Pheraxis: Piercing Light

[Thomas McTavish]

The afternoon sun beamed through the crack in the curtains, soft orange light falling on his face. Callawyn woke, his head pounding as the light summoned him from slumber. He was sprawled across the plush bedding, half-covered by a silken sheet, accompanied by two of the brothel's residents and multiple empty bottles. He groaned, sitting upright as he tried to rub the pain from his temples. A measly consequence for a day well spent. His curse making him a creature of the night, the common man's afternoon was the rogue's early morning. Callawyn crawled from the bed, careful not to disturb the sleeping Dolls or his throbbing hangover. He slipped into his ragged pants and tunic, disappearing through the door as it clicked quietly closed.

The place was becoming increasingly familiar, but it would be a long time before he became as intimate with the passageways of the building as he was with the one that burned with the rest of Santos. The trauma of the Lich War and the Razing of Santos was still fresh in the minds of all who had witnessed it, though it had been nearly two decades since. Everything in the city was now ash and rubble; from the homes of the rich to the merchant stalls and Madame Vixen's old brothel, in which the shade-cursed thief found the closest thing to a home he had known since he had become a shadeshifter.

Lorna and Callawyn had fled here together, along with as many of Lorna's Dolls as they could save, and Felix, the doorman. It was a tri-bordered city, on the outskirts of the Ivory Inquisition's territory, the grand forest home to the tree-cities of the elves to the northwest, and the neighboring country which was slowly becoming an empire to the southeast. The fairly small, quiet town had a market square, a residential district, and several surrounding farms. The market had cobblestone pathways, with the rest of the town connected by well-trodden dirt roads.

A few of the wandering Dolls doing chores around the brothel bid Callawyn a good afternoon as he tumbled by, lazily waving in return as he clutched his head and made his way to the Madame's room. Still not as magically fortified as the old brothel, it took him very little time to find it. "Lorna," he called, knocking softly. "It's Cal. I'm up."

@WitchesRayvyn

 

[WitchesRayvyn]

Lorna knew Callawyn was up and awake before he knocked on her door. One of the first things she had done once she had acquired the building for her new brothel was to place magic circles in each room that allowed her to monitor the occupants of each room. The circle served a different purpose as well, something that was a specialty of Lorna's, if one of her Doll's was ever in danger or distressed, the circle would activate, shielding the Doll until Lorna or Felix or one of the male Dolls showed up to see what was going on. It was a handy piece of craft that she was especially proud of.

As she waited for her longtime guest and friend to make his way to her, she ran her eyes over the room, a soft sigh passing her lips. It wasn't home, not yet. She had spent nearly 100 years of her life in Santos. She hadn't wanted to leave, to leave the only place that had ever felt like home, but she knew Callawyn had been right. They had to leave, and quickly. Thankfully she was able to save all of her monetary treasures as well as most of her more valuable mystical ones. She had only been able to save a small number of her Dolls, which bothered her more than she would ever admit. When her Dolls came to her, she always promised that they would be safe with her. In her mind, she had let the ones who didn't make it down. Something that she would have to live with for a very long time. Her ear twitched as Cal started down the hall towards her suite. Her movements were graceful and effortless as she lifted herself from the plush chair she had been occupying and made her way across the room towards the door, picking up a goblet of liquid as she passed a small table.

In doing so, she passed a large floor to ceiling mirror that was placed on the wall opposite her bed. She stopped and let golden eyes move over the reflection they found. She looked older, much older than she ever had. Probably in her early to mid-thirties, though she was still exotically beautiful, still desirable. Her eyes moved to focus on the empty bed that was also reflected in the window. Ever since the incident with Lillian, who had ended up being the downfall of The Den, she had yet to take a new lover, nor had she made herself available for her customers. She just couldn't bring herself to do it. She had thought of broaching the topic with Cal, knowing that he probably would have accommodated her, but she hadn't been able to bring herself to do that either. There was a part of her that wanted to, even needed to, but she didn't want to risk ruining the easy friendship they had.

When he finally did knock, she was there to open the door. She hadn't had a chance to install all of the mystical fortifications that had been present at The Den, but those types of spell took time and energy, so she had to take it slowly. She opened the door, a delicate brow arched when golden eyes fell on the obviously hungover shapeshifter. She moved to the side of the door, her long robe making a swishing sound as it moved over the floor. She smiled and motioned for him to enter, and offered him the goblet. "I had a feeling you would need this."

 

[Thomas McTavish]

Cal smiled softly as the door opened and Lorna greeted him. The stench of ground herbs and the iron tang of blood filled his nostrils as Lorna handed him a goblet, drawing out a chuckle from him. "You know me so well." He downed the contents of the goblet, an herbal remedy for pain mixed with beef blood to let it go down easier for him. Normally it would take at least an hour or so for it to start to take effect, but Lorna did not prepare her remedies normally. Callawyn didn't know the details, only that it involved magic and made the pain subside within moments rather than hours. With the pounding migraine gone, Callawyn jerked his head from side to side, cracking his neck loudly. He sauntered further into the room, taking a seat in one of the wooden chairs that occupied the space.

He inhaled deeply, taking in all the scents. Oak, char, lavender, the lingering iron tang from his drink, the familiar scent of Lorna herself. The room, even after as long as they had been there, was distinctly void of the scents of sweat, sex, pleasure, pain, all that made the old brothel comforting to him. He was a little worried about Lorna. She hadn't had any 'private company' since Santos. A lot of Dolls were lost to steel and flame when the Inquisitors stormed the city. Everyone who made it out had taken the losses hard. They were all good people, none of them deserved the punishment the Ivory Inquisition gave them. Many were good friends of Callawyn's, and they were practically family to Lorna and the other Dolls. He could only imagine their pain.

Shaking free of his shadowed thoughts, Cal decided to move into the business of the night. "So, how goes the developing of the new network? Have we managed to create any new trade routes between the neighboring lands? I've seen an increase in the number of foreign merchants over the last few months." he inquired. "I don't expect much from the knife-ears in the woods, but I'm certain the Indarii Empire has an underground we can get in contact with, not to mention the parts of Pheraxis where the Inquisition has little hold."

 

[WitchesRayvyn]

Lorna watched him as he crossed the room, his eyes and other senses taking in everything there was to be found before he took a seat. She enjoyed watching him, always had. She shook her head gently to clear that line of thought before making her way towards the side of the suite that Cal occupied, and sat at her desk. Yes, business talk was best right now. It would help keep her mind from diving into more negative thoughts and memories. "Surprisingly well actually, though the network will be nothing like the one we had in Santos as that one was hundreds of years old. But with time and nurturing, I'm sure we can make it just as profitable." She reached into the top drawer of her desk and pulled out her pipe, filling it with her favorite cherry flavored tobacco and lit it with a snap of her fingers.


"I've sent a few of more experienced male Dolls to feel out opportunities within the Indarii Empire and they should be returning tomorrow or the next day. As for the elves…." she arched a brow as she enunciated the races' actual name, "You'll be surprised to hear that I have already made contact with them and there are certain factions within their government that wish to employ certain talents we possess. They also want details about the Inquisition. There have been rumors that they might be turning their eyes to Thilelian borders and the elves are not happy about it."


She took a few puffs from her pipe, holding the flavored smoke in her mouth, rolling it around on her tongue, before letting it slip from between her lips in a small stream of cloud colored smoke. "They would be our best source for enchanted merchandise and good quality herbs and are willing to trade these things for information and us being their eyes and ears in regards to the movements of the Inquisition. " she snorted delicately and grins, placing the pipe back between her lips. "And for sex of course.The exotic beauty of the Doll's have even reached their pointed ears and I have already had a few show-up, disguised."


She was happy to see that her tonic had worked nearly instantly for him. Over the years she had tweaked and reworked that particular brew so that the combination of herbs, with blood, added of course, would only really work for Cal, but that didn't bother her. She enjoyed coming up with new brews, though she hadn't really done much of anything aside from continually working on getting her new home up to snuff. She still hadn't gotten around to setting up the spells and wards that would make the inside of the new brothel bigger than the outside. It was a spell that she was very proud of and had been offered exorbitant amounts of money for the secret of it by other practitioners, but she had never relented.Some spell work she was willing to do for money, but this one would always be hers. She couldn't risk it falling into the wrong hands after all.


She pulled herself from her thoughts and mental check lists and turned her attention back to Cal. "What about you my shadowy friend? What information have you scouted out?" she laughed softly. "How many people have you recently robbed? Our coffers are a bit bare at the moment"

 

[Thomas McTavish]

Callawyn paid full attention to the information relayed to him, being surprised as predicted upon hearing the Thilelian Elves' willingness and even eagerness to do business. Thilelian was known as Isolationist, and elves were very distrustful of outsiders. However, war had a strange way of bringing unlikely allies together. This made particular sense to Cal, what with the Thilelian being almost entirely made of dense forests and lush grasslands, against the Ivory Inquisition and their tendencies to incinerate things they don't like. He was excited to hear back about the Indarii, as his father had been there many times and told him stories of the elaborately decorated spires of stone and iron, dedicated to their gods and heroes.

Callawyn adopted an expression of mock shock and betrayal, jaw dropping in offense. "Excuse you, Madame, but I am no mere robber. I'm a burglar. Robbery implies threat. I don't threaten anybody for their goods; I take them without a trace." he ranted humorously, adding a chuckle before clearing his throat to get back to the serious stuff.

His brow furrowed, trying to remember. "I hit thirteen merchants in the last week, six foreign. The Inquisition has turned their eyes to the south, towards another insurrection. Rumor has it that a group of Cathars wisened to corruption deep in their hierarchy and rallied commoners to aid them. Bandits have been hitting roads that connect us to the towns in the southwest, likely capitalizing on the distraction. Oh, and the local butcher had his ass handed to him by the florist in a bar fight two days ago, because he found out the butcher had been sleeping with his wife. And three other women. And the apothecary's husband in a dress." He chuckled as he gave out that last bit of information, amused at the situation the poor man had gotten himself into.

Deciding to bring if full circle, he emptied his satchel onto Lorna's desk. Common jewelry, coins, small gems, a few daggers, vials of various liquids, precious metals, talismans depicting various Indarii gods and heroes, and an elvish filigree ring scattered onto the wood. "I've already taken anything I want or need, the rest is yours. Not much, but this isn't a very large city. It's much harder to get away with my usual mischief." he sighed, setting the satchel to the side and leaning back to await her appraisal of the goods.

 

[WitchesRayvyn]

She rolled her eyes at his humorous outrage and placed a hand on her chest, fluttering her lashes in his direction. "Oh please do forgive me Mr. Burglar. How ever could I have mistaken you for anything else? Please let me know if there is any way I can make up for such a terrible offense." she couldn't stop the small laugh that slipped past her lips. She had missed their banter and good-natured jabs. They were rare these days, since, as Cal said, the town was so much smaller than Santos and she found herself more and more stressed by the lack of funds and progress. Granted, The Den had stood for hundreds of years, and it had taken that long to establish all her connections there as well. She would do the same here...it would just take time.


She hummed in appreciation as she scanned over his haul with amber hued eyes, her ears flicking absently as moved a long nailed finger through the collection. "It looks like you were busy, well as busy as one can be here, but it seems you have some nice pieces. I think I'll keep the ring for myself, I've always had an interest in elvish jewelry, and I'll have to check the contents of the vials before I'll know if I want to sell them or keep them myself. All in all, I'd say it was a profitable haul. " she slipped the ring onto her right pointer finger and placed the vials to the side so that she could slide the rest of the items off her desk and into a bag. A bag that looked much too small to hold all that she had placed in it, but of course it was enchanted. Once everything was inside the bag, she closed it and placed it in the bottom drawer of her desk, which was locked with magic. Only she could open it, though she had thought to maybe key the lock to Callawyn as well, just in case.


Once she was finished putting up the merchandise she would be selling on the black market she turned her attention back to Callawyn and smiled softly, her golden eyes showing how tired she really was. It took a lot of magic and concentration to set up the kinds of wards, circles, and spells that the brothel needed and it was taking its toll. "So what are your plans for the rest of the evening my friend? Will you go out and….burgle….more people, or perhaps spend some time getting to know some of the new Dolls I've acquired." she and Callawyn had only been able to save a handful of Dolls when they'd fled but she had been able to bolster their ranks once they had settled into their new home. She even had one whom she was certain was at least a quarter elf. "They aren't as well trained as the ones we brought with us, but I'm sure you wouldn't minds assisting with that would you?" she smiled and tilted her head in question as she took a long drag from her pipe. "Or….." she hesitated, not something she did often. She knew what she wanted to ask, but she didn't, opting instead for asking something different. "Or you could accompany me to the local theater. I was gifted a couple of tickets by the local magistrate." Even though the people of the town knew she ran a brothel, they treated her rather well, respecting that she seemed to run a reputable establishment that treated both employees and customers well. They also didn't seem to mind the higher class people that her brothel attracted, who would usually spend money at the local taverns and such.

 

[Thomas McTavish]

Callawyn's eyebrow raised as he flashed a sharp grin."Why," he stated, "it would be my honor to accompany such a fine lady. I'm no learned man, but even the illiterate can find joy in performance. I shall ready my finest set of rags for the occasion." he joked. Since moving here, Callawyn had taken the visage of a beggar more than a common man. In Santos it was normal to see people out during most hours, here it was less so. But a beggar on the streets at midnight would not be suspected of any more than the usual mischief. He did however, keep a well-off commoner's outfit in the brothel, for rare times when he needed to dress for occasion.

"As nice as getting... acquainted with the new Dolls, sounds, I'm long overdue for a nice evening out with a good friend." He sighed warmly, leaning back in his chair.

 

[WitchesRayvyn]

She smiled, laughing softly at his words. A weight she hadn't known was there lifted from her shoulders at his acceptance of her offer. She also felt a happy warmth settle over her when he referred to her as a friend. Of course, she knew they were friends, they had been through too much together not to be, but it was always nice to be reassured from time to time, especially when they both needed friends like the other in such troubling times. "Why don't you do that my handsome beggar, and I too will don my finest robes. What a pair we shall make." she stood in one fluid motion, her fingers pressed against the top of her desk to keep herself from swaying. Callawyn had seen her weaker than this, and she had seen him close to death, but she hated to show weakness when she was capable of hiding it.



"The play isn't for a couple of hours, so I think I shall take a short nap, then bathe. If we have enough time, I'll have my cook bring something up for both of us to eat before we head out for the night." she walked around her desk and waited for him to stand so she could lead him to the door. Once they stood in front of it, she opened it for him and leaned forward, kissing his cheek gently. "Have fun entertaining yourself for now and I shall see you later tonight my friend."

 

[Thomas McTavish]

Callawyn smirked as she kissed his cheek, stepping smoothly backwards through the doorway. "Have me fetched not too soon before the play, I will be found carousing about the tavern. Cheat some drunk gamblers out of a bit of coin, develop a positive reputation so my presence isn't questioned. Might see the butcher get beat again. Two shows in one night, what a treat that would be!" he chuckled turning and walking down the hall, drawing a dagger to idly twirl between his fingers.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Some hours later, a Doll arrived to fetch the surprisingly sober thief, now a handful of coins richer. He bid his frustrated gambling companions farewell, and returned to the brothel, changing into his "nice" outfit and waiting for Lorna in the common room, to accompany her to the play they would see.