Jordanna snarls at any of the patrons who haven't fled yet, chasing them out of the bar. She searches the premises for anything of value before picking up her cloak of feathers and draping it over her shoulders again. She scrawls a note on the door in Claggan's blood--"Closed by Decree of Archbaron Fex for Seditious Activities." Then she follows her sisters to the jail.
With the tavern's pitiful valuables 'secured' and the keepers bodily fluids repurposed as a 'closed' sign, the coven womanhandles their captive the short distance to the jail. The sight provokes a number of stares and whispers, but no outright protests.
Arriving at the jail it is a simple matter to ensconce Kels and Agatha in separate cells and settle down to whatever plans you want to make.
Once the prisoners are secured, Betha divests herself of the studded leather armor that she wears and enters Kel's cell, shutting the door behind her.
"So now the only way that this will end even remotely in your favor is if you tell me everything you know about the Angel Knight."
She steps close and, leaning in to the man, traces a finger down his neck to his chest.
"I can be very accommodating when I'm accommodated," she whispers in his ear. She gently nips his earlobe.
"Whatever you want!" Kels stammers, trying to back away from Betha as best as he can - which isn't much in the small cell.
He repeats his story about meeting the Angel Knight outside town, explaining that he had initially thought she was a real angel and that she wore a steel helmet with an angelic face as the visor. Other than circumstantial detail however he adds nothing new and Betha gets the impression that he is being truthful.
"What... what are you going to do to us?" He asks in a shaky voice after he's blurted out his story for the second time.
"Well, dearie, your fate is rather up to you. A man is dead and justice is needed. So, will you confess? Tell us what we already know, that you were having an affair, and he found out and she killed him. Your name will be mud, but you won't be guilty of murder."
Leaving his cell, she goes to the woman's cell, making the same offer: betray him, and be spared.
What she doesn't reveal is that she's no intention of sparing them; this is just a bit of fun at their expense before the night begins in earnest. She's curious as to which of them will write something condemning the other. She fully plans to share the confession with the other one, let them read it in full and know the pain of betrayal...
Truly, it is good to be bad.
Jordanna sheds her cloak once they are inside the jail and sits in a chair, watching her sisters interrogate and torment the prisoners. Her legs are spread wide as she leans back, hands resting on her belly. She can feel a sense of satisfaction from the thing inside of her. It seems to be enjoying the proceedings as well.
Agatha spits at Alyssa and then ignores her, while Kels seems tempted. However when Alyssa returns to his cell he refuses the pen and paper.
"Caggan was my friend. I won't betray him like this!"
"As amusing as this is." A strange, easily recognised voice speaks from behind Jordanna. "You are the law-keepers in this town now. You've already killed one man today and the Archbaron is not... overly pleased by this outcome. Your job is to suppress dissent. Not to cause it!"
Razelago is hovering a few feet from the pregnant witch, his ever present quill and pen in his tiny, chubby fists.
"We killed a man that resisted with violence when we attempted to arrest him," Betha argues back. "If you tie our hands in situations like that then we demonstrate that the Archbaron is weak. We need to be able to show that there is force behind the law or it is useless!"
She grim face shifts to a smile and she relates the information that Kels gave about the Angel Knight.
"Now if you have more questions for Kels there," she gestures. "Feel free to ask them."
"Just try not to kill everyone that disagrees with you." Razelago says. "The Archbaron wants a town left to rule."
With that he vanishes.
"You heard him, Sisters. Let's not kill everyone that disagrees with us," Betha says with a sneer.
She walks over to where Razelago was standing.
"Now I'm bored and I'm hungry," she says in a petulant tone. She steps closer to Jordanna and, reaching down, rubs her distended abdomen. "Shall we go find something to eat? What good is power if it can't get us a table somewhere nice?"
"Ugh. Devils. Not natural, if you ask me." Alyssa comments once Razelago has vanished.
She shakes her head. "Well, we have two prisoners, neither of them willing to confess - which makes their crime worse, really. An honest person would confess their crimes." She sighs. "Dearie, dearie me. What is the world coming to?"
"Well, the prisoners can sit there for now until the Archbaron decides what he wants done with them."
She stretches her arms over her head, flexing the joints of her shoulders and producing popping sounds. "I'm not going to worry about them any more. Are you coming or not?"
Jordanna smiles as Betha rubs her belly. It bulges outward beneath her hands as the thing inside responds to her touch.
"I'm always hungry. The child needs its sustenance." She hauls herself to her feet and prepares to follow her sister.
"I do so hate leaving something unfinished, dearie. And trusting a man to sort everything out rarely ends well. But you're young, you need to make your own mistakes. So. Let's go and see what the rest of the evening holds."
Drawing her cloak around her, she prepares to step out into the night. "Shall we?"
Dinner was served at the Lark and Crown, the second most popular inn in Longacre, since the best had been mysteriously closed... The level of service the three women receive is almost exaggeratedly deferential and Betha's flirting is received almost dutifully by the serving maid, who is reasonably attractive but clearly not entirely comfortable with the situation.
The proprietor won't hear of payment, insisting that a free meal is "the least I can do for our new law-keepers." and hustling them out of his tavern as soon as he politely can.
The next morning, when you awake (sleeping arrangements - you can sleep at the jail, at Ash House or hire rooms in town, if anyone will take you.) there is a letter pushed under the jail door. It read:
My greetings to the esteemed ladies newly responsible for law and order in our fine town. As a responsible citizen I feel I ought to offer my services to the cause. For a most reasonable sum of fifteen gold pieces each week I can keep you appraised of the comings and goings along the river and at the docks. I can assure you that the information I hear is well worth the price!
Yours in good faith,
Ingoe Zoags
Jordanna sleeps at the Ash House, curled up on a bed of furs. In the morning, she mixes her extracts and studies her spellbook. She drinks her special concoction to keep her unborn child from growing further until she can find somebody to help her birth it without dying in the process. She can sense its frustration but grudging acceptance at the arrangement.
Once back at the jail, she reads the letter and shrugs. "Fifteen gold is but a fraction of what Fex is paying us each week. It seems a small price to pay to have a spy on our side."
Betha is secretly pleased that she didn't have to pay for dinner, despite her intention to do so. Although, she's disappointed to not find someone receptive to her flirting.
She'd like to arrange a long-term stay at the nicest room she can find in town. She's willing to pay for it, but doesn't want to pay a lot for it.
~~~
"We'll have to see if this Ingoe person knows other people that could be enlisted to perform this same service," Betha says before checking on the prisoners.
Alyssa raises an eyebrow at the note. "Responsible citizen, is he? Well, dearies, how can we refuse an offer like that?" A small smile tugs the corners of her mouth. "Perhaps we can even persuade him to drop his fee. I can be very persuasive, and I haven't used my tools for a good long while, now." She puts a hand to her belt, caressing the many sharp (and some deliberately kept blunt) blades she keeps there.
"You know what Our Lady always said: you've got to keep your hand in, if you want to stay good at something."
"Let's go pay him a visit then, shall we?" Jordanna says with a savage smile.
"Nothing wrong with having a talk with the man," Betha says with a wide smile. "Let's remember, though, that he came to us. No need to chew him up too much. Particularly if he's a handsome specimen."
Heading down to the docks and enquiring after Ingoe Zoags produces a tall man, with black hair, an olive complexion and fine chiselled features. He bows low and extravagantly as the coven approaches.
"My Ladies, what a pleasure to meet you. I trust you found my proposal to your liking?" He gives Betha a wink and appears to eye Jordanna for a moment before coming to the conclusion that she is obviously... taken.
Jordanna gives Ingoe a coy smile and licks her lips. It's unclear if she's trying to tell him that she's open to his advances or that she wants to eat his face off. She lets the others take the lead on the conversation.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Alyssa lurks at the back, waiting to see how Betha fares with her charm. Always show people the shine, before you show them the blade.
Besides, it's hard to be diplomatic with someone once you've cut off their tongue. Or any other fleshy bits that might get caught on your blade, by accident or otherwise.
Betha moves close enough to reach up and stroke a finger along Ingoe's jaw slowly and delicately.
"We found your proposal ... intriguing," she says with a smile that promises many things. "Although your price in gold is a little ... larger ... then what we would expect. We could perhaps arrange nine gold a week."
Her finger moves down his chest.
"And my ... gratitude?"
Ingoe returns Betha's smile, cupping her cheek with his strong, callused hands - this is clearly a man who works at the docks, as well as working there.
"You gratitude would be infinitely worthwhile to me, my Lady. And while my price may be... large... that's because the work I do with is... superlative. Besides," He pauses and flashes a smile to the other ladies, "I have expenses. There are bribes to be paid, cargoes to be inspected, this all costs money."
His hand slides lower, resting over one of Betha's breasts. "I suppose I could lower my price to ten gold, if it were made worth my while..."
Betha looks down at the overly-familiar hand and then looks back at Ingoe, raising one eyebrow. She reaches up with one hand and lifts his from its place.
"That would be so thoughtful of you," she says with a purr. "We might even let you keep your hands. But let's not be hasty."
Alyssa frowns at the man's presumption. "Young man, are you suggesting that my sister is only worth five gold pieces? That's not respectful. And if you've not got respect, then maybe you'll have to learn some."
She reaches meaningfully for one of her knives.
Ingoe steps backwards raising his hands. "My apologies. I certainly meant no offence, merely a mutually satisfactory arrangement." His raised hands made a series of gestures and from around the docks a number of burly looking men and women put down their burdens and converge on the group with a collection of hammers, crowbars and other implements.
Ingoe keeps smiling but his eyes have turned hard, particularly as Alyssa reaches for her knife. "Let's not have any violence now. It's very bad for business. Madame Blackheart, if I offered offense to you or your sister then you have my apologies. I would," He continues, turning to Betha, "be delighted to go out to dinner with you at some point. I have no doubt it would be a wonderful experience for us both. As a gesture of goodwill towards that end I will lower my price to ten gold pieces. Surely you can see that is a most beneficial deal for us all?"
Alyssa can count, and she's not stupid. She relaxes, and takes her hand away from her knife, but her eyes don't leave the man's. "It's nice to have friends around you, dearie. But that's not the same as bravery. It's only when they come for you when you're all alone and defenceless that you discover how brave you truly are..."
She turns to leave. "We'll be seeing you. Have a nice time with my sister."
Seeing that the home field advantage isn't being held by the sisters, Betha subtly waves off Alyssa.
"How about tomorrow evening then?" she says, giving no indication of being intimidated by the growing crowd. She gives the name of the place where the ladies dined the previous night.
"Until then ... we have other matters to attend to."
As her sisters depart, Jordanna winks at Ingoe so only her dead white eye can be seen. "Be kind to my sister tomorrow, We'll be watching." Then she follows the others.
Alyssa strides away without looking back, holding herself tall and grumbling under her breath. "In my day, we tied people like that to chairs and pulled out their insides. And then we really got to work on them."
Oh well. It's pointless to go on and on about the good old days. You have to work with what you've got.
After the sisters return to the jail, Betha checks again on the prisoners. Once she's done that she returns to the main room.
Standing behind Jordanna, she begins to massage the woman's shoulders. "Ingoe's not hideous to look at and it appears that he commands authority at the docks. I think he'll be a valuable asset. We just need to ensure that he understands the benefits of working with us instead of against us."
Her hands move down the woman's back, pressing and kneeding. She looks over at Alyssa.
"Carrot first, then stick if needed," she says emphasizing the reward over the punishment. "I'll have dinner with him and ... maybe ... give him a sample."
She smiles with hunger.
"After all, he's not hideous and men have their uses."
Alyssa tuts in disapproval, but defers to the younger woman's judgement, this time. You have to give the young chicks a chance to spread their wings, after all.
But still. She shakes her head. "He's a man, dearie. You'll always find the stick is needed, in the end. Or the knife."
She smiles. "I just want you to know that I'm here for you if I'm needed. We're family, after all."
Jordanna sighs blissfully as Betha works the sore muscles of her shoulders and back. The soft fur there stands on end when the other changeling's fingers stroke it.
"No fair hogging him all to yourself, sister. Perhaps if he is amenable, you will be willing to share? I may be with child, but I still have needs..."
Betha's smile widens and she slides her hands down to Jordanna's waist.
"Oh, there are times when the 'stick' is really needed," she says with a deep-throated chuckle. She leans closer to her pregnant sister and says in a low voice. "It's been I while since I've had a good one."
She steps away laughing to sit in one of the scattered chairs and put her feet up on the table.
"And I always share with sisters."
The rest of the day passes without incident or check up from Razelago, so all in all, a good day.
Later that evening the time comes for Betha's date.
Ingoe smiles widely and bows over Betha's hand before pulling out her chair, treating her in all ways as a lady from a romance novel.
"A true pleasure Lady Betha." He says, sitting with a smile and a flash of white teeth. "So how are you and your coven sisters finding our small town?"
"A gentleman is so hard to find these days," Betha says when Ingoe pulls out her chair for her.
"A true pleasure Lady Betha." He says, sitting with a smile and a flash of white teeth. "So how are you and your coven sisters finding our small town?"
"Yes, the pleasure is all yours," the witch returns with a playful smile.
The changeling has left her backpack and armor at the jail. Although she still carries her sword on her back. She's wearing a leather skirt that reaches her knees and her breasts are barely constrained in a short leather vest that leaves visible the tracery of geometric patterns that encircle her neck and then plunge down between said breasts, down her belly, vanishing under the skirt.
"So far we've found it a hotbed of sedition," she says gesturing at one of the servers for wine. "But my sisters and I plan to deal with that in our own way."
She looks the man up and down.
"But enough about us, tell me, Ingoe, how long have you been the force in charge of the docks."
She takes a drink from her freshly poured glass and eyes him over the rim.
He makes small talk over the next hour or so as the food comes and is eaten, and, as the end of the meal approaches, he looks Betha up and down with frank appreciation. "I make no secret Lady Betha, that I find you attractive. I think we might be able to make each other quite happy for an evening. I have to ask however - am I likely to wake with one of your sister's knives at my throat if we choose to spend our night together?"
"I assure you, knives would only be involved if I wasn't ... satisfied," she says, taking another drink of wine. "We take care of each other. Speaking of which, what do you think of Jordanna? Do you find her ... attractive?"
She smiles, leaving the man to try to determine his way out of the perceived trap. Before he manages an answer, she laughs again.
"There is no wrong answer, Ingoe. She is an attractive woman, but if you don't find her so ... " she shrugs. "I simply ask because, like me, she has desires as well and sometimes we ... share ... the pleasures that an attractive person can offer."
"She is certainly attractive." He says, apparently deciding that gallantry can do no harm. "And she would certainly stir a man's fire, although she is clearly... is she far along? Most women with that sort of belly would be ready to drop and rather lack the normal desires?"
He lets the question hang. "Perhaps we should see if we are suited, then we can discuss your sister's role if she wants one?"
So saying he stands and offers Betha his hand. "There is a room for us upstairs, if you want it. I know I do."
----------------------------
The evening passes quietly, enlivened by Jordanna's rediscovery of The Guardsman's Fine Salute and some odd snuffling noises coming from the cells. When Alyssa goes to check there is no-one there, apart from a quiet Kells and a still stony faced and angry Agatha.
"I wouldn't ask if I didn't already know her desires," Betha says with a slight trace of annoyance. "And speaking from personal experience, she has no lack of them."
She takes his hand and rises from the table, her smile returning.
"Although, perhaps you are correct. I should probably sample you myself alone. Jordanna is much less ... forgiving ... then I am."
He proves to be vigorous and capable, his hard muscles clearly well earned as he tangles one hand into Betha's hair and uses it to secure his position as the two couple.