Blood Ties, Part 7


You watch as Ceriss strides away from the party after the guard's report, her expression clouded. The woman you're catching a glimpse of right now isn't the polite, laughing political creature you noted on before. She's visibly focused. Intent. Angry. It's interesting, seeing her slip into her "game face" like this... and you feel like you have just a little bit better sense of the multiple facets that coexist within this woman.

But as important as whatever is going on might be, you don't feel like you're in a position to try and involve yourself—especially as low as your lust reserves are getting. Instead, you turn back to the birthday girl and her mother, taking advantage of Ceriss' departure to take the conversation deeper. "She certainly takes her duties with admirable seriousness," you speculate earnestly, after the tiefling has exited the door on the other side of the room. "I wonder what could have come up?"

The mother huffs, the blonde ringlets of her short hair bouncing with indignation. She's a short, stout woman, over-done in almost every way. Her hair over-coiffed, her face overly made-up, her dress overly-adorned, even compared to her noble contemporaries. "I'm sure I don't know what she found so much more important than this event," she says. "No accounting for what one of her kind will be involved with. Probably out indulging the company of common gutter-whores or some such."

"Mother..." the girl—Annabeth—says plaintively. You can see the family resemblance; she's far from tall herself, the blonde curls are the same, and there is a bit of pleasing plumpness to her figure, though not nearly to her mother's extent. But for all their similarity, the truly stark difference is in how they present themselves, the girl existing timidly in the shadow of her mother's preening arrogance.

"So how do you know Lady Zylnerios?" you ask, smoothly redirecting the conversation away from unpleasant conflict that might derail your own aims. "I've heard so much about her—the legendary heroine! But this was my first time seeing her in person."

Annabeth's face lights up. "She's my teacher!" she says proudly. "When we found out that I had the mage's gift, my mother arranged for her to teach me how to use it. I've been studying with her for the past year." Her mother huffs again, looking away, and you can see the conflict in the woman's face at the remembrance. On one hand, the prestige of her daughter being instructed by one of the greatest magic-users alive had doubtless been tempting. On the other... well, Ceriss' tiefling status and general infamy were part of her just as well.

Evidently the former had won out at the time. Though it seems that the woman might be starting to regret that decision now.

"Really? You can do magic?" you ask the girl, playing up how impressed you are.

The girl nods, blushing. As you suspected, she's clearly used to being pushed to the background, used as a prop by her mother, so she eats up the genuine-seeming awe in your voice directed at her own capabilities. "I... I can show you!" she blurts out, pulling out a wand while raising her other hand, palm up.

Her face twists into a look of immense concentration... but for several seconds nothing happens. Then, finally, there is a flash of light, and the unsteady image of an adorable little bird flickers to life in her palm.

She's clearly elated at the accomplishment. But you have a broader sense of how magical ability scales. And given the amount of effort such a simple feat took her—even after a year being instructed by one of the greatest magic users in the world—you're pretty sure any talent she has is extremely minimal. Belan could almost certainly cast rings around her in his sleep.

Which, in turn, suggests to you that the reason a sorceress as accomplished as Ceriss is still teaching her has very little to do with expecting much fruit from her instruction. Most likely, Ceriss saw the same thing you did, and decided that the girl needed a confidant most of all. You'd wager that the magic lessons are a mere pretext for their overall relationship.

Sadly, that's probably the only way her mother would have allowed such regular proximity.

It does provide you with an opportunity, though. You reach your own hand out, tracing along the edges of the small illusion, making sure to brush your fingers against hers. Just barely... but just barely enough for you to give her a small hint of your aphrodisiac.

"It's beautiful..." you breathe at the same time. Then you look up and give her a sunny smile. "I never expected to find something like this here, but now I'm doubly glad I came." Then you turn to her mother as well, not letting up on the charm. "You've raised an amazing daughter; I can tell how proud you must be of her."

"W-well of course," the older woman says, more flustered than she expected under your "innocent" gaze. "It's only natural, after all. I have expended such tireless efforts on her..."

Annabeth is definitely blushing now. But you can also see Janessa's reaction out of the corner of your eye, as she tries very hard to hide her pained flinch. She knows full well that she was the one who half-heartedly pushed you in this direction, out of guilt for the desires she was feeling for her (seemingly) much younger guest. But even so, seeing it actually start to happen is nevertheless filling her with painful regret she doesn't want to acknowledge, yet can't escape.

You spend the rest of the party buttering up Annabeth. And buttering up her mother as well, in hopes of making your access to her daughter easier for the furtherance of your larger scheme. Aside from those endeavors, the party continues on its predictable course.

About the only other noteworthy event comes as Lord Hastrik grows increasingly inebriated. Little by little his forced geniality starts to slip, his slurred words growing angrier, more rash. After a while, he stumbles toward a pair of nobles, who you recognize as Lord and Lady Kagan, the husband and wife pair who you briefly considered as your contact point before settling on Janessa.

From the angry way the drunk lord is talking, you can pretty clearly read between the lines that not only was Hastrik one of Lady Kagan's many adulterous flings, but that he's bitter that she eventually moved on. Hastrik is technically dancing around the topic... but not by much. Lady Kagan looks outraged at his impropriety, her face flushed as she snaps back at him. Her husband, meanwhile, just stares down at the ground, his fist clenched helplessly.

It goes on until Hastrik starts to get even more aggressive, getting closer and closer to Lady Kagan... which is when the firm grip of General Raxien clamps down on his shoulder and yanks him back. "I believe that you are troubling her," he tells the noble, his clipped. "I suggest that you go home, before you do something that you'll regret."

Hastrik struggles, but the drunk noble is no match whatsoever for the military man, who just twists him into an armlock. Hastrik continues to struggle fruitlessly for a while, before finally slumping in Raxien's grasp. Only then does the general release him. Hastrik proceeds to storm away toward the exit... though not without a poisonous backward glance at Raxien and Lady Kagan.

Lady Kagan flutters her eyes at her rescuer, barely making any attempt at hiding her appreciation for him, even with her husband standing right next to her. Raxien, for his part, regards both her and the departing Hastrik with the same inscrutable gaze. Awkward silence fills the party for a while, and you catch sight of the portly Lord Kovar standing with a drumstick halfway to his mouth, his eyes wide at the sight of the altercation.

Interesting. You're not sure exactly what use to make of this yet... but the fact that there's a kernel of animosity between two key members of the war effort against Kovora might well come in handy, if you ever wanted to make use of it. Perhaps to sow discord among their ranks? Something to consider at least.

At any rate, nothing else happens after than, and soon enough it's time for you and Janessa to leave. You do extract an open invitation to call on the young Lady Annabeth at some point, whenever is convenient. For further conversation, of course, though you expect to be able to leverage that into something a bit more. And if Ceriss intends on being intimate with her...

That's all in the future, though. For now, you're walking home with a melancholy Janessa. She's clearly trying her very best to be happy for your success in your "noble mission". But for someone with your level of skill in reading people, the smile she gives you is painfully fake.

She's clearly teetering on the edge, only needing the right push to send her over. But how exactly will you deliver that push?

Also, even after seducing her, exactly how much do you want to tell her? She's extremely dutiful... but with all the work you've done on her, especially impressing on her the horrific cost of another war, you think you can bring her around to support your plan once she's fully enamored with you. It would certainly make things far easier, in terms of not having to hide your other seductions from her, and even enlisting her direct help.

On the other hand, she is in a tenuous position, with obligations here in Vekmar, including to her dependents such as the aging butler she keeps in her household. Taking her away with you will be a trickier proposition, and she may not want to go for that. Of course, depending on how the events to come go down you might be able to leave her here as an agent, but pulling her too tight into your scheme could also implicate her.