Cornered on the sofa with no way out Persephone panics. She pulls her legs close and holds her hands up in defense, glowing in dark energy.
The panther pounces at Persephone, it's claws teearing through her dress and into her flesh.
Another elven phrase is heard out of nowhere and the elf reappears.
The panther freezes in place.
Persephone fails to wound the panther and fades into unconsciousness from the pain.
"Well, that is a surprise." Merileth states as she notices the dark energy on Persephone's hand.
But there are more pressing matters. Casting another spell tiny lightning appears in her hand and she strokes the cat with it.
The panther breaks free of the enchantment and glares at the elf.
"Really?" Merileth sighs and steps back. She shoots some more magic at the big cat.
Hit again, the panther sinks down on the floor.
"That's more like it." With the cat out of the way, she steps over to Persephone and casts stabilize on her. Then she checks her pulse.
"Perfect. Sleep well - you're not done playing your role yet."
She drags the cat back onto the blankets and pillows, making sure not to touch the bloody claws. Merileth sits dwon next to the pather stroking his fur. "Well, well. Now you're mine." She leans back and waits. She knows it will take the whole night.
~~~ Many hours later ~~~
As the day dawns the panther finally reverts to the form of the handsome man, his hands covered in blood. "Now we'll talk." Merelith states and casts a healing spell, stroking over his head.
The man jerks up, and looks around in confusion. Seeing the woman on the settee mauled and bloody and then his own hands covered in blood he panics. "What happened, what have you done?!?"
"I have saved you from yourself. This is all your work. You turned into a wild beast. On a night with a full moon." Merelith tells and lets the words sink in.
"Your secret is safe with me. We can fix this."
"What are you saying here? I'm turning into a monster on a full moon? Lies! Deception!" the man cries and crawls backwards, away from the elf.
"Oh, you didn't know of your curse? You never woke, covered in blood, not remembering the night?" Merelith inquires.
"Then you're one lucky man, Cilas. Imagine this happening in your home, with no one there to help and your wife or son killed by your own hands! No one but us knows, and everything that happened can be fixed." she tries to assure the man.
She looks at him in silence "It will not be easy though. You'll have to come to me on every night with a full moon, to hide your condition from the rest of the world."
"And we need to take care of the poor girl you mauled. She needs to return to her life as if nothing happened. I'll see to it, that she is restored to life and persuade her, that it wasn't real. But that kind of magic is expensive."
Cilas gets up "I need to leave. Bring me out." he demands.
Merelith gets up. "I understand that. But only if you agree to do what is necessary to fix that."
She opens the sideboard and takes out a new gown. "Here. Leave the old one. And wash your hands. Here is a bowl and a jar with water."
Once Cilas is ready she leads him out of the room. Through winding paths and secret doors he is lead to a spa area with a bath and heated benches. "I expect the money needed to fix this within an hour. That's how long I can keep this a secret without anyone asking questions. If that doesn't happen, I assume you don't want my help." She writes him a note with the amount and leaves him alone.
Cilas takes the note and hustles over to the changing room. Taking the note between his teeth he drops the gown and puts on his clothes. The path out of the temple from here he knows, and he almost runs. He doesnt stop outside, but keeps moving fast until he is out of sight.
The sun rises and the tower bell of the temple of Abadar tells that the day begins. Cilas goes straight there to retrieve the amount of money written on the note from his account. He is a wealthy man, he can afford it. But it still hurts. Not as much as being known as a monster and maybe killed for it?
To compensate for the expense Cilas might need to sell something valueable later. But he needs the money now and that is only possible from his account.
He visits his account manager, fills out the paperwork and within half an hour he has the money. Normally he wouldn't do that alone. Walk through town with that. The pouch weighs heavy on his conscience. Everyone looks like a thief on the way to the house of flame. Entering through his own secret entrance he waits impatiently for Merilith.
Merilith appears within a minute. She accepts the pouch. "Don't forget to be here on the next full moon." she reminds him.
Cilas nods and leaves immediately. He feels much lighter with the pouch gone. Like he paid for his sins and now they are gone. He just needs to get away from this place. He was supposed to be home hours ago. He gets hot and cold again. What will he say? He doesn't know. I'll cross that bridge when I get there.
He needs to act normal. Normal. A coach! I can't run around like a peasant. He looks around and approaches the next one he sees. "To Graydon Manor, quick." he demands as he climbs the open carriage. And off it goes.
"I love it when a plan comes together." Merilith whispers. She puts the bag with the coins into her small magical pouch and returns to the 'murder scene'.
There she wakes Penelope with healing magic.
Persephone wakes like from a nightmare with a voiceless scream. Looking down she sees the torn and bloody dress that tells it wasn't a dream, but there is no single scratch on her body. "What...?"
"Silence." Merileth commands.
She walks to the sideboard and gets out another white gown. "You played your role well - as a pretty corpse." she hands the gown to Persephone.
Merelith opens her pouch and takes out some coins. Eleven platinum coins. Holding one up she tells "This is your pay for being here and looking pretty last night."
"No one may know of what happened. I know, the man knows, and you. But no one else can ever hear of this. These other ten platinum are for you to be silent about it. There are other ways to ensure you stay silent, but I prefer it this way."
"Now change clothes. It is time for you to leave."
Persephone is gobsmacked. For that elf she is obviously only a pawn, her life something to bargain with. And not a wisp of a bad conscience. Her mouth opens as if to say something, but then closes again. She stares at the elf.
After a moment she hurriedly changes her clothes. The idea of getting away from this place appeals to her. She accepts the coins and puts them into her pouch. Then she looks at the elf again, waiting for her to leads her out.
Merileth smiles. "Grab the bloody sheets the dress, the gown and follow me."
Once Persphone has everything she leads her back to the changing room with the locker. "Roll everything up nicely, tie it together and dispose it. Today you get the day off. I expect you here tomorrow at the usual time."
Merileth turns and disappears into the labyrinth the temple is.
Meanwhile at The Pig's Whistle.
~~~~~~~~~
The party goes on till well after midnight. As it finally dies down and the last guests drag themselves out to go home Isabell asks Varkatos "What are you doing tonight. You're going to Persephone for the night, or did you get stood up like me?"
"It's more like: I left her alone with running this place while you were out. Haven't heard anything since then." Vorkatos answers while collecting the last few mugs, krugs and plates off the tables. With everything in the kitchen, he starts washing.
"Guess for tonight I'll be staying here."
"You're still talking straight sentences. So you haven't properly indulged in the booze. How about you get a free night in the bedroom instead? It's no fancy private room but you're the only guest anyway." Isabella offers.
"I guess work works wonders. You almost had my mind off it."
"Yes, I take the room." Vorkatos replies after a few minutes of washing dishes. It's not that he has much to think about, it's just late and he's exhausted.
The room is on the second floor and 20 by 10 feet large. It is simply a walkway along three beds. The sheets are mostly clean (there are some spots that survive laundring), but the beds are old. The door has a latch to lock it from the inside.
This time Vorkatos doesn't get thrown out of bed. But he is woken by the sun shining into the room and the roosters crowing. About half an hour later noises of clinking mugs from the tap room are heard.
Persephone changes into her regular clothes and puts the gown into the locker. She rolls the bloody dresses up in the sheets, so none of the blood is visible on the outside. She ties it up with the golden cord.
Then she leaves. It is early enough that only a few people are on the streets. She hurries home to lock away her new riches. The torn dress she throws into the hearth together with some straw and wood and lights it. I'm for sure not throwing away those fine sheets. I'll wash them or if that doesn't work I'll dye them. She puts them on the laundry pile. I haven't done any of the work at home for a while. Won't start today either.
She leaves the house again to visit The Pig's Whistle. Time to face Isabella. she decides.
As she arrives she sticks her head into the door and call in "Hello?" Realisically she can't run away, if Isabella wants to get her, but that doesn't mean she can't be careful.
'Drinking in the morning?' Vorkatos wonders and walks down to look who's there.
Isabella is busy collecting the mugs from the tables to put them in the sink. She started early as she might be stuck doing everything herself again.
But there is still hope, as Vorkatos comes down the stairs. "Good morning. Want to pick up where you left yesterday?"
As the 'hello' echoes through the room she replies without turning "Oh look, who found the way back." Her anger resonating in the words.
"Do you still want me to work here, or shall I simply get lost?" Persephone inquires gestuering with her thumb over her shoulder.
"I just offered the job to Vorkatos and if he takes it..." Isabella turns towards the door and on acutally seeing Persephone "... what happened to you?"
Persephone is startled and looks down, if something of the incident shows on her. But as nothing is seen there she remembers. "Oh, that... I got a makeover yesterday for my other job. Or only job." She looks at Vorkatos to see how he decides.
"If you already got another job, then I think I'll take this job. I'm done being the "muscle" in town. Pays little anyways." Vorkatos decides and gets back to work.
Believing she is safe, Persephone enters the tavern. "I guess I have to pay for the food and drink then. But it's also a relief - I liked the cleaning in the morning and having lunch afterwards. But the night shifts aren't really my thing."
"And to be honest, the pay here is also not the best. No offense - with no special qualification needed that is to be expected. But scrubbing floors won't get me anywhere." She takes a look at the job board if something new came up in the meantime.
Isabella sits down next to Persephone. "Seriously? Ok, first you order something that you pay before I find out, you're wasting my time here. And second, what would it take for you, or anyone else who wasn't interested in that job to actually take it and not disappear from it after a day?"
"Is the kitchen open? I'd take a sandwich." Persephone replies and puts a gold coin on the counter.
"I can't tell for others, but for me, well - I like the atmosphere in the room, I like the work in the morning. I like the food and the ale. I even like you, when you're not mad at me."
"But a silver a day? Even if you provided board and lodge, I'd work forever for a new pair of boots. I want to restore my father's legacy. I have a house to maintain and a business to revive. I can't do that with a silver per day."
"Everyone wants to be wealthy, but I don't see many people make it. What other job did you get? How much does it pay?"
"I got hired as room decoration. Ten gold for lying on a fancy couch, wearing a fancy dress." And 100 more for telling no one I almost got murdered. She would take a sip to moisten her throat, but she is still sitting without a drink. So she clears her throat.
"That's no real job, but there are people out there who have ten gold to throw at you just for that. And I need to know who that is, and how to get into business with them and learn how they got that rich."
Looking around at Isabella and Vorkatos she grins. "You know the service in this establishment is seriously lacking. What does it take to get a drink here?"
"Oh shut up. Just because someone threw 10 gold at you you don't get to act like that." Isabella gives back.
"Ten gold? Seriously? You think I can apply too? Where is that?"
Vorkatos has no interest in this of conversations, 10 Gold for looking pretty is simply made up, seriously who would belive that. He ignores Persephones aloof behaviour, pours a drink and approaches Isabella: "I'll be off checking on my horse, I should be back in an hour or two."
He leaves and is off to the stables.
"At the House of Flame. Got the hint from your job board." Persephone replies and takes a sip from the ale Vorkatos brought.
"Ah, there it is. I'm out. The job was for cleaning, now you're 'decorating' and next thing you know you'd have some old geezer drooling on you."
Isabella takes the gold, bites on it and hands over the change. "Kitchen is not open, if you don't make the sandwich yourself. But you'd still have to pay it."
"I'll stay with the ale then." Persephone bags the coins and downs the ale.
"Vorkatos has a horse. That gives me an idea. See you for lunch maybe." she is off to follow him.
As she comes out, he is already gone, but she wouldn't have been able to keep up with him anyway. But she knows where the stables are.
The stable is in the old part of the town close to the southern city walls. It is nothing fancy, just a stable to put the horses in and a storage for all the hey.
Vorkatos is greeted by the man taking running this stable. "Good day sir? What can I do for you?"
"I paid the blacksmith to bring my horse here after the new horseshoes, I'd like to be lead to my horse. My name is Vorkatos, I'm sure he mentioned it."
Vorkatos is ready for a fight, he's very sure the two kingsmen are around here somewhere. His hands are closer to his sword than usual.
"Yes of course. Please follow me." the man leads deeper into the stable. It is two rows of boxes with a wide stable lane in the middle. There is room for ten horses, but currently there are only three. Vorkatos' horse is in the last box on the right.
"I'll leave you to it." the man replies and goes outside where he unloads hey from a cart.