Lucretia can't see much past Randi's tree-like legs, but what she can hear gives her a clear enough idea of the situation. She reaches out to tap the warrior on the back, implanting a shadow duplicate in her for when the almost inevitable violence begins.
"Wait ... wait," Lollia mutters shaking her head. "The halfling clown is behind all this? That's just ... wrong. And ridiculous."
She strums her dulcimer and extends one hand out towards the halflings.
Lollia's clear words of magic seem to shake Wyssilka from the fear which Randi had instilled in her. "Sorry dear." She grins to Shula and calls out. "Kill them, except for Shula. We like her."
Randi swings her sword at Wyssilka—way too high!
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Robert is a little surprised to see the party entertainment leading the murderous halflings. He unironically says "Indeed it is hard to find help these days.", unaware of the harmful implications of such a statement.
However, Lollia starts casting a spell and he notices that hell is about to break loose. He engages his magical double and steps inside.
"That's sweet of you," Shula comments even as she dodges around Randi to get into a better position. Once she's directly in front of Martella, she whirls around and slices at Wyssilka's back. "I'll try not to kill you too, but I can't afford to not take the opportunities given."
"They're criminals!" Lucretia exclaims. "Do not hold back just because she's nice to you!" She focuses the derision she feels on the nearest non-clown halfling.
The cultists may have been caught unawares, but there is nothing wrong with their mental prowess as Lucretia's magic is completely ineffective. The cultist she targeted chants a spell before stepping in towards Randi.
The other closes in on Robert and stabs at the cleric!
Suddenly a blade passes right through Robert's duplicate, coming within a whisper of the cleric's true form as another halfling appears behind him!
Lollia's magic is also repelled with prejudice as Shula cuts at Wyssilka. She slices the halfling's motley and leaves her bleeding.
"Ow!" The halfling says, looking upset. "That wasn't friendly Shula! I thought we were friends!" She rolls nimbly away and attacks Randi's huge legs. Her dagger strikes deep and burns with an unnatural fire.
"They fight in pairs. Use that to your advantage and take them out one at a time!" Martella calls.
"Argh!" Randi cries out as Wyssilka's blade finds something vital in her body. Unfortunately, the mirror image failed to protect her. She groans and staggers but refuses to fall.
"Shula! Flank with me!" she growls as she steps to a more advantageous position. Once the slayer is in place, she slashes at Wyssilka!
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Robert holds his breath as the halfling appears and nearly cuts him. Of course, the reason he got into the room was just so he could draw the attention of some of the bandits away from the group and it worked. He renews his illusory double.
He notices that Randi is bleeding a lot from the last attack. He tries to cast a spell defensively.
However, he is too worried about the halfling behind him and fails to focus on the spell, losing its magic.
Shula barks a humorless laugh at Lucretia's comment. "Criminals, huh." They're on opposite sides, and she doesn't intend to hold back, but Wyssilka would probably not be the worst person she's ever been friends with.
She nimbly moves forward into Randi's suggested flank, slashing at Wyssilka again. "Sorry, but like I said. Opportunities and all that. Nothing personal."
With her more powerful magics failing Lucretia snaps her fingers, trying to daze one of the halflings attacking Randi.
Randi lands a mighty blow on Wyssilka and Shula stabs her as well, causing the halfling to hold up the puppet in her off hand. "You make Duke Squiggles sad!" She declares, before retaliating!
Even Hilde and Randi's magic cannot turn aside her dagger and the Shield Maiden falls, grievously wounded!
The remaining halflings continue to attack Robert, trying to fell the cleric before he can put his healing magic to good use!
The first rogue takes out Robert's double and the second one stabs him in the side. The final rogue attacks Lucretia since the noblewoman seems unprepared for violence of any sort!
Her magical repertoire exhausted, Lollia moves up to assist her cousin by stabbing at the revolutionary halfing with her dagger which is now layered in frost.
Shula bites her lip as Randi falls. This is not looking particularly good for them. She needs to take down Wyssilka, and fast, so they can focus on her friends.
"Sorry Wyssilka," she says, and she means it.
Hilde frantically places her little draconic claws against Randi’s wounds, stabilizing her!
Lucretia pulls the dagger that Shula 'liberated' from the gala, and joins her cousin in melee combat! Unfortunately the Vernisant women have been neglecting their close combat training and simply get in each others' way.
Wyssilka doesn't get any chance to celebrate her victory as Shula plants both her blades deep into the halfling's body.
"Pooey!" The halfling declares as she slumps into the crimson pool sweeping from her tiny body. With Wyssilka down Robert steps back and disappears from view, his opponent unable to act quickly enough to stop him.
Hilde, unnoticed, stems Randi's bleeding while Lucretia and Lollia threaten their assailant with sharp words and wit, rather than their weapons. Their opponent vanishes, appearing behind Shula in a brief burst of smoke!
Despite the death of their leader, it appears that the cultists aren't going down without a fight. All three of them swarm Shula, intent on revenge.
Thankfully for Shula she is no newcomer to knife fights and dodges her way between all their blows!
"Well done!" Martella calls. "Strike hard and finish them off!"
The Shield Maiden’s eyes flutter open as she remembers she is tougher than she appears! Growling, she slices her oversized sword at one of the halfling’s legs!
Stepping back to take advantage of the distraction caused by a very large, angry ulfen woman swinging a sword, Shula lashes out at one of the halflings surrounding her. No quips or apologies this time; she just wants to get this over with as fast as possible.
With the halfling in front of her retreating Lucretia switches to her trusty crossbow. Unfortunately Randi is so much larger than the enemies that simply not hitting the ulfen woman takes all her concentration!
"What, we're not even worth fighting?" Lollia declares indignantly. "I think we've just been insulted."
She pulls one of the recently acquired darts from her belt and flings it at one of the halflings.
Shula cuts down an assassin as Lollia wounds another one with a dart. Robert closes Randi's wounds with a scroll and the ulfen woman takes a huge swing but misses wildly.
The two remaining assassins gang up on Shula! But she is more than a match for them.
Feeling much better now, Randi stands up, rising to her full towering height, and slices at the halfling!
Shula dodges the blades coming her way and uses that momentum to slip behind one of the distracted halflings. Her kukri makes a quick slice across his back as she glances towards Martella. "We'll have you out of there in just a second."
Another dart joins the melee.
Shula and Randi fell another cultist and the final one makes a dash for Martella's bound form. Fortunately he underestimated Randi's long arms and pays the price before he can do more than scratch the spymaster.
With Wyssilka dead the assassins are now leaderless and although Martella insists on being removed from the underground complex immediately she expresses no alarm over any remaining forces. "I have friends who can lend me the manpower to disperse them." She says with a smile. "For now, we all deserve a rest I think!"
Once freed and suitably restored by the fine service of the Young Lion's club (an exception to the age rule seems to be made for Martella this once) the spymistress gifts each of you with one hundred platinum pieces, settling your payment from the gala with a bonus for 'exemplary service'.
"You have performed remarkably." Martella says, having once again stolen her brother's office. "Oppara is in turmoil so I would suggest that you lie low for a while. Enjoy your new found wealth, you deserve it! I may have need of you again though, so please don't stray too far afield."
Envoy Ring: Can now be used to cast Charm Person (DC 15+1/triumph) and Comprehend Languages once each per day.
Dignity's Barb: is now a +1 darkwood light crossbow and reduces the miss chance from concealment by 10%. In addition, once per day, when the wielder threatens a critical hit, they can roll twice to confirm and take the better result.
In the battle's aftermath, the Shield Maiden shrinks back to her normal height. She claps Robert on the shoulder. "I am grateful for your aid, Calistrian. It is an honor to battle by your side." Hilde the tiny dragon flits around the cleric affectionately.
"Endurheimtu veikan mann! she intones, glowing, levitating, and spinning about as Taldan music blares. Soon, she has changed back into Victor Stavian.
"Lady Lotheed, I am glad to see you safe. Let us away from this place."
***
At the Young Lion's Club, Victor pulls Shula aside for a private conversation. "Now that the dust has settled, we should discuss what things might look like for you and the Maiden going forward..."
Battle over, Shula does kneel down next to Wyssilka to see if she can be saved. Finding the halfling already dead, she sighs. "Guess I didn't try hard enough. Sorry again." It's not like she'd been super attached after one conversation and some juggling antics, but she had hoped...
Well, it didn't matter what she'd hoped. Wyssilka was dead, and that was that.
"Yes, let's get out of here." She doesn't hesitate to strip the bodies of valuable gear before they go.
Shula seems to be in her usual spirits as she accepts the payment. "One hundred platinum? I'll have to rescue you from danger more often." She grins at Martella. "Your generosity is most appreciated." She's already imagining what she might spend the gold on. "You know how to reach me."
Once in a private room, she leans against the wall, amber eyes narrowed. "I haven't forgotten that rope you owe me. And I'm guessing you're not too happy about working with a criminal." There's a bitter twist to that last word. "But Martella might have a few objections to you carting me off to prison, and at this point I don't think you're going to try. So." She spreads her hands. "Where do we go from here?"
He regards the ifrit for a few moments before continuing. ”In the grand scheme of things, you are a small fish in a big pond of corruption. The Maiden is interested in bringing those higher up on the food chain to justice. So I think she might be willing to overlook your... petty indiscretions. In exchange, she would ask that you help steer her efforts towards her preferred quarry. What say you?”
"So I'll help the Maiden figure out who the big bads in the Narrows actually are. Hint: it's usually not the con men and thieves. The gang leaders, the drug dealers, and the whole damn Opparan bureaucracy that enables them...that's who she needs to target. If she's willing."
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Robert respects Martella's wishes and is visibly proud when Randi commends him. He has never thought himself useful in a fight, but he still remembers being a boy.
After combat, he pockets one of the healing potions and says "Someone should take this disguise kit. I can tell, it comes in handy. Also, I don't like armor, so I'm not wearing that. If no one is, we should sell it for some money."
The next day, he spends it relaxing at the Lion's Cub. He holds back all his newfound money, as he hasn't forgotten his drive. He considers spending the next few days wondering the city and asking about the High Strategos, but takes Martella's words to heart and doesn't try to expose himself.
He does wonder about the teenagers in the Cub. He thinks they are mostly useless entitled kids, but they may have heard a thing or two. On the second day, he frequents the common room and socializes, trying to get a bearing of the rumors. There certainly is material for gossiping with the newest happenings.
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Shaking hands with a Stavian as part of an agreement to help the Shield Maiden clean up the Narrows. If the Shula of a week ago could see this, she'd think she'd gone mad.
"I'll keep an eye out; let you or her know once I find a potential target." She pauses, studying Victor's face. "Tell her to be careful though. These types of people...they don't hesitate to get rid of problems. I know the Narrows, I can vanish when I need to, but anonymous or not the Maiden sticks out in a crowd."
The very first thing Shula does after leaving the Young Lion's Club is head to the markets. There are a couple magic items she'd noticed while shopping before, and breaking the platinum coin down into currency she can actually use is a high priority.
After a little bit of haggling, she fits the translucent tubes over her wrists and nods at the result. It may not do much to conceal the quality of her armor, (she's going to have to rely on old-fashioned methods for that), but at least she can make her clothing more or less impressive at will without constant trips to Al Ligori's back room. It also neatly solves the issues she's had with only having one appropriate dress to wear to high-class functions.
Her other purchase is even more practical. Concealing crowbars, hammers, shovels, and any other tool she might need on her person is impractical. Strapping a single foot-long iron bar to her leg is much more feasible. Plus it serves a dual purpose as entertainment; the younger children love calling out various tools and seeing the metal magically fold into whatever shape they want. (They are of course warned not to say anything about it to anyone outside the family; flaunting such wealth would be a very bad idea.)
The days after pass in a blur. Shula continues to ply her usual trade, or tries to at least, but with Oppara in chaos people are being more careful than usual. Fortunately she doesn't have to worry too much, not with the leftovers from Martella's platinum coin...though that's its own worry.
When not working, she tries to make very, very unobtrusive inquiries into Who's Who in the Narrows. Auntie E. and her family have gotten along by providing an essential service, (taking care of children too young for even the most sociopathic kingpins to use), and by keeping their heads down. It feels strange to be actually looking for the gang leaders, even if all she wants right now is information. The whole thing makes her far more nervous than she'd ever let on to Victor.
Auntie E. doesn't look up from her sewing. Loush is extremely hard on clothes and even the Narrows has some standards of public decency."How so?"
"I could have fed ten of us for a year with the money I spent on this, and I bought it anyway."
"You bought it for future jobs, correct? Not just as a toy, or a keepsake, or a random trinket?"
"Of course." Shula bites her lip. "But...I've still become someone who can spend that sort of money. Someone who can go to a party and just nibble on food I know will be thrown away. What makes me any different from them?"
There's no need to specify the 'them.' It's something understood by everyone in the Narrows. The high-class folk who look down their noses on the unbearded. The merchants in Canal Row who beg for a wall to separate themselves from the outcasts. The businesses who wouldn't have even considered hiring Orania or Strates or Merus if they hadn't pretended to be from somewhere else. (A lie that had required several hungry days as the family saved money for baths, better clothing, acceptable hairstyles.)
Auntie E. finally pauses, looking up from her sewing. Her purple eyes lock on Shula's. "Why did you buy that tool?"
"For future jobs? Like you said. I thought it would be useful-"
"Why do you care about future jobs?" Auntie E. nods at the any-tool. "Don't buy that, don't buy your fancy sleeves, sell some of that other magic stuff you found, and you'd be set for life. You wouldn't have to worry about future jobs. So why do you care?"
"Because more jobs means more money?" Shula's brow is furrowed. "I mean, more money is always good, right?"
"Is it? If you're already set for life, why do you want more?"
"Because...because you're not set for life." Shula gestures wildly in the general direction of the sleeping children. "They're not set for life. The future kids, there's going to be future kids, there always is, they just keep dumping their unwanted children on us-"
She's stopped mid-rant by Auntie E. walking over and placing a gentle kiss on top of her head. "That's what makes you different dear. You're not hoarding money for money's sake, or spending it just to show off. You're trying to help us. All of us."
"What if that changes?" Shula's voice is quiet, rough with unshed tears. "What if I change?"
"Then neither you nor I are so old that I can't knock some sense into you." Auntie E.'s voice is matter-of-fact as she walks back to her sewing. "Now. If you're done with your little crisis, pick up a needle and get to work. These holes won't patch themselves."
Lollia is unsure as to what to do next. She's currently holding more coin than she's possessed in a long while, but who knows when or if the next windfall will happen. She decides that investing in her future with the group she's found herself a part of is the best option that's come up in a long time. It includes her cousin, but Lucretia was never part of the family that treated her like ... well, like they treated her.
Maybe reconnecting a little more wouldn't be a bad thing.
As the members of the group break off towards their various destinations, she touches her cousin's arm. "Hey, uh, we've got some coin. Would you, uh, be interested in joining me in a little clothes shopping?" She gestures at her current dress which shows more than a little wear after the last couple of days.
'I don't think I presented my best face at our first meeting. I would like the opportunity to try for a second first impression. Please let me treat you to lunch. Tomorrow afternoon at the Weathered Mare on Cartwright's Way at noon. Join me if you please. ~ Lollia'
Maybe Lollia just wanted to ensure Shula would keep quiet. Shula no longer thought 'Lady Vernisant' was the creation of a con artist, not with Lucretia going along with it, but clearly something had happened for a noble to end up performing at bars like the Half-Mast. Something that likely would not bode well for her image if 'Atia Blue' became public knowledge.
Or maybe Lollia wanted something else entirely? A girl can dream.
The next day Shula uses her new sleeves to ensure she's dressed in an appropriate, (and flattering), outfit for a lunch on Cartwright's Way. At noon sharp she enters the Weathered Mare and looks around. Spotting Lollia, she grins and slides into a seat at her table. "Thanks for inviting me. I'm looking forward to talking with you under far less dangerous circumstances."
The woman had been worrying at a napkin until Shula appeared. She shoves it hastily into her lap to hide her nervousness.
"Thanks for coming," she says, partially rising from her seat, only to snatch at the napkin as it begins to fall to the floor. "Sorry, I'm usually more composed than this." Sitting back down, she flags down a passing waiter and requests a bottle of wine.
"I wanted to clear up some things," she begins once the wine has arrived and she's poured herself and Shula each a glass on the fuller side. "My full name is Lollia Adriana Millicent Vernisant." She chuckles. "Yes, quite an awkward mouthful. Families will do what families will do, though." Looking away, she takes a large swallow of the wine. "I've been performing under other names ever since my family ... well ... they didn't care for who ... what ... I am and they took the first excuse they could find to sever any and all ties." She smiles softly. "Lucy ... Lucretia ... is the first family member I've talked to in quite a while." Noting that her glass is empty already, she refills it. "She should avoid me as well. If they find out she's deigned to actually interact with me who knows what they'll do in retaliation."
The woman sits quietly for a moment ruminating on old memories.
"I used to have a crush on her, you know?" she continues, meeting Shula's eyes again. "I think I was ... twelve? Thirteen? She was my first kiss too, but I'll wager she doesn't remember it at all. It was the coming out party for my cousin Frederick - a perfect example of Vanisant douchery, by the way. The younger cousins - myself and Lucy included - had been herded off to the side drawing room and we were entertaining ourselves with some silly game involving dice and the nearby storage room. Stupid games that kids play, you know. We'd managed to smuggle wine with us from the grown-up's party and were not drinking responsibly." She chuckles again and touches her lips in memory.
A moment later and she shakes herself out of the memory to refill her wineglass. "But noble proclivities aside, we are cousins, after all. So those feelings were unproductive and I let them go along with the other trappings of childhood." She sighs. "And why am I telling you all this?" A frown creases her forehead and she sets her mostly full glass back on the table. The napkin makes its way back to her hands to be crushed and pulled at. "I'm trying to find out who I am, Shula. I've been alone too long and I'd like to have the comfort of friends again. But real friends - not family that smiles to my face and gossips about me behind my back." She continues to toy with the napkin. "And maybe I'll find ..." Her eyes glance up at the slayer's and then look away.
"Anyway ..." she continues in a less pensive voice. She shoves the napkin away and grabs her wineglass again. "I guess that's why I asked you to lunch and dumped out my dirty laundry all over the table." She chuckles. "I'm not working an angle ... I just ... I want someone to know me." She takes another long drink of wine. "And please don't tell Lucy about what I was saying - I don't even know why I brought it up."
Her voice is low so as to not attract attention, but clearly heated. "They threw you out because you weren't exactly what they wanted? That's...that's just wrong. I have some siblings that have made bad choices, like Tarsus, Auntie E. was really upset when he joined the Ghostbloods, but he could come back, if he wanted, and we'd do our best to protect him. That's what families do." She leans back, an unreadable expression on her face. "Although I guess I shouldn't be surprised that's not how the nobility handles things, not when half their unwanted bastards end up in the Narrows."
She takes a deep breath and lets it out. "Sorry. Didn't mean to rant at you. I meant what I said the other day, about friends not owing each other. I'm probably too quick to call someone a friend, it's bitten me in the ass a time or two, but that's just who I am. And I won't tell Lucretia you used to have a crush on her anymore than I would tell people who Randi really is." She snickers. "Thanks for going along with that by the way. 'I am a Maiden pure!' I'm going to be laughing about that one for weeks."
Lollia raises her glass in support of Shula's comment on the character of her family. "You'll get no arguments from me," she says as she drains it yet again. "Thank you for keeping my secret," she continues, her words beginning to run together slightly. Reaching for the bottle, she seems dismayed to find it already empty. "So tell me, what do you hope to get out of this ... association?" she asks, leaning closer on the table. Whether just a coincidence or planned on her part, putting her elbows on the table emphasizes her partially visible cleavage.
The speaking figure is a young man in a finely fitted doublet, although there is a wine stain on it already. Lollia recognises him, unfortunately. Carloman Karthis - rich, entitled, with a reputation as a playboy with both noble girls and less noble ones. Rumor has it that his parents have bought off at least two lesser houses when one of their daughters found themselves 'unexpectedly in the family way'.
"Still, you've got fine taste Lady Vernisant. Or should I call you 'Lady Muck' these days? At least your family had some sense, cutting you off. Must leave you pretty desperate these days though." His cronies, two other young men in good clothes, laugh sycophantically. "Tell you what, how about you and I get a room for an hour or two? I'll make sure you don't have to worry about anything for a while." He gives Shula a considering look. "If your... friend wants to join in as well I'll be very generous." His friends start laughing again, disregarding the unhappy looks they're gathering from around the room.
Okay, she'd probably could have been quieter when mocking Randi's choice of words. She hadn't been that loud though. How long had he been listening in on their conversation?
She should ignore him, but she's angry at him for ruining what had been a very pleasant lunch, and self control isn't even attempting to grab the reins. She looks him up and down, deliberately focusing on the wine stain. Then she turns back to Lucrecia.
In a stage whisper that somehow carries further than her previous conversation, she tuts disparagingly. "Drunk before noon, of course. I suppose it's no surprise he jumped straight to offering us money; that must be the only way he can get a woman to spend time with him. To admit that publicly though?" She shakes her head in mock sympathy. "How embarrassing."
She glances around.
"Would you ... um ... like to go somewhere else? Somewhere more ... private?" she asks in a more legitimately confidential tone of voice.
After taking three days to rest, Martella comes to the Young Lions to invite you to a private meeting. A short carriage ride brings the six of you to a tidy townhouse in the Aroden's View district. Standing atop the highest hill in the city, Aroden's View is a small district, but one with great cultural importance. It holds some of the oldest buildings in Taldor, some of which even survived the destruction wrought by the Tarrasque (or so their current owners claim). It is also one of the most beautiful sites in Oppara, with extravagant gardens filled with rare flowers and other flora, tree-lined avenues perfect for promenading in the latest fashions, and massive villas carefully arranged to take advantage of the breathtaking view the district provides its privileged residents.
Inside the townhouse, a cozy fire and the scent of tea warm a small library. A friendly catch-dog trots over to investigate your arrival, wagging his tail, and returns satisfied to his owner's side as she rises from the chair--Princess Eutropia. After a polite nod, she speaks.
"My name is Eutropia Stavian I, firstborn of Stavian III, and I thank you for coming. I wanted to express my gratitude in person for rescuing my old schoolmate, Martella. She is a dear friend, and I am in your debt."
"You are bold and resourceful, yet apparently relative unknowns on Taldor's political stage. Those are all incredibly valuable assets. Now more than ever I find myself in need of talented allies. My father—Pharasma rest his soul—seems to have been convinced my efforts at social reform were the precursor to usurping his throne. Some dear friends feared he would try to kill me at the exaltation; you may have noticed the Lion Blades on the scene in response. I had never imagined he could... That he had slipped so far."
Eutropia takes a moment to compose herself, then continues. "Apparently, in his paranoia, my father formally adopted Maxillar Pythareus in a private ceremony to declare the general his heir. Or so Pythareus claims, and he has presented documentation to support his claim. There are even those nobles who believe the vote against primogeniture could not possibly have taken place, or was coerced by those same elements that attacked the senate."
"The Ulfen Guard has sealed the palace and refuses admittance to anyone until the question is resolved. Normally this kind of issue would fall to the senate, but with the senate decimated and no emperor to approve new members... this situation is entirely unprecedented."
"I don't know if I'm the best candidate for the throne, but I know Pythareus isn't. He's a warmonger and a regressive traditionalist. He preaches about waging war on the 'upstart colonies' and bringing them back into the empire by force. I won't let him march us back into endless war, and I need allies of uncommon skill to ensure our nation's future. I would be honored to have such noble allies as yourselves in this War for the Crown."
Shula does her best to not choke on her own spit as Princess (Empress?) Eutropia speaks. Future jobs indeed. Auntie E. is not going to believe this.
The only consideration she needs to worry about is which is going to be the winning side. Shady last-minute adoptions aside, Eutropia does have the stronger claim. Plus she's the one here, now, offering Shula a chance to get in on the ground floor. If Eutropia eventually loses...well, Shula has a few siblings in the ports that could probably smuggle her out of Taldor.
High risk, high reward. Shula loves those sort of games.
"So Pythareus' story is that the emperor secretly adopted him mere hours before the emperor and a significant part of the Senate were all killed." Shula's eyes gleam. "How coincidentally good for him."
"Which is to say you have my support, Your Highness, for what it may be worth." Shula offers her best curtsey while looking at Martella, (who is after all the only person present who knows exactly what Shula's skills are). "I would be honored to assist you."
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Robert isn't really surprised nor impressed by the promenade in Aroden's View. It is not new to him. However, he nearly chokes on his own saliva as he is put before the princess. He bows politely and listens to her story. During the whole time, he is thinking how fortunate he is. This time, he does not think in terms of upbringing or privilege in life, but how a chance for his goals to be fulfilled is placed right before him.
After Shula is done agreeing to the terms, he finally finds the right words he wants to say "I, too, am honored to be considered for this job. Your highness, know that I have a personal stake in this, and will see it to the end, no matter the cost to myself. I swear, in Calistria's name, I will have my revenge. I am at your service."
Victor kneels down as Eutropia's hulking dog trots over to greet them. He reaches out to scratch him behind the ears. "Hey, Taldogis. Long time, no see," he says. Hilde purrs and rubs herself against the dog's leg, causing the dog to sniff curiously at the cat's behind.
Victor chuckles softly at Shula's and Robert's reaction to meeting the princess. Once she has finished her speech, he nods. "Cousin Eutropia, it goes without saying that I will support you to the best of my abilities. And I am certain my Ulfen acquaintance who helped to rescue Lady Martella will be similarly inclined."