Legend of Ransera

Posted: **Tue Jun 01, 2021 1:57 pm**

Arvalyn tilted his head, a bit taken aback by Areya's response to his return. His mischievous grin softened into something warmer and more earnest. One thing he'd learnt as a courtesan that he'd never considered as a thief was that one never knew where another person was in their life. Sometimes the burliest brawler would get behind the curtain and just want to be held. Sometimes the most fragile waif wanted to be made to feel like a bruiser. And sometimes the badass bouncer in the alleyway was a stranger to gratitude.

"Well, now you've had some stale wine to boot." Arvalyn offered with a cordial chuckle. He glanced again to her bracers, and considered this new nugget of information.

"Do they make allowances for assaulting people in the line of duty, or were you bluffing back in the alley when you terrified Hannik into kissing my foot?" He sounded more impressed than critical of the notion that she might have been more bark than bite back there. It had been effective, after all. Arvalyn certainly wouldn't want to cross her, bracers or not.

He grinned, nodding.

"Next time I'll get a pitcher." He said, craning his head to peer into what few droplets remained in his cup. He lifted his gaze back to Areya's and he laughed a bit.

"Oh all manner of things, really. Mostly sex, of course. I'm sure you can fill in the blanks there, but you know, courtesans are there for people who want to make some kind of connection. Sometimes that means a fuck, but it can also be a conversation. I've been a confidante for quite a few people who'd done wrongs or had wrongs done unto them. I've danced with people who were too shy to move to the music in the midst of a crowd. I regularly need to moisturise my shoulders for all the salty tears that regularly drench them, and um.. What is it that a Dead Legionnaire occupies their time with when they aren't filling in for flux-afflicted bouncers?"

Posted: **Fri Jun 04, 2021 7:58 pm**

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Smirking, "It doesn't count as assault if it's for work."

She knew that it both answered his question, but also didn't. She liked it that way. After he glanced into his near empty cup and back at her, she popped her eyebrows up and looked up and away, feigning innocence.

And listening to Arvalyn speak about the people who sought his services, it intrigued her. People would confide in them? What sorts of things might they say? She didn't want to press too much, but there was one thing she absolutely needed to ask. "Do you get rich people here? Nobles and such?" She was certainly not skilled at hiding her emotions or intentions, but she hoped Arvalyn thought she was asking in regards to money.

After all, he didn't know why she had ended up as a Dead Legionnaire.

"We... are effectively prisoners, serving the state as throwaway soldiers down in the Warrens. They use us so that they lose fewer of the more important Sky Guards. My free time is spent in my cell, staring at the wall or eating alone in the mess or training more so I don't die down there."

It was definitely a bit of an overshare, she felt, but.. she wanted him to know what she was into. He'd been so kind and forthright with her. "I get out in a year, but I'll probably end up dead first. Only a few people have ever survived to the ends of their sentences. I've only been recently offered jobs topside, probably because I've managed to survive for a year down there. Most people don't make it that long."

She had been fighting so hard for so long to survive, that it seemed a wall of emotions was being torn down in that very moment. She was allowing herself to feel again. And that was making her feel very vulnerable, and that led to fear. Her tear filled eyes were looking for an exit, and her shoulders were hunched, her elbows in her hands in front of her stomach. "I... I can't be here..."

Posted: **Tue Jun 08, 2021 5:11 pm**

"Is that right?" Arvalyn inquired with a chuckle, "I'm relatively new to this neck of Karnor, so I'm still learning the ropes." He said with a faint shrug.

"Oh of course we get a posh sort in here!" He exclaimed, "I wouldn't say we're the most upscale comfort 'ouse in the city, but we get our fair share of prigs and ponces." Areya might have noted that Arvalyn's manner of speech was beginning to soften as he got more relaxed in her presence. Whereas earlier he'd spoken in a very clipped, precise manner that might have implied he was of some pedigree of note himself, now his dialect of Common was starting to align better with his line of work.

Arvalyn's brow furrowed at Areya's description of her sentence.

"That's..." He pursed his lips, unsure of what to even say to that at first. "That sounds barbaric." He said, after a long pause. He'd always had the sense that Kalzasi was such a forward-thinking haven for people of all kinds. As a refugee, he was rather prone to idealising the city he'd aspired so long to inhabit, but he'd been here long enough now that he was starting to see the dirt peeking out from under the proverbial rug.

As Areya seemed overcome with emotion, Arvalyn shot out of his seat.

"If... if you need somewhere private, I keep a room upstairs. More of a storage closet than anything, but it's a place to lay my head and- Well, it could be a place to claim a spot of privacy on the premises, if you need." He gestured with a nod toward a set of stairs,

"Up those steps and it's the first door on the right. Make yourself at home, if you're keen."

Posted: **Wed Jun 09, 2021 6:43 pm**

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Areya had heard his tongue change as he spoke of the 'prigs and ponces,' whatever that meant. But it certainly seemed like an affirmation that this was one way to enter the world of nobles without becoming one. Areya wanted to run, but something about Arvalyn's presence kept her wanting to be in his proximity too. She continued to bury down her pain, way, deep, down, as best she could, but it still overflowed and overwhelmed her.

"Barbaric is a good day down there. I now have met more people who are dead than those still alive, even from my time before."

She nodded at his offer, "Thank you, you're sweet." She swallowed it down, taking a deep breath through her nose, "I'll be fine. I have a job to do, can't be seen constantly leaving the floor." She was also scared to go to his personal quarters. Not because of who or what he was, but because she feared that if she let herself lapse into any sort of comfort such as that, she might not be able to return down below. She'd either become a deserter, hunted and executed, or brought back kicking and screaming and pissing herself like that first time they brought her.

She stuck a hand in her pocket, seeking some comfort at closing herself off from this world. Then she felt the coins there, taken from that man earlier. And with the soft jingle of them, an idea came to mind. She pulled the coin purse from her pocket and set it on the table. "I would like to hire you for a job, if you're keen."

As her mind shifted to business, personal business, she was able to put more focus on that rather than the emotions this man had managed to awaken in her. "I would like to know the names of any noble person who comes here, and any information you know about them." There would certainly be more terms and such to discuss if he accepted her offer, but she wanted to put it out there. For the last year, she had had two things on her mind.

Surviving her time down below, and what comes next.

"What say you?"

Posted: **Thu Jun 10, 2021 12:00 pm**

Arvalyn frowned at the few details Areya shared about her time in the Warrens. It wasn't much information, but it was tragic even in spite of its brevity. Perhaps more so because of it. Arry knew what it was to hold his cards close to his chest. He knew that the more painful something was, the less he wanted to share it. Especially with someone he'd just met. With that in mind, he didn't press for more information, though he was certainly curious.

"Fair enough." He inclined his head, as she seemed to steady herself somewhat. She was right, though. They were liable to dock her pay if she vanished upstairs. They may have been short-staffed that evening, but that only meant management was more attentive to the substitutes in their midst, lest the temporary employees make off with the good silverware or take the courtesans for a tumble on company time.

His pointed ears perked at the suggestion of a job offer. Given what Areya knew of his work thus far, his initial thought was that she wanted to take him to bed. It would make sense, if her life was essentially that of a prisoner set to hard labour. He doubted there was much time or opportunity to find release down in the midst of the monsters and mayhem of the Warrens. But she spoke on and disabused him of his initial assumptions which, he found, was actually a bit disappointing.

"Ah..." He pursed his lips and considered, "I'm afraid I can't break confidences like that. It would be the end of me in this business. However..." He cocked an eyebrow and leaned closer, "I do know an information broker who might be able to get the information you seek and much more. I'd be glad to make the introduction... Perhaps even tonight."

Posted: **Thu Jun 10, 2021 6:32 pm**

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She listened to Arvalyn explain how he wouldn't give up information on his customers. At first, she was a bit miffed, she wasn't used to being denied often, but that's because she almost never made requests from anyone. Not... anymore, at least. She... didn't used to be like this. She wasn't like this when she was just a shopkeeper's assistant.

She forced herself to get past the annoyance, realizing his denial of her was just as much an opportunity. And not simply his offer to match her with someone who could give her information. "I appreciate that offer, but I don't think I'm comfortable with meeting anyone else. For now."

She mulled over her next words carefully. "Is there enough in that pouch to... become someone you keep the confidences of? And maybe some more wine?"

She didn't know how much it would cost to... rent a courtesan, but having someone that she could talk to, in secret, could be nice. If he'd allow it. She was not good at this sort of thing. But she wanted to be. "I'm sorry, I really don't know how this all works. I don't even know if I'm allowed to do this." She could feel her anxiety rising, "I..." She looked away from Arvalyn, casting her eyes back on a pair of customers getting handsy with a courtesan on the couch. "Haven't really talked to anyone in a long time."

Areya watched the courtesan across the way pushing hands off of her, one set belonging to a man, the other a woman. Areya's eyes narrowed, focusing on her job for the moment. The hands continued and she saw the courtesan still fighting them off. "Excuse me."

Areya strode over, and half across the floor, she whistled. The same one the Legionnaires used to rally with each other when in battle. Soon there were three of them surrounding the couch. Areya was standing there, glaring down at the couple, and then offered a hand to the courtesan, who took it gratefully. Areya pulled her up gently, leaning forward to whisper in her ear, "Go relax, we'll handle this."

The courtesan smiled and quickly shuffled off. Areya, flanked by two other Legionnaires, larger in body and musculature but neither wearing the scowl that Areya had put on. Hiding a snarl through her teeth, "The Velvet Cabaret appreciates your patronage, but now it is time for you both to leave."

The man looked surprised and the woman looked angry. She started to stand, "Stay seated," and the Legionnaire on her left gave a gentle shove, putting the woman back on the couch. "The workers here are to be treated properly. If you don't respect them, you do not get to stay. Now, you get two choices here. You can leave a very generous tip on this couch for Sitalia for having to deal with the two of you, and then you can walk on out the front door with us. Or," and at this Areya smiled, "We can walk you out the side door into the alley."

The couple looked at each other, the woman still furious and the man now looking pale. He began to stammer, "We... we'll take the front..." Areya smirked, stepping back to give them space to stand. The man stood up, fumbling with a coin pouch, dropping several golds into his seat. He then offered a hand to his partner, who scoffed, swatting it away, and standing up. Areya stepped to the side, and watched as her fellow Legionnaires escorted them out. Areya scooped up the coins, taking them over to Sitalia, who gave her a pleasant smile and thanks.

And then Areya was back at her station, next to where she'd left Arvalyn.

Posted: **Thu Jun 10, 2021 7:10 pm**

"Understood..." Arvalyn replied with an apologetic wrinkle of his nose, "I'm sorry I can't help in the way you ask." He'd been tested before with questions like that, but keeping secrets was important to one with as many as he. If he expected other people to hold his confidence with discretion, he would afford that same courtesy to others in regard to their vulnerabilities. He didn't dislike his clients- Not most of them, anyway, and was downright chummy with a few.

"I'd keep yours pro bono." He said with an sly smile and a downward tip of the chin, "It seems like you'd have fascinating secrets and of course I'd keep yours in the same vault as all the others. Did you want to avail yourself of any of my other services, or...?" He trailed off as he noticed Areya's eyes were fixed elsewhere now, and he followed their line to the courtesan in prelude to conflict.

He nodded as she excused herself and stepped away, watching for a moment, and then electing to take this for an intermission. He popped up from his seat and sauntered over to the bar, where he ordered a pitcher of wine this time. He did keep and eye on the altercation, as he waited for the drink to be delivered, and returned to his former corner with a full vessel of red wine and one cup in time to hear a bit of Areya's cautionary speech. She delivered it loudly enough for other patrons to hear, and he wondered whether that was intentionally done to serve as a deterrent. If so, it seemed the mission was accomplished, as several shady-looking figures slipped away from that part of the bar as she brushed by them and took up her prior position at the wall nearest him.

"I got more wine." He announced, as he tipped the pitcher to fill the cup and took a three thorough gulps, before immediately refilling it and placing it down on the table.

"We really ought to keep you around." He noted with an arched eyebrow.

Posted: **Sun Jun 13, 2021 6:45 pm**

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Areya had certainly heard Arva's offer of his other services to her, and was thinking about it as she'd returned to her post. She had never really pursued anyone romantically before, nor had been pursued. Is that why people met with courtesans? Because they were perpetually alone? She didn't really understand the physical connection that came with intimacy, for she'd never experienced any of it. And was she even allowed, as a Dead Legionnaire, to hire a courtesan?

Still, she appreciated the offer, even if it created confusion and conflict within her.

At his suggestion they keep her around, she let loose a joke, one that would get big laughs among the Legionnaires, "Sure, if I can survive this next year, I'll come work here. Can't go back to my old life." It was said with the morbid cheerfulness that was quite common down below. Everyone down there knew that they would be among the 99.9% who would die down there. Hope was pointless in the face of such numbers, all one could do was delay the inevitable.

Eyes looking around for the staff, she waited until she felt it safe to take another long draught of the wine, setting it back just as quickly. "I'm not so sure about that, Arvalyn. Dead Legionnaires must have a life first to have secrets. One day I was a shopkeeper's assistant, made a mistake, and now I fight monsters with perpetual strangers. It's the same story all of us down there have."

She did like the idea of him suggesting she work here though. Another avenue to take if she managed the impossible. She certainly had the skill set it seemed, and she didn't know if she could, or would, return to her family. Maybe it was better they think her dead. Let them move on and forget the shame she brought them. "But maybe I can get this assignment from time to time, if it's available. I wouldn't mind being around more."

She had thought about suggesting he come to the Keep to visit, in a roundabout fashion. Some people came to participate in training with the Legionnaires, or to stop off before heading into the Warrens. But she didn't. She didn't want him anywhere closer to hell than he needed to be. "That would be nice."

Posted: **Sun Jun 13, 2021 7:44 pm**

The gallows humour yielded more of a concerned grimace than any sort of amusement. Arvalyn didn't really know enough about the Dead Legion for it to land, and he certainly didn't feel like it was his place to enjoy levity on such a grim subject as an outsider. He rarely felt more privileged than those with whom he interacted, but in Areya's instance he couldn't help but feel fortunate even with his humble beginnings in Antiris.

"I see..." He hadn't thought of it that way, but perhaps she was right. Without anything to lose, there probably wasn't much reason to further burden oneself by hoarding secrets. With certain death potentially lurking around every corner, at least one might find some semblance of liberty in candour.

"I'm sure you'd be most welcome, if your situation permits it. You're a lot more on top of things than the regular bouncers." Many of them had been there long enough to grow complacent and uphold their jobs by doing the bare minimum. Areya, it seemed, had more to gain from working hard than many of them. Though he smiled to himself as she did, at least, indulge in another draft of the wine. He was glad that she was able to take a bit of pleasure in that, at least, and she was furtive enough in the doing that he might have mistaken her for an old hat in the hospitality industry. Perhaps they'd sold wine at the shop where she used to work, and had a similarly kleptocratic culture.

Arvalyn would spend the next hour or so, sharing his wine and company with the provisional bouncer until it was time for him to slip back out into the night to meet with Finn to work on their song.

Posted: **Tue Jun 29, 2021 2:29 am**

"Tension"

Points awarded:

Areya - 8 {can't be used for magic}
Arvalyn - 8 {can be used for magic}

Lores:

Areya
► Show Spoiler
Stealth: Pick a dark spot in a room to stand like a statue to be forgotten
Stealth: Sneaking along a dark alley
Detection: Recognizing the look of a predator's eyes
Unarmed Combat (Brawling): Grabbing the ear hurts for most races
Intimidation: Give commands while causing pain
Spycraft - Contact: Hannik, the molester
Spycraft - Contact: Arvalyn, the kind courtesan of the Velvet Cabaret
Spycraft: The Velvet Cabaret prefers its workers to be sober.
Spycraft: Courtesans are commonly used as confidants
Spycraft: Courtesans are expected to not give up information on clients
Spycraft - Arvalyn: The trustworthy kind of courtesan
Spycraft - Arvalyn: Knows an information broker
Spycraft: The Velvet Cabaret does have some customers of nobility
Seduction: The definition of a fetishist
Arvalyn
► Show Spoiler
Business
Making useful connections
Articulating his talents

Etiquette
Sharing means caring
Checking his own behaviour

Mesmer:
Self-preservation reflex
Furtively releasing aether

Rhetoric:
The gentle brush off
The hard ‘No’
Expressing compassion

Seduction:
Casual sex talk
Teaching sex education
Kink awareness
Transactional sex

Storytelling:
Talking about life as a courtesan
Subtle omissions

Loot:

None

Injuries:

None

Notes:

Great thread!
If you feel I missed anything contact me and we will make adjustments!
enjoy your rewards!

Legend of Ransera

"Tension" [Areya]

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