Welcome to Our World [M]

[DragonSong]

@quaggan



Lord Aleksander Saroian leaned his head into his hands and sighed as he stared down at the reports scattered across his desk. He's getting bolder.

The vampire gritted his teeth and resisted the urge to sweep the papers off his desk, sitting back in his chair with a long, drawn-out sigh. He needed more information, someone who may have an insight, or would be able to get one-

The girl.

Well of course. It was obvious. Why hadn't he done this before?

Because she's only just arrived, she's scared, and you don't want to be a complete asshole, a small voice in the back of his head reminded him. Ah, right. Of course. That was why.

He'd need to be delicate about this then. Perhaps...

Getting to his feet, Zander crossed to the door to his office and opened it a crack, leaning out to speak to one of the guards. "Fetch Sharrow for me, would you? Tell him to come as soon as he can."

[quaggan]

 "Again."

The elderly armsmaster gave a sigh and aimed with the bow. The arrow whizzed past Sharrow's ear, plinking off the stone wall. "You weren't aiming at me" the young man complained. "How am I supposed to learn to deflect arrows if they're not even flying at me?"

"Son," the old human sighed deeply "if I aimed at you, you'd be shot now and I would have to explain to Lord Saroian why there's perfectly drinkable blood being wasted on the floor. Look at this whole situation this way: if you are suddenly needed, you'd have to work while injured - that can't be good for... efficiency."

That was an argument Sharrow couldn't counter. The armsmaster was right - while keeping his skills sharp and learning new things was important, it was a secondary concern. "You're right, sir" he admitted. What should he do with himself then? Perhaps he could find an encyclopaedia of Hyoitian tundran plants - he's never been there, but if there ever was a need for him to visit the place, being acquainted with the local flora could be useful.

He headed for the door, but before he reached for the handle, he heard footsteps. It was probably just one of the guards - there was clinking of armour accompanying her stride, and she walked with ease of one accustomed to the place and her duties. Still, it was no excuse to lower his guard. He stepped away from the door and rested his hand on the hilt of a nearby weapon.

The door opened and no assault came. "Is Sharrow here?" the guard called. "Master Saroian wants to see him."

"I don't know why would anyone want to see that ugly mug of his" the old armsmaster commented. "I'd far prefer to stare at something pretty."

"I'm here" Sharrow responded, coming into view. He recognized her and it didn't look like an illusion, so it should be safe to follow her. He could hear the armsmaster sighing behind him, but he didn't care. If paranoia was the price he had to pay for efficiency, so be it. No matter how unlikely it was that some infiltrator managed to sneak into the castle, it was better to keep a watchful eye on his surroundings.

He followed the guard all the way to the office. She stayed outside, taking place at the door near the other guard. Sharrow knocked on the door, waited for permission to come, then entered and dropped to one knee in a show of respect.

[DragonSong]

Hmmm.

Zander eyed his vassal carefully over his desk.

Perhaps this will be more difficult than I thought...

"Sharrow, please stand." He smiled at the human, folding his hands beneath his chin. "I appreciate your adherence to duty and deference, but you don't have to do that every time you see me. Particularly if we are alone."

Despite himself, Zander held a certain amount of affection for the pickpocket he'd plucked off the street- perhaps not all that surprising, considering he'd practically raised the boy.

Which made this request all the more awkward.

"How have you been, my lad?" he asked as he stood from his chair, meandering around the desk to pick absently through a bookshelf. Debating how best to approach this subject. "Old Derclin says you've been training. Vigorously." He arched an eyebrow. "The man is fifty-seven years old, can't you give him a break?" he joked lightly.

[quaggan]

 Of course. He quickly picked himself up from the floor, arresting the reflex to dust his trousers. The cleaning staff was doing a good job, there was no need to to doubt their work. "My apologies" he responded. "The guard didn't tell me if you were alone." The possibility of some secret guest coming into the castle was low, but he preferred to be prepared.

Was this a hint of some kind? Perhaps a warning - the last thing he wanted was to overdo it the way the old armsmaster described. Perhaps he should focus on studying something less dangerous, like politics or poisons. Granted, most of those were not efficient against vampires, but the least he should do was to learn about it.

"I will do so, then" he agreed.

[DragonSong]

"Always so serious," Zander chuckled as he turned to face the younger man. He frowned a bit and strode forward to look Sharrow over. "Really, how are you? I haven't seen much of you these last few days."

His schedule was rather full, and he seemed to always be dealing with one minor crisis or another. It left little time to check in on his personal relationships.

[quaggan]

 "I've been... keeping myself busy" he admitted. Had he said the wrong thing again? He worked so hard to keep himself useful, capable of repaying even the slightest bit of grace that was shown to him. Perhaps rather than train his body, or educate his mind, he should turn his attention to etiquette and the art of speech.

"I've mostly been training, and learning whatever I can from the library" he added. "It's quite expansive, I'm impressed." He doubted that he could read everything in his lifetime - but this wouldn't be a factor to an immortal vampire.

[DragonSong]

"Sharrow." Zander smiled kindly as a laid a hand on the younger man's shoulder. It wasn't entirely clear if the knowing glint to his eyes was from some vampiric ability, or simply a result of how long he'd known the once-pickpocket. "You know I value your work," he said softly, giving his shoulder a quick, affectionate squeeze before he released him. "You needn't be so formal with me, so on edge."

It was a conversation they'd had at least a thousand times. Most days he would have stressed the point more, but unfortunately there just wasn't the time today.

"I'm afraid I must ask a favor of you," the vampire lord sighed. "Have you met the girl who came to us some days ago? Gwendolyn- tiny thing, red hair, temper like a cornered terrier?"

[quaggan]

 'Met' would be an understatement. Sharrow was aware that she has arrived to the castle, and did his best to sound the staff out. He avoided encountering her directly - he wanted to have plausible deniability, just in case. And it was an interesting exercise, to see how much could he discover without even seeing her once.

"I know that she's here" he replied. "I didn't meet with her, however. I assume you had a reason to bring her here?"

[DragonSong]

"I did. Though I'd be lying if I said I brought her." The vampire pursed his lips. "She...came to us, as a matter of fact. She is the first vampire Lorian has turned in quite some time, and she was seeking protection."

He sighed quietly- he'd explained who Lorian was in rather vague terms to Sharrow, but he knew that his vassal would understand at least that he was an enemy of the Council.

"She is, unsurprisingly, rather wary. She doesn't trust us. I need you to...convince her to."

[quaggan]

 He nodded, putting the pieces together. So she was another vampire progeny of Lorian - just like Lord Saroian was. Perhaps they should rename the High Council to Victims of Lorian Support Group, but he kept it to himself - the other lords and ladies might not share this sense of humour.

"Do we know why he turned her?" he asked. His suspicion led him to conjure various scenarios - what if she was a servant of Lorian, one sent here to assassinate the High Councillor, or sabotage his plans? "What do we even know about her?" Perhaps it was his task to learn all this information.

[DragonSong]

"Very little," Zander huffed. "And she is, rather understandably I suppose, wary of her own kind. I thought perhaps a friendly human face might help her open up." He raised an eyebrow pointedly. "Would you be comfortable doing that?"

[quaggan]

 The true shape of Lord Saroian's plan began to take shape in Sharrow's mind. There was no better proof of the values this High Council stood for than his existence here. If he couldn't convince the girl, it was doubtful that anyone else could. It was a task he was proud to undertake.

"It will be my honour" he began. Or was it too formal? "I mean, yes!"

[DragonSong]

Aleksander sighed quietly, relieved he didn't have to do too much convincing, and nodded to the younger man. "Thank you," he said with a quick smile. "She's staying in one of the guest rooms in the east wing. Perhaps you could attempt to invite her out? I believe she had a particular knack with horses, in her mortal life. Perhaps show her the stables?"

[quaggan]

 He nodded, slowly formulating a plan in his head. "That's a good idea, thank you. I will begin at it. Oh" he realized, "Does she have any power to detect lies or dishonesty?" He knew little - too little - about vampires and their abilities, but that was the foundation he needed to begin his work. It would be very shameful for him to fail because of a lie easily perceived.

[DragonSong]

Zander frowned. "She is young, and other than an ability to hear an increase in your heart rate, no, she should have no such gift. Though I do hope you won't need to lie to her."

[quaggan]

 Was there something wrong with lying? He wouldn't be telling lies to Lord Saroian, of course, but other people seemed fair game - as long as he could keep his stories straight. But if that one was to be an ally, perhaps building a long-term relationship on a false foundation was... unwise. "I was hoping for the opposite, actually." At least this was true. "My words would have additional weight if she had a means to confirm that they are true with her own power."

[DragonSong]

The vampire sighed quietly and shrugged. "Well, if nothing else she'll have the same ability to smell fear and hear a pulse as any of our kind. Perhaps your demeanor will convince her, more than anything else."

[quaggan]

 Did he make a mistake again? Was there a different approach he was expected to take? If wielding the lies and wielding the truth were equally frowned upon, what was the path he should take to achieve this result?

But he was getting ahead of himself. His priority was the success of this assignment, the method he chose was not as important. He doubted he had the luxury of picking and choosing at this stage. "Then, with your leave, I will be going. Unless there's something else I should know?"

Better to go now than to fuck up again.

[DragonSong]

"No, that's alright. Thank you for your service, Sharrow," Zander said with a small smile, clapping his vassal on the shoulder again. He was obviously tired, but there was some genuine affection in his eyes.

"There's no specific time limit on this particular...ah, mission, but the sooner you can get her to open up the better, no?"

[quaggan]

 "I will do my best" he promised. No, his best was not enough, as clearly evidenced. "I will succeed, I promise."

Upon leaving the office, he headed to the stables first. He was aware of roughly where the guest was housed - if only for information's sake - but he decided to act upon the small hint Lord Saroian provided.

"Which of the horses is the one our guest came on?" he asked one of the grooms. While he spent quite a long time in the castle and was familiar with it, it didn't quite extend to knowing all the horses.

"This beautiful percheron over there" the groom explained. "She's been quite feisty for the last few days. I think she wants to get out and get some exercise, but I don't think she'd let one of us ride her."

That was just perfect: not only did it provide him with an excuse to speak to Lord Saroian's guest, but also a way to invite her out to a ride in a way she was unlikely to refuse. Satisfied with his preparations, he finally headed to the guest chamber she was given. He hoped that she was there - Lord Saroian did not have a habit of imprisoning his guests, after all. He brought his hand up and knocked.