NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ilex" data-source="post: 5818988" data-attributes="member: 82687">27x03Arden slipped her favorite dagger into the top of her right boot, her lock picks into the top of her left, and decided she was ready.  It was strange to be wearing the finely made clothing that she'd bought with Kormick's money.  Nyoko had taken both her and Mena shopping, and as a result, Arden was wearing supple black leather leggings, tall black boots, and a form-fitting sleeveless bodice. Everything had silver buckles—which made the exposed cuff on her bare arm look almost like a bracelet--and she'd let her red hair, grown longer over the course of their journey, flow freely across her shoulders.  She liked wearing black, for once, instead of the blue and green livery of the Givers or the gray of the Inquisition.  She felt more like herself; she stood up straighter and grinned.  This might almost be fun.  Then she left the room and headed downstairs to meet the others.As she walked into the Inn's entry hall, Tavi and Kormick were just entering from the bar.  Tavi looked rakish and handsome in a blood-red tunic that Arden guessed was made of some unspeakably expensive fabric.  Kormick looked strong and—yes—dangerous in a black leather vest beneath a swirling forest green cloak.  They both looked at her as if at a stranger.  "Signora," Tavi even said—and did a double-take, his eyes flying over her face and body before landing on her cuff.   "Arden!"Arden froze.  "I'm sorry, Signor—""Don't apologize!  You look—um—" He hesitated.  "—just as you should?" he finished.  "You look lethal," said Kormick, with frank appreciation, "in several senses of the word."Under the men's lingering gazes, Arden couldn't help but smile a little.  It was the strangest moment, for her, of that entire long, strange night.Later, she and Mena followed Tavi, Kormick, Nyoko, Unsuku, and Twiggy past bouncers at the door of a ramshackle building by the steaming lake, through a dark, dingy hallway, and suddenly into a cavernous room lit by strangely colored magical lamps and full of heavy incense and swirling bodies amid pillows and drapery.  Mena was wearing black as well: a high-necked, bare-armed tunic embroidered with twining red cherry blossoms, a snug black skirt slit up to her thigh—for freedom of movement, Arden presumed—and black boots.  Her long black hair cascaded down her back.  Apparently, side-by-side, they made twice the impression: Arden felt Mena grow tense next to her as the heathen party—and particularly its two bodyguards--drew the gazes of everyone near the door.  "Are they admiring us or scanning for weaknesses?" Mena muttered out of the side of her mouth."Admiring, I judge, but we could stab them to be safe," Arden muttered back.  They exchanged a glance, and Mena cracked a smile.  "We are not here to have fun," she said."Definitely not," agreed Arden.  She nodded toward Kormick, who somehow already had a drink in hand.  "Kormick's staring at you.""Ehkt's balls. I told Nyoko this outfit was inappropriate.  That man…""I could stab him to be safe, but I really want to see where this thing with you two is going…""There is no 'thing.'" "…plus, if I stab him, that will only fulfill his expectations of me. It's boring.""I'll give him a surprise.  Loan me your dagger.""I would, except we're not here to have fun.""Absolutely not," said Mena, locking eyes with Kormick… who had never taken his eyes from her.  They stared like two duelists, Mena with the faintest twist of a mischievous smile.  Alleged and the Defier, thought Arden. This is going to be fun.And with that, they were swept up into Lord Tanaka's Indulgence Party.  ###  At the center of the cavernous main room was an empty round stage, hung about with diaphanous cloth and surrounded by rings of low velvety chairs and plush cushions. That's where Nyoko would soon be performing the dance she'd been practicing—the Dance of the Seven-Fold Secrets.  If she did well, she might win a private audience with Lord Tanaka, which was the group's whole reason for coming here at all.As the seats around the stage filled with people—most of them wearing little but a hungry, almost animalistic aura of anticipation—Twiggy decided that she was just as happy near the back, for now.  She found Arden standing in the shadows as well, nursing a glass of something clear.Far up front, they saw Tavi flop into a seat and settle back. Three women immediately took seats around him.  Then there was a stir as draperies on the far wall lifted aside and Lord Tanaka, the Head of Lands, made his way into the room.  He was a large man dressed in a rich, comfortable robe, and he strode with easy confidence to a wide couch at the side of the stage.  Unsuku scurried up to walk beside him, basking in his smile of familiar greeting as the crowd made way for them both.Arriving at his seat, Lord Tanaka accepted a glass of crimson liquid and raised it.  The room fell silent, and the sense of hungry anticipation trebled in an instant."From dusk to dawn, as long as everyone consents, there are no rules here," Tanaka announced, his voice rolling through the room.  "Once dawn comes, none of this has happened.  My guests, I bid you eat, drink, and seek all pleasures."Suddenly servants were everywhere with platters of food, a pulsing music started, couples embraced, and Twiggy sensed currents of magic begin to flow about through the room.  She glimpsed Lord Tanaka leaning back into his couch with a golden platter beside him.  A handsome man wearing… well, mostly straps… materialized at Twiggy's side and touched her arm.  "I saw you play Go," he said softly.  "You amazed me. I was wondering… have you ever been polymorphed?"He was magical; Twiggy could feel it already. She swallowed. "With respect, that's not in my catalogue of interests," she managed.As the man pouted prettily, Twiggy, seeking a distraction, grabbed two delicate eggs off a passing tray, handed one to Arden and popped the other into her mouth."What is it?" asked Arden, eyeing the offering suspiciously."It's good!" Twiggy said, surprised herself.  The polymorpher moved on to other prospects. "Quail eggs, didn't I tell you? Quail eggs!" laughed Kormick, appearing out of the crowds with a fresh drink in his hand and surveying the room. "Savina's home in bed, Arden's standing here as sexy as you could wish, and Dame Mena is in a dress… ah, I'm done.  I'm done." He tossed back a long swig and wandered off again.  Twiggy envied him his complacency.  Personally, she was feeling a little overwhelmed.  Tanaka's proclamation—no rules here—was ringing in her mind.  When had she ever known a place without any rules? And what, of all the countless options available here, did she want to do to take advantage of it…?"What are you drinking?" she asked Arden, hoping for inspiration."Water.""Oh, Arden, I think you could drink something stronger," said Twiggy. "Just for this one night—""Someday, I hope.  But I've been told I'm a chatty drunk.""That'd be fun!"Arden smiled, shook her head, and sipped her water.  Thanks for nothing, Twiggy thought, even more firmly resolved that—once she could be sure the group achieved its goal with Lord Tanaka—she was going to make this night count.Suddenly, the music shifted into a strange twining melody. A masterly bit of magic from somewhere darkened the room's lights just as a soft red glow flared into life on the stage, illuminating Nyoko, poised at its center.  The Dance was about to begin.</blockquote>

Verification