Kicking with her legs to keep her head above water, Zhi stabs again, this time using both blades.
Sara, still crying, dives in herself to fight the General.
She swims up beside the giant fish , and grabs hold of its fin, plunging both of her heels into its chest with an angry scream.
Sara plunges her heels into the General's chest, puncturing several vital organs. As the fish's blood stains the water red, Zhi drives both of her blades into his back. At last, the mighty catfish falls limp, floating belly up in the waters of the lake. The General has fought his final battle.
Sara furiously pulls herself onboard, kicking the fish in the chin several times for good measure.
She doesn't look at Maria, blaming herself for what happened to her. It was her idea to go fishing, after all.
Instead, after helping secure its body to the boat, Sara dives in again to search its nesting ground.
Feeling the beast cease its struggles, Zhi leaves both her blades buried in the creature to free up her hands. She begins struggling to make her way back to the boat.
"Umm... help? she manages to gasp out before slipping under the surface.
Chelsea and Selli hold a fishing rod over the side of the boat to pull Zhi back in. "That was insane! Are you okay?" Selli asks excitedly.
Sara dives down to the bottom of the lake, expertly navigating the murky depths. The tale of the General scuttling a noble pleasure barge is surprisingly accurate; 80 feet below the surface of its hunting grounds, she discovers the remains of this once-beautiful ship. Searching the muddy remains turns up four bottles of bloodberry gin (worth 100 gp each), a ruby-and-sapphire wedding ring (worth 1,000 gp), and a deck of illusions in a teak box; decades of water damage have rendered the box into twisted garbage, but the cards within are in good condition, if slightly stained.
Zhi spends a few moments coughing up water after she manages to climb over the side of the boat.
I'm okay," she says between gasps. "Is Maria okay?"
Once she sees for herself that the investigator is still among the living, she checks Selli as well.
"Are you ok?" she asks, looking over the young girl just to reassure herself.
"Where is Sara?"
~~~
She spends the entirety of the return trip sitting up against Melodie, heedless of her wet clothes.
~~~~
If it hasn't been taken care of by then, Zhi will insist that everyone is entirely healed before they tow the fish back to the docks. She doesn't want any actual evidence that they were in any way harmed.
Hopefully, that way, when Selli tells the story about Maria being almost eaten, it'll be taken as a child's natural tendency to exaggerate and the Baron won't have kittens.
As if in answer, Sara's hand grabs the side of the boat, wearing a beautiful silver band. She throws a bag in the boat, and pulls herself up behind it. "There were a sunk yatch't down there," she says, badly mangling her pronunciation. "I want the gin, it's old stuff and the label is good, but this ring and whatever's in that box I bet will fetch a pretty penny."
After climbing in, she wraps herself in a dry cloth and stares at Maria. "Er, you all right?" she asks, tense and guilty.
You tie the General's corpse to the boat and haul it along. It makes the trip back to Pensaris much slower--the massive catfish weighs several tons! But as the sun sets, a huge crowd gathers on the docks to marvel at your trophy.
"I don't believe it! They bagged him!"
"The General! He's real!"
"That's the second largest catfish I've ever seen!"
Selli eagerly tells the story of your battle with the beast. "And then Zhi jumped on his back and was all stab stab stab, and Sara kicked him in the face with her high heels, and Maria totally didn't almost get eaten!"
Baron Okerra favors you with a look of admiration. "Truly, this is a legendary feat! The bards will sing of your victory for years to come! Let us celebrate tonight, friends! A feast in your honor!"
As the feast gets underway, Zhi takes liberal advantage of both the offered food and beverage. Possibly more than her share of the latter.
Later in the evening she encourages the musicians to play something they can dance to and then on not-quite-steady feet she pulls Melodie to an open space with a silly grin on her face. "I've been learning how to do other things besides singing," she says in a voice warmed by drink.
She pulls the girl close and begins leading her in a dance of measured steps. Rising on her toes, she whispers in the girl's ear, "What good is a prince if she can't lead her princess in a dance." Unable to resist, she trails small kisses down from the changeling's ear towards her neck.
She then pushes the girl away to twirl her slowly under her hand. Her eyes stay fixed on Melodie's face.
Beginning to giggle, Zhi pulls her back in close. "I've got a se-cret," she says in a sing-song voice. "I've got you a pre-sent." Her voice loses the childish tone and grows husky. "You'll have to wait until my birthday for it, though - next week."
She swallows. "I hope you ... you like it," she stammers out, suddenly nervous.
She spends the entirety of the return trip sitting up against Melodie, heedless of her wet clothes.
Melodie willingly holds her girlfriend the entire way back, whispering quietly in her ear and rubbing circles on her back with her free hand. Her hand leaves a trail of warmth behind it and Zhi is completely dry by the time the boat reaches shore.
"That was amazing Zhi. But please don't do something that reckless again! I was so worried about you!"
She tilts Zhi's face up to look into Melodie's mismatched eyes.
"Promise me, no assaulting giant fish in their own lake!" She musters a smile and it even looks sincere... , but there is genuine fear in her eyes.
Later in the evening she encourages the musicians to play something they can dance to and then on not-quite-steady feet she pulls Melodie to an open space with a silly grin on her face. "I've been learning how to do other things besides singing," she says in a voice warmed by drink.
She pulls the girl close and begins leading her in a dance of measured steps. Rising on her toes, she whispers in the girl's ear, "What good is a prince if she can't lead her princess in a dance." Unable to resist, she trails small kisses down from the changeling's ear towards her neck.
Melodie sighs in contentment as Zhi leads her through the dance, leaning down to snuggle her head into Zhi's neck as her girlfriend begins to pepper her with kisses.
She then pushes the girl away to twirl her slowly under her hand. Her eyes stay fixed on Melodie's face.
Melodie returns the gaze, feeling a warmth in her chest that has nothing to do with the music or the wine, and everything to do with the woman she is dancing with.
Beginning to giggle, Zhi pulls her back in close. "I've got a se-cret," she says in a sing-song voice. "I've got you a pre-sent." Her voice loses the childish tone and grows husky. "You'll have to wait until my birthday for it, though - next week."
She swallows. "I hope you ... you like it," she stammers out, suddenly nervous.
Melodie's smile lights up the feast as she pull Zhi close again and leans down to kiss her girlfriend deeply. "I'm sure I will." She whispers into Zhi's mouth, "I already love the person who got it for me."
"Promise me, no assaulting giant fish in their own lake!" She musters a smile and it even looks sincere, but there is genuine fear in her eyes.
Zhi holds one hand over her heart and the other in the air.
"I swear on my honor, I will never jump on the back of a giant catfish ever again," she says solemnly.
She reaches out and pulls Melodie's hand to her and then kisses it softly before moving it to rest over her heart..
"I promise."
She sits quietly for a moment.
"Actually the water was scarier then the fish," She says. "I swim like a drunken llama."
Maria scrambled away from the General as soon as its jaws relented, already in the process of grabbing her healing extract when she heard the monster's death cry.
"I swear," she said, clearly still scared from being grabbed like that, "by every god in every plane of reality, I am never going fishing EVER AGAIN!"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maria spent her time at the feast just recovering from the ordeal. Even with Zileska's healing , shock and pain were still lingering.
As the General goes belly-up, Zileska waves her spiritual weapon away. She uses her whip to help provide a lifeline for those in the water so that they can swim to the boat.
Once the group returns to the boat, she looks at the catfish one more time, then says, "That thing could've swallowed someone whole. Though it's not the first time I've felt like bait."
She gently lifts her holy symbol from its customary resting place in her bosom and loosely holds it in her hand, letting warmth flow outward from it.
Baron Okerra's citadel is full of laughter and merriment that night as the whole town is invited to celebrate the General's defeat. You sleep off the evening's festivities and return to Stachys the next day, Nicolaus and Selli bidding you fond farewells and hopes of seeing you again soon.
The temple has been completed, giving the common folk a place to pay respects to Abadar while also giving Zileska a proper forum to spread her Calistrian teachings. With Atratus's supplies and some extra funds for Zhi, you begin to enact advanced civic upgrades to further bolster your village's infrastructure.
Words of your deeds continue to spread throughout the county. With a few more noble acts to your names, you're certain all of Meratt will soon be sympathetic to your cause!
Zileska assist in organizing the party with the defeat of the General. She arranges for the construction of a papier-mâché fish, which hangs from one of the rafters, so that the children can break it open with sticks, and at some expense has imported several small toys that are cunningly concealed in porcelain fishes with hooks in their mouths - the fishes are then placed in a large tub of water where they float and bob, and the children can use fishing rods to go fishing for prizes like little carved horses and dragons with wheels and cunning gnome-engineered gearworks that make the legs move or painted "fire" come out of the mouth while it rolls, or child-sized wooden rings, or tickets that they can turn in for toy shields and helmets and elaborate boutonnières and tiaras.
For the grown-ups, of course, her décor is a bit more salacious. She wears a slim mask and a revealing frontless frilled gown with webbed stockings and garters, and a taut buttoned vest festooned with small black-and-yellow ribbons in loops, along with lacy fingerless gloves. She arranges a game in which everyone receives a similar trio of black-and-yellow loops of ribbon, and they are encouraged to give one to the person they find most alluring... the winning couple receiving a gift of exotic perfume and expensive imported chocolate, but anyone who winds up with no ribbons by the end of the night receives a lucrative voucher that they can trade for an expensive book, from a variety of topics.
"And remember... if someone gives you a ribbon, you can't give that one away. So collect as many as you can, or give away yours and then do your best not to get any!" she admonishes the guests with a smile.
When Melodie opens the door to the master suite to begin her bedtime routine, she catches a glimpse of Zhi in her nightclothes frantically shifting books around on the bedside table.
Zhi looks up with a flushed expression and straightens her shift that seems to have ridden up a little high.
"Oh, hey. Uh ... I thought you were going to be a little longer," she says as she pulls a book from the top of the stack and opens it. "I was just reading." She seems to be working hard to steady her breathing as she turns to what appears to be a random page and begins to study it intensely.
As Melodie begins changing into her nightgown Zhi raises the book higher to avoid looking.
Once she's finished and gets into bed, Zhi snuggles in close to Melodie, wrapping one arm around her waist.
"I gave a prayer to Shelyn today," she says quietly. "I wanted to thank her for putting you in my life." The small woman lifts herself up from the bed enough to look Melodie in the eyes. "And I wanted to thank you for believing in me."
She leans in close for a soft kiss and then slides back down to lay her head on the woman's chest. "Îți dau inima prințesă mea," She lays still there for a few moments waiting for any internal alarms. At their failure to appear, she abruptly pushes the blankets back and gets out of the bed.
"I've had enough of the this though," she says as she turns to Melodie and pulls her shift off over her head. "You're my girlfriend dammit! You're allowed to see me naked." She turns around and, with somewhat of a wiggle, slides her smallclothes to the floor. She faces the changling again and with a hand on her hip, adds, "And at certain times, even expected to." She smiles as if she's done something naughty.
After a moment or so of her display, she returns to take up her former position next to her partner sans clothes. She pulls the blankets back up and slides up again and engages her in a kiss with significantly more heat then the first one.
"I love you and I'm all yours," she says once she pulls back for air. "So whenever ... if ... you'd like to go further ... "
One of her hands moves up and gently caresses one of Melodie's breasts through the thin material of her sleeping gown. Her finger begins making soft circles around the hardening nipple. "I'm more then ready. It's all up to you."
She begins kissing along Melodie's jawline and around towards her ear.
"I think about you when I touch myself," she whispers, her lips just brushing against the skin. "If you'd like, I can show you how."
Zhi gently nips the edge of the changling's ear, she then continues her kisses down the side of Melodie's neck before stopping and resting her head again on the woman's chest. She removes her hand from Melodie's breast and puts it around her waist again.
"Whatever you want to do, I'm here and all yours," she says softly.
She giggles softly.
"And just so you know, I've never peeked," she says looking up at Melodie, her green eyes sparkling mischeviously. "I've never actually seen you naked."
She lays her head back down.
"If we're keeping track."
"I think I have something for you, Mistress Vestalina. That is, if I have the rules of this game right." Baron Araig Telus offers Zileska his ribbon with a broad smile.
"Master Mosle and I were on our way back to Jambis when I heard about this fish-themed party and decided to check it out. And glad I am that we did so, that I might see you in such an alluring outfit." He bows and kisses the back of Zileska's hand. "I wanted to thank you again for lifting that wretched curse. Is there any way I might repay you?"
Zhi is going to Sabotage Opponent (Subterfuge)
"Why Baron!" says Zileska, letting him kiss her hand. "I am likewise delighted that you chose to stop in for our little celebration. I hope you will find everything you see to your liking, and you'll sample everything you see." She pivots this way and that for a moment, causing her skirt to rustle back and forth.
"Your approval is of great value to me," she continues, "but all I can ask is, as I said before, that you be a friend and ally to my patronness Melodie. She has made great strides in bringing this community back to prosperity, and helping the people - no matter their station - has in turn helped the entire town to grow hearty again."
Zileska takes the ribbon from the baron, extends one leg, and ties it to her garter.
"Now I do have a dance partner for this particular party," she says, "but perhaps I could... avail myself of the opportunity to visit at a date in the... near future?" She gently places her fingers on the Baron's hand and leans forward to whisper in his ear while leaning in to tie one of the ribbons to his collar, with her arms draped briefly over his shoulders.
"Dressed inappropriately, of course," she whispers, then brazenly (but not readily visibly) licks his ear.
Telus's breath catches in his throat as Zileska's tongue runs along his ear. "It will be my honor to welcome you into my parlor once my estate is in proper order. I shall keep you in my thoughts until that time, milady."
He touches her arm and lets his hand linger for a few moments. "I hope you will think of me as well."
He bows gracefully and fades back into the crowd before Duchess Veleto can become jealous.
Although she has decided to attend Zileska's party, Zhi debates for quite a while before deciding to do so in her black dress. She's done her makeup in Minkaian fashion - her face is pale, almost white with heavy accents on her eyes. Her hair is done up high and held in place with silver kanzashi. Her normally short fingernails have been artificially enhanced and are now long and painted a jade green.
One other change she's made is that, where before, the long open sides of her dress were held in place with pieces of black netting, the netting is now gone. The only thing holding the front of the dress to the back are the shoulder straps and a narrow green sash wrapped around her waist.
She's also wearing significant heels - tall enough that she only stands an inch or two below Melodie.
~~~
Once the rules of Zileska's game are explained, Zhi turns and gives Melodie her ribbon without even a pause. She then pulls her in for a heated kiss.
"If you don't give me your ribbon, I just might pout since I wore this just for you," she whispers.
Always a lover of parties, Sara gives out her ribbons immediately; one to Onora without much in the way of discussion about it, one to Zileska in thanks for throwing the party and for being a supportive and beautiful friend, and one to Colleen, the fisherwoman, for her talent and skill, and of course, for being so dashing.
She doesn't mingle as much as she is wont to, favoring standing by the punch bowl and drinking heavily.
Zhi gives her second ribbon to Zileska.
"I want to thank you again for the reading material," she says with a sly smile. "It was ... educational."
She looks around for the recipient of her remaining ribbon.
There she is.
Zhi's heavy makeup hides the frown lines as she sees Sara standing next to the punch bowl finishing the most recent of many drinks.
She looks down at her remaining ribbon.
I can't give her this.
Torn over what to do, she sees her solution as a masked attendee passes by.
"Excuse me," She says quietly. "I know it's probably breaking the rules, but ... could you take this ribbon and give it to Miss Burke over there? But you can't say it was from me. Please?"
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*spoiler*
Melodie blushes when Zhi disrobes, but doesn't look away. In fact her gaze becomes positively hungry and she visibly devours Zhi, taking in every inch of the smaller woman's petite frame.
As Zhi kisses her and begins to fondle her Melodie melts into her touch, making quiet mewling noises into her girlfriend's mouth and clearly very much enjoying the attention. When Zhi pulls away she pouts, lying among the sheets with her hair disheveled and lips full and red.
"Please Zhi..." She whimpers, voice thick with need. "Please! I want... I want to watch you, I want you to touch me! I want you!"
As Zhi begins Melodie copies her and before long the Tribune of Stachys is no longer a valid sacrifice to the Lake spirits...
In the days that follow Melodie and Zhi begin to challenge Zileska and the Duchess for being the last ones to breakfast and Melodie sports an almost ridiculous number of small bruises in the shape of a pair of lips. Despite these 'injuries' she seems almost deliriously happy and flits around the house with renewed energy, a song almost invariably on her lips - unless she finds Zhi somewhere quiet when silence mysteriously descends...
-------------------------------
Melodie, well aware of both Zileska's party and the likely nature of said party, appears in one of the dresses she first wore to the Taniger Jubilee - a blue dress with long skirts that make her look as though she is walking through the crest of a wave. In deference to the occasion she has done away with the lace neck piece and the dress begins halfway across her chest, framing the sapphire blue pendant which hangs at the top of her cleavage, combined with the dresses lack of sleeves and the long, gold chased opera gloves that she has located Melodie looks a lot less demure than she did for Count Lotheed - although she cannot hold a candle to Zileska!
Once the rules of Zileska's game are explained, Zhi turns and gives Melodie her ribbon without even a pause. She then pulls her in for a heated kiss.
"If you don't give me your ribbon, I just might pout since I wore this just for you," she whispers.
Melodie returns the kiss before turning Zhi around and sweeping her hair away from her bare neck. She secures her ribbon around Zhi's throat as a choker and returns a whisper in her ear as she does so.
"You can have this one now - I'll give you the others later!" She takes full advantage of her new relic in the process, monitoring her girlfriend's thoughts just to see exactly what images that conjures up for Zhi before blowing her a kiss and moving to mingle with an enigmatic smile.
------------------------------------
Much of Melodie's remaining time has been spent on her most complex operation yet - buying Zhi's birthday present. As a good friend and an organised person she had already purchased a gift appropriate for a (very) close friend, but the change in their relationship prompts a new flurry of decision, indecision and finally choosing as Melodie draws on all her contacts in Stachys and Oppara to purchase a number of new presents - which are delivered quietly to the manor house over a few days, although Melodie's attempts to do this subtly are somewhat laughable.
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All during Zileska's party, Zhi takes effort to let the other Ladies of the house (with the exception of Melodie) know that she'd like them to join her tomorrow at the Wolf's Whisker for drinks around sundown.
As morning dawns, Melodie is awakened by nibbling on her ear.
"Good morning sleepy head," Zhi says. "Up and at 'em. Rise and shine."
She leans in close to be the first thing the woman sees when she opens her eyes.
"Now I know it's not till tomorrow, but I've got a birthday surprise waiting for you. Yes, it's a surprise for you on my birthday. Deal with it. That's also why I'm doing it today instead of tomorrow. Surprise!"
The girl hopes out of bed in excitement.
"Now, since it is a surprise," she says in a stern tone. "This is off-limits for today." She gestures at the porcelain mask sitting on a side table. "No fair reading thoughts and ruining it."
Zhi walks out into the middle of the floor and, heedless of her nakedness, begins her morning stretches.
"Now get your butt out of bed."
~~~~
As the afternoon wanes, Zhi urges Melodie on. Taking her hand and heading down to the village.
"Come on," she says impatiently.
Once they arrive at the Wolf's Whisker, she spends some time whispering with some of the musicians and looking back at Melodie with a nervous smile. She returns to take Mel's hand and leads her to a pair of chairs set near the small area cleared for entertainers.
"Now you sit right there," she says with a grin as she returns to stand in the middle of the open space.
"Could I have everyone's attention!" she calls out. After a moment, bubbling conversations quiet down and everyone's attention turns to the young rogue.
She takes a deep breath.
"I ... Umm ... " she stumbles a little and then looks at Melodie. She smiles. "I kind of had ... I was going to say ... Umm ... Tomorrow is my birthday and someone asked me what I wanted and I realized that ... All I wanted was ... "
She clears her throat.
"The Lady d'Valois has been giving me singing lessons," she says beginning again. "And I just wanted to show her that ... that I ... that her effort wasn't a waste."
Zhi looks around at the gathered faces and then gestures to Karuna. The musician begins a simple melody on her lute and building to a cue, looks to Zhi.
Zhi looks fearfully around as everyone waits expectantly. The silence continues for a moment before she turns and gestures for the woman to start over.
She takes a breath and closes her eyes as the notes build to her cue again.
I found myself dreaming
In silver and gold
Like a scene from a story
That every broken heart knows
We were walking on moonlight
And you pulled me close
Split second and you disappeared
And then I was all alone
I woke up in tears
With you by my side
A breath of relief
And I realized
No, we're not promised tomorrow
So I'm gonna love you
Like I'm gonna lose you
I'm gonna hold you
Like I'm saying goodbye
Wherever we're standing
I won't take you for granted
'cause we'll never know when
When we'll run out of time
So I'm gonna love you
Like I'm gonna lose you
I'm gonna love you
Like I'm gonna lose you
In the blink of an eye
Just a whisper of smoke
You could lose everything
The truth is you never know
So I'll kiss you longer
Any chance that I get
I'll make the most of the minutes
And love with no regrets
Let's take our time
To say what we want
Use what we got
Before it's all gone
'Cause no, we're not promised tomorrow
So I'm gonna love you
Like I'm gonna lose you
I'm gonna hold you
Like I'm saying goodbye
Wherever we're standing
I won't take you for granted
'cause we'll never know when
When we'll run out of time
So I'm gonna love you
Like I'm gonna lose you
I'm gonna love you
Like I'm gonna lose you
The notes fade away and Zhi locks her eyes on Melodie's. She smiles. Her eyes glistening, she moves to stand in front of the Lady d'Valois. She turns her head slightly, aware of so many eyes still on her. She looks like she's about to say something, but then reconsiders. Instead she leans down and gives the woman a lingering kiss.
She then turns and takes the seat next to her, reaches down and takes one of the woman's pale hands in hers. Drawing it up, she kisses it as well.
The musicians begin another tune and everyone's attention is drawn back to them.
Zhi leans over and whispers something in the Melodie's ear while showing her something she holds in her hand.
In her hand is a gold ring with a single emerald.
"Marry me," she says.
~~~~
Once the Baron moves on, Zileska seeks out the Duchess Veleto to give her a ribbon as well. "My dear, I'm so glad to find you - you must take this," she says as she offers the ribbon. She leans in to add, "And even if you don't 'win,' you still get a prize."
Making the rounds, Zileska accepts the ribbons from her compatriots, but says, "Do perhaps consider showing your approval to some other guests! You know I love you ladies and besides it would look bad if I won my own prize!" She draws the Duchess off for a dance, followed by some punch while meandering over to watch some of the children "fishing."
When Zhi makes her speech and her song, Zileska listens, enraptured, and finally claps excitedly at the conclusion. She rushes up to offer her third ribbon to Zhi. "That was a feast of beauty for the ears and the heart. You earned this, Zhi."
"And if you have any questions about the books, I'm happy to explain."
"Now hold still and trust me." She whispers before fastening it over Zhi's eyes and kissing her deeply on the lips.
Once she's led Zhi into the room she pushes Zhi to a halt and gently eases her straps over her shoulders, letting the dress fall to Zhi's slender waist before tugging her hands out in front of her and wrapping her wrists in Zileska's final ribbon.
With her girlfriend restrained Melodie proceeds to explore every inch of Zhi's body with almost agonising patience, drawing every iota of pleasure of out Zhi that she can, before releasing her hands and gathering her own pleasure without ever uncovering Zhi's eyes.
----------------------------
Later, after both girls have recovered from their exertions Melodie pulls Zhi against her and wraps her in a tight hug.
"Zhi - I'm sorry, but I've been sitting on this for days and it's important that we talk to each other right? I love you and I'm worried about you - someone hurt you didn't they? I've seen the..." Melodie's hands flutter vaguely towards Zhi's lower half. "...marks. I heard about what happened with your mother's dress, you didn't quite get all the pieces, and I want to make sure that you are ok. You know that I'm here for you right? Anything I have is yours Zhi. Anything." She says, sincerity ringing through her voice.
Melodie's love literally wraps Zhi like a blanket, giving her the absolute certainty that Melodie means what she says.
"Yes!" Melodie breathes, as the blood rises in her face like a crimson tide. "Yes I will marry you!"
She presses her lips to Zhi's fiercely, tears rolling down her face. The kiss lasts for an eternity until Melodie pulls back with a smile on her face. "This is really unfair you know - how can I possibly get you a birthday present to match this?"
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"You sure you don't wanna join in?" Kara said from the library desk, an array of various documents and reports spread out in-front of the amazonian half-orc. "Shindig like that's not my thing anyway, but ya look like ya could do with some cheerin' up."
"What I could do with," Maria said as she walked back to the table, "is one less reminder that I was almost eaten by an oversized fish. And I'm a little too old to go getting revenge-by-proxy with those catfish pinyatas so unless I wanted to get involved in whatever salacious game Zileska has put together there's really little down there for me to enjoy."
"Sure that fish didn't leave a stick up yer ass in the process?" She held her hands up defensively at Maria's glare. "Hey, sorry! I'm kiddin'. That really rattled ya, didn't it?"
Maria nodded. "My first near-death experience. Not one I care to repeat." She shook her head, letting her blonde tresses fly loose. "Anyway, it'll pass eventually. Best thing for me to do tonight is to distract myself with all of this."
"Identifyin' the Night Swan. Heh, ya really think we can do somethin' half of Meratt ain't managed?"
"Sometimes, all it takes is a fresh set of eyes. And, at the moment, that means finding those eyes first. What we have here in Stachys is a start, but we need to reach further afield. She seems to have a notable presence in Lotheedar so that should be our next step."
"Meanin' me and Sandra's next step, right?" Kara remarked with a lopsided grin.
"The whole reason you two approached me was because you knew there would be times I couldn't act directly. This is one of those times."
"Meanin' you don't want Burke to know about our little hunt, do you?"
Maria hesitated. She'd been keeping these concerns to herself, but Kara was far more perceptive than anyone ever gave her credit for.
"No, I don't. She's agreeing with the Swan's rhetoric. I want to believe the best of her, really... but I have to account for the worst-case scenario as well. What the Swan wants... it can only end in disaster even if she succeeds. Say she pulls it off; say she... drowns Taldor in blue blood. Even if the neighbouring nations don't label her as one of the single greatest mass-murderers in recent history, they'll be right there to invade and seize territory while our nation's in shambles. And if they don't, then Taldor will become a massive collection of independent city-states and anyone trying to organise those states for fair use of resources and the protection of the common folk from monsters and bandits will, in just a couple of human generations, end up right back to the same system we have today and her whole crusade will have been for nought."
"Whatever the problems a nation may have; genocide of an entire societal class should never be the solution."
Going over their notes and reports of the Night Swan's attacks, Maria and her agents realize that most of her harassment of the local nobles happens in and around Lotheedar, or on the highways to and from the city. It stands to reason that she is likely somebody living in the city itself. There are several hundred human women who call Lotheedar home, though, so it is going to take a lot of detective work to narrow down the search.
Sara leaves during the performance, trying to not make much of her departure. She spends the night alone, and writes two letters; one to Malphene, and one to the Night Swan.
For the Swan's missive, Sara sends someone to the Beggarwood with a pouch of fifty gold and a message for the Night Swan, much in the same way as last time. It says, simply
Come to Stachys, and is enclosed with the down from her birds. The symbols of Calistria and Abadar are drawn on opposite corners, giving secret instructions to meet on the temple roof, as they had been doing with the Grand Bank. Additionally, and without explanation, it has one of the ribbons given to her by admirers.
In Malphene's letter, Sara details her love for the woman and her hope that she's having better luck getting laid than Sara. She goes into salacious detail about what she intends to do with the woman the next they meet, and also waxes on about dates she wants to take her on. It is sealed with a kiss and another ribbon, and sent out the next day.
Two nights after the party, Sara waits atop the roof of Stachys's temple in her Mockingbird getup. Shortly after midnight, a grappling hook latches onto the edge of the roof, and the Night Swan clambers up to greet her.
"What's the word, Mockingbird?" the vigilante says with a cocky smile as she smooths out her cloak. "Have you summoned me here to show me your mettle by taking a shot at these Betony bovines? Or perhaps by clipping the wings of the treacherous Raven?"
The woman is wearing the ribbon Sara sent her, affixed to her wrist.
"Zhi - I'm sorry, but I've been sitting on this for days and it's important that we talk to each other right? I love you and I'm worried about you - someone hurt you didn't they? I've seen the..." Melodie's hands flutter vaguely towards Zhi's lower half. "...marks. I heard about what happened with your mother's dress, you didn't quite get all the pieces, and I want to make sure that you are ok. You know that I'm here for you right? Anything I have is yours Zhi. Anything." She says, sincerity ringing through her voice.
"M-m-m-marks? Zhi stammers out, stiffening up. "What m-marks? I have ... I have lots of ... m-marks. "
Once Melodie clarifies specifically what she's seen, Zhi pulls away. She backs up to the headboard, pulling her knees up to wrap her arms around them.
"I didn't know there were marks," she says softly, not meeting Melodie's eyes. "I wouldn't have let you ... if I knew there were ... "
She pulls her knees tighter to herself as if she could curl into a smaller ball.
"You deserve to know. You deserve to know what ... " She says with resignation.
"Jobs were hard to find," she begins. "The Silent Brotherhood was taking all the burglery work that was worth anything, but we still needed to eat. So Father had me working some of the market squares, picking pockets, slitting purses, that sort of thing. I get caught."
"Well, actually, it was the third time I got caught. The first time, the guard gave me a warning. There was a push to go easy on children and I was only twelve and probably looked like I was eight. The second time, they fined us. It cost us all the coin we had saved up. Father was very angry with me. The third time ... we didn't have any ..."
"The guard took me to ... well, I don't know what they call it, but we just call it the 'Block House'. He said that maybe a night in the 'commons' would scare me enough that ..."
"The 'commons' is a big cell in the Block House where they hold drunks and people that get in fights and small stuff like that. They have one for men and one for women. Father always had me ... had me dress as a boy because people paid less attention to little boys then to little girls."
Her voice breaks just a little at the last words, but she clears her throat and continues.
"When I saw that there were only two people in the cell, I thought ... I thought that this'll be all right. And when I saw that one of the people was Papa Sweets ... I was so relieved. I don't know what his name really was but all of us kids called him Papa Sweets. He had a little store and made taffy and ... and peppermint sticks ... and little pieces of caramel that were so good."
She smiles at the memory.
"When I sat on one of the benches, he came over and sat next to me and put his arm around my shoulder. I felt sooo safe. Even though he stank like so much wine, I thought, 'This is going to be ok, I'm safe now.'"
Tears begin falling, ignored, from her eyes.
"'There's a sweet lad', he said. I can still hear it. I hear it sometimes in my dreams, 'There's a sweet lad'."
She starts to shake.
"He ... he grabbed my neck. His hand was so strong - I almost couldn't ... I couldn't breath. And he pushed me ... pushed me ... over the bench ... and pulled ... "
Her arms pull her knees tighter and she begins to rock back and forth.
"It hurt so much. At first I thought I was going to die, it hurt so much. Then ... then I hoped I would die so it would stop. After a while, I realized that he wasn't ... he wasn't even holding me anymore and was laying on one of the other benches. But it still ... it still hurt."
"I fixed my clothes and ... and in the morning, Father came and got me. I couldn't ... I couldn't tell him. I felt so ashamed that I'd let him do that to me. I couldn't tell him. I couldn't tell him."
She puts her head down and begins to sob.
Sara blushes upon seeing her ribbon on the Swan's costume, hoping that the darkness and her mask would hide her flushing skin, but alas, it does not.
"Actually, I just wanted you to see what I'm seeing- but that doesn't mean we can't have some fun while we're here. Have you ever been to Stachys before, Swan? Even a month ago, you wouldn't recognize it.
"After I saw you last, I came here to tail the Betony heirs and keep an eye on the Raven's agent in the house, Hayashi Zhi, to identify what the Betonies and The Raven were up to. And mostly, they've been fixing the town. This temple was built in a matter of weeks, the streets were once overgrown and full of holes large enough to pop a wagon wheel, the land itself was untenable and flooded.
"They're enacting change in a very real way, on a small and personal level, and, despite their status as interlopers, I admire that. So I ask you, what is it that they have that we lack?
"According to the Raven, our goal is adjacent with the Betonies, to depose Lotheed. Now ours is farther reaching, but if their strength is in organization, I have to wonder, could we use them to further our own goals?"
"Yes!" Melodie breathes, as the blood rises in her face like a crimson tide. "Yes I will marry you!"She presses her lips to Zhi's fiercely, tears rolling down her face. The kiss lasts for an eternity until Melodie pulls back with a smile on her face. "This is really unfair you know - how can I possibly get you a birthday present to match this?"
"You just did," Zhi says as tears well up in her eyes.
She wipes away the tears and, holding up Melodie's hand, slides the ring onto her finger. It fits perfectly.
"Îți dau inima prințesă mea," she says. To her surprise, Melodie understands her Varisian perfectly.
Zhi smiles wider.
"Yes, it might have a few enchantments on it. Including one that should enhance your oral abilities," she says with a saucy grin as she touches Melodie's lips with her finger.
"Not that kind of oral, you bad girl. The acceptable kind."
She replaces her finger with her lips.
The Night Swan peers down at the sleeping village, eventually grunting softly. "Hmph. I will admit that this place appears much better than the pigsty it was the last time I was here. Just because they seem to be doing right by their citizens doesn't mean the Betonies aren't still impediments to true liberty. But perhaps they are the least of the tyrants plaguing this county.
"Lotheed us definitely the worst of the lot. If what you say is true, and they are working to overthrow the count, then using them would be a most delicious tactic. But my little birds tell me they have allied with Baron Okerra, who is second only to Bartelby among monsters! His blind devotion to ridiculous concepts like 'honor' and 'tradition' makes him a threat to everything we stand for, Mockingbird. I cannot in good conscience pledge myself to those who consider a man like that an ally!"
The masked woman turns back to Sara and steps closer, stopping a few scant feet away. "So then, what are we to do?"
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Zhi takes a drink from her ale as Kaito joins her at the back table in the Wolf's Whisker.
He slides over a folded piece of parchment. Zhi unfolds it and looks it over.
"This is good, Kaito," she says. "This should do the job, thank you."
She stows the letter in her belt and takes another drink of her ale.
"Um ... Zhi ... " Kaito begins nervously. "I'm done. I'm out."
"What?"
"Zhi, I know it was you in my house that night. Are you the Raven?"
"What?!"
"Nevermind. You, the Raven, the Night Swan ... all you people are insane. I'm leaving. I don't want to be a part of this any more. I mean, at least it looks like the Night Swan has the right idea. Eliminate the nobles. That will solve so many things. I mean even the ones that seem ok, it's just a matter of time."
He looks coldly at Zhi.
"Even your 'friend', the 'Lady' d'Valois ... it's just a matter of time before she's falls to the suduction of power."
Zhi swallows a few times and collects her thoughts, her hands gripping her mug.
"Kaito," she says in a calm voice. "I don't want to argue about it here. Let's ... let's go somewhere else and talk about it."
"I'm not interested in talking about it, Zhi"
"Fine, then at least as a favor to me, let's leave by the back way. There are too many people watching."
"Whatever."
The young man gets up from the table and follows Zhi to the back where the 'necessaries' are located. She holds the door for him and he steps outside.
Before he even realizes what's happening, he finds himself on his stomach on the dirty ground, a knee in his back, and his head pulled back by a hand twisted in his hair. He holds perfectly still as he feels the sharp blade pressed against his neck.
*You have threatened my love,* Zhi says in very formal Minkaian. *Is that correct?*
"No, Zhi, I would never ... " he tries to choke out before the blade is pressed further and he can feel it breaking the skin.
*You have threatened my love,* Zhi says again as if enacting a ritual. *Is that correct?*
*Yes, I have threatened your love,* he finally says in the same language after a moment. *I am defeated and beg your mercy*
"You have always told me that the 'old ways' should return, Kaito," Zhi whispers menacingly in his ear in common. "What would be the penalty for your crime in the 'old ways'?"
The blade begins to draw blood.
"Blood, a life," Kaito chokes out. "I refuse to believe that you would take my life over ... Aaaiiiieeee!!!"
The young man breaks off as the blade is pulled from his neck and he feels intense pain in his arm. He manages to turn his head and sees the dagger, so recently held to his throat, sticking out of his right forearm.
The knee is removed from his back and he manages to turn and sit up, still looking at the dagger that's been plunged all the way through his arm.
"We're even Kaito," Zhi says coldly, standing nearby. "When we were... when we ... you helped me when no one else could and I've always felt in your debt for that. Not anymore."
"Zhi, how could you ... "
"We're even Kaito, do you understand what that means?" Zhi snarls as she steps closer, her rapier in her hand. The tip of the blade touching his chest.
"If I ever hear you threaten Melodie again ... If I ever hear from anyone else that you've threatened her ... If I even suspect that you wish her harm ... "
She moves in close, almost nose to nose with the young man, the blade still between them.
"You will be the one lying tied up on your bed in the dark hearing a voice singing 'where are the sweets?'."
Kaito's face pales.
"And you will live much longer then he did. Do you understand?"
Zhi turns and reenters the tavern and closes the door.
Kaito takes hold of his arm and stumbles out of the alley, oblivious to the wrinkled parchment lying forgotten and crushed in the mud.
Pacing back and forth, Sara begins. "I see several options in regards to the Baron:
"What if we can get them to cajole Okerra into directly opposing Lotheed, standing with them in the end? It will strike a blow both at Lotheed, his most trusted attendant lord in open war against him, and at Okerra's reputation as an honorable man.
"We could also make our temporary alliance with the Betonies known. Frankly, if the two of us stand openly in support of the Betonies, even just for the time being, it will sow a seed of discord deep within him, knowing who he has allied himself with. He will either change or sever ties.
"I, personally, am in favor of trying to do both. It will wreak havoc with Okerra's public image, to be an ally to usurpers, and make the end of Lotheed's rule that much sweeter."
She approaches close to the Swan, trailing a finger on her cheek. "For the immediate moment, I say we play our hands close to our chest," she punctuates this by placing a hand on the other woman's rib cage. Her voice lowers, sultry, conspiratorial. "I suspect they will not move forward for at least a week or two more. We have time to plant these seeds, and plan how we, together, will conquer these challenges, topple Lotheed, and ensure the safety and prosperity of the proletariat in Merratt."
"You know that I love you Zhi. Nothing changes that - not what you told me, not what happened to your mother - none of it. I love you Mai Zhi, and that means I love everything about you, your past and your future."
Melodie's grip on Zhi's arm tightens somewhat at her next words and the hairs on the back of Zhi's neck stand on end as she instinctively reacts to the anger pouring off Melodie. "If I ever find that thing however... then he's going to pay! Slowly and bloodily."
Her voice is strange, suddenly deeper and seemingly relishing the prospect of causing blood and pain until, with a sudden swear word, her voice stops entirely. Turning, Zhi can see that Melodie has bitten her own tongue. "Sorry." She offers with a sheepish grin. "I mean it though Zhi - I love you, no matter what."
-----------------------------
Melodie returns the kiss with a passion, and doesn't let go of Zhi's hand for hours.
Zhi collapses against Melodie's chest, wrapping her arms around her love and letting the tears flow.
At Melodie's talk of revenge, an image appears in Zhi's mind; a pale corpulent man, tied to a bed. Almost the entirety of his quivering skin covered in small cuts from a blade, blood soaking the bed clothes underneath him and the last gurgling sounds emerging from the bloody gag covering his mouth.
She swallows.
"It didn't help." She says in a small voice. "I thought it would make the nightmares go away. It ... didn't."
The sobs continue.
~~~~
"Um ... about the details ... " Zhi says as their evening in the Wolf's Whisker draws to a close.
"I know you want to ... to share this with your family - the wedding, I mean. But I don't want to wait. We can still do whatever kind of fancy wedding you want, but I want to be married to you now. We don't know what's going to happen tomorrow or the next day with everything that's going on."
"Let's find Zileska and see if she'll do it now!
"Um ... about the details ... " Zhi says as their evening in the Wolf's Whisker draws to a close.
"I know you want to ... to share this with your family - the wedding, I mean. But I don't want to wait. We can still do whatever kind of fancy wedding you want, but I want to be married to you now. We don't know what's going to happen tomorrow or the next day with everything that's going on."
"Let's find Zileska and see if she'll do it now!
"Hold on!" Melodie says, smiling at Zhi's eagerness. "I love you, and I am absolutely going to marry you. But not tonight - not in a rush like this. You are a special, wonderful person Mai Zhi and you are going to have the wedding to match, especially since you only get married once." She sticks her tongue out at that, but sobers once more.
"Seriously Zhi. The only reason I can possibly think of for not marrying you at once is because you might decide I come with too much baggage, but we are going to do this properly. I love you too much for anything less. Besides," She says, smiling again. "I haven't had the chance to get you a ring yet."
---------------------------
Melodie does however, as soon as they return to the Betony Mansion, rouse one of her personal agents and send them back into Stachys with a purse of gold, the ring that she claimed from the General's horde and some very specific instructions, as well as a warning not to return until the order is fulfilled to the letter!
The Night Swan laughs at Sara's proposal. "Ha! That's bloody brilliant! We can kill two birds with one stone, if you can pardon the phrase. I knew I liked you, Mockingbird."
She allows Sara to place her hands on her body, her heart beating fast beneath the fighter's fingers. "It's funny, isn't it? I've always seen my crusade as a solitary war, but more and more I've been warming up to the idea of having a... partner to share in my glory." And then the Night Swan leans forward and kisses Sara with a fiery zeal unmatched by any whose lips she's tasted before.
"Seriously Zhi. The only reason I can possibly think of for not marrying you at once is because you might decide I come with too much baggage, but we are going to do this properly. I love you too much for anything less. Besides," She says, smiling again. "I haven't had the chance to get you a ring yet."
"I don't care about a ring, I care about you," Zhi says with a pout. "But if you want to wait, we'll wait."
She pulls the woman in close and puts her head on her chest. She begins humming the melody to the song she sung earlier and swaying to music she hears in her head.
"So what do you think about Lady d'Valois Mai Zhi? It's got kind of a rhythm to it," she says after a moment, looking up with a grin.
Sara is caught completely off guard by the kiss, but she returns it in kind. She embraces the Night Swan and places a leg behind her, dipping her deep, kissing almost all the way to the roof, before pulling her up and out of the dip.
She smiles broadly, holding the Night Swan's hand. "I have a," she pauses, swaying her hips as she thinks, "contact that I believe is in good standing with one of the Betony heirs. A Galtan expat, and revolutionary, helped organize a wave of class protests with the Betony security chief. I'll pass the message of our deal: the open support of the Night Swan, conditional on the open support of Baron Okerra.
"In so doing, we either change Okerra as a person, make him more flexible, while simultaneously destroying his reputation of honor and tradition, or, barring that, simply settle for defaming him."
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"Excellent," the Night Swan says, savoring the taste of Sara's lips. "Either outcome is favorable. I shall await word of the Betonies' response. And you don't have to keep mucking about with those beggars when you want to contact me. Simply drop a message at the tailor's across from the Count's Cravat in Lotheedar, and I'll receive it much more quickly. Why prolong the wait between our meet-ups?"
She bows low, her braid and cloak swaying with the motion. "Another rooftop, another night, Mockingbird." Then she once more leaps from the top of the temple, vanishing into the night before she hits the ground.
At the end of your short period of downtime, an unwelcome guest returns--Sir Gul Gusairne and his squad of soldiers. The Abadarran inquisitor looks disdainfully at the statue of Calistria in the town square as you come down to meet him.
"His Excellency Count Lotheed has heard many disturbing rumors in the past few weeks. There are increasing reports of dissident activity across the county and an uptick of followers of religions of a potentially seditious nature. The Night Swan's attacks have become more brazen, and the word is they now have an accomplice who may be based here in Stachys. Additionally, His Excellency is concerned that Duchess Veleto may be attempting to hide in your village. He has authorized me to perform a thorough inspection."
Sara does not walk immediately home. Instead, she sits on the rooftop for another 15 minutes before climbing down and walking into the wood.
It is perhaps 30 minutes more before she takes off her hat and mask and heads toward the manor proper, for while she trusted the Night Swan, neither was she a fool.
She murmurs to herself along the way, such things as "She was such a good kisser," and "How am I going to sell this to Melodie?" For while she believed what she espoused and indeed shared many ideals with the Night Swan, the fact was that Ms. Adams, the Mockingbird, was a fiction, built to deliberately appeal to the vigilante.
Yes, she was going to take a perverse pleasure in the Baron's discomfort as they presented the deal to him, but she had hope, too. Hope that, after all his justifications and rationalizations, and all their needling, he really would change.
Though her interactions with him had been minimal, his conservative standing and reputation sunk in honor and tradition was hard to ignore. She could not imagine it easy for him, firstly to come out in support of their attempt to overthrow the Count, and more importantly, to climb into that same boat alongside the Night Swan.
And how would she react upon her eventual but inevitable discovery of the Mockingbird as a Betony? Or even that their goal to depose Lotheed was only so they could install the Princess as the reigning body?
She climbed into bed late, cold and alone, and held herself, crying softly until she drifted past reality and into dream.
--------
Upon the seneschal's arrival, Sara places herself firmly at his disposal. Remembering the rumors about his uncanny knack to see through lies, she never outright denies that the Duchess is here, instead choosing to say things she already believed, like "That poor misguided woman," and "But why would she come here?"
She gives him a tour of the new buildings, "just in case the builder's tried something funny with their work," also leading him back to everywhere he had pointed out as an area to watch on their last visit. She is congenial, friendly, and entirely too helpful, hoping to give her friends plenty of time before he asked to tour the mansion, a question she viewed as inevitability.