Completed Grilled Lark's Tongue (Val, Abs)

[Abstract]

Alice's expression twitched a little as Valerius spoke, and she shuffled in her seat to look a little more formal. She took on a similar expression, though it was clear she would have rather flirted with the two men. Still, conversation was better than nothing. Her attention was entirely focused on the one man who had introduced himself, the obviously richer and more important one.

"Irregularities?" she asked, eyebrows raising in polite interest. "No... I'm not quite sure what you mean. Please... elaborate." She looked a little concerned about the topic, but her words stayed light and pleasant... more emotion than the Nitrozian was showing, at least.

[Inoadar]

Inoadar gave a nod to Valerius as he walked away. Alice gave him an uncertain smile, a hint of theater in her facade of ease. 'So, she's going to make us work for it, is she?' he thought with resignation. 'So be it.' He wondered if she had some inkling of what was coming. If so, she might be hoping that Bohir would come to her rescue.

Inoadar had hoped to catch Alice outside to avoid that development, but it looked like there was nothing for it now but to deal with him. The look on the barkeep's face suggested that he also might have an inkling of some fuss brewing. Inoadar noticed that the man was still drying the same mug since he'd stood up. Bohir's eyes switched exclusively between the table where Valerius sat with Alice and the approaching poisoner, but it could have been due to the lack of other customers.

Inoadar knew Bohir to be a friendly enough man, but he didn't know if the man possessed the same loyalty to Rhysol that he did. The kind that would make him willing to stand by while his most popular waitress was put to the question. He needed, in effect, to recruit him as a source of additional pressure. He knew the man was more than capable of presenting an intimidating presence, but only time would tell who he would end up directing it at.

Bohir seemed to suddenly realize he'd dealt with the mug long enough and reached for another. Inoadar sat down at the bar. Normally Bohir would say "Name your poison". It was a joke they routinely shared. This time he said nothing, his eyes still alternating between the divided customers, his look still inquisitive.

"Good evening." Inoadar started.

"So far." The bartender responded with a hint of challenge. "Normally, my waitresses bring the orders from the tables. Why are you doing her work for her?"

It was time to dive in. "Because I'm afraid she's going to be busy for a while. It's up to her how long. Her and you. I'm up here to ask you, respectfully, how much you want to know about it."

x

[Valerius Nitrozian]

„Are you sure, Miss Lark?“ Valerius asked coolly as Alice claimed that she didn’t know what he meant. He could see that she was concerned. Why would she be concerned if she didn’t know anything? „I am talking about a large amount of magecrafting material was purchased and stocked in a warehouse by your family for no apparent reason. I am talking about the barge commissions that were done in your family’s name. None of the relevant destinations were to any of your holdings. I am talking about workers being hired at a rapid pace although there was no large scale construction being done by the NHC at the time.“

„What do you say to that, Miss Lark? Do you know what I mean now or do I need to say more?“ He gave her a moment to react to the things that he had mentioned before he continued, „Can you explain who and what all those things were done for? I’ve been told that your family has been associating with a certain man. I’ve also been told about your necklace.“

He checked if she was wearing the necklace Inoadar had told him about now.

Again he paused for a moment and cast a meaningful glance at her before he assured her, „I do not wish to cause your family or you any harm, Miss Lark, not if it can be avoided and you cooperate with me, but I’m sure that you understand that I need to get to the bottom of these irregularities. There are simply too many things that seem out of the ordinary.“

[Abstract]

Alice's face flickered in suspicion, then surprise, as Valerius spoke. However, she was well trained in this kind of conversation, so she was only unsettled for a tick, before her polite, neutral, smile returned, mixed with minor surprise. When the Nitrozian gave her pause to consider, she did contemplate speaking, the thought this time obvious on her face, before deciding to wait for the man to continue.

The next statements caused even more disruption to her demeanor, especially the one about her necklace, and the man. In fact, her hand involuntarily twitched, as if to finger the piece of jewelry that indeed sat around her throat. She managed to stay neutral for the rest of the time, until she was finally able to talk at length, as she'd wished.

"I don't know why you're coming to me for my family's business dealings. I know little about them. And there are always reasons for irregularities. I'm sure there's some sensible explanation for them, but it is not my area of expertise. I suggest you talk to someone a little more involved with my family's business dealings, rather than myself." She gave a polite closed, smile, tactfully not mentioning the necklace or the 'man'. They were probably the most relevant to her, but she wasn't going to let anything go without a fight.... and good reasons why.

----

Bohir listened carefully to Inoadar, eyes narrowing a little. He seemed to contemplate a reply, weighing his options. Sometimes knowing things could be a bad thing, especially if it got dangerous. Alice apparently knew something, and she currently wasn't in a good position. He glanced between the man he knew as Nolan, and the waitress, and pursed his lips. "Know about what?" he finally asked, choosing his words carefully. He didn't actually want to know too much as to be vulnerable, but he wanted to get the idea.

[Inoadar]

Inoadar pondered the barkeep's question. There was an apparent willingness to let he and Valerius conduct whatever interrogation was required. But he wanted to know only enough to feel that it WAS required. Inoadar rehashed the question and counter question in his mind, 'How much do you want to know?' - 'know about what?'

He took a breath, "About the trouble her family is going to bring upon themselves. About the 'guilt-by-association' trouble it will bring upon you. They have embarked on an enterprise that could bring them great power. And while normally I would seek to join such a thing, rather than foil it, they are doing this without the knowledge or sanction of the Black Sun. What do you think will be the end result of power seeking behind the backs of this city?"

The question was, of course, rhetorical, and Bohir, to his credit, treated it as such and did not answer. But his brow furrowed. Inoadar looked back toward Valerius and Alice, noting the woman's continued calm. He started speaking as he turned back to the bartender. "Note how she stays calm. I know for a fact Valerius has already broached the subject. I would have thought an innocent would show some sort of outrage. That a loyal citizen would launch into outspoken protest over such an accusation." He emphasized the word "loyal". He did not mention Valerius' last name. Such name-dropping would diminish the validity of his position if he seemed to rely on that to win his point. Besides, he had no doubt that Bohir knew damned good and well who 'Valerius' was.

Inoadar managed a look of deep sincerity, which he directed at Bohir. "I consider you a friend, and though she probably would doubt it right now, I consider Alice a friend as well. Which is why I want her to do what is right by Ravok, and come clean about this. It's not too late for her family to show a loyal side. I intend to offer her a chance to let my..."faction"...bring this to the attention of the proper authorities, and by doing so, let her look to be bringing something to those that can reward such patriotism...as opposed to punishing treason."

He looked back again at the far table where the two verbal combatants sat. "There is one last point. If you have doubts about my true intent regarding this power - and I don't blame anyone in this town for harboring such doubts about anyone else - consider that, by telling you, I now have to go through with what I have said I intend to do, or you will have a similar hold on me. Now, if you would like more details about what the Larks are doing, I can comply." He gave the man a level look, awaiting his decision.

x

[Valerius Nitrozian]

„Should I talk to somebody else, Miss Lark?“ he asked as she wondered why he was coming to her and answered the question himself. “No, I think I’m talking to the right person.” His voice had been calm, and he had sounded very polite before, but there was a hint of anger now. He still spoke in a relatively low tone though.

“If you were completely innocent, if you didn’t have anything to do with the things I mentioned, if you didn’t know anything, you would react differently. The future of House Lark is at stake. You know this as well as I do. What do you think would happen if your little …” He paused for a moment as he looked for the right word. “… enterprise went wrong, if the wrong people found out?”

Again he gave her a few moments to think about what he had said.

“There are several ways this can go, Miss Lark”, he continued. His voice was completely calm once more. “And it’s all up to you. I suspect that your family is hiding a certain man. If you tell me about him – and the one that gave you the necklace – I will make sure that this here will not affect you negatively, but that you are rewarded instead.”[/b]

Now his voice was almost gentle, as if he wanted to help her. “What shall it be?” he asked. “Will you tell me what you know about your family’s dealings or continue to claim innocence and thus seal your fate? Think carefully, Miss Lark. As I said, I do not wish to cause your family or you any harm. I would hate to see a fellow member of Ravok’s elite hurt.”

[Abstract]

Alice stiffened as Valerius talked, pleasant expression turning into an indignant one. She didn't like what she -or her family- was being accused of, and took it as an insult. Her eyes glared at the man, and arms crossed instinctively in a defensive posture, as her back straightened. Despite the persuasive tactics, she was loyal to her family. If it was so big a secret, they probably didn't want her spilling anything...

"I still don't know why you care so much about my necklace," she stated bluntly, finally bringing up the topic. "It was a present from a family friend, that is all. Why do you care?" She'd probably given out more than she'd intended with the statement, but had a valid point. It hadn't been a random gift - that was obvious - but she wasn't about to mention the kind of relationship she had with the giver... it wasn't quite one you mentioned in public, or quite so bluntly.

----

The instant Bohir mentioned the Lark's intentions were possibly not legal, his mind was made up. The knowledge wasn't safe, and he wasn't willing to learn it just for the sake of curiosity. "I'm good," he said bluntly turning away and beginning to clean glasses and tankards, ignoring Inoadar.

[Inoadar]

Inoadar turned away from the bar and walked up behind Alice, laying his left hand on her left shoulder. "Your so-called "family friend" is no friend at all, Alice. And, to be honest, your family is doing the Etravins no favors either. You're all going to take the same fall."

From his position he could not see any facial reaction to the mention of the family name of her "friend", but he was sure he felt a sudden surge of tension in her shoulder. He squeezed it back with what he hoped was uncomfortable force. He set his right hand down on the table, in front of her and to the right, drumming his finger slowly and deliberately.

"This is no game, Alice. No friendly dare with a week's chores at stake. If what your family is doing continues, they are going to end up in The Pit, you included. You AND "your friend", that Etravin boy. And HIS family as well." He suddenly pulled the chair back on its back two legs and grabbed her chin with his right hand, forcing her to look into his face. "You think your 'status' will save you?' he hissed. "Those beneath you will be glad to see a high-born brat get a taste of the real world, and those above you..." he gestured toward Valerius with a sidelong nod, "...will care even less."

He pushed the chair back onto four legs, harder than necessary and dropped into the chair to her right. "As for the rest of us, WE will be forced to step aside while you get dragged off, or be suspect ourselves. Our only choice will be to put as much distance between you and me as we can." He deliberately changed his wording from a reference to a vague populace to the personal 'you and me', as he spread a look of anguish across his face, trying to make it look like an emotional slip of the tongue.

"I'd like to help you, Alice." he practically begged, feigning heartache and letting his eyes glisten with crocodile tears. "Damn it! Why won't you let me? Do you think the Ebonstryfe is not going to be able to put the clues together if I can do it? The only reason I looked further was to find proof that I was wrong! But it all added UP instead. And that necklace is the final proof."

x

[Valerius Nitrozian]

Valerius wasn’t looking indignant at all. He was perfectly calm. As Alice crossed her arms, he crossed his arms as well and looked directly into her eyes. „He wasn’t just a family friend“, he disagreed. „You know this as well as I do, Miss Lark. As for why I care …“ He actually didn’t, not about her at least, but only about his goals. He was just about to say something to her when Inoadar approached and said almost the same things he had said to her. Maybe she would start to listen if two people talked to her.

As Inoadar spoke, Valerius simply straightened his back and looked at her intently, but he didn’t interrupt him. He only inclined his head occasionally as a sign that he agreed with what the other man said. Truth to be told, he would love to see her fight in the Pit. He absolutely couldn’t stand her, but it would be better in the long run if she finally saw reason and let Inoadar and him „help“ her.

„My companion explained it very well“, he coolly spoke as Inoadar had ended. „If you don’t cooperate, there will be dire consequences. We would like to help you avoid them, but we can only do so, if you open up. Unless you have some strange kind of masochistic tendencies and want to be torn to pieces in the Pit or rot in the dungeons of the Ebonstryfe? You wouldn’t last long in either of those places.“

He arched an eyebrow.

„As I’ve told you before, it’s entirely up to you how things progress from here, Miss Lark.“

[Abstract]

Alice looked sharply at Inoadar as he first touched her, already on guard. As he mentioned the word 'fall', she stiffened even more than before, and a tinge of worry could be seen in her eyes... but just for a moment. When he moved away, she did to, turning her face to stare in the opposite direction.

This made his grab for her face even more obvious, twisting her neck to look straight into the poisoner's eyes. The Lark squeaked at first, but ended up glaring strongly at her attacker, of sorts. Bohir let out a sharp shout at the same time, but quieted when he remembered the stakes. Instead, he too glared, then turned his attention away to wipe down the bar. He was attempting to pretend that he was alone in the room, and as if this conversation wasn't happening at all.

Alice apparently likes Valerius' tactics, as subtle as they were, and turned up her nose at Inoadar when he sat, and sniffed. She focused more on the Nitrozian's words than she had the poisoner's, watching him with one raised eyebrow. However... her body was quivering slightly, put off by all this. The threats and potential damage was frightening her, as much as she tried not to show it. All actors had a point where they couldn't hide anymore, and she was nearly at her own.

When it was her turn to speak, Alice let the silence hang for several moments, considering her options. It looked quite logical now that the best option was to agree to help. But how? And their rough treatment and accusations - namely Inoadar's - left her indignant and grumpy. She wanted to spite them now, if only for a few chimes.

"I'm sure Lark knows what he's doing. After all, anyone with such status would know much more than you two. He's considered the options of course... he would never do something as stupid as go against the Black Sun. We are Ravokians. You shouldn't be so concerned. Now... will you please leave?" As she spoke, she seemed to become more certain and sure of herself, voice going from quavering to strong and determined. It was almost as if she was persuading herself, rather than them.