As the elves approach Iolaire pulls her hood down and glares at her companions. "Stop gawking! Do you want me to get captured? I'll explain when we're somewhere private!" She turns and feigns interest in the nearest stall, offering hand-made lamps, while tweaking her cloak to cover as much as possible of Vox's rather unique gear.
The elves pass without event and Iolaire moves on until the group finds themselves in a small, but crowded cafe. The smith claims a corner table and looks around her companions.
"You have questions, and I owe you answers. What do you want to know?"
"Umm..." Nicoleta begins looking a little confused. "So ... uh ... you can look like Iolaire." She shrugs. "Can you look like me?"
She looks at Roz and her lips curl up into a salacious smile. "Wait, no, make Roz look like me." She winks at the fey-plagued woman. "I've always wondered what that would be like."
"I am Iolaire." The smith responds in a tone that says Nicoleta is being slow. "Any useful questions?"
The dhampir's expression grows confused again. "So you were pretending to look like Vox? That still doesn't answer my question. Can you make Roz look like me?"
"I am both Vox and Iolaire, and no I can't change Roz's appearance except through normal methods." Iolaire says with a sigh. "I'm not sure exactly how, or why, but Vox is... another person, inside me. I can, for want of a better word, switch between them when I need to. The first few times were an accident, but its been getting easier. We agree on the important things, like protecting our home. That's why we're doing this - fighting for our city." She gives a rueful shrug. "Vox is better than me at it though."
Nicoleta shakes her head in wonder. "That magic stuff is some freaky s+$+," she says, looking at Roz. "I don't think I'll ever understand it. No matter. Are we still up for tonight? I could use another seventy-five gold." She winks at the oracle.
"I'm not sure I want to know, am I?" The smith asks, catching the unsubtle glances Nicoleta keeps throwing around...
Roz seems mildly unimpressed by Vox/Iolaire. ”As long as both of you are on our side, it doesn’t matter to me what you look like.”
She grins at Nicoleta. ”You’re on, lover. But I’m looking like me the whole time. Ain’t nothing wrong with the way I look.” She jingles her coin pouch at the dhampir.
"Oh, S~!!!" Aurelia exclaims when Iolaire reveals her secret, looking between Roz and Nicoleta "I knew some weird s!#& was going down!"
Turning back to Iolaire, Aurelia does her best Iolaire impression "I will do my sincere best to make sure Vox gets her share." She waves her hand away "Bah!"
"So, can you not control the switch or you can switch whatever you want?" she asks.
"Somewhere in between." Iolaire admits. "The first time it happened I was really emotional and Vox just... slipped out. I didn't even know what happened the first couple of times. I actually ended up tiring myself notes a few times until we... settled. As I said it's getting easier. I couldn't have switched in the market like that even a week ago. Obviously changing this quickly has it's own issues but on the whole I think it's a good thing. Means we're working together better."
The impression makes the smith smile. "Well Vox does get her fair share..." She replies with a grin. "So what are you all talking about? Sounds like you had quite a party last night?"
"So what are you all talking about? Sounds like you had quite a party last night?"
Nicoleta laughs quite rudely.
"Enough of a party that I think they wanted to charge us for a new bed," she says with a smirk. Her voice takes on a very uppity tone. "'Bed's are not meant for that level of activity,'" she mimics. "Yeah, I'm sure her bed doesn't see that sort of thing."
She gives Roz a hungry gaze. "But I've got some coin to earn and I don't plan on leaving someone short-changed."
Roz blushes a bit under Nicoleta's predatory stare. "Er, ladies? Have we concluded our business for the evening, or is there something else we need to do before we, ah, indulge in our nightly festivities?"
Aurelia folds her arms across her chest and looks at Roz "Are you seriously going to pay her for that? You know she's do it for free, right? Just give her a bottle of wine, wait for the sun to go down and you'll get equal amounts of attention and your purse will be heavier at the end of it."
Roz shrugs. "Right now, I have more coin than I know what to do with. And I want to see what sort of 'premium' services she can offer." The short woman grins.
"Hey!" Nicoleta says, pointing a finger at the mesmerist. "She was ready to pay a hundred gold to that doxy at Eel's End. I'm giving her a twenty-five percent discount, a guarantee that she won't catch anything, and an assurance that she'll walk away satisfied." She leers. "She might be walking a little funny, but she'll have fond memories and fuel for her fantasies for weeks."
"I do have one request," Roz says. "Can we go into the woods outside Trail's End and do it there? I have a... desire to be surrounded by plant life while we have our fun."
The invisible faeries snicker, perhaps at some inside joke.
"An exhibitionist, eh?" Nicoleta responds with slightly narrowed eyes. "Ok. We can do that. Once it gets dark. I'm not going out there in the daylight."
Roz grins. "Of course. You are a woman of the shadows, after all." She caresses Nicoleta's cheek.
Rolling her eyes, Aurelia scoffs under her breath "Seventy-five gold for sex. I'm still watching by the way. I want to see this. I'll bring the wine..."
Turning to Iolaire she quirks a brow "... unless you're coming along in which case maybe I won't be watching?"
"When I'm working, I charge for an audience," Nicoleta says to Aurelia with a crooked smile.
Aurelia blows raspberries at Nicoleta as she turns to face her, staring into her eyes "Girl, please. Why don't you look into my eyes and tell me that again."
Nicoleta's smile fades a little, but she meets the woman's eyes. "A gold coin to watch," she says. "And my previous warning still stands."
"I'll need to see to Tobias. But this sounds... interesting." The elf replies. "We'll be there, unless you have a preference?" She finishes with a coy look at Aurelia.
Aurelia hrumphs at Nicoleta "A gold! It better be worth it or I'll be asking for my coin back!"
At her attempt to be more serious about the warning, Aurelia chuckles and pats her on the shoulder with one hand and pinches her cheek with the other, "Awwww. You are so cute when you try to be the one in charge."
Turning back to Iolaire, she opens her arms wide and says "No preference, it will be interesting."
"You just keep telling yourself that," Nicoleta says to Aurlelia, her expression remaining fixed.
~~~~~
Nicoleta takes her leave of the ladies, promising that she'll be back before sunset to follow Rozalia to whatever spot in the woods she'd like to consecrate with flesh.
True to her word, she returns to the hall just before the sun touches the sea. In tow are three Varisian musicians, two women and a man, bearing instruments. The man is carrying a bag that jangles with the sound of a tamborine along with other odd sounds. One of the women carries a violin and the other, a pan flute.
"Don't pay any mind to them," the dhampir says to Roz. "They're working for me tonight. Nothing to fuss your pretty little head about."
The troupe follows the oracle off to their nest in the woods.
~~~~~
Once they arrive at their destination, Nicoleta arranges a blanket on the ground and sets two bottles of wine and a single glass nearby. She gives quiet instructions to the musicians and they step back behind a couple of trees.
"Now you just sit down and get comfortable," Nicoleta says to Roz, ignoring Aurelia and Vox (or Iolaire).
It turns out that Vox is in attendance tonight, her usual dark cloak and hood concealing her figure until she is little more than a shadow in the gloom that settles beside Aurelia without sound.
"So..." She breathes quietly, warm breath fluttering across the mesmerist's skin.
Roz smooths her skirts around her as she sits down among the overgrown clearing. The faeries are uncharacteristically silent, and she looks up at Nicoleta in anticipation.
Aurelia lets Nicoleta get the last word and just shrugs as she turns away.
Later when Vox returns, Aurelia is too afraid to admit that she is slightly intimidated by the choice that was made. When the elf speaks , goosebumps erupt down her neck and she shivers.
She moves her left hand into Vox's and intertwines their fingers. Turning to look over at Vox and returns the question, already distracted and not able to watch Nicoleta set up her show "So."
Once Rozalia is comfortable, Nicoleta tosses her wide hat onto the blanket next to the woman. She takes a few steps away and assumes a ready pose. One hand is raised in supplication and the other is slightly below it. One hip is thrust out suggestively and her knee is lifted enough so just the toes of that foot are touching the ground. She turns her head just enough to give Roz a wink before closing her eyes.
Roz recognizes the opening position of dansul ficatului - the Dance of the Lover.
She holds her pose for almost a minute before giving out a small whistle. A moment of silence passes and then a steady tambourine beat begins from behind the trees. It's quickly joined by the haunting sound of the flute and muted strings of the violin.
The dance begins slowly, with just small portions of the woman's body moving and drawing the eye. This part of the dance portrays the first sighting of the person of desire, before they even know the viewer is watching. She moves in a large circle around Rozalia, pausing at various points to emphasize distinct body parts - hands, legs, hips, breasts.
Finally the dance reaches the second portion and the melody changes. This part of the dance parallels the first flirtations. One of the aspects of the dansul ficatului is that from this portion on, eye contact is never lost with the viewer. Some of the moves are similar as Nicoleta repeats her circle around the blanket, but the tone has changed and has turned much more sensual. The dancer knows you're watching now and is doing it just for you.
After returning to the starting position, the melody changes yet again. The seduction has begun. This time, as she moves, she slowly begins to divest herself of the simple garments she wears. Her hands move subtly, however, keeping the most private places concealed by her suggestively moving digits.
By the time she reaches the beginning of the circle again, the dhampir has shed all of her garments, but is turning slightly away from Roz, with nothing but her face turned directly towards the woman.
The music changes once more, but this is a different song entirely. One softer, but with a heavier rhythm. Suggestive of sex itself.
Nicoleta lowers herself to the ground and begins crawling, catlike, towards the seated woman. Her skin shimmers in the light with a faint sheen of sweat and her mouth is partially open as if in hunger. Tiny points of white are visible between her lips and are eyes are dark and pupil filled.
"Would you like some wine?" she asks as her breasts rise and fall with her heavy breathing, the small stones in her piercings glittering in the failing light.
Roz licks her dry lips. ”Um, yes, please.”
Nicoleta's lips widen into a smile at Roz's anxious state. She reaches down and, with a quick twist of her fingers, pulls the cork from one of the bottles. She picks up the single glass and fills it with the crimson fluid. Lifting the glass slowly to Roz's lips, she pulls it away at the last moment to bring it to her own lips with a wink. She closes her eyes and tips it back drawing a hefty sip of the wine. Setting the glass to the side, she lets her tongue slip out and spread the liquid over her lips and then leans in to press her lips against Roz's.
The acidic taste of the wine mixes with the dhampir's natural taste to form a rich flavor. Nicoleta's tongue slips between Roz's lips and an instant later her mouth is filled with the dry wine. Their tongues slide against each other, sharing the taste of the wine before Roz finally swallows it.
Nicoleta pulls away and reaches for the glass again. "Would you like some more?" she asks. At the woman's nod, the dhampir brings the glass up to her lips again, but instead of taking a sip, she tips her head back and lets the wine run down the front of her body. As the red liquid trails down her skin, dripping off her hard nipples and trickling further down, she gives Roz an expectant look.
Later when Vox returns, Aurelia is too afraid to admit that she is slightly intimidated by the choice that was made. When the elf speaks , goosebumps erupt down her neck and she shivers.
She moves her left hand into Vox's and intertwines their fingers. Turning to look over at Vox and returns the question, already distracted and not able to watch Nicoleta set up her show "So."
"She's good isn't she?" Vox replies, slipping behind Aurelia so that they both have a clear view as her breath continues to send shivers down the varisians spine. "I prefer to be a bit more... direct though. If I see something I like..." Her grip tightens on Aurelia's hand and her other arm creeps up Aurelia's chest to close around the woman's chin. "Then I take it."
Aurelia gets a few seconds to object before Vox turns her face firmly sideways and claims her lips.
Aurelia had been intent on watching the show, it's not often you get a chance to see such a large sum of coin exchanged for those services after all. Vox had other ideas though, the mesmerist's attention fading from the show to the woman who was now giving her attention. She closes her eyes as the elf's hands begin to wander, inhaling a long breath to take in the smells surrounding this strange woman.
Her head turns sharply away from the Nicoleta to the Song of the People where the soft skin of their lips meet. The slow build of excitement turns to release and she turns to put her hands behind Vox's head as she pulls head face towards hers, skipping the soft kissing and jumping right into the passionate exploration of Vox's mouth with her tongue.
Roz eagerly attends to Nicoleta as Aurelia and Vox begin to explore each other. Among the verdant plant life, the two couples engage in acts of mutual pleasure. As Nicoleta brings Roz to the brink, the oracle digs her fingers into the damp soil. ”Oh, Green Mother! Hear me,” she whispers between moans. ”Darvayne Gios Amprei is having an affair with the wife of a Chelish noble!” Then she loses herself in climax, writhing beneath the dhampir.
There is a faint green glow, and a new tattoo appears on the oracle’s inner thigh. It resembles a pair of feminine lips surrounded by thorny vines. The Green Mother has marked her as one of her own...
***
Afterwards, once everybody has cleaned up and pulled their clothes back on, Roz hands Nicoleta the promise payment. ”That was fantastic. Money well spent, love.”
The next week or so is relatively quiet. Pockets of unrest an scattered protesters still cry out against Korvosa’s new queen, and while the air is still thick with tension, things are able to get back to a semblance of normalcy. Iolaire works in her shop, completing her project. By week’s end, though, you are starting to get restless. Perhaps your experiences with Gaedren Lamm have soured you on the idea of crime bosses being free to do as they please, but whatever the case, you have set your sights on your next target.
Devargo Bavarsi is going down.
Vox keeps an eye on the goings-on at Eel's End during the week, establishing a pattern for the guards. The enforcers bunk in hammocks hung under sails on the aft of the Eel’s End; during storms, they’re allowed to spend their nights in rooms set aside on the Goldenhawk. Once per week, an enforcer gets a day of shore leave, but at most two guards are on leave at a given time, and there are always 10 enforcers in Eel’s End, ready to respond to an alarm. Of these, four patrol the pier and the decks of the five ships, two stand guard on the deck of the Eel’s End, and four sleep in their hammocks.
Devargo himself spends the majority of his afternoons and the first few hours of each night in his self-styled throne room, from noon to a few hours after dusk. He sometimes steps out to get fresh air, to visit the other establishments, or even to meet with contacts in Old Korvosa. After midnight, he retires to his quarters belowdecks.
"So I imagine that we're going at night?" Nicoleta questions Vox after an examination of Devargo's routine has been established. "I wonder if we could come in from the river? Climb up the arse-end of the ship and go through one of the windows? That way we could avoid all the nasty, pointy weapons gathered on deck."
"Sneak on board and kill him. Yes." Vox agrees, she's taking control of the planning session. "I can slip on board. Finish him quietly - then dispose of body more publicly. Hang him from his own mast." She nods, apparently liking that idea.
"Nicoleta, with me. Can you two distract guards on the ship? Make sure we aren't disturbed..."
The monk rolls her eyes as Vox takes over the discussion, but doesn't say anything. "I'm going to pick up some alchemist's fire in case we have more spiders hanging around. Did you notice how they were crawling all over him?" she asks with a mock shudder. "Way too creepy to live."
Rozalia nods. ”Sounds like I’ll be leaving my armor at home for this one. And most of my clothes, too...”
"You say that like it'll be a bad thing," Nicoleta says with a leer.
Roz grins. ”Not at all! You and Voxie have the tough job. Aurelia and I get to do the fun part.”
"My name is not Voxie." The dark elf says firmly without looking up. "Do not call me that. Ever."
Roz swallows nervously. ”Uh, yeah, sure thing.”
Nicoleta gives Roz a subtle wink and her grin broadens. Something tells the oracle that this won't be the last time the elf is called by that name.
”Voxie! Voxie the Doxy!”
“Shhh!” Roz swats at the air.
"Would you be upset if your fairies went away Roz?" Vox asks, still not looking up."I like pulling wings off small things."
”Honestly, no! Be my guest!” Roz says.
”Meep! Sorry, sorry!”
That night, after midnight, you approach Eel's End. Even at this late hour, people are carousing aboard the various ships, indulging in their vices. As expected, two enforcers stand guard over the doors leading into Devargo Bavarsi's throne room.
Rozalia adjusts her bustier to emphasize her chest and looks to Aurelia. "Alright, I'll follow your lead."
Aurelia changes into some revealing attire that accentuates and shows her curves and nods approvingly of Roz's adjustments, "Alright, let's go take out some scum."
Approaching the two enforcers, Aurelia leans against the wall an says in a sultry tone. "Hey boys, remember us? We're here to see Devargo again."