Legend of Ransera

♅ Glade 5th, Year 120, Age of Steel ♅
"Common Speech"
"Silvain Speech"
"Self-Thoughts"

♅ The home of Gregorio Alvarez was bustling with the rapid footsteps of servants, the clamoring of coordinators, and furniture moving from place to place. A soirée was about to take place at the Noir Chateau, home of the Wolf of Lyonesse. After the debacle in the badlands, Gregorio went straight to work planning this gathering for the affiliates under him. There was of course an alterer motive to this soiree.

There standing on the balcony, a figure stood overlooking the parlor, watching the staff finalize preparations for the night. One of them was Gregorio, dressed in a fine black & grey attire, accented with golden embellishments, wolves fur, and wolf insignias. He exuded an air of authority to him as dark brown eyes gazed down as the men and woman continued to work frantically, his favored wolf, Scarborough at his side.

"Is this truly necessary Gregorio?" Constantine called, causing the man and his wolven companion to turn and face him as Constantine was being stripped of his clothes, standing bare and exposed before the man. Constantine was being measured by men and woman from all sides, a nonchalant look on his face as he was used to strangers touching him and didnt mind having hands all over his body.

Espionage was not his forte, not in the least. But when Gregorio mention this soiree would be the key to finding the one who could be the leak, well it piqued his interest. He would play whatever role needed if it meant gaining info on the traitor. As the tailors & seamstresses made their calculations, Gregorio sat and watched as the half-elf's body was scrutinized by the artisans, impressed by Constantine and his endowments.

"If we are to catch this traitor then yes, I do believe this is needed." the man retorted. Constantine interest perked up a bit, as he held a look on his face that said "So you noticed too?" Gregorio chuckled with a nod to acknowledge that he knew there was a leak.

It had been several days since the incident and Gregorio had yet to talk to Constantine about it, or about what he thought about the situation. After the measurements had been made, he was whisked away, a bath fixed for him in order to cleanse his body of impurities and filth. He needed to be pure and free of the filth that was associated with foreigners. He didnt know that a bath could be so.....invasive, but he endured it no matter how uncomfortable he was. A multitude of hands and brushes ran over his body and in vigorous scrutiny, Gregorio watching as he rolled a coin across his knuckles.

"I always knew there was a possibility of betrayal among my pack, but I guess I didn't want to believe one of my own would do it." he began, his fist clenching around the coin. "The sharks are in the water now, and I'm certain they will come for my throat if this is not dealt with soon. Tell me what you learned from corpses in the ravine."

It was hard to focus but Constantine did his best as the many servants were still cleansing his body. "From what I gathered, it was a set up by a member of the Jaegers, though it is a possibility that it could be an outside source. I would hate to believe that one of your own would actually betray you." he explained.

It was hard to believe but Gregorio was not all too surprised. "I must admit you don't seem too shocked, but as you stated earlier you were expecting something of this nature." Gregorio nodded to his words, snapping his fingers. It was a loud snap, but it signaled for the tailors and seamstresses to come and fit Constantine with his attire for the night. His eyes widened as he was removed from the bath, naked and all as the garbs were fit to his form. After he was dressed, he looked to Gregorio who stood and walked to the window, Constantine following soon after he was comfortable in his clothing.

"Tonight you will see how those of Daravin play at court, I must warn you, however, we never play nice. Monsters and demons hide behind the masks of human flesh, and you can never be too careful about who you trust. Though you are under my tutelage, you will also forge alliances and bonds outside of our own. If you are to survive that, you must first learn the tricks of the game and how to play." he explained, looking out to the horizon as night was coming, the sun setting beautifully in the sky.♅

♅ Glade 5th, Year 120, Age of Steel ♅
"Common Speech"
"Silvain Speech"
"Self-Thoughts"

♅ As both men stood there a third figure came to join them. Gregorio turned to the man and waved for him to approach. "As such, there is only one thing that must be achieved tonight. Among the guest that will be attending, many will be the merchants and traders I run protection for. One of them will know what we need to know about the traitor." he mused leaning against the window.

Constantine noticed the new figure approach, though in actuality he could everyone's approach at this point. It was a rather interesting and weird feeling at first, noticing the disturbances in the flux people made as they move, so blissfully unaware of it. He was so wrapped up in his newfound senses that he didn't hear Gregorio clear his throat to get his attention.

"Constantine, this is Elios, the one that patched you up back them. From here on out Elios will be assisting you in your endeavors, mainly though, he will assist in this investigation. You two are the only ones aware of what will happen here tonight." he said as he poured three glasses of whiskey as Constantine & Elios shook hands since they would be working together.

"Now let us get down to business, Its time for you to get a crash course in the Candor" he began, handing both men a glass before taking his own. With a clinking of glasses, all three men downed their liquor as Gregorio started. For a moment however, he stared at them both, but is soon passed as he began his lesson.

"For starters, one does not play the candor, we perform. That's truly in essence what it is, a performance. While on the stage of a soiree, one must remember six important rules. 1} Nothing is free; all information comes at a price, 2} Dont break taboos, 3} Your appearance is everything, 4}Learn your opposition, and learn them well, 5}Chose who you ally with carefully, 6} You must prove you are an asset" he stated, pouring another glass, downing it in the same breath, before continuing.

If he was honest with himself, he felt a little overwhelmed, wondering what exactly he was getting himself into now. It didn't sound as if he would be up to par for tonight. Gregorio sense this, pouring some more liquor into Constantine's glass, the blonde downing it in a single gulp as well.

With a chuckle Gregorio continued. "Tonight you will beset by a ballroom of inquisitors, the nobility love a fresh face. They do all they can to beguile you into revealing anything they can use against you. It's in your best interest not to reveal anything without gaining something in exchange. Even then, reveal nothing. I can not express that you must keep what you know close to your chest."

He waited a moment to allow Constantine to process it all, before continuing. "Also keep in mind the taboos of the court. Admonishing war in any capacity is forbidden; Fraternization with non-mages anyone outside of your class can be detrimental; Immodesty is deplorable not matter the severity; Never criticize the empire no matter how you feel about it; Heresy of any kind will get you killed; Blasphamey will end the same as heresy, in your swift death. If you keep all this in mind as you perform tonight, then you shall survive....more or less."

The room was silent, save for the bustle of the servants. Gregorio turned to Elios, who in turn looked at Constantine. "Are you certain you can handle this Constantine?" Elios inquired, handing him another drink. He knew it was a lot, but he didn't have a real choice in the matter. He shook his head in agreeance with what they asked.

"I will perform the best way I know how to play. I will do my best to get to the bottom of things tonight. We cannot allow this traitor to spread more poison into our ranks." Gregorio chuckled as he placed a hand on Constantine's shoulder, rubbing it in a comforting manner. He couldn't help but pity the foreigner, not being able to imagine the amount of stress it put on him. In reality this stress, the constant regret of his past played into who he was and the insecurities he indulged in. Be it his work, affiliations, and hobbies, it was all coping mechanisms for him.

Tonight would be no different, he had work to do, trying his best to sober up as all three men watched the sunset, mentally preparing for the night ahead. ♅