Justice Wears a Clever Disguise! (Spice!)

[Ivory]

Kathryn should have been alarmed at the boldness of the thief -- but she could not stop the grin from her lips.  This was really not the time for his games...or the place.  She would have much preferred to let him steal the dress from her body in private, but...

Well, that's what made this little affair interesting, wasn't it?

And just what, she wondered, had he rigged up against her dress?


Meanwhile, Audric was happily oblivious to Kathryn and the King of Thieves.  "She's certainly full of surprises," he agreed lowly.  That seemed an understatement...

[visualspice]

Leif released a frustrated sigh upon Audric's approach and agreement. He knew not what to make of these circumstances, and the peculiar smile the Grand Duchess was wearing was almost... unnerving.


But elsewhere, the source of her smile gave a brief chuckle.
"You know, we haven't had a moment to be truly alone all day," the thief said, an obvious pout within his tone. "I wonder how we might be able to remedy this?" And then a brief pause, he added, "Just how quickly can you dismiss the masked vigilante and your guard? I'd like to see how much of your dress I can steal before the end of the night.."

[Ivory]

Stupid decisions indeed.  Kathryn hesitated for scarcely a moment before announcing, coolly, "I've shown you my good intent, Masked Mordecai.  I believe, now, it's time for you to show me yours."  Nevermind he had saved her life!

"The Duke of Allar will escort you through the palace and to the front gates as my personal honored guest."

Audric looked at her in surprise.  "My lady..."

Kathryn ignored him, speaking instead to the vigilante.  After all, she trusted Audric to follow her orders.  If he weren't a good man to be trusted, her husband would not have made him the Duke of Allar in his place.  "No harm will come to you, and your identity will remain a mystery.  Does that sound fair to you?"

Only once she had his answer did she cautiously lower the bow, eyeing the masked man as though he might go back on his word.  "Audric, if he tries to flee, you may kill him.  Until that time, you are to treat him as a guest.  If anyone questions my orders, inform them that the Masked Mordecai saved my life, and he is to be afforded all respect due a hero while on the palace grounds.  Is that understood?"

Audric was confused!  This seemed a sudden change of pace -- but, then again, perhaps it had been her intention all along...  "Yes, my lady."

[visualspice]

If Audric was confused, imagine the thoughts reeling inside Leif's head. This was... definitely not what he had expected, and he found himself gaping at the Grand Duchess.

But... it was what it was...
If he was to be hanged later and this a game.. so be it. He had little choice. Bowing gracefully, he said, "Thank you, my lady. This will not go forgotten." And once he raised his head, he nodded to the Duke that he was ready to be escorted out.

[Ivory]

Well, that left Audric little choice!  Not that he was complaining...  It was a better outcome than he could have hoped for.  He had expected to have to plead and pull some strings to free Cai...but, it seemed, the Grand Duchess was happy to do that for him.

"This way," he directed the masked man.  Rather than stand behind him like a guard, he fell into step beside him.  Without a weapon, it was probably the more effective way to "escort" him off the property.

It didn't take long to encounter the guards.  Audric barely kept the smart-ass comment off his lips when they stepped into sight.  He glanced sideways at Cai, then said, in the voice of a commander expecting to be obeyed, "Step aside.  By order of the Grand Duchess, this man is her personal guest.  He is to be escorted -- as a hero -- from the grounds in thanks for saving her life."

[visualspice]

Naturally, the guards hardly believed him at first, and one cracked out, "And you expect us to believe that? You've got a known criminal in your custody... surely the Grand Duchess would want him escroted to the dungeon. Not out the front door!"

Leif hardened his gaze and wondered- could this Duke actually pull it off? With the heightened tensions of the war... it seemed everyone was out to kill someone. And a man in a mask was as good as any to hang.

[Ivory]

"If I were escorting a known criminal to the dungeons, I do think the Grand Duchess would have ordered me to be armed," Audric replied plainly.  Holding his hands, palms out, slightly to the side and in front of him, he said, "As you can see, I am not."

His tone sharpened, and his eyes narrowed in a glare.  "Now, put your weapons away and move aside.  Or do I have to explain to the Grand Duke that the man who saved his wife's life was murdered by his own guards?  How well, do you think, he would take that news?"

[visualspice]

The men hesitated, but as the Duke explained himself, the more and more they seemed to be forced to believe it. But that didn't stop them from cutting the masked man a sharp look.
"Very well. Shall we escort you so that there will be no more trouble?" the one guard inquired, hesitation still ever present in his voice.

[Ivory]

"You may, if you like," Audric replied dismissively.  "But only if you put your weapons away.  You are escorting a royal guest, not a prisoner."  He leveled a stony gaze at the men in front of him.  It was a look at promised trouble for any man who stepped out of line.

With a slight bow, he gestured for the masked man beside him to step forward.  He, too, began to stride forward with long, purposeful steps that would carry him into the midst of the armed men -- and, yet, he walked with a confident air, expecting them to part before them and to obey his commands.

They were, after all, the words of their new Grand Duchess.  Even so, all of the attention made him feel a little uncomfortable...  All it would take was for one man to decide to be an idiot, and God knew what would happen.  They were forming quite the parade...  It made him glad that the gates were just around the corner.

[visualspice]

They had an entourage as they approached the castle gates, and naturally there was some speculation by the guardsman there, but eventually it was so that the Masked Man could pass, and as they were stepping out through the gates, Leif sighed heavily.

"I suppose I owe you and the Grand Duchess my life.."

[Ivory]

Audric quirked a grin at that statement as the gates swung open before them.  Cai was free to go, to return back to...wherever it was he came from and whatever it was he did.

"I think she must have felt the same way about you."  He gestured towards the gate with a hand, inviting the masked man to step through it.  "Or she would not have gone to such lengths to save your life."

Because there was no other reason the Grand Duchess herself should have left her rooms to hunt him down...  Nor was there any reason she should have spared him when it would have been a simple thing to shoot him in the back.

"I do feel obliged to warn you that aren't likely to find a welcoming reception the next time you visit the Grand Palace."  He had a feeling Calent was not going to approve of this little stunt -- of either letting Cai go or his wife's admittedly impressive capture of him.

[visualspice]

The masked man gave a scoff, but it was a playful one. Little did this duke know who he was...
Considering, if he wanted to, he could easily be invited to another function.. mask excluded.

"I guess that so much is obvious.." Leif muttered, adjusting his gloves as the pair stepped out into the moon light. He couldn't help but feel something like this has happened before... and he shrugged his shoulders in attempts to discourage the feeling from settling in. Naturally, nothing like this has happened before, but it did pull up some memories when he had a run in or two and a certain mystery man had aided him...

[Ivory]

Audric's grin widened slightly, and he gave a nod in response.  "Indeed."

And with that, the Masked Mordecai had once again been turned free to continue his one-man crusade against tyranny and oppression.  Or something like that.

It was soon public knowledge, whether the Duke wished it to be or not, that the Masked Mordecai had saved the Grand Duchess's life as a wedding gift.  She personally called him a hero and ensured his safe conduct from the grounds.  It didn't take long for the rumors to begin to circulate and for the masses to wonder just why he had saved the Grand Duchess when he was, supposedly, an enemy of the Grand Duke's.  And there were some rather savory theories...and a kernel of suspicion cast on the masked man's motives.

It was some weeks later that Audric found himself needing to take another private walk...with plenty of distance between himself and his guards...  He was irritated (and, he thought, rightfully so) about a scheme he had just uncovered regarding a certain masked bandit.  There was, of course, little he could do to help Cai, especially since the Grand Palace had stopped targeting the man himself.  They were going after something far more precious: his reputation.  And they were doing it in the most underhanded way imaginable.

He had decided he didn't care much for his friend's new wife after all...

Naturally, the best way to ponder the situation was with a bottle of liquor in hand on a perch above the city...and garbed in his now usual disguise, with his identity safely hidden beneath a cloak.

[visualspice]

Pissed was an understatement. He would have preferred tar and feathering to this none sense, unless of course, his ears deceived him.  But the word was already on the street, and there he felt, a mockery. Sure, he had chosen to exclaim himself personally to be on the side against the Grand Duke and his unbridled politics, but now from outside resources since the events at the Grand Duke's Palace have suddenly launched a campaign that more or less was a proven statement he was for the Grand Duke.

The Grand Duchess was a conniving bitch, and he wished she would have shot him when she had the chance. At least that way he could be more at peace. And it wasn't as if he was even looking for peace when he dawned his masked persona, but to have the very person's he was attempting to rescue be terrified of him made any sort of easy get away nearly impossible- and also put those he was helping in grave danger.

Too many times he was fumbling in the night time shadows, too many times did the guards interfere. At first, he had no idea what was going on until he had to personally witness an entire family of mages in hiding be taken away.

Those bastards. Brewing over the last few nights of his failed 'salvations'; the masked mordecai was out again, his eyes, scanning the city from a roof top- dark and malicious and pissed. He wasn't sure exactly what he was looking for, but he was searching for something- anything...

Any spot of trouble would do,.. or, even a lonely guard. He had to re-establish what he was before the nobles made a ruin of him- and frankly, he was beyond irritated because for his entire life, living as a noble- it already was ruined for him.

Yes, Leif Arrant was pissed; and perhaps he should not have gone out that fateful night. It was dredfully cold, and as he scouted the streets, his breath came out in white puffs from tightly drawn and pensive lips.

It was time for Connlaoth to remember...
It was time for Connlaoth to pay.

[Ivory]

Audric might have spent the whole night there on his perch, staring thoughtfully over the city and nursing his drink.  A flash of movement to his right caught Audric's eye, however, and immediately a grin stretched his lips.

Cai was back.  And he had no doubt heard the bad news as well...

A normal man might have avoided Cai, but Audric had already decided they were friends...even if Cai didn't know it yet..

Downing the rest of his drink, he set the bottle down and slid down from his post.  Cai wasn't exactly subtle, he figured; all he had to do was get to the general area, and the masked man would probably do something to let Audric know where he was.

[visualspice]

And the night continued on as usual, not a peep nor sound of distress. Just a few guardsman playing a game of cards nearby some more important nobleman's manner, a few late night rendez-vous schmoozes, and an old man's coughing echoing down the street.

And it had grown cold since he had first left his house, thankfully his leather armor afforded him some warmth as he continued to creep his way from roof top to roof top. Yes, it seemed ironic that the night be so quiet just hours after he digested the news..
It was almost as if the guards were doing their job, the world was sleeping in peace...

That was until he heard an angered lover's quarrel.

"You're a mage, admit it, Loritha!" he heard a man spit.

He could tell teh woman was rolling her eyes.

"Still your tongue or I'll tell Madame LeFonte," the woman threatened through a growl.

"I can see it in your eye, whore," the man growled. "I didn't even get a change to pop and you're pushing me out the door."

"That's becuase you broke the rules," she growled.

"MAGE!" he shouted, throwing his arms into the air. "The lot of you! Ungrateful, just like my wife had been! And you're no better than HER!"

"Will you still your tongue before I still it for ya, Frank? This is no time to be making false accusations because you're too drunk and too stupid-"

ANd then he heard his fist connect to the woman's face. He supposed now was as good a time to act as any. Jumping down from the rooftop, he appeared from the shadows, a looming form glaring out at the man who was now menacingly approaching the fallen women, and Leif stalked forward, menacingly approaching the man.

At the realization of the type of person he attracted, the man looked up at Leif.
"Eh? Well, I'll be damned. If it ain't the masked mordecai!" and with a drunken finger he pointed down at the bloodied lipped whore. "I heard you be on our side, and this woman is a mage."

Leif's eyes went cold as ice as he approached the man.
"False accusations do not look favorably upon the law-"

Though Leif wouldn't have to react- it seemed the woman was a ball of fury as she was already on her feet and throwing her fists at the man unrelentingly.

"Frank! You ass hole! The madame will hear about this and have you thrown out for good!"s he shouted, a fire burning in her eyes as she spat at the man's face. And that's when Frank clocked her one again- Leif only had a chance to catch the woman before another voice came from down the way-

"Hey? Who goes there?"


Shit, it was the guardsman. They must've been disturbed from their game of cards.

[Ivory]

As Audric suspected, it didn't take Cai long at all to make his move...and what a move it must have been!

He pressed himself against the wall in an alley as several guards stormed by, calling out orders and beginning to bare their blades.

Audric's eyebrows rose slightly, and he self-consciously pulled the hood of his own disguise down lower, as if it might hide him completely from the questing guards.  They had no interest in him, though; they were too busy charging into a house to notice.

The door to the house stood no chance against the pair of bulky guards that threw their shoulders into the wood.  It shuddered once, then gave with a resounding crash inwards, spilling the guards into the small room as well.

"In the name of the Grand Duke, what's going on here?" one of the guards demanded -- but, then, he, along with the other guards, spotted the masked man.

"It's the Masked Mordecai!  Arrest him!"

Outside, Audric was frowning at the small house, daring to creep a little closer.  That was a lot of guards for one man to deal with...

[visualspice]

It didn't take long for the guards to arrive and Leif was swearing up a storm. Setting the whore aside, he did the only thing he could think of-
he grabbed onto Frank and shoved him clean at the guards feet, and while they were momentarily startled, he made a run for it-
Up the whore house steps, kicked a room open, passed by a pair of busy patrons before punching open a window and leaping out.

By the time a few of the guards made it up there, they were also swearing up a storm.
"After him men!" the head guard snarled as he unsheathed his blade. "And you know the drill! The Grand Duke wants him brought in... alive!"

[Ivory]

Luck was not with Leif today!  He managed to escape from the cathouse...only to land in the midst of a patrol on their way, likely, to that very building.  The men looked startled to find the Masked Mordecai himself dropping in front of them, and they gaped openly.

Until, that is, one of the men from inside stumbled out to point an accusing finger.  "There he is.  Stop him!"

And as Leif scurried away, the guards drew their weapons.  He would hear from behind him, "The bolas and net, you idiots!"  And a second later, it would become clear what was meant by that as one of the new weapons hurtled through the air.  The heavy weights at the end wrapped neatly around Leif's legs, tripping him up.

It would, in theory, give the guards enough time to come close enough to drape their nets over the man.  They were, after all, supposed to take him alive.

(OOC: Totally CCed, but someone had to do it since you won't!  *shakes fist!*  Audric must be dashing!)

[visualspice]

OOC: You forget how I love flares for the dramatic <3
So I enjoyed the Cc thoroughly <3<3<3
Though it might have looked like too easy of an escape.. naturally, he would never actually have gotten away
>:3

And...
please allow me to add...
BWAHAHAHA

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The strike to the cheek as he landed on his face hurt the most, and were smarting him as he swore between his teeth. ANd not a moment later, the shadow of a net fell over him, and it was clear- the masked mordecai was finally caught.

He supposed his luck couldn't keep up forever, it was just.. a shame that this was how he was supposed to go, and despite his efforts to wriggle free of both weights on his heels and a net over his head; he would't have to struggle for long when one man forced his boot on his back, then yanked the net from his face.

"What a pretty little picture," the guard say, clicking his tongue between his teeth. "Think a promotion will be in order for you boys for this sort of capture." His men all smiled through the darkness, teeth cutting through shadows.

Then he gestured with his gloved hand to one of the men standing before him. "Help me keep him down. Let's find out who this masked pestilence really is..."
Though as the man reached for the mask, he let out a yowl as Leif's teeth came clamping down, hard, right ontop of his fingers.

It drew blood and the man turned away, but two other guards were already upon him, wrestling with Leif by his shoulders and moving to tear off his mask....
But with his head bucking they had to restrain him again, and by the time they were reaching for his mask, he could feel their fingernails digging into his skin as the mask began to drop off his face, and dishevel his hair.

The men all held their breaths, the mask still in the way of his face as they went to reach again to remove the mask...

Panic set in, Leif threw his head back and bashed it against the man who held his shoulders, and with that, freeing one arm as the man cried out in pain. Jerking a fist forward, he punched the man before him in the face before another trio of guards was on the scene and wrestling Leif to the ground. And it seemed they were all reaching for the mask....

"YANK THE MASK OFF OF HIM, MEN! YANK IT OFF SO WE CAN TELL THE GRAND DUKE WHO HIS PET RAT REALLY IS!"

And all of the struggling in the world could not stop them from the deed...
The mask was taken off- his face exposed...
Though as they tried to get a good look at him, his hair a mess in his face, Leif suddenly spat in their faces, goading one of the guards to slam his fist into Leif's face. ANd he felt the hot blood trickle from his nose.

"Grab him by the hair so we can see the rat clearly!" the guard shouted, his body tense in anticipation. This would be the moment they were all waiting for, and it seemed all of Connlaoth was holding it's breath as Leif was smashed up against an alley wall- and the men coming in ever closer... hands reaching out, shadows looming over him like daggers, and Leif's eyes wild beneath his hair.


OOC:
And this is totes happening now..
Poor Leif