Closed There'll Be Hell to Pay

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A city floating in the center of a lake, Ravok is a place of dark beauty, romance and culture. Behind it all though is the presence of Rhysol, God of Evil and Betrayal. The city is controlled by The Black Sun, a religious organization devoted to Rhysol. [Lore]

There'll Be Hell to Pay

Postby Elias Caldera on April 3rd, 2018, 1:38 am

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17th of Spring, 518 AV

Elias had never felt such a particular discomfort like the one he now suffered. It was akin to sitting in the principle’s office, awaiting his punishment. The dread, the anxiety, the unbearable sense of helplessness. These were things a man like he was all too familiar with truth be told, but that familiarity only served to deepened his anguish. He felt like he should have said something, should have made his presence more domineering and known, but instead all he could do was sink deeper in to a chair that was far too comfortable for his tastes and await his judgement.

The man who held his fate in his hands?

A Nitrozian.

Nay, ‘The’ Nitrozian. Sitanos, first of his name and lord of his great house. A house Elias now found himself in that day. He had come to the Nitrozian hat in hand, as it were, and by their servant Olcott’s lead, the young stryfer had been led into the old man’s private office, the proclamation of intent he’d brought for consideration now resting comfortably in Sitanos’s hands as the older man studied it with a level of scrutiny that either bordered on the obsessive, or the utterly nonplussed. Trying to read the powerful businessman and his mood was like trying to make sense of Rhysol’s whim. It was particularly vexing, but the thought of using his auristics on the man in order to decipher his thoughts seemed like a particularly terrible idea, especially with Olcott, his loyal man servant, in the room. The older servant pretended as if to be courteously waiting off to the sidem awaiting his master’s beck and call, but the mage had worked with the butler in the past on behalf of the Nitrozians, that particular business with the summoner Baltizar Black coming first to his mind. He had gleamed something cunning and sinister hiding behind that frail old face, and knew the moment he’d laid eyes on him he was not one to so idly trifled with. After there business together had been concluded, there had been a shrewd promise of more tasks like that one to come, and a not so subtle promise on Elias’s part that he would be more than up for the task when the time arose.

Ever since Sitanos’s daughter, Evarista had been placed in Elias’s care -for lack of a better term- the scarred soldier had been using his connection to the family to further his affluence within the house, doing what he could when he could for them in order to gain a foothold of confidence. They were slow to trust naturally, but in the end he had likely gained Eva’s favor, and perhaps even Olcott’s as well. Hopefully, that would be enough to sway the man who both answered to in their own way.

He had heard rumor that Sitanos was as shrewd as he was fair in his dealings, and Elias prayed that was true. It was difficult enough to swallow his pride and come here looking for the hand out he now sought just once, he didn’t think he could do it a second time if the Nitrozian turned him away. He needed this money desperately though, because tied to it was his own family’s future. Costs for the renovations of the manor had spiraled so far out of control it was enough to leave a man dizzy, but the Caldera was forced to preserver. Little meant more to him than his family’s security and pride at this point, and he had convinced himself no low was too low to make sure he had assured both, for Alija, for her boy, for the future of all those who were yet to come. This needed to be done, and it needed to be done right.

His plans for the gold had all been laid out as carefully and as thoughtfully as man like Elias could manage with pen and paper, and all his consideration and planning were in clear detail upon the parchment Sitanos now studied.

Biting back a wayward sigh, the warrior shifted his weight uncomfortably and straightened himself with the seat. The sound of grinding leather was almost as awkward as Elias’s first attempt at speaking since he’d made his introductions and proposed his suggestion. He cleared his throat and coughed into his balled hand, both older gentleman turning their attentions slowly to the scarred killer. “Is… madam Evarista going to be joining us today?” He asked, trying to work up all the dignity and eminence his stiff frame could manage.

He groaned within his thoughts, annoyed by his own patheticness. Where the heck is that girl? he growled, glancing at the large ornate doors fo the office. Now when I actually need her here!
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There'll Be Hell to Pay

Postby Evarista on April 3rd, 2018, 9:37 pm

Before anyone could reply to his question, the heavy wooden door rattled softly and opened just enough to let a familiar figure squeeze inside awkwardly. While it would be silly to attribute Evarista's tardiness to troubles with opening the door, judging by the droplet of sweat on her forehead, it evidently took more than one try.

After a quick scan of the room, she determined, most importantly, that the approach to the minibar was strategically blocked by Olcott. In other news, it looked it like meeting she was supposed to attend was already underway. Elias' rugged shape and dress stood out rather badly against the tastefully civilian richness of the room. Surrounded by gently carved wood and subtle velvet, the soldier was clearly out of his element, and his tense posture only made it worse. It was amusing.

Straightening her hair, Evarista approached the table and bowed slightly to neither of the men in particular. Sitanos' eyes shifted up, meeting hers for a moment before returning to his work. That was all the acknowledgement she would get.

"Good morning," she said quietly, even though the sun was well past zenith.

Pausing in hesitation, the still drowsy heiress surveyed the empty chairs scattered around the table. Was she supposed to sit next to Elias? Or next to her father? Or at the short side of the table, maybe? She leered sideways at Olcott, silently asking for instruction. The ever-sharp old butler needed no words and tilted his head towards Elias. Evarista silently sank into the empty armchair next to the stryfer, at first leaning back into the soft pillows, but then straightening herself when she remembered this wasn't a lunch lounge. Business meeting sure were difficult. Apparently you could fail even before sitting down.

A long silence followed, interrupted only by the rustling of parchment in Sitanos' hands as his eyes scanned line after line slowly and patiently. There was no doubt that he was the pace-setter, and he was not in a rush. He was never in a rush.

Slouching in her seat, Evarista glanced over to Elias, trying to gauge his mood. He had described his plan to her a while before and asked for her support. She agreed without thinking much of it. The poor man didn't know was that her "support" was worse than nothing, since her lack of business sense was bitterly notorious in the family. The failure child was not stupid enough not to realize that this meeting was happening because of Olcott's backing and not because of hers. If anything, her backing was a cause for suspicion, being such a bizarrely unusual occurrence that it cast a shadow over his case by itself. But she had agreed to put in her own word for him anyway. He would misunderstand if she refused.

After what felt like a very long time, the patriarch neatly gathered the documents into a stack and laid it on the table before him. His eyes rose to the scarred guest, expression sphinx-like and inscrutable.

"Elias Caldera..." he said thoughtfully, resting his elbows on the table and lacing his fingers. Suddenly, he turned to Evarista.

"How did you two meet?" he asked, staring at her with odd interest.

"Huh? Ah... hmm." Evarista looked out of the window, furrowing her brow and rubbing her chin. "Was it the café? No, wait."

It was such a simple question! But since her memory had a tendency to strip away much of the nonessentials, along with a whole lot of the essentials, she ran into trouble. Feeling the panic set in, the scratched her head, fingernails scraping against her scalp forcefully as if hoping to pry the answer out of there. She was afraid to look at Elias, instead shooting glances everywhere else in the room and trying to recall the order of their encounters.

Sitanos wouldn't give her any more time, though, already arriving at a conclusion.

"The café, huh. So he's your drinking buddy. I see." The older man closed his eyes and shifted leisurely in his massive chair, as if envisioning the two of them spending quality hours demolishing cheap vintage at Weeds Café, or whatever that dingy place was called. Not that it didn't happen, but it was not quite the whole story.

"No. We also did other things." How that the order of events was no longer important to the conversation, Evarista could save face. Elias' face, that is, since there was already no saving her own. "For example, we went to investigate th-"

The scatterbrained heiress stopped herself mid-word when she realized she was about to say something she wasn't supposed to know. Sitanos leaned forward, obviously very curious.

"Yes? Go on," he urged.

"We went to..." Like the crew of a damaged boat in a storm, Evarista's mind worked desperately to plug the drain she had opened. "that place where they're building the theatre. He helped me get the papers for it."

A wave of relief washed over her at the realization that she actually had a legitimate story to tell.

"Oh." Sitanos furrowed his brows in concern. "I recall the chief maid mentioning that you came back with a bruise on your face that day. Was it his doing?"

"N-no. That was... hmm, I think there was someone else there, but..."

***

The conversation went on as if Elias was not there. Sitanos' demeanor remained impenetrable, but it was hard to imagine that a wise man would not get deeply skeptical of Evarista's badly stitched exposition of Elias' merits. It was hard to imagine that a wise man would not get deeply skeptical of anyone who voluntarily kept this girl company at all.

After squeezing a whole pile of incoherent facts and fictions about Elias from his poor daughter, the patriarch slowly rose from his chair and turned to the subject of interest for the first time since the conversation started. In his eyes was reflected intense judgement. Evarista's grand tale could be interpreted in many ways. The most flattering variant was the suggestion that Elias spends only half his workdays getting smashed at Weeds, takes anonymous nightly trips to the lakeshore with only the most honest of intentions, spikes crazy wizards with dangerous drugs only when he's quite sure it's safe, and punches Evarista in the face only when he doesn't have a crowbar handy.

"Mr. Caldera, I can see that you are a... proactive individual. It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance. As for your offer..."

Sitanos made a painfully long pause, as if making up his mind on the fly. His eyes veered off to the window, reflecting many conflicting thoughts for no one to see.

"I shall look into the matter."
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There'll Be Hell to Pay

Postby Okara on July 26th, 2018, 6:47 pm

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Elias Caldera


Sitanos Nitrozian: Head of the Nitrozian Family
Nestor Olcott: Chief of Staff at Nitrozian Estate
Evarista: Not a Great Hype Man

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Evarista

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Elias Caldera: Seeking Business with the Nitrozians

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