[Rearing Stallion] Sayana uses her dancing as a means to trade for information.
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This shining population center is considered the jewel of The Sylira Region. Home of the vast majority of Mizahar's population, Syliras is nestled in a quiet, sprawling valley on the shores of the Suvan Sea. [Lore]
In a swirl of red silk Sayana spun round and round. Faster and faster she played upon her finger cymbals, changing the rhythms to simpler and simpler ones as it sped up. It was a rush, the last dance of the night and she added in the fast beat of her tambourine to further increase the energy and euphoria she was feeling. At last the musician halted with one final note and half a tick after the Eypharian landed in pose. Her high arms above her head with the finger cymbals, her mids out as she held the silken cloth and her lows creating that final hit of the tambourine.
The dancer stood frozen in the pose for a chime or two, and anyone near enough to watch could see her stomach panting heavily from the work out. Her face and eyes betrayed no such strain, but perhaps she held the pose a little longer than necessary to catch her breath. At last, after some applause from the patrons of the tavern, Sayana broke her pose to sweep into an elegant bow embellished by the flowing silk she still held in her hands.
“That my last dance tonight on this dais,” the dancer announced to her audience. “However, for those still wanting to enjoy the lovely curves of my body, I will be doing personalized dances throughout the night for those with some extra coin.” After a second bow, she made her way smoothly off the stage and went first to the back to grab herself an ale. She chugged it down, glad to have something refreshing to quench her thirst and then her eyes began to peruse the tavern.
She thought about what Alexus had said earlier that day. You can learn a lot by looking. It was late in the evening but there were still many clusters of people about. Knights tended to stick with other knights after a long day’s work. They tended to wear a bit of armour or at least have an obvious sword or other weapon visible at their side. And if one looked closely, one could pick out various knightly symbols embroidered or etched into their garments or armour. The clothing of commoners tended to be more bland and sometimes dirty or tattered. A merchant of brighter colours sat in a corner while two young ladies chattered and fawned over singleton knight.
But just because she could pick out someone’s profession didn’t mean she could suddenly learn all about them. The dancer frowned as she tried to look more closely into the buzz that filled the tavern. There was a chink of cups. Perhaps a celebratory toast amongst friends? She saw a set of knuckle bones tossed onto a table. One of the squires there grinned rather smugly and there was an exchange of coins. It seemed as though gambling didn’t take place only down by the docks. At another table a young man reached out tentatively for a woman’s hand, but she quickly brought a napkin to her face and tucked the hand underneath the table. If her gesture wasn’t enough, her chilly expression made it easy for Sayana to guess that the relationship wasn’t going so well.
“You said you would be giving private dances?” A young man spoke and Sayana was startled out of her ‘people-watching’. “Y-Yes. Yes I am doing private dances.” The Eypharian replied as she brought herself back to reality. She must have really not been paying attention for him to have snuck up on her like that. “And if you would sit, kind ser, I would be happy to do one for you,” she said with her usual air of confidence back once more. She stood with a smile and raised her high arms above her head with her finger cymbals at the ready. The young man eagerly took a seat. “You know, I’m not a Ser--" he began but Sayana placed a finger upon his lips as if to seal them. “But I’ll treat you as if you were one,” she said with a wink and began to step slowly around the chair he had chosen.
Sayana bent down in front of the man with her mid hands upon his shoulders giving him a lovely view of her cleavage. Her hips went one way with a ching-a-ching from her finger cymbals and then the other way with another accompanying set of chimes. She licked a finger from her mid hand and traced it delicately over the soft brown skin of her upper chest. She then flicked her hair to one side to expose the side of her neck.
The Eypharian was hard pressed to keep the smug smile from her face as she watched as his gaze followed each curve she chose to emphasize. She started moving about him in a circle again. Every so often she would stop and play a pattern with the finger cymbals and either twist her hips or shimmy her chest. Occasionally she would also use a hand to caress his shoulder or arm or chest.
Her finale consisted of her straddling his lap with one last chest shimmy. His hands moved to her hips and then started to reach further to wrap around her rear. Sayana gave a meaningful look towards her daggers and with her low hands she firmly placed his hands back on her hips. With a chorus of chimes from her finger cymbals, she finally ended her dance for him. For the most part it had consisted of simpler moves but when they were done up close and in a seductive way, it was hard not to be appreciative.
“That will be one gold miza,” the dancer said. But then with a sly smile she bent forwards to whisper into his ear, “Or, you can tell me a secret. About yourself, or about something going on in Syliras. That will also suffice.” Sayana straightened up and watched his face as he suddenly considered the second option. “Which shall it be?”
The young man racked his mind for secrets. He wasn’t so keen about sharing his own to the exotic lady even if she promised to keep them private, which she hadn’t. With a gold miza he could buy plenty and didn’t really want to part with one. Eventually his face curved into a smile. He beckoned her with a hand and she leaned in to listen. “Early this spring,” he whispered. “I saw a knight kissing a squire. He was kissing a female squire, and I think he asked to become her patron. That was here in fact.”
When he was done, Sayana leaned back and got to her feet. With a nod and a smile she simply said, “I hope you enjoyed the dance.” Perhaps people could be persuaded to provide useful information.
Sayana started to make her rounds of the tavern. She’d blow a kiss here and give a bat of her eyelashes there as she tried to stir up interest for the idea of a private dance and hence more opportunities for her to gather information. The Eypharian also tried to keep her eyes peeled for clues about people and her ears ready to eavesdrop on a conversation. “Have you seen that new cat that’s been in and about the tavern? The other day I swear it was glaring at me when I said the food was rather bland.” “Rabbits, rabbits, rabbits. I’ve had it with them. I wish I could trap the lot of them.”
There seemed to be a heated debate in a corner. “I thought you had given up on those dreadful Wind Reach drugs. And now I find out that you’ve spent god knows how many mizas on your next fix?” Sayana decided to steer clear of the angry duo and eventually managed to catch the eye of a Syliran knight. He was a little older but was still one to enjoy her teasing advances. She performed a similar dance for him, though this time a little more refined and filled with subtle glances rather than blatant physical movements. She’d give a little spin, then look over her shoulder at him. The dancer allowed her leg to be revealed up to her mid-thigh using the long slit down one side, but she didn’t show any higher. Sayana also used her finger cymbals to create more complicated patterns and followed along with the music by dancing with light steps around the chair the knight sat in. At last she finished her private dance by seating herself sideways upon his lap, in an almost lady-like poise.
When Sayana asked for either a gold miza or a secret, the knight only hesitated for a moment before producing the coin. She mentally gave a sigh of disappointment but on the outside she maintained a friendly smile and thanked the man. So some people could be effectively bribed, while others weren’t as easy.
Her next target was a man who looked more wealthy. His clothes were of bright colours and they were crisp without any tears or worn edges. His face was clean shaven and he seemed a little heavier than the average person. He was probably well-fed and seldom had to miss a meal due to lack of coin. Sayana performed a similar dance for him. It was a little looser than the one with the knight but a little more refined than her first one with the young man. This man, likely a merchant, was also a bit older but seemed to enjoy a good woman.
At the end of her dance, the merchant considered the two forms of payment. In a low voice he said, “There have been rumors about the svefra merchants. They come to trade from across the seas but lately they haven’t been very happy. Something about being treated unfairly. I overheard that they are trying to bring in several ships to confront Ser Loren Dyres himself. But that sounds rather far-fetched in my opinion.” Sayana nodded with appreciation and gave a quick thanks before moving on. She was starting to wonder what she’d even do with the wide assortment of information. Still, it seemed to be going well and she was anxious for more.
The dancer began to peruse the tavern once more. This time she sparked the interest of a small group of both squires and commoners. For them they’d have the benefit of splitting the cost of a private dance whereas she might reap the rewards of five unique secrets. The Eypharian began her dance with a twirl of her skirt and carried on with full vigor using her finger cymbals to create interesting rhythms to dance to. She danced to her audience as a whole but also gave specific attention to each individual. Even though there was a group of them, it was important that each person felt as though the dance was specific to them.
She finished the dance with a bow and then announced, “You can pay with a gold miza or… I’m also accepting secrets as payment.” Sayana watched their faces as some of them contemplated the idea. At last a scrawny young man stepped forwards.
“Secrets eh? I know just the thing, but I’ll have to take you outside and round the back.” The man said. Sayana looked to the others but then he added, “And trust me, it’ll be good enough to cover all of us.” The Eypharian gave a nod and tried to hide her smile as the scrawny man led the way outside. It was cool out but not so cold that she’d find herself shivering.
He rounded the corner to the back side of the tavern and glanced around to make sure no one was in sight. “We’re all alone sweetheart,” Sayana murmured with a smile. “Now what was this secret of yours?”
With a force she would have never expected of such a small man, he punched her straight in the gut. Sayana doubled over clutching her stomach and was winded for a moment. He used the opportunity to aim a second blow for the side of her face, which contacted her cheek and split the skin. “What are you trying to find out with your little ploy?” He spoke in a dangerous voice but not raising it any higher than he had to. “Are you some crude spy without any sense of being discrete? Why are you here?”
As she began to recover he aimed another punch to her stomach which she only managed to somewhat block and have the punch land on her side instead. Breathing heavily and trying to ignore the pain from the blows, Sayana tried to speak, “I…” “You what?” Came his crisp reply. “I was trying to see if I could do it. Find out information, learn about rumors.”
She was met by an upwards punch to her jaw. Her head snapped back and hit the wall behind her and she realized he had backed her up against the tavern wall. He swiftly drew a knife and pressed it to her throat. “You will not continue in this line of business, understand?” Her head was pounding and it was all she could do to make the slightest nod.
However, as soon as the man started to release his hold on her, Sayana made a grab for his wrist with the knife and kneed him hard in the groin. Now it was his turn to double over as she quickly armed herself with her pair of tamo daggers in her mid hands. He recovered quickly though, and soon had a knife in his second hand too.
Sayana lunged forwards, feinting with her left mid and striking hard with her right. Unfortunately, he was quick on his feet and had jumped back from both her attacks. He then came at her left side and she managed to block the blow with her left high by forcing his arm away. At the same time she seized the opportunity of his exposed side and used her right mid to plunge her dagger into it.
As Sayana pulled it out, she at last saw fear in his eyes. She stood back confidently and considered how far she wanted to take things and whether he might succumb to interrogation. The man used the time to quickly switch one of his knives for a dagger and lunged forwards again. The Eypharian caught him hard with an upwards punch to his jaw, much like he had done earlier but he still managed to nick the upper portion of her high left arm. She breathed in sharply. It stung.
The man had now backed off but watched her warily as he clutched his left side. Oh the things she would like to do to him now. The Eypharian pulled out her throwing daggers with her high hands and contemplated where best to nail him so it would hurt but so she wouldn’t cause a huff with the knights. Even as she drew them she started feeling her arms weaken and that it was becoming more of an effort to breathe. Confusion flooded her face as she took a couple of stumbling steps to prop herself up against the wall. Her eyes narrowed as she looked towards the man. With two weak throws from both her high hands, she let the daggers fly but they clattered harmlessly upon the ground and didn’t reach her target.
The man approached cautiously and Sayana muttered in confusion, “What? What did you do?” “If you try to set the knights on me, you’ll be dead next time,” he said grimly and gave her one last blow to the stomach. That was all it took for her to crumple to the ground and let the poison do its work to keep her knocked out for the next couple of bells.
Note :
The poison described is Blue Whinnis.
"An odorless, light blue liquid extracted from concentrated whinnis root found in forest environments. L1 Skill to create. Effects caused through injury. Causes mild weakness followed by unconsciousness for up to three hours."
Last edited by Sayana on April 20th, 2015, 2:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
When Sayana awoke it was dark and chilly. The bed was hard beneath her and she seemed to have lost her pillow. Her hand brushed over the cobbled street and she realized where she was. Her eyes immediately shot open and she strained to hear anything abnormal but it was quiet other than the slight rustling of the nighttime breeze. She let out a groan as she rolled over. Her stomach and jaw ached and when she moved her high left arm she could feel the sting of the cut.
Why had he left her alive? Was he afraid of what the knights would do if they found a dead body? And what was it that had caused her to suddenly feel weak? As she slowly got to her feet, her body ached from lying on the cobblestones. Sayana gathered up her daggers, which the man seemed not to care for, and then brushed herself off. Maybe Remi might have some warm soup to drink after this ordeal. However, when Sayana looked in through the window, the tavern was dark and empty. How late was it? How long had she been out?
As the Eypharian walked home to her apartment she still felt rather shaken. She had been so sure she had had the upper hand in the fight but then everything had suddenly changed. But he hadn’t killed her. Yet he made it clear if she tried to ask the knights for help, she wouldn’t live all that long. Perhaps there weren’t many people in Syliras who gathered information and he wanted it to stay that way. Maybe she had drawn too much attention to herself which might have started to threaten the secrecy of his line of work.
Fortunately her walk home was uneventful but mind was now plagued with questions regarding the incident. If nothing else, she’d have to be much more careful next time. If she decided there would be a next time. When she got home she lit a candle and quietly went to her washbasin to wash the cut on her high arm. Didn’t he switch daggers at the end? Could the dagger have been dipped in some sort of poison? Panic rose inside her as she wondered what other effects the poison might have. Should she go and find Devi? Would a healer know what to do?
But then she remembered it had not been his intention to kill her. And if it were some deadly poison, it would have done its damage much earlier when she had been unconscious. Sayana forced herself to calm down with this reasoning, but she still ended up doing a more than thorough job washing it with water. Afterwards, she covered the cut with a thin layer of Krolar poultice. That should help it heal better.
When she looked in the mirror to examine her face, she found a small cut on her cheek with a nasty bruise starting to form underneath it. With a grimace she repeated the procedure and winced a little as she dabbed the water on the cut. She glanced over at Aren’s sleeping form and decided she’d prefer that he didn’t know what had happened. She first donned her set of red sleeves so that the cut on her arm would be concealed. Then she began the painstaking task of using face pastes to cover up the marks on her cheek. Sayana idly wondered if it would take longer for it to heal due to the cosmetics. When she was done, it wasn’t completely hidden but it looked much better than before. At least she could shrug it off as something minor. But now it was time that she got some rest.
Note to Grader :
I know that Syliras would not have many underground groups, but I tried to describe something that is more focused on information gathering rather than assassination or thievery. I think that Syliras would still have people working in the information gathering field and they may be protective in the way they do it. I made a NPC (Daniel Braklin) for this thread after writing it (since I thought maybe I should make it official), though it's likely that Nightmare won't have gotten through the NPC requests by the time this is graded.
by Sayana on April 20th, 2015, 1:37 am 
