"Ah, getting straight down to business. Then can be fun too." she smiles; "Surely he isn't so strict you don't want to talk to little old me?"
There's some crashes coming from the door behind her, which she ignores; "And you Miss Azure, I could have Aldor draw you a bath, remove the fetching ink from you."
She is as hedonistic as she seems, regarding the group warmly....
Though there's a shrewd mind beneath all the extravagance, seems like she's trying to sound anyone out if they wish to join her faction - so as it's a meeting of the minds too.
|
Clearly uncomfortable with how the conversation is going, Galfon sees it fit to keep his mouth shut, shifting uncomfortably every so often. The Paracountess was being too friendly. The crashing noises do little to assuage him. Only when matters turn to business does he see it fit to add, "Quite strict, ma'am."
Zarta smiles at the young knight: "Is that the way you like it? I can be most accommodating." she bites her lower lip.
She looks around the gathered Pathfinders, then leans forward perching on her desk; "You do know what you want?" she asks, with a wicked twinkle in her eye.
"Oh, pity." she adds to Itra, though the blue speckled colour seems to be fading very quickly. Zarta regards Mai for a moment; "It's an ample chest - quite exquisite."
Her words are interrupted with a bang from the other room, of something being knocked over. The Countess frowns; "Though I suppose you might call it a jewellery box."
Perched upon the edge of her desk she crosses her legs and adds: "Of course, if you are to fiddle with my box makes sure to take the proper precautions." she puts a hand to her mouth; " box, I mean. Where is my mind?"
"Anyway... " there's a big crash; and she sighs deeply. "My pet, he's taken the box and having a bit of a strop. You'll have to deal with it to get the trinket."
"A naughty little imp, misbehaving." she leans over the desk and draws out an exquisite silvered letter opener; "You might need this, to make it submit."
"If you wish, I can give you some private tuition." the Paracountess purrs, her voice filled with promise.
"Oh, he's a sweetie. I'm sure if you punish him a bit, he'll be subdued and give you the trinket." she bats her eyelashes.
Zarta holds out the letter-opener to Mai:
"It may be of some use, silvered metal. Got to keep the naughty devils in line." she shrugs alluringly.
"Through that door there.... into my private quarters." she motions to the nearby door; "I never had so many lovely people in there before... at once that is..." she lies.
|
|
Galfon stands back from the door a bit (), pulling his bow from off his back. What kind of evil abomination might she have in there? He wasn't quite sure what an imp was. Those were the huge ones that spit fire out, right? He certainly hoped not. Well, she said it was little... By her standards, at least.
Paging Rook, Passio, Samara & Eddie....
The small glowing green creature is floating above the bed, cackling softly. Sounding like nails tearing down a chalkboard. It's back to you steady stream seems to falling upon the silken sheets.
Zarta's bedroom is decorated in the colours of Cheliax - ebon black and crimson red. Silk, rare woods and carefully carved marble compose every bit of furniture in the room. Goose down now litters the room, covering almost every surface and the silken shred that contained it lie about like flayed skin. A post on the massive screened bed is snapped in half, collapsed on the bed and drawing the screened curtains into a ripped slope of formerly fine cloth.
Vials of perfume and crystal jars of other cosmetics lay smashed on the marble floor around the dresser.
A prominent fixture in the room, a large made of stout wood sits along the west wall, complete with leather shackles and chains. A table sits to it's left strewn with various items intended for pleasure, but outwardly resembling implements of pain.
On the table in the South-west corner there's a riding crop amongst the 'utensils'. The light flickers of the silver stud, not too sharp but able to inflict sensations upon the recipient.
As Itra approaches him, and from this distance she can just tell it's a male. However in one hand is an oversized box. He looks around, eyes glowing deeply - the trickle now running down his legs.
|
Rook advances into the room behind Itra to take the measure of the imp while its attention is on the guardswoman. He shakes his head and walks to Zarta's table of tools to select the silver-studded riding crop. He leaves his pair of kamas hanging from the wall hook in place of a leash that seems about right for the imps' size.
When he starts moving around opposite Itra, his manner is that of someone seeking to train an unruly dog - focused and imperturbably calm.
Zarta leans forward revealing more of her soft curves and looks with heat in her eyes at Passio. "So you going to get stuck in? Or just teasing?" she purrs.
|
|
Oh wow, it's even smaller than me... the halfling archer thinks with relief, though he would never admit it. Scowling with disdain as Varta directs her attention at Passio, he takes the opportunity to move into the room, away from the Chelish noble. For the time being he keeps his distance, ready to fire an arrow at the imp if it failed to cooperate.
With Rapier in hand Samara moves around the combat to stand next to the head of the bed, whilst Eddie moves around to a different side.
|
|
Ignoring the playthings in the room, Mai cautiously approaches the imp on the opposite side from Itra and displays the silver letter opener. "Look, you know what this is and there are a lot of us here. Give us the little box and we'll leave, no harm to you," she says reasonably, though without much hope that the thing will respond favorably.
'Bugger off, neither you or your mistress are getting it back. Get away from me or I'll widdle on you too.' it squeaks in his high-pitched voice filled with malevolence.
|
|
Eddie shrinks down and looks quite uncomfortable at Zarta's behaviour and blatant advances. She's manged to mostly keep under the woman's radar, and intends to keep it that way, staying to herself, and not speaking at all in the hopes this frightening woman won't notice her.
The tall elf peers uncertainly at the imp, and at the others, then pulls her bow, and readies an arrow, but doesn't loose it, waiting to see if this imp intends to attack them.
"mmmmm I'll give up my box to you, my Passio-mate." Zarta purrs in response to Mai's question.
The imp blows a raspberry at the people surrounding it, though it edges away from Itra and upon comically disproportionate wings flies across the room. Water splattering everywhere in contravention of biology and physics.
Eddie's arrow flies true and strikes the creature, however it just seems to bounce off the strangely glistening rubbery skin.
Moving to the far wall it braces it's legs against the cross and pushes, the box dangling downwards from one arm. The Imp continuing it's path of destruction. With a heave it tumbles to the floor heavily, the wooden struts smacking and the leather padding doing nothing to cushion it's descent.