At first, Kage thought she was joking, but when Natalie held out the dress and the heels, he knew she was serious.
"Wh- it - I - " He stuttered, taking a step back as if the clothing might leap out and strangle him. Natalie followed suit, and Kage soon had very little space to flee. "It's - it's going to look so obvious though! They know who I am! I'm not even the right build!"
"I know!" She smiled, a hint of teeth cutting through at one side to resemble a pair of fangs. "It's the Hildibrand method, and it's perfect. You'll look obvious; you'll look so obvious, that nobody will notice the real spy getting the information we need. All eyes on you!"
Kage blushed, considering the prospect of several hundred pairs of eyes on him, give or take an odd number when one considered the inevitable guests with eyepatches, clad in high fashion and trying to pretend he hadn't just been a member of their ranks. It was admittedly a very tasteful gown, one in his color, but a gown nonetheless. "Wh-what about," he started to protest, before his face lit up, seeing an out. "What about Ser Crofte - "
"Ser Crofte couldn't make this work like you could, Ser Deneith wouldn't stand out like you could, and the rest of the Sworn aren't worth mentioning. It has to be you." Her smile seemed to falter, hesitantly, in a manner that suggested she was about to give him the hard sell - Â "Please?" And, yep, there it was.
Kage sighed. "Are the shoes in my size, at least?"
----
Natalie was right about one thing - all eyes were definitely on Kage at the official semi-annual Brass Blades' Officers' Ball. They kept an eye on him specifically to keep at least a ten-yalm radius away from the former Sworn; even if his past status as a member of the Blades, however briefly, and all the trouble that had entailed hadn't been barrier enough, his ungainly step in the heels and the obvious blush on his face as he collected the folds of his dark blue gown together to avoid tripping with each ilm of movement ensured that people stayed out of his way in the hopes that disaster wasn't contagious.
It was with great relief that, after having been introduced, Kage was able to cross towards a table and take a seat. There was a wide, blank space around him amidst the throng of officers and their escorts - some literally so, others likely spouses - and he could see the small movements of the Dunesfolk spy Natalie had hired to listen in on conversations and rifle the odd documents. He had to admit, the plan was working, especially as long as there was a stir.
Just as Kage felt he was about to relax, as if he could get through the evening without further embarrassment, he heard the thud of somebody heavily slumping into the chair beside him. "Puh-pardon . . . " slurred the man nearby, enough wine in his breath that he could very well have been harboring a small vineyard, "Puh-pardon me, madam, but wouldja care for s'm dubious goods?"
Kage looked up to see an elderly Duskwight, clad in a shabby approximation of Brass Blade officer's garb and sporting a heavy white beard, seated next to him, having breached the buffer zone of empty space provided by the rest of the crowd. His head wobbled uncertainly, and the flush in the man's cheeks suggested that he'd been drinking for some time. Kage had a vague sense of who the man was - some sort of eccentric peddler who'd been wandering Ul'dah of the past few months - but what he was doing at an officers' ball he couldn't say.
"Oh! Uh-" He cleared his throat, trying to remember if Nat had asked him to pretend to change his voice; nobody had yet spoken to him beyond basic pleasantries. Given the Duskwight's inebriation, he decided not to bother. "I think you have me at a disadvantage, Ser - "
"Bellveil! Verrrahd Bellveil, Ul'dah's pre-..." He waved a hand dismissively. "Ah, 's a long title. How ya doin'? Nice party, right? Yanno they just give thes' invitationsh out?"
"Th-they do?" He frowned, glancing around the room. None of the officers would meet his eyes. Why was this a semi-annual ball, anyway? Wasn't one a year enough?
"Uhh-huh." Verrrahd bobbed his head up and down in over-emphatic emphasis. "'S a good thing I had a - " He swallowed. "Had a spare outfit. Got it on sale, yanno. Blades's good business." He nudged Kage in the shoulder abruptly. "But t'see 'em leavein' a young lady alone - now that - that wasn't right, you know."
Ah, Kage thought, this was going to be one of those misunderstandings. He braced himself for the rest of the evening when a crash caught his attention. The Duskwight seemed to give it no notice, rambling on about something to do with the quality of the drinks being too high. Ignoring him, Kage squinted into the crowd, and saw the spy had stumbled into the legs of one of the waiters, knocking aside a tray of drinks. The crowd's attention had shifted to the commotion, and amid them, Kage could see questioning looks. A few guards started to weave through bodies, towards the source of the noise.
If invitations were freely given, he realized, and people were allowed to dress as Blades, as Verrrahd had, then who else might be dressed the same? How many of them were actually officers, and if they weren't, why was the ball advertised as such? How many other spies had they already caught seeking evidence of corruption at balls like these?
For an instant, Kage froze. If this was a trap, he needed to get out, and quickly. He was a quarter of the way through rising from his seat, before seeing the sprawled over form of the spy in the crowd, still shaking his head free of the daze. That would mean leaving him to his fate.
All eyes on him, Natalie had said. Better not to let her down.
Kage continued his rise from his chair, but rather than flee, he smiled, the gesture feeble but broad, and extended his hand down to Verrrahd. "I-if you'll excuse my asking," he said, trying to suppress a stutter. "Would you care to dance?"
----
It had been ten minutes, and Natalie still hadn't stopped laughing. Every time it seemed like she was about to relent, she found some new source of energy and the peals continued. Kage frowned, shifting his body to avoid putting more weight on the sling around his left arm. He'd been seen by a Conjurer, and the break was a clean one, but they had insisted on letting it rest for a day before healing it completely.
The evening had been a disaster, of course. Between Kage's lack of balance in heels and the Duskwight's inebriation, they had managed to stay on their feet for thirty seconds before collapsing in a tangle of limbs and clothing, spilling into the crowd and knocking aside several dozen guests like very high-class dominoes. The crash eclipsed the attention given to the spy, however, and had given him the chance to get away.
Kage hadn't been so lucky; the Duskwight was surprisingly heavy despite his apparent age, and he'd suffered a fracture for his troubles. He'd been seen to by medics in the Blades, and had come to Natalie's own quarters to report on the matter the next day. Since then, the hilarity hadn't stopped. Only when she threatened to fall out of her chair did the noise subside.
"So - " she said, righting herself and wiping tears out of her eyes. "She got away you said?" Kage nodded.
"Yeah. I'd be surprised if he got anything though. Looks like it was all some setup."
"Big party, send out invitations to people the Blades want to silence, and gather them all up at once." Natalie nodded. "Good, good. Good thinking there, Kage." She smiled, and Kage found himself blushing harder than he had in a dress. "See? You were the only one could have done it."
"Yeah." Kage swallowed, looking around the room to avoid direct eye contact. "Listen, though, I was wondering - "
"Yeah?"
"Couldn't I have just worn a suit?"
The laughter started again.
"Wh- it - I - " He stuttered, taking a step back as if the clothing might leap out and strangle him. Natalie followed suit, and Kage soon had very little space to flee. "It's - it's going to look so obvious though! They know who I am! I'm not even the right build!"
"I know!" She smiled, a hint of teeth cutting through at one side to resemble a pair of fangs. "It's the Hildibrand method, and it's perfect. You'll look obvious; you'll look so obvious, that nobody will notice the real spy getting the information we need. All eyes on you!"
Kage blushed, considering the prospect of several hundred pairs of eyes on him, give or take an odd number when one considered the inevitable guests with eyepatches, clad in high fashion and trying to pretend he hadn't just been a member of their ranks. It was admittedly a very tasteful gown, one in his color, but a gown nonetheless. "Wh-what about," he started to protest, before his face lit up, seeing an out. "What about Ser Crofte - "
"Ser Crofte couldn't make this work like you could, Ser Deneith wouldn't stand out like you could, and the rest of the Sworn aren't worth mentioning. It has to be you." Her smile seemed to falter, hesitantly, in a manner that suggested she was about to give him the hard sell - Â "Please?" And, yep, there it was.
Kage sighed. "Are the shoes in my size, at least?"
----
Natalie was right about one thing - all eyes were definitely on Kage at the official semi-annual Brass Blades' Officers' Ball. They kept an eye on him specifically to keep at least a ten-yalm radius away from the former Sworn; even if his past status as a member of the Blades, however briefly, and all the trouble that had entailed hadn't been barrier enough, his ungainly step in the heels and the obvious blush on his face as he collected the folds of his dark blue gown together to avoid tripping with each ilm of movement ensured that people stayed out of his way in the hopes that disaster wasn't contagious.
It was with great relief that, after having been introduced, Kage was able to cross towards a table and take a seat. There was a wide, blank space around him amidst the throng of officers and their escorts - some literally so, others likely spouses - and he could see the small movements of the Dunesfolk spy Natalie had hired to listen in on conversations and rifle the odd documents. He had to admit, the plan was working, especially as long as there was a stir.
Just as Kage felt he was about to relax, as if he could get through the evening without further embarrassment, he heard the thud of somebody heavily slumping into the chair beside him. "Puh-pardon . . . " slurred the man nearby, enough wine in his breath that he could very well have been harboring a small vineyard, "Puh-pardon me, madam, but wouldja care for s'm dubious goods?"
Kage looked up to see an elderly Duskwight, clad in a shabby approximation of Brass Blade officer's garb and sporting a heavy white beard, seated next to him, having breached the buffer zone of empty space provided by the rest of the crowd. His head wobbled uncertainly, and the flush in the man's cheeks suggested that he'd been drinking for some time. Kage had a vague sense of who the man was - some sort of eccentric peddler who'd been wandering Ul'dah of the past few months - but what he was doing at an officers' ball he couldn't say.
"Oh! Uh-" He cleared his throat, trying to remember if Nat had asked him to pretend to change his voice; nobody had yet spoken to him beyond basic pleasantries. Given the Duskwight's inebriation, he decided not to bother. "I think you have me at a disadvantage, Ser - "
"Bellveil! Verrrahd Bellveil, Ul'dah's pre-..." He waved a hand dismissively. "Ah, 's a long title. How ya doin'? Nice party, right? Yanno they just give thes' invitationsh out?"
"Th-they do?" He frowned, glancing around the room. None of the officers would meet his eyes. Why was this a semi-annual ball, anyway? Wasn't one a year enough?
"Uhh-huh." Verrrahd bobbed his head up and down in over-emphatic emphasis. "'S a good thing I had a - " He swallowed. "Had a spare outfit. Got it on sale, yanno. Blades's good business." He nudged Kage in the shoulder abruptly. "But t'see 'em leavein' a young lady alone - now that - that wasn't right, you know."
Ah, Kage thought, this was going to be one of those misunderstandings. He braced himself for the rest of the evening when a crash caught his attention. The Duskwight seemed to give it no notice, rambling on about something to do with the quality of the drinks being too high. Ignoring him, Kage squinted into the crowd, and saw the spy had stumbled into the legs of one of the waiters, knocking aside a tray of drinks. The crowd's attention had shifted to the commotion, and amid them, Kage could see questioning looks. A few guards started to weave through bodies, towards the source of the noise.
If invitations were freely given, he realized, and people were allowed to dress as Blades, as Verrrahd had, then who else might be dressed the same? How many of them were actually officers, and if they weren't, why was the ball advertised as such? How many other spies had they already caught seeking evidence of corruption at balls like these?
For an instant, Kage froze. If this was a trap, he needed to get out, and quickly. He was a quarter of the way through rising from his seat, before seeing the sprawled over form of the spy in the crowd, still shaking his head free of the daze. That would mean leaving him to his fate.
All eyes on him, Natalie had said. Better not to let her down.
Kage continued his rise from his chair, but rather than flee, he smiled, the gesture feeble but broad, and extended his hand down to Verrrahd. "I-if you'll excuse my asking," he said, trying to suppress a stutter. "Would you care to dance?"
----
It had been ten minutes, and Natalie still hadn't stopped laughing. Every time it seemed like she was about to relent, she found some new source of energy and the peals continued. Kage frowned, shifting his body to avoid putting more weight on the sling around his left arm. He'd been seen by a Conjurer, and the break was a clean one, but they had insisted on letting it rest for a day before healing it completely.
The evening had been a disaster, of course. Between Kage's lack of balance in heels and the Duskwight's inebriation, they had managed to stay on their feet for thirty seconds before collapsing in a tangle of limbs and clothing, spilling into the crowd and knocking aside several dozen guests like very high-class dominoes. The crash eclipsed the attention given to the spy, however, and had given him the chance to get away.
Kage hadn't been so lucky; the Duskwight was surprisingly heavy despite his apparent age, and he'd suffered a fracture for his troubles. He'd been seen to by medics in the Blades, and had come to Natalie's own quarters to report on the matter the next day. Since then, the hilarity hadn't stopped. Only when she threatened to fall out of her chair did the noise subside.
"So - " she said, righting herself and wiping tears out of her eyes. "She got away you said?" Kage nodded.
"Yeah. I'd be surprised if he got anything though. Looks like it was all some setup."
"Big party, send out invitations to people the Blades want to silence, and gather them all up at once." Natalie nodded. "Good, good. Good thinking there, Kage." She smiled, and Kage found himself blushing harder than he had in a dress. "See? You were the only one could have done it."
"Yeah." Kage swallowed, looking around the room to avoid direct eye contact. "Listen, though, I was wondering - "
"Yeah?"
"Couldn't I have just worn a suit?"
The laughter started again.
Verad Bellveil's Profile | The Case of the Ransacked Rug | Verad's Fate Sheet
Current Fate-14 Storyline:Â Merchant, Marine
Current Fate-14 Storyline:Â Merchant, Marine