Completed Grilled Lark's Tongue (Val, Abs)

[Inoadar]

Fall 50th, 513


He would not have believed it had he not done it. He'd found Shy Carsma perched on a rooftop, exactly as Valerius said he would, and waved her down with the request that she inform her employer, this same Valerius, that he needed to speak with him. The next day, the young courier had arrived at Ino Vations, his poison shop, with the note granting him a meeting with the wealthy young man.

He'd arrived at the gate per instructions and announced himself to the guard. Instead of making him wait, the guard ushered him right in and opened the door to the fireside room where he had met with Valerius every time. The guard motioned him to enter and Inoadar did not hesitate.

He was, once again, dressed in his traditional dark business suit and stood near the window, where the young Nitrozian socialite would see him immediately upon entering. He did not take it upon himself to sit. He would wait until offered a chair, though he wondered if either of them would be able to stay still long enough to stay seated when he revealed his news.

This was about the secret location of Forus, the renegade mage, newly slipped from Sahovan authority to make his hideaway in Ravok. This would have been a small matter, but the mage had stolen a powerful artifact and brought it with him. There was a small cadre of hunters pursuing him and one of these, a man named "Miro" had tasked him to locate the mage.

There was some contradiction where everyone's agenda as concerned regarding he disposition of the item once Forus was apprehended. But first and foremost was to find the damned thing. And Inoadar was convinced he'd found the key. he'd always had a flirty affair with the wench at The Spot, Alice Lark. Pretty much everyone flirted with her, and Inoadar did not fool himself into thinking that she bore any special feelings for him, beyond the teasing to get a few more mizas from him in tips.

But he'd found who she DID have stronger feelings for. There was no talk of marriage or anything, but he'd seen her wearing a new necklace the last couple days. A necklace he'd planted among some gear that would tie the owner to those who had to have knowledge of the mage's whereabouts.

This was far from being the only thing he had to point at the Lark family as being the mage's supporters. But none of it was conclusive, and while this detail was not that important to convict a man of low station like himself, it needed more than that to implicate a member of one of the higher families.

He had his set-up in place now, and needed the witness of someone on a social par with the Larks. Or even, as in the case of a Nitrozian, an even higher level of social status. He would be the incriminator, and he expected Valerius would fluctuate between leaning on her with threats of scandalous ruin if she refused to cooperate, and promises of social salvation if she simply gave up the location.

When Valerius arrived to meet him, he would shake his hand, take whatever offer of a seat and a brandy the young man offered him and then outline the discoveries he had made, and the set-up he already had in place. Then they would prepare their routine and be on their way. If they did not take too long, they could arrive at The Spot several chimes before Miss Lark.

[Valerius Nitrozian]

„Master Valerius, you have a guest“, one of the slaves informed the Nitrozian who was just in the library, reading a book on certain aspects of the human anatomy. He had been promoted to Doctor Alzelin’s assistant a while ago, and thus it was necessary that he studied such things in a little more detail. As the slave interrupted him, he closed the book and looked up, slightly annoyed. „Who is it?“ he wanted to know. The slave took a step back as he saw the expression on his master’s face and replied, „He calls himself Nolan Parnell.“ „Nolan Parnell?“ Valerius repeated. „Why didn’t you say that right away? Nevermind, I assume he is waiting in the sitting room?“ The slave nodded, and Valerius walked past him, to where the poisoner was waiting.

Sitanos Nitrozian’s grandson was, as always, elegantly dressed, as if he were about to attend a most important meeting rather than spending the day at home, reading a book.

As he saw Inoadar standing by the window, he went over to him and shook his hand. „Mister Parnell, it’s good that you are here. Please take a seat“, he said. He gestured to the arm chairs that stood in front of the fireplace where a fire burned that filled the entire room with warmth. He closed the door so that nobody would listen to their conversation, and then he took a seat as well. „I assume that this is about the Forus case?“ he asked. „Would you like some brandy?“ he asked and filled a glass for Inoadar and another glass for him before he listened for the poisoner’s news.

That the Lark family supported the mage was interesting, although Valerius had always suspected that there was something off about them. They were hedonists and drug addicts that were always looking for new pleasures and ways to increase their wealth. Since they both came from influential families, he had seen Alice Lark on occasion, but never liked the woman. She flirted too much for his taste. In his opinion she was a whore.

He didn’t tell Inoadar what he thought of the woman though. Valerius didn’t like using words like ‚whore‘ in front of others. He only frowned very lightly as Alice Lark’s name was mentioned and remarked, “This definitely raises a few questions, Mister Parnell.“ He took a sip from his drink before he listened to Inoadar’s plan. “We should make our way to the Spot“, he eventually said and finished his drink. “I wonder what Miss Lark will have to say.“

[Inoadar]

As they made their way across town, they discussed tactics. Inoadar had no idea how much direct experience Valerius had with interrogations. The man had been direct and sharp enough during the interviews he'd conducted with Amolina and himself. But those were hardly 'interrogations'. Inoadar himself had been at both ends of such exchanges and felt that he had a good idea of what would work.

He did not believe that Miss Lark really knew what she had gotten herself mixed up in. He figured his part was going to be as the 'threat', the presenter of the incriminating evidence against her, and Valerius would be the 'credibility' to make her realize that even the vague, circumstantial details would be taken seriously by those in power. 'If a Nitrozian says it, it will not be disputed.' would be the reality of her situation.

Now there would, of course, be times where his influence would be extended as a lifeline to offer salvation. Inoadar hoped that Valerius had the knack for knowing when to be the stone-faced aristocrat, offering no mercy for a fallen status-seeker, and the sympathetic fellow socialite, offering a buffer against the ravages of social ruin. Inoadar would play this part to a lesser degree, only acting on her attempts to win him over with batted eyelashes and pouting lips.

He would feign renewed sympathy, only to slice through it with renewed heartlessness. He knew from experience that repeatedly building, and then crushing, hope, was what wore people down, regardless of the application of actual torture. And he had no intent of causing her any actual injury, though he would certainly threaten it. No he would be a fairly consistent intimidator, where Valerius would alternate between pressure and patronage. He offered this overall strategy for approval, knowing they needed to agree an their approach beforehand.

He had one last ploy he intended to make use of. He remembered that at the party at the Nitrozian Manor, Alice had seemed to place great importance on keeping Inoadar from entering the room where the attack had come. He himself did not attach any great importance to this, figuring she was just scared and not wanting to go where there was danger. But he could play this up, presenting it as an inflammatory testimony to a possible "part" in the attack, since Inoadar had been able to offer considerable aid and sound advice under pressure. He decided it would be best to withhold this from Valerius for now, judging that the timely disclosure of this potential treachery would put a grim shine on his performance.

[Valerius Nitrozian]

As they made their way across town, Valerius informed Inoadar of his experience with similar cases and assured him that he had a lot of experience with interrogation. „And with that I do not mean asking questions“, he told him. „I have negotiated with business associates, with scientists, I’ve questioned suspicious characters, people that had secrets. Of course there are some that have even more experience, but I would call myself close to an expert.“ It was only a small exaggeration for a change. Valerius was actually competent at asking the right questions the right way. If you grew up among the great families of Ravok it was hard not to be.

He was quite content with the part he would play in this. He was good at being convincing and using his family’s name to his advantage. It was what he had done most of his life. He was also convinced that he could pretend to have a small amount of sympathy for the woman, although he really couldn’t care less about her. As he had already concluded before, Alice Lark was a whore and stupid on top of it. In the end he would be looking forward to her downfall.

„Now then, Mister Parnell“, he spoke as they neared the Spot. „Is there anything else you think we should discuss before we go in?“ As he waited for the poisoner’s reply, he wondered if his appearance was appropriate for such an occasion, and after a moment he came to the conclusion that, yes, it was. He looked quite impressive. Alice Lark wouldn’t have a chance.

[Abstract]

Alice Lark, was, at that moment, doing approximately nothing. The Spot was remarkably empty, meaning that there was no one to serve, and no one to flirt with. The horror. Instead, she lounged lazily on one of the chairs, a drink in hand, waiting for someone to come in. She was quite conspicuously watching the door as well, so she'd spot the first movement of it opening. Overall, it was quite the boring day. She was up to any conversation or confrontation, as long as it was vaguely interesting. The woman sighed quietly to herself, eyeing Bohir for a moment, wondering if she should bother trying to have a conversation with him. He was nice enough, but immune to her flirtation. An irritated finger began to tap the surface of the table behind her, and her eyes searched the wooden room for any source of entertainment. She would dance, but she liked an audience for that.

[Inoadar]

Inoadar pondered Valerius' last question. He looked over at him as they approached the door. "Not so much discuss, as it is a relatively uncertain aspect, but just to be aware of. I'm not sure if the owner, Bohir Adams, will give us any trouble. He also may need to be made to appreciate that Miss Lark's activities of late are best confessed to, and not sheltered. It shouldn't be that difficult to make him, or her, realize that he doesn't want a subversive element working for him."

He brightened. "In fact, this may actually be a very useful detail to bring up." He narrowed his eyes in calculation, "But I think we should only build on that if Bohir comes to US. If we go to him, citing possible betrayal on the part of one of his employees, he may think we're trying to come down on him. I don't think he'd respond well to that. Whereas, if we appear to be trying to keep him out of it, he will probably think we have his interests at heart, and will be more cooperative."

For Inoadar's own part, this was entirely true. He valued the relationship he'd built here at The Spot. Though not as much as the potentially huge prestige, and possible material, rewards he could amass through this undertaking regarding the mage Forus, and his capture and turning to Ravok's benefit. And this had led to Alice Lark and her family. All the paper trails and business irregularities he'd tracked for the last season had implicated her family.

And so he'd called in a last major favor, one he'd done for the Lazarin family, to have them procure him a distinctive necklace, and slipped it into a shipment of magecrafted goods bound for the most unlikely of places. The place he now suspected the Lark family of setting Forus up with a new lab. The other day he'd been by and seen Alice wearing the necklace. There was no doubt now. Whether she knew it or not, she was in on it.

Inoadar, of course, had no intention of ever mentioning to Valerius that he'd done a favor for the Lazarins. Not the the young man would truly have reason to resent it. He would understand that men of little standing, like Inoadar, had to grab what support they could. And for a man fairly new in town at the time, a favor owed by the Lazarins was large indeed. The fact that it could be called in to aid in stepping up to Nitrozian support was evidence enough of that. But it would still be...socially incorrect...to mention it.

They reached the door of The Spot and Inoadar grabbed the handle and pulled, motioning to Valerius with a mild flourish, "After you, sir."

[Valerius Nitrozian]

„I see“, Valerius replied as Inoadar brought the matter of Bohir Adams up. „I’m not sure if waiting until he approaches us is the way to go though. He may think that we are keeping things from him, that we are plotting behind his back. I think it would be best to observe Mister Adams and then decide on an ultimate course of action. Unless you already are already well acquainted with him, Mister Parnell, and can thus say with relative certainty that it would be best to let him come to us?“

Valerius looked at Inoadar questioningly. He was aware that the poisoner was familiar with The Spot, more so than he was, but he wasn’t aware of the extent of the relationships he had built established and all the other things he had been up to. He didn’t really like that, but despite the secrets Inoadar had, assocating with him had turned out to be very beneficial so far.

And thus Valerius inclined his head in a sign of gratitude as Inoadar opened the door The Spot and stepped through it. As he surveyed the interior of the tavern, he noticed that there were remarkably few patrons there. Was business not going well or would the majority of the patrons arrive later today? No matter, the fact that there were so very few people there would make it easier to spend time with Miss Lark and get the information they needed without anybody complaining.

He spotted their target almost immediately. Miss Lark looked bored. If she was looking for some kind of entertainment, she would get it, although it probably wouldn’t be the kind of entertainment that she wanted. Valerius made sure that his entrance attracted attention, that she noticed how he walked through the tavern. He walked right in her direction. „Miss Lark“, he spoke and smiled very lightly at her so that she would turn to look at him and the man that was with him. "A moment of your time, please."

[Abstract]

Alice let out an audible sigh of relief as the two men walked in, straightening in her seat to smile at the pair, Valerius in particular. Finally... some one to talk to, other than Bohir.

"Of course" she replied with a sly smile, wondering what they had planned... though it was sure to be entertaining. "Might I know your names?" Technically, she knew Valerius from sight, and had seen Inoadar - or Nolan Parnell - there before, but it was better to be fully introduced, if they already knew her name.

[Inoadar]

Inoadar considered Valerius' advice as they entered. "Perhaps you're right." he said quietly, thinking back to the time that his old assistant Burke, had been arrested. "If my assistant was committing subversive acts, and people were coming to confront him, I would want to know." Burke had simply been an unfortunate patsy to take the fall so that the Black Sun could have cause to install their agent, Marcus Ahysen, as his replacement. It had worked out well, though. Inoadar, in the recognized alias of Nolan Parnell, had converted to Rhysol and Marcus had gone his way. Inoadar intended to get Burke back from the slavers one of these days.

He gave Alice a wave, absent a smile, and said sidelong to Valerius, "Why don't you 'warm up' Alice, and I'll go let Bohir know the degree of scandal we are here to save him from. I have done a number of jobs on his work board there..." He gestured in the general direction of the wall with job cards. "He knows me to be a reliable operative that won't steer him wrong or act rashly on unconfirmed rumors."

Inoadar patted the pocket where he carried the other compound that mixed to form 'False Fire'. The first ingredient had been applied to the necklace Alice now wore before he had placed it in the shipment of goods headed to wherever it was Forus, the real target of all this bother, was hidden. Inoadar would explain all this to Alice and then apply the second element. When the necklace started to glow, she would know she was caught. She could then still deny her knowledge, and that would be fine, they could give her that out. But she could not possibly then refuse to give up what she DID know without being a traitor.

All this would come after he and Valerius outlined all the business irregularities and odd goings-on that already pointed at the Lark Family. The suspiciously accelerated hiring of workers. The strange concentration on stone masons when there was no great amount of such work going on in the city. The near monopoly on carts and laborers going to and from quarries. The reluctance of managers to account for these things, even under the sort of 'persuasion' Inoadar was capable of inflicting. The equally odd fact that all these things were true of magecrafting supplies as well.

Then there was the sudden increase in surveillance on himself. And how the backtracking of those who followed him always led back to those with ties to the Larks. ALL the stonewalling tactics of anyone remotely connected, and their uniform connections with the Larks. And the fact that all these surveillance details applied equally to the members of the crew from Sahova sent to facilitate Forus' return.

It was obvious, and Inoadar genuinely hoped Alice, and Bohir, would realize it and not become an additional obstacle. He did not want to hurt Alice, or sully his relationship with Bohir. "Then, depending on Bohir's reaction, I will return, with him or without him." Inoadar then turned to head to the bar, unless Valerius had other counsel.

[Valerius Nitrozian]

„I’m Valerius Nitrozian“, Valerius replied as Alice asked him for his name. „Lord Sitanos‘ grandson. Let us sit down somewhere for a moment, Miss Lark. There is something that we should talk about, a few …“ He paused and cast a meaningful glance at Alice. „… irregularities that have come to my attention.“ Valerius spoke in a polite and neutral tone that would make it very hard for Alice to guess whether this meeting would be a positive or a negative one.

If she allowed it, he would guide her away from where she currently was to a table in the corner where they could talk without a potential patron – The Spot likely wouldn’t always be empty – interrupting them and where he could survey the whole room and immediately react if something unforeseen happened.

Once they were seated, he spoke again, „Can you guess what I mean, Miss Lark?“ The tone of his voice was still very polite, and he didn’t sound entirely unfriendly now. He looked at her questioningly, wondering whether she would pretend to be ignorant or not.