Blood Ties, Part 5
You eventually drift off to sleep, deciding to conserve your strength rather than risk navigating the dream plane while as hungry as you are. Your own sleep is likewise dreamless, and when you wake again, it's just after the crack of dawn.
Rising from your bed, you move quietly through the hallways of the old manor. It's not exactly in poor repair... but it does look worn. You haven't seen a single servant other than the elderly butler who showed you to your room. And given how far along he is in the infirmities of age, you suspect that at this point Janessa keeps him on not so much because of his usefulness, but more to ensure that he still has a place of shelter, as a treasured part of her household.
You search until you come across your hostess, who has arisen even earlier than you. She stands alone in a training room, with several different weapons adorning the walls. She herself is wielding the same saber you saw at her side yesterday, though otherwise she wears plain, loose clothes that are stained with sweat. It's a marked contrast from the finery you saw her in while out and about, though she seems far more comfortable as she is now.
For a while you simply watch, as she goes through set after set of ferociously-paced drills. Advances, retreats, lunges, parries, you see her play them all out against her mental opponents. You can see the hard-won experience in every movement. But you can also see the cost of that life; there's a slight limp in her left leg, though she's clearly learned to work around it.
You don't announce yourself, but you make no particular effort to hide your presence either, so it's no surprise when she calls out to you. "You have any experience with the blade, Niko?"
"The instructor my father hired was prone to despair over my lack of ability," you say dejectedly. "He often said I'd never be able to muster the proper elegance of a true swordsman."
As you calculated, Janessa snorts at that. "Sounds like a stuffed-up ponce who never had to get his hands dirty," she says wryly, wiping sweat off her brow. "Wonder if he ever fought anyone when there wasn't a list of rules as long as his arm? Why don't you pick up one of the other swords—and I'll be the judge of how much ability you have."
You gamely do as she says, picking up a sword and trying to replicate some of the movements you saw her perform. Displaying ineptitude in that regard is, at least, one area in which you don't need to rely on your prodigious acting skills.
She hides it well, but you're perceptive enough to notice Janessa suppressing the urge to wince a few times at your display of martial prowess—or lack thereof. Aloud, though, she's nothing but patient, demonstrating the simple concepts again and again. Soon enough, you contrive through your questions to get her to help you adjust your form, moving in closer to place her hands on your wrist. Your bodies move in unison—more or less—as she guides you through the steps.
You may have little skill at the actual stabbing and slashing... but it's simplicity itself for a creature like you to turn that closeness into a dance of "accidental" temptation. Every accidental brush that ends up a little too close. Every lingering time she adjusts your wrist, allowing you to employ just the subtlest hint of your aphrodisiac touch. The way you look up to your instructor with the grateful, earnest admiration of an innocent puppy dog. Impressionable enough to accept anything your more experienced teacher might decide you should be taught.
Time passes quickly for the two of you, the sun rising higher in the sky as the soft, cozy glow of early dawn gives way to the warm radiance of the day. Janessa is a difficult nut to crack, closed off as she is, especially since your guise forces you to be subtle and indirect. Nevertheless, you steadily draw her in, all the while leaving her unaware that it's in any way intentional.
It comes to a head when you contrive to turn at just the "wrong" moment, putting your faces just inches apart, your bodies nearly flush with each other. You hear he draw in a quick breath, her eyes widening as the world freezes in place for a moment. The heat between you intensifies, and you can tell that her mind is playing out everything she could do with her student, if she only allows herself to reach out and take hold of it.
But her restraint and withdrawn nature are too deeply ingrained into her soul to quite take her to mid-day sex based on a single flirtation session—even for you. She backs hurriedly away, her face flushed. "W-well, that's probably enough for now," she says, sheathing her sword and backing away. "Why don't we go for breakfast? Jeskas should have it prepared by now. And we'll need to get cleaned up and ready before the evening. You still need to know who to talk to."
She leads you down to the dining area, not quite able to look you in the eye. Even if that one encounter wasn't quite enough to push her over, you can tell that she's teetering on the edge. If that continues through today, you anticipate that the slightest push tonight should be able to send her over.
Her butler has indeed prepared a delicious morning meal for the two of you. You talk as you eat, discussing your plans for the upcoming soiree. According to Janessa, there are three figures of interest who might be able to help you contribute to the war effort, and who are likely to attend this particular function.
She says that General Raxien is the one to approach if your "father" wants to contribute actual military forces. Lord Hastrik is the one to approach war materiel—armor, spears, shields, siege weaponry and the like, while Lord Kovar is heavily involved in the handling of provisions and supply chains.
Not that you actually intend on supporting the war effort, of course... but not only is it part of your cover, if you did engage with them, you might be able to gain valuable intelligence about your enemies' plans, perhaps even sabotaging or subverting their war effort, giving you more breathing room overall.
And then, of course, there is your true objective. You manage to subtly get Janessa talking about the guest list overall, and you confirm that the court sorceress will almost certainly be putting on an appearance. There's an interesting note in your host's voice when she talks about Ceriss. Not dislike—not exactly—but something more akin to exasperation.
Once breakfast is finished you clean up, and start to prepare for the event. You purchase a new suit for the occasion; your current attire, while fancy, is still ultimately a traveling outfit, and you tell Janessa that you'd intended to buy something local when you arrived for the social functions, to fit in better and give your diplomacy and edge.
Your host, meanwhile, departs to secure your invitation. Getting something so prestigious at the last minute like this seems quite the task... but she just gives you a crooked smile and tells you not to worry before heading out.
It's tight, but you manage to get everything in place just in time for the two of you to head off for your destination. The manor you arrive at is huge, extravagant in its opulence, with Janessa's small estate paling in comparison. You also catch more than a few sidelong looks in Janessa's direction from the attendant nobles, while your inhuman hearing picks up snide mutterings that confirm your suspicion that your host burned quite a bit of her meager remaining social capital in order to get you this opportunity to make your case.
The world you step into as you pass through the manor gates is one completely unlike the world outside, a place of swirling, skin-deep gaiety. Noble lords and ladies in outrageously ornate clothing flitting to and fro, laughing and flirting and back-biting in a delirious swirl of humanity, entirely disconnected from the cares and troubles of the ordinary people struggling for survival just outside their walls.
According to Janessa, the event is ostensibly to celebrate the birthday of the lady of the house's third daughter. Her coming of age, in fact. However, it doesn't take you long to see that any celebration on the girl's behalf is barely more than a pretense for her mother to hobnob. The girl sits a few steps behind the older woman—almost literally in her shadow—giving the occasional timid nod to anyone who bothers to wish her well, before her mother snaps them up and pulls them into her orbit.
Not that everyone is as engulfed in the festivities. You catch sight of a man who Janessa confirms is the General Raxien she told you about. His clothes are simple and severe, at least in comparison to most of the other attendees, his black hair cropped short. The flow of people seems to bend around him as he watches the proceedings with an inscrutable gaze. Even you find that you can't get a good read on him, and as you try to observe him he glances up at you, your eyes meeting his cold gaze.
Lord Hastrik, by contrast, is throwing himself into the event with anxious over-enthusiasm, trying his best to be seen with the desperate need for the approval of everyone he encounters. One of the younger lords, his brown hair is over-elaborately coiffed, and he has the slightly-too-loud laugh of someone absolutely determined to find the same things amusing as everyone else in his immediate vicinity.
Finally, you locate Lord Kovar standing at the buffet, his plate piled high with the various delicacies on offer. He's a rotund man, balding, but with a relatively pleasant smile. He greets people from time to time as they pass by, but mostly concentrates on his meal with simple abandon.
And then Ceriss Zylnerios enters.
There's no mistaking when it happens, even though you happen to be looking in the other direction. The very atmosphere changes, a murmur running through the assembled nobles. Turning, you catch your first glimpse of the woman you've come here to make yours.
Her hair is long and raven-black, running down her back in an elaborate braid, past the curled ram-like horns growing from her head. Her flawless skin is a dusky red, accentuated by the dark green-and-black dress that she wears that makes no qualms about showing off her perfect figure and her impressive cleavage. Overall, the garment is a simple, tight piece... but with a devastating impact, making nearly everything else in the room look gaudy by comparison.
She exudes a raw charisma that you recognize with appreciation and approval, noting several subtle tricks whose effectiveness you can attest yourself. She navigates through the swirl of humanity, handling each greeting, conversation or catty, indirect insult with aplomb. You knew that for a tiefling to survive in a human court that she would have to be a political creature. But this is a kind of mastery of the game that only comes from understanding the exact nature of that game, including its absurdities... and then forging that knowledge into a weapon.
Soon, Ceriss has made her way to where the lady of the house stands, exchanging a polite greeting with her before turning to the girl whose birthday it actually is. The girl's face positively lights up at the sight of her, her earlier gloom vanishing, and it's clear that they're at least acquainted with each other. Ceriss places her hand on the girl's, warmly wishing her well, while simultaneously deflecting her mother's attempts to draw her away with an easy grace, keeping up her original conversation.
Then, after talking for a while, Ceriss bends down very close to the birthday girl, and with an impish smile, whispers something into her ear. The girl blushes a brilliant red, but gives a tiny yet very emphatic series of nods. Ceriss' grin widens, and she gives the girl's shoulder a comforting little squeeze before standing back upright.
Well then. This should be an interesting heroine to hunt.
Of course, the most immediate question is how you'll approach this particular event in the bookish guise you've assumed. Going after Ceriss directly might give you the most control over the situation, allowing you to initiate and pursue at your own pace. A handsome, besotted young noble seems like something she might be interested in, from everything you've heard.
Alternatively, you could play a little more hard to get, at the cost of surrendering some of that control. Don't approach her yourself, but drop enough obvious signals to attract her interest as quickly as possible. See if you can get her to pursue you.
That said, you haven't completely subverted Janessa yet, and she has stuck her neck out for you to get you this opportunity. It might be important for that pursuit to make sure you don't neglect the ostensible reason she brought you here.
Of course, the party will last for a while, but prioritizing the nobles will make sure it gets done no matter what else comes up later. As well as demonstrate your diligence to your host, even if it might result in somewhat less time spent interacting with Ceriss herself on this particular outing.
