Spirits of the Earth

OOC: This is part of The Dessert Table (http://www.spiritsoftheearth.net/smf/index.php?topic=15587.msg156752#msg156752) and is a private thread...
For now!

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Clever as a fox, he made good on his word, and reputation, to acquire a way in to such an event. With a mask over his face, two ears perched upon his head, and a fox tail swishing as he walked, the King of Thieves knew he was taking a great risk even coming here. He had long lost touch with the Grand Duchess, his little play thing... even the letters having long since ceased before this day.
But naturally, things had become... complicated, when his reputation suddenly piked and more wanted posters sprung up all over the city. But here, it was quite the occasion! For it gave him a chance to use his wings, flaunt his graces and well... finally see the woman who's letters he had once pine for and now have long since burned... finally.. speak to her, face to face.

Making his way down the hall, a glass in hand and wearing nothing too fancy at all, the simple 'fox' made his way through the guests, smiling at all the sweet faces where he could. And there was much to see and much to steal- but his focus was on but one girl-

Kathryn.

Calent and Kathryn's relationship sometimes felt like a house of cards, ready to crumble should the right corner be caught by the wind.  Calent sometimes had to be reminded of his wife's interest, while Kathryn sometimes had to be reminded that liquor, although seemingly effective, could not solve everything.  Each had his or her own duties to which to attend, as they always had, but now their hours of leisure were spent together...and Kathryn missed him dearly when they were apart.  They were healing and getting to know one another better than, perhaps, they had known one another to begin with.

And so it was a very different couple who presented themselves at the ball.  What had once been a frigid silence between them had bloomed, once again, into romance.  All the signs were there -- the furtive looks, the smiles, the innocent caresses...and, although it had never been public knowledge that the pair were experiencing difficulties in their marriage, new rumors would take the place of the old after tonight.

Kathryn was enjoying herself -- as much as one could at such things.  She smiled beautifully and laughed charmingly; she complimented earnestly and listened carefully.  This was her role, and it was where she thrived.

Even so, even she had to take a break from the small-talk for a bit.  She bowed her head slightly as she passed a guard, then stepped into the sanctuary of a small, private room a bit away from the bustle of the party.  The music from the dance floor made its way in, but precious little else.  Her eyes moved longingly over the bottle of liquor left here, but she had promised Calent that she would drink sparingly...and for appearances, only.  Instead, she helped herself to a glass of ice water and turned away from the liquor.  After all, things weren't so bad yet that she needed alcohol to cope...  Strange, though, how it had become her first instinct to pick up the bottle...

Dekka Blade hadn't missed the detail that Kathryn was a doe- and had he thought more cleverly, he might have gone as a more savage sort of hunting dog. After all... their relationship was a bit of a gamble- like a game of cat and mouse, and here he was, fox tail and all, looking for a way into 'the chicken coop'.
He didn't miss the detail of catching her by herself entering a more private quarter alone, a perfect opportunity to make his move- Too bad there were guards everywhere and by the way it was noted- that room she entered was private and not for other guests. So instead, he made his round of the palace, taking it in with as much detail as he could before the darkness shrouded his form- and the kind of thieves had all but disappeared into the night outside on the veranda...


Though one shadow exchanged for another, and he found himself easily climbing into the room where she was. Patiently, he waited, however, contemplating how to approach. How long had it been? After all, the last time he had spoken to her were in letters. Things were too dangerous and after that- No letters at all.

He knew his bounty had gone up considerably, and the rumors.. well...
Smiling, he simply watched Kathryn from where he was hiding behind the curtains against the window, and simply let his breath carry unto her with the winds.

"Hello, Kathryn."

Kathryn froze.  Everything seemed to freeze.  For a moment, she didn't breathe, her heart didn't beat, and her eyes didn't blink.  It was only the soft clatter of her ice cubes shifting in her glass that brought her back.

There was only one person who appeared in locked rooms, only one person who said her name like that.  And only two months ago, if he had appeared out of nowhere like this, she would have called the guard.

But now?  Now, with her heart filled with love for her husband and hope, his voice stirred up a heaviness and fear...

"Dekka..."

Her voice... it sounded, much different than usual. Either her husband was near or.. something else.
He found his lips twitching and he grew silent a time, but didn't reveal himself so quickly.
"There's a party going on, but your locked away in an empty room? It seems a crime, what, being such a powerful hostess and all..."

Kathryn turned and placed her water glass back down onto the counter, a little harder than she intended.

"And you're still playing games."  Her eyes moved slowly over the room, studying its contours and searching for an outline of a man who didn't belong...

"If you want to talk to me, you'd better show yourself, or I'll go, and you can speak your mind to an empty room."

Ah. That was easier said then done as he let himself smile a bit more before it faded.

"Games? Perhaps, but I like to think of it as precautions." And he paused to add. "It's been a while." And he contemplated if she meant what she said about leaving...

Kathryn rolled her eyes and scooped up her glass again.

"Fine."  No, she really did not have the patience for his games.  She had once found them charming, but now...  "Then you can wait a while longer."

She moved purposefully towards the door, with every intention of leaving him there.

Well.. shit. That wasn't going well. With a scowl, he stepped out from behind the curtains.
"You're mad I stopped writing." It wasn't a question, but more or less calling her out on the obvious. He just hoped his words, and his sudden appearance, might be enough to draw her away from the door.
"And that I stopped showing up."

It did work indeed.

She stopped and turned to face him, looking him over, weighing her response.  Finally, she decided that honesty was the best policy, in this case.

"Are you really so surprised?"

If it were that and that alone, it wouldn't have been so bad.  But Dekka had stopped...just when the rest of her life came apart, and, unfairly, she blamed him for that.

He stared at her, wearing his usual grin, but it was forced.
"No."
He looked her over, admiring her costume.
"A doe?" he raised his brows at her curiously.

"To complement my husband's choice of attire," she answered, spreading her arms out to either side with a thin smile.  It was the only choice she might have made, considering the implications, unspoken or otherwise, a different choice might have had.

She sipped her drink delicately, giving him time to speak, if he so chose to take it.  But if he was thinking about it, then he was thinking too slow.

"So, you're back."

She was just short of asking him what he wanted.

He let his eyes glaze over her form before his eyes flickered back to hers.
"That I am." And he tilted his head, moving around her and studying her costume like a wild animal that would stalk it's prey. His green eyes never left her form, but as he neared her front, his eyes flickered towards hers. "Aren't you curious where I've been?"
Naturally, he knew where she had.

She was surprised, suddenly, to learn that she wasn't...  It seemed, somehow, that she should, but...

"To be honest, Dekka, it's been a long time since I've thought of you at all.  I never expected you to come back, and there was no use hanging on to something I couldn't have..."

A lover.

A baby.

A decent husband.

Oh, yes, she'd been through the ringer!

"Yes.. times have become... difficult for a man to navigate the capital. Nearly.. impossible, so it would seem." He paused as his eyes moved across her form before he stepped in closer towards her so now that stood but a few inches away as a hand idly lifted a limp piece of fabric from her sleeve.

"How long has it been?" he said, feeling the coldness coming off of her, his hands ghosting along her side. "And although you've stopped thinking of me," he informed her, stepping even nearer to her as he whispered, "You're all I've ever thought about."

"Two years."

She stepped right past him to go back to the little cart filled with drinks, moving by him as though he didn't even matter.

And with her back to him, she started a new glass...and, this time, it was filled with brandy.  She had scarcely had time for more than a glass of wine; what harm would one glass of brandy do?  Besides, she needed it now...  She needed something to calm her nerves before her hands started shaking and betrayed her.

Scarcely was the drink made than she had downed it in one unladlylike gulp.  Color rose to her cheeks, and she turned back towards him, feeling more sure of herself with the alcohol in her system.

"I gave up on you, Dekka.  A long time ago.  I'm not going to repeat all of the mistakes I made just so you can satisfy yourself one last time."

Seeing her go to the alcohol, he found his smile faltering as it soured.
"One last time?" he said, stepping forward and placing a hand on her arm that held the drink. "Kathryn, do I fucking look like I'm here for one last time?"

"You're still a wanted man, aren't you?  A thief?  A mage?"  She looked up at him with a slight frown, neither pulling away nor giving him any indication he was welcome any nearer.  "And I'm still married to the Grand Duke.  What, exactly, are you imagining this is?"

Maybe he'd lost his damned mind...

Dekka gave her a dark grin as she reminded him what he was.
"So you've become his fucking slave, have you?" he looked her over with a sneer. "Another political puppet to keep at his side? Is that why you now are finding a fucking thief and fucking mage as a fucking criminal, despite our fucking relationship over the years? Kathryn, wake up, you've tempted a fucking spider and the web has been spun. I'm not some fucking night caller." And he paused to stifle back more hot breath as he chewed over his words. "I wouldn't have left if I had a fucking choice. ANd if I would have fucking known you were playing this up as some sort of fucking game, I would have dressed as something much worse." And the last part could have sounded like a threat.

Kathryn slapped him.  The sound of her open hand against his cheek seemed to ring out in the room.  Apparently, he had found a nerve and stomped on it.

"Don't you dare assume you know me or Calent!  It's been two years.  Two years!  And it has been absolute hell!"

Dekka turned at the slap, red hair falling over his mask as he bared his teeth like an animals. But his eyes never left hers.
"For who? You or me?" he spat back, keeping his stance before her. "This entire worlds a fucking mess. Look what your husband's fucking done to it. Brought onto it a fucking war. Have you even seen what it's been doing out there, Kathryn?" And then he paused, his lips twitching into a dark smile. "Or maybe you have."

"Maybe you really support that fucker now?" he gave her a sneer. "Then maybe that's why you think it's Hell. Where do you think you're living in, Kathryn? Huh? This ain't no fuckin' Serendipity! This place is scarred over and you're telling me you want to stand by the man's side who's fucking responsible for it?" ANd he glare da ther. "I've got a fucking high bounty on my head. And it's because of you- the rumors, Kathryn, they're fucking real, or I wouldn't be waltzing around wroth a fucking one hundred thousand pounds of gold for it!" ANd he dared to step closer as he took a hold of her. "FOR YOU!"

Oh my God, were those tears?  Was he making her cry?

She blinked rapidly, trying to hold in those tears even as she turned around so he couldn't see her cry.  A thousand things ran through her mind...  But each response seemed more lame than the last.  Her eyes fell back to the brandy, and she swallowed, then put her glass down deliberately and folded her arms over her stomach.

"I love my husband, Dekka.  You lost any right to be in my life when you left without even bothering to write."

Dekka's eyes moved frantically at her words, before he laughed pathetically at her by them.
"Love him?" he turned from her and laughed again. "Kathryn," he looked right back at her now,  shaking his head as he was laughing again. "It was only his fucking status and yours too, that he married you. You think any of you fucking nobles know what it means to fucking love?" an dhe stared at her with wild, wide eyes. "Because if you think playing games is love, or being used is fucking loved... well you're fucking wrong." And he glared at her now with a new sort of anger. "What do you think we had Kathryn? Why do you think I fuckin' risked my neck each time to get to you? Why do you think I'd waste my fucking time and energy seeking you out every fucking time i couldn't but did?" And he was right in front of her face now, grabbing her by the shoulders. "Sometimes I can't keep making fucking miracles, for you, Kathryn! Two fucking years of hell I had to stay back, watching from all the way across the other fucking side of Connlaoth- wondering if you even fucking understand what I've done just to see you. Just to fucking be with you!"
And he paused, still holding her.
"Damn it, Kathryn! I love you!" And before she could stop him, his lips crashed hungrily to hers.

He may have been in her face, but Kathryn was refusing to look at him.  This wasn't fair.

Angsar damn them all, it wasn't fair.

But he gave her no time to reply; all of a sudden his lips were against hers, and her heart was in her throat...

Gently, her hands lifted to his chest, and she pulled away from him.  The tears that were shining in her eyes had escaped and were winding down her face.  "Don't, Dekka.  Please, don't."

Grabbing her by the wrists, he shook her.
"Then answer me, damn it. Tell me how you really feel about me Kathryn! About why you wrote me those fucking letters. Why you let me into your fucking bed all those nights.. ANSWER ME!" and he shook her again.

"Dekka!" she gasped out, trying to pull away from him.  "You're hurting me!"

Not...badly...  It was more of the helplessness she felt than actual pain...

"Then answer me, God damn it! Answer me and I'll let you go! Tell me you don't feel a fucking thing for me. That all those times we fucked, all those times we made love, didn't mean a fucking thing to you, Kathryn. TELL ME THAT! TELL ME THAT AND I'LL FUCKING LEAVE FOREVER!" he roared, never letting her go.

Kathryn did the next best thing; she swung forward and drove her knee into his groin!

"Let me go, Dekka!"

What was he thinking?  He could just bully her, and she'd be his forever?

And down he went, grunting to one knee. But one arm still held fast at her as he growled.
"Fine, I see you've made your answer clear," he growled, throwing her hand from his. "You want to play around with the fucking king of thieves like a toy? I'll show you what happens when you make him your fucking toy. But just remember Kathryn, you made this all fuckin' happened. ANd this is the part of the fucking story where his heart is crushed fucking again. Thi sis the last time I trust noble woman with my god damn fucking heart!" ANd he tore off the ring he wore around his neck on a necklace and threw it at her face. Then off he stormed, slamming a fist int a nearby wall, he would have let it go to flames if he could- before he stormed off towards the window and disappeared into the night.

Kathryn staggered back as soon as he let her go, falling back against the drink cart and taking a deep breath.

...And, suddenly, a ring was being thrown at her, and Dekka was storming away, and...

"I did love you!" she exclaimed, as much to get him to stay for just a minute longer as anything else.  And it was the truth, after all.  More softly, she repeated, "I did love you."

Dekka had just ripped the curtains aside when he whirled around.
"Then you can keep the fucking ring with your fucking heart. This ain't about the fucking past, Kathryn." And he slipped back out the window onto the ledge- just in time for a knock to come at the door.

"Grand Duchess Kathryn?" It was a guard. "Are you ok in there?"

"I'm fine!" Kathryn all-but snapped at the poor guard as she strode forward to grab a hold of the escaping fox.  "Goddamn it, Dekka, stop for five seconds!"  Reaching down, she tugged purposefully on the fox's tail.  "Or I'll pull off your tail."

Really, she should have just let him go...

But somebody needed to pay for this whole mess, and it was going to be him!

Turning around, he glared at her and yanked his damn tale off himself.
"I came here after years of waiting for it to be safe to get this sort of fuckin' hello, Kathryn. And you expect me to fuckin' listen to you now?" He looked her over angrily. "Why don't you go back to your husband and let him take you down with him, and this whole fucking world."

Kathryn stared at him.  "Stop being such an ass, Dekka!  I'm trying to talk to you, but you're being..."  She made a helpless gesture, throwing her hands down at her sides.

"...You."

Had she really changed that much?  Didn't she used to love that impulsiveness and passion?

Almost without thinking about it, she reached for more booze.  This was going to be a long freaking night...

"You've got five fuckin' seconds to explain yourself Kathryn, then I'm fucking out of Reajh for good."

Five seconds?

She spent the first two seconds staring at him, wondering how on earth she  would do that...

And all she could come up with was one, simple fact...which may, or may not, have anything to do with Dekka and their relationship.

"My son died."

She sank down onto the couch, eyes falling down to her liquor.  Part of her hoped he'd be gone when she looked up.

"And you weren't here."

ANd the last thirty seconds of the five, he spent staring in disbelief.
The shock hit him like a blast of ice. And then he felt himself shaking as he tried to steel it off, gritting his teeth as he thought it over.

"Fuck."

He had heard some rumors she might be with child, but news got to him slower than most and ...
A child?
How the FUCK did that slip out of his radar. God fucking damn it!
He wanted to punch things. Throw things and shout uot in vain. Trying to digest this all, he took a moment to swallow the knot forming inside his throat.

"Do.. you know who the father was?" he asked, almost growling the question as he looked away from her.

Kathryn shook her head slightly.  "No."  There was just no way to know.  That was sort of the problem with taking a lover so soon after her wedding...

She was unwilling to repeat the first statement, and, so, instead, she said, "I had to find other ways to cope."  Like drinking.  And shutting herself off from the world...  "And Calent and I have only just started to talk again."

For a while, Dekka said nothing again for a while before swearing.

"Fuck."

A child? ANd for all he knew, it was his. ANd she was alone here with that ass. It made his blood broil.
"Kathryn, listen to me. It doesn't have to be that way. You can make a fucking choice."

Well, she'd gotten his attention, hadn't she?  There was a perverse sense of accomplishment in that...

She emptied out her glass again, then set it aside deliberately.

"I have made a choice, Dekka.  He's my husband."  She sighed softly.  "And right now, it's fun to pretend...even if it's all just going to come crashing down on me later."

"What do you mean.. made a choice?" Dekka growled softly.

Why, oh, why did he have to show up tonight??

She slumped back in her seat to frown at him.

"I love him."  It felt ridiculously hard to say.  Three simple words...  "As much as I ever loved you."  She never could choose between them, and that was part of the problem!  "I can't ask you to stay here and put yourself in danger for me.  And you can't just show up here and ask me to run away with you after being gone for two years."

And, well, she was married...

"But we already knew it would have to be this way," he growled. "And if you think I'm fucking going to take this, after you drag me back here when I tried to fucking leave you ten minutes ago- tell me you might have had my child that died, then try to fucking slap THIS in my face? Yeah.. well.. Fuck you, Kathryn! Fuck you and all of your pretty parties and rich men you sleep with because it's your duty. You didn't marry him for love, remember that. You told me that enough times when we were fucking in his very room!"

He was so pissed off that he moved to turn away from her. This was bullshit.
"And don't tell me what I can and can't do, 'princess'," he growled as he stood before the window, threatening to leave again. "Because unlike you, I can do whatever the fucking hell I want. And I can at least make some god damn fucking choices on my own, instead of fucking leading a man on just to fuck him in the end. Well, I know how this story ends, Kathryn. And only one of us will be screwed, and it sure as shit ain't going to be me. You know that man is an ass, a pompous fool, yet you bought into him. I see you going for that drink, that was never like you. But here you are, drunk like the rest of your flock,a nd living the same ignorant life style as they. Fucking pathetic. ANd i don't buy that garbage about you loving me. Love don'd come that easily, Kathryn. But maybe you've forgotten that because life is always a purchase for you, never a seed sowed in your own field. Fuck you. All of you" Then instead of heading for the window, he headed straight for the door!

Kathryn opened her mouth, then shut it again.  She hadn't wanted him to leave mad...  She had wanted him to see that she had loved him, once...

And, it was true -- she was desperate to have Calent love her.  She was desperate to have anyone love her.  Maybe, if he had come along first, she would have gone with him...but, instead...

And, then, suddenly, she looked up and realized...  "Where are you going?"

"I'm leaving this party. But not without making my fucking exit mark," he growled, and moved to open the door.

"Dekka..."

What was he?  5?

She didn't rise from the couch, however; instead, she simply sighed in defeat and slumped back against the cushions.

This was like her worst nightmare.  All of it.

He didn't even hear her speak as he yanked the door open and stormed out. The guards, startled, got a good look at his smirk before the fox took off into the crowd, leaving the pair of guards yammering and looking back inside the room.

"Grand Duchess Kathryn... Are you alright?"

Angsar above, had he always been such an impetuous, reckless ass, or had he changed in their years apart as well?  This was not how it should have ended...but, honestly, could it have ended any other way?  Especially with him...acting like that, like they had only just seen each other two days ago instead of two years?

The voice of the guard drew her back to the sitting room, and she rose at once.  Calent.  She had to find him and warn him...

Dekka was a dangerous criminal, after all, and a mage...

"You, keep an eye on that fox -- and be subtle, for Angsar's sake.  And you, go tell my husband I need to speak to him immediately.  Then get more eyes on that man.  Mordecai, too."  Especially Mordecai.  "Just watch him for now, unless he does something.  Calent will give you further orders."

God, was this really happening?

It was time to put herself back together...and to begin damage control.

He wanted to make a scene. He wanted to scream, and he very well could have. But for fuck's sake...
This night was not going as planned. He was hoping to get back with Kathryn- that things go back to normally, despite all they've been through but...
Now what?

FUCK.
It wasn't meant to be this way- but it seemed nothing was ever meant to be.

"God damn noblewoman," he swore beneath his breath as he made his way towards a more private section of the party. He hadn't really noticed (nor care) if anyone was following him and took up to drinking in the gaming room of the party, letting his mind reel over the events while knocking back a good couple of drinks, one right after the other. He would need it for what he was about to do....

After the scene he had been involved in in the ballroom, which, at the time, he had accepted with as much grace and humor as he could manage (after all, sometimes, these things happened), he had retreated as far from the crowd as possible.  His jaw smarted -- but he was trying to optimistically tell himself it would make a good story -- and he was in the act of knocking back a few drinks himself when he noticed a fox who had, apparently, a very similar idea.

"You look like you're trying to forget someone," he observed, holding up a hand to the bartender to leave the bottle.  He poured the man another drink, then himself one as he settled down beside him.  "I assume the ball isn't going as you hoped?"

Dekka stared distantly at the drink, but didn't answer at first. Too many thoughts were boiling inside him as he frowned and knocked back what was just poured.
"Nope. It sure fucking has not."

Well, well, it seemed Trevian had discovered something interesting after all!

"I do hope you aren't planning on causing a scene," he murmured, taking the anger in the stranger's tone to be intent to do just that.  "It leaves a stain upon a man's reputation to interrupt such a lovely ball, after all.  Unless, of course, you aren't a man to worry about such things."

Like Leif Arrant.  Really!  Just who stormed onto the dance floor and attacked a man like that?

Dekka scowled at the words.
Sadly, he was a man that lived for his reputation.
"It's a fucking bore anyways. Something dramatic might liven it up," he grumbled, taking to his drink again for another knock back. Clearly, he wasn't getting drunk enough fast enough, though the buzz and heat was already there.

"Or get you arrested," Trev pointed out, watching him down yet another drink.  "And if you don't slow down, the only scene you're going to make is one in which you throw up all over the guards as they throw you out.  If you're lucky, you won't pass out in your own mess."

He really was upset about something...

"Maybe I can help.  Rather than cause a scene, perhaps you'd like to go another route...  It's much more satisfying, I've found, to let someone know you know one of their secrets...and to just let them dangle there while you decide just what you want to do with it.  Now, who has upset you this evening?  Perhaps I know something that could be of use..."

Dekka thought about the man's suggestion with a laugh. And then he laughed some more and more before raising his drink to Trev.
"Let's just assume it was the fucking Grand Duchess?" and he tipped the glass his way and allowed himself more to drink, though he was a bit cautious- so he didn't drink the whole thing in one go. This time.. he drank about half.

"The Grand Duchess?"  Well, that was a tall order, wasn't it?  Trev downed the rest of his own glass -- just in case they were both about to be arrested and thrown in prison for the rest of their lives.  He would never be able to forgive himself if that occurred before he could finish his drink!

"I can tell you the rumors," Trev allowed cautiously.  There was a knowing sparkle in his eye, but there was also a seriousness in his face.  "Or you can pay for the facts."

He would start with the rumors.  After all, those could be found throughout Connlaoth, and for free!

"According to the juiciest rumor, the Grand Duchess once had a lover, and he fathered a child on her.  But her husband found out, and he killed the man.  And when the child died, the Duchess's heart died with it.  They say she can't even look at her husband anymore."

Ah, that was his favorite.  A little love, a little betrayal...

Dekka listened to the words, but after a moment, he sneered.
"How would anyone even know what the Grand Duchess is feeling? It's all just rumors," he muttered.

"You really have been gone from Court for a while, haven't you?" Trev asked, honestly surprised.  He gave him a once over, deciding, firmly, that this was no pup who had never come to Court before.  New nobility, perhaps?

"I remember hearing, when they were first married, mixed things about their marriage.  Some felt sorry for the girl, and others thought she might be good for the Duke.  She was young -- vibrant, eager, and sweet.  I'm sure you've noticed the description is no longer a fitting one?"

He tapped the side of his nose.  "The question is, what turned her into a vivacious young girl into a cold and ruthless woman?"

"Probably because she's a fool and turning into the 'husband' she loves," he growls. But he only humored the man with that response because well.. he was genuinely curious, even if all he showed was disdain.

"Thus, the rumors," Trevian answered smugly, adding, "Although, it's a fairly well-known fact she and her husband have not gotten along in sometime.  Few know the extent, however.  I just happen to know someone who works there and was willing to part with the information."

Trevian, of course, did.  He had a friend -- well, an occasional lover -- whose wife worked in the palace as a maid.  She shared with her husband, and he shared with Trev...  It was a nice little arrangement!

"Well, maybe she married him because she deserves it," he grumbled, still trying to digest all of this as his head was swimming with alcohol. But it was too late, he already felt like shit.

Trevian laughed out loud and poured himself a new drink.  "I think you may have drank those too quickly.  Maybe you should go lie down somewhere quiet and sleep it off.  I'm sure things will look better in the morning."

He certainly wasn't going to share for free -- especially not when the man he was talking to might rat him out as the culprit!

Dekka waved the idea off and sulkingly looked at his drink. ANd he stared at what remained of it, still frowning.
"Why do people assume the Grand Duchess had a lover? Did she not present herself so well in public?"
As far as he was concerned- she had been perfect, and he knew that was a skill she had acquired. But... had she really taken a nose dive in the last few years?
He thought back to what the man said: The duchess lost a child, was arguing with her husband, there's a war going on (no doubt she'd played a role..) and then him.. having disappeared without so much as a letter...

But surely she had to realize how dangerous things were.... right?
Then again..
That never stopped him before.


Rubbing at his eyes, he rose from his chair. "Maybe I should take your advice. This stuff taste like shit anyway."

"Because people like to gossip," Trevian answered, watching the man rise.  "And they like to be hurtful.  Some of the most faithful women in Connlaoth are assumed to be having affairs -- and the most faithless women are rarely spoken of at all.  People are drawn to the intrigue."

No, the Grand Duchess had, in fact, been very careful...right up to the end.

He sipped his drink, looking absolutely smug.

"But the evidence is always there, if you know where to look."  And who to talk to.  "Even a thief could find it."

Dekka was about ready to leave, but paused a moment, catching the last phrase . Turning to Trevia, he looked him squarely in the eyes.
"What did you say?"

Trevian chuckled quietly.  "I thought so.  I'm very good at what I do."

He half-turned in his seat to regard the man in front of him.  Dekka had, after all, done what pretty much everyone else always did around Trevian: regurgitated a ridiculous amount of personal information.

"If you still want to hear more, the offer is still on the table, Mr. Blade."  He gestured to the seat beside him.  "My price is very reasonable.  You are, after all, one of the involved parties.  Information...or, if you like, a kiss."  He smirked broadly.  Reasonable prices, indeed!

Dekka, not amused by Trevian's words, or the look on his face, took a few long strides to put himself right in front of the man. They were only a few inches apart, Dekka looking menacingly into his eyes as he looked the other man over, his eyes steeled and full of anger.

"This isn't a fucking game. And if it were, I'd be making the fucking rules," Dekka growled between his teeth. "Now, we can either start... discussing things like civilized gentlemen, or I'm going to start bashing in your pretty fucking face."

Trevian's grin only widened.  He looked, for all the world, like he was watching a little puppy romp through a field with his over-sized paws and big, floppy ears...

"You have an interesting concept of civilization," Trevian answered, clearly unwilling to back down.  "You've given enough away to me -- a total stranger -- to reveal not only your identity, but also your purpose here.  Are you really going to give up your freedom, too, for a show of bravado that she isn't even here to see?"

Trevian poured out two glasses and slid his back in front of the empty seat.

"Sit.  If I honestly meant to do either of you harm, do you think I would ask for a kiss as payment?  Kisses are gestures of good-will, are they not?"

"I don't think you fucking know me that well," Dekka sneered, jerking out his chair before he dropped back into it with a glare cast Trevian's way. "But I'm not here to fucking play around. What's your game?"

"If you'll excuse me saying so, you aren't a difficult man to figure out."  Ergo, why it was so simple to identify the fox!  "Arrogant, but not without reason, charming -- though no one said you had such a mouth on you.  Narcissist, but clever enough not to get caught.  You have more tricks up your sleeve than I do -- and, believe me, that is impressive.  Self-titled King of the Thieves.  Fire mage."  He grinned.  "You are the most wanted man in Reajh, after all."  It didn't take someone of Trevian's caliber to put all of that information together.  "And from what I hear, you love games."

Trev took a drink from his glass, savoring the taste a moment before going on.  Well, they all loved games, didn't they?

"As for what I want...  There's been enough ugliness at this ball.  I would hate to see it spoiled further."

Dekka only laughed, almost a spitting of noise before he took the other man in to properly regard what he was saying.
"Game in this society are a deadly dance. Approaching me puts your own self at risk." And here, he titles his head curiously. "So what don't we get to those facts you keep skirting around. I might be a man of some reserve, but I'm fucking pissed and drunk- and I wouldn't mind going down with your nose inside your face. So tell me something clever I don't know, or I'll leave you here without a bone."

"But you still haven't paid me," Trevian answered, unintimidated.  Really, he had principles -- and he refused to give up those principles just because someone was threatening him!

It was the Treyburn blood, likely.  Still, he could give the man a little taste...

"How about how I recognized you?  A noble with whom I am unfamiliar -- rare, but possible.  Too old to be an uninitiated son, too young to be an officer of sufficient rank to attend.  You were not drunk when you came into this room, but you have been drinking since you arrived -- and I assumed something had happened to anger you while you were here, which you confirmed.  It is interesting you responded to my lure by naming the Grand Duchess over the Grand Duke...  Unlike the Duke, she does not shape policy, and so, I thought, it must be something personal.  The fact you kept referring to the Grand Duke as her husband -- and with such venom! -- confirmed as much...and something more.  You look on her as a woman -- and her husband an obstacle.  You've no idea how society, polite or otherwise, views the Grand Duchess, which meant you were either a foreigner or someone who travels in...very different circles.  And you yourself gave me the last piece: for a man so unfamiliar with the Grand Duchess and the rumors pertaining to her person, you seemed to take for granted the fact she had once had a lover.  In fact, you were more concerned about her feelings and her appearance.  It suggest you knew about the affair -- but as a participant, rather than a blackmailer.

"So, here we have a man who came to the ball who does not belong.  He appears to care deeply for the Grand Duchess, but he is inexplicably angry with her and the fact she has a husband.  And he is not surprised to learn she is rumored to have had an affair.  I assume you tried to speak to her, and she refused your advances?  Nevermind, that's not important.  What is important is that there is but one man who fits each and every one of those statements: Dekka Blade."

His eyes were shining in triumphant humor.

"If it's any consolation, I believe she truly must have loved you...or not even I, with all of my friends, would have ever learned of your trysts."

Dekka adjusted the way he now sat in the chair before the other gentleman- and the story was sobering. He seemed to know a lot- and despite Dekka thriving on gossip, it was almost as if he had heard this story for the first time. Then again, no one else was wise enough to piece together his identity from just a few slips of tongue...
So their affair HAD been as famous as he had liked.
Too bad the end result was not in his favor.

The swell in his chest was short lived as he released a breath and felt the knot in his gut tighten all the more.
"Yes, well it seems this fucking story comes to a fucking end on a fucking night like this." And he turned away, ready to down more alcohol  but paused to frown sourly.

Trevian sighed.  "I'm a sucker for a tragic romance," he murmured, although the comment seemed to be to himself.

"Alright, alright, I'll come clean, since you're so determined to sit there and mope like that.  But I don't know if you'll like what you hear."  He paused.  "And feel free not to take any offense."  Offense, in this case, could mean being punched again...or, possibly, stabbed.

"What I know is this.  She looked for you.  In fact, she hired people to find you.  It was very discrete, but it was there.  She must have feared you dead, because she eventually stopped searching after nearly a year.

"This all began right around the time their son took ill.  Doctors said he would never recover...and they were right, of course.  Poor little thing died four long months later, just six months shy of his second birthday."  A terrible thing for any mother...but the story got better.

"When the child began to worsen, the Grand Duke left to inspect the borders.  She wrote him dozens of letters asking him to return.  He finally did...nearly a month after he had died.  It's little wonder she was searching for you."

Dekka was quiet- perhaps too quiet as his fingers fidgeted over his half-drank glass. Turning away, he blinked a lot, a hand peeling down his face as he tried to take this all in.
"Foolish girl," he muttered, and pushed his drink aside so that it fell off the table, crashing onto the ground.
"Well, it was lovely to hear that gossip from you." And he moved to rise from his chair, but paused before turning. "By the way.." And here, he tossed a small momentum to Trev for his time- a ring plucked from one of the Treyburn's. "You can give your sister her ring back." And with a smirk, and a slight nod upwards of his head, he turned and made his leave, hands in his pockets, and his fox tail, now reattached, partially swishing against his behind.

"I knew you liked games," Trev noted triumphantly as he stuck the ring in his pocket.  "And you still owe me a kiss!" he added cheerfully as the man headed out.

That was a man who had fallen in a pit of quick sand...and he still didn't quite seem to know it.

-----

Exit to A Slice of Lemon Cake (http://www.spiritsoftheearth.net/smf/index.php?topic=15589.msg160589#msg160589)

Even as drunk as Dekka was when he left the game room, he realized something was off. The air was more tense as he attempted to return to the party- and well...
a dark smile crept across his lips as he realized...
the Grand Duchess sent her guards to keep watch.

Let 'em try to find me. ANd he moved with stealth and grace, zig-zagging his way into the crowd- just as the music began to play.



It was time to dance.

There had not been time to tell Calent what had happened -- well, the lie, anyway.  Instead, the dancing had been announced, and she had been hustled out onto the floor for an all-too-public dance with her husband.

And this was something which had to be shared in private.

And before long, those out on the dance floor were switching partners with a twirl of skirts and a pretty curtsy, and her chance to tell Calent anything at all was gone...

Although she was expecting him to appear at any moment -- to do any number of unspeakable things -- she was unaware of him creeping closer to her through the crowd.

Perhaps, had the poor Grand Duchess been paying any attention, she would have realized that as she was exchanged between twirling dance partners, the fox was creeping her way. ANd at the end of the line while she was passed off from one animal (a dog, no less) to a fox, the smile on his face said all that was needed as he pulled her suddenly close, before continuing to throw her out in rhythm with a twirl. ANd when she came back to him, he spoke simply her name.
"Kathryn. I think we need to talk."
And naturally, he was hoping for it to be alone.

Kathryn gasped softly as she was spun directly into the fox's arms -- but, by the time she had been spun back to him, she was determined not to give him the pleasure of seeing her upset.  Again.

And so she turned up her nose and continued the dance.

"I think we already tried that."

"Yes, but that's when you were breaking my heart," he said, tightening his grip on her hands. "A man can't be reasoned with when the one he loves just mortally wounded his heart."

"I can hardly excuse myself in the middle of a dance," she answered him coolly.  She stepped away from him to dance beneath the arms of the couple beside them, then twirled back around to meet Dekka again.  "Are you going to threaten me again?" she asked as they rejoined hands.  "Or blackmail me by threatening to tell Calent?"

As he recollected her and listened to her words, he seemed unphased as he pressed, "And why would I do that? Tell your husband, that is. That was never in the plan."

"Then what is it you mean to do?"  He certainly had seemed bent on doing something when he left earlier.  In all of their time together -- from the moment he had held a knife on her (and she on him), she had never been afraid of him or his power as a mage....because of who he was and what he meant to her.  But, now, although her gaze was as defiant as it ever was, there was a hint of fear lurking behind her eyes...

...Because, only thirty minutes ago, he had proved that she really didn't know him anymore -- not at all.

"Bow out gracefully, however it is I can. Though you, yourself, are aware of my... nature." And he took a moment to read her over, though it was apparent both of their playfulness was gone.
"Goodbyes were always my strong suit. But so were my hellos. But I was never a man who was ever any good at an apology." And as the song ended, he kissed her hand. "This is just a night of goodbyes, Kathryn. Remember, we're all at war."
Whether he meant it in any other way but the obvious was still unclear as he rose his head to look at her.
"Your husband approaches." And it seems their conversation was, for the moment, at a close.

"Kathryn.." The Grand Duke approached her side. "We are wanted on an urgent matter. Something has become of Vesrik."
And before Calent had even approached, Dekka had disappeared into the crowd.

Kathryn's gaze softened immediately, as though he had held a flame up to butter.   She felt bad, suddenly, for having been cruel to him only a moment ago, but...well...he had been an ass earlier...

"Dekka..."

Why was it, just like that, he had awakened her heart?  Why was it all the men in her life were able to play her heart so well -- when she barely knew it herself?

She was still looking wistfully after him when Calent appeared, and she nodded slightly, even though she had barely heard the words.  "Of course."  Putting her arm through her husband's, she added, "Lead on."

It was here Calent lead her aside, and spoke softly only when they were all but alone.

"Vesirk has... taken ill. It was most certainly poison." The Grand Duke informed her with a pensive look. "Though I can not gauge what sort or amount, he is resting up elsewhere for the duration of this event so as not to cause a scene. My men are investigating, I have Zannrick on the case- lead by a few guardsman we could spare. Though whatever information we could have gotten from Vesrik as to the culprit... it seems he was too despaired to be able to speak. We will just have to be cautious. I only tell you this so as to warn you- watch your treats and drinks, Kathryn." And the last part was spoken as he stepped nearer and more intimately to his wife, in a voice just barely above a whisper.

He took a moment just then, to admire her as fingers sifted through her hair.
"How are you fairing this evening? Is everything to your liking?"

In spite of not liking the adviser, the news that he may have been poisoned made her unconsciously press a hand over her mouth in alarm.  Instantly, she thought of Dekka...but poison did not seem like something he would use, and he certainly had no reason to target the creep...

...And, besides, in the last two minutes, he had come to her to apologize...

She had already decided, she realized, not to tell her husband about Dekka after all, and, she thought, she would have to find a way to call off the guards she had watching him...

For her husband, though, she made herself smile and nod.  "Yes.  It's beautiful.  That fox I was just dancing with gave me a bit of a fright earlier, but he's just apologized so everything is right as rain once again."  Except for Vesrik being poisoned...  That was quite troubling indeed.

 Calent's brow furrowed at the mention of.her doubts and although she had mentioned they were relieved, he still inquired, "Do you think that fox is the culprit?" And already his eyes were seeking him out in the crowd.

Dekka?  Poison someone?  The thought was absurd!

"No," she said softly, reaching up to caress her husband's jaw to guide his attention back down to her.  "A certain young lady has been keeping that particular fox busy this evening.  I caught them in a rather...embarrassing position earlier, you see."

Nevermind that it was all a complete fabrication...  She held her out to him, then smiled up at him warmly.  "You've outdone yourself, Calent.  This is a beautiful ball, and people are having a splendid time."

Calent turned to his wife- and part of him wondered if the woman in question was her sister, but he didn't press and let the fox go.. for now. If his wife did not seemed troubled, he supposed he shouldn't be as well and he gave her a nod and small smile at her words.

"And it would not have been beautiful were it not for you," he told her, eyes shining as he took her in, even through her mask. "I'm just sorry I've been so stubborn lately. Perhaps this is just a taste of more good things to come."

Kathryn's smile became much more genuine in response to his flirtations.  If they hadn't been in public just then...

Nevertheless, she squeezed his hand gently and shot him a grin.

"You're quite the charmer tonight...  Too bad there are all these people around, or I'd show you just how much I appreciate it..."  She smirked at him slyly.  Too bad indeed!

Calent flushed at her words, for he was not used to such attentions from his wife. And after a moment of.being tense, he took a step near.to.his wife.... And when no one was looking, he snuck a kiss to her cheek.
"Perhaps you can show me later..."

Kathryn's smile stretched even wider in response to his kiss.  To anyone else, it may have seemed like a small, inconsequential display of affection, but for Calent to have displayed any affection at all in public was exceedingly rare...

"I would be happy to, your grace," she murmured a bit playfully.  Poor Vesrik just couldn't compete with either Dekka or Calent, much less thoughts of both of them together!

His eyes lingered upon her for much longer than intended, so it was.with some regret when he took a step away.
"I am to see there is an updatesoon." For where she had forgotten the plight Vesrik had befallen, her husband could not.
"I will return soon for a dance," and here he took her hand and kissed it.

Kathryn's regret seemed quickly placated by his words.  She smiled at him and nodded ever-so-slightly.  "I'll look forward to it."  A light flush had touched her cheeks, clearly in delighted response to his attentions...which, for him, were very open and public indeed.  "Be careful."

"I have already alerted the guards. You will have careful eyes upon you, but be careful as well," he told her with a nod. "I shan't be long." And with that, the Grand Duke turned away and disappeared through the crowd.