie came right behind Koy, frustration twisting her delicate features. “That’s the problem. It kind of was random. Or maybe not? I just… I can’t figure it out. She has been working for me for months now.” There was the source of the guilt. Whether this was her fault or not, it was her fault. “But this was a completely legitimate trip. She was just going to finish negotiating a contract for me. Nothing nefarious. No skirting the law. No one should have wanted to hurt her. Not for this.”
She pushed her hand through her hair. Jewell thought most of her enemies were harmless. Business competitors and nothing more. She had gotten rid of the truly dangerous ones. But she still couldn’t be sure that this hadn’t been because Lirssa was connected to her.
She wanted to be though. For her own peace of mind, she needed to know that she hadn’t killed Lirssa too.
“I don’t know what else she’s been mixed up in? On the thing,” she gestured to the device in Koy’s hand, “there are people chasing her. You can see their ship. If I can find them, maybe I’ll know why this happened.”
“Matt’s the better one of us ta ask, but it sounds like one place ta start is with a list of yer enemies and figurin’ out iffn Lirssa had any of her own.” Koy gave one warning knock before opening the door to the study. “Sorry ta interrupt ye, Boss, but there’s somethin’ tha can’t wait.”
With a sigh, resigned to her fate, she started up the path to the front door. She hadn’t come across the city, with a dozen other people to still speak to and desperately in need of sleep, just to go for a swim in Matt and Koy’s back yard. There was work to do. Besides, her black and cream dress, with the metallic detail along the neckline and waist, was too nice to ruin with an impromptu swim.
She knocked on the door, hoping her friends were home even though she hadn’t sent word ahead of her. It was quickly apparent that the Simons were indeed at home when she heard the loud wailing of Thia on the other side of the door upon hearing the knock. “MAAAAAMA, SOMEONE’S AT THE DOOR! CAN I GET IT? SOMEONE’S HERE!”
When the stained wooden door opened it revealed an annoyed Koy with her head turned as she spoke to her daughter. “Wha did I tell ye ‘bout usin’ yer inside voice, bee?” Having not expected company, Koy was wearing a strangely casual (but still fitted lest she forget herself) outfit of a black tank top tucked into black jeans with a tailored denim button down thrown over it and left open. Her sleeves were rolled up and the gold bangles on her arm clattered as she waved Jewell in despite the surprise apparent on her face. “Iffn it isn’t the Empress herself! I’m ‘fraid ye’ve jest missed dinner, did I mix up a dinner date? Where’s Kal?” The Masochistic Fashionista peered around behind Jewell to make sure she wasn’t about to shut the door in his face..
Jewell’s smile, born of Thia’s shouting even if her little voice always gave her heart a twist, turned apologetic for Koy when she opened the door. “So sorry to barge in on you tonight, Koy.” She mustered a little laugh at her question, although it sounded tired. “It’s just me this evening, but we really should do dinner again if I can rope Kal in for it. He certainly prefers your cooking to mine.” The pleasant, light, small talk carried her over the threshold (only after Koy’s nonverbal invitation) and into the Simon household. “Unfortunately, I’m the bearer of some bad news tonight.” That’s all she managed to convey quietly, safe from small ears, before she was bending down to greet Thia. “Mother of Nature! Look how tall you’re getting.”
Thia took advantage of getting close enough to greet Jewell to also examine the detail in the woman’s dress and shoot off everything in her almost-eight year-old brain. “Who made this? It’s lovely. I’ve been eating all my greens. That’s what Uncle Beld said to do if I want to get big and tall. I’m going to be as tall as Svetliana, Miss Jewell!”
“Oh my, Svetliana?” was all Jewell managed to squeeze in before Thia ran the short distance to pluck one of her mother’s fashion magazines, an older copy of Couture Magazine, flipping it to a well-worn and earmarked page. The intimidating yet intriguing face of the model Svetliana, dressed for drama and clocking in at what could be approximated as at least eight feet without heels on in the editorial spread, would meet Jewell as Thia held up the glossy magazine as a visual aid.
The Empress smiled encouragingly, “She is beautifully tall!”
“Thia, ye know Svetliana’s tha tall ‘cause she’s got giant’s blood in her veins. Ye’re goin’ ta grow but it would take some kinda miracle or magic spell fer ye ta reach her height.” Koy’s initial smile at Jewell tightened at the bad news comment but Koy masked her concern, instead reminding her daughter of a matter they clearly had talked about before. “But no matter how tall ye get, ye’re not goin’ ta get very far iffn ye’ve got feathers in yer head. Go on and finish up yer math fer school tomorrow. I’ll come and go over it with ye in a lil, aye?”
Thia started to pout but Koy gave her a pointed look that sent the young girl on her way. She did close the magazine, not returning it to the table she snagged it from but choosing to sneak it into her room with an impish grin at Jewell as she went. The faerie winked in return.
Waiting and listening for the girl’s small footsteps to carry her far enough away that Koy felt they were out of earshot of Thia, Koy let the forced smile drop. “So does this bad news call fer us drownin’ it in a drink?”
Jewell’s smile melted away quickly as Thia took off to battle math homework. She looked tired like the faerie rarely ever did. “A drink would be great unless you want to get into a fight here and now?” The hopeful look was playful, a bit of levity she didn’t really feel as she alluded to the coping mechanism both women shared: pain.
Koy winced at Jewell’s response. As much as the Masochistic Fashionista enjoyed sparring inside a ring with the Empress, the answer told Koy that nothing good could be coming with this unexpected visit. She skipped over the daintier options in the limited bar selections they kept in the house (now up high in the kitchen behind a locked cabinet because Koy’s other vices had put Thia in enough danger when Koy was pregnant with her that she dare not slip up by being careless with her liquor) and went straight for freeing a stronger whiskey from a local Dockside brewery. Pouring the amber-hued alcohol over two glasses filled with ice, she returned to offer one to Jewell.
“Ye’ll forgive me iffn I skip over any other small talk ta get straight ta the heart of the matter, grim as it may be. I’m guessin’ ye’re not here ta tell me ‘bout some horrid fashion crime ye saw in yer travels.” It was a lame attempt at levity as Koy braced for whatever was to come.
Jewell accepted her glass gratefully, pressing her back against the edge of the kitchen counter to better face Koy or perhaps because she just couldn’t stand upright much longer without assistance. The directness of the Fashionista's question was appreciated almost as much of the drink, which she took a sip of first. “Lirssa’s dead.” It was the first time she had said it out loud, and she quickly decided another sip of whiskey was in order. There probably was not many subjects quite as painful to the two women in the kitchen as a young girl dying. Jewell had to make it a bit worse by explaining, apologetically as if she had done it herself, “Her ship skirted too close to the sun and was lost.”
Koy barely managed to put the glass down on the counter before she dropped and shattered it completely. There were so many echoes to the simple, dread news that made Koy visibly blanche, suddenly nauseous.
Lirssa. Her own daughter, Lirisa. Both dead now, both so close in names. Like many women who frequented RhyDin’s more social venues, Koy had watched Lirssa grow up and felt a maternal warmth towards her. It was hard not to imagine the enthusiastic acrobatic girl with the loudest ringside cheers instead of the more poised young woman who would have piloted that ship.
And another ship lost in this very kitchen where Robyn Pemberton once visited her with similarly bad news about Matt.
But Matt came back.
She wouldn’t admit it out loud but it was hard for Koy to discern her own inner dialogue from MoonBeryl’s words that frequently coated her mind over the years. The opal had given her a strange hope then, mainly he claimed so that he would not have to listen to her defeatist thoughts which irritated him, but now she wondered if the reminder came from his past advice or her own newfound optimism. She had witnessed her own miracle. Matt came back, more fragile with new broken edges that she had vowed her own life time to repair. But he came back even when all other signs pointed to him being dead.
“Mebbe she’s still out there somewhere hard ta see? It could happen.” Was it cruel to divert from the more possible reality that Jewell’s first statement, the simplest explanation that Lirssa was indeed dead?
Jewell bit at the inside of her cheek, where the skin was becoming a jagged hole from all her abuse. “I thought maybe. I just… I wanted to believe she was still somewhere?” Instead of nowhere because that was the alternative.
She didn’t like that: A universe where Lirssa was nowhere at all. Where she had ceased to exist.
“I really did.” She took a deep breath and then let it go, releasing the foolish hope before it could take root. “But Kal and I went up to Dionysus this weekend.” The faerie suddenly remembered the purse hanging over her shoulder. She set her drink down so she could rifle through it, producing a small drive device. “We got the security recordings from the ship, including external.” She held it out to Koy, the truth hanging between them. “It’s pretty hard to watch, but I thought maybe Matt might be able to help? There was someone chasing her. I want to know who.”
Koy accepted the drive, another nauseous pang at what awaited Matt’s more knowledgeable review. “Wha’s tha phrase when ye’re seein’ somethin’ tha ye’ve already lived through ‘fore? De-ju ye or somethin’? I’ve done this ‘fore, but it was Matt’s ship on the tape.” Koy rambled, shaking her head. She wasn’t fully processing everything Jewell relayed but one new question seeped in that hadn’t occurred to her at the onset. “Wha ‘xactly was Lirssa flyin’ fer ye tha someone would’ve wanted ta harm her? This wasn’t random was it?” The last question held more doubt. Jewell carried not only sorrow but a burden with her that tinged the air with guilt.
She motioned for Jewell to follow her as she led them to Matt’s study.
The faerie came right behind Koy, frustration twisting her delicate features. “That’s the problem. It kind of was random. Or maybe not? I just… I can’t figure it out. She has been working for me for months now.” There was the source of the guilt. Whether this was her fault or not, it was her fault. “But this was a completely legitimate trip. She was just going to finish negotiating a contract for me. Nothing nefarious. No skirting the law. No one should have wanted to hurt her. Not for this.”
She pushed her hand through her hair. Jewell thought most of her enemies were harmless. Business competitors and nothing more. She had gotten rid of the truly dangerous ones. But she still couldn’t be sure that this hadn’t been because Lirssa was connected to her.
She wanted to be though. For her own peace of mind, she needed to know that she hadn’t killed Lirssa too.
“I don’t know what else she’s been mixed up in? On the thing,” she gestured to the device in Koy’s hand, “there are people chasing her. You can see their ship. If I can find them, maybe I’ll know why this happened.”
“Matt’s the better one of us ta ask, but it sounds like one place ta start is with a list of yer enemies and figurin’ out iffn Lirssa had any of her own.” Koy gave one warning knock before opening the door to the study. “Sorry ta interrupt ye, Boss, but there’s somethin’ tha can’t wait.”
Koyliak "The BobCrusher" VanDuran-Simon
Owner of the Heavenly Boutique
Owner of the Heavenly Boutique
-
Koyliak
- Seasoned Adventurer
- Fashion Police
- Posts: 426
- Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2004 11:14 pm
- Location: The Heavenly Boutique - Where Dreams Become Realities
Koy and Jewell stood on either side of Matt as he sat at his desk. All eyes were on the monitor. They had only watched the footage from outside Dionysus--the recording of the Motley Moxie disappearing forever--half a dozen times before the two women insisted on switching to the bay. Koy felt a particular relief that Matt’s analysis was what mattered here and not her own as she struggled between watching the hope-crushing footage on display and replaying in her mind the video she once reviewed in the very same study of Matt’s exploding ship.
“There she is.” Jewell said needlessly when Lirssa appeared on-screen, leaning closer to the monitor as the girl dashed towards the Moxie.
Together, they watched as the one man tried to grab her and she brought him down. As the other two headed towards their ship. As her ship hit the bay doors before winning free. As the other ship waited only long enough for the third guy to join them before pursuing her out into space.
“A fighter ‘til the end.” Koy remarked under her breath, feeling pride at Lirssa’s escape until she remembered what would come next in the sequence of events.
Jewell straightened from her lean and looked to Matt the recording continued on long after Lirssa disappeared from the bay. Her teeth worked tirelessly at the inside of her cheek. “What do you think?”
The retired Colonel sighed with exasperation and replied with an annoyed tone tinged with anger. “I seriously hope you didn’t pay anyone. This is beyond useless.”
Jewell cringed. She hadn’t paid anyone, but Kal would not be happy to know that he had been stunned unconscious for nothing! Maybe he didn’t need to know.
He pushed his chair back, parting the two women who had, in their interest to see what was on the screen, decided to invade his personal space without asking.
“Now I’ve got another mess to sort out.”
He left the recording behind as he stalked out of the room. Moments later, he gunned the Jeep’s power plant and sped away, leaving the two women in his wake.
His departure was abrupt and even rude but Koy had seen what an apathetic Matt could be like and this determined, if irritated, leader taking charge of a situation made her feel grateful. Instead of apologizing she tried to spin it in a more positive explanation for Jewell. “He must’ve thought of somethin’ more useful ta be done.”
“There she is.” Jewell said needlessly when Lirssa appeared on-screen, leaning closer to the monitor as the girl dashed towards the Moxie.
Together, they watched as the one man tried to grab her and she brought him down. As the other two headed towards their ship. As her ship hit the bay doors before winning free. As the other ship waited only long enough for the third guy to join them before pursuing her out into space.
“A fighter ‘til the end.” Koy remarked under her breath, feeling pride at Lirssa’s escape until she remembered what would come next in the sequence of events.
Jewell straightened from her lean and looked to Matt the recording continued on long after Lirssa disappeared from the bay. Her teeth worked tirelessly at the inside of her cheek. “What do you think?”
The retired Colonel sighed with exasperation and replied with an annoyed tone tinged with anger. “I seriously hope you didn’t pay anyone. This is beyond useless.”
Jewell cringed. She hadn’t paid anyone, but Kal would not be happy to know that he had been stunned unconscious for nothing! Maybe he didn’t need to know.
He pushed his chair back, parting the two women who had, in their interest to see what was on the screen, decided to invade his personal space without asking.
“Now I’ve got another mess to sort out.”
He left the recording behind as he stalked out of the room. Moments later, he gunned the Jeep’s power plant and sped away, leaving the two women in his wake.
His departure was abrupt and even rude but Koy had seen what an apathetic Matt could be like and this determined, if irritated, leader taking charge of a situation made her feel grateful. Instead of apologizing she tried to spin it in a more positive explanation for Jewell. “He must’ve thought of somethin’ more useful ta be done.”
Koyliak "The BobCrusher" VanDuran-Simon
Owner of the Heavenly Boutique
Owner of the Heavenly Boutique
-
Ishmerai
- Junior Adventurer
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Thu Oct 06, 2016 10:41 am
- Location: Little Elfhame; Old Market
He watched as she adjusted her sweater for the fourth time, glad that she had remembered that a dress was not appropriate for what she planned to do today. She gave a quick spin, checking her butt out in the mirror. Her appearance was perfect. Flawless.
It was amazing what glamour could hide.
The dark circles under her eyes. The raw and bruised knuckles. The broken spirit.
After spending a portion of the last two days breaking the news about Lirssa to some close friends, and the rest of the time trying to track down any leads she could dig up, Jewell had come home last night, stared at the soup he had made her (one of Sapphire’s “You can’t possibly **** this up” recipes), and burst into tears.
It was a healthier emotional release than any she had exercised after finding out about her children, but Ishmerai’s worries had not been assuaged by the display. She had reined her emotions in again too quickly, praising the soup after making a show of eating a few spoonfuls, and then she had retreated across the street to the gym to punish the new punching bag he had hung for her that morning.
As always, she was his little ticking time bomb. He was just waiting for her to implode once again. But what the knight really wanted was for her to slow down and breathe. He wanted her to go talk to Dr Bronner again and work through what she was feeling. He wanted her to at least try sleeping!
He wanted to stave off the inevitable breakdown.
Unfortunately, she seemed intent on compounding the problem rather than trying to fix it.
“I still do not think this is the best use of your time today, Mira.” He voiced his concern carefully from the doorway of her gigantic walk-in closet.
She checked her hair in the mirror once more, not looking at him. “I’m doing this for Lir.”
“There are going to be a lot of children there,” he warned. Normally, that was enough to have her running in the other direction. She just took a deep breath in through her nose, nodding. “You could just hire someone. It does not have to be you.”
She frowned, “No, I suppose it doesn’t. But it feels like it should be.”
She stepped back from the mirror and finally looked over at him. Ishmerai straightened from his lean and offered her his arm.
He couldn’t stop her from spiraling ever deeper, but he could be there to catch her when she fell.
Her brow furrowed in confusion. “You are not training the girls today?”
“No. I cleared my schedule to go with-- Oomph!” he barely managed to catch her when she barreled into him, almost missing the ‘thank you’ mumbled against his chest. “You are welcome, Mira.”
It was amazing what glamour could hide.
The dark circles under her eyes. The raw and bruised knuckles. The broken spirit.
After spending a portion of the last two days breaking the news about Lirssa to some close friends, and the rest of the time trying to track down any leads she could dig up, Jewell had come home last night, stared at the soup he had made her (one of Sapphire’s “You can’t possibly **** this up” recipes), and burst into tears.
It was a healthier emotional release than any she had exercised after finding out about her children, but Ishmerai’s worries had not been assuaged by the display. She had reined her emotions in again too quickly, praising the soup after making a show of eating a few spoonfuls, and then she had retreated across the street to the gym to punish the new punching bag he had hung for her that morning.
As always, she was his little ticking time bomb. He was just waiting for her to implode once again. But what the knight really wanted was for her to slow down and breathe. He wanted her to go talk to Dr Bronner again and work through what she was feeling. He wanted her to at least try sleeping!
He wanted to stave off the inevitable breakdown.
Unfortunately, she seemed intent on compounding the problem rather than trying to fix it.
“I still do not think this is the best use of your time today, Mira.” He voiced his concern carefully from the doorway of her gigantic walk-in closet.
She checked her hair in the mirror once more, not looking at him. “I’m doing this for Lir.”
“There are going to be a lot of children there,” he warned. Normally, that was enough to have her running in the other direction. She just took a deep breath in through her nose, nodding. “You could just hire someone. It does not have to be you.”
She frowned, “No, I suppose it doesn’t. But it feels like it should be.”
She stepped back from the mirror and finally looked over at him. Ishmerai straightened from his lean and offered her his arm.
He couldn’t stop her from spiraling ever deeper, but he could be there to catch her when she fell.
Her brow furrowed in confusion. “You are not training the girls today?”
“No. I cleared my schedule to go with-- Oomph!” he barely managed to catch her when she barreled into him, almost missing the ‘thank you’ mumbled against his chest. “You are welcome, Mira.”
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JewellRavenlock
- Legendary Adventurer
- The Empress
- Posts: 2475
- Joined: Thu Apr 13, 2006 5:26 pm
- Location: Little Elfhame, Old Market
- Contact:
“How you manage to exacerbate every situation,” the knight grumbled as he applied the thick poultice to her arm.
“Ow! I said gently.” Even that light touch was incredibly painful. The nephilim was strong, and the faerie was sure she had probably walked away the worse of the two after their confrontation. Normally, she would have let the injury alone, but she wanted to be in top shape for the Diamond Quest on Sunday. The deep bruising spreading across her arm was surely an impediment to that. She was able to move her arm just enough to banish any concern that Crispin had managed to break the bone when he had slammed her into the table, but it hurt like hell.
“And I didn’t exacerbate anything! That guy is shady as ****. So what if he wasn’t on the ship? It could still be his connection with Lir that brought this upon her. I refuse to rule anything out.”
Ishmerai wisely changed the subject. “Fine. And how was Mr. Devillier?”
“Oh, you recognized him?”
“I try to keep track of all the young men who make a habit of sticking their tongues in your mouth.” She rolled her eyes. “Should I thank him for bringing you home in one piece?”
“No.” Her look was sulky for a moment, “I took care of myself, thank you very much! Cane just wanted to talk about Lirssa.” She visibly hesitated, “He said she’s not gone. He doesn’t want to believe it. Says there’s not enough proof.” Jewell had been grateful for Cane’s company on the walk home tonight, but the topic of conversation had come close to ruining the little bit of composure she had gained from hitting Crispin. Violence always cleared her mind, but the Cajun had clouded it up all over again with his denial.
Ishmerai layered several bandages on top of the poultice for cushion before beginning to wrap her arm. “Did he think you were being false with him?”
“I don’t think that’s it. He just doesn’t think I’m right. Or maybe he just doesn’t want to believe it.” She watched the knight work, eyes distant. When she began again, she was quieter. Musing. “I suppose I can’t fully blame him. People are always coming back from the dead around here. I mean, even I did in a manner of speaking.”
“But you do not believe Lirssa will.”
It was more observation than question, but Jewell answered it anyway. “No. No, I don’t think she’s coming back. You saw the recordings. I know enough about space to know you can’t just jump into the sun. Even Matt and Koy couldn’t offer me any real hope. And--” she paused.
The truth was, she didn’t want to hope.
Jewell had abandoned all notions of hope the day Muirenn Ta-Neer told her that her children were dead.
Hope had been her sustenance for two hundred years. She had lived it. Breathed it. Hope got her up in the morning. It got her through miserable day after day in Faerie. It drove her on. It made her strong. It made her unstoppable.
And hope had failed her in the end.
Hope was for fools.
Ishmerai secured the bandages and sat back, watching her, waiting for her to finish. “And what, Mira?” He asked her gently, “Is it so wrong of them to not want to believe? Do you really believe it?”
She shook her head. “Why delay the inevitable, Merai?” There were tears in her eyes. “Why not just accept it now? It’s better to accept it now. It’s better to deal with it, and move on. I don’t have time to lie to myself.
“I’d rather spend my time finding out who did this and then making them pay.”
“Ow! I said gently.” Even that light touch was incredibly painful. The nephilim was strong, and the faerie was sure she had probably walked away the worse of the two after their confrontation. Normally, she would have let the injury alone, but she wanted to be in top shape for the Diamond Quest on Sunday. The deep bruising spreading across her arm was surely an impediment to that. She was able to move her arm just enough to banish any concern that Crispin had managed to break the bone when he had slammed her into the table, but it hurt like hell.
“And I didn’t exacerbate anything! That guy is shady as ****. So what if he wasn’t on the ship? It could still be his connection with Lir that brought this upon her. I refuse to rule anything out.”
Ishmerai wisely changed the subject. “Fine. And how was Mr. Devillier?”
“Oh, you recognized him?”
“I try to keep track of all the young men who make a habit of sticking their tongues in your mouth.” She rolled her eyes. “Should I thank him for bringing you home in one piece?”
“No.” Her look was sulky for a moment, “I took care of myself, thank you very much! Cane just wanted to talk about Lirssa.” She visibly hesitated, “He said she’s not gone. He doesn’t want to believe it. Says there’s not enough proof.” Jewell had been grateful for Cane’s company on the walk home tonight, but the topic of conversation had come close to ruining the little bit of composure she had gained from hitting Crispin. Violence always cleared her mind, but the Cajun had clouded it up all over again with his denial.
Ishmerai layered several bandages on top of the poultice for cushion before beginning to wrap her arm. “Did he think you were being false with him?”
“I don’t think that’s it. He just doesn’t think I’m right. Or maybe he just doesn’t want to believe it.” She watched the knight work, eyes distant. When she began again, she was quieter. Musing. “I suppose I can’t fully blame him. People are always coming back from the dead around here. I mean, even I did in a manner of speaking.”
“But you do not believe Lirssa will.”
It was more observation than question, but Jewell answered it anyway. “No. No, I don’t think she’s coming back. You saw the recordings. I know enough about space to know you can’t just jump into the sun. Even Matt and Koy couldn’t offer me any real hope. And--” she paused.
The truth was, she didn’t want to hope.
Jewell had abandoned all notions of hope the day Muirenn Ta-Neer told her that her children were dead.
Hope had been her sustenance for two hundred years. She had lived it. Breathed it. Hope got her up in the morning. It got her through miserable day after day in Faerie. It drove her on. It made her strong. It made her unstoppable.
And hope had failed her in the end.
Hope was for fools.
Ishmerai secured the bandages and sat back, watching her, waiting for her to finish. “And what, Mira?” He asked her gently, “Is it so wrong of them to not want to believe? Do you really believe it?”
She shook her head. “Why delay the inevitable, Merai?” There were tears in her eyes. “Why not just accept it now? It’s better to accept it now. It’s better to deal with it, and move on. I don’t have time to lie to myself.
“I’d rather spend my time finding out who did this and then making them pay.”
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JewellRavenlock
- Legendary Adventurer
- The Empress
- Posts: 2475
- Joined: Thu Apr 13, 2006 5:26 pm
- Location: Little Elfhame, Old Market
- Contact:
“And the other houses?”
“All the emergency repairs are done.” Margo confirmed.
“And I’ve got a list from the contractors on a hundreds things, big and small, that can be done to prepare them even more for winter.” Theo offered the list to Jewell.
The faerie waved it away. She didn’t care for the details, just that it got done. “You have my approval for all the work.”
Theo set the list on the table, “But one of the houses could use a new roof. They said it’s not urgent but advisable.”
“Okay,” Jewell shrugged. “So have them put on a new roof.”
Theo and Margo shared a private smile. Jewell’s way of spending money and approval of certain projects drove Ishmerai and Lamont crazy.
“Anything else or does that take care of the Kids stuff?”
Margo looked over the papers scattered before her, trying to shuffle some together into piles. The three of them had been trying to make up for Lirssa’s absence, but the work was still piling up at times. “No, I think that’s it. All the kids that are of age have been attending school. I’m interviewing a new worker for one of the houses this week. I did the accounts and sent them to Lamont.”
“And I made sure all the maintenance work was done and the pantries were well stocked. So that should be it?”
“Fabulous!” Jewell sat up from her lazy slouch, clapping her hands together. “You guys are great. I’d be terribly lost without you. Why don’t you go out to dinner, my treat?”
The two young people shared that private, amused smile again before Margo ventured to point out: “I’m not sure Ishmerai would like that.”
The Empress rolled her eyes as she stood. “Who cares what Ishmerai says? Both of you,” she made a shoo’ing gesture, “to dinner.”
Margo apparently didn’t need any more encouragement than that. She pushed her papers into a messy pile and looked eagerly at Theo. The young man seemed a little unsure still. “Are you positive?”
“Yep. Don’t ask me again though or date night becomes let Jewell pummel you at the gym night.” Theo’s eyes widened in alarm and Margo laughed as she wrapped her arm around his. “See, she knows what I’m talking about.” The blonde woman nodded towards Margo. “Just tell them to send me the bill wherever you go.”
“Come on, Theo.” The young lady pulled her beau towards the door.
“Tell the girls I’ll be working out if anyone needs me!” she called to the couple before looking down at the paperwork they had left her with and sighing.
“All the emergency repairs are done.” Margo confirmed.
“And I’ve got a list from the contractors on a hundreds things, big and small, that can be done to prepare them even more for winter.” Theo offered the list to Jewell.
The faerie waved it away. She didn’t care for the details, just that it got done. “You have my approval for all the work.”
Theo set the list on the table, “But one of the houses could use a new roof. They said it’s not urgent but advisable.”
“Okay,” Jewell shrugged. “So have them put on a new roof.”
Theo and Margo shared a private smile. Jewell’s way of spending money and approval of certain projects drove Ishmerai and Lamont crazy.
“Anything else or does that take care of the Kids stuff?”
Margo looked over the papers scattered before her, trying to shuffle some together into piles. The three of them had been trying to make up for Lirssa’s absence, but the work was still piling up at times. “No, I think that’s it. All the kids that are of age have been attending school. I’m interviewing a new worker for one of the houses this week. I did the accounts and sent them to Lamont.”
“And I made sure all the maintenance work was done and the pantries were well stocked. So that should be it?”
“Fabulous!” Jewell sat up from her lazy slouch, clapping her hands together. “You guys are great. I’d be terribly lost without you. Why don’t you go out to dinner, my treat?”
The two young people shared that private, amused smile again before Margo ventured to point out: “I’m not sure Ishmerai would like that.”
The Empress rolled her eyes as she stood. “Who cares what Ishmerai says? Both of you,” she made a shoo’ing gesture, “to dinner.”
Margo apparently didn’t need any more encouragement than that. She pushed her papers into a messy pile and looked eagerly at Theo. The young man seemed a little unsure still. “Are you positive?”
“Yep. Don’t ask me again though or date night becomes let Jewell pummel you at the gym night.” Theo’s eyes widened in alarm and Margo laughed as she wrapped her arm around his. “See, she knows what I’m talking about.” The blonde woman nodded towards Margo. “Just tell them to send me the bill wherever you go.”
“Come on, Theo.” The young lady pulled her beau towards the door.
“Tell the girls I’ll be working out if anyone needs me!” she called to the couple before looking down at the paperwork they had left her with and sighing.
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JewellRavenlock
- Legendary Adventurer
- The Empress
- Posts: 2475
- Joined: Thu Apr 13, 2006 5:26 pm
- Location: Little Elfhame, Old Market
- Contact:
The sound of flesh slamming into the punching bag again and again was rhythmic. It was primal music. And it did little to leech off the anger Jewell could feel bubbling so close to the surface.
She didn’t want to punch something full of sand. She wanted to punch flesh and blood. She wanted to make someone cry out in pain and break their bones.
The Empress was pouring a lot of time, money, and resources into all the houses that Lirssa ran through the Kids of Summer Foundation. Her young friend was gone (something she still had trouble believing), but that didn’t mean Jewell couldn’t try to make amends. It hurt too deep that Lirssa had died before they could truly set things right between them. It hurt like never getting to say goodbye to Amanda. Never getting to tell Devyn, Kerrick, and Moradin that she loved them one more time.
And it made her angry.
Too angry to finish the pile of paperwork Margo and Theo had left her. She could have just gone out for a drink, but violence felt better. It always had.
She could have dragged herself over to The Line too, pushed the newly minted Diamond back against a wall, and kissed him so hard she forgot to be angry for a while.
But she didn’t. She just kept hitting the punching bag. Kicking it. Pummeling it with spinkicks, hooks, and uppercuts.
Over the sounds of her sparring, she heard the front door of the gym slam close and footsteps running down the hall. She didn’t stop until Haizea threw open the practice room doors and shouted at her breathlessly, “Empress!”
Jewell punched the bag one more time, leaving it swinging behind her as she turned to face the young woman, “Wha--Haizea!” The blood smeared across her was fresh. Her chest constricted painfully at the sight, but adrenaline overrode panic and nerves as she ripped the tape from her hands and moved towards the distraught young woman.
“It’s not mine, m’lady.” Her voice trembled. “I am well, but Lord Ishmerai--”
“Ishmerai?” Jewell’s entire world tilted in that moment. She grasped Haizea roughly by the arm. “What happened to Ishmerai?”
The girl didn’t seem to notice the way Jewell’s fingers dug into her arm. The Empress was smaller than most of the ladies that worked for House of Summer, but she was fierce and more dangerous than all of them combined. “He said to come get you. I need to take you to him.”
She didn’t want to punch something full of sand. She wanted to punch flesh and blood. She wanted to make someone cry out in pain and break their bones.
The Empress was pouring a lot of time, money, and resources into all the houses that Lirssa ran through the Kids of Summer Foundation. Her young friend was gone (something she still had trouble believing), but that didn’t mean Jewell couldn’t try to make amends. It hurt too deep that Lirssa had died before they could truly set things right between them. It hurt like never getting to say goodbye to Amanda. Never getting to tell Devyn, Kerrick, and Moradin that she loved them one more time.
And it made her angry.
Too angry to finish the pile of paperwork Margo and Theo had left her. She could have just gone out for a drink, but violence felt better. It always had.
She could have dragged herself over to The Line too, pushed the newly minted Diamond back against a wall, and kissed him so hard she forgot to be angry for a while.
But she didn’t. She just kept hitting the punching bag. Kicking it. Pummeling it with spinkicks, hooks, and uppercuts.
Over the sounds of her sparring, she heard the front door of the gym slam close and footsteps running down the hall. She didn’t stop until Haizea threw open the practice room doors and shouted at her breathlessly, “Empress!”
Jewell punched the bag one more time, leaving it swinging behind her as she turned to face the young woman, “Wha--Haizea!” The blood smeared across her was fresh. Her chest constricted painfully at the sight, but adrenaline overrode panic and nerves as she ripped the tape from her hands and moved towards the distraught young woman.
“It’s not mine, m’lady.” Her voice trembled. “I am well, but Lord Ishmerai--”
“Ishmerai?” Jewell’s entire world tilted in that moment. She grasped Haizea roughly by the arm. “What happened to Ishmerai?”
The girl didn’t seem to notice the way Jewell’s fingers dug into her arm. The Empress was smaller than most of the ladies that worked for House of Summer, but she was fierce and more dangerous than all of them combined. “He said to come get you. I need to take you to him.”
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