A Pleasant Darkening

[Olvann Coia]

OOC: Continued from here

Olvann did indeed return two candlemarks later. The Aediles office lay just inside and yet, Olvann still held his breath in anticipation. He knew the Aedile as, the Aedile, he didn't even know the bitch’s name, and he was taking her out for a meal... How pleasant. He wondered how impractical this was, his third cycle in vortex and he was dreaming about cutting the woman into ribbons. He didn't care.

He would indulge in the opportunity to tear her apart. He could barely keep himself from going erect over the prospect of the fruits at the end of the night. He would need a room of course, a tavern would be fine, this... Golden Dragon, Might fit the scene perfectly. He would have to be careful however, though he highly doubted it would be necessary in this city.

He had the scenario planned out from start to finish. It did not take a genius to plan out murder. But it took some intelligence to plan out a murder where he could not be caught.

He entered the office exactly on time, appraising the guards still on duty. He glanced about the room, looking for his 'date'.

[Kalinda]

Minhiriath was there, behind her desk, putting a couple of papers away so that they could not be stolen. As she noticed that somebody had come into her office, she stopped and looked up. She seemed annoyed, but as she realized that it was Olvann, that look of annoyance quickly turned into a bright smile. “Here you are, Olvann! May I call you Olvann? I … I just have to put those things away, and then we can leave.” She gestured towards her chair. “You can sit here if you want …” It was up to Olvann whether he accepted her offer or not, but it turned out that it just took her a moment to finish her work.

Once she was done, she put a nice, black velvet coat on. There were tiny vines embroidered on it. It was decicdedly Syl’rosyan, decidedly elven. Despite everything the young aedile had not adjusted to the Vortexian way of life in all aspects. She still thought like a lightborn sometimes. She had no interest in worshipping Haya, Jalat or Jorel, and she believed that most people were good. Olvann for example, with those amazing blue eyes of his, this healer, he fascinated her, and as far as she was concerned he was a most honorable man.

“By the way, I’m Minhiriath”, she introduced herself and extended a hand. The young woman was slightly awkward in such situations. She did not know what exactly to say to him. Did he find her attractive? Did he like her? Surely that was why he had invited her to dinner. Should she tell him that she did not find him unattractive either? The fact that she had forgotten to tell him her name after he had told her so much about him embarrassed her, almost beyond measure.

[Olvann Coia]

Olvann looked about irksomely, the heat sifting through his veins mulled by the two hours he had spent away from the Aedile. Those thoughts of membranous organs strewn across a room by his own hands had left him with only traces of impending delight. However, as soon as he laid his eyes upon her, the emotions that had been fanned to life over the past few encounters with the Aedile were broached and ran swiftly through his mind once again. His eyes danced brilliantly with the life he saw in her, with the life he would so carefully see ended this very night.

Her voice seemed to amplify his thirst and he resolutely held his face impenetrably calm. "Certainly you may.." He responded with a casual smile, outwardly the gentleman she had come to know. He nodded to her invitation to seat himself while she cleaned up her things, but politely remained standing, seemingly unrushed. He had the tactful patience of an experienced healer... He understood the advantages to waiting. Every moment he spent with this woman, the more fully she trusted him.

She would soon understand how patient he was.

She was attractive, the bitch knew that as well as he did. Olvann inwardly shuddered as he collected the small piece of personal information she had uncovered for him. He restrained his strong urge to pull her directly into a tight embrace. Every personal bit he collected would make her less resistible, would make the moment when she understood, that much better. Her extended hand was met with his own as he bowed, his gaze never shifting from the hold he had on her eyes. His lips gently kissed her tender skin. He reveled in the taste of her skin. It drove a line of fire through his body. Minhiriath... He thought with devious ecstasy.

Her cheeks bloomed with embarrassment even before he laid his lips upon her soft skin, and he smiled to encourage the display. That's right, fall in love with me you dirty slut... He thought unconsciously. "Do you still desire to dine at the Golden Dragon?" He questioned, that undeniably pleasant smirk decorating his face in a most deceiving facade. He truly wondered how she would taste...

[Kalinda]

His blue eyes shimmered brightly – almost like sapphires – and Minhiriath held her breath for a moment. The young elf found herself falling for this human. Her family back in Silrosia would be appaled if they found out that she went on a date – on a date! – with a human, but Minhiriath just did not care. While she still held the elven way of life in the highest regard, she did not share her race’s views of humans anymore. They were not that different. They were short lived, but they accomplished a lot in their short lives. They were fascinating. They were not graceful or anything, but they had that special something. How could her kind call them lesser beings?

“Olvann then.” The young woman hid a smile. She came a bit closer to him. Her eyes widened a bit as he kissed her hand. She had expected that he would just shake it. They were still strangers, and she was unsure about his feelings. She enjoyed it, that brief moment of closeness, that brief contact. He was truly a gentleman. There was probably nobody else like him in this dark city. And he had come into her office! Her office of all the places in Vortex! Minhiriath considered herself a very lucky woman. It seemed almost too good to be true.

“Of course I do!” she told him. “Shall we go? I’m done with my work here now. I can show you the way if you want. I can imagine that you are not very familiar with this city yet ...” She took the key to her office out of a pocket – she would have to lock the place before they left – and then she turned to him again, waiting. She looked at him expectantly.

[Olvann Coia]

Minhiriath had perhaps overlooked the fact that Olvann was built slight, like a elf, she had yet to observe his natural prowess, but possibly, that was one of the reasons she was unconsciously drawn to the man. Perhaps that and the fact that he wasn't a thief, rapist, murderer or con-artist... Yet... Olvann had little to no problem overlooking her racial attributes, he'd lived with his elven father his whole life after all, but that did little to hush the building torment in his mind. Elf or no elf, this woman would find herself brutally aware of the fact that she was a woman this darkening.

He felt his blood rush in tandem with the beating of his heart, she called him by his forename, something that smashed into his mind with an uneasy impact, threatening to break through the dam that held back his emotions. He was very aware of her enthusiam, her enthusiasm towards him. How very interesting this darkening was turning out to be. From the first moment he had met the elf, he had wanted to open her chest cavity, and here she was, readily accepting the invitation. Yes... How very interesting.

She spoke shortly and met the agreeing nod of the human. She was right, he wasn't overly familiar with the city, regardless, he knew how the city operated and that was the true knowledge that any stranger needed. "So be it." He said with her bow, answering her question. His brilliant smile never left his newly shaven face. He smelt well, he was not a dirty man, he took care of himself and his clothes. They looked worn, but certainly not dirty. He was well kept and very controlled, his hair hung to his shoulders but was not a mop that was unwashed. He was in all sense of the word, perceptive, perceptive of himself and everything around him.

That was why he caught the expectant expression of the Aedile. Ahhhh... He groaned to himself inwardly. What does the bitch want... He questioned himself. Outwardly, he cocked a questioning eyebrow at the Aedile and waited for her to speak her mind, he was no fool, if he guessed incorrectly at her expression, he would be pointedly just that... A fool. If he said nothing, he was nothing more than a perceptive man intent on politely listening to a woman he was taking out for a meal.

[Kalinda]

In all truth Minhiriath just wanted him to leave the office so that she could lock the door and tell her that it was okay with him that she led the way. She did not want to hurt his pride. She knew how men were, that they wanted to do all the things, that they did not want to be led around by a woman – even if it meant that they wandered the city for hours, not knowing where their destination really was. And a little part of her had hoped that he would offer her his arm, that he would hold her while the walked through the streets of Vortex. But of course it had been too much to expect that he would be able to read her mind. He was only human after all, a healer and not a mystic.

She smiled as he looked at her, a soft, innocent smile and pulled her cloak a bit closer around her slender body. It was cold outside, and Minhiriath had never fully adjusted to the Vortexian winter. In Silrosia it was much warmer than here. What they called “summer” in Vortex would have past for late winter or early spring in her home. She disliked the weather as much as the dark skinned elves that always seemed to be in a bad mood and plotting evil. If one had asked her why she stayed here when she was so uncomfortable sometimes, she would not have known how to answer. Maybe she had a weak spot for this strange city somewhere deep inside of her.

She locked the door and made sure that all the windows were closed and pointed to a street to their right that led away from the aedile’s office, towards the Mercantile District. “It’s this way, Olvann”, she told him. She stayed close to him. Part of her could not help but wonder what it would be like to touch his hand for a moment, to let her fingers run through all this black hair, but she would not do anything, but not say anything. Minhiriath was a honorable young woman with good manners. She wanted to know more about him, more than what he had told her when they had first met at the office, but she was afraid to ask, that she would get too personal too soon. Instead she decided on a simple, harmless question. “And what do you think of Vortex so far?”

[Olvann Coia]

Olvann was a man of virtuous qualities... Genuinely polite, and skilled in the deaf use of both tact and etiquette. He would never be so brash as to offer his arm to a lady on their first outing. In truth, even now he defiled that etiquette, though it could be overlooked for the necessity of not bringing along an escort for the Aedile. After all, most of his qualities were virtuous. He was an odd man, the masquerade was being carried out to the inevitable and glorious death of the Aedile, yet his demeanor did not change in the least, he had not morphed into a monstrosity. He had not shifted to the uncontrollable anger and wrath of a murdering fiend. He simply and carefully would revel in the vital fluid of the whore he had wooed into a devious and bloody trap.

The chill that Minhiriath felt did not register in the mind of the half-Rhaghrnd. Accustomed to living in the harsh cradle of the Arium Mountains, Olvann was hardened to weather that was far worse. The human waited patiently as the Aedile closed up her office, intently anticipating their inevitable conversation. Every tidbit he could muster from her personal life would make the experience more erotic, more intoxicating, more fulfilling…

He nodded his head and gave her a pleasant grin as she led him in the direction of their meal. Feigning ignorance of the area was not overly difficult, as he simply had not really explored much of the surface portion of Vortex. He casually ran his fingers through his raven locks and continued to grin at the Aedile. “The city… Is quite different from what I’m used to.” He stated plainly. Anything he said this darkening was going to have a thread of deceit in it, this he knew, it was best to stick to the truth, or as close to the truth as he could. “What brought you to Vortex?” He added.

[Kalinda]

„I can imagine that“, Minhiriath said. “It takes some time to get used to this city. What was it like where you lived before?” She was quiet for a while before she answered his question. “I … I don’t know. There was an article in the Herald a couple of eras ago. They were looking for an aedile, and I thought that it was a great opportunity at the time. I had just finished my studies of the law. Silrosia with all its rules and all of its arrogant nobles was getting on my nerves. I wanted to move elsewhere for a while. But don’t ask my why I decided to stay here. I honestly don’t know …”

She sighed. She had been young, and like all young people she wanted to see the world. She had only come to really appreciate the elven way of life and think about her people when she had ended up in Vortex. She had not become Hayan as her family had feared. She missed them, sometimes, even though they did not understand why she insisted on working here. Maybe she would visit them sometimes, after her new assistant had gotten used to the job. Vortex was a dangerous place to live in, but it also had its good sides.

They slowly walked towards the center of the city. The aedile’s office was situated in the eastern part of Vortex while the Golden Dragon was situated at the main street that separated the city into two parts. The houses in this city were looking nicer. Marble buildings could be found next to the traditional grey and black homes. More than one person was going for a walk. Even though Minhiriath was hungry, she was in no hurry to get to their destination. She enjoyed the walk with this stranger, even though it was cold.

[Olvann Coia]

"Busy..." Olvann explained, "I lived with my father, I was his assistant and he had many patients..." He stated briefly, not entirely sure of what the weather was like around Primus Gaudeo. He knew very well what she had been expecting as an asnwer, but he gently steered the conversation to focus on her. He listened intently as she iterated her reasoning for remaining in Vortex. She was the flighty sort he realised, unsure of what she wanted and very unsure of her descisions. All the better. She had no love for nobles, also a stroke of luck in his favor. He was by no means a noble.

They walked along the stone streets of Vortex in silence for a few moments and Olvann continued their conversation, following a general line of interest, "And what of your family?" He inquired. Noticing the Aediles discomfort in the cold, he carefully removed his cloak, displaying his armor and swords and offered her his woolen healers cloak. Expecting an inquisitve gaze, he offered simply, "I've learnt a few things since arriving in Vortex..."

[Kalinda]

„So your father was a healer as well?“ Minhiriath asked. “What is he doing now? Do you have family somewhere?” She did not want to ask him whether his father was dead. It seemed impolite to her and would certainly ruin the mood. She’d decided that she wanted to enjoy this evening and not talk about death and dying. They walked in silence for a few moments, coming closer and closer to the Golden Dragon. Minhiriath slowed down a bit so that she could talk to him a bit more before they entered the tavern and ate their food.

“My family?” The elf arched an eyebrow. The question surprised her. She had asked him about his family, but she had not expected him to do the same. “My family was working for one of the lesser lords of Syl’rosya. My father was a clerk, and my mother taught the lord’s daughters everything they had to know about the elven way of life. It was a good life, I suppose, but I always had the feeling that there was more to life than that ...” She shrugged her shoulders. “There is really nothing special about my parents. They are just elves ...”

As he offered her his cloak, she took it and put it around her shoulders. “Thank you”, she said and smiled at him. “I was really freezing a bit.” It was then that she noticed his swords and heard his comment. “The weapons you mean? It’s good that you learned how to use them ...” She stopped as she saw the lights of the Golden Dragon at the end of the street. The building was painted in the strangest shade of green, but the twilight hid that circumstance effectively. “We are almost there”, she murmurred, and for some reason she sounded a little sad.

[Olvann Coia]

"Indeed..." Replied Olvann, "Unfortunately he moved onto Aetheria not more than a pattern ago." He said, thoroughly repulsed by the fact he was talking about his dead father to this putrid wretch. Her fragile features cried out vigorously to be broken, he would derive such pleasure from those very same features, distorted in unimaginable pain.

She accepted his cloak, and he made a mental note to burn the fetid thing later. He nodded with a smile at her gratitude. He would not be able to abide her flowery scent after this darkening. No... He would need a new cloak, perhaps something slightly more stylish... Black? He did dearly love the weight of wool however... He mulled over the idea while she blathered on about her family. All the while he feigned interest, how deafly was he prodding her into his web of deceit?

He would have no need of training with those blades this darkening, he knew well the orchestrated works of the body and had frequently taken a blade to an infirm body. He needed no battle hardening to open her chest. She sounded almost resentful at arriving at the tavern and Olvann smiled, indeed, he had completely fooled her. It offered no end of delights. He glanced up at the rooms of the Golden Dragon, how many levels of rooms did this building possess? Did the outer windows have bars, was there catwalks? Was there fire escapes? All these questioned rolled over his head as he moved past the side of the building. All plans in which he would need to know in order to determine if the night of fun would be spent here.

"Where do you live in the city?" He casually asked before they entered into the tavern.

[Kalinda]

„I’m sorry“, Minhiriath whispered. She had never been good at talking about such things. She was an elf, and when somebody talked about a death, it touched her deeply. Her kind lived for centuries. She did not know what she would do if her own parents died. She would likely cry for entire brightenings even though they did not agree with her way of life. “I live near the General Store”, she answered his next question. She was completely trusting. “I recently moved there. It’s actually not that far from here ...” Smugglers had used the General Store as a base for their operations until recently, but due to the intervention of prefect Kadrakai the area was safe again. There had been a lot of cheap houses on sale, and the elf had taken the opportunity to move out of her small two room appartment.

The Golden Dragon had two floors. The bar, the kitchen, the common room and a couple of storage rooms could be found on the ground floor. The rooms for the guests were all found upstairs. None of the windows had bars, and there did not seem to be any fire escapes either although somebody could possibly climb down the walls if he had to leave quickly for some reason or jump from the balcony. There were no curtains in front of the windows on the ground floor so that Olvann could see the interior of the inn clearly. Members of all races gathered there. They were laughing and joking and generally having a good time. “It sounds as if the Golden Dragon is busy this evening”, Minhiriath remarked and opened the door.

“Your weapons ...” she remarked. “You have to leave them at the door I’m afraid. They want to prevent fights this way ...” The elf smiled apologetically at him and looked around to see if there was an empty table somewhere. There were a few, in the corners of the room and near the walls. Most of the patrons were gathered in the middle. A bard, an albino ratta in impossibly colourful clothes was sitting there, playing a song on his lute and singing. The waitresses, all of them human, were watching him fascinatedly. They stood there, in front of the bar, and seemed to have forgotten that they were meant to serve food and drinks for the time being.

[Olvann Coia]

Olvann had felt the loss of his father harshly, but he had been prepared for many years for the eventuality of that death. The elf had been old and had probably spent more time than he should have in the mortal coil waiting for his adopted son to breach adolescence. Death was... Interesting to the healer, it had no restrictions, no limit to it's reach, no silly ideals, ethics, morals, values. Death did not operate under guidelines... It slowly stole away life from every living being on Telath. It governed everything, life was the essence of death and death the essence of life, the two were interchangeable and the same. Yes... He missed the frail form of his father, but he also understood the necessity of his death.

The blatant display of pity for the healer made bile rise in his throat. Her blissful ignorance surrounding his father death, along with his feelings on the matter drew him deeper into a mad quail of vengeful lust. How could this shallow whore of an elf know anything about death? He thought, complimented by an impermeable gaze. It seemed odd to him that this female elf could feel such pity for another being, he understood pain well enough, he had dealt with other people's pain as well as his own; both physically and mentally. Yet, never could he have comprehended feeling anything but a focus to relinquich that pain. Pity was such an empty vile thing, a waste of time that was wasted on him.

The Golden Dragon had two floors, the bottom being the tavern itself while the top held rooms for any weary traveler. A quick hop out a window would be of little trouble to the agile human, which he believed would be his exit route. He dropped his cloak about his face, shielding himself from any onlookers before entering the tavern. He held the door open for the Aedile before entering himself. The tavern atmosphere was jovial, no man that he could see had drank enough to become violent, which was all and well. He didn't need trouble from a drunken fool. He was quite sure of himself as he relieved the sheaths holding his shordsword and longsword and placed them at the front entrance. He left his longknife sheathed on his right shin, as it was quite well hidden and impossible to see under the drooping healer’s cloak. He did not mouth a word at the door guard. It would be interesting getting those back this darkening, he was assured of that.

There was a ratta gleeman within the tavern, boosting the already amused mood of the crowd. Completely white from head to toe with pinkish red eyes that gave the ratta a dangerous look- quickly dispelled by his easy demeanor and obscenely bright clothes. Olvann waited until the gaze of the Aedile fell on him and he gave her an amused grin, he was having a great time already, now wasn't he? Olvann led the Aedile to a more gloomy part of the tavern, where the noise level wasn't so loud and the bright light of the tavern would not fall completely on him. "I want to be able to hear your voice." He said with a pleasant smile, indicating his reasoning for picking the secluded spot. He continued to draw out a chair for the Aedile and seated her, taking a position himself opposite from her.

He decided he would wait on a wench instead of moving to the bar and ordering their meals, this would give him the appearance of wanting to draw out the night and speak more to his 'date'. The illusion was quickly becoming complete.

[Kalinda]

Minhiriath just stood there and stared at the ratta bard in wonder as Olvann put his weapons away. “I’ve never seen him before”, she told her companion. “He is quite good, don’t you agree?” It was so different from the music she had heard in her homeland or the same old depressing songs that the humans of Vortex seemed to love so much. The song he was singing at the moment was a love story between a katta and a mousai, and it was quite amusing. The ratta’s hands almost seemed to fly across the string sof his lute. A hat was lying on a nearby table. It was full already full of coins, and still the people threw more money into it.

As Olvann spoke to her, Minhiriath nodded and followed him to the table. She agreed. While she loved the music and everything, music was not the reason she had come here. She wanted to talk to this man and find out more about him. The table in front of them was made of fine dark wood. There were four chairs grouped around it. A candle stood in the middle of the table, but it was not lit. There were salt, pepper and a small container with a strange red sauce. Two clean glasses were already there, along with knives, forks and spoons.

“Thank you …” Minhiriath said as he pulled out a chair for her. The young aedile took her cloak off and draped it across the back of the chair, and then she said down. “Do you have any idea what you want to eat and drink tonight?” she asked him. She had decided to make a little small talk first. Minhiriath had never been good at talking about her feelings. She was worried what he would think of her. He was such a polite and well mannered man. She did not want to do anything wrong tonight. It had been a long time since she had been invited for dinner.

It took a while until a waitress arrived. The waitress happened to be a young human, just past her teenage years, with long blonde locks, big blue eyes and full lips. She wore a red dress that showed exactly how well endowed she was. “I’m Ariel”, she introduced herself. Her voice was pleasant enough, but the tone of it was not exactly polite. She was apparently not a woman who liked her job. “What can I bring for you? Would you like anything to drink? Wine? Ale? Beer? Juice?” Minhiriath looked at Olvann. She wanted him to order first.