Flashback Poisenous Revenge {Ninus}

[Ronan Dugal]

Ronan took the cup of tea from his associate, sipping a little from the hot beverage before blowing on it. The cloth on his wound helped to get rid of some of the annoying stinging. Ronan gave a slight nod towards Ninus before taking the cloth from him, setting the tea aside as he held the cloth to his wound. The cut hadn't been deep but the fact that he had had a knife thrown had him was making Ronan a little less inclined to help the woman out with her current state of affairs. He put the cloth aside and took his tea back, before walking next to the table were Millie was tied up. As Ninus spoke to Millie, the woman shook her head, trying to convince the man that she wasn't lying. She stared at both men, trying to find some shred of humanity in either one that she could use to get out of this. Neither one had it. The one to her left, with the tea, looked rather bored at the whole thing. The one on her right, doing the talking, only had anger in him. She looked back and forth between the two men, trying to find a way out for herself. Before she could properly speak, the man to her right turned back and picked something up and placed it on her stomach. As soon as it touched her clothes, she could feel the heat and the panic rise. Ronan watched as the kettle was picked up from the fire and Ninus' train of thoughts moved in his head as well. With his left hand he held the cup of tea as he brought his right hand down. Old reflexes started to surface as he saw how the kettle was placed on the woman's stomach. She would scream, the women outside would hear, they would run, the knights would come and Ronan and Ninus would be in too much trouble. It was either her or him. Ronan quickly deducted the needed solution for the problem as he brought his right hand down and closed it over Millie's mouth as Ninus started to lean on the kettle, pressing it deeper on the woman. Millie jerked and twisted under the pressure and the heat as her flesh started to burn through her clothes. She tried to shake her head away from the hand that was keeping her from breathing properly and screaming. She tried to pull her hands up to push the hot kettle away. She tried to lift her legs to kick at the kettle and the two men next her. None of it worked as the kettle continued to burn against her skin. Her scream was muffled against the strong hand pressing down on her lips and her tears did nothing more than wet her face and the hand over it. Ronan simply watched Ninus, not wanting or not caring to see the woman struggle. As Ninus finally decided to get his weight of the kettle and listen to whatever Millie would like to add to her previous words, Ronan took his hand off her mouth. At first there was nothing but sobbing and crying and a little squirming. "Well? Or would you like to go again? There's plenty left to burn..." Ronan said before he took a sip from his tea. His voice had a cold hard edge to it, bred during his early years in Syliras, fighting to survive, fighting to keep ahead of everyone and everything that would see him dead or broken. Her sobbing slowed and stopped before she finally spoke. "He came to me. I had put out a request for help with husband, just some guys to rough him up a little. He came to me. He said he could get rid of my husband for me. Then he gave me all those and told me how to administer them." Her words took some time as she sobbed and cried halfway through it. Ronan looked at Ninus to see if her information could be correct.

[Ninus Aurellius]

The Prince of Rats Ninus looked down at Millie coldly. "He was carrying but a half pound of powder, and fifty of the peach? Not in this city, where me and mine hide from the sound of roughshod hooves on pavement. No. We deal in pinches and a single stone." he told her. "Where didst thou meet him? No corner nor shady street." The poisoner looked at Ronan. "To catch a rat, my dear ser, no matter how fierce....a tidbit of food shall suffice." he said. He took the kettle off of her stomach and settled it on the floor, letting it warm the stones near his feet. "If thou wishes mercy from me, perhaps a good word with the armored dead who shamble the streets....thou wilt put out word for your poisoner again. Thou wilt ask of him for aid, for two men plague you. Yet they do not know you know. You fear for the hand that poisons their dinner wines and food. The day we dine here, is the day you summon your poisoner to end our lives. But lo, the trap is sprung and we have caught him by the tail." Ninus smirked at the thought of the plan. It was so simple, yet it would work. He was sure of it. All Millie had to do was become the whimpering, weak woman and play the part. Perhaps hire her poisoner as a servant for the night, to kill the dinner guests she so politely invited to her door. Ninus had no intention of greasing the knights when they handed over Millie to them...she would hang, that was sure. But hope is, often, the only thing stronger than fear. "Run not. For I shall find you. Warn him not, for thy wretched hide shall be fed living and bleeding to the rats...and they hunger often." Ninus warned. "Dost thou find the terms agreeable?" The question was directed both at Ronan and Millie. To his knight of coins, to ask him if he thought it would work. To Millie, to get her to agree to the deception.

[Ronan Dugal]

Ronan listened to the plan with as much attention as Millie. It would be a good plan if Millie stuck to her part of it. If she decided that it was worth the risk to tell the poisoner that two men knew about him, Ronan wasn't so sure that they would survive the next few days. If she stuck to the plan, however, things could become interesting. Ronan put what was left of his tea aside as he watched how Millie looked up and listened to Ninus' plan, absorbing every little detail of it. He just gave a quiet nod towards Ninus, approving the plan. "Seven days from now sounds long enough to get in touch, right?" Millie was lying still on the table as Ronan nodded. As soon as he did, she nodded as well, a little overeager to get a way out of the mess she was in. "Seven days is enough, yes. I'll make sure he's here." Her stomach was still burning and hurting but she would get revenge on these two. She would get the poisoner in her house and she'd make sure these two would die the most painful deaths. Ronan looked to Ninus as Millie seemed to agree as well. There was no telling what little plan she was hatching behind her anger filled eyes but Ronan was sure she would try and trick them in some way. "Shall we go then? I'm sure the lady could use some rest." Ronan simply turned from the table and opened the kitchen door, waiting for Ninus to follow him out. Without letting the ladies in the next room know about their departure, Ronan opened the front door and stepped out into the street. It would be a little while before things got interesting.

[Ninus Aurellius]

The Prince of Rats Ninus picked up one of the kitchen knives, looking at Millie as if considering cutting her free. "I shall lay thee to rest on thy friends' mercy." he told her, setting the knife back down. He would leave her tied. "Know now that I disabled thee ever so easily. Tempt me not again, woman, next time it may not knock you to sleep, but to a grave. Deceit is easily uncovered, and not yet so covered again." The poisoner picked up his rat and looked at Ronan. "My dear knight, seven days is more than enough. You know my home in Traveler's Row. We draw close to the end of the chase my dear, dear friend. Perhaps in time you will learn to forgive such a harsh hand as the one I wield, for my craft is precious to me." Ninus told him.

[Radiant]

Guys, I love the plot you both did here, however, something on this scale, investigating a murder of numerous people, three nobles no less, requires ST attention/moderation. The Knights wouldn't let a killer like this run rampant, Syliras is one of the most tightly controlled Fortress filled with 7 thousand knights, an ordinary killer wouldn't get far, that's why this requires ST moderation or permission.

I can't continue grading this unless you both gain Accolade's permission for this plot.

Thank you,

Radiant.