Greeting a Guildmaster? (Late MT Chyril 22)

Andolin · Post by **Andolin** » Sun May 06, 2007 9:17 pm

The petitions had gone on too long and Andolin was only too pleased to return to his private office to meet with Ashari. With luck, she would prove to be as entertaining as she looked.

He had left his guards with her, and sought to have them step outside, after searching her (and relieving her) of any weapons she might have on her, like hidden knives.

Ashari · Post by **Ashari** » Wed May 09, 2007 2:50 am

It wasn't weapons of steel that Ashari made a habit of employing on her victims, but none-the-less she had found herself to be somewhat proficient in the art of small blades, and thus made it common practice to never leave home without some sort of blade. Today, however, she didn't, aside from the one tucked in her boot merely for self preservation in the most drastic of situations, which she was more than happy to turn over to the guards on the promise they return it as soon as she leave the company of the newest Caesar, a promise they'd have no problem making as it was a request commonly made by men about their grand swords which cost a mint to replace.

Ashari had been waiting for some time before the Caesar joined her and allowed her to finally be left out of view of the Imperial Guards. She missed the Purples. She missed seeing them around the city, and so did the many people of the Citadel. The brunette beauty hadn't been around long enough to get attached to them in the nostalgic way, but it was more due to her closeness with Ulder that created the bond to the old Purple Guardsmen.

When Andolin finally arrived from the petitions he looked somewhat more weary than he had been when he first started hearing petitions. Boring? Talking about how much they love you and welcome you to the throne? Merchants complaining about taxation without the ability to get to big places of trade like Pan's Isle? Oh, no doubt it gets old fast, and just think, it's only just begun. Ashari had every intention of livening up his day a bit, and was surprised when he entirely dismissed his guards from the room. She rose from her seat and curtseyed to the Caesar at his entrance. "Caesar. Thank you for taking the time to see me personally, I do so appreciate it." She nearly purred, her gray eyes catching the light and nearly glowing, perhaps more apparent because of her black kohl lining them. The mage lifted from her curtsey, waited for him to motion for her to, and then sat back down again, as best as one can in such a difficult dress, perched on the edge with her back perfectly straight and crossed her hands in her lap. "Where would you like to begin? Are there any particulars you wish to address to start?"

Andolin · Post by **Andolin** » Wed May 09, 2007 7:10 pm

He had not tried to read her mind. Last time he checked, she was shielded, so there was little hope on that score.

Even though she was a Westie, he did not feel the need to have a guard. What they had to say needed to be said in relative privacy. There were few truly private places in the palace. He, like Ashari, felt safer in what he could do with his mind. He was good with his sword, but he was better with his glamours.

"Where I would like to begin is that I like to know quite a bit about someone I do business with. As such, I want to know everything about you Ashari." He used her familiar name. "I want your history and why you are here doing what you do, but I want too know the real Ashari ... if you dare. Don't disrespect me by trying to put on airs about you being ordinary. I already know something about you. What you reveal to me now will tell me whether I should trust you with my patronage." He gave her a challenging look, as if he already had some secret file on her. He didn't, but it wouldn't hurt to appear to have an upper hand.

Ashari · Post by **Ashari** » Thu May 10, 2007 1:50 pm

When Ashari was young she'd always been somewhat quiet. It was only due to her particular circumstances that she'd been forced to do things like go to taverns and seduce young men into thinking she was innocent so that she might steal their purses - or more - so that she could survive. It wasn't until several months ago when she returned to King's Court and began to make actual friends that she was alive again. Now she could talk, and Andolin had questions to ask.

However, it was vague at best. Everything about you. "Well, then I guess I better start at the beginning. I'm from a farm outside of King's Court. My father was in the military and my mother was a beautiful woman. I had two brothers - both older than me," She paused, very few people heard the words she was about to say. "But, all of them died. I'm an orphan, and as an orphan I did all the things that a child does when put in that situation. I won't lie to you, I stole if necessary to survive. I'm not proud of it, but I'm thankful for it, because it allowed me to live long enough to come here."

"I spent most of my youth living in the woods outside of King's Court, but then decided to move into the city, and I suppose that's when my life became more interesting. Soon after I settled into the capitol the sieges began. The orcs came. I was among those who fought them. There was more to the siege. Infact, it was our Regent in place of the crown who brought them in. I helped defeat him personally. We were given a heroes dinner in the finest dining room in all of Western Terra and it was beautiful." She simply left out the bit about the attacks via the ghosts. The ancestors of the city who'd built it - the grey adhiel - they were angry. It was something few would understand.

"During the whole ordeal I came to meet the man I would fall in love with, Iorn Thalas. A charming adhiel, thrice my age in yahren but as spry as a child." She found herself somewhat unable to smile at the mention of meeting him. It was too painful. There was a softness in her eyes that might not have been there before. "We decided to leave King's Court and come here to the Citadel, a place where we wouldn't have to be heroes."

"I miss it sometimes. I miss him. He was killed here - in our very home." Ashari's jaw clenched, and unclenched in turn before she spoke again. "And not long after the riots happened. I suppose its now become situations like that which I'm drawn to. I fought in the riots, I was given a heroes dinner in this city as well. I didn't attend that one, but I heard about it. I was busy, busy planning my school. You see, when I came here I heard rumors about the Guild, about the students being tortured, killed, and then forced to leave the island. I don't know how much is true, honestly, I don't care, but I still heard about it, and I asked questions.

"The Red Rose Guild was an establishment. Young men and women came to this city in hopes of being accepted, that was before it fell into the state of brothel you just earlier mentioned. I want to see it raised. It's been destroyed, and out of those ashes something much greater will come."

He was defiant and difficult and he seemed to take pleasure in challenging her. Andolin, Ashari realized, seemed an unusual choice for Caesar. "More, my Caesar? What else do you wish to know?"

Andolin · Post by **Andolin** » Thu May 10, 2007 3:27 pm

Ashari's summary of her life was welcome. It gave Andolin a window through which to observe her. He wondered whether the orphan story was contrived to make herself a more sympathetic figure. Yet, she did not dwell on it, so he judged her words as being genuine.

"I have no doubt that your mother was beautiful," he commented softly as his eyes met hers. It was clear that it was a compliment he was paying her.

He kept a neutral expression throughout, though the name Iorn caused a response that he tried to hide. He knew that name and the man. They had met in the Aether with Elaine. He was fairly sure of it. He also recalled Isabella mentioning something about having him want to meet Lord Thales.

When she mentioned the loss of losing her love, Andolin might have been willing to admit that he had gone through something similar with Isabella ... but then, he was not so foolish as to reveal that.

"I am sorry about your loss," he declared. "Your Lord Thales knew two of my assistants I believe ... Elaine Bannon and Isabella Florentina. The latter has perished," he added sadly. "You look something like her."

"So you are a thief, or at least were." He did not state it judgmentally. "How good a thief were you?" He hoped she might brag about it.

"Who taught you magic?" he asked casually, as if it was obvious that she was a sorceress.

Ashari · Post by **Ashari** » Thu May 10, 2007 8:05 pm

Ashari was young and although she had great goals and have lived much already, it was still almost painfully obvious at the payment of a compliment. She bit her bottom lip and glanced downward for a flicker before quite bravely lifting her eyes back to Andolin. "Yes, she was, Caesar. Beautiful in ways that extended beyond her physical form. She was the kindest woman I've ever known." There was a sadness in this, in the rembrance of her mother, something she tried not to think of overlong.

"Yes, Isa." Another face fallen from Tazlure. "We were... friends, briefly." She met the woman under somewhat questionable circumstances, however, what with her assuming different names and hiding her true identity. Then there was the affair. It still brought a sting to her heart, and there would always be a tinge of hatred toward her and Iorn for how they'd betrayed her. No matter what he was still her first love. "Her death caught me by surprise. I guess one never expects it from someone so young... so... lively." If there was one thing Isabella was, it was full of life and scheming.

"She mentioned you," Ash said with a smile. Andolin was quite comfortable trying to make her think that he knew some dark demon about her, but she was just as comfortable letting him think the same. It was a cat and mouse game. Ashari knew her role as mouse, but she was not so easily caught.

No dancing around the subject of thievery. "I was good enough to survive, I was never bold enough to steal anything of importance, I was happy enough to stick to lifting a few coins from purses and the occasional apple or whatever from merchant stands in the city. I was a child at the time... not to say that the glitter and gold didn't interest me, but I was nervous. I'd been caught once," she sighed with a smile, remembering how stupid she was. She was skinny then, all legs. "I was only about fourteen yahren, old enough to get into serious trouble, but young enough not to realize it. I stole a guardsmans purse and he recognized me, he'd known my father. He gave me a lashing, and was taking me to the orphanage - told me what a shame I would be to my father. I don't think I'd ever been more angry at anyone in my life... I was just doing what I had to, so I wriggled away and ran off into the depths of alleys. I didn't steal for a while after, but eventually hunger wins over fear." More omissions. She'd had to stab the guardsman to get away from him, with his own boot blade, a blade she only knew was there because of her father doing the same. She never found out if he survived.

She had had much better heists. Ashari didn't brag infront of the Caesar. For some reason she had a strong feeling he would trust a thief. Ashari always trusted a thief. You knew what to expect, if nothing else. Better than a liar, and here she was, lying by leaving things out.

"Magick? Shielding. My mother. To protect me. She would've taught me more if she'd had the chance, but she didn't." An enormous lie. It was the sort of lie that was easily detected. The circumstances surrounding her learning magick were a long story if nothing else and confusing beyond that. Ashari shrugged. "Another survival technique. Who taught you?"

Andolin · Post by **Andolin** » Sat May 12, 2007 1:57 am

It was clear that Ashari loved her mother, but Andolin said nothing of it.

Her reference to Isa made him wondered how well she knew her. Her comment about Isa mentioning him had its effect. His curiosity got the better of him, but he dared not ask what Isa had said. "She mentioned Lord Thalas to me, suggesting I meet him," he mentioned, wondering whether she would take that as a compliment. He, sadly, was oblivious to Isa's affair with Iorn.

As she explained her background as a thief, Andolin was left to wonder what more there was to her story as a thief. Had it only been a fancy of a 14 yahren girl? Or, had she merely graduated to higher forms of thievery? "So, you were a mere pickpocket? You are now a pure law abiding citizen then?" he asked skeptically, but in an amused voice.

"Your mother taught you magic, but only shielding?" he asked with an arched eyebrow that was equally skeptical?" When she asked who taught him magic, he replied, "I do not need to be a mage. I have plenty around me." It was no lie, but it waas no answer.

"So, you would have me believe that you are just an ordinary young woman with an ordinary past, except for the ability to shield? Come come. How does an ordinary person travel half the globe and find the bravado to approach the Caesar of a strange land to support some novel scheme of hers." He shook his head slightly as he gave her a sly smile.

"I am guessing you are far from ordinary Ashari. I do not like ordinary people. Why would I want to invest with one? No, tell me what I need to know abot you to know that you will succeed in this venture."

"If I am to be your patron, then I need to know more about you ... much more." His eyes traveled from her face to her bodice. "Does that intimidate you?" he asked, suspecting that it did not.

Ashari · Post by **Ashari** » Sat May 12, 2007 5:14 pm

"You would've liked him," Ashari replied. "He would've bragged and he was certainly far from ordinary." There was something much more obvious they would've had in common - their taste in women. Ash, however, knew nothing of the affair between Andolin and Isa, only how Isabella had deftly not spoken of him, and for some reason that said more than she ever could have about the Westerner infront of her, a man who seemed increasingly out of place in the office of the Caesar.

"Mere pickpocket? No. I was a child doing a very dangerous thing, and that in itself carries it's own lack of the ordinary, Caesar. I'm not exactly sure what you want from me, though. Do you want the bar room tales of my heists? The theft I made from the King's Court Palace library and the magickal amulet I skillfully obtained from a witch who lived in the woods? These are tales, Caesar, but I am not above telling them. I'm a hero on every continent I've yet to step foot upon, if you're going to call me ordinary then I just have to know more about you and those who you consider more than what I am."

He was pushing her to reveal more about herself than she wanted to, but this was not to be unexpected. She wouldn't speak of the demons that surrounded her, or the unusual amount of people who expired in her presence. "You don't need to be a mage, but I doubt that's stopped you, has it?" She returned her own sly smile. "I will be honest with you, I know much more than shielding, but so do you."

Andolin's eyes left her face and traversed her form. She was not unused to this. Infact, it was welcome territory. Horny men she could handle. "No, Caesar, it doesn't," she replied breathily. "But I have to admit, your deep interest in me only piques mine in you. I fear I know very little about my patron aside from the fact that he used to live next door to me before taking residence in the Citadel proper."

Andolin · Post by **Andolin** » Sat May 12, 2007 7:12 pm

Ashari seemed defensive about her thievery skills. He supposed he could understand that. Thieves, in his experience, tended to be a conflict between denial and boasting. "No bar room tales for me, unless they are true," he chuckled. "Though the one about the magical amulet sounds interesting." He had a magical amulet of his own, but there was no need to admit that.

"What I want from you, Ashari is you to trust me. You should not trust anyone, but I want you to take a risk and decide to trust me. I want you to do it even though it is reckless to do so." It was a clear challenge to her.

"Your confession, for example, that you are a skilled mage is a welcome sign to me. I can find out things about persons ... through various means. I prefer to hear the truth from your lips." He did not reply to her point about him knowing more magic. He merely smiled.

As he oogled her, he noticed her warm response. It was an invitation of sorts. He was ready to take such an invitation, if she was worthy. He had not accepted many invitations of late. Only one, in fact.

"Of me, there is little to tell." That was true, especially since amnesia had robbed him of most of his memories. "I come from a noble family from World's Mouth," he lied. "My family was in hiding from its enemies and I was trained here in the Empire. I only arrived in the Citadel within the past yahren and came to the attention of the late Caesar because I helped him combat a demonic coven. I became Master of Protocol and then became the assistant to the Major Domus shortly thereafter. The untimely death of the Major Domus resulted in my graduation to that position." That was the official version.

"I will give you a chance to learn more, Ashari, but first I want to know more about you. I want to know what makes you smile and what makes you cringe. If we are going to be close, I will need to know every nook and cranny about you." He certainly looked forward to exploring some of those nooks later, should she prove to be as intriguing as he hoped.

Ashari · Post by **Ashari** » Mon May 14, 2007 2:20 am

"They are all true. I'm not mediocre. Everything I do I'm excellent at. I waste no time. I put my entirety into anything I want." It alluded to the Red Rose Guild, but she didn't mention it directly. She wanted to steer the conversation more in that direction, but she was having a bit of fun finding out more about the Caesar who sat before her. "Perhaps if we were having a drink or two I'd be more prone to prattle about my past conquests."

Considering all of the other things Ashari had had to overcome in her yahren, one had not been betrayal. Those who she had put her trust in always carried it well. Perhaps she had been lucky, or her hard youth had taught her who was trust worthy. Whether or not Andolin was could still be argued in her mind. He'd not done anything to make her suspect him of being untrustworthy, but there was no way he was completely innocent considering his position in the goverment. She'd yet to hear of an uncorrupt official. Her time in King's Court had sealed that, first with the Regent who allowed Orcs into the city to further his own goals, and then with Demetrion, a man who continually got under her skin just by breathing.

"I promise you there is nothing about my magick you could find out from a single person on this rock," she replied, and it was absolutely true. Those few who knew of her skills would never speak of it due to the equally incriminating things she knew of them, or because of an allegiance to her that would be difficult to break for one reason or another. "And there's not a single person alive in King's Court who'd know of it either." All of them were dead.

Amnesia. Ashari would've loved to have known about it. Andolin had been warned not to search his mind, not to look for the things within it due to the terrors he'd witnessed as a child, but if given the chance the mindcrafter would've jumped at the oppertunity to assist him in reviewing his memories. He would've had to have been an incredibly trusting man to reveal such secrets, secrets which had given him the position and power that he now wielded, secrets that he would unlikely ever share with a living person, secrets that had been lied about so many times since he landed in the Citadel that the lies had become real enough for only the closest of inspectors to realize they were otherwise.

What he did share, however, was more than interesting. "World's Mouth - and you're the Caesar of the Seven Isles?" It was slightly ridiculous. "It seems you were in the right place at the right time several times over, it's amazing the people trust you - especially now with everything going on in World's Mouth. Do you think your connection to World's Mouth will damage the Empire's relationship with the rest of Western Terra?" She hadn't thought about what a significant question she asked until it had fallen from her full lips. "Pardon me, Caesar, that was rude of me to ask." It was a potential problem, the relationship between the lands under the crown in Western Terra vs the Empire, and it was a nugget she deftly logged away in her mind, whether or not he chose to comment.

"Every nook and cranny?" The brunette beauty smirked. "Interesting people make me smile," It was a veiled compliment, as she'd smiled several times because of the questions and comments of the mage she sat with. "So do situations that make me think. I like to work and I find pleasure in getting what I want. As to what makes me cringe, it's simple - failure." The thing that made a stronger impact on her however was death, and she thought of it then, as he asked about her. It was perhaps the most uncomfortable subject for her, but she passed it swiftly, as if it had little affect on her. Were he to be watching her closely, he might've noted the way her brows knitted into concern at the very thought of the word death and the subtle stutter at her next breath. Inwardly, her stomach clenched just enough for her to notice it. It was easily put onto her mention of 'failure', something she hated not quite equally, but enough to be unsettled by it.

Ashari was quick to change the subject. "So you defeated a demonic coven? That sounds like a story almost worthy of a bar tale. I imagine it did much to attract Anochrim's attention." She wasn't sure of the protocol when talking of expired caesars - whether or not they retained their titles or not, but considering the company she didn't expect him to be overly offended if she was incorrect in her usuage of just his name, since they'd no doubt been somewhat close.

Andolin · Post by **Andolin** » Mon May 14, 2007 11:45 pm

"Sharing a drink or two is something easy to accomplish," he announced with a pleased smile. Producing a bottle of dark brandy and two glasses, he poured the liquid into each. Handing her a glass, he offered, "to you Ashari. Here's to getting to know you better ... and to bar room tales." He took a sip from the glass confidently. Maybe he could loosen her tongue, if not her morals, with a few drinks.

"So none know of your magic, then it must be mighty indeed," he complimented. "What type do you practice?" he asked with obvious interest.

"Yes, being from the Mouth is a think that some fear, while others endorse. Yet, my family has not held power there in 30 yahren, so it is largely forgotten in the dust. I would not know the Mouth if I was to travel there. You are more of the West than I," he assured her. "People will not trust you, as you are from the West. So, it will be hard for you to succeed here. Though, having a secret friend help you should ease things greatly." There was no question that he was proposing himself as her friend.

"You seek success and fear failure. I do like ambitious persons. Why else be alive, really? I can help you more ways than one, but you know that. But, you must place yourself into my hands if you wish what I have to offer," he murmured with an inviting smile as he drained more brandy from his glass.

"Now regale me with a couple of your heroic tales," he urged with a smile. "I shall know the truth of them."

Ashari · Post by **Ashari** » Tue May 15, 2007 2:15 am

"And to you, Caesar - to the prosperity of Westerners." She took a sip of the offered drink, but not enough to make herself seem overly eager to down the beverage - even though she was. Ashari welcomed the alcohol, as she always had, especially in the past months in the absense of Iorn. Since spending more time with Ketch the pain that she associated with the loss of him was dimming, as was the need to cover it up, but it was still nice to drink and especially nice to get drunk.

"I practice several types, though I do have my specialities." It was an evasive answer. She still wasn't ready to discuss her magick. She felt as though it had little, if anything, to do with getting the caesar to back her financially. He seemed interested in much more than her proposal about the Red Rose Guild, and Ashari was certainly not looking to be one of the Caesars numerous illicit affairs unless it gave her much more than an Imperial Charter and some play money for her business.

"Whether or not your family held or holds power, to me, wouldn't seem to be the issue, but rather the fact that it's your motherland - and that you worn born of it. In these times, with the current difficulties, I can imagine the stress it could put on the diplomacy of your officials when working with those in Western Terra, aside from the Mouth itself - as it seems they are getting along swimmingly here in the Citadel, if Rosalie lo Russo is any guage." Ashari had been paying attention to her politics over the past few months, and she considered herself well read on the subject, though it had much more to do with the fact that she was spending more time speaking to the local people and seeing what they thought of the issue.

It was partly because of this allowance of soap boxing among the common populace of the Citadel that she had finally decided that, yes, the Red Rose Guild would succeed & that it didn't matter that she was a local, and infact it seemed to help her cause that she wasn't an old member of the Guild just restarting the nearly brothel like establishment.

"I've found, Caesar, that there are few who are distrusting toward me personally, no matter where I lived before here. Perhaps the same is for you. I find that I have a particular sway with persons that they cannot deny."

"Ah... heroic tales.. alright, you asked for it." Ashari bit her lip and her almond shaped eyes squinted ever so slightly as she glanced to the right and attempted to muster up a good one. "How about the one where I stole the art of magick from an old adhiel witch?

"I suppose I should start this by telling you I spent the weeks before this theft fighting orcs and taking down a villainous regent... I had been busy, but there is a certain thrill about theft - akin to fighting, or perhaps the first time you got a spell to work the way you wished it to... think about that for a moment," she said, pausing both for effect and for the chance to take a deeper drought from her brandy, somethng that seemed necessary because of the story telling. "There is a moment right before it," she continued, "that is pure fear. The fear of getting caught, and the fear of pulling it off, as if to top it your next heist has to bigger, like the addiction to white mist," Whether or not the drug was as prevalent in the Citadel as it was in Western Terra was uknown to her, but the analogy was simple enough to figure out if it wasn't.

"The theft wasn't particularly planned, rather just a spur of the moment decision, I saw it, this bracelet, I make a habit of not paying much attention to my marks - the people I steal from - and so I swept by her with the casual walk of a person just headed about the marketplace where we were, and I managed to slip it off her wrist without a second glance - from her or anyone else." She took another quick sip of her drink and finished it off.

"I walked over to the closest merchant stand selling eccentric jewelry and offered to pawn it off to him, it was encrusted with jewels, and I talked him up to five crown for it," It was a steep price for a piece of jewelry, but Ashari, like she'd mentioned, had a way with people. "And within flickers - literally flickers - there was a shouting about the crowd, a woman, looking for her missing jewelry, and there was a particularity and a desperation in her voice I'd never heard before. I'm not exactly sure what made me go to her, it was as if I were drawn to her, and I confessed my crime."

Ashari smiled, and allowed him to wonder as to why she'd done it. "She had a name for the jewelry, she called it the Snake Charmer, and there was a reason, it was shaped like a snake, and the trinket had certain qualities that charmed a person, and made for them to want it... to need it. I told her I could get it back for her, and I did, but not without a bit of help from her.

"You see, she was a sorceress, and she had a way of passing off her powers, from herself to me, and with that power, I was able to talk the merchant into giving me the jewelry back for a mere four crown, meaning I was still left with a whole crown for my trouble, quite the profit for a few moments work, and he was none the wiser." She grinned. "I returned to the witch and she withdrew her power, and took her trinket." If Andolin had been quick in refilling her glass, as no doubt was the case, then Ashari would take this oppertunity to take another sip, feeling the warmth of the brandy as it slipped through her body. "And then, after a bit of talking, she agreed to teach me her art, and it was from her that I learned the majority of what I know, and that is how I stole magick from a witch." The mage swirled the brandy in the glass, watching how it moved for a flicker.

"Tell me a story, Caesar."

Andolin · Post by **Andolin** » Thu May 17, 2007 9:16 pm

Ever ready to refill an empty brandy glass, this meeting was no exception. Whenever there was even the risk of an empty glass, he was quick to fill it. Liquor loosened tongues and morals. He did not wish to become drunk, but he wished that she might, and for him to feel the warmth of the brandy as it permeated his body.

Though he seemed more interested in stories, Andolin was keeping careful track of each nugget of information that she let fall. She was a mage that knew more than one discipline. She talked about swaying people, so she was likely a mentalist.

She was more than a mere thief, she was a pickpocket and accomplished in greater thefts of daring. That made her a very dangerous woman. Usually, his paranoia was to dispose of such women quickly, but she intrigued him because she opened up to him. He would need to have the Scouts Guild determine if she spoke the truth of her past in King's Court.

He allowed her comments about politics to go unanswered. It was not that they really needed a reply anyway. It was best to show that he was a careful speaker.

The story about the bracelet was most entertaining, and he found himself drawn into more than he would have thought. "I can understand why I would want a bracelet like that. Imagine having a bracelet like that when you are negotiating an important treaty? Imagine how easy it would be to seduce any woman with a bracelet like that in view at the time?" He laughed.

"Fortunately, I need no bracelet to seduce or negotiate. Perhaps it is the magic in my tongue that is so potent ... or my dashing good looks," he laughed immodestly. "Being Caesar does not hurt either."

"A story?" he replied to her invitation. "My stories are likely more mundane than the ones you have to offer. But let me tell you of the Guildmaster of the Rose. He was a man by the name of Larbiedo. He was a very clever man and had built an effective and powerful guild. He had the protection of a God as well. So, it was no wonder that his eyes grew inward with his guild, comforted with the thought that he was beyond any danger."

"But this comfort gave rise to laziness and it allowed his enemies to gain strength. They poisoned the minds of the populace against the ways of the Guild, and no steps were taken to rebuff it. Likewise, there were no plans should the Caesar die and chaos distract his patron. In the end, the Guild was broken and he is nowhere to be found. If he lives, he will be all the more dangerous, for he has learned a valuable lesson."

"But, let me talk of seduction. Who was the first man to seduce you? Why did he succeed? And, who was the first that you seduced? Knowing you better, I know why you succeeded," he declared with a smirk.

Ashari · Post by **Ashari** » Sun May 20, 2007 6:10 pm

Because of how adept Andolin was at making sure her glass wasn't empty, she barely even noticed as he refilled it, making for it to be easier to continue drinking without thought.

She laughed, "Yes, it could be quite the token," she commented with a sip and laughed with him at his obvious lack of modesty. He wasn't self-centered, but he was aware of himself and aware of his stengths. Ashari wanted to know what weaknesses he had... and which of those he wasn't particularly aware of. So far the most telling was his enjoyment of a pretty face. Not that he had any shortage of them around, she suspected, but there is always something alluring about that which you do not know, and the mystery in itself can be the most attractive part of it.

"Caesar, I doubt your stories are mundane. You came from a foreign place, fought a demon, and rose to power because of it. I'm sure there is plenty to tell. I hardly believe that it was just the defeating of the coven that helped such an ascension." Her gray eyes sought out his for a flicker, attempting to judge his reaction and whether he might speak more on the subject.

Ashari quietted as he began to speak of the previous Guildmaster, and it was not so much a story as a warning, or atleast that was how she recieved it, and as such, it sobered her some and she found herself less interested in drinking the brandy, finding it much more entertaining to stare into the glass and watch how the cuts affected the color of the liquid within as she contemplated his 'story'.

He was moving along quickly, however, passing off what he'd said about Larbeido as his attempt at telling her more about himself, which it wasn't. If anything, it left her feeling empty at having shared a fun and inviting story that spoke of her and her talents only to have it followed up by something so cryptic and lacking in personality. It was mostly just disastifying. "Tisk, tisk, Caesar," she began reproachfully as if speaking to a child, but continued on with a playful attitude. "I'm not sure I can count your story about Larbeido as much of anything. I want to know more about you. If you want to talk business and of the Rose, then by all means, we shall, but I had thought we'd passed that some time ago." Her eyes flickered with mirth.

"The first man I ever seduced was a Commander, akin in power to your previous Captain Ulder... a strong man with incorruptable morals." Her glance darted between his dark eyes, taking in all that was within as if reading into his soul with them alone, not daring to unleash her mindcraft on him, rathering to allow him to reveal what he would. Why take the fun out of it right away? "I find that all those who place themselves to be untouchable are almost always full of cracks, and it's just a matter of finding them."

"And the first man who ever seduced me was Iorn, and he did it so well I fell in love with him." Ash allowed the comment to hang in the air for a flicker, taking a generous gulp of her brandy before continuing. "Speak to me of your lust, Caesar. Who was the first woman to capture your attention so much that you couldn't get her out of your mind? What was it about her that allowed her to get right to your core? What made your heart beat faster and your body to yearn for her?" She was examining him as one might a peculiar bug that crawled into the steps, as if deciding whether or not he was safe to allow around, or ought to be quickly stepped over. All the while her own heart was pounding for the fun it was providing her to get to know the interesting man more deeply.

Andolin · Post by **Andolin** » Sat May 26, 2007 3:53 pm

He could claim his stories were mundane because some involved simple bureaucratic tasks. Moreover, most contained secrets he did not wish to reveal. In his mind, she did not have the right to learn as much about him as he did of her. He needed to be more cautious in his acquaintances.

The story about Larbeido was a warning, but it was a story about himself as well. Not only had he known the man, but he had learned a valuable lesson from the whole affair as well. Sometimes one can judge a person by what lessons they have learned from life. "Oh, there is something about me in everything I relate," he assured her quietly."

"So, you are seeking to finds the cracks in me then," he laughed. "I would ask you what you have found so far, but I know you will not tell me."

"I suppose I can tell you about the time of the twice-failed assassin. An enemy sent an assassin against me when I was Master of Protocol. The man was discovered in my house and captured. Rather than kill him, I convinced him that he might prefer to work for me instead, so I sent him against the enemy who had hired him in the first place. What better way to kill someone than when reporting one's supposed success?" he asked rhetorically. "Sadly, the assassin was not as clever as necessary. His body was found outside the inn where the rendezvous was to occur with my enemy. My enemy had done me the favor of killing the man, and had received my reply. He did not trouble me again," Andolin stated smugly.

Her talk of seduction confirmed to him that she used sex as a weapon. That was something to remember. He had not expected some innocent farm girl, but he needed to know how calculating she could be. She confirmed to him in her reply that she liked to seduce people in power. That made her somehow less genuine to him, as his paranoia suspected that the only reason she would sleep with him was to gain power from it. Of course, if truth be known, he was much the same way, but he was not likely to trust himself overmuch either.

"What if I told you that I am still looking for such a woman? Oh, I've had meaningless couplings, and a couple with women that I was especially fond of ... but they are gone Ashari. If you were some maiden, I might scare you away by suggesting that any woman I get close to either dies, goes insane, or disappears suddenly. But, knowing you better now, I do not think it discourages you."

"I can't tell you what it was precisely, but I can confess a fondness for strong and clever women. How can one be content with a weak and brainless mate?" The fact that he had brought Ashari to his office was evidence of that. If he had just been after beauty, he could have gotten it easily and not had to deal with the danger of a woman of Ashari's obvious talents.

Ashari · Post by **Ashari** » Mon May 28, 2007 10:46 pm

Sadly, though it'd seemed as if she sought power from sex, Ashari had been rather failed in that respect. Her dalliance with Commander Rainsong had almost cost her Iorn, and in that respect it had gained her absolutely nothing. Mazus had given her a job because of her talents, but that was about all she'd attained for the trouble it put her in.

"Oh, I'll tell you - just not yet," Ash replied before taking another deep sip of the brandy and setting the glass down for a flicker. Her full lips drew into a smile as she waited for him to refill her glass, already aware of how the alcohol was making her body feel heavy and her laughter light, something she couldn't contain as a peal of it fell from those red lips revealing a string of well maintained teeth nearly perfectly arranged.

The story of the assassin was much more interesting. Infact, it was exactly what she had in mind. The warning of Larbeido was informative, but that wasn't what she sought. He proved his clever little mind with this story, as she proved how daring she was in hers. This was a bar tale, this is what they would exchange. This is what she wanted. His smug smile brought another announcement of laughter from her, and she leaned forward, taking advantage of her deeply cut top, and she took a deep breath as she collected the giggles. "Caesar! Now that is a story worth telling." And she continued to laugh for a moment, her whole self ablaze with what could easily be described as a childlike exuberance found rarely in the life of a courtier and rarer still in the life of a Caesar.

The mage continued with his words, answering her questions on lust, and she felt a pang of doubt as he mentioned he'd not yet found such a woman. It was something to consider later, when her mind wasn't so fuzzy as it was already becoming. Another sip, a deeper one, as he spoke of how the women around him died, went insane or disappeared. It was horribly familiar for the girl who'd come to the conclusion that she was cursed as everyone she'd ever cared for had died or disappeared, though there'd been no insanity yet, perhaps it was to come. Ashari set the empty glass down on the desk top.

"I'll tell you what weaknesses I know of in you now." She said as she cleared her throat, losing some of the childlike luster in favor for a more adult and almost seductive voice that begged of kissing with it's huskiness. "You appreciate beauty, no doubt in all things, but especially in a woman, but above that, you yearn for someone with ambition for they need to be able to keep pace for the goals you've set for yourself - and already met - nevermind what else you might have cooking up in your limitless mind," It was a well played compliment made to make him feel as intelligent as she knew he was just from what they'd spoken of already and she meant it genuinely. "You need strength and intelligence to match yourself, and perhaps some of it to exceed your own... to give you someone to struggle against sometimes. How boring it must be for you, Andolin," It was the first time she'd used his first name rather than his title, "to be so limitted by simple people - by simple women."

Glittering orbs, the color of clean steel sprinkled with diamond flecks stared intently at the Caesar as her lithe hand reached for the newly filled glass. "Perhaps you're even attracted to an element of danger... the mysterious power that I wield draws your attention." Taking a much smaller sip this time, she swallowed slowly and purposefully before licking those lips with a pink tongue. "Perhaps, Caesar, you just haven't been looking in the right place for your right woman." A brow lifted gently, defiantly, and with a note of daring.

"I do believe it is almost lunchtime. I wouldn't want to keep you from your midday meal or from any afternoon business you need to attend to," Setting the delicate glass down for what might be the last time, Ashari braced her hands against the arm rails and prepared to excuse herself from her most interesting leader's presence, though there was a subtle pause, the sort of pause that invites one to prevent the other from leaving, if one were so inclined. Only Andolin's initiative would prove whether he wished to get to know the mindcrafting minx better.

Andolin · Post by **Andolin** » Mon Jun 04, 2007 6:00 am

Andolin appreciated a woman who knew what assets she had, and maximized them. The way Ashari bent forward ... the way she laughed. It was alluring indeed. But his interest was not just limited to the swell in his groin, but to the appreciation of talent. He had mastered some of the art of seduction along the way, and he suspected that she knew more than a little herself. She certainly handled herself as if she did.

As she claimed to know him, he leaned back in his chair and gave her an interested smile. There was no attempt to confirm or deny any of her analysis. She might be simply guessing that a powerful man would seek a powerful woman. But, she was correct. Though he enjoyed dallying with beauty, he only truly craved those with a power of their own.

"The problem with such women," he mused aloud, "is that it is hard to decide whether to trust them. The more powerful and intelligent, the more dangerous. Though I have been known to flirt with danger, as Caesar, I would be wise to avoid such danger don't you think?"

"And what of you Ashari? Do you seek to warm your bed at night with men who might please you physically, or do you find yourself wishing for more?" Using her own words against her, he added, "how boring it must be for you Ashari to be so talented and beautiful, yet encounter mostly simple men. One should not yoke a prize mare with merely servicable stud. So, whose life should be pitied more?" he challenged.

"Yes, it is time for lunch," he agreed. "Though, I insist you stay and join me, For in your description of me, I suspect that you have just described yourself. But, creatures like us, we cannot really trust anyone, can we? Whenever we do, misfortune is sure to follow."

He rang the bell to summon a servant. "Lunch for two. I should think that some ... game hen and some fruit would do nicely."

Ashari · Post by **Ashari** » Tue Jun 05, 2007 10:15 pm

It was hard for Ashari to not be continually impressed by the man infront of her, and the more he spoke, the more she realized why he would have been elected Caesar. She allowed herself to imagine, for a moment, of how it must have gone with Andolin infront of a council chosing the role of Caesar since Anochrim's untimely demise. He might have opposition, but it would be poorly played and perhaps only capitolizing in being the stark opposite of Andolin. However, eventually, it would be that keen mind that would win them over through it's casual confidence or with purpose and plan. She no longer wondered how he, as a Westerner, had gotten where he was, it wasn't where he was from, it was just the fact that he was Andolin that did it.

"It may be more dangerous with you being Caesar, yes," she considered, "but at what cost will you protect yourself? And where does the line draw for the interest of the crown and not of yourself? One has to ask: What good is a Caesar mad with boredom - willing to do anything and everything to remind himself he's alive? It's those sort of men who go mad with their power, and I hardly see you as that type, so why be the other? No, Andolin, you're not even slightly afraid of the danger of myself or my talents - you're intrigued - and whether you bear the title Caesar or not, you will always strive for the best and most interesting option even if it is slightly dangerous."

Her alluringly attentive eyes stayed locked on the mage as he continued, especially as he turned her own words upon her. His compliment, paired with the alcohol, brought a warmth to her cheeks as she laughed gently and looked downward, silently dismissing his words as playful flirtations. "Touche," she replied.

Inwardly, Ashari gave a sigh of relief as Andolin insisted that she stay. "Thank you, Caesar," She said humbly and reached once more for the still half-full glass, content to stay and waited for the servant to leave before continuing on trust; "It's a funny thing, trust, for one waits so long to give it, and when they finally do, their expectations are so high, that sometimes it's easily broken - much like an orb of glass - and even the subtlest of cracks are hard to miss, nevermind if it's smashed," Ash shrugged dismissively as if she hadn't given the subject much thought.

"But I suppose everyone thinks about it differently. I've been told I give my trust too easily, no matter how much I might think that I hold back." There was a different smile then, one of recollection as Ashari finally left Andolin's eyes to retreat into her own personal memories for no longer than a few flickers before returning to his presence. "I'm trying to improve upon that."

Andolin · Post by **Andolin** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 6:24 am

Silent through her analysis, Andolin gave her a hint of a smile when she was done. He noted that she used his first name in a familiar sense, and then reverted to calling him Caesar later.

"Ah, but can I truly go mad with power? Here in the Empire, the Caesar has very little true power. I have more power as Lord Chamberlain than I do as Ceasar," he lamented playfully. "Still, it does have a nice ring to it, and I suppose it is what you make of it."

"I do think you will trust me Ashari," he predicted as he sampled more brandy. There would still be several burns before their food would arrive. "You really have little choice. You will find that I am a man of my word and I protect those who align themselves to me. To do otherwise is to find oneself friendless in the world," he observed casually. "One always needs friends."

"But, I don't need to trust you. In fact, any objective observer would advise against it. You are a Westie. Therefore, you are likely a spy. You are a skilled thief, so are likely to steal something from me without my notice. You are a skilled mage, so you might endanger me with some enchantment. And, not the least, you are a beautiful woman, and know it. That may make you the most dangerous of all." He had a continued casual air to him.

"I wonder if you would look me in the eyes ... deeply ... and tell me why I should trust you Ashari. I have been known to laugh at danger, but I want to hear from your own lips your best advice to me as to whether I should trust you. Advise me knowing your strengths and weaknesses for what they are." His own eyes stared into hers in a challenging fashion.

Ashari · Post by **Ashari** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 3:05 pm

Andolin's assesment of herself, as well as all the ways she could damage him didn't fully bring everything into the light, but it was nearly spot on and she had to admit that he had a point on everything he'd brought up so far. So how could she convince him to trust her? Aside from giving him something damaging about herself (which she'd already done in telling him that she was a mage) she was at a sudden loss of what to say. Plus, what else could be percieved as damaging about herself that he didn't already know? Ash was a hero after all, and she'd lived a fairly simple, heroic life.

The challenge, however, was met as her eyes did rise and stare into his boldly, at first, and then softening to more sincerity as she realized she had nothing to offer him but her words, and she didn't know if that was enough, the vulnerability of her age showing in her inability to offer suggestions of why he ought trust her, but also her wisdom in facing the fact that words mean little and actions speak so much louder than them. "Jump." Was all she said, but never lost his eye contact. "You are still a man, and you are still alive, Caesar or not. Make a decision. Do you want to trust me?" Of course you do, or we wouldn't be having this conversation. "Do you want to bed me, Andolin?" She used his informal first name once again. "Do you want to learn exactly what makes my back arch and toes curl?" Her voice had dropped to something lower, something more intimate, but her eyes never left his, completey unashamed of his desires or the fact that she was aware of them.

"Do you want to kiss me now, and find out how trustworthy I am while undoing bustles and lacings in a race to find the closest spot to lay me down?" That working of ties and pullies that held the dress contraption together and brought her waist in tighter compacted her form, but made for her to feel her heartbeat more as it sped up. "Because, there is no way for me to tell you how you might trust me, I can only prove such a thing, and for you, it would be a heavy gamble to make, wouldn't you agree? But how lonely are you, Andolin? How tired of vacant pretty faces are you? How far are you willing to jump for something you want?"

Andolin · Post by **Andolin** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 6:26 am

Andolin knew the dilemma he had given her. Nothing she could say could make him trust her; but, he wanted to see what she would do. It was as if he posed a riddle to her for which there was no answer that was good, but there were several that could be bad.

Her reply was unexpected. The word jump caused his eyebrows to raise of their own accord. For a moment he wondered if she was warning him of something, and he stood ready to leap to his feet and defend himself if necessary. He was a paranoid creature afterall.

Apart from being paranoid, he could be pompous. A pompous man would be insulted with the level of familiarity she showed him. Yet, he was not upset at all. He merely gave her an enigmatic smile as she explained her position.

She offered sex with him to prove herself. It was an interesting idea, and one he employed. He tended to sleep with those he trusted most, for it built a bond beyond mere master-servant.

Now it was time for his one word answer. "Hunger."

"Oh, I am interested in all the things you have to offer Ashari. You need not worry about that. I also know what will make your back arch and your toes curl," he added with smug humor.

"As much as I might like to ravish your sweet body Ashari, I will not accept an invitation to do so. Do you know me well enough yet to know why?" It was about control. If she gave him sex, she would see him more as her tool. She was trading sex for favor. Andolin had enough opportunities for that. It did not build a relationship he wanted. Ashari was dangerous. The only way to trust her was for her to give up the control she normally wielded. Perhaps she did this with Iorn, but he could not imagine that she did with anyone else. She needed to need him. He wanted her to want him as much, if not more, than he wanted her. If she did not dream of him and want to please him for reasons other than future favors, then there was no real trust. It sounded like he wanted love, but he did not. He wanted need (more than the need for favor). For with need came control. Andolin was a creature that loved control, yet he loved strong women who would rarely consider ceding it to any man. It was searching for something quite rare.

"I have any number of beautiful women who would spread their legs for me. Not all of them are as vacant as you suggest. In fact, they would give of their body because of what I am. That is hollow -- physically amusing but little else. You are a woman used to having her own way. You have the talent to make it so."

"Hunger, Ashari. When I see genuine hunger in your eyes, then I will know. Most men can make your toes curl Ashari, but I offer more. When I caress your flesh, I want to feel the shiver. When I stare in your eyes, I need not say anything."

"We are both lions Ashari, feeding off others as our prey. I will not be your prey my dear. If I accepted your offer to bed you now, I would be your prey. I am no one's prey, nor do you think of yourself as prey either, I imagine. When I see the hunger in your eyes be not because you see tasty prey, but because you tire of prey and want to mate with one of your own kind, then I will know. In that moment, you will trust me like no other, for you will want me like no other. It sounds as if I speak of love, but it is not exactly. It is something different. It can be equally intoxicating, but it is more dangerous. It is not monogamous, for we each need our prey from time to time. It is hard to describe, but I suspect you know what I mean." It can grow into love, but it must start with need.

A sip of brandy provided a pregnant pause. "And in that moment, I expect that I will find what I want."

Ashari · Post by **Ashari** » Fri Jun 29, 2007 2:51 am

Andolin had already quite jumped over the lines of propriety and Ashari didn't even consider that he might take offense at her questions. Perhaps that paired with the brandy had made her more vocal than recent ettiquette had taught her. It was a good thing he didn't or their conversation would've swiftly taken a turn for the worst. However, that wasn't the case, and he quicky took the bait of her questions, going so far as to suggest that he didn't want her body, atleast, not just her body. She was tempted to tell him that it wasn't an offer but merely a musing about what it was that he needed to have her trust proven. With her tongue properly bitten she rode out his entire argument on what exactly he wanted without comment, though she felt her heartbeat increasing at his words and their provacative nature.

Licking her lips she remained silent, but a smirk broke her stalwart appearance as he spoke of lions. It was a beautifully illustrative point, and it summed up his argument with eloquence, something she'd found in so few people in the Citadel. Perhaps it was because he was not of this place.

The mage reflected on their conversation during that pause, wondering briefly how they'd gotten there, but it was simple enough to figure out. They both wanted more than what was around them, infact, they both needed it. That need was in Ashari, though not on the surface yet, and as she was getting to know Andolin on a more personal level she was realizing it more. He was right. He was prey, but as he voiced that, he changed from it to an equal. Perhaps if the gazelle could only say such to a lion they would transform as well, however unlikely it was.

"So what do we have in the mean-time?" she questioned. "There are things I would like to have to make my life easier - as well as the lives of the Roses..." There was a single Rose in particular, a desert variety, who was on her mind. Aeris was in trouble and Ashari did need Andolin for what plagued the girl, and perhaps it was that particular necessity that would reflect in her mercurian eyes. "And I wonder if some of those things need wait until I prove my unebbing trust." She too took a pause to take a sip of her brandy, the glass becoming almost empty in the process. Her head was becoming clouded, somewhat, but she needed to focus on this one particular bit.

"Perhaps I could prove a token by explaining a slight predicament?" Aeris was, indeed, a weakness, but one she was willing to fight for. The swanmaiden would be worth it, she was already becoming a formidable apprentice to whom mindcrafting would lend well given more training, but first there was a woman in the way, one she thought that Andolin might be able to persuade given his position.

Andolin · Post by **Andolin** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 1:33 am

"Until then," he replied with a smirk, "we have need and hunger, which shall only grow within us."

As she asked after things in the interim, it caused him to wonder whether she still viewed him as prey, but he would indulge her if he believed that she truly understood. He had not attempted to read what went on in that pretty little head of hers. She would likely have shields to prevent it anyway.

"What is it that you desire, besides myself of course?" he laughed. As she offered offered him a token, he was pleased to accept it. "Do go on," he encouraged her. It seemed that she was keen on telling him anyway.

Ashari · Post by **Ashari** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 1:01 pm

Once again Andolin proved how full of himself he was. That could be his undoing at the hand of anyone, Ashari or otherwise. She did, however, laugh at his comment, as it was humorous and no doubt meant in jest to bright some light to their conversation, which was needed after discussing the appetites of lions such as themselves.

The brunette beauty took a deep breath. "There is someone after one of my Rose's," she began, using the momentary pause for a frown that quickly dissolved into the matter at hand. "It's Isis." The name alone ought to have brought up all sorts of mental imagery for the Caesar. Isis was, after all, a striking woman who knew it more than most and she was very dangerous. "My Rose is from her homeland of Amun Rah, but it's more than that... she wants the poor girl. She's sent her Immortals after her. I've hidden her away somewhere safe." Amid shields the girl slumbered even now, Ashari's constant attention to the myriad of webwork she had set up over the months in the chamber where Aeris had her change from woman to swan where even the slightest interruption to that sleep would tug at Ashari's mind. She could not carry the burden any longer. "I need it to stop, but I've no idea about Isis, nor any way to dissuade her from my Rose." A deeper breath. "She's a hero, Andolin. She fought the Changer on my side, I will not let her become prisoner," atleast not any more than she already is. The train of thought concluded in her minded. "Can you offer any suggestion? Could you assist in any way?"

Andolin · Post by **Andolin** » Tue Jul 03, 2007 3:29 am

It appeared that Ashari knew little of Andolin's relationship with Isis. The woman had supported his bid for Caesar and he owed her. That, of course, did not mean that he had to cater to her every wish. But, it meant that he had to weigh carefully any action taken against her.

"Just why does Isis want her? What makes her so special?" he asked with interest. "She is a woman that usually gets what she wants." He suspected that Ashari knew that. "Has your friend wronged Isis in some way? I might be able to help, but I need to know more," he replied as he leaned back in his chair.