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 Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2010 2:53 pm
"Yes, that is very true for most females, even myself. When I am not busy with the Circus, I find myself scheming of all the things I wish to do to other houses: of the ones I wish to see brought down, of males I wish to steal, those who are a threat to us, things such as this. Not until he has become an official part of our Circus will he be safe." She paused for a few moments, thinking things over, of how they were to bring him into their House without causing a scandal among all the others. If anyone else knew that they were getting married, they would see it as something unnecessary, even embarrassing. Then again, no one besides herself officially knew that Ssu was her daughter. Oh, there were rumors of course, but as these were two very powerful females, no one dared ask lest they bring about their anger, and a woman's anger was something to behold.
"So, you really wish to get married with this male then? Well I give you my permission, as well as my blessing, but let this be a warning to you, child. If he causes any problems for my House, he will be disposed of. I will not tolerate any dangers to our Circus, as we have enough enemies as it is. You say he is very skilled with his hands - and I admit, those earrings are very, very beautiful - then I trust in your judgement that he would work well with the crowds. Perhaps he could sell and make things, such as he has made yourself. We could always use someone that would help bring more of an income, as any money we make helps keep us afloat." She smiled at her daughter again, deciding this was not the time to threaten or punish her for keeping secrets as she had obviously been doing this last year.
No, she needed a powerful female at her side, especially if, Lolth forbid, something happened to her. She would need someone that could take her place, or someone to be her first in command. Ssu had proved many times that she was very skilled in her magic, and as she had two males, was very skilled in her feminine charm. If they so needed it, she was sure that Ssu would make a very good spy, and perhaps her males could be the same. She was sure that there were very few who knew about her daughters two males, and that they were connected to the Circus. They could be sent out on missions perhaps, and her daughter would not be able to refuse as she had already let so much by. Yes, they would be very, very useful to her. "Yes, child, go and get this male, I would very much like to look him over," and when she said this, there was a very wicked glint in her crimson red eyes, and a wry smirk to her plump lips.
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Posted: Wed Apr 28, 2010 8:28 pm
Ssu did not realize she was holding her breath until her mother gave her consent. Ssu's chest relaxed as the air escaped and she felt the tension leave her shoulders. "Oh he won't. He won't cause any problems mother. I swear. Ril is a very good male." She quickly promised Nathrae. "I will be sure to keep him in line as well. There will be no reason for you to worry about him in the least." Perhaps she was promising more then she could garuntee. Perhaps. But this was Mikaril she was talking about. Once she was done charming him and got what she wanted from him she was positive he would be as compliant as a well trained lizard! Still, even trained lizards had their own wills and could be dangerouse. She was not worried though. Ril was different and that gave her a sense of reassurance.
"Ril is more of a thief then a craftsman mother. I do not think he'd be competent when it came to making things. However, I could probably talk him into opening up a booth of sorts, and what he steals in one city he could sell in another. At the very least we could have Kyil do that. Or set him up in a kissing booth sort of thing. Just wait till you see him. You'll see exactly why I wanted a child from him." Perhaps such bragging would not be a good thing? She realized that she could inadvertantly be making her mother a bit jealouse..and that would not be a good thing in the least. She wanted things to run smoothly for herself, Mikaril, and Kyil. When her mother bid her to fetch Mikaril, Ssu nodded her head and stood quickly. The smile upon Nathrae's lips were...well..she sort of expected it. At the same time it concerned her. "Just a moment. I will go fetch him immediatly." She told her mother before turning and dashing off in a flutter of ribbons.
Ssussun left Nathrae's tent at a half run. She had gotten permission. That was only a step. Now came the audition of sorts. All she had to do was convince Ril to be everything a typical male needed to be. Strong or submissive? Probably a mixture of both... She had not prepared him for such a meeting had she? Before she had a chance to figure out a sort of plan her wagon was before her. Opening the door, Ssussun was struck with just how tiny and cramped her wagon really was. Well...one of her wedding gifts she'd insist be a charm like her mothers. She could not have two males and a baby in such a small wagon! "Ril!" Ssussun called out as she pulled the door behind her. "Mother has agreed! She has given her consent. However she wishes to inspect you first. Hurry and make yourself presentable!"
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Posted: Wed Apr 28, 2010 9:51 pm
Mikaril came to with a start the instant he heard the door to the wagon open. He knew that only Ssu herself had any reason to be walking through that door; anyone else and he probably would have flown at them to protect Kyil and little Mikkyila. He knew that there were still a few males around the circus that seemed more than a little put out that Ssu was spending time in her wagon with the likes of him. What would they think if they knew the circumstances behind it, that he hadn't even really asked for it or wished it at first? It probably wouldn't make any difference; they would still just see the most desirable female in the circus choosing to take a common thief, some outsider not even with the circus. For now at least.
He relaxed when he saw that it was indeed Ssu coming through the door. His ready smile vanished immedaitely with her hurried words. The MATRON of the circus wanted to see HIM. Doubtless to look him over and see if he was a fitting and proper male for her daughter to take. He felt a well of panic rise up to his throat, but as he took a shaky breath, he willed himself to remember his days as a page prince, when he had to constantly pressent himself to his mother, the Matron of House Torlyl. He knew how to act submissive and docile, just what a female would want to see in a male. But of course he couldn't make it seem too obvious, lest she grow suspicious and see it for what it was; an act to appease the higher power in the room and increase his chances of walking out of the room whole.
He hurriedly rose and smoothed the creases in his cloak, seeing as his armor would need no such treatment. He adjusted his hood to properly drape over his head, and he muttered a quick regenerating spell to strengthen the illusion that covered his ears; it wouldn't do for her to see those! After that there was little for it but to nod to Ssu and let her walk him out the door and to the tent. The walk seemed to take forever as Mikaril's mind pored over what could happen to him in that tent. It seemed highly unlikely that the matron would be a gentle female, at least not like her daughter was. Would she be worse than his own mother, or more like Haellara? Should he seem utterly meek and submissive, or would he make a better impression by showing that he had just enough free-thinking will to be at least an interesting lover for her daughter? Of course, play on that too much and the matron might see fit to test him in...other ways. Standing before a female for scrutiny was always a complex and dangerous dance, and one that he had hoped he would never have to do again.
Before he knew it, he had arrived at the Matron's tent. He decided the best way to show that tiny bit of backbone was to just walk right in, hoping that she wouldn't take his armor as a sign of any aggression. Perhaps he should have removed it......ah well, he would remove it if she commanded him to. He didn't know what sort of inspections the female would conduct, but he had to be prepared for anything. As he walked in, he kept his head just high enough for him to see where he was going without bumping into anything, and spying what had to be the matron sitting before him, he positioned himself in front of her with his head down, dutifully staring at his booted feet.
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Posted: Sat Jun 12, 2010 8:04 pm
For the few short moments they were gone, Lady Nathrae scratched her chin, debating how she would go about testing the mate of her daughter. Apparently this man had taken on this child instead of the woman, as was typical of such things, which already a sign of obedience of loyalty to his female, which was definitely a good thing. Then again he had also gone along with what was most likely Ssu's idea to keep this a secret from their Matron instead of suggesting to her that they fill her in on the goings on of things much sooner. This made her feel stupid and ignorant, two emotions that were intolerable for a powerful Matron Mother as herself to be feeling.
Her crimson red eyes darkened in anger, and it was while thinking of these things that the male entered. He did not ask her permission before entering her tent, and her eyes flashed dangerously, but immediately he stared down at his feet, not daring to look her in the eyes, as was typical for most males. Ssu filed in quickly after him looking a little flustered, so it was for her that Nathrae used to take out her anger on. The insolent girl had kept so much from her mother, so now it was time to leave her clueless on the fate of both her mate, and for her life and child. Their eyes met, and though her lips never moved, her words would be heard by both her daughter and the male inside their heads. "Leave us, child, you are not needed here. Wait outside, you will know your fate soon enough."
With a lazy flick of her hand a strong force pushed her daughter outside forcefully, and the door slammed in her face with a final flick of the magical locks. With the smallest amount of concentration she easily put a temporary charm around her tent so that no one on the outside would be able to hear in, prolonging her daughter's torment. This gave her a fierce sense of revenge, and she turned now towards her daughter's mate. He was tall and thin, wearing armor with a hood over his head to hide his face. With a flick of a finger the hood fell back to expose his face, it would not due for him to be hiding anything from her at the moment. She sensed something over his ears, but she just figured he maybe had a scar or something he wished to hide, so it was lucky for him she was not currently looking for signs of him hiding something.
"So, Mikaril, yes?" she asked, her voice surprisingly calm and gentle despite the anger still boiling inside of her. But she was a very old and very powerful Matron Mother, so she knew what to do when it came to acting and dancing the dance so often made between men and women. "Now, why don't you sit down, make yourself comfortable?" With another lazy flick the mat Ssu had been inhabiting before came roughly from behind, knocking him on the legs so that he would be forced to be seated. Her blood red eyes glittered maliciously, and she licked her plump red lips like an animal surveying her prey. "My daughter has said many good things about you, Mikaril, many good things indeed. However, I'm not sure I believe any of it, so tell me why you believe you and my daughter deserve to live rather than feel my wrath and never get to know your new child."
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Posted: Sat Jun 12, 2010 8:50 pm
Perhaps it was just his imagination, but Mikaril could almost feel the power and rage emanating from the female sitting just a few feet away from him. He hoped he hadn't already made some kind of error. He kept his eyes down as the introductions were made, then his head shot up a fraction as he saw Ssu being forcefully pushed out, and the tingle of magic being dispersed throughout the tent did little to put him at ease. He figured they were some sort of truth-detectors; Haellara always had those sort of spells on her person. At least it was a familiar spell, if that was indeed what it was. He flinched as another spell caused his hood to be thrust bach, exposing his messy white hair and his apparently normal ears; more than ever now he was glad that he had remembered to put that spell in place!
He nodded a small nod at the acknowledgement of his name, the tiny voice at the back of his head telling him that it was not quite time to raise his head. He blinked in surprise ar the offer to make himself comfortable, but before he could turn around and look for a chair or a mat, one came flying up behind him and knocked him to his feet. Startled, he reached out to steady himself and keep from falling flat on his face, finally settling down cross-legged on the mat and looking up at the matron. He fought to swallow a lump in his throat at the imposing figure sitting in front of him. He could see anger in her eyes, though he had no idea of the cause. Of course there were plenty of things for a matron to be angry about; perhaps it was just this whole situation with Ssussun taking on two stowaways without her knowledge or consent.
He took a deep, seatdying breath, praying that it wouldn't be his last breath, and made himself look at the female's face, if not directly into her eyes. "Well.....I don't really know what it is she's said about me, but I don't think there's anything about me that would be of much significance. I'm just a thief, one that for reasons of stupidity chose to seek help for my friend from your daughter, and she had us repay her by staying with her. We've earned our keep to the best of our ability, and are prepared to take on more, should you allow Ssussun to keep us." He paused momentarily before continuing. "I don't feel that I am so convincing to change your mind about me, but I will say that I do have some abilities that can be put to use. And my friend has skill also, perhaps greater than my own. Together, we could be of some use to you and your house, if you see fit to let us serve you."
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Posted: Sat Jun 12, 2010 9:51 pm
She wanted to just...pull him aside and brush her hands over Mikaril's hair and cloths to smooth them out. She wished she had something more presentable for him to wear. Well..maybe this was for the best. If she made him too attractive her mother might want to use him. And if he looked too well equipped or groomed she might suspect him of something else entierly.
When it was they did enter her mothers tent, Ssussun assumed she'd be able to stand by and witness the interrogation. So when her mother use her magic to thrust her from the tent...she was befuddled and anxious. Ssussun looked over the front of the magically enhanced tent and frowned with frustration. There was nothing she could do now. All she could do was wait for Mikaril to convince her mother that marriage would be acceptable...ugh! This was horrible! Ssussun began to pace outside the tent with her brows furrowed. What if she said no? What was she going to do then?
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Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2010 9:51 pm
Mikaril didn't look at all surprised when his soon to be wife was thrust forcefully from the tent, and she suspected that he was good at hiding his emotions, for most men would have immediately gotten scared of offended. Instead he stayed quite calm as she looked him over. Without the good he had unruly white hair, and soft pink eyes with a soft and gentle face. He was handsome as males went, and she could see the attraction that Ssussun had for him, though he was most definitely not her type. Personally she liked men with a lot of muscle, who were strong enough to defend their Matron until the death.
If she was being honest, Mikaril didn't look like he could do much at all, with his thin frame and feminine features, but when he spoke, though his voice was soft, she could sense some confidence in there, and could feel that he had dealt with many women before herself, probably ones much harsher and fiercesome than herself. As Matron Mothers went, she wasn't as horrible and ferocious as others she had met, considering herself more of a kind and understanding Mother. She loved her daughter very much, but to have her hide so much and never ask her permission for a single thing, the girl's insubordination had gone too far to ignore any longer.
For now she listened to what the girl's mate had to say, nodding every so often. When the boy mentioned that he was a thief, and that he was also stupid, she grinned contemplatively, thinking of all the possibilities, as well as all of things he could be put to use for. Ssu was right when she said that if they stole things in one town, they could be sold in another. It was easy enough to erase an item's history, or any spells put over it, such as ones to alert the owner to an items whereabouts, as well as to change it's appearance. If he really was a thief with some considerate skill, she wanted to see just how capable he was of retrieving things.
Very slowly she scratched her chin, her crimson red eyes checking him out from head to toe, thinking of the things she wanted him to steal for her. It seemed that he was a loyal enough male to her daughter, and if both of her mates were willing to earn their keep in her Circus, she didn't see a problem in letting them both stay. However, if they were to stay within he protection, then her daughter would have to deal with both of the men reporting directly to her whenever she so wished it. "Ok Mikaril, I have confidence in you, but before I allow you to stay within the protection granted by my House, I have a small quest for you to accomplish - alone, and without the help of my daughter or her other mate. Do you understand, insignificant child?"
Without waiting for an answer, she rose gracefully from the mat located across from his own, and went over to a small desk located in the corner. She rummaged in the drawers for a short while before finding a scrap of parchment. Quickly straightening it out, she pulled out a white feathered quill and dipped in in some ink. With a smirk she wrote out a quick list of all the different things she wanted him to steal. When she was finished, the list was ten items long, including a silver tongue ring, a stone magicked to give the holder the power of invisibility, a pair of sandals stolen from a Priestess, a statue of Lolth, makeup from a woman that worked at the circus, as well as a slue of other items that would be very hard to get. She turned around and handed the male the list of items. "You have until tomorrow morning to retrieve these items for me. The lives of the three of you depend on completing this mission. If you fail, kiss your lives goodbye." With that she turned around and waved her hand, the door to her tent opening to let him by.
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Posted: Tue Jun 15, 2010 9:32 pm
Under any other circumstances, Mikaril might have been amused at how fearless he seemed to the matron that he stood before. In truth he was terrified; already she struck him as a female used to getting her way lickety-split, if the mat was any indication. He had tried to choose his words carefully, and hoped that they would have some sort of influence in keeping him from being struck down where he stood. He knew full well that now it was just himself and her, with no Ssussun to plead his case should he slip and say something incredibly stupid. But as he watched the matron's face as closely as he dared, he fancied he could see the anger in her eyes being slowly replaced by a thoughtful curiousity. He was hoping it might be due to his profession; he would be more than happy to show her what skills he had if it meant letting him, Kyil and Mikkyila stay in the circus and be protected.
When he was finished, he looked at the matron's face, careful to not make eye contact. He listened to her reply and nodded, trying not to look as eager as he felt. A quest didn't sound the least bit sensual, and after what he said, it was almost certainly going to be related to thieving. With Kyil by his side, they would be able to sneak into the Demonweb Pits themselves and pluck a hair off of the Spider Queen's head! His eyes widened as she would specify that the task was to fall to him and him alone, and he managed a meek-sounding "Yes Mistress, I understand," before watching as the female gracefully rose and strode over to a desk. He watched her scribble onto a piece of paper and took the list, giving it a passing glance before nodding an acknowledgement and rushing from the tent as quickly as he could.
It wasn't until he was out of the tent and able to breathe more freely that he gave the list a good look. He bit his lip worriedly at the demands. So much of it seemed to be magical items; Kyil would have been SUCH a big help with those! But he had been charged with the task alone, and he knew that matrons had ways of keeping tabs on males and making sure they obeyed. Some of the items he felt he could pull off, like the priestess' sandals (after the chalice from the second house of Undrek'Thoz, the sandals of a priestess ought to be like a row in the Glimmersea), and the makeup from the performer. But others like the ring and the magic stone......he would have a considerably harder time getting those. And he had less than a day to get them! When he sensed Ssu approaching him, all he could do was look at her despairingly, clutching the list tightly.
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Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 9:00 pm
When Mikaril finally reappeared Ssussun ceased her uneasy pacing. She expected a reserved face on her chosen mate at the most, and a relieved sick expression at the least. The look that he did have... It did not fill her with confidence to see him come to her like this. She moved swiftly to take him by the elbow. She wanted to speak to him now. Wanted to find out why he looked this way. She gave a backwards glance towards her mothers tent and scowled. She had been so...so warm and...well...not as angry as she had seemed at that last moment. Ssu felt a pulse of anger on her own.
She led Mikaril back to her wagon, and entered quickly. The desire to speak was nearly overwhelming really. A glance assured her that Kyil was asleep, so she kept her voice down to as soft as she could manage at the time. "What? What is it? What did she say? What is going on?" She demanded of him. "Did she say yes? No?"
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Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 9:47 pm
Still reeling from what felt like a strange mixture of luck and despair, Mikaril allowed himself to be led by Ssu back to the wagon. It wasn't until they were safe inside the wagon, and the sight of his sleeping friend triggered a fresh wash of panic that started in his stomach and spread through his body right down to his fingers and toes, that he managed to speak. "She.....gave me a quest to do. Only by me, and it has to be done in a day's time. It's just a few things I have to steal; shouldn't be.......too much of a problem."
He knew that there was no hiding the tension in his voice, but he just couldn't bring himself to tell too much to Ssu. He knew that if Ssu knew about the list, she would want to help, and if the matron had some way of keeping an eye on him so that he didn't get any help, that would be it for him, and his new family. "So then.....I guess I had better get started; some of these will be tricky."
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Posted: Sat Aug 07, 2010 9:58 pm
"Quest? Quest? Why..?" Ssussun sputtered, her brows knit as she looked over Mikaril's panicked expression. She disliked this. Her mother had been so...Ah that...that b***h! Ssussun felt a moment of anger and hatred. She had acted nice to get her to speak more freely. Once she had the knowledge she wished, she'd gone and done this to her chosen male! Ssussun's cheeks flared with heat.
"Only by you? Are you sure? What things?" She asked Mikaril. "Is it just the act of thieving or...or something else?" Ssussun reached out to cup Mikaril's cheeks as he tried to detach himself and move on to see to his tasks. "Just an hour? For how much?" Her head twisted to look around her as she furrowed her brows. "Ah...that...that horrible..." She shook her head, the white loose strands flopping about her face as she bit her tongue. "If you need..directions to..places...talk to Elkaun. He knows a lot about this city. I believe it's one he's been around in a lot... Okay?"
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Posted: Sat Aug 07, 2010 10:04 pm
Mikaril stood outside the matron's tent, nervously awaiting the summons and hoping that his time spent outside waiting would not count against the time limit that the imposing female had set for him. He clutched a sack with fingers that seemed tense enough to never pry themselves loose from the cloth neck. It bulged with all manner of strange shapes; at a glance it didn't appear at all that what the bag contained was worth a small Underdark town.
After he had given himself what he deemed sufficient time to calm himself down, Mikaril had set out into the city to complete the tasks that Ssussun's mother had given him. Ssussun had been beside herself after he explained, but he didn't wish her to be in any trouble with her mother, and insisted that he would be alright. He had a fair sense of direction, and with so much at stake, he would be sure to keep his focus and finish quickly and efficienetly. The statue of Lolth had been surprisingly easy; many merchants would have at least one in their shop, if not to sell then to profess their devotion to the Spider Queen. How easy it would have been to just buy a statue, but Mikaril was certain that the circus matron had ways of telling whether or not the items were actually stolen. Not taking any chances, he ducked behind the tent of a merchant selling expensive silk and soon reemerged with the small statue. He smiled as he ran his fingers along the intricate carvings; this merchant obviously ran a good business to afford such a lavish carving of the Goddess; he could even feel tiny gemstones adorning the carved clothes.
The silver tongued ring and the stone that gave invisibility seemed decidedly harder, but Mikaril figured that both items would be found either in a magic shop or among the belongings of a wizard. Walking down to the district that specialized in magical items, he was soon dashing down an alley, followed by oaths and clutching a small stone the color of watered-down rothe milk. He should have known that stealing an invisibility stone wouldn't be as easy as stealing a Lolth statue; still, he almost got away with it, had he not bumped into a gaudy female smelling of perfume and sweat and knocked over a display of magical dusts, which collected among the shattered glass and made a broken rainbow. Of course when the shopkeeper blamed the clumsy male and gave a flowery apology to the smirking female, he had demanded that Mikaril pay for the spilled dust. Of course then he had no choice but to turn and run. At least running was one thing he excelled at.
Once he left the magic district behind, he had begun to despair at ever finding a wizard to filch a silver-tongued ring from. As he walked by a tavern, he stopped and stared at a drow male leaning beside the building, dressed in a rich-looking deep blue robe and speaking quite lustily to a female standing beside him. Mikaril couldn't help but think that if he were a female, such talk would give him cause to take that male, slowly dismember him and hurl his ungainly limbs down the nearest crevasse. But what caught his attention was not only the female's dreamy gaze, but the fact that the male, with an elaborate gesture of his hand, showed that each finger had at least three rings on it. Under normal circumstances, he would have waited for the male and his obviously enchanted companion to find themselves a room, but he knew that he was on a time limit and had to be swift. Drawing his dagger and reminding himself that this was for the good of his new family, he swiftly approached the male and with the swiftest, cleanest stroke he could muster, brought the dagger down hard on the hapless wizard's hand. A scream rent the air, the female blinked and looked momentarily dazed, and Mikaril was hastily scooping up the severed digits and the rings that still adorned them and running away as fast as he could. He couldn't tell at a glance which was the silver-tongued ring, but he was certain that the matron could sort them out.
With all the commotion he was causing throughout the city, he thought it might be next to impossible to obtain the sandals of a priestess, but it turned out to be easier than he thought. He may have been a fair pickpocket, but he felt that his true calling to thievery lay in house robbing. In what seemed like no time at all, he found himself inside a house and into a female's room, his upper half inside her closet as he looked for just the right pair of sandals to impress the circus matron. After settling on a pair that looked rather ceremonial, he snuck back out without incident and continued on his search for the other items. Finally, he returned to the circus and selected a wagon that housed one of the female assistants. He knocked on the door, and when she came out, he cast a globe of darkness around her while she stood there with the door open. Dashing past her, he grabbed a container of face powder and dashed back out before the girl could start bringing the entire circus to her door with her cries of alarm.
He had gone straight to the matron's tent after that, figuring that he would not be detained if it meant displeasing the head of the circus. He breathed a sigh of relief as he was escorted inside, and once he stood before the intimidating female, he set the bag down in front of her and met her gaze steadily. "I.....I have the items you asked of me." He wasn't about to ask if he had made the deadline, but all things considered, it had been a bit easier than he had thought.
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