IceAndWave/KickingOverAnthills
Kicking Over Anthills
In which wrath in unleashed, anger turns to passion, and wealth is redistributed on an ad hoc basis...
The 6th Day of Descending Fire, Realm Year 763
After three days aboard the Cloud Cutter, the Inland Sea gleams in the midday sun with Tideholme huddled against it. The airship that the three Dragon-Blooded were loaned for their trip back lets them off just outside the walls of the city, in the grassy fields just beyond the northern gate.
Venia yawns a bit. "I hope I can pull this off quickly. I want to be done by my birthday..."
Sian looks at her as he wanders down the ramp, looking perhaps a tiny bit tired after five days without sleep. "Your birthday?"
"Birthday. It's coming up in a couple of weeks."
"Mrm. Have to get you something, I suppose."
"That's still the custom up here, isn't it?"
"Our rustic ways remain unchanged, oh civilized one." He says this entirely deadpan, hauling up his pack and starting towards the city.
Venia obviously follows, deciding to purchase a good coffee the first chance she gets.
Diamond stands behind the Dragon-Blooded women, still ill-at-ease with Sian despite two days on an airship with him, but less so than before. Her stump seems to be healing well, the Icehome medick did a good job on it, and the pain appears to be fading, too.
Sian makes a mental note to get her a few more of the poultices.
Venia vaguely wishes for a leash, then considers asking Sian for one, if only for the look on his face. Alas, he'd probably actually get her a leash, so doesn't bother, though does amuse herself picturing the response to that question.
This close to the end of the year, Tideholme is actually distressingly warm - at least to the locals. The sun beats down and the heavy clothing that people in Tideholme habitually wear has been mostly replaced with thinner summer clothing. Sian opens his shirt a little as he wanders down the streets, picking up pace as he thinks of Aia.
Venia is hardpressed to notice the difference, but sees less steam rising off her hot coffee. She hangs back with cassia and diamond, and hopes nothing has unraveled durng their trip.
The city itself seems largely unchanged, despite the weather. The Iceflower Palace looms over it, business (and Gosul) carries on, crowds of people flood the High and Low Ports, and the smell of the sea is all-pervasive.
Despite it all, Venia's somewhat cheery, even handing the rest of her coffee back to the other two. Things are looking up, might as well share the warmth. Diamond looks around, her missing arm hidden beneath a light cloak, "What are you going to do with me?" she asks.
"Keep you safe. You might prove useful in the future." Venia doesn't seem overly concerned either way now that Diamond's mostly healed. More interested in checking her mail and sending out her new incriminating evidence.
"How are you going to do that?" Diamond doesn't appear particularly interested in her survival.
"Not sure yet. I suppose it involves keeping you out of trouble. You're Sian's now, so it's up to him."
"Oh..." she settles back in her chair, "What are you doing?"
"Taking down one of your compatriots. I wanted him gone, and I'll take over his business shortly. For now, I'm making sure that the satrap here has proof, and making a nice little packet for a soon to be friend of mine."
"Compatriot?" Diamond looks puzzled, "You mean Gosul?" She laughs suddenly.
- Venia shrugs. "Yes, compatriot. The both of you do happen to be doomed, after all."
"Oh, I thought you meant... never mind..." she takes a drink from the glass of water in front of her.
"You thought I meant both involved in your little cult. Am I right?"
Diamond nods, wordlessly.
"Never assumed he was in the inner circle, or even much of the outer. His perversions lie elsewhere, I think." Venia smiles a little, "But oh, the story it makes for. The loathed Gosul, pedophile and consorter with darkness. With the heroes of Icehome on my side, he'll be ruined. And dead. And I had fun doing it all." She starts work on another envelope, "Would you mind making some tea, while we're here?"
Diamond stands silently and begins to heat the water for tea.
"Since you're being helpful, any comments you'd like to add? Perhaps come along to meet my next assistance?"
"I lost, I accept that. I'm also doomed, and you're a Dragon-Blooded," she turns to face Venia, "But that doesn't mean you can patronise me."
Venia closes up that one as well. One more to go, this one farther. All the way to the realm. "Of course it does. That is the way of the world, is it not? The strong do as they wish while the weak pay for it. If you'd like me to stop, give me a reason beyond sullen nihilism and some misplaced belief I give a damn about how you feel."
Diamond just looks at Venia before shrugging, "Don't try to involve me in your life, is all. I'm not here by choice."
"Neither am I, dear. Neither am I."
Approximately two minutes after Venia judges that her message would have reached General Emberheart (simple enquiry determined that he was in the king's palace) there is a loud series of knocks at the door to her room. Venia sashays over to get it, checking that she can easily reach wher she'll sling her weapons if needs be. She can apparently still move well in tight outfits, and thusly opens the door for Emberheart. "Ah, hello?"
"You are Cynis Belar Venia?" Emberheart holds up the envelope, "You sent me this?"
"Yes. There's more, but you're going to have to come in to get it. She steps aside and waves him in, holding the door open.
Resplendent in his jade armour and with the hilt of his famous sword, Bloody Waltz, visible over his shoulder, he walks into the room, his attitude all business. "You claim to have proof that V'Neef Gosul has been dealing with the Dead."
"I would be correct, too. Red envelope, ignore the invitation if you feel it's too forward. I only recently got back from Icehome myself, so the details are fresh." Venia closes the door behind him and drags a package out. "While the more interesting items are safely elsewhere, you can at least take a look at the arm. She drops it once it's out of the wrappings with a thud onto the floor, letting it roll to his feet and gleam darkly in the light.
Gereth grabs the envelope and tears it open, devouring the documents contained within. "That bastard!" he curses, "That fat, disgusting, pedophilic fuck!" He begins to glow from within, the air wavering visibly around him.
"Careful, now. Don't burn anything yet."
He picks the arm up, and studies it intensely, "Gosul the Pig was involved with these... things for years! Dragons, I've protected his traitorous ass!"
"I'm having a copy sent to Asura soon enough, but I don't want him forewarned. If it makes you feel any better, I think the whole city given over to the dead plan is the most ambitious he's assisted." Venia smiles secretly, "I assume I have your assistance on clearing out his influence? I stand ready to take most of his holdings once he's exposed and dealt with, so any contracts with the living should continue unaffected. You won't have to worry about that part."
"Worry? I don't care. This," Gereth waves the documents, "is Gosul's death warrant. I swore an oath to protect Tideholme eighty years ago, and I have no intention of breaking it now."
"Good. But what about his closer lieutenants? They had to have noticed something, and yet never said..." Venia asks the general, "It's going to take a concerted effort, and that's going to be noticed. Can you get it ready quickly?"
Emberheart smiles bleakly, "My lady, you underestimate my men. While not as strong as the legions of the Realm, they are fine soldiers and they love their home. I can have a thousand men outside Gosul's palace in less than an hour."
"I do, it seems. Well, that is most impressive. There's a list of some of his more dangerous spots that bear watching. You get to that, I'll get to Asura, and we'll see how fast we can rid ourselves of this menace." Venia takes up the blue envelope. "I'll see you at my party, and we can celebrate Tideholme's victory. Ciao." She obviously gets to Asura's palace quickly!
The general leaves at speed, his departure leaving scorchmarks on the floor as he hurries to rouse the army.
Not long after the landing outside Tideholme, Cassia made her excuses to the others and left for her apartment, perhaps to rest and think about everything she had seen and experienced during the journey north. It was most unwelcome, therefore, to see a note from Asura sitting on her bed, particularly given the terseness of the language in it.
Cassia sighs softly as she reads the note. She wants to see me already? Not that I don't want to see her but... She turns and slips back out of her small flat and makes her quiet way to the Iceflower Palace, slipping past the few guards on the entrances and making her quiet way to Asura's chambers.
The palace is warm and airy, the slaves and servants who manage Asura's day-to-day business don't even notice the shadow in their midst, and the guards might as well be statues for all that they see Cassia. Asura, however, is not so unobservant. "Hello, Cassia."
Cassia lets out a small breath... she wasn't supposed to notice yet. She melts out of the shadows, "Hello, Asura."
Asura looks, as always, radiantly beautiful, her long hair cascading down her back, while the gown of purest white that she wears flows around her like water, "You have been away for some time. I was wondering if you would be coming back."
"...I know," Cassia says, a touch of apology in her voice. "I wasn't expecting to be away as long as I was..."
"Would it have been so difficult to send a message?" Asura turns, looking hurt.
"I wasn't away that long but... not really. I was... busy though," she says a little guiltily
"Busy with Venia, I take it?" Asura's eyes flash dangerously. "Remember what I said about her, Cassia. She's dangerous, and can twist your mind without you even realising it."
"Venia hasn't tried anything like that!" Cassia says defensively. "...Anyway, mostly I was saving Icehome from the Dead!"
"Really?" Asura snorts, "She hasn't tempted you with the delights of restraint? Hasn't offered to show you, oh I don't know, whips or candles, and how they can be used? Venia has many ways into your mind, and can be very subtle when she needs to be."
Cassia's cheeks colour slightly as Asura's words bring back the memories of those times, the sensations playing over her skin again briefly. "She only ever did that when I asked. Not that what we do in bed together is any of your business!"
Asura sighs, and sits down on a pile of cushions, "Cassia... I can't leave Tideholme, you know that. I am forced to rely on others to be my eyes and ears in the world outside. But now, with you and Venia... can I still rely on you?"
"I know that..." she sits near to Asura. She looks hurt at the implication she can't be trusted. Hurt and a little angry, "Of course you can!"
Asura runs her hands through her hair, and wipes her face quickly, before a tear becomes visible as anything other than a faint hint of moisture in her eyes. "You are very important to me, Cassia. I'm not sure if you know how important..."
"I kno-..." she starts to retort, then notices something in Asura's tone. I worried her? I've... upset her... "...I'm sorry for worrying you."
"I know you are," she leans over and hugs Cassia lightly, "And I understand. You're young, you're excited, you want to see and do everything, all at once. And I want you to have that fun, really I do." She turns to look at Cassia, "But you must remember that, always, there will be people who rely on you in some way. People who need you..."
The embrace is reassuring to Cassia, in some ways, "I did... have fun I mean." she looks into Asura's eyes, "And I was going to come and see you!"
"I know you were," she stands up and walks over to a window, leaning out to look over the city, "I just worry about you, sometimes. I..." *BOOM!* an explosion shakes the city, and a plume of fire rises up into the sky, followed by others in close proximity. "What the...?" Asura blinks, startled.
"...wha?" Cassia runs over to the window, looking out over the city.
Asura's brow wrinkles, "That's Gosul's palace. What's he doing?"
"...Venia must have told Emberheart..." Cassia says without thinking.
"What?" Asura turns instantly and grabs Cassia's arms, "Venia must have told Emberheart what, exactly?"
Cassia suddenly looks guilty, "... Gosul is trading with the Dead."
"I know th... wait, she told Emberheart that? Is she mad? He'll kill everyone there!" As if to punctuate her statement another loud explosion rocks the city.
"...you knew?" Cassia says accusingly "You knew he was helping the Dead get those spiders into people?!"
"I'm not stupid, Cassia. Of course I knew he was dealing with the Dead, he's also a murderer and a pervert and a rapist, and were you but a few years younger he would be most interested in you." Asura shakes her head, "He kept things stable, though, and stability is important. Without him, who know what will happen?"
"He was!! Why do think I stopped wandering about your parties!?" she says in disgust "And stable?! They nearly wiped out Icehome!" she says, her voice rising "They had mind-controlling spiders implanted in important people! They had bombs planted all along the walls. All because of him!"
"Do you blame the blacksmith because a sword he forged was used in an assassination?" Asura shakes her head, "I won't mourn Gosul, and I can think of few who would, but that isn't really the issue. If I had known about this, I could have prepared, had men ready to get records and ledgers. That will almost all be lost, now."
Cassia looks at Asura slightly sickened ,"...Is that all that you care about?!"
"What do you want me to care about?" Asura closes her eyes for a moment, "If you ever rise to a position of power, and I don't doubt that you will for even a moment, you will find yourself having to deal with people that you find distasteful or even abhorrent. You will also have to do things that you dislike intensely. That is how the world works."
"Even when they're selling a whole country out to the Dead?!"
"Well, no, of course not. Trading with the Dead is a capital crime, and rightly so. But how would you have me stop him from doing it? Even if he did, the trade would be taken up by someone else, someone I didn't know."
"I don't know!!" she exclaims, eyes flashing. "You could have watched him closer!! The bombs were going to go off that night. They had a soulsteel spider in someone I slept with! They had a sorceror on a demonic wasp! They would have wiped it out!!!"
"But they didn't. You and Sian and Venia stopped them, and now Gosul is either dead of running very quickly." Asura glances out of the window, "And, from the looks of things, riots have broken out all over the city. Which I could have told Venia would happen." She turns back, "Worrying about what might have been will only cause you more heartache. Look at what is and then decide whether to accept it, or change it - and know why."
Cassia shakes her head, her eyes smouldering "If we hadn't? Did you have anyone who might have known what Gosul's actions were going to lead too?!"
Asura just shakes her head.
Cassia nods her head descisively, "So what would you have done when people reported that Icehome was now a city of the Dead?!"
"Try to find out why. After that..." she shrugs, "Sometimes horrible things will happen. Sometimes people make mistakes."
Cassia looks at her slightly horrified.
"That is something else you will learn. The more power you have, the bigger the mistakes you will make will be."
Cassia shakes her head, her face still screwed up. She takes a step away from Asura.
"Cassia?"
"Yes?" she asks heatedly
"I know you probably hate me now, and I probably deserve at least some of it. But, ask yourself this, what would you, or could you, have done differently if you were in my place?"
"I would have!" she starts out, eyes still flashing "...I don't know..." she says quieter "I just don't see how you can be so matter of fact about it all!" the flames grow again.
"Because I have to be. Despite, or because of, my... proclivities," Asura smiles wanly, "I have learned to seperate my emotions from the business of ruling. I had to."
"I know all about your proclivities!" She starts to blaze, then she hesitates, "I!... I..." she closes her eyes.
"I never tried to hide them from you..." Asura almost whispers.
Cassia opens her eyes, looking slightly haunted "...I know... I...Asura..."
Asura moves forwards a step and places her hands gently on Cassia's shoulders, "Sssh..." she whispers, and leans in close to the young Dragon-Blood, her lips slightly parted...
"...I..." she says, before Asura shushes her, letting Asura step up, tilting her own head up a little, her eyes still haunted.
The kiss is soft, almost ethereal, her lips brushing across Cassia's once, before they return, stronger, as the older woman embraces her protege fully.
Cassia is drawn willingly into the embrace, returning the kiss hesitantly at first then with more certainty
Asura's hands slide down the girl's back, finding the fastenings of her clothes and undoing them, kissing with more fervour.
Cassia's own hands work to remove Asura's clothing, memories of Asura dressing aiding her as her nimble fingers work. She breaks the kiss "Asura..."
Kissing at Cassia's neck, Asura murmurs, "I know... Don't say anything..." and leaves everything bar Cassia's underthings in a puddle around her feet.
Cassia quietens then, pressing her body up to Asura's bare skin, kissing her face and neck urgently
Asura kisses fervently, her hands roaming over Cassia's body, working the magic that she has seen a hundred times before, only this time on her. They fall onto a pile of cushions, their bodies entwined in fire and passion.
Afterwards, Asura lies on her side next to the young woman, a finger swirling idly around her lover's navel. She kisses Cassia's cheek softly, "Obol for your thoughts."
Cassia lets out a pleasant sigh as Asura's finger traces over her skin. She looks at her as Asura speaks "...I'm not sure why I waited so long," she says warmly, the first thing she thinks of from the confused swirl of thoughts in her mind.
She kisses Cassia's cheek again, "You needed to be sure. That's all it was." There is a very soft cough from a corner of the room and Asura looks up, "Yes, Solace, what is it?"
Cassia nods slowly to that... she needed to be sure... was she sure?
"The Lady Venia is here to see you, ma'am," Solace says in his clear voice.
Venia? Here? Cassia tenses as she lies on the cushions... what will she think??
"Make sure that she has the proper refreshments. I need to be presentable for my cousin," Asura turns and kisses Cassia tenderly, "You should go. Venia is no doubt here to tell me about her plans, and it wouldn't do to derail her moment of triumph. At least not yet."
Cassia returns the kiss then nods. She needs to get away, to think. But... "..Tonight... can I...?"
"Of course," she smiles, "My door is always open for you."
Cassia smiles and kisses her again, then slips into clothing and from the room and the palace, her mind boiling.
Visible through the window behind Asura, clouds of smoke and pillars of flame rise into the sky, as Asura greets Venia with a smile, "Venia, so good to see you again, dear cousin. To what do I owe this visit?"
Venia tosses her the packet. "Gosul was involved in an attempt to take down Icehome's walls. Emberheart is busy making sure that he isn't involved in much else but dying. I believe you can cobble together a warrant of some sort with that information. Oh, and you're invited to my birthday party."
Venia puts a finger to her cheek and thinks. "But do it fast, he seemed in a bit of a hurry."
"What..? You..?" Asura blinks, "Why didn't you warn me?"
"So it wouldn't look planned." Venia steps over to give her a quick butterfly kiss. "You're going to be busy, I can tell. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to light a fire under a few others."
"And I thought I was supposed to be the impulsive one," Asura sighs.
"See you at the party! Do wear something, at least. Emberheat's going to be there."
People stand in the streets staring at the fire and smoke, or run away from the trouble breaking out in the areas surrounding the palace. Venia, on the other hand, has a glass of champagne and nibbles on a spicy bit of pepper. Go Emberheart go! Smash the guy in my way. She reminds herself that paying them off is surely a good investment for the future as she imagines papers being filed to lay claim. Such sweet sounds.
The chaos continues for some time, and at an indeterminate point during it, the first of several fires are set outside the palace, as enterprising citizens of flexible morality take the opportunity to redistribute some wealth.
Venia vaguely considers moving down to capture a few of them, but doesn't want to be mistaken and.... well, isn't that what she's doing herself? She's just so much better at it.
