((I know, I know, been leaving poor Chuta hanging.))
Rosewater rolled off of the girl, breathing hard, his sweaty body flopping down onto the bed - well, something of a bed anyway, little more than a hard board with a few filthy blankets clinging to it, scratchy wool such as a broke Brass Blade might use. The Limsan whore - or so she said she was - squealed with belated pleasure, draping a green thigh over his bare legs; he stroked it absently, still breathing heavily. "That was wonderful, pet," he managed, smiling at her as he took a small lacquered box from the bedside table. "Truly wonderful. You're worth every gil, you know."
She giggled coquettishly. "Oh Master Cap'n, ye' ain't s'bad ye'self," she lisped. The accent and the lisp were both fake, Rosewater noted absently, his eyes on the lacquered box in his hands. "Almos' makes a girl wanna give over th' trade!"
He opened the box. Bells of work had led up to this point, but his expression was careless, the muscles of his face relaxed. Rosewater was never more relaxed than when he was lying. He never felt happier either, but happiness was something to release in the moment. It interfered with the lying.
He selected a linkpearl out of many in the box seemingly at random, bright red. The others rolled around and clattered together as he shut the box. "A moment, pet," he told the Roegadyn with another stroke of her thigh. "The higher-ups get irked when I don't report in."
He murmured a conversation into it, only partially managing to conceal his mouth and his words with his free hand, because he kept getting distracted by the delicate skin of her inner thigh, making her squeal and blush. Oh, he said a lot of this and that as if he were really focused on giving a report - the prisoner had been here two days so far, hadn't given any information of consequence, interrogations would commence on the bell, yes sir he would make sure he got a confession, Garlean troop movements to the east, yes they were moving two contingents of Blades to intercept, yes, he would personally oversee the operation. Only a few words here and there were audible even to his delicious distraction, and he flashed smiles at her and tickled her and had her squirming on the bed.
He sighed after the report was over and dropped the pearl back in his box. "I'll be back in a tick, pet, nature calls." He gave her a noisy kiss, pulling on enough clothes to be decent, and moved to what certainly looked like a necessary.
Sitting on the toilet lid, he gave it a slow count of ten before shielding the candlelight and working out the plug from a peephole. Handy things, peepholes. There was a certain kind of Ul'dahn tree that made a perfect gummy substance, blended right into stone walls and blocked light perfectly, yet slipped right out of a drilled hole. He cupped his eye around the peephole, watching as the girl rooted quickly around in his lacquered box, stuffing linkpearls into her underwear. He suppressed a sigh, and a grin. He reached back lazily behind him and pulled out another peephole. Simply the light shining through would be a signal.
Armed men poured into the bedroom, and the woman had a scimitar at her throat before she could even turn. Rosewater strolled back into the room. "Fast, pet," he complimented her. "You would've cleaned 'em out before I was back for sure." He set about the enjoyable task of rooting through her underwear to retrieve his pearls. "Oh, the Sultansworn officers one too, pet? And the Blades report shell... and Jenlyn's private line... pity these are all dummy shells." He chuckled, turning them over in his fingers. Her eyes bulged. "What, you thought just because it was red, it was for the Blades?"
"What the hells- " She started angrily, then took a deep breath, putting her persona back on. "B-but Cap'n -"
"You can knock it out with the Limsan bit. You're from a bit farther away than that, aren't you, pet?" Rosewater deposited the shells back into the lacquered box. Some of them were real, of course - but he did so enjoy lying. "If you were Limsan, well, even friends spy on each other, it'd just mean a ticket back home and a stern talking-to to the Maelstrom. But since you're Garlean, I'm afraid it's the gallows."
Her eyes were bulging. Rosewater waved a languid hand at her captors. "Take her away, boys. Wring everything from her before you take her to the gibbet. We can always use new intelligence."
They dragged her from the bed, and she couldn't even struggle. Had she fought, she could have maybe took one or two of them out - maybe. Rosewater didn't know. They never seemed to fight once they heard the word "gallows". Rosewater wondered absently if she really were Garlean. It didn't particularly matter to him.
He shielded another peephole, this one in the side of the fake bedroom, and looked in on his Miqo'te prisoner. That one was as tough as old roots. He wondered if the old man really was the killer they were looking for. Of course, they didn't have a type, killers. Rosewater had seen a beggar once with an angel's face shiv another beggar for a crust of bread that wouldn't feed a marmot. That was back before he'd fallen into his natural talents, back before he'd found new outlets.
A Blade filled the doorway. Rosewater replaced the plug in the peephole and turned away. This entire building was riddled with such holes, some just big enough to let in air, some for viewing, some for eavesdropping. Some for even more. Rosewater loved this place as much as he loved anyone or anything. "Let's feed him," he said brightly. "A guest shouldn't be left hungry, wouldn't you say?"
The old one wouldn't break at the thought of gallows. Maybe there was more sport to be had with this one than even the last.
Rosewater rolled off of the girl, breathing hard, his sweaty body flopping down onto the bed - well, something of a bed anyway, little more than a hard board with a few filthy blankets clinging to it, scratchy wool such as a broke Brass Blade might use. The Limsan whore - or so she said she was - squealed with belated pleasure, draping a green thigh over his bare legs; he stroked it absently, still breathing heavily. "That was wonderful, pet," he managed, smiling at her as he took a small lacquered box from the bedside table. "Truly wonderful. You're worth every gil, you know."
She giggled coquettishly. "Oh Master Cap'n, ye' ain't s'bad ye'self," she lisped. The accent and the lisp were both fake, Rosewater noted absently, his eyes on the lacquered box in his hands. "Almos' makes a girl wanna give over th' trade!"
He opened the box. Bells of work had led up to this point, but his expression was careless, the muscles of his face relaxed. Rosewater was never more relaxed than when he was lying. He never felt happier either, but happiness was something to release in the moment. It interfered with the lying.
He selected a linkpearl out of many in the box seemingly at random, bright red. The others rolled around and clattered together as he shut the box. "A moment, pet," he told the Roegadyn with another stroke of her thigh. "The higher-ups get irked when I don't report in."
He murmured a conversation into it, only partially managing to conceal his mouth and his words with his free hand, because he kept getting distracted by the delicate skin of her inner thigh, making her squeal and blush. Oh, he said a lot of this and that as if he were really focused on giving a report - the prisoner had been here two days so far, hadn't given any information of consequence, interrogations would commence on the bell, yes sir he would make sure he got a confession, Garlean troop movements to the east, yes they were moving two contingents of Blades to intercept, yes, he would personally oversee the operation. Only a few words here and there were audible even to his delicious distraction, and he flashed smiles at her and tickled her and had her squirming on the bed.
He sighed after the report was over and dropped the pearl back in his box. "I'll be back in a tick, pet, nature calls." He gave her a noisy kiss, pulling on enough clothes to be decent, and moved to what certainly looked like a necessary.
Sitting on the toilet lid, he gave it a slow count of ten before shielding the candlelight and working out the plug from a peephole. Handy things, peepholes. There was a certain kind of Ul'dahn tree that made a perfect gummy substance, blended right into stone walls and blocked light perfectly, yet slipped right out of a drilled hole. He cupped his eye around the peephole, watching as the girl rooted quickly around in his lacquered box, stuffing linkpearls into her underwear. He suppressed a sigh, and a grin. He reached back lazily behind him and pulled out another peephole. Simply the light shining through would be a signal.
Armed men poured into the bedroom, and the woman had a scimitar at her throat before she could even turn. Rosewater strolled back into the room. "Fast, pet," he complimented her. "You would've cleaned 'em out before I was back for sure." He set about the enjoyable task of rooting through her underwear to retrieve his pearls. "Oh, the Sultansworn officers one too, pet? And the Blades report shell... and Jenlyn's private line... pity these are all dummy shells." He chuckled, turning them over in his fingers. Her eyes bulged. "What, you thought just because it was red, it was for the Blades?"
"What the hells- " She started angrily, then took a deep breath, putting her persona back on. "B-but Cap'n -"
"You can knock it out with the Limsan bit. You're from a bit farther away than that, aren't you, pet?" Rosewater deposited the shells back into the lacquered box. Some of them were real, of course - but he did so enjoy lying. "If you were Limsan, well, even friends spy on each other, it'd just mean a ticket back home and a stern talking-to to the Maelstrom. But since you're Garlean, I'm afraid it's the gallows."
Her eyes were bulging. Rosewater waved a languid hand at her captors. "Take her away, boys. Wring everything from her before you take her to the gibbet. We can always use new intelligence."
They dragged her from the bed, and she couldn't even struggle. Had she fought, she could have maybe took one or two of them out - maybe. Rosewater didn't know. They never seemed to fight once they heard the word "gallows". Rosewater wondered absently if she really were Garlean. It didn't particularly matter to him.
He shielded another peephole, this one in the side of the fake bedroom, and looked in on his Miqo'te prisoner. That one was as tough as old roots. He wondered if the old man really was the killer they were looking for. Of course, they didn't have a type, killers. Rosewater had seen a beggar once with an angel's face shiv another beggar for a crust of bread that wouldn't feed a marmot. That was back before he'd fallen into his natural talents, back before he'd found new outlets.
A Blade filled the doorway. Rosewater replaced the plug in the peephole and turned away. This entire building was riddled with such holes, some just big enough to let in air, some for viewing, some for eavesdropping. Some for even more. Rosewater loved this place as much as he loved anyone or anything. "Let's feed him," he said brightly. "A guest shouldn't be left hungry, wouldn't you say?"
The old one wouldn't break at the thought of gallows. Maybe there was more sport to be had with this one than even the last.
People have forgotten this truth. But you mustn't forget it. You become responsible forever for what you have tamed.
Howl's Wiki
Howl's Wiki
