Things That Glitter (Recluse)

[Craven Delights]

( Possible deviance in material rated for those age of 18+. Read at your discretion.)

"Why do your adventures always get ME, into trouble?"

Amantillado pulled at the ropes binding his hands above his head for the hundredth time. Choosing to kick Recluse in the back of the knee to emphasize his point more out of frustration than actual anger. He didn't have the fortitude for much more.

"See the world he says..."

Recluse chose not to say anything beyond the initial grunt of being kicked. Complaining only wasted energy. In the mean time he slowly began working the ropes at his wrists as loose as the knot would allow. He'd have to deal with the raw flesh later.

"Well, fearless leader? How do you plan on getting us out of this one?"

Still Recluse hung limply against the ropes keeping them dangling above the deep well like a pair of fresh fish set out to dry. With his arms loose as they were, the majority of his body had pulled at the joints, long ago filling them with a deep ache. Slowly tightened the muscles into complete cramps. His hands numb from the cut off circulation.

"If we were on separate ropes this would be much easier." The words came out as a raspy whisper due to the extend of dehydration they both felt.

"What was that? You talking? Whatever you have to say, I don't want to hear it."

Amantillado would have crossed his arms if it were at all possible, but with them both dangling like participles the best he could manage was a despairing slump. "Mother was right, you would be the death of me."

"You done? Because I would like to leave. However if you're enjoying the scenery I can call the gar con` and ask for an appetizer in the meantime."

The words burned at his throat but it was a trivial matter. Recluse reached up with his hands that could not feel and gripped the top robe as tight as possible while extending his legs. If he could just touch with even his toes...

Twisting against his bounds Amantillado worked to see what Recluse was doing that had them swinging more than normal. The motion was making his already raw wrists begin to bleed all over again.

"If you've a plan it would be nice to hear. But I retain the right to complain."

If his hands were of any use, Recluse would have hit the idiot for his continued whining; but as things stood, the extra energy was needed elsewhere. His legs strained from stiffness as they were forced to stretch towards the wall, the toe of his boots just barely touching.

"Listen closely Aman, grip the rope tightly with your hands and reach out towards the wall with your toes. If you need more space, press your back to mine. If we work together, we'll walk right out of here."

Amantillado shook his head at the notion his compadre in crime was suggesting. For them to simply walk out of here was too much to hope for. There had to be another catch. Things never went that easily, but there was little else to do.

"I can try."

His wrists screamed in pain as their already raw flesh was subjected to more pressure against the ropes. Holding on as tight as possible, Amantillado stretched his legs out feeling the muscles in the back of his thighs burn and pull at one another. Almost there, his toe was just within touching distance of the wall.

"I hope you've enjoyed our hospitality."

The two men looked up at the shaft of light towards the top of the well with matching sneers of disgust at the new voice. A smooth shaved face leaned over the opening with a chipper smile. From their angle it wasn't clear if the man wore black, purple, or a shade of blue; very well could have been all three in the habit of the rich and shameless.

"Still silent eh? Well then it is your lucky day. Your presence has been requested."

Without another word the man disappeared from the opening and several shouts ensued. The hook and chain that held their ropes gave a great lurch and began to pull upwards. Up and into the world of light and life.

Both men were hauled over the lip of the well and held at sword point. Gathering around the pair stood a small battalion of soldiers dressed in nondescript uniforms, that could be long to any military within the region. At their front line was the same smiling man from before. A plumed helmet under his left arm, the man stalked up to them confidently and knelt down to their level.

"Rather than kill and leave you to feed the wight in the well, a more beneficial task is to be presented to you. By all rights, you can object, in which case its back to the well. However, if you accept, we let you walk away with your lives. If not a bruised pride. Your decision?"

Amantillado and Recluse glanced at each other for a second then back to the man. Each wore deep frowns and hooded eyes.

"What's the job?"

The soldier grinned, and not in a gooda way, as they more or less acknowledged their only choice. He came to a stand and motioned to the guards on either side of Amantillado and and Recluse, issuing a command to release them. None too gently the ropes binding their hands were cut.

"First you're to be bathed and given clean clothes. Then comes your "job" as you so eloquently put it. Good day to you gentlemen."

Without further adieu the pair was jerked to their feet and taken to one of the smaller sheds not more than twenty meters away. Shoved inside, the two men found wash basins with warm water, sponge, and a bar of soap. To say the interior was sparse would be an understatement. No windows, only one door, two towels, and a rug between the basins is all the shed offered in the way of furnishings. It was dismal at best. Next to each basin sat a folded stack of matching garb: a white wool shirt, brown trousers, and moccasins; most likely deerskin.

"So this is the honeymoon suite? Could use a few decorations."

Casting his sapphire eyes around the room nonchalantly, Recluse moved to one of the basins and began to clean himself up. "Might as well take advantage of hot water and soap while we can."

"We need to get out of here, Recluse."

Nearly chomping at the bit, Amantillado went from wall to wall for a further investigation of the shed. "There has to be a loose nail or something we can swipe to get out of the ropes if we get tied again."

"Don't bother. They're going to search us after we're made to be presentable for whoever these joker's kowtow to."

The water felt good against Recluse's grime sodden skin. As the layers of dirt, blood, and sweat fell away, he began to feel like himself once again. By the time he finished the basin was nothing more than a mud filled tub. However, something in the waters helped him feel much better. Rising up, he turned to find Amantillado doing much the same. Both now looking like their former selves.

"How long do you think we was down there?"

"Can't tell you Aman, and is 'were' down there. not 'was'. I'd hazard a guess at three days, no more."

Shirt tucked into his trousers, Recluse combed his fingers through the knots amassing within his ebony curls as a final touch of personal presentation. While time remained he pulled back the sleeves of his shirt to look at the spiderweb tattoos that adorned the back of his right hand and arm. The black ink slid from hand to elbow and up along his arm, spreading to follow the path of his veins.

"We'll escape soon enough, Aman. Just be patient. If they wished us dead, we would be so."

With his right hand Recluse traced the matching tattoo on the underside of his left arm. He could feel the mystic energy infused within the ink. With the touch waiting became easier. Time to play the game. His eyes went from Amantillado to the door curiously to make sure his associate was ready for whatever came next.

"Nothing left to do, Recluse. Let's go."

"And so, it was the gods opened Pandora's Box and gave unto man one final gift. Hope."

Another nod from Amantillado and Recluse knocked on the door of the shed and alerted the guards on the other side that they were ready to proceed.

A troop of guards escorted the pair to a rather over sized tent pavilion; where small gathering had begun to take place. The guards at the entrance gave a nod to the approaching troop before one ducked inside. Taken to a stop, Amantillado and Recluse looked at one another in an optical conversations. The raising of Amantillado's brow only receiving a shrug from Recluse before the guard returned and ushered them both inside.

[Craven Delights]

"Ah. Gentlemen, welcome."

The clean shave soldier from before met them with his irritating false smile and, practiced, joviality. With a wave of his hand the guards at their back left; save for the three who had remained outside the door to the shed. In the meantime, Recluse slowly began to take stock of their surroundings. He was liking what he saw.

White on white always amused him in regards to the upper class. While yes it is a cool color and the weather is war, but it's far from stylish. Least to his eyes. Within the tent, four men dressed in varying silks sat around a square table smoking. The scent that drifted in his direction held a hint of eucalyptus and mint. Strange cigars at best. At a table set away from them and out of smoke distance, three women were conversing over a platter with assorted fruits, cheese, and crackers; a butter tray set aside in neglect.

Sapphires moved back to the men in attempt to catch a gem of their discussion. From their laid back manner, the cigars, glasses filled with a type of whiskey or scotch, if not bourbon and brandy; didn't really matter, they're all from the same family. To the smattering of papers on the table, Recluse knew they were talking politics. Lovely. However, none of that interested him for the time being. What his eyes took in happened to be the jewelery they all adorned themselves with.

The current speaker at the men's table paused in his sentence to take a long puff of the cigar in his hand. This was obviously the leader. His left hand might as well have belonged to Midas for the amount of gaudy rings encapsulating his fingers. Gems of every shape and size linking together in a bejeweled gauntlet of priceless metal. Recluses mouth watered at thoughts of how much he could fetch for it. Around his neck hung a segmented eagle with emeralds for eyes. Obviously a symbol of status or a crest to separate him from the others.

To the immediate left stooped a hallow faced man with the gaunt features of the living dead. He could pass for the dead if not for the fact it was broad daylight outside. Diamond and pearl earrings hung from his lobes like fishhooks waiting to be used. He probably only went after goldfish. At the distance it was impossible to tell the cut of the jewels on his cuffs, Recluse figured them to be diamonds. Given how many this fellow wore, he'd be labeled Diamond for future thought. The big man got called Goldie.

On the other side of Goldie, sat a younger man, but still far to wealthy for his own good. Unlike his companions, the youth wore less gold and jewels but his clothing still screamed "I have more than you," in how much silk he covered himself in. Thick chestnut curls were pulled back by a robin's egg blue bandanna tied off above his left ear. The overcoat looked as if from the southern seas, by the rich design depicting herons in flight with gold lotus pedals. When South shifted in his chair, Recluse caught the glimpse of wide leggings. Definitely a sea fairing man. This meant unlike his fellows the youth had a work ethic.

The fourth had his back to Recluse, so not much was to be gleaned from that one. From there it was to the women's table his eyes wandered. If the men were any clue, the ladies would have better, and more expensive, adornments. He stood in a thief's wet dream and couldn't do anything about it.

Sapphires fell on the youngest of the three first. This belle couldn't be more than seventeen, if not early twenties. That meant she was either the daughter of someone here, or the plaything of the youth in silk. Or both. Her rich auburn braid was encircled by a ruby encrusted gold chain that looped itself right down to the tip. Jade earrings in the shape of sparrows hung elegantly in matching hue to her eyes. Definitely doted on was she. Like the tent they all were gathered in, her dress was of rich white silk; touches of gold and jade peaking out at the sleeves and hem.

Moving up the ladder, came the first obvious wife of the trio. Around her bulbous neck hung an eagle of gold with emeralds for eyes. And I thought it was pets that were supposed to resemble their owners, not wives that resemble their husbands. A coronet of silver barely let itself be seen between thick wrinkles across her forehead. The item more like a thong than jewelery on this woman. With that mental image it was on to the third before Recluse needed to excuse himself due to upset stomach.

This looked to be the one of true note. Raven and gold waves cascaded down across her bare shoulders in a well maintained flood. Sun-kissed skin held a slight gleam of sweat across her bare arms from the dry heat, but it worked in her favor. She glistened. A corseted dress of midnight blue clung tastefully to a well honed frame. Within the cascading layers of her dress, diamonds glinted in the light. Not many, but enough to truly be tasteful. Of all those gathered, she looked to be the most conservative with her money.

In the process of surveying the gathering, Recluse realized that he had essentially left Amantillado to listen to the clean shaved soldier and what the job to come was. That alone snapped his eyes to their "host" with a small cough.

"So you see gentlemen, you have very little choice in this matter. Now, my employer will tell you more about the details of your task."

Guess things were not as hopeless as he thought. A glass of water was handed to each man en route to the men's table. His previous efforts to look over the men and women now seemed waisted. Recluse was not pleased.

The Job


The second bathing was at least allowed to be longer than the first after their excursion into the well. Though he wasn’t sure where Amantillado had been carted off to, it was sure the locale would be less than his current five star accommodations. Recluse lifted his head back as the water in the tub gently sloshed around him, making it splash up onto the edges where his arms sat. The spider-web tattoo which followed the maze structure of his veins shimmered softly at the touch.

Extracting himself from the tub, Recluse let the open air dry the subtle beads of water as they slid along the lean contours of his body. The soft lick of water over his many scars and healing muscles was soothing, almost a tickle to him. He looked at himself in the mirror for a long moment, watching the tattoo continue its slow spread through him. It had initially started at his side where the planar spider had bitten him. Now the flowing design cascaded up along his left ribs to his shoulders and down his arms where the lines met in the palm of his hand; ending in two black spiders that felt as though they moved along the web of his flesh.

“This shouldn’t be too difficult a task,” Adjusting the bow tie around his neck, Recluse checked himself over in the mirror with approval. The tux was a little long in the sleeves, but would do for the event. He didn’t plan on chatting anyone up long enough for it to be noticed his suit wasn’t quite custom. Slipping into his coat it was with some reluctance that his eyes moved to the invitation lying open atop the jewelry box which had been brought up to the guest room.

“Things we do for that which glitters,” the invitation was slipped from its envelope with a small sigh.

“Lord Eric Rothain,
You are cordially invited to the celebration of Lord Wendell P. Romanova’s 98th birthday. Please R.S.V.P. promptly.”
Embossed beneath the brief invite lay Guest +1 in gold. The curving calligraphies held a woman’s touch in the writing to denote it was more than likely the daughter whom had written most of it rather than use a printing machine.

From within the jewelry box he took out a pair of cuff links with precious sapphires decorating their tasteful design. Even as the thief put them on he could feel the small enchantment in them. “A scrying spell. How clever.”

With one final look at himself in the mirror the thief made his exit from the room with a firm plan in mind at how the evening would play out. He just hoped his employers would keep their end of the bargain knowing they most certainly wouldn’t.