The Vileness of Man: Mission Fifteen — Lady Grey's Last Party (Part Two)
By the time I had returned to my empress' side, a large group of various individuals had congregated around the fallen lord. I forced myself to cease my diabolical laughter, lest Emily catch wind of my heinous gesture and scold me for adding to the failures she saw in her party. In truth, I felt it might add a color much needed to uplift her downcast spirit, but of course I would be the one to downplay the seriousness of my actions. Banister would likely remember nothing of what happened when he awoke anyways, and even if he did I would only be the blur that had carried him to his drunken fantasies. When I finally caught up with Emily once more, the three nobles whom she had been entertaining were gone, and I caught a glimpse of Spymaster Mercer's feral cat mask disappearing into the dense crowd. Despite her expression being hidden behind that morose silver visage, I could tell her demeanor had changed. Her arms were crossed and her head tilted down to the side, oblivious of my presence and lost in solemn recollection. It wasn't until I wafted the wine I had freshened under her nose that she snapped out of her delusions and eagerly snatched the glass away from me, lifting up her mask just enough to taste the fruit infused alcohol's sweet release.
"What happened to your guests?" I questioned, though I immediately wished I hadn't, for she sighed heavily and leaned her head back onto my chest, and the top of her mourning cap itched the underside of my chin. Hesitantly, I wrapped my arms above her waist in a compassionate manner, in spite of the fact that I disapproved of any sign of affection in the public's eye. The night was weighing heavily on her mind and no matter how much she wished to appear strong she needed comfort.
A weak laugh escaped her lips and her voice hissed with such sarcasm that seemed to suck the life out of the air, "Oh, my dear Royal Spymaster ruined that venture. He walked right up to me and said, 'Good evening, your Majesty!' And then he told me if I wanted to spy on my loyal subjects, that he was only an earshot away. How did he even know who I was? You should have them scatter, like sheep staring into the wolf's mouth."
"I don't like him," I scoffed reflexively. But it was true; all of her advisors and subjects were self-serving fiends, with not an ounce of pure loyalty to allow me to relax around them. It had been the same in Jessamine's court, with that grueling Burrows and less-than-pious Campbell always breathing over her shoulder.
My remark must have cheered her up, for a genuine giggle pierced the room as she laughed, "You hate all my court."
Was I wrong to though? They constantly perturbed my empress, making our jobs harder while they entertained themselves with sumptuous amusements, "They're all snakes, my Lady," I reasoned, giving a small chuckle alongside her. Lucius was always finding some way to persuade my empress to change her ideals and side with him, Haddon knew everything before anyone else did and flaunted it in her face, and Gregor constantly lectured her with the Seven Strictures and exclaimed how she was being too lenient towards the Outsider's followers.
She wriggled from my grasp and hastily finished the remainder of her beverage, sliding down her mask once more to cover an innocent smirk, "All nobles are snakes, Corvo. Even you. It's just where they only have their hiss to startle others away, your bite is lethal. Lord Banister is a cobra, for he will spit in your eyes and make you blind to their world, forcing you to follow his voice to aid your movements. Spymaster Mercer is a python, as he will wrap you in a vice grip of your own misdeeds, constricting them around you until you snap."
Me? A snake? Snakes were vicious, heinous beasts whose only purpose was to devour mice and strike at youngling's heels. I wanted to protest her accusation, demand to be compared with something more valiant than a slithering cretin, like a lion or wolfhound, or better yet a hawk, so that I may devour the vipers hiding in the bushes. Emily didn't even mention the High Overseer, but then again priests were not the same as nobles. Besides, I already knew exactly what type of beast he was—a winged serpent that mesmerized its victims into worshiping it, and consumed vagrants whole, "And I? What snake would you reduce me to?" I inquired, crossing my arms cockily as I challenged her analogy.
She chuckled at my complaint, and her mirth lightened my heart, "Not reduce, silly, for you are the deadliest snake of them all. You, Corvo, are a taipan. While typically solitary and docile, their venom is the most toxic in the entire world. Threaten them and they will strike, and their attacker will not live long enough to regret his mistake." She certainly had been learning a lot from her biology tutor. I never thought she would be fascinated by reptiles. She was always so interested in the sea and its creatures, especially whales, but her metaphor was remarkably spot on. "What happened to Lord Banister?"
Crap. I had nearly forgotten about him. I peered over my shoulder towards the direction of the banquet table, watching as two man-servants hoisted him away, presumably to his rail car outside. Playing along with Emily's ignorance, I shrugged nonchalantly, a devious smirk hidden behind my assassin's mask, "He must have indulged himself too thoroughly."
"Pity, I would have liked to have given him a piece of my mind," she sighed, setting her empty glass on a waiter's shrimp ball tray as he passed by. Now I was actually thankful I had choked the rat-legged bastard out. It had unknowingly saved me from dealing with Emily's temper, and urging her away from causing a pointless scene. "I need air. This mask is suffocating," she huffed, jerking on her collar to cool her neck. It was rather stuffy in the large foyer, with all the people huddled about in tight groups like the patches on quilted blanket. Our masked facades didn't help either, as clammy sweat stuck to my brows and chaffed against my forehead.
After much struggle, we managed to squeeze our way out of the large front doors, opting to cool off in the courtyard gardens. They were so vibrant this time of year, and the sweet and distinct aromas each different species produced teased my senses. The sun was setting low on the horizon and twilight tore the sky in two. Vibrant orange and purples bled into a sea of stars, and blood red clouds eased the sun's intensity. To protect us from the spring-time bugs, whale blubber candles infused with citronella burned atop wrought iron patio sets, adding a pleasant lemon fragrance to the air. We strolled down to the lower tier of the gardens, far enough from the Tower than wandering eyes could not glimpse upon our company.
Emily took a seat at one of the patio chairs, removing her mask and setting it down on the matching table with refreshing exasperation. It was comforting to be able to see her face again, despite how frazzled her appearance was due to some locks of hair that had been trapped under that silver visage and soaked in perspiration for the better part of the evening. Still, even though her eyes hung with exhaustion and her expression was solemn, just being able to see mildly tanned cheeks and honey-colored orbs filled me with such solace.
"Corvo, I need you to be honest with me," Emily said so softly it almost sounded like a whisper. Her voice was grave and her attention was turned away from me. Mercer's discovery and Banister's brash nature had gotten under her skin like a bad rash, and she was itching for some comfort to alleviate her pain. Even still, it was mildly disconcerting that she had challenged my integrity by requesting me to be truthful with her.
Was it not I who had been truthful about her father's identity even when her own mother would lie to her face? Had it not been me who had divulged the truth about my misdeeds when Havelock and Calista would have sugarcoated reality, or educated her about the Outsider when he had haunted her dreams rather than let the Abbey poison her mind with ignorant teachings? Come to think of it, I had never really lied to her, at least not about the big things in life. Sure every now and again I would cast a small fib when she would catch me cheating in hide-and-seek, or some other menial mishap that would have ignited her temper if I had not, but I had never really lied to her. I gave only a small nod in response, taking off my mask and running my fingers casually through my sweaty hair. And then she asked a most dreadful question possible, one I had not heard in many, many years, "Have I been a good Empress?"
I hadn't heard that question in nearly twenty years, when Jessamine took the throne after her father's untimely death. It had come as such a shock that for a moment I was speechless, and in a situation such as this, any hesitation could be taken wrongly. "Of course," I quickly stumbled, hiding my surprise with a thick coat of sincerity. It was a bittersweet déjà vu, yet Emily's response was far more aggravated than her mother's reaction had been.
"It's been seven years, Corvo," she exclaimed, holding her head in her hands with angst and her words bleeding with sarcasm, "Seven years! And what have I accomplished? Go on! Regale me with my astounding achievements!"
"Well," I cautiously started, searching for a suitable answer, "the cure for the Rat Plague—"
"—was created six years ago," Emily mockingly scoffed, "and still the city is not free from the torment of this disease. I'd said I failed in that aspect. Continue."
"What about John Clavering Blvd?"
"What about it? It's a single, small district. It should have taken a year, possibly two, at most to restore. For Outsider's sake, Kingsparrow Lighthouse was built in six months! Oh, and just whose money financed the Distillery District's repair? Remind me again, for it certainly wasn't the crown."
Emily had been greatly dispirited ever since learning about the tax increase that Lord Banister had implemented during his regency without her approval or knowledge. It was understandable, for she was the sovereign of a great empire that had survived for nearly a thousand years, and yet she had been unaware about the crude financial situation in her capital that was instigated shortly after she had first retaken her throne. And though the decision was not meant to be malicious or treasonous, as the rule had been implemented when she was still too young to make such a decision, it did leave her feeling naïve, and I was furious of how powerless I had been against their manipulation. And so I tried to make her understand their decision, to make her see their motivation towards raising an already high impost, and at the same time ensure myself I had not been made a fool.
"All government's use tax money to support the city's endeavors. That's how an economy works," I reassured. Why was I defending Banister? Why was I defending a Parliament which had twisted my empress' dreams and used her age to limit her power as they weaseled in a swine to promote their self-serving agendas? My words soured my throat, and it irritated me that I would stoop so low as to acknowledge the logic in their heinous actions, even if it was to soothe Emily's sorrow. But I continued to bite my tongue, as I had already broken composure twice in one night.
Yet her temper still took over, and she stood abruptly from her chair, iron squealing against the concrete patio, "Is raising said taxes to the point where citizens can't afford them how an economy works, Corvo? Is denying the impoverished elixir and ignoring the continuation of the plague how a society flourishes? I didn't even know about the changes to my plan. Why? Because I chose to leave my empire in another's hands. I ignored my citizen's cries and naively confused ignorance with fact, choosing to reside in a blissful paracosm to escape this bitter reality," she spat, stepping a away from me and crossing her arms to force her shoulders not to quake. She was walking cocktail of emotions—anger, lament, guilt, embarrassment, and the worst of them all…fear, "What if those nobles were right? What if this restoration effort only weakens the city's already crumbling financial stability? For I certainly will not compensate these expenses by turning out the people's pockets." Her voice shook as she thought of the uncertainly of the future, and if her back was not turned towards me I'm sure I would have seen crystalline tears staining her rosy cheeks.
"Emily," I sighed, walking up behind her and placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "you're only looking at the negatives. It's true; the capital has not recovered since the plague's first appearance, and that raising the taxes was indeed unfavorable. However, the city has genuinely improved. You need to remember, you were only ten when your mother was taken from us, and were not intended to rule for much longer. You were supposed to have a childhood, not be thrust into the cruelty of politics at such a young age. As such, you were ill prepared. What you did in response was not wrong."
Gently I turned her around to face me, lifting up her chin with one hand and drying a tear with my other. Giving a sympathetic smile, I resumed my speech, all the while thinking of a young seventeen-year-old Jessamine with an infant child, her raven hair blowing unkempt in the breeze and blue-gray eyes swollen with tears as she stared at me with the same fright and anxiety, "And though you were left out of Parliament's ultimate decrees, you had dreams for your empire. You dreamt of a free elixir, and its close enough to it. You dreamt of a restored Flooded District, and look around you! Surely that drunken snake and conniving cat will give you their aid, and more will follow. Most importantly though, you dream of a Golden Era that will wash over your land and secure a lasting peace and posterity. Rudshore is the key to this, I am confident of it. So do not wallow in the past shadows, Emily, but hold your chin high and look towards the future."
Silence past between us for what felt like forever, staring into one another eyes, each with uncertainty about the other's emotions. For a moment I feared I'd inadvertently worsened the mood with my persistent defense against something even I didn't fully understand. I was no politician, no businessman or landholder, and the whole financial tax-rate bullshit did go over my head slightly, which was exactly the reason why I hadn't jumped at the chance to be Emily's regent, or marry Jessamine for political securities. I couldn't blame her for leaving the details of economics to the older scrooges that had been doing it all their lives, rather than trying to take over the show with only minor teachings. I would have done the exact same thing in her place, and would have suffered the same inevitable consequence of not liking what they had done in her absence.
Finally, the young empress smiled at me and gave a cheerful laugh, "You always know what to say, don't you?" she said, latching her arms around my neck and tugging me onto her lips. Her tongue forced itself past my teeth and wrapped around my own, and the exotic flavors of Pandyssian spices and Tyvian wine she had partaken in tingled my taste buds. My eyes bulged as I felt the blood rushing to my cheeks and down my body and I reflexively tried to pull away, though I couldn't go very far backwards due to the vice lock she had me in.
"No, Emily. Not here. Not now," I gasped, trying to calm my racing heartbeat as I stopped her lips from delving back onto me with my fingers. The Outsider knows how much I wanted to throw her onto that metal table and fulfill her darkest desires, how I wanted to hear her moan my name and writhe in pleasure underneath me, but there were hundreds of esteemed people all congregated only yards from our positions, begging for the next juicy story to fall into their view, and no matter how strongly my instincts wished otherwise, we couldn't take the risk.
She pursed her luscious lips to the side and raised her eyebrows, which was never really a good sign, but she actually gave an understanding sigh and released her hold, "Fine," she muttered, walking back to the table and grabbing her mask, "I hate parties." It made me feel slightly guilty that I had denied her and she resumed her sorrowful state, but she understood the consequences enough to intelligently coincide with me for once. That night, however, I would show her the stars and make her forget all of her current struggles as I had many times in the past few months since Fugue Fest. She only needed to stay composed for a few more hours.
In the end, it was the Boyles who gave Emily the most support (though both Banister and Mercer later sent their blessings and offerings), pledging the most coin and their unwavering assistance for any future endeavors. For after our talk we had caught up with them paying their respects to Jessamine's marker in courtyard pavilion. They both wore the same guises as at their party seven years ago, however cliché it might have been, with Waverly in midnight black and Lydia in stunning white. Emily invited the musically-inclined Lydia Boyle to test our new grand piano, seducing her with details of its whalebone keys that produced a distinct sound such that she had never heard before. Waverly was apprehensive at first, but she always was the paranoid one, deadlocking on the assassin's mask in my grasp, and if she her beauty were not concealed, I would have seen her eyes trembling from fright.
I could not blame her though, as my skull-shaped visage had been the same one that had stalked their youngest sister and cast her out on the Wrenhaven. It had been the same one that the City Watch had displayed on their numerous wanted posters, charging the 'Masked Felon' with suspicions of assault and ties to other missing members of the aristocracy, such as the Pendleton twins. And it had been the same one they knew had spared their lives on that fateful night, holding the suspicions they had of my identity to themselves. I was fairly sure at least Waverly figured out it was me; I did leave them decisive proof when I signed my name on the guest ledger after conducting my dark deeds. She stared at that mask as if she stared into death itself, but before she could urge her sister away from my menacing form, innocent Lydia had followed my empress back into palace walls.
It didn't take much doing on Emily's part to persuade the two sisters to back her financially. Actually, I'm nearly certain the entire reason they had been so eager was because of me, though I had not breathed a word since the gazebo. Yes, they were truly frightened of what I may do with them if they denied my Lady—if I would handle them the way I had with their licentious sister. They feared their capricious sovereign harbored ill will towards their family's name, as it was their dear Esma's lover, Hiram Burrows, who had had her mother slain, and they thought that in a temperamental bout she would find them all sympathetic to their sibling's treason, however farfetched it was. But fear was a powerful motivator, and little Emily soon caught on to their anxiety, as the Boyle's party story was amongst her favorite tales when she was a child, and she used it to her advantage. It was as if she were the Outsider's little helper, clever and devious, whimsical and fickle. It reminded me of how unlike her mother she truly was, and it was surprisingly alluring to behold. And though I do not know how long it will be before they flee from the strain of their guilt, at least until then my empress could sleep soundly as her dreams blossomed to reality.
I apologize this took so long, like...really long. I've just been so swamped with preparing for the return of school, working on my other story, and I keep getting distracted by my awesome new Gundam model! Love me some Gundam 00! Anyways, so here's the new chapter, tell me what you think. I've been waiting in anticipation to be able to write what's coming next, so prepare for that. Hopefully you'll like it as much as I'll enjoy writing it! Of course, REVIEW! I know for a fact that I have a lot of new readers by the amount of people that have recently followed/favorited this story, so don't tell me you can't take five minutes after reading this to give a competent review. I need good criticism and love, it what fuels me, lol. XD