[Aquillar Hot Springs] Of Friends and Tranquility (Open)

[Zenai]

Season of Fall, Day 65, 511 AV

Winter was fast approaching, and that entails colder days and winds that could chill your bones until it freezes. People got ready for the oncoming winter by stocking up on essential items and provisions like food, blankets and firewood. To Zenai, people seemed busier just before winter than any other time of year. It was true to an extent; farmers need to harvest their crops, housewives going about stocking their homes with necessities, men making sure they had jobs and a room over their heads, and of course, crime rings looking for ways to expand their influence and power. All of these things are done despite the cold season. Mortals were quite a few levels above animals and have gotten used to staying up through winter than hibernating during the colder days. The other explanation would be that Zenai and others like him are unnatural beings who just recently came to this world and go about their business ignoring the natural laws of the world. Maybe that’s why their world was shattered in an attempt to destroy them all; an alternative explanation to the “history” of Mizahar which Zenai would keep to himself. For now, he just wants to enjoy his night-off with friends and maybe cleanse away his worries.

Zenai dismissed the thought as he walked towards the hot springs where he plans to enjoy the warm waters upon his cold-to-the-touch skin. He had heard about this place but thought it was just some kind of ambush set up bandits. However, he had sought out more information about the place and what was said about was true and consistent. The place was real indeed and it was owned by an old couple who you wouldn’t want to mess with. Rumors were about that these couple was former Syliran Knights working undercover for the knightly order in Syliras. The rumors further explained that they were spies and kept a close eye on the major factions within Sunberth. Zenai dismissed the rumors as tale-spinning as he heard himself, from other Syliran Knights during his days as their squire, that they were really retired knights trying to make a living away from Syliras. Maybe they were lying to Zenai but he didn’t care up to this point. All he wants to do is to enjoy himself for a bit while getting away from the troubled nature of Sunberth. He also liked some law and order at some point or another and Zenai reckons that this was one of the most ordered places in all of Sunberth. Hopefully, that doesn’t change while he is there.

Zenai waited at the entrance for the others. Zenai knew that Eridanus and Shai were coming while Bob had hinted that he might show up. Zenai saw comradeship in Eridanus as a fellow newcomer to Sunberth who has, more or less, the same values as Zenai. Shai had stolen from Zenai some time ago but it seems she wants to make amends somehow. Zenai suspects that Shai wants to use Zenai as an insider to Old Leg’s operations as if he can give her any useful information. Bob was Zenai’s long-time friend from way back during his younger years. Bob would have been the most likely reason for Zenai not being accepted as a Syliran Knight if Zenai didn’t leave the knightly order on his own accord. Also, there was no telling if the three would bring additional friends and not to mention, any other people that so happens to decide to partake in the warmth bath of the spring. Zenai doesn’t mind especially if he could set up a network of some sort. With possible friends and allies, Zenai would increase his chance of survival in Sunberth. That and knowing who hates you so you can avoid them if at all possible.

The sun has almost set and Zenai tapped his foot as he impatiently waits for the rest to come. Didn’t he say come at this very time and spot? Maybe they just don’t know about how to arrive at functions on time or it could be Zenai being early and just blaming the rest of them. Zenai looked down the road anticipating the arrival of the others.

[Idue]

Idue often found himself in odd places around Sunberth. Usually he was found in Stumble Alley, but today the Benshira was wandering the Aquillar Hot Springs. It was yet another thing new for Idue. In Ekytol, the water he drank was hot because they were in the desert. But this water was hot only for the enjoyment of those trying to escape the oncoming chill of Winter. And boy was it cold for Idue, never experiencing a cold winter. Really, the only way he knew the season changes was from watchtowers. So if anyone were to see Idue here, they'd know why. A Benshira who wished to escape the cold he had never experienced. Idue wandered around the hot springs, letting the steam rise up and warm him without stripping nude to enjoy this. He had saw one beautiful woman do so, and three hairy men. That alone was enough to keep his clothes on, even though he was sweating. But he didn't worry about thinking as he swam through his own thoughts. Nearly a whole season he had been in Sunberth, and had heard nothing about a Benshira arriving here over twenty years ago. Was he looking in the wrong places? Or had she changed course before even arriving in Sunberth? Dwelling in his inner thoughts, Idue almost missed someone he knew. Looking up, he saw the red-headed man Zenai he had sparred beside so long ago. Without reliving that day, Idue instead wondered why he was here. Thankfully he was fully clothed unlike others around here, so that raised a red flag like it did with Idue. Why did he come to the hot springs and not experience them? Idue glanced down to make sure his axes were stick stuck into his sash, and walked up to the man. "Nice seeing you once more Zenai. What brings you around these parts?" Idue put on a smile. Unlike men like Bob, Zenai was a decent person. Plus he didn't have to look down so much with this man. But really, he liked Zenai, and he was friendly with those he liked.

[Shai]

Shai was not new to the bathhouses; she occasionally enjoyed a soak whenever the human slime of Sunberth got to her. Consequently when Zenai mentioned it, she knew to bring a few silver rimmed mizas for her own private bath. If Zenai was going to be there, there might be a chance that Bob was and even though she liked him she had no desire to be with him. Bob was a human and to Shai all humans were beneath her, they could be fine companions but never bedmates. Someday she’d manage to impart that fact on Bob but that man had an extraordinary ability to take her rejections as come-ons. Her suspicions regarding Bob were confirmed when she saw the man headed that way as well. She chose to join him in their walk towards the bathhouse. It wasn’t a short walk and company wasn’t unwelcome.

Shai pulled her cloak tight around her, it was beginning to get colder during the nights and the walk out to the hot springs wasn’t a short one. Zenai had mentioned another was attending but she couldn’t recall their name only that she had never heard it before. In one of her pockets was a small peace offering for the hot spring’s turtles, one time she had been caught attempting to steal. It had been when she was new to Sunberth and not as skilled at larceny as she was now, as a result she hadn’t actually stolen anything yet so she just looked like a she was creeping around and managed to get off without any real punishment from the elder couple. Now every time she returned she brought a morsel for the creatures to show her good will to Natlana.

Shai arrived just after the sun had shed its final rays on Sunberth. Her vision adjusted quickly to the low light and so she spotted Zenai. There also appeared to be another man with him, perhaps this was the final person he had mentioned? She waved to Zenai but walked past him to the turtles. She knelt and fed them each a few leaves of lettuce. Lettuce was always somewhat strange to Shai, she had no ability to eat it the leaves were too thin for her venom to work but the lettuce itself was not soft enough for her to eat without liquefying it first. While she would never admit it, Shai had once popped a leaf into her mouth, chewed it, and spit it out just so she could know the taste. It wasn’t a very special taste so Shai didn’t feel she was missing anything at all when she fed the turtles. Finished with the turtles Shai returned to Zenai. “Good Evening Zenai, I apologize for being tardy.” She nodded towards the other man in greeting as well. Honestly, she was late because she had only woken up a few bells ago Shai preferred the night and had become relatively nocturnal as a result. But that seemed like more information than she wanted to divulge or that they needed to know. “I will be taking a private bath, of course, but I’d still like to meet the other person you mentioned who would be coming? Is this him?"she smiled towards Idue to indicate him. Shai was unwilling to let another contact escape, the more people she knew the more danger she was in to slavers but also the more people that might help her for whatever reason. Additionally, perhaps Zenai’s friend was a guard as well, guards were always good to know.

[Eridanus]

Eridanus was actually already inside the hot springs, inside the reception room and chatting up a particularly energetic woman who wasn't bad to look at, not to mention her apparently lack of clothing (only covered by a towel) and fresh scent and look of one who had just relaxingly soaked in the springs for a bell or two. The general feel of the area relaxed him as well, and he was glad that Zenai suggested this place as a gathering. To him, it was more of a gathering of friends - friends that he built a strong bond despite in so short a time, he must add - but also a farewell party for him and there was a touch of sadness when he realized that he might not see them again, for the world was huge and it was difficult to keep in contact over long distances. Perhaps, if they had strong fate tying them together they would meet again in the future. Now, it was the time to fully appreciate and enjoy their company, and to push his worries to the side. Why was he here early, though? When Zenai first brought up the idea, he had decided to investigate the area, trying to establish its origins, its background, the owner's backgrounds, and came away quite satisfied with the information he received. For despite the apparently lawlessness and filth the scum of the city managed to come up with, the place was not declared territory for any of the major crime syndicates, and the fact that it was away from the city near the woods helped to deter most criminals from making the trip out there to commit crime. After all, why do so when there were many unsuspecting victims in the city slums anyway? Not to mention that there were rumours of the nice lady that owned the springs along with her husband being some sort of half-possessed fire demon for there were stories of how she turned a bunch of enterprising robbers into smoking crisps when they tried their hand at the trade. Eridanus still came early, and after politely greeting the owners who patted him into the building in a friendly manner, and physically scouting the area he found that the area was quite clean both literally and figuratively, and the aura of command and power that the couple somehow exude put him at ease. It was a little like being back in the safety of Syliras when one got tired of the dangers of the wilderness, and the couple were a little like the ruling authority there, except that they handled their customers with grace and courtesy, but with a steely firmness that one wouldn't know of unless one provoked them by threatening the safety of their establishment and their customers. The steam let off by the hot springs warmed his very being as it was the late part of fall, and the chills he began to feel signified the incoming winter. He would have to leave for Alvadas as quickly as he could, having no wish to face the full-blown winter while travelling, and he postponed his departure as late as he possibly could in order to see his friends one last time. As the sun began to descend, the woman gasped as his form began to change, shimmering slightly, then his silhouette began to form more clearly in reality as his true form emerged. The owners did not bat an eyelid, though the husband raised an eyebrow which prompted his wife to whisper something to him, and he relaxed. The young human was now openly showing her fascination, where earlier they had been flirting in quite a relaxed manner she was now gaping at him, and from her eyes it could be seen that she was also affected by his celestial glamour, as all unprepared or weak-willed mortals tend to be, and the mistress of the establishment coughed gently, reminding the lady to pay up. She blushed and immediately turned her eyes away from the Ethaefal, realizing her relative lack of clothing, and she rushed off to the changing rooms where customers' clothes were kept securely in lockers. Eridanus gave the mistress a shrug, and she replied with a knowing grin, and he turn around to walk outside. Zenai had mentioned the timing vaguely as 'when the sun set', and his transformation was more accurate than any time-keeping device would ever be at predicting when Syna would hand the reigns over to Leth. Opening the door, he found a crowd of people standing outside, and he briefly surveyed them, recognizing a half-breed human with his characteristic talon swords, the vertically-challenged midget holding on to his peculiar cane with a rat skull affixed to it, and his friend from the desert who saved him from further corruption and degeneration on his first day in Sunberth. He felt a strange feeling as he looked at them, and his heart swelled as he tried to find words to describe his emotions, but he kept it there for the moment. Now was not the time. That was when he noticed an unnaturally long-limbed woman with the crowd. She looked like she was part of them, for they were chatting quite normally and the distance between them was too close for strangers normally kept a certain area of privacy around them for both comfort and safety. He did not recognize her, and he supposed that she was possibly 'part of the group', just that they did not have the fate to meet. Strolling up to them, his ethereal quality making him seem like he was floating serenly towards to them, the Ethaefal waved at them in greeting. To the unknown woman, he looked at her to let her know she has his full attention, and he charmingly introduced himself, "Eridanus at your service, m'lady." He did not know exactly who she was and what station she held, and he decided to play it safe by assuming utmost courtesy to avoid accidentally offending her.

[Shai]

Shai smiled at Eridanus as he introduced himself. He had two points going for him already in her book, one he was attractive and charming and two he was polite. It was a lovely combination, had he been a Symenestra it might have actually meant something to Shai. Instead what Shai saw was a very useful character, someone she could definitely use. Anyone charming and good looking could distract a female target without any real effort. “It is lovely to make your acquaintance Eridanus, I am Shai. Please accept my apologies for not socializing longer but now that I am here I would very much like to bathe. I will be sure to get the nearest room to the common baths though; if my attention is required I will be able to hear you through the walls.” She gave the men a pleasant nod and turned to walk away with a secretive smile adorning her lips. She strode towards Natlana to secure a private room.

Oh yes, I am glad I came now. This new man, Eridanus, he could be incredibly useful in the right situation. Reverting her smile to a familiar polite mien Shai greeted Natlana. Acquiring a towel and a room for the price of 5 silver mizas, Shai was also given a small warning by the woman. “There’s an occupant in one already, watch yourself Spider.” Raising her hands to convey innocence the Symenestra nodded and headed for her preferred spring. Perhaps Shai should have listened better to Natlana’s warning, or at least taken time to consider it. The message could have meant that the first room was occupied or that one of the rooms was occupied, regardless Shai didn’t consider it.

Instead Shai moved towards a private room where her items were supposedly safe. Shai only intended to change not by any means leaving anything behind, she didn’t trust a soul outside of Kalinor not to steal her blind given the chance. Shai stripped off her clothing and folded each piece properly, lying the garments on top of each other according to size largest to smallest. Shai did not however remove her cloak that would wait until she was in her room alone. Instead she wrapped her towel around her vital assets. Pulling her hood off and tugging her hair out of her braid was her final preparation. Shai moved head back towards the private rooms, one hand firmly around her towel and the other holding her pile of clothing inside her cloak.

Shai opened the door and slipped in and turned her back to the room to quietly shut the door. In truth, she did it mostly due to habit than actual need for stealth. But to anyone watching it would very much like a thief sneaking into a room she didn’t belong in. With the door shut Shai finally felt safe to remove her cloak and place her things in the corner of the room.

[Antar]

Inside the room a white haired man sat in his breeches only, a weapon harness on his back. His legs were crossed and he sat with his eyes closed as his mind was locked in meditation. For a moment, the sign of movement of an animal prancing upon the bed might draw her eye, a collared falcon was walking around in circles in a laikadaisical and laid back manner as it chuckled happily to be out and about. But the falcon would stop at the sign of the intruder and spread her wings a little to let out a slight caw.

It was enough for a burst of motion to come from the meditating man, his hand snapped up to the weapon harness and in one fluid motion a twelve inch kukri was thrown end over end to plunk itself into the wood of the door close to the intruder's leg. The blade snagged the towel on the doorframe and anchored it there. In a moment the man would be standing up to draw a gladius from a sword sheathe which lay upon the ground to rush at the woman, his intent to deal with the intruder as swiftly as he could, aimed at her throat..

But just before it struck a flash of recognition crossed , Noth's face long enough for the blade to be pulled enough to one side to sink itself into the wood next to the intruder's neck. If Shai were to instinctively make an attack, a hand would come up to intercept her wrist long enough to throw it backwards into the wall before the rogue jumped back a pace or two to reorient the hilt of his gladius into a backhanded grip, holding it steadily before him in a defensive stance.

On the bed the falcon's wings stretched out and flapped a little as it noted the slight amount of hesitation.

For a moment his eyes remained on hers before they traced the curves of the woman to note the elongated arms that were the telltale mark of the symenestra, and it was a while before Noth spoke. "Of all the petching luck... I don't think I ordered special service from anyone and I don't think any of Bob's friends would be the one making the call. So I'll let you quietly explain yourself sym.Of course..."

One hand raised and a swirl of blue fire came hovering above his hand, the glow reflecting upon his features as the color reflected in his eyes like two burning coals as he summoned his reimancy to his will. "If you're not in here for a snack I may just let you go. Otherwise... you'll be a very squashed spider to be sure."

[Shai]

The bird's cry grabbed Shai’s attention immediately. But the man reacted too fast, and the Syemenstra only had time to begin to turn before the kukri secured her final sanctuary of modesty to the wall. Shai twisted herself around inside her towel to see what the petch was going on behind her, only to see Bob’s wagon driving companion coming at her with a sword. Shai’s body acted before her mind had time to process the situation, bringing her claw up she slashed at Antar. But her opponent was ready and slammed her hand against the wall at her back. The blade had been diverted in the wall beside her neck which served to raise every hair on the back of her neck and send her heart racing.

She was finally given a chance to evaluate the state of affairs when he distanced himself from her. What exactly is appropriate to say? Of course no answer met Shai’s mental inquiry because there was absolutely nothing appropriate about these circumstances. Hi nice to formally meet you, I am Shai. Lovely weather lately? She would have given a mental chuckle if she wasn’t reminded of the severity of her current position by the cold steel against her leg. Observing carefully she followed Antar’s gaze, if he wasn’t going to say something she would soon, they couldn’t just stand there like this forever.

Ah, finally the silent assailant speaks up. . .did he just call me a whore?! While from the outside it would seem like a perfectly normal assumption to make considering how she appeared before him, it was completely unacceptable to Shai. And here I would have just walked away and left him in peace, marked it up as a mistake, if not for that. She about to let him know just how outraged she was when the blue flame sparked to life in his hands. Shai stared openly, mesmerized by the flame. All indignation fled Shai’s thoughts, now it was cautious curiosity tinged with a healthy amount of frigid fear. Finally, after a period of watching the fire her mind kicked back to life. She had to keep her voice steady; he had every advantage in this situation she had to pull that out from under him somehow. Force wouldn’t be on her side in this case, she had to use a different ability. Consequently when she finally spoke it was a smooth tone, hiding her real emotions as much as possible. “Contrary to popular belief, I am not a man eater. And I would thank you to not squish me as you put it.” Shai reached down and pulled out the kukuri gambling that she could do it one handed and keep her towel up with the other. Luckily the blade came free with a little wiggle so she didn’t lose the tiny façade of confidence she was trying to push forward. If she could only focus her thoughts on curiosity and not fear she might be able to pull this off. That was only if she could keep her eyes off the fire illuminating the wagon driver’s features.

To avoid gawking at the man’s magic further she ushered all of her attention to inspecting the kukuri that had been thrown at her. Truthfully, Shai knew next to nothing about weaponry or metal but the blade looked well-made and was probably worth a pretty miza. Not that she really wanted to earn the ire of someone who had flame at his back and call, but a thief couldn't help that it was her nature to appraise potential sales. “While I am making demands I would also like to mention I am not a prostitue. Zandelia and Bob called you Antar if I recall?” She didn’t make a move towards him but she did punctuate her question by locked her gaze on his and very firmly refusing to acknowledge the flame. When she couldn’t predict how a weapon would work her would option was to watch the person wielding it and hope to guess their intentions instead.

[Antar]

Antar smiled a little as the flames began to dance around his left hand forming a slight circles with the Res, and his voice took on an almost pleasant tone. Soft, deceptive, filled with amusement yet tinged in sarcasm. "Good so the symenestra admits she's not here as a courtesan, but rather for another reason. Perhaps maybe a bit of being a thief? I seem to recall your name as well since you did minel. My dear , dear Shai... a credit to your race to be sure, even if I had to slay the last fullblooded one I came across. He'd gone mad from morphing. I pray you won't be the same, lest it require your ... excisement from the lands of living. But please understand that encounter leaves me with... a certain reluctance to trust your kind."

His voice gained a silken tone, it's intonations carressing the air between them, "Since you are so forwards tonight, playing the part of the thief my little spider; I'll offer you a wager. Since Bob knows very well what I do to those that successfully steal from me on principle. It's not very pretty. But you haven't succeeded in anything yet, so maybe you'll be up for taking a wager."

His eyes grew cold and narrowed, "But first I wish you to put the dagger down, that kukri is my property, I would not wish for you to ... do something reckless that would require me to ... enact one of my rules towards thieves. Should you put it down, I promise you will remain unharmed and we will discuss things nicely. That is my word, of sorts. You're virtue... as it were is safe within my presence. Even if that might be the one thing you have to yourself. Just toss the kukri on the floor and you will be fine."

For a moment Noth relaxed his stance with the gladius and laid it close to his side as he waited for her to comply... after a few moments when she did not, and instead seemed to stare at him a few moments the rogue grew exasperated at the standoff and sent the small circle of fire, snapping the Res core into one long strand to dart itself forwards like a snake before it halfway encircled her feet. "You're testing my patience, dear Shai. That is not a good thing to do. Disarm now!"

For a moment as the spider woman kept a grip on the blade the strand of fire would wind its way from her ankles upwards close to her legs, heating them until it would eventually come into contact with the towel that surrounded her hips. He knew very well what the heat of the flames could feel like upon the skin, the fiery kiss that could bring pain, like melted wax. In fact it was an avid torture technique some used. A means of extracting information. But he kept the flame from her skin, simply because he was not that cruel.

The woman had roused his paranoia, and his ire. But not enough for him to take her life, or her innocence. At least not yet. To the rogue's mind the tactic was very simple. If she would not disarm then he would have to do something drastic to make her disarm...

[Shai]

“Have you ever stolen anything before? It does not sound like it from your assumption that I like to steal in naught but a towel.” She didn’t drop her gaze, if anything she gained more of a backbone. He was talking and not immediately burning her to a crisp. It was a good sign even if his words were laced with threats. She almost fell into the lull of his voice but his quick switched back to a more aggressive tactic. Of sorts? What does that even mean? My virtue? Shai found her mind filled with a complex mixture of emotion and curiosity was beginning to get the better of her but her annoyance at continued threats kept it at bay allowing her to keep her guard up.

Shai’s refusal to return the blade seemed to agitate him further. She tried to ignore the flame as it got closer; she managed to hide her anxiety in voice alone. Her eyes tightened, her carriage straightened up into exemplary posture, and with all of her focus on her voice she couldn’t keep her nervous tell in check; she began to click two claws together slowly, mimicking the rhythm of her thoughts. “You truly would make a terrible thief, patience is incredibly important.” She was absolutely unwilling to drop the blade now, the more he threatened the more she held on tight to the one bargaining chip she had. “I am not here to steal. But if we must act so. . . uncivil . . . something can surely be arranged”

Finally she couldn’t keep her gaze from the flame, as soon as she looked down she realized how far up her legs it had snaked. If he’s going to burn me why hasn’t he done so already?. . . He wouldn’t. Sure enough, he would. At Shai’s staunch refusal to return his weapon he lit her towel on fire. The cloth went up in flames that while they didn’t burn her the moment they left her she understood exactly what he had meant by virtue. Shai tried to wear her new lack of garments with pride but she couldn’t stop the heat from entering her cheeks, it looked strange on such pale skin like she had make up on instead of a natural expression.

But the burning of the towel gave her a new clear thread of thought through what he’d been saying. This thread gave her the courage not fall into a sobbing pile of terrified woman on the floor. Her nails began to click faster as her mind raced to formulate a new plan. She hadn’t successfully stolen from him yet, discarding that wasn’t even her intention here, and until she did he wouldn’t harm her. At least that was the only conclusion that Shai could come to. She had nothing left on her person to lose and so he had nothing left to burn but her, it was time to gamble with her own skin. “. . . Since you possess plans already for thieves, how about creatively constructed indefinite loans? You see I really do respond poorly to threats and you seem full of them. I simply cannot give you what you want; it would set a horrible precedent for men everywhere. Why what if men thought they could simply threaten women into doing whatever they pleased?” The oddity of her own statement hit Shai, for a moment she’d forgotten what he was. She’d been too struck by his posturing and threats to remember he was human and thus fundamentally beneath her. So she took on a tone of condescension to save her small speech. “Oh, wait that is how it works for humans is it not? Well, that is too bad I am not at all one of your insipid wenches.” It was a poorly constructed line, devoid of any real wit but it would have to do on such short notice. Shai shook her long charcoal hair over her shoulder; it at least covered her higher assets. Shai pulled some small courage from her new covering and managed to pepper her final statement with sarcasm. “So, Antar my dear, let us consider a deal. You see I cannot let you get away with insulting me as you already have and you seem to really want your blade back. How shall we right this predicament? Is your blade worth my pride? Not to me no, but it seems important enough to you that I might just be willing to take it as recompense.” While her words remained flat her heart was beating form her stomach, she was pretty sure her smart mouth was about to get her killed.

[Antar]

oocActions so far approved by shai in chat, just so we're clear ^-^ This is a collaborative effort.

"My dear , my dear." Antar said with a small sigh. The woman's form was an alluring one, but she still had that fervent attitude of superiority. He respected that, the form she had now did not bother him at all. He didn't get flustered around women 'bearing their all' besides, the woman was here up to no good, and even still she refused to disarm even after he had promised her her safety. His eyes shown with amusement at her words about stealing and patience. In fact, the rogue was quite enjoying himself, and he admired that spirit within her to face things such as the unknown.

Unfortunately this was also a sort of conflict, and while it had different rules then life or death, unless he really screwed up that was, he really hated losing a conflict.

But there was one way he could assume to make good on this unwelcome interlude, and no, it wasn't in any prurient form of way. While she was talking he feinted a half step with his left before launching himself forwards in a charge. Her grip upon the kukri was that of an amateur, one unaccustomed to wielding a blade in defense and his sword lashed out in a heavy block, knocking it free from her hand to knock into the wall by the bed's nightstand. A clawed hand came across her body, swiping at his face and it grazed the skin of his chin, but he wasn't finished yet. He skirted in closer, setting his hip against her body sliding his left leg between her own. In the same moment His left arm encirled her body, snaking it up below the woman's right armpit and past her back as the pommel of the sword in his right hand came up and over her head to rest behind her neck.

Levering himself sideways , Shai would be thrown onto the bed, and Ellise the falcon would spread her wings in dismay before hopping off to one side to chirp in distress.

No matter, Antar had the advantage and he seized upon in by shifting the sword to his left hand and he jumped after her. One knee secured her hands at the wrist and the sword's edge was placed across her throat as his right hand came up. She struggled a little, anyone would in this situation and for a moment he thought that she would open her mouth to scream or curse. So he stopped that cold, by laying a shield over her mouth and tasked it quickly to not allow sound to pass, air could, but not sound, and soon her cries would be muffled as Antar began to speak. "Let me tell you about stealing, my dear Shai and tell you about patience. But also about misplaced pride. "

She had seemed surprised by magic, so he intended to use it to his advantage as he began to use one of his other talents. "Stealing is about theft, and I have committed far more theft then you have ever done so far. I have stolen lives while I've been naked as the day I was born. Been beaten to get closer to targets, subjected myself to far more inhumane treatment then you could imagine. It was something I was trained to do, and though it is not my only skill, nor one I relish in its task, it is one I do exceptionally well and take pride in its completion. You do not know patience my dear, patience is waiting a week in the wilds for a single passing mark, after you only had food for three days time, and then stretching your stalk out to twenty."

Raising a hand he readied himself as her eyes followed its passage to hover above her form. Her struggles seemed to still as the djed boiled from his stomach to his palms, gossamer strands of bluish light stretched from his fingertips and began to pool across her torso, and her virtues like an ooze spreading itself as it began to anchor over her form. A shield, pooling over her body was soon tasked to not allow light to pass through it. He wasn't as good at shielding as with reimancy so the shield was patchy, scintilating in dull greys and blacks as it washed over her features, as if parts of her were being coated, or disappearing from her sight the same way that her voice was taken from her.

As he spoke he began to trace the edge blade over the areas of her body that were covered in grey. Close enough to be almost touching her covered skin in her breathing but far enough away to not actually cut her."That is patience. Patience which comes with a clarity of thought no matter the circumstances that find you. Nakedness is not a sin, nor anything to be afraid of it is a weapon in one's arsenal, a tool to lure a mark willingly to their deaths, be they man, or woman, or beastly creature. Nothing more."

With the tasking of the shield done, and it still shimmering like a wave of grey across her her figure, Noth began to calm himself enough to begin to 'see' Shai with his auristics. Her aura was tinged in purples, with the feeling of silk to it. But perhaps was it tinged with the orangy yellow hues of fear? Only time would tell, but he sensed a turning point. A point which might break her ability to marshall that pride of hers which might one day damn her to death. "Race has nothing to do with superiority in anything. Were you to find yourself in the future thinking this, then you are existing in a state of delusion my dear. A delusion that insists you make categories of potential lovers, friends, or companions. A state that will get you killed. There are only two things that dictate superiority in this world, though they may come in many varied forms, and are sometimes hard to discern. Those things..."

He clouded his voice a little, throwing it lower to allow it to rasp out, "Are Knowledge and Power... the power to defend yourself or take what you want. But at the heart you have neither; not yet. But there is much potential in you I'm sure. That's truly the only reason I'll leave you alive this day after you spurned my given my word if you disarmed you would not be harmed. I look forward to seeing you grow."

Reaching towards the bedpost with the sword he hooked the robe he had had prepared for himself to go bathing on the flat of the blade and he lifted it over shai's dull grey form. Within moments, the robe was dropped and he had dispelled the shield over her body as her modesty , and her voice, was returned to her. "Provided you will swear on your life to never attempt to steal from me or interrupt my meditations again; I'll make you a deal. Today, and today only, I will carry a copper miza while in the baths in my right hand. If you can snatch it then I will explain what I did to you here. I will explain many things, but more importantly... if you do manage to steal it then I will buy you something of value for yourself."

Leaning closer a moment to whisper softly in the symenestra's ear he finished , "I'll buy you a dress and should you fail to take the copper miza in the first attempt, I'll have you wear it on a job for me to distract someone."

Jumping away from the bed to free her he grabbed the kukri from the wall and secured it in the weapon harness at his back as he waited for her to robe herself. "I hope the terms are clear enough. Now... put on that robe lest you catch a chill, this bathhouse has loincloths for both sexes available so you don't have to bathe nude if you prefer. I've already rented out a private bath for myself, though I absolutely hate company."

Reaching downwards as the falcon trotted over to him , the bird hopped gingerly up to his arm, as the falcon's eyes looked at Shai and chirped mournfully. It seemed she at least knew what it might be like to be on the receiving end of an irate former assassin-slash- carpenter.