Where the Heart Is, Part 19

In the darkness and the silence just before morning, you stare up at the ceiling of the tiny, cramped safehouse room, weighing each possible course of action you could take. None are perfect. None are without their own risks or drawbacks.

Ultimately, however, as much as you dislike leaving Yvette and the other captured girls at the mercy of the mad incubi, you can't let their plight goad you into reckless action that could lead to an even worse catastrophe. You're balancing threats from every direction. From the heroines, from the incubi, and from Melca.

And right now, your "Kavia" identity is running out of time.

Melca, in particular, is already suspicious of how you handled Fallhazel. If you come back a second time in a row without a heroine, you doubt if even your expert manipulation could keep her from forcing the issue. And if she grows desperate enough to abandon her attempts at subtlety before you've completed your own preparations...

Well. That would be very, very bad.

No, you need to make more headway in your seduction before your cover is compromised. Therefore, you decide to make the most of the opportunity that having Mockingbird as your bodyguard represents.

You wait patiently until the golden rays of dawn start to peek through the slats in the shutters on the window. Then, after a few last-minute discussions, you depart the safehouse. Mockingbird, as usual, follows you from the shadows. As far as she knows, your intent is to make yourself available for the incubus to contact you, assuming he takes the bait that you've so cleverly laid out for yourself.

First, though, you stop by the Griffon's Feather tavern, just as you did yesterday. Rifek greets you as you enter the back room.

"My people looked into that matter you asked us to investigate," he says. "And they discovered some information you might be interested in. There's a warehouse at the northeast end of the Copper Street slums. Funny thing... its owner suddenly forbade any of his workers from going near it. And the even funnier thing... it happened right around the same time as quite a few prostitutes went missing, all at once. Four of them, in fact. Their bodies were never found."

"That does sound like the incubi we're after..." you say, acting as if this is the first you've heard of the place. "Excellent work finding it. Knowing the location of their hideout could be crucial in dealing with these monsters."

The ratfolk studies you closely as you continue. "Next, I need you to deliver a message to the second floor of the tenement I've been staying in. Fourth room on the left, on the second floor. And don't use one of your kin to do it. Make sure it can't be connected back to you. Not even if the one delivering it is questioned and spills everything he knows."

"Then we'll use Old Kalei," Rifek says, nodding. "Reliable messenger. Honors his commitments. Doesn't ask questions, and doesn't even need to see the client. If you drop the message off at his shop with payment and instructions, he'll make sure it's delivered. I'll make the arrangements. What message did you want to send?"

You think for a moment. "Do you have a quill and paper?"

Once Rifek provides your request, you quickly begin to write.

Lady Alicia,

They say that you're protecting us from the demons. They say that you're hunting the incubus from Kovora. But you should know that he isn't the only demon plaguing this city. I know things. I see things. That's how I know where you are staying. And that's how I know that there's another demon just outside the building you're in, watching it.

He wears the form of a dog. But in truth, he's a fiend from the very pits of Hell. He's of the same kind as the demon that was killed in Vekmar a while back. And he feeds on the suffering of his victims in the exact same way. Show him no mercy.

Also, keep a lookout for his comrades. Especially should you encounter the sorcerer named Zethuriel. That one is a foe far beyond any you have ever faced before.

Be wary.

A friend

Upon finishing the letter you give it another once-over, before folding it and handing it to Rifek. Truth be told, Alicia is sharp enough that she'll probably suspect who this anonymous "friend" is most likely to be. But she won't know for sure. And that ambiguity could keep her guessing.

Either way, you expect that you'll have one less incubus to worry about after the message is delivered, which should happen sometime over the course of today. The question now is, how will Zethuriel react to the loss of one of his men? Will he continue with his current plan? Or will the heroines discovering his agent prompt him to adjust his approach?

And if so... in what way?

For the moment, however, you focus on Mockingbird. After thanking Rifek again, you emerge once more from the tavern and find your way to a secluded alley. The perfect place to converse with your bodyguard on your next steps. You glance around like you're searching for her, and it isn't long before your inhuman hearing alerts you to her approach, as she drops down into the alley behind you. She tries to remain undetected until the very last moment, however, only speaking when she's right behind you, mere inches apart. "Hey."

It's clearly meant to startle you. A provocation meant to tease her fellow rogue with a display of her far-superior stealth. And even though you did detect her, you act as though she caught you off-guard, jumping slightly and letting out a small, strangled yelp.

After all, you riled her up yesterday with your own teasing about her lack of sexual experience. But to foster the sense of rivalry you're aiming for, it's important to let her get wins in too. That way it feels like a true competition, one that will draw her in all the more.

You whirl around. And even with the mask covering her upper face, you can tell that the young rogue is radiating smugness at your reaction. You give her an annoyed look, which only makes her feel more satisfied at getting some of her own back. It's a validation of her own abilities... as well as a form of flirting, common among those unwilling to admit what they're doing, not even to themselves.

So this is how she's reacting to the attraction you kindled in her. How adorable.

She cocks her head as you collect yourself. "That's the second time you've gone into the Griffon's Feather," she says. "Do you have an in with Rifek or something?"

Interesting. Given Mockingbird's position in the criminal underworld—combined with the increased prominence to which Rifek has led his clan's services in this city—you suppose it only makes sense that she might guess who you were most likely meeting. "We have an arrangement," you acknowledge. "I asked him to keep an eye out for signs of demonic activity."

"Good choice," says Mockingbird, with grudging approval. "I bought information from him for a few of my own jobs too. He's one of the best there is. Did he find anything?"

"There was one possible lead he mentioned... but he didn't think it was very promising," you say. "For now, we should probably just stick with the original plan. With any luck, that incubus will come right to us."

"What meeting location did you give out when you were spreading the word yesterday?" Mockingbird asks. "Wherever it is, it needs to be somewhere I can keep a close eye on you."

"Don't worry, I remember the plan," you say, with a smile that contains just the right hint of sultriness, perfectly riding the line where Mockingbird can't be certain whether it's really there or whether she's imagining it. "I made sure that my room at the inn has some good hiding spots."

"Your... room?" Mockingbird says, trying her best not to let her voice squeak on the last word. She's belatedly realizing that she's going to be alone with you in much closer proximity to you than she realized, and in a much more intimate setting. Then she coughs. "R-right. Of course. That makes sense. Somewhere private. Somewhere he'll feel safe trying to make a move. And then when he tries... and you're distracting him... I'll... I'll take him out."

Once again you can see the dichotomy in her as she speaks. She's clearly not so comfortable with killing as the tough image she tries to project. Yet at the same time, she doesn't agree with Alicia's desire to take you alive. She doesn't want to take any risks with Elianna's safety.

She vanishes again before you can say anything more, leaving you to make your way to the inn that you picked out in your wanderings yesterday. You enter the modest establishment, then climb the stairs to your room. Once you've settled yourself you open the window, and Mockingbird swings herself in with nigh-supernatural grace and speed.

You close the window behind her, reinforcing the tight, cozy atmosphere. The young rogue isn't quite able to look you in the eye, instead studying her surroundings. "W-well..." she says, fidgeting. "I should... probably hide now... right?"

"Oh, we can wait until someone approaches or knocks," you say, sitting down on the bed. "But until then, we shouldn't let the time go to waste. This is a chance to get more familiar with each other. To prepare for the demon's arrival, so that we'll each know what to do if something happens."

As you speak, you stretch in a way that just so happens to emphasize your figure in a sensual way... without being obvious enough to seem deliberate. Mockingbird swallows, but then tries to play it off with nonchalance. "I... I guess. Sure. If you think it would help."

She sits down next to you, making sure to keep a decent distance. But it's an effort that you render useless simply by turning toward her, the movement shifting your longer legs around to brush lightly against her own. Not suggestively, of course. Barely even noticeable.

But Mockingbird definitely notices.

"So..." you begin, leaning in. "You said that your plan was to jump this demon, right? While I distracted him? Why don't the two of us figure out the best way to set him up for that? Tell me where to sit, and then we can practice. I'll be me... and you can pretend to be the incubus."

The young rogue goes red beneath her mask, and she can only nod. What follows is delicious torture for the poor girl, as the two of you prepare for various situations that Mockingbird thinks might occur, allowing you to strategize for all of them. In practice, what it really means is that she is constantly pulled toward thoughts of Kavia. Of the incubus. Of temptation. Of sin. Of the warmth of another's touch.

Of what might happen.

Previously, you only used a small application of your aphrodisiac, enough to ignite her desires without seeming too out of place. But now that the first application has had a day to settle in her mind, you start to push a little harder. And your "planning" gives you no shortage of chances to let your hands accidentally trace across her flesh.

Slowly, gradually, you draw her deeper and deeper into the act. Not all at once. Not so abruptly that she notices. But even so, as hour after hour goes by you lead her into thinking through scenario after scenario of what horrible, erotic things the incubus might do to the two of you.

Always with the aim of thwarting his efforts, of course.

Eventually, you get her to the point that she's straddling you as you sit propped against the wall. Her tiny body feels so light against yours. She gazes at you, a tangle of emotion in her eyes, your faces mere inches apart.

But then, without warning, she lowers her head, closing her eyes.

"Are you... really okay with helping me like this?" she asks, her voice suddenly small. "Attacking this demon, I mean. I... I know Alicia said not to do this. She wants to feed him false information and lay a trap. She even wants to take him alive. And... I mean... she probably has a good reason. Are you really sure you don't want to listen to her instead? I mean, she's... you know... Alicia."

The rogue lets out a shaky little laugh. "Next to her, I'm just a nobody. A nobody who's been a bitch to you this whole time."

In reply, you raise a hand to caress her cheek, lifting her head to look at you again. You give her a kind smile as you look into her startled eyes.

"It's all for Elianna, isn't it?" you ask quietly. "To protect her, you'd go against Alicia. To protect her... you'd go against the whole damn world if you had to. Isn't that right?"

Mockingbird just nods wordlessly. Seeing that, you give her a rueful smile. "Believe me..." you say. "I understand."

For a frozen moment, the two of you stare at each other, your souls laid bare. And then Mockingbird lunges forward and kisses you.

It's frantic and passionate, mashing her lips into yours with all the desperate fumbling of someone who has never once done it before. You respond, deepening the kiss and slipping her some tongue as you pull her closer. She moans into you, a needy noise of yearning, her toes curling with the sheer pleasure of the moment, as it stretches on and on. Until finally she has to pull away for air, her breathing heavy, her pupils dilated with lust.

But then... then you see the guilt creep back into her eyes. The crippling self-hatred that she has been stewing in for so many years, that has kept her so horribly alone for all that time. Unable to move on, unable to open herself to others. It won't relinquish its grip on her quite so easily.

She jumps back, twisting back out of your arms with incredible dexterity. It's like trying to hold onto smoke. "No..." she whispers miserably, flinching and looking frantically in every direction except yours. "No, no, I'm sorry... I'm not... This isn't... I shouldn't be... I don't deserve... This is a mistake!"

Perhaps if you'd been a bit more heavy-handed with your aphrodisiac? But... no. No, your instincts tell you that would likely have backfired. If you'd pushed too hard—if you'd pushed past the point where your nature would have been too inescapably obvious—then Mockingbird might well have killed you, despite all your temptations.

She isn't a traditional heroine by any means. She doesn't have their resolute sense of justice grounding her willpower, nor their iron-clad principles. But what she does have is her simple love for Elianna... and her fanatical need to not betray her mother-figure again.

You won't underestimate the lengths that need could drive her to. Nor will you let haste goad you into a mistake you can't recover from.

Besides, even as things stand, Mockingbird is so close now. After this seduction, she's teetering on the very edge of giving in. Teetering on the very edge of what you just know can make her happy. She should only need one more nudge to fully push her over.

But right here, right now... it isn't the right time to press her more than you already have. Not with direct seduction, at least.

Instead, you frown from where you lie propped up against the wall. "What's wrong?" you ask, acting perplexed. "Why did you stop?"

Mockingbird just stares down at her feet. "I'm... I'm sorry," she says again, miserably. "I can't do this. I shouldn't do this. I... need to focus on protecting Elianna. That's the only thing that matters. It always was. I can't... I don't deserve to be..."

Just watching the irrational shame and self-loathing feels like a blade twisting in your own guts. As painful as any stab the rogue herself could have inflicted on you. It's like a black cloud hanging over her. One she's spent years feeding in her loneliness, telling herself over and over again that she isn't worthy.

"Mockingbird..." you say, dialing back the temptation in favor of gentler tactics. "I don't want to pressure you into anything. And I don't know what you mean when you say you don't deserve this. But... there's one thing I want you to think about. Really, really think about."

You take a deep breath, then continue. "When you tell yourself everything you don't deserve... can you imagine Elianna saying that? Can you really, truly imagine her believing that of you?"

The silence that follows is deafening. You rise to your feet, looking down with compassion at the young rogue. And then you call on all your charisma to press your next words home. "Because I can't. Not even for a moment."

Mockingbird's fists clench, and you can tell that your words hit their target, hard. Still, no matter how impactful they might have been... it's unfortunately not the sort of moment that you can follow up by trying to kiss her some more. Not right away, at least.

Which means you'll need to decide what to do next. The morning has largely passed at this point, and it's now moving into evening. From her agitated posture, you can tell that Mockingbird is desperate for an excuse to flee, to escape the close quarters of this room and get some breathing space. But at the same time, she also knows that she's supposed to be guarding you against the incubus' depredations.

In the state she's in, it wouldn't take much to convince her that you've done enough for today, that the incubus isn't likely to show up at this point. But what would you suggest instead? You could nudge her toward checking in with Alicia, and tell her that you'll go to Elianna for protection instead. That would give her an excuse to run off, to think more about what you said to her and what she truly wants. And of course, it would also give you an opening to further progress Elianna's seduction as well.

On the other hand, if you wanted to keep focusing on Mockingbird, you could leverage the seed you planted earlier, when you spoke of the uncertain lead on demonic activity that Rifek gave you. If you used that to point Mockingbird in the direction of the incubus hideout, you could work together to ambush the demon guarding Yvette and the other captives.

That in itself could serve as a powerful bonding experience, depending on how you handled it. It might not be as certain as a simple, direct seduction... but another direct seduction would probably be a bad idea anyway, so soon on the heels of this morning's intense foray. And it would give you the chance to save the tortured prisoners, as well as eliminate more of the enemy threatening you.

However... if you do try to approach the warehouse, the incubus watching from the skies will warn his compatriot long before you can reach him, spoiling any hope of an ambush. You'd need to either sneak past him, or take him out as well. Either of which would eat into your remaining pool of Lust. And—in the latter case—it would also delay one of your other objectives.

Would striking a blow like that be worth the cost? That's something only you can decide.

There are so many unknowns. How much longer does your Kavia identity have left? How will Zethuriel react, once he realizes Alicia has caught onto his spy? If he does change his tactics, how much of your current intelligence advantage will be invalidated? If you do attack the warehouse with Mockingbird, how will your ambush play out?

You can't know for sure. All you can do is use your limited information to make the best choice that you can.